pdf-ebookys Chapter 222: Peace Negotiation between the Emperor and His Ministers
Chapter 222: Peace Negotiation between the Emperor and His Ministers
Just when Chongming had arranged the details, the voice of a eunuch guarding the door was heard.
"Your Majesty, the Minister of War Yang Chenhe is requesting to see you outside the palace."
"Let him in!" Chongming thought about it and felt that he should talk to Yang Chenhe alone.
"You go down and get ready too!" He just waved his hand lightly and let Zhou Qiquan go down.
"Slave, please resign!"
Zhou Qiquan walked out of the hall respectfully backwards.
When Zhou Qiquan walked out of the hall, he happened to meet Yang Chenhe who was walking inside!
"Lord Yang!" Zhou Qiquan bowed to him very respectfully.
Yang Chenhe naturally didn't dare to take the horse and bowed to him! But the two of them didn't talk. In this palace, there are many people and eyes. It is inevitable that someone will spread the news. Therefore, ordinary ministers or these eunuchs will not talk in front of other palace maids and eunuchs.
But both of them are smart people. Between the two actions just now, Yang Chenhe has guessed the general situation. It seems that the emperor still wants to make peace with the barbarians. As a scholar of the Dakun Dynasty, he has his own pride!
After Yang Chenhe entered the hall, a hint of appreciation flashed in Emperor Chongming's eyes.
He knew that Yang Chenhe was a talented, loyal and reliable official who had performed well in many battles and made great contributions to the court. Besides Sun Ting, he was another minister in the court who was knowledgeable about military affairs.
"My dear Yang, I wonder how the city defense of Kyoto is?" Emperor Chongming put down the teacup in his hand and asked seriously.
Yang Chenhe stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then said: "Your Majesty, the defense of Kyoto is strong, and with the troops of several large camps outside Kyoto, those barbarians cannot approach Kyoto."
Emperor Chongming nodded slightly, signaling Yang Chenhe to continue. Yang Chenhe then presented his analysis of the barbarian invasion, his judgment of the current situation, and his response strategies. He suggested that the court should strengthen border defense construction, improve the combat effectiveness of the army, and at the same time establish a closer alliance with neighboring countries to jointly resist the threat of the barbarians.
Emperor Chongming listened very carefully and nodded his head in agreement from time to time. He appreciated Yang Chenhe's suggestions and thought they were insightful and of great significance for solving current problems.
Finally, Emperor Chongming said to Yang Chenhe: "My dear Yang, your suggestion is very good. I will seriously consider and adopt your suggestion. At the same time, I also hope that you can continue to make suggestions for the court and jointly deal with the current crisis."
"Since I ascended the throne," he said in a low and heavy voice, "the barbarians have repeatedly invaded the Great Wall. Every year, they consume more than half of the national treasury's money and grain! We have deployed troops in the northeast, but we can't stop these barbarians! Our ancestors can't have peace! The people can't live and work in peace! What on earth did I do wrong?"
Yang Chenhe was so scared that he knelt on the ground when he heard it!
"This is all the fault of us ministers! As ministers, we cannot share the worries of our king and father! We cannot resist foreign enemies! This is all the fault of us ministers! But now the country is in trouble! I dare to ask Your Majesty to negotiate with the barbarians!"
"Peace talks! Why do you have such an idea?" Chongming looked at Yang Chenhe and asked!
"The Han and Tang dynasties were the most prosperous times in the Central Plains! Even at that time, we had to negotiate peace with the nomadic tribes in the north, marry them, and then recuperate! We can wait until the country is strong before we march north!"
When Emperor Chongming heard Yang Chenhe's suggestion of peace talks, a hint of surprise and confusion flashed in his eyes. But he quickly adjusted his mood, took a deep breath, and then slowly said: "Lord Yang, although your words make sense, I think that peace talks are not a long-term solution. The barbarians have repeatedly entered the border and harassed our border, which has caused our Dakun Dynasty to suffer huge losses. If we blindly seek peace, it will only make the barbarians more arrogant and more unscrupulous."
Yang Chenhe felt a little uneasy when he heard this, but he still mustered up his courage and continued, "Your Majesty, I understand your concerns. But I think that peace talks do not mean giving up resistance completely, but to buy more time and opportunities. We can use this time to strengthen border defense construction, improve the combat effectiveness of the army, and at the same time establish a closer alliance with neighboring countries to jointly resist the threat of the barbarians. When our national strength recovers and our military is strong, we will fight back in one fell swoop and completely expel the barbarians from the country."
Emperor Chongming pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "What Yang Aiqing said makes sense. I will seriously consider your suggestion. However, the peace talks are of great importance, and we must act with caution. I will send you and Zhou Qiqian to contact the barbarians and test their attitude. At the same time, we must also strengthen border defense construction, improve the combat effectiveness of the army, and ensure the security of the country."
Yang Chenhe was relieved when he heard this, knowing that his suggestion had been taken seriously by the emperor. He immediately knelt on the ground and said respectfully: "Your Majesty is wise! I will do my best to help the court solve its problems!"
Emperor Chongming looked at Yang Chenhe with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He knew that Yang Chenhe was a loyal, reliable and talented official who could make suggestions for the country and was a valuable asset to the Dakun Dynasty. He nodded and signaled Yang Chenhe to leave.
Yang Chenhe left the hall, but his heart was in turmoil. He understood that although the proposal for peace talks had been taken seriously by the emperor, and this was also the emperor's own intention, he was just following his intention! But if this matter was exposed, he would probably have no place to stand in the court!
Although Daqian was not the most powerful dynasty in terms of military strength, it was definitely the most upright dynasty in terms of the civil service group! This is why there were so many cases of civil servants leading the army. In addition to the royal family wanting to use civil officials to suppress military officials, there were also reasons why civil officials wanted to establish their own careers. So in this case, if someone proposed to negotiate with these barbarians, it would be tantamount to becoming a representative of the surrender faction. In history, no matter which dynasty was identified as the surrender faction, there was no good result. In the end, it would be recorded in history and despised by future generations.
But Emperor Chongming himself wanted to negotiate with the barbarians! As an emperor, he couldn't bear such a bad reputation. So Yang Chenhe and Zhou Qiqian became Emperor Chongming's first choice. Even if Yang Chenhe didn't bring it up, Emperor Chongming would let him do it.
However, this is different from the eunuch Zhou Qiquan who took the initiative to assume this responsibility.
Yang Chenhe had to bear more pressure. As a civil servant, he had to bear pressure from the civil servant group and even the people. After all, in the minds of these civil servants and the people, those eunuchs were not good people. But if an official with a certain status in the court advocated seeking peace with the barbarians, it would be equivalent to the existence of a treacherous minister.
“I’m afraid that my name, Yang Chenhe, will be included in the stories of treacherous officials on stage in the future!” Yang Chenhe smiled bitterly and walked out.