RPAGF Chapter 164: Envoy from Yue
Chapter 164: Envoy from Yue
In the blink of an eye, it was June again, and Yun Zhi was nineteen years old.
There are nineteen more gardenias in the corner of the Imperial Garden.
Yun Zhi had no idea whether Yun Jingxian had won Hu Zhiyi's favor.
Since that day, Yun Zhi didn't pay much attention to him, but she saw that he still went out of the palace for a walk every day.
Yun Jingxian did have a palace built outside, but because he was not married and his family was used to living there before, Yun Jingxian still lived in the palace.
But it seems that there is progress. Occasionally during dinner, Yun Zhi noticed his smile, which he couldn't hide, and knew that things were moving in the direction he expected.
mid-July.
The State of Yue sent an envoy to visit.
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Yue has sent an envoy."
"Have him come to the court early tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Originally, Liu Anruo predicted that it would take them at least three or four months to stockpile food and fodder. Unexpectedly, it was only mid-July, and just over two months after the civil strife in Wu, that the Kingdom of Yue sent envoys to discuss attacking the Kingdom of Wu.
The next day, morning.
The envoy of Yue State led the delegation and walked into the Dahe Hall with his head held high. After paying his respects, he said, "Your Majesty, our country has invited you here to discuss with An Guo about attacking the Wu State."
Yun Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly, "This matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration.
When the envoy from Yue State heard that His Majesty An Guo wanted to take a long-term view, he suddenly became a little flustered. On the eve of the mission, His Majesty also ordered him to persuade His Majesty An Guo as soon as possible to agree to join forces.
If he fails to complete the task, the other envoys may not know about it, but he, the leader, will probably lose his head when he returns home.
"Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed! Wu is still dealing with the mess left by its internal strife and cannot be distracted. Attacking now will surely result in a resounding victory. Moreover, our country is fully prepared. As long as Anguo is willing to send troops to assist, the distribution of benefits after the war can be discussed."
The ministers in the court were whispering and discussing among themselves.
Many ministers found it somewhat surprising that Yue State was going to discuss with An State about attacking Wu State.
But seeing that the envoys were so anxious did not prevent them from pretending that they were not so eager to send troops.
Maybe we can get them to make more concessions.
After making up their minds, several ministers exchanged glances with each other, and then one minister stood up.
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter requires careful consideration. War is costly and should not be initiated lightly."
"Your Majesty, I second the motion. We have signed a peaceful coexistence agreement. How can we attack the State of Wu? Besides, the State of Wu has not actively invaded our borders, so we have no legitimate reason to attack."
Seeing this, the Yue envoy hurriedly said, "My Lords, this peace agreement is just a piece of paper. Wu is weak now. If we don't take this opportunity to weaken them, they will become a great threat in the future."
"Besides, the current ruler of Wu is a man with wicked ambitions who dares to usurp the throne. Once he has put the domestic situation in order, he will undoubtedly be eyeing the surrounding countries with covetous eyes. If we don't take action now, we will regret it in the future!"
Another minister retorted, "Your words, envoy of Yue, may have some truth in them, but war concerns the lives of ordinary people and the safety of the nation. We should not act rashly based on mere speculation and fear. Furthermore, we have no solid evidence to prove whether the King of Wu is truly as you claim."
The ministers of Anguo looked at these ministers with frowns on their faces. How could they be so pedantic at such a young age?
The military generals haven't said anything yet, but you, a bunch of civil officials, have already stood up to oppose it.
The envoy looked at the military officers, hoping that they would stand up and speak.
But the military officers who met his gaze turned their heads and pretended not to see it.
Although I don’t know why these civil servants said this in unison, I think they must have their reasons.
Besides, His Majesty hasn't spoken yet, so they, the generals, just need to march and fight.
The envoy became increasingly anxious when he saw that the military officers did not express their opinions and even directly ignored him.
Yun Zhi tapped the armrest of the dragon throne and thought for a moment, "Does the Yue Kingdom have a specific battle plan?"
After hearing Yun Zhi's words, the Yue envoy finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took out the prepared document and handed it to the female official beside him. "Your Majesty, this is the plan drawn up by our country. Please review it."
Yun Zhi took the document presented by the female official and read it carefully. The content was quite detailed.
As for the reason for sending troops to attack, the king of Wu was ambitious. After usurping the throne, he attempted to destroy the peace agreement and sent troops to expand the territory.
The Yue and An states had no choice but to capture this ambitious man to ensure the peace of the people.
That's a very good reason. It seems that they are fully prepared.
"We each send 30 troops? The territory is divided equally?"
"That's right, Your Majesty. Now is the time to take advantage of the fact that Wu has not yet recovered. We need to fight a quick victory. We will each contribute half of our troops, and the land will naturally be divided equally between us."
Seeing that Yun Zhi remained silent for a long time, the envoy added, "This is just a preliminary plan. The specific details can still be discussed."
"Why isn't there any mention of the division of the salt fields? What's going on? Do you, the Wu State, want to monopolize it?"
The State of Wu was located in the south and on the coast, and had several large salt fields.
Facing Yun Zhi's gaze, the envoy felt uncomfortable for a moment. "Your Majesty, that's not true. The territory is half and half, which naturally includes the salt fields."
Seeing Yun Zhi's half-smile, the envoy lowered his head. Who doesn't want to take more for their country?
"I need to consider this matter further. Please return to the inn and wait."
The envoy of Yue State had no choice but to bow and take his leave.
After the envoys left, "What do you think of this matter, my dear ministers?"
After the envoy left, the minister didn't think too much and just spoke out what he was thinking.
"I think it's feasible. We also intend to attack Wu anyway. If we join forces with them, we don't have to worry about Yue taking advantage. We just have to be wary of them cheating when distributing the benefits after the war."
"I second the motion. This battle plan still needs careful consideration. Should we attack from both sides or attack together? If we attack together, we should also agree on which general will lead the attack."
Yun Zhi listened to the ministers' discussion and fell into deep thought.
After a while, she slowly spoke, "Everyone, my dear ministers, has a point. If we ally with the Kingdom of Yue, the position of commander-in-chief is crucial and cannot be decided lightly. Furthermore, many details in this battle plan, such as the transportation of food and fodder, and the deployment of weapons, require careful consideration."
After she finished speaking, she picked up the document that the envoy had just brought from the desk and said, "My dear ministers, please take a look at this document."
Seeing this, the female official beside her took the document from Yun Zhi's hand and handed it to the ministers below.
The ministers took the document and studied it carefully, their expressions becoming increasingly solemn.
"Your Majesty, not only is the battle plan in this document vague, but the division of benefits seems to be evenly split, but in reality, they are taking more benefits."
"Point out all the mistakes. As for the envoys, leave them alone for a few days. By then, they will know how to negotiate."
The ministers responded in unison: "As ordered!"