Li Mao was silent, he made the decision on this matter, and he really couldn't say anything. However, Zheng Qiushan was such a shrewd person, and he immediately began to exonerate Li Mao.

"The minister knew that His Majesty was eager to increase his strength and take the name of Chang'an at that time, which was understandable. However, as an important minister relied on by His Majesty, he Li Guangbi failed to judge the situation in time and dissuade him, which was his Li Guangbi's fault. Your Majesty relies on him, doesn't he just hope that he can give the right plan and advice? If a courtier cannot plan for the Lord, what will such a courtier do? So the whole thing can only be blamed on him, Li Guangbi. The minister believed that it was not that he did not know the consequences, but that he did not want His Majesty and Wang Yuan to get close, and he hated Wang Yuan's ability, for fear that His Majesty and Wang Yuan would threaten his position after they approached. This kind of practice of ignoring the overall situation for one's own selfishness is really difficult for people to respect him. To put it more seriously, this kind of person can be called a minister. ”

Li Mao was shocked, Wang Yuan's letter called Li Guangbi a minister, and now Zheng Qiushan also said the same, did he really look away? Is Lee Kwang-pil really a minister?

"You said that you want to make peace with Wang Yuan and stabilize their plan to delay the army. But at present, the other party is approaching the city, and it is possible to break through Chang'an City, how can he talk about peace? ”

"Your Majesty, as the minister said just now, the reason why Wang Yuan is like this may be that the dog jumped over the wall in a hurry. Our 500,000 army went to encircle and suppress him, forcing him to come to this point. Maybe giving him some sweetness and softening his attitude will be enough to get him to quit. Or we can get in touch with him and probe his bottom line. If he is bent on usurping and rebelling, then there is nothing to say, even if the fish dies and the net is broken, it will not teach him to succeed. But if he intends to make peace, the current crisis may be resolved, and we don't have to fight to the death with him at this time. Stabilize him first, let him withdraw from the army, after a few years our soldiers and horses are strong, and the situation is stable, wouldn't it be more appropriate to send troops to exterminate this thief in one fell swoop? It's better than the current situation. If Chang'an is really breached, the consequences are really unimaginable. Li Guangbi actually asked His Majesty to stay in Chang'an, what did he say to boost morale and people's hearts, but where did he put His Majesty's safety at risk? His Majesty looked at him, and the minister had nothing to say. ”

Li Mao stood up and slowly paced in the warm pavilion, his brows tightly locked, and his face was gloomy. From the bottom of his heart, he is obviously unwilling to make peace with Wang Yuan, Wang Yuan is a huge threat, the sooner he gets rid of it, the sooner he will be stable, and it is impossible to live in peace with him. Not to mention anything else, just by his actions to occupy Yang Yuhuan, it is clear that he does not take himself seriously at all.

However, even if he hates him again, the current situation has to say that Wang Yuan has the upper hand. He had the edict of his father, and he was in a passive situation both militarily and reputationally. The state capitals of the Tang Dynasty announced their support for the Chengdu Imperial Court one after another, and the action of conscription and grain conscription has long been difficult to continue. At this time, it can be described as embattled. At this time, Chang'an City may not be able to hold it, and it can be said that it is a time of internal and external difficulties. If he can really reach a peace agreement with Wang Yuan and let Wang Yuan withdraw from the army and temporarily suspend the army, it will undoubtedly be the most beneficial to himself. He can free up his hands to stabilize the situation, and at the same time recuperate, train his soldiers and horses, and then destroy Wang Yuan in one fell swoop. Moreover, if Wang Yuan can be allowed to announce the recognition of his throne, then his throne will be as stable as Mount Tai, and those who make trouble will also die down, which is undoubtedly the most cost-effective deal.

Wang Yuan took the initiative to throw an olive branch and only put forward one condition, that is, to kill Li Guangbi. This condition doesn't seem to be harsh, but do you really want to kill Li Guangbi in exchange for Wang Yuan's retreat? Li Mao couldn't be sure. He was also worried that this would be Wang Yuan's favor, but compared with the benefits obtained, killing one person and stabilizing the situation, so that he could continue to work as an emperor, was obviously a good deal.

"I have a letter here, you can take a look." Li Mao took the letter out of her sleeve and threw it on the bookcase.

Zheng Qiushan made a surprised expression, slowly picked up the letter, unfolded it and read it.

"This ...... This is actually Wang Yuan's letter? Where did Your Majesty come from? ”

"You don't care where you come from, read it, and we'll talk."

Zheng Qiushan read the letter in one go, and there was an indescribable feeling in his heart. The humility in Wang Yuanxin's letter was surprising, but the final threat was fierce. Wang Yuan really has no other conditions, he has only one condition, to kill Li Guangbi. This is somewhat confusing. But for Zheng Qiushan, this condition is exactly what he wants.

"What do you think?" Li Mao asked.

"Your Majesty...... Minister...... The minister didn't dare to say. ”

"Say, I want to hear what you really think."

"Yes. The minister thought that there was something wrong with the letter. ”

"Oh? What do you mean by that? ”

The minister thought that some of the words in Wang Yuanxin's letter were not true. He may not be as innocent as he says he is. He definitely has a rebellious heart, and Your Majesty should not be deceived by him. ”

Li Mao frowned and said, "I don't know who he is, but what I want you to say is not this, what I want to ask is whether the conditions he proposed can be trusted." ”

Zheng Qiushan smacked his lips and said, "Actually, in the eyes of the minister, it doesn't matter whether it is credible or not. The minister only asked His Majesty, if Wang Yuan could really be allowed to withdraw from the army after killing Li Guangbi, would His Majesty agree? ”

Li Mao groaned and didn't answer, his fingers unconsciously tapped on the table, this question was difficult for him to return. But his hesitation is already the answer, that is, he can be killed.

"If killing Li Guangbi can be exchanged for the promise stated in Wang Yuanxin, then even if Li Xiangguo dies, he will die a well-deserved death, and he will be loyal to His Majesty. Not only Li Xiangguo, even if Wang Yuan wants to take the minister's life as a condition, the minister will gladly die. The minister will not even care whether Wang Yuan's promise is credible or not, because whether it is credible or not, the minister must always risk his life to give it a try, which is the duty of the minister. ”

Li Mao looked at Zheng Qiushan with a righteous and awe-inspiring face, and a trace of emotion actually rose in his heart. Zheng Qiushan still knows the general situation, even if he dies in vain, but if there is a chance, he will still not care about his own life, this is a loyal minister.

"In terms of taking 10,000 steps back, if Wang Yuan doesn't keep his promise, what good will it do him? What can he do other than expose his untrustworthiness? Could it be that without one person in the court, will Chang'an City collapse? Apparently not. There are still many good generals in the DPRK and China who can defend the city, and when the time comes, the situation will not be too bad. Unless His Majesty still considers a person indispensable. But in fact, someone's skills have already seen the real chapter under Tongzhou City, maybe His Majesty is too dependent on him. ”

Zheng Qiushan's words have been made very clear, Li Guangbi's life and death are not important, and his life and death do not have much impact on the defense of the city. But if he dies, maybe he can get a better result, then the life and death of this person is actually a very simple matter. His value of being dead is clearly better than being alive.

Li Mao stood dumbfounded, without speaking. After getting the letter, he had been struggling with this question. He was not a decisive person, but sometimes he was stubborn and self-serving. On the one hand, he didn't want Li Guangbi to die, so he relied on Li Guangbi to trust Li Guangbi. On the other hand, if Lee Kwang-pil's death can bring about a huge turnaround, he hopes to follow this path. He was torn between these two thoughts. But now Zheng Qiushan's words undoubtedly tilted his thoughts towards the latter. The current crisis and his own safety all forced him to make difficult decisions without exception.

"Your Majesty, the life and death of a person is so small compared to Your Majesty's Jiangshan Shejilai. When it is judged, it is judged, and there shall be no mercy of a woman. Zheng Qiushan's words were earnest, and he looked bitter.

When Zheng Qiushan came out of the Xingqing Palace, it was already the first shift, and after returning to the mansion in a hurry, Zheng Qiushan immediately called his two sons Zheng Kaizhi and Zheng Chongzhi to the study, and then told the two sons about entering the palace just now.

After listening to Zheng Qiushan's narration, Zheng Chongzhi, who served as a lieutenant general in the forbidden army, said with a smile on his face: "Daddy, isn't this the good opportunity we dream of getting rid of Li Guangbi?" What did Your Majesty say? What did he think in his heart? ”

Zheng Qiushan said: "Your Majesty didn't say anything, only said that you should consider it, but I guess Your Majesty is also moved." His Majesty is just worried that Wang Yuan will not keep his promises, in case Wang Yuan does not withdraw after killing Li Guangbi, wouldn't it be a countertactic of Wang Yuan. That's why His Majesty hesitated. ”

Zheng Kaizhi, who served in the Ministry of Officials, frowned and said, "Your Majesty's doubts are also right, and my son also doubts Wang Yuan's motives. If Wang Yuan has the power to attack the city, why not attack the city directly? Why do you want to write a letter to kill Li Guangbi? Is it that he is afraid of Li Guangbi's ability to lead, so he wants to use counter-scheming to get rid of the person he fears the most. ”

Zheng Chongzhi frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "Big brother, why are you talking like that?" You mean, Daddy is not as good as Lee Kwang-pil? Without Li Guangbi, Chang'an will be broken? ”

Zheng Kaizhi said: "I didn't mean that, but we have to admit that Li Guangbi has the ability to lead the army, after all, he ......"

"Whew! What is he capable of? In the past few months, he has suffered a net defeat. Not long ago, 300,000 soldiers and horses were buried, and I think he is a straw bale. A person who sells fame and reputation. If you want to say that Wang Yuan is powerful, then I am still convinced. You said that Li Guangbi was powerful, but I was not convinced. Zheng Chongzhi sneered.

"You can't say that......" Zheng Kaizhi was about to refute, Zheng Qiushan shouted coldly: "Don't quarrel, is it to quarrel when you are called?" ”

Zheng Kaizhi and Zheng Chongzhi hurriedly shut up. Zheng Qiushan frowned and pondered for a long time, and said softly: "I don't care about Wang Yuan's true intentions now, I'm thinking about another thing now. ”

"What was Daddy thinking?" Zheng Chongzhi asked in a low voice.

"I'm thinking...... My Zheng family may have made a big mistake. Zheng Qiushan sighed lightly.

"What does Daddy mean by that?" Zheng Kaizhi was puzzled.

"I called you here to discuss with you, this matter is related to the survival of my Zheng family, and we must make a decision." Zheng Qiushan said in a deep voice.

When the two brothers of the Zheng family saw what Zheng Qiushan said solemnly, their hearts were full of joy, and their faces became serious.

"Kai'er, Chong'er, in order to seize the opportunity, my Zheng family followed the instructions of the imperial court, killed Cui Daoyuan, Cui Yuanbo and others, and married your sister to Li Mao, just to gain a foothold in the imperial court. At the time, I thought this was the right step, but now it seems that this may be a bad move, and we have embarked on a road of no return. Zheng Qiushan's desolate voice echoed in the room, and his words were full of coldness.

"Daddy, what do you mean...... We shouldn't have done that in the first place? Zheng Chongzhi asked in a low voice.

"It's not that you shouldn't, it's that you should be on that side. At the beginning, I thought that Chengdu would not become a climate, the imperial court was the orthodoxy of the world, and if Wang Yuan dared to have different intentions, everyone would shout and beat him. That's why I chose to stand on the side of the court and staked all my net worth. But you have also seen the current situation, Wang Yuan is unstoppable. is not only unstoppable, but even the hearts of the people of the world are on his side. You all know the news from outside. Huainan Province, Jiangnan Province, and even all parts of Datang, the state capitals that support Chengdu have accounted for the majority. Even Fuzhou, where we are based, has already announced its support for the Chengdu Imperial Court. In Yangzhou, the people rioted, Yangzhou guarded Shen Zifang, and the two brothers of the Cui family were killed by the people, and it is said that the heads were sent to Wang Yuan. Our court is now in danger of betraying and leaving. Zheng Qiushan shook his head and sighed.

"This dog thief king source really has some skills." Zheng Chongzhi scolded.

"Is it just some skill? This person has been working steadily step by step, and has never given the people of the world a chance to accuse him. He is actually plotting rebellion, but he is dignified and wins people's hearts, and the people of the world do not blame him for rebellion, but think that he is a loyal minister. This person's scheming and planning are unbelievable. What's more, the soldiers and horses in his hands now are invincible and extremely strong. He has never expanded his army, so he relied on the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in his hands to fight east and west. Can you say that he just has some skills? This person is a genius. ”

"My son has never seen his father praise a person like this. But no matter how powerful he is, he is also our opponent. Zheng Kaizhi smacked his lips and said.

"yes, that's where the trouble lies. Wang Yuan led his troops to the city, and Chang'an City was in danger. I don't believe a word of what he wrote in his letter to His Majesty, how could he be willing to withdraw from the army for the sake of Li Guangbi's life and death? Isn't that a waste of all your efforts? Li Guangbi is dead, and he still has to attack the city. ”

Zheng Kaizhi was stunned and said, "Since Daddy knows this, why did he persuade His Majesty to agree to Wang Yuan's conditions?" ”

Zheng Qiushan glanced at Zheng Kaizhi: "Kaizhi, Daddy asks you, if Wang Yuan breaks through Chang'an, what will happen to my Zheng family?" ”

"This ...... Do you need to ask? If Chang'an is broken, we will be ...... It must be...... and he who will lose his life. ”

"That's it. You also know that if the city is broken, my Zheng family will be finished, so how can we sit and wait for death? That's not my Zheng Qiushan's style. Shouldn't we be planning for the survival of the Zheng family? I don't want my Zheng family to die in the hands of Wang Yuan. Zheng Qiushan groaned.

"The more the child listens, the more confused he becomes." Zheng Chongzhi scratched his head and said: "Daddy means that Chang'an City cannot be defended, and Wang Yuan will not retreat, so what is Wang Yuan's intention in doing this?" If Chang'an City can't be defended, how can our Zheng family plan? If we flee to the edge of the sky, I am afraid that there will be nowhere to live. ”

Zheng Qiushan said: "Wang Yuan's intention is naturally to let us have civil strife. forced His Majesty to kill Li Guangbi. Although I also look down on Li Guangbi, in the current imperial court, only Li Guangbi can still be suppressed. As soon as Li Guangbi dies, the imperial court will be chaotic, and the fall of Chang'an City will also be accelerated. I think this is Wang Yuan's intention. He only has more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and forcibly attacking the city may not be what he wants to see. I guess he must want to take Chang'an City without blood, and he probably doesn't want to die too many people. As I said earlier, he is a scheming man, and the lack of many deaths is probably his move to win people's hearts. These soldiers and horses defending the city are all ordinary people who we forcibly recruited, do you think that if they can survive, who is the first to be grateful? Isn't he Wang Yuan yet? ”

"I see, this guy is really scheming. These things can still be taken into account in the event of a great war. Zheng Chongzhi said in astonishment.

Zheng Qiushan sighed: "That's why I said we were on the wrong team." On the other hand, Your Majesty and Li Guangbi, how many stinky chess moves have they taken? It is a big taboo to borrow troops from the Hui people, and domestic disputes lead foreigners into the country, and trade the land and people in the city, this move is unpopular. Remember one of the fifteen sins announced by Wang Yuan? One of them. Wang Yuan also borrowed troops from His Majesty and the Hui people to print and scatter the text, which was to see this. As for what things like killing the prince's ministers, exterminating his clan, and abusing the emperor, which one did it decently? How can there be no human heart, it is so nothing. All of them have been defeated, so now everyone has betrayed their relatives. ”

Zheng Kaizhi frowned and nodded: "Daddy hasn't told us yet, what should my Zheng family do." Daddy persuaded His Majesty to agree to Wang Yuan's conditions, is there a deep meaning in it? ”

Zheng Qiushan said: "The only way out for us now is to hope that Chang'an can hold it, but this road may be a dead end." Even if Li Guangbi is here, I'm afraid he won't be able to hold it. Wang Yuan just wanted to take Chang'an easily, but once he couldn't succeed, he would attack. With the combat power of the Shence Army, can these 200,000 soldiers and horses in the city hold it? How powerful are the cannons, iron balls, that fall into the city? And the legendary thunderbolt, grenades. Play. Can we stop it? In such a situation, how can we still hang ourselves from a tree, and if there is no way to live, we have to find a way to live. My persuasion of His Majesty to agree to Wang Yuan's conditions is not just to take the opportunity to get rid of Li Guangbi, but the bigger purpose is that we will use this to vote for Wang Yuan. If this road is not passable, go to the other road, and the cunning rabbit must have three holes. ”

"Huh?"

The Zheng brothers both opened their mouths wide and froze in place.

"Original...... Daddy, you think like that? Zheng Kaizhi's face turned pale and exclaimed in astonishment