flstandardbreds Chapter 139: King of a Different Surname
Chapter 139: King of a Different Surname
"Your Majesty, why don't you let Qin Chang go? After all, no one is more familiar with the situation in the border town than him." Imperial Tutor He immediately recommended Deputy General Qin.
Duke He also said: "I also think Qin Chang is more suitable."
"I second the motion..."
It was rare for the two mortal enemies to agree with each other, and all the officials followed suit.
It was originally thought that the Mu family was Mu Heng's weak point. The imperial court had already won the war before it even started, and the rebellion that Mu Heng had planned with great care ultimately failed.
Just when all the ministers had just breathed a sigh of relief, the eunuch Liu who was sent out hurried back, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, something terrible has happened..."
Everyone in the hall looked tense and looked outside. They saw Eunuch Liu running into the hall in panic. The emperor became nervous. What was going on?
Eunuch Liu has always been by the emperor's side and has seen everything in the world. Why would he suddenly become so panicked?
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. The Mu family... the Mu family is now empty..." Eunuch Liu knelt in the middle of the hall and replied tremblingly.
This one sentence overturned all the plans that the ministers had just discussed! Everyone's heart was raised again.
The emperor took a deep breath and tried his best to remain calm and asked, "Tell me slowly, what do you mean by the Mu family is empty? Didn't I send guards to guard outside the Mu family? How could the Mu family escape? Even the soldiers guarding the city gate didn't notice it?"
"When I arrived at the Mu family's house, the guards were standing outside the door. There was no way the Mu family could leave through the main door! They dug a tunnel in the room and escaped..."
Eunuch Liu knelt on the ground, fearing that the emperor's anger would implicate him.
Upon hearing this, the emperor's eyes were red with anger and he clenched his fists tightly. No one would believe that Mu Heng had not planned this in advance!
"What do you think we should do?" the emperor asked in a calm tone.
The court fell silent again.
Duke He lowered his head and glanced at Grand Tutor He, "Aren't you good at talking? The credit of giving advice to the emperor is now given to you."
Feeling the malicious gaze of Duke He, Grand Tutor He couldn't help but sneer in his heart. General He suffered a defeat simply because he inherited his father's stupidity!
"Your Majesty, the only solution now is to issue an imperial decree of peace first, and then we can secretly gather troops and stockpile food and fodder, and then catch him off guard!"
The emperor lowered his eyes and nodded: "Go on."
"Yes," Imperial Tutor He bowed and continued, "Your Majesty, although Mu Heng has occupied the border town, without the food and grass supply from the court and the reward from Your Majesty, how could those soldiers still work wholeheartedly for Mu Heng? We just need to promise Mu Heng some benefits. As long as Mu Heng is not stupid, he will definitely agree to the amnesty..."
Duke He sneered, "Since the rebels have no food and rewards, the soldiers will not fight for them wholeheartedly. We just need to wait for the rebels to collapse. Why does Master He still want to send military pay to the rebels?"
The emperor frowned. Of course he believed in Tutor He. Tutor He was his confidant and would never betray him.
Imperial Tutor He chuckled and asked, "Duke He, have you forgotten that your son is still in someone else's hands? After the peace decree, maybe we will have a chance to exchange for the Seventh Prince. As for General He, if the Duke doesn't want to exchange him back, it's up to you."
Duke He was suddenly speechless, snorted coldly and turned away.
The emperor's eyes lit up, "Okay! Then let's issue an imperial decree of peace first. How do you think we should issue an imperial decree of peace and who should we send?"
"To show your sincerity, Your Majesty might as well first appoint Mu Heng as a king of a different surname, and then grant him the border town as a fiefdom. I don't believe he won't be tempted. As long as we get the Seventh Prince and General He back, we can gather a large army and catch him off guard!" Taifu He bowed.
"Well," the emperor lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "Are you willing to take on this important task, Lord Su?"
Su Wenzhen is the fourth rank official of the Dali Temple.
Lord Su stepped out, bowed and said, "I will definitely fulfill your mission!"
"Well, I will appoint you as the imperial envoy and leave this matter to you. I will also send Deputy General Qin Chang and Zhu Aiqing and other officials to go with you.
"I accept your order!"
......
border town,
In the past ten days, Ye Ze not only led the soldiers to reclaim tens of thousands of acres of wasteland outside the military camp, but also reclaimed a small hill with an area of about one hundred acres.
After the corn seeds are buried in the soil and watered, they are left to wait for the seedlings to sprout. During this period, the soldiers have to weed the fields and catch insects early every morning.
The mountain is planned to be used to plant fruit trees, vegetables, and to raise pigs and chickens...
Of course, Ye Ze didn't have to do all this himself. The soldiers all came from poor backgrounds, and farming was not unfamiliar to them.
This period of time could be said to be the most leisurely time for Ye Ze in the military camp. He would inspect the fields every morning and return home in the evening.
Mu Heng also successfully reached a peace agreement with North Vietnam, and North Vietnam agreed to lend food to the soldiers in the border towns. In this way, the rebels only needed to focus on dealing with the imperial court.
The biggest problem at the moment is the lack of silver. In addition to food, other military supplies are also indispensable, such as soldiers' uniforms, armor, weapons, medicinal materials, etc. There are only 100,000 taels of silver in the military camp, which is not enough at all. I wonder how much silver the emperor will take out to exchange for his son.
That's right, the biggest use of Mu Heng's hostages was to exchange for silver. He was too familiar with the current emperor, and he would never give up the throne for his son. If he was forced to attack immediately, it would be disadvantageous to the rebels. Therefore, Mu Heng did not intend to use hostages to threaten the emperor from the beginning.
Of course, the emperor did not disappoint him. A month later, Su Wenzhen, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, led a group of officials to announce the imperial edict. The generals in the military camp followed Mu Heng out to greet them.
Most of the people who came to Su Wenzhen's side were civil servants, and they were stared at covetously by the military officers on the opposite side. Su Wenzhen and others were so nervous that cold sweats broke out.
"General Mu, I have been ordered to come here to read the imperial edict. Please be prepared to receive it," Su Wenzhen reminded.
Mu Heng smiled faintly and said nothing, looking at him with contempt.
Xu Feng, who was standing behind Mu Heng, sneered, "Whether you want to read it or not, do you want us to kneel down and listen to your decree?"
Su Wenzheng was embarrassed, slowly unfolded the imperial edict in his hand, and immediately read out:
——The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, proclaims:
I have received the mandate of Heaven and rule over the four seas.
Deputy General Mu is loyal, brave and fearless. He has defeated the enemy at the border, protected our territory and our people, and his contributions are outstanding.
He was specially granted the title of King of a different surname, King Mu.
The land of the border town is vast and fertile, so it was granted to King Mu as a fiefdom so that he could enjoy eternal honor.
He was also rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, one million taels of silver, several boxes of rare treasures, and a mansion to commend his achievements.
King Wang Mu is grateful, abides by his loyalty, serves the country loyally, and protects the peace in the area.
——Hereby
After Su Wenzhen finished reading the imperial edict, he held it in both hands and handed it respectfully to Mu Heng.
Mu Heng took it with one hand, held it casually, and said with a laugh: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will definitely guard the border city well." Isn't it just playing dumb? Who wouldn't do that?
"My lords, you have worked hard on this journey. Let's go into the tent and sit down and talk."
......