Sui Dynasty: I, Yang Guang, am both scrupulous and stable

Chapter 211 Hostage Exchange
Yang Guang ordered that day, because he was seriously injured and now needed to rest, and put all affairs in the hands of Dehuai, while Yang Yichen returned to actually take control of the military.

The first order issued by Yu Dehuai was to ask Zhang Xiangren to take Liu Kuang to the Turkic territories in exchange for Qin Qiong, and to bring cattle, sheep and food to negotiate peace with the Turks.

As soon as this move came out, it really caused a commotion. Now that our army is full of momentum, it demands peace talks. This may be understandable in the court. In order to reduce losses, it would be good to give the Turks something to send away, but it cannot be done at the border. From the perspective of the border officers, this was a sign of weakness to the Turks.

At the same time, Yang Shuang, who was born in Shuozhou, also returned directly to Yanmen Pass. A fierce quarrel broke out with Yu Dehuai that day. When he saw Yang Shuang drawing his sword, Yu Dehuai gave him Yang Guang. The Grand Sima Token, he just suppressed Wei Wang Yang Shuang.

Yang Shuang wanted to see Yang Guang, but Yu Dehuai refused because Yang Guang was seriously injured and it was inconvenient to see him. Finally, Yang Shuang returned to Shuozhou angrily and took most of his troops to Shuozhou. To outsiders, this was The two sides fell out immediately.

Yu Dehuai got Yang Guang's Grand Sima Token, but Yang Guang did not show up. Some people thought this was Yang Guang's intention, while others thought it was Yu Dehuai's own intention.

Zhang Xiangren took the prepared supplies and quickly went to where the Turks were. The arrows that had just arrived at the nearby scouts flew towards Zhang Xiangren and landed at Zhang Xiangren's feet.

Zhang Xiangren showed no fear on his face: "Zhang Xiangren, the deputy general of Yanmen Pass in the Sui Dynasty, came to negotiate peace with one hundred cattle and sheep and three hundred shi of grain on the orders of Grand Sima Yang Guang."

Even the Turks were confused as soon as these words came out. They had been defeated in Tianjing these days, so why did the Sui army come to sue for peace.

The matter was quickly reported to Sabolo Khan. Sabolo Khan, who was suffering from a headache due to the failed sneak attack, suddenly heard that the Sui army came to ask for peace. He was surprised at first, and then confused. With a dark cloud on his face, he said: "Sui army. What do you want to do? Have you brought food, cattle and sheep?"

"Bring it along, I can see it clearly."

"The two armies are fighting without killing the envoy. Since he said he came to negotiate peace and came with sincerity, let's welcome him in first and let Liu Wuzhou come over. Although the sneak attack failed, this kid has a good strategy and is alert. He will attack Sui Dynasty and Yanmen Pass. It’s also very familiar, let him watch from the side.”

Zhang Xiangren was invited in, but not many soldiers were brought with him. They were all left outside. He walked alone through the road full of Turkic soldiers on both sides to the camp where Sabolo Khan was.

The Turkic soldiers on both sides smiled ferociously, as if they wanted to scare Zhang Xiangren, but Zhang Xiangren was a soldier who had experienced many battles, and his vicious face alone could not scare him.

Walking into the camp, he met Sabolo Khan. At this time, Zhang Xiangren found that Sabolo Khan's face was a little pale, his lips were dry, and he looked very unhappy. In the previous battle with Yang Shuang, it seemed to be a draw, but in order to quickly At the end of the battle, Sabolo Khan was hit hard by Yang Shuang. This hit was a solid hit to him. Although it was not fatal, it was enough to sustain him for a while.

"Zhang Xiangren, the deputy general of Yanmen Pass, has met Shabolue Khan."

"Zhang Xiangren, I have heard your name. Our people have fought against you many times, and I have never gotten any cheats from you. Your hands should be stained with a lot of the blood of my people. The reason for coming here today is Suffer death."

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers around him drew their swords one after another, as if they were ready to cut Zhang Xiangren into pieces at any time.

Zhang Xiangren's expression did not change: "Shabolu Khan, I am here on behalf of our general, the general guarding Yanmen Pass, to discuss peace. I have brought a gift, and I ask the Khan to accept it."

"You come to ask for peace with me? Are you trying to deceive me with such a lie that can be easily seen through? You look down on me too much."

"We didn't dare to deceive the Khan, so we brought a hundred cattle and sheep, and three hundred stones of grain as a meeting gift, and also brought Liu Kuang as a hostage in exchange to show our sincerity."

Liu Wuzhou's expression changed as soon as he heard Liu Kuang's name. He had worked so hard to get his father back, but he didn't expect that he would just come to your doorstep now.

Shabolu Khan became even more suspicious after hearing this. The attitude of the Sui Dynasty was too good. He gave people and food. If something goes wrong, there must be a monster. He was even more vigilant and signaled to his soldiers: "Give him a chair. "

After Zhang Xiangren sat down, Shabolu Khan began to ask: "You are the deputy general of Yanmen Pass, why do you want to negotiate peace with us now?"

"I won't hide it from Khan. Last time, after our King Jin was attacked at night, he was stabbed seven times in the body. The noble prince's body is not as humble as the rest of us. He was injured and couldn't get off the ground." The military power of Yanmen Pass has been handed over to General Yu Dehuai, and it was General Yu who arranged for me to come here this time."

"You're talking nonsense, Prince Jin's Palace... Prince Jin clearly doesn't trust you two."

At this time, Liu Wuzhou on the side spoke, Zhang Xiangren glanced at him, his face was livid, and he replied calmly: "Liu Kuang confessed to all the people involved. After Gao Huairong died on the battlefield, His Highness the King of Jin no longer doubted the two of us. It has been verified." After that, he trusted me more than anyone else." Hearing this, Shabolu Khan said, "Go on and tell me why I arranged for you to come over to negotiate peace."

"In many battles before, King Wei mostly used the defenders of Yanmen Pass. King Jin was suspicious of many people. Now our Yanmen Pass is in a mess. King Wei wants military merit, and King Jin also wants credit. Before, he went to sweep the mountain with great fanfare. The thief has no regard for the life and death of everyone in Yanmen Pass. General Yu, I and many Yanmen Pass generals discussed it and decided that they could not be beaten. After the beating, they patted their butts and left, but we have to continue to live here and cannot let our sons live. To earn their credit.”

Zhang Xiangren and Yang Guangyu Dehuai had previously reorganized what they wanted to say to Shabolu Khan. In order to gain trust, they naturally had to slander him and make the purpose of the peace negotiation appear reasonable.

He continued: "The King of Jin gave the Grand Sima Order to General Yu. Now General Yu is fully responsible for the affairs of Yanmen Pass. The King of Jin only told him to take Qin Qiong back, so General Yu thought of taking advantage of this opportunity to exchange hostages and obtain Jin Qiong. The king's trust also expresses his intention to negotiate peace with you, Khan, and hopes that Khan will withdraw his troops and avoid any war."

Shabolu Khan laughed loudly: "In that case, why don't you follow me inside and outside to attack Shuozhou, then break through Yanmen Pass, and go south to the Central Plains. I can reward you and Yu Dehuai for all the land they captured, and be my ministers with glory. There is endless enjoyment of wealth and honor.”

Zhang Xiangren cupped his hands and said: "Khan, I came here to negotiate peace, not to surrender. What we hope is that the Khan retreats, not that the Khan surrenders and attacks our country. Such a crime will be scolded by future generations. We can't." Can’t afford it.”

Sabolo Khan suddenly showed a fierce look on his face, glaring at Zhang Xiangren like a poisonous snake glaring at its prey.

"It seems you are not sincere enough."

"Please forgive me, Khan. I am just a peacemaker. If you want me to betray the country and leave home, I will never do it."

Saying this made Sabolo Khan believe it even more. If it were said that Zhang Xiangren and others rebelled after what happened before, it would be too false for people who have been fighting for decades to rebel just because they say they are rebelling. They are not surrendering but negotiating for peace.

"One hundred cattle and sheep, three hundred shi of grain, and you want to negotiate peace with me. What use can these things have? Do you think I'm just out for fun?"

"This is just sincerity. Now that General Yu has just taken power, His Royal Highness King Wei is extremely opposed to the peace negotiation. He feels that the fighting is so vigorous now, how can he negotiate peace with the Khan, so the general has a quarrel with General Yu. Finally, General Yu takes the With the Grand Sima token given by His Highness King Jin, I was able to complete this trip, and His Highness King Wei moved to Shuozhou with all his personal guards."

"Your General Yu is so courageous that he dares to confront King Wei."

"Unless you are a brave general, it was decided at the beginning of the Sui Dynasty that the Chen Dynasty in the south was in great danger. We had already sent envoys from the court to ask King Wei and King Jin to calm down the war here as soon as possible. It would be best to win the battle. If we can do it in a short time If we can't win, we will negotiate for peace. It is impossible for King Wei to accept the peace negotiation, and the King of Jin listens to King Wei more. But it is different now. General Yu has ordered Qianli to go back as soon as possible to report the peace negotiation."

"Zhezi went to the capital. It would take some time to go back and forth at the fastest speed. General Yu and I both believe that as long as there is a possibility of peace negotiation among the people in the court, many people will choose to negotiate for peace. To this group of people, the border war is nothing more than The annoying things in the memorial can be solved simply, but I have to go back with the idea that you, Khan, also want to negotiate peace, in order to promote this matter."

Sabolo Khan waved his hand: "You can stay here for now, arrange a separate tent for him, and arrange the soldiers he brings separately. No bullying is allowed, and I will wait for my decision."

Zhang Xiangren was then taken away, and Sabolo Khan summoned all the senior generals to discuss the matter.

When the top Turkic generals heard that the Sui Dynasty actually wanted to negotiate peace, they were a little shocked but couldn't help laughing.

"Hahahaha, people within the Great Wall are always good at admitting defeat and fighting among themselves. They gave us their wives, gave us their food, begged us not to fight, and a group of people in the court felt very proud. They negotiated peace with us, and they described it vividly, but in fact they just knelt on the ground and licked our feet."

Shabolu Khan was not as optimistic as him and said: "Send someone to find out the truth in Zhang Xiangren's words and whether King Wei really fell out with Yu Dehuai. If they are fighting among themselves, we can make good use of it, even I hope to cross the Great Wall this time."

In the face of the bellicose Sabolo Khan, someone raised concerns: "Khan, the Sui Dynasty wants to ask for peace, which is a benefit to us, and we can get the grain commodities from the Sui Dynasty's tribute."

"Short-sighted, only by truly going south can we solve the problem once and for all."

"Khan, based on my understanding of the people of the Central Plains, if you enter the Central Plains, they will resist tenaciously. If you give them money and food, it will last forever. And Khan, it's winter."

"Winter? Aren't our Turkic soldiers able to withstand the cold weather better than the people of the Sui Dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)