pdf-ebookys Chapter 147
Chapter 147
The court officials arrived one after another. Except for the brief exchange between Taifu Hao Wudao and Long Tian, no one else came forward.
Long Tian didn't care. These people were like this. Everything was based on their own interests.
Shortly after the arrival of the crown prince, the second prince, and the sixth prince, the old emperor also arrived.
"Your Majesty is here."
"Your Majesty."
Except for Long Tian and Dugu Qiubai who bowed slightly, the rest of the people all knelt down.
Although Long Tian was also bowing, it was just symbolic. Therefore, Long Tian saw the old emperor very clearly.
At this time, the old emperor was pale and thin, weak and powerless, and even unable to walk. He was supported by several eunuchs and sent to the dragon throne.
"No need to bow."
The old emperor's tone was weak.
"The oil is running out, and the lamp is running out. It won't be long. At most one month."
The voice of Dugu Qiubai came to Long Tian's ears.
Sure enough, it seems that the old emperor is really dying, and it is not a cover-up.
In this way, Long Tian was relieved.
"If you have something to say, please report it. If you don't, please leave the court."
A eunuch shouted as usual.
No one stepped forward. Everyone knew that the theme of today was Long Tian's ceremony of crowning the king. No one would stand up before it was over, even those who didn't care about Long Tian.
"Where is Long Tian?"
The old emperor said weakly.
"Your servant Long Tian, pays homage to your majesty."
Although they were enemies, they had not turned against each other at this moment. Long Tian resisted the urge to kill the old emperor and stood up.
"No need to be polite."
"You are indeed a heroic young man. Long Dao should be relieved to have such a son."
Looking at Long Tian, the old emperor seemed to think of the days when he fought side by side with Long Dao many years ago. Fate played tricks on him. For the sake of the Xiao family's foundation, the old emperor had to get rid of this brother.
Yes, it was a brother. If there was no such feeling, with Long Dao's strength, he would not allow him to do whatever he wanted in Xia Country and find a wife for Long Tian everywhere.
Of course, this is only one aspect.
If it weren't for his wrong decision, the old emperor wouldn't have taken action to get rid of Long Dao. With Long Tian's talent, he could have given the Long family a wealthy life. However, his own mistakes had to be ended by himself.
Especially after Long Dao's death, Long Tian's changes further strengthened the old emperor's heart.
"Announce the decree."
At this point, the old emperor must fulfill his promise first, and then find a way to get rid of Long Tian.
"By the will of heaven, the emperor decrees..."
Soon, a lot of nonsense was read out.
"Today, under the witness of me and my ministers, Long Tian officially succeeded to the title of King of the North. I hope you will work hard for the Xia Kingdom in the future and guard the country forever."
The old emperor's last words represent Long Tian's official succession to the title of King of the North.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will inherit my father's legacy and fight for the Xia Kingdom for my whole life."
So far, the ceremony of crowning the king has ended.
From this moment on, the court meeting officially began.
"Your Majesty, the Liang State delegation has come to Beijing and wants to see Your Majesty. They are waiting outside the palace now."
The minister in charge of foreign affairs stood up.
"Announce."
Of course, the old emperor knew that the Liang State delegation had come, and he also knew their purpose. It happened that Long Tian was here, so he solved the matter together.
The old emperor did not approve of Long Tian's behavior of seizing Dingyuan City, although it was for the expansion of Xia's territory.
What Xia needs now is not expansion, but internal stability. If Dingyuan City can be returned to avoid a large-scale war with Liang, the old emperor is still willing.
But this matter is not something he can decide. If Long Tian disagrees, the old emperor has no choice. He can't issue an order to force Long Tian to do this. How will people in the world think of him as an emperor?
Soon, the Liang State delegation entered the hall. There were four people in the group, but it was obviously led by a young man.
"Little King John, meet His Majesty Xia."
The visitor bowed and saluted. It turned out that the visitor was the prince of Liang.
"No need to be polite."
The fight with Liang State has been going on for more than a year or two, and the old emperor doesn't like them, but the proper etiquette cannot be neglected, so as not to lose the demeanor of a great country.
"Your Majesty, your country's northern border troops have occupied my Liang State city for no reason. Please return it to show the friendship between the two countries."
John got straight to the point and made a direct request.
Whether or not to get Dingyuan City back is very important to Prince John, and it is related to his status in Liang State.
"Long Tian, what is the reason for this matter? It's up to you to decide whether to return it."
The old emperor was too lazy to talk nonsense and threw the question directly to Long Tian.
If Long Tian didn't want to, Liang State's primary target to attack would also be the northern border, and the old emperor didn't want to worry about it.
Especially now, the old emperor has even less energy to deal with external affairs.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Excuse me, Prince John, the million-strong army of Liang State attacked my northern border., what's the point?"
"I can defend myself and take down the city of Liang. My soldiers in the northern border have shed their blood to defend their country. How can you return my spoils of war in the northern border just because of your words?"
Long Tian disdains Liang.
How can you give up the benefits you have? This will make countless soldiers feel cold. Moreover, it is not conducive to Long Tian's plan.
"Your Highness, the border battle was a pure misunderstanding. Your Highness should be magnanimous. Moreover, in that battle, my Liang lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This was the masterpiece of the northern border. Can't the misunderstanding be resolved?"
Liang was in the wrong. It was useless to say anything. It could only argue unreasonably.
"It's ridiculous. You said a misunderstanding, and tens of thousands of soldiers in the northern border died in vain. There is no such good thing in the world. ”
“Dingyuan City was taken by soldiers from the Northern Territory in a fair and square manner. If you want it, send troops to attack it. As long as you can take it back, I will not say anything.”
Long Tiancai did not want to waste time talking to him. This kind of negotiation without any benefit was meaningless.
“Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Northern King is aggressive, which is not conducive to the friendship between the two countries. Please make the decision, return the city of Liang State to me, and compensate my army for the losses.”
Seeing that he could not persuade Long Tian, John spoke directly to the old emperor and even shamelessly asked for compensation. This was because he saw the situation of Xia State clearly and knew that Xia State was unwilling to go to war in a short time, so he was so rampant.
“Interesting, a bunch of people who only remember to eat and not to fight, who gave you the face to threaten your Majesty of our dynasty.”
“Your Majesty, this matter concerns the honor and disgrace of my Northern Territory. Since Liang State wants to force my Northern Territory, please let me handle this matter with full authority. I am willing to lead a million troops from the Northern Territory to flatten the Southern Courtyard of Liang State. "
Long Tian did not give any face and directly declared war. If you don't accept it, just fight.
"Prince John, the Northern King is right about this matter. I cannot ignore the blood shed by the soldiers in the Northern Territory. If you can convince the Northern King, everything will be fine. If not, you can decide the winner on the battlefield."
Although the old emperor hopes that Xia will be stable and does not want a national war to break out, he would still be happy to see that the Northern Territory handles this matter alone.
This is equivalent to saying that Liang is helping him.
"In this case, as your majesty said, if my Liang State takes over the Northern Territory, I hope your majesty will not blame me."
This guy directly defined this matter as a personal grudge, just to shut up Xia and prevent Xia from participating in the war as a whole. When the time comes to take over the Northern Territory, Xia will have nothing to say.
Although Dingyuan City was not taken back, it was also a small goal achieved. This is a result that Liang and the old emperor can be forced to accept.