Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 382 Negotiations break down
At this time, in the imperial study of the palace, Emperor Rong, who had been ill for many days, dragged his weak body and sat on the dragon throne.

"Chun'er, don't be nervous. The current situation is not that bad. They are just at the gates of the city. We may not be able to defend it, so why should we be nervous?"

"Whenever something important happens, you should stay calm. Especially at such times, you should stay calm, because only in this way can you have a chance to break through." Emperor Rong said
"Yes, Father. I will remember this. I will definitely keep your teachings in mind." The prince said
"Well, it's good that you can remember it, Chun'er. Some things look more dangerous, but they are actually safer. The important thing is the word 'alliance'."

"As long as we can find a way to remove this word, everything will be much easier. After all, I have said before that there is only one throne, so the result has already been determined." Emperor Rong said
After hearing this, the prince knew that his father still had a solution, but was just keeping him in suspense. He suppressed his inner irritation and said respectfully, "Father, may I ask you?"

"Haha, that's enough. Don't think too much. Now is not the right time. Go to the Beijing Camp now. Remember, if you want to keep our foundation, you must defend it."

"If we can't even hold on to the three axes, then everything is over. We don't have to think about anything else and just wait for death." Emperor Rong waved his hand.
The prince was naturally dissatisfied because he did not get the answer he wanted, but he did not say anything. After all, he was already accustomed to his father's style of doing things.

At this time, in the camp outside the city, Liu Xingzhi and King Liang finally met.

"Brother Liu, I have always wanted to meet you, but unfortunately I never had the chance. Today I finally got my wish. Come on, please take a seat." King Liang said with a smile

"Your Majesty, in fact, I am the same. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that Lingnan's matter has not been resolved, we wouldn't have met until today." Liu Xing knew

"This can't be helped. Brother Liu, we are here now. What do you think about the siege?" King Liang said
As soon as Liu Xingzhi heard it, he knew that this was the beginning, so he said, "Your Majesty, a snake cannot survive without a head. Since it was you who proposed the alliance, it is time for me to listen to you now."

"Your Highness, just make your decision. I have nothing to say. Your Highness, don't worry about it. I don't want to and will not do anything to cause trouble." Liu Xing knew

"Brother Liu, if you can say that, then I feel much more relieved. By the way, Brother Liu, I actually have an idea. What I mean is, let's talk to the people inside first before we fight."

"Although I know the hope is slim, I still have to give it a try. This way I can test other people's attitudes and see how many people are against us." Liang Wang said
"Haha, it's too late. I just said that everything is up to you. But I don't know who you plan to send to negotiate, Your Majesty?" Liu Xing knew

"Brother Liu, what I mean is that we should each send one person. This way, we can avoid suspicion, right?" After hearing this, King Liang said with a firm face.

"That's right, Your Majesty has thought it through very carefully. I'll let Chang Feng go." Liu Xing knew

After hearing this, the King of Liang was not surprised at all, but what he said next surprised Liu Xingzhi, and he asked directly, "What did you say, Your Majesty? You want the prince to go?"

"That's right. I'm planning to let my Wencheng go. Brother Liu, I know what you're worried about, but this is something he'll have to face sooner or later, right?"

"We have already embarked on this path, and many things cannot be changed. So he naturally has to adapt to everything as soon as possible, right?" King Liang said directly.
"This, Your Majesty is right. I think the time has come. Since Your Majesty has made a decision, then let's just tell them and then set a time." Liu Xing knew

The matter of going to Beijing for negotiations was decided. When Liu Changfeng learned that he was going to Beijing for negotiations, he did not feel nervous at all.

On the contrary, after hearing that Liang Wencheng was going with him, he couldn't help but say, "Father, this Prince Liang is really willing to go. He even sent the Crown Prince?"

"Father, we have to be careful. The people in the capital must have already thought of a plan and are waiting for us to go in. They are trying to seize the initiative."

"Of course I can see that, but it doesn't matter. His Majesty will not let him have his way. He is a person who can dominate the court for decades."

"If he wasn't dying now, even if you lent King Liang his courage, he wouldn't dare to raise an army. Even my father is the same. He is a very scary person."

"Anyone who underestimates him will end up in a miserable situation. After you arrive in Beijing, hand over the initiative to Liang Wencheng. Don't show up, and don't contact anyone privately."

"Now our coalition can be said to be able to dominate the world. The only shortcoming is the word 'alliance'. We can see this, and so can the father and son in the city."

"So this time, my request to you is to try to bring only your ears." Liu Xing knew

"Don't worry, father. I know what to do." Liu Changfeng bowed and said

At this time, Liang Wencheng on the other side was also receiving teachings from his father.

"That's about it. You must be careful this time. We haven't started fighting yet. There are some things that others can't see clearly, but we must see them clearly."

"We want to cooperate with the Liu family, but we can't help but be on guard against them. After all, there is only one throne, and not only do we want it, they naturally want it too."

"But at the same time, you have to be careful. After all, we haven't taken over the capital yet." Liang Wang said
After hearing this, Liang Wencheng naturally bowed in greeting. The next day, the capital received the news that the envoy was coming. After Emperor Rong and the Crown Prince discussed it, they agreed directly.

On the third day, Liang Wencheng and Liu Changfeng entered the city via a hanging basket. As soon as they entered the city, they saw the prince waiting there.

Because of their changed status, the two did not perform any greetings. The prince smiled indifferently on the surface, but he had actually been cursing in his heart. The three of them entered the palace talking and laughing.

However, they did not go to the Imperial Study, but went directly to the East Palace.

Liang Wencheng and Liu Changfeng looked at each other, understood what was going on, and made preparations.

"My dears, my father is in poor health and I am afraid that I will not be able to see you. Please forgive me. This time, my father has given me full authority to discuss the matter." The prince spoke first. "Haha, it's okay. Your Majesty is ill. We have heard about it a long time ago, so it's okay. I just don't know how sick your Majesty is now?" Liang Wencheng asked.
"Father is just a little weak now, but he is getting better day by day. Thank you for your concern, Prince. Let's talk about business." The prince said
"Um, haha, it's me, Meng Lang. Prince, please go first?" Liang Wencheng said

"Prince, in fact, when it comes down to it, there is nothing much to discuss between us. After all, we are very clear about your purpose, which means that we are destined to not be able to reach an agreement."

"But since you're here today, I can't let you come here in vain. I naturally have to tell you something so that we can meet again in the future."

"After all, none of us can predict what the final result will be," said the prince.
"Your Highness is right. It is hard to say what the final result will be." Liang Wencheng said

"Yes, according to my father's wishes, I shouldn't have told you this. I should have sowed discord between you and made you suspicious of each other."

"But on this point, my father and I have different ideas. In his opinion, you can be divided, but I don't think so. After all, whether it's King Liang or Liu Xingzhi."

"Since you dare to make such a decision, you must have made preparations. My father wants to be the one who takes advantage of the situation, but I don't think those two will give us this opportunity."

"So I don't want to do anything that would make people laugh. I think it's useless to say anything now. We have to wait until after the fight to talk about it. Don't you agree?" the prince said
What else could they say now that this had been said? Naturally, they nodded in agreement.

"Your Highness, you are right. It is absolutely correct. We should talk about it after the battle. But since we are here, we must bring back something definite. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of time?"

"Your Highness, let me tell you something you may not like to hear. You are no match for us. In fact, there are advantages to talking now. Talking later may not be as good as now." Liang Wencheng said

"I understand this truth, but it's useless even if I understand it. I need my father's consent, so I can only say sorry." The prince said
"Okay, now that we've come to this, let's just forget it." Liang Wencheng finally said
Liu Changfeng didn't say a word the whole time, just listened quietly. Then the prince sent the two away. After that, he went directly to the imperial study.

"Chun'er, you're back. Is everything settled? What did they say?" asked Emperor Rong.

"Father, after I finished speaking according to your instructions, Liang Wencheng's words were not much different from what you thought. The only problem is that we seem to have misjudged the relationship between the two families."

"When talking to them, I observed carefully that Liang Wencheng was the main person this time. Liu Changfeng, no matter his expression or anything else, was in a humble and submissive manner."

"I thought it was a fake at first, but he didn't say a word the whole time, and from my perspective, it doesn't seem like he was pretending," said the prince.
"Hmm? This is interesting. What did Liang Wencheng say?" Emperor Rong said
"Father, Liang Wencheng told me that there are two completely different things to discuss now and in the future. I think he still has some hope." The prince said
"Well, you are right. Liang Wencheng is indeed unwilling to give up. But you are wrong about Liu Changfeng. He should be the most complicated person."

"Do you think Liu Xingzhi would let him come if he was really like he showed? I know Liu Xingzhi's character. He is not someone who is willing to give in." Emperor Rong said
"Hmm? Father, what do you mean? He pretended to be all this? But why did he pretend to be like this? Was it just to show weakness?" The prince asked in confusion.
"No, he is not showing weakness, but to make you relax your vigilance. This is his purpose. What we don't know now is whether Liang Wencheng knows this." Rong Di said
After hearing this, the prince's expression instantly became somewhat unnatural. After all, he had understood that his loving father was telling him that he had been plotted against.

So he was naturally feeling very uncomfortable at this moment, but he did not show it. What he didn't know was that all his expressions were seen by Emperor Rong.

At this time, Liang Wencheng and Liu Xingzhi had also returned to the camp and told King Liang and Liu Xingzhi everything.

"Brother Liu, it seems that our Majesty still refuses to give up. In this case, I think we don't need to hesitate any longer. Let's just get started." King Liang asked directly after hearing this.

"Your Highness is right. Since we can't discuss it properly, let's talk about it after the battle. Changfeng, go back and prepare food and tell Sheng'er to prepare for war." Liu Xingzhi said directly.

The same was naturally true for King Liang, but after they separated, he called his sons over and began to carefully inquire about the previous details.

"Hmm? You mean, Liu Changfeng didn't say a word? You were the one who spoke the whole thing?" King Liang frowned and said hesitantly.
"Yes, father. Liu Changfeng didn't say anything. He just listened quietly." Liang Wencheng said

"Haha, it seems that their family is not what they said. But it doesn't matter. Now is not the time to talk about these things. Let's just leave it at that for now." Liang Wang said
After hearing this, Liang Wencheng naturally bowed and then retreated. Liu Xingzhi did the same thing at this time, but they all tacitly agreed not to cause any trouble.

A great war broke out three days later, and it was very fierce from the beginning.

It wasn't just the two of them who were concerned about the outcome of this battle, there were other parties as well. In Yangzhou at this time, Luo Zishang was one of those who were paying close attention.

"Sir, now that everything is done, why don't we just get started?" Ming Yi said.

"Don't worry, don't worry. There are some things that cannot be rushed. After all, once you are impatient, unexpected situations will occur, which I will never allow."

"Take your time. Besides, the ones who should be anxious now are not us, but Wang Shanquan, so we just need to wait for them to make a move." Luo Zishang said

Ming stopped talking after hearing this, and at this moment, Xifeng walked in and said, "Sir, the situation has been clarified, and they can't help it anymore."

"Okay, Xifeng, you did a great job. With Wang Ai as our card, no matter what Wang Shanquan does, we will be invincible." Luo Zishang said

At this time, Wang Shanquan was in a similar situation to Luo Zishang. What he cared more about was the outcome of this battle.

"Okay, okay, okay, the fight finally started, the fight finally started, okay, great, by the way, is there any progress on Luo Zishang's side?" Wang Shanquan laughed.

"Father, there has been no progress with Luo Zishang. Although the coalition forces from the two states outside have stopped entering the palace, they still have no intention of retreating." Wang Ai said
(End of this chapter)