first minister

The wind seemed to blow from all directions in an instant, and the body that had been condensed like cold iron in the bitter cold in the north felt the bone-chilling cold at this moment.

What are chess pieces?
He is a master in the clouds who can sometimes carry the rolling momentum and unparalleled scenery;

But at the same time, it is also a useless object that can be cruelly discarded at any time when the overall situation becomes easier.

What can be discussed in the peace talks between Beiliang and Daxia?
It's nothing more than bargaining over the ownership of the three places: Lieyang Pass, Phoenix City and Yuyan State.

For the subjects of the world, it is ultimately a good thing to be able to stop wars and stop the troops, and not suffer from military disasters, and not suffer from the evils of military expenses, food and pay;

For the two courts, each has gained something now. It is also a good thing to be able to exchange for losses through peace talks and stabilize the situation in a balanced state;
But for Dongfang Ping, who is a pawn in the game, it is a complete bad news and tragedy.

He has his dreams and persistence, his forbearance and means, but he only has one person, tens of thousands of people, and only one state. How can he win the chance of survival between the two behemoths? !
He frowned and thought, and finally came to one conclusion: the people of Beiliang were unreliable.

For the current plan, the only way to avoid the disastrous end of being swept out without any resistance is to further firmly grasp Swift State in one's hands.

But now, even though he knew that Beiliang might abandon him, he still did not dare to fall out with the people of Beiliang.

Because, if the Northern and Southern Dynasties were offended at the same time, there would be no reason for Yuyan to be spared.

He looked out the window. The sky was high and the clouds were far away, and his eyes were vast, but he could only stand in a small cage, like a trapped animal.

"Your Highness!"

At this moment, another guard came in a hurry, "Your Highness, the envoy from Beiliang is here."

Dongfang Ping sneered in his heart, and his vague calculation became clear in an instant, but his face was filled with surprise and joy, and he said excitedly: "Please come quickly!"

In the lobby of the State Shepherd's Mansion, Murong Long stood with his hands behind his back.

When there was a sound of footsteps, he didn't look back, but the sound that came to his ears immediately made him couldn't help but look curiously.

"Oh, sir, Xiao Wang has been waiting for you to come!"

Dongfang Ping came over with a humble face, bowed his body slightly, and said excitedly, "Envoy, you don't know that ever since General Murong met with an unexpected incident, Xiao Wang has been unable to eat to his heart's content and cannot sleep at night. He regrets that he failed to dissuade General Murong from being careful. So, day and night, we are looking forward to the envoys coming from the kingdom to take charge of the overall situation!"

Before Murong Long came here, he had secretly gone to the Falcon Eagle Cavalry camp that was currently gathering outside the city.

As the most outstanding young man of the Murong family, of course he easily subdued the already leaderless Falcon Cavalry, and then came to the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion with His Majesty's order to temporarily stabilize or even control Dongfang Ping.

On the way forward, he made a lot of predictions and precautions. Dongfang Ping was domineering, cunning, and tactful, but he never expected that the other party would adopt such a posture.

He naturally didn't believe this, so he turned around and said calmly: "Your Highness is joking. Your Highness is naturally in charge of this overall situation. We are just guest troops who came to help you under the emperor's order. There is no way we can afford this important task!"

Dongfang Ping was startled for a moment, then nodded obediently, "Yes, yes, the envoy is right, but I hope you can help Xiao Wang more so that Xiao Wang and Yuyanzhou can tide over the difficulties!"

Murong Long, who originally thought that Dongfang Ping would talk to him about host and guest, was confused again after hearing this. Is it really just what I say, to make someone obedient?
"Don't worry, this general has come here with His Majesty's orders to plan for great things so as not to void the agreement between you and us."

"Okay, okay! That's good!" Dongfang Ping patted his chest and changed his words, "To be honest, I heard that the puppet government was powerful, and Xiao Wang was worried all day long, fearing that His Majesty would no longer want to help Xiao Wang. Now that I see General, you can finally have a peaceful sleep."

He said seriously: "General, although we are temporarily trapped now, Yuyan is vast and rich. If we can help each other with your country, the trend will still be great. General, please don't do this short-sighted move!"

Murong Long looked at the completely sincere face in front of him, and suddenly felt that the information he knew was not enough, so he tried and changed the topic and said: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I am here just to appease Your Highness. Later, I will go to the Falcon Cavalry Camp to appease the soldiers and re-stabilize the situation."

Dongfang Ping nodded immediately, "General, thank you for your hard work. Tonight, Xiao Wang will host a dinner in the city. He will invite all the dignitaries in the state to support His Highness. I also ask for a reward from millions of people!"

Didn't you stop him?Didn't they send a few "guides" to monitor them?
Murong Long, who was accustomed to the intrigues in Liangdu City, felt that Dongfang Ping was a little too talkative, and then instinctively did not believe his words.

So, he waved his hand and said, "Your Highness is kind-hearted, so there is no need for Jie Feng. I will come to see His Highness again tomorrow. Farewell!"

Dongfang Ping looked at him, opened his mouth, stopped talking a few times, and finally plucked up the courage to stop him, "General!"

Murong Long turned his head and stared slightly, "What else does your Highness want?"

Dongfang Ping murmured, and finally asked, "I haven't asked the general for his name yet."

Murong Long felt that if what he was showing at this moment was true, he was too cowardly, so he immediately said coldly: "Murong family, Murong Long."

After speaking, he strode away.

After he had been cautious all the way out of the state city and returned to the Falcon Eagle Cavalry camp, Murong Long finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the soldiers beside him, "Go ahead and call the several thousand captains in the army."

Murong Hu's soldiers were immediately executed because of the death of their leader.

Nowadays, among the Falcon Riders, the only ones Murong Long can trust more are these commanders.

When these people came and sat down in the tent, after listening to Murong Long's doubts, they all laughed, making Murong Long confused again.

"The general doesn't know what he is, but Dongfang Ping has this kind of virtue!"

"General Tiger was a little doubtful at first, but later he no longer had any doubts!"

Murong Long's brows furrowed into a deep frown, "How is it possible that the dignified prince of the Southern Dynasty and the commander-in-chief of the border army could be such a coward? How can such a person take charge of the military and fight on the battlefield?"

"The general doesn't know what he is doing. Dongfang Ping doesn't behave like this at all in front of his soldiers and state officials. He is decisive in killing. He never hides from us and is not afraid of our suspicions."

"According to General Tiger's previous analysis, this Dongfang Ping is not a mediocre person, but a capable person. He is also a person who can see the situation clearly and can endure what ordinary people cannot tolerate. He manages the soldiers properly, so many people are Being willing to follow him in the rebellion and capture the entire Yuyan Prefecture in a very short period of time shows his talent. At the same time, he has a clear view of the overall situation and knows that after the rebellion, the only way for him to be friends with us in the future is to be a good friend. You must surrender to my court in order to gain peace, so I am willing to humble myself."

"The general doesn't know. In fact, Dongfang Ping is not always so flattering in front of us. His flattery is based on his ability to become the leader of a country and rule the roost. With this condition, everything is easy to say. , but if his rule over Swift State is threatened, he will immediately reveal his ferocious minions. When General Tiger was in crisis, he still didn’t want to go to war, so Dongfang Ping let go of his cruel words in person. "

After hearing this, Murong Long finally felt that it made more sense, "So, he doesn't care about being a flattering king or a wise king, but he must be a king? Otherwise, he doesn't mind being a ferocious wolf?"

The captains quickly sent compliments, "Yes, yes! That's what it means!"

"The general is right!"

"The general is worthy of being the best among those who are afraid of Xue Wei. We have been muttering so much, but you summed it up in one sentence."

Murong Long ignored these cheap compliments and frowned as he thought about it.

Your Majesty meant that he should comfort and control Dongfang Ping. Now it is impossible that Dongfang Ping doesn't know what happened, and the way he wants to question but dare not speak today shows that the other party still has illusions about Daliang, for fear of irritating him. I, if I follow this train of thought, I should be able to comfort myself.

By then, by completing His Majesty's plan and making great achievements, the Murong family, which has been hit hard by repeated attacks, can breathe a sigh of relief.

With a thought in mind, he called for his soldiers, "Go tell Dongfang Ping that I will go to the city for a banquet tonight."
-
"What kind of banquet are you going to? It's freezing out here, so I'm just reading at home."

In Liangdu City, King Jing Xue Yi leaned in the warm room, pursed his lips with a speechless expression, pulled the blanket on his knees, and turned sideways.

The butler of the palace laughed beside him, "Your Majesty, tonight the prince has summoned all the princes for a banquet. Except for King Mu who is out on patrol, all the other princes have gone. Isn't it appropriate for you not to go?"

King Jing was slightly startled, holding his forehead, thinking for a moment, and then slowly picked up the manuscript of "Collection of Xia Gaoyang's Poems and Prose" which was collected by an unknown bookseller with a keen sense of smell and was only circulated among the nobles of Liangdu. Close it, place it gently on the table, then lift the blanket and sit up.

The knowledgeable maid on the side quickly came up and put on his coat.

How could a prince have the courage to summon the princes for a banquet? It must have been a secret order from his father.

Hey, let's just go and try out any new dishes in the Prince's Mansion.

King Jing sighed, opened his arms, let his maid put on the fox fur to keep out the cold, and then walked out of the palace with his guards.

In the East Palace, many princes of Emperor Liang were gathering together.

Many days ago, they had gathered together like this, but that was on the day when Emperor Liang vomited blood and fell into coma. At that time, the room was filled with trembling panic and endless vigilance.

But today, everything is back on track, and the atmosphere of warmth and joy has begun to be very realistic created by the Huang nobles these days.

Xue Yi sat among them, absent-mindedly echoing the bursts of enthusiasm or laughter led by the prince.

When the banquet was halfway through, a waiter slowly appeared at the door.

After seeing the other party's face clearly, all the princes, including the prince, stood up and saluted.

He Zhong, the eunuch beside Emperor Liang, did not ask for help. He returned the gift and said with a smile: "Your Highnesses, Your Majesty knows that you are having a banquet here, so he sent an old slave to ask. Your Majesty wants to choose one person to go to Lieyang Pass. , to discuss the peace talks with the people of the Southern Dynasties in preparation for formal peace talks, can any of your highnesses come forward?"

When everyone heard this, they immediately looked at each other and fell silent.

If you have no idea about the throne and are determined to rely on the blessings of your mother's womb to enjoy yourself for the rest of your life, you will naturally not take the initiative.If you have thoughts about the throne, who wouldn’t know that this time the peace talks actually meant that the imperial court was at a disadvantage. Even if it succeeded, it would not be a good thing. Instead, it would be burdened with a reputation of losing power and humiliating the country, which might make many people who wanted to support them How could wealthy people and outstanding people take the initiative to ask for help if they gave up on themselves and lost their position as a bargaining chip?

There was an awkward silence in the palace for a moment, and the prince sighed, "Eunuch He, as the crown prince alone, you should share your father's worries, so you can go alone."

He Zhong shook his head, "As the Crown Prince, His Highness, this matter is still very inconvenient."

His eyes swept across the hall, and among the nervous and evasive expressions of everyone, they landed on Xue Yi, "His Royal Highness King Jing, are you willing to share your worries for His Majesty?"

Xue Yi:? ? ?
It's too much trouble for me to even come to the East Palace for a drink. You want me to go to Lieyang Pass?

After going to Lieyang Pass, can I run away from the formal peace talks?

Although he usually had no intention of competing for the throne, he was not stupid either. One look at this posture and he understood that what He Zhong said was not his intention, but his father's.

Can the father's wishes be violated?

The answer is obvious.

Therefore, in the gloating eyes of the brothers around him, Xue Yi had no choice but to stand up and said, "As a prince, I should contribute to the country and share the worries of the king. Eunuch He's words are embarrassing. I should go all out, no matter what. I live up to the high expectations of my father and the imperial court."

Three days later, a large team slowly walked towards Lieyang Pass in the wind and snow, but in their hearts, there was no warmth close to the burning sun.

"What the hell is this weather like?"

King Jing Xue Yi leaned against the charcoal stove, breathed a few times into the cold palms, and cursed with a sad look on his face.

What made him even more depressed was that his brothers could enjoy the happiness in the high-walled compound of Liangdu, but he had to suffer outside.

But he didn't just show off. He still planned to do his best to do the job this time. So, he was studying the information brought by the embroidery bureau in his hand, and at the same time he asked the officials from Dilie Madu Division who were accompanying him in the car. There are many etiquette regulations.

Let's talk. This time, facing a deputy envoy from the Southern Dynasty alone, it won't be a big problem.

When the peace talks are formal, if the sky falls and King Dingxi is on top, I might be able to take advantage of Jian Zai’s heart!
With this thought in mind, he moved closer to the stove and began to think about it half-heartedly.

Half a day's journey from Lieyang Pass, there was a city called Huaishuo City. In the afternoon, King Jing and his party entered the city.

The biggest and best place in the city is naturally the courtyard of Zhennan King Xue Zonghan.

He usually sits in Huaishuo City when there is no war.

But with his shocking operation, Huaishuo City, which was originally prosperous and stable behind Lieyang Pass, suddenly became the front line of resistance against the Southern Dynasty.

Suddenly, the prosperity was much less.

As a prince and having official duties, King Jing went directly to the governor's mansion in the city to settle down.

As soon as he entered the room and sat down, his personal attendant came to report some news that surprised him.

"What? Cousin Wenlu is here too?"

King Jing was surprised and happy. Although King Zhennan was now in prison, as a brother of his father, he would most likely be able to keep his wealth and honor in the future. As the eldest son of King Zhennan, Xue Wenlu would be better off than an ordinary prince like him. , the status is not bad or even worse.

Moreover, the two of them are somewhat interested in literary and literary matters, and their personal relationship is quite acceptable on weekdays. How could they not be happy to meet each other at the border in this remote and remote area.

King Jing quickly stood up and rushed out happily with his entourage. He only realized what he was doing halfway through and turned to glare at his entourage, "Lead the way!"

Soon, he met Xue Wenlu in the other courtyard of King Zhennan.

"Cousin Wenlu, why do you look so depressed?"

King Jing looked at Xue Wenlu and the people behind him with shock on his face.

In his mind, Xue Wenlu was a more noble and calm person than many of their princes, and his demeanor as one of the Four Horsemen of Beiliang was not something to be boasted about.

I went to the Southern Dynasties with full of enthusiasm and hope. Why did I come back like this, as if I had been castrated?

Xue Wenlu and others knew that they were cold and warm. Although they returned to Daliang, they suffered one after another, and it was so easy to regain their temper.

What's more, Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian were like evil ghosts who refused to let them go, and actually followed them again.

Although they may not see each other again, what if?
What if His Majesty says, Hey, just a few of you are familiar with each other, and then go with the envoy.

When I think of those eventualities, the food in my hometown will no longer taste good, and I can't sleep peacefully.

Xue Wenlu sighed after hearing this, "What is King Jing doing here?"

"You still can't figure this out with your wisdom? Of course I came here because of the Lieyang Pass incident!"

The expressions of Xue Wenlu and Yelu Wende changed slightly. Xue Wenlu swallowed his saliva and said, "Are you the person sent by the imperial court to Lieyang Pass to discuss peace and negotiation?"

King Jing smiled, "Why, you think I'm not qualified?"

Xue Wenlu thought for a moment, "You are the prince, and you are here to serve as an advance guard. I think you will be the deputy envoy of the mission from now on."

King Jing hummed, "This is natural."

Xue Wenlu looked solemn, "I don't know the thoughts of His Majesty and the court about other matters, so I can't say much. However, you must remember to be careful of Xia Jingyun and Bai Yunbian."

King Jing couldn't help but put away his frivolity, "I know these two are very powerful, but looking at your expressions, it seems there is something unique about them?"

Xue Wenlu waved his hand, "Anyway, you must remember my words. Xia Jingyun is fine, as long as you don't take the initiative to provoke him, then it will be fine."

King Jing asked, somewhat unwilling to admit defeat, "What if he took the initiative to provoke me?"

Xue Wenlu was silent for a moment, "Even if he takes the initiative to provoke you, you'd better not fight back, just accept it honestly."

King Jing's mouth twitched, "You guys"

Xue Wenlu ignored his muttering and continued: "As for the white cloud side"

He couldn't help but have a look of pain on his face, "Do you know that kind of extremely thick kraft syrup? Oh no, saying that is just a compliment. It's just a mouthful of thick phlegm spit by a person with severe asthma. It accidentally stuck to the sole of the boot, and it couldn't be rubbed off or wiped off. Even if I washed it, it still felt disgusting, so the only option was to get rid of the boots."

King Jing looked Xue Wenlu up and down, and just as he was about to take a look at Yelu Wende and Yuan Wenjing behind him, and ask if there was something wrong with his brain, he found that both of them looked in agreement.

???

Xue Wenlu also said solemnly: "In a word, don't mess with those two people, just follow the errands honestly."

Seeing his once high-spirited cousin, who now looked like a grassland dignitary who had been demoted as a slave and could no longer see his former glory, King Jing's mood suddenly waned.

"Okay, I remember, thank you cousin, thank you all, you have worked hard all the way, I won't disturb you anymore, take my leave."

Looking at the back of King Jing leaving, Xue Wenlu and the other three knew that the other party not only disapproved of their words, but also despised them, just like Pei Bingchang who left alone after entering the customs.

The three of them looked at each other and couldn't help but sigh.

Yelvwende said softly: "If they are really defeated, they will surely be able to make the court understand our sufferings."

Yuan Wenjing sighed, "When did we become so miserable!"

Xue Wenlu smiled bitterly, "Don't think so much. Drink a bar and get drunk, and you won't have to think about anything."

Back at the Governor's Mansion, King Jing was still thinking about what happened just now. What Xue Wenlu and others said was too unbelievable. How could he be so cowardly!

Xia Jingyun is indeed good at writing poetry, and Baiyunbian can be called a young talent, but after all, he is just a young man of his own age, so why is he like this!
It seemed that it was probably because of the defeat at the front line and the incident involving Uncle Wang in Zhennan that he was frightened to his core.

I still think that after the Prince of Zhennan returns to Beijing, he can make things turn around for the Prince of Zhennan. Now it seems that the Prince of Zhennan may withdraw from the court battle!

He shook his head and sneered, throwing those ridiculous words behind him.

At the same time, Daxia Huai'an Hou, Yu Shi Zhongcheng, and Lord Baiyun Bianbai, with their entourage and escort, arrived at Lieyang Pass where he was not loyal.

And more than twenty miles away from Lieyang Pass to the west, a cavalry team broke through the wind and snow, and was about to reach the end of its return journey. (End of chapter)