freenovelworld Chapter 853: The Fool's Idea
Chapter 853: The Fool's Idea
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was in an uproar.
A rather heated debate ensued.
There are three types of aristocratic officials in the court today. One is the exiled aristocratic family whose clan land has been occupied by the Fengtian Army, one is the aristocratic family whose home in the north has not yet been occupied, and the last type is the aristocratic family in the south who is temporarily safe.
The first and second types of people either lost their entire families or fled their hometowns, so they are naturally unwilling to negotiate.
Their roots are all in the north, so how could they agree to the division between the north and the south?
The third type of southern families are different. They have their roots in the south, and even division will not affect their power.
Therefore, the two sides quarreled fiercely.
The censor who was in charge of maintaining order in the court had to shout to stop them several times before the situation quieted down.
Everyone listened as Qin Huizhi continued, "Everyone, please be patient. Negotiations are not about compromise, but about buying time."
"This way, we can paralyze Li Che and buy time to reorganize our army and wait for the right time."
When Emperor Wenchu heard Qin Huizhi's words, his eyes lit up slightly.
The north and the south were divided and both were called Daqing. In this way, Daqing was still under the rule of the Li family.
It was a good idea for him to no longer have to worry about fighting with his fierce sixth brother and to be able to be the emperor in Jiangnan peacefully.
"Absurd!" Du Fuchen was furious and refuted loudly, "Prime Minister Qin's words are a fallacy that will split the country!"
"Emperor Taizu worked tirelessly to achieve the great unity we have today. How can we talk about secession so easily?"
"If this proposal is carried out, the country will no longer be a country, and you and I will both become sinners for eternity!"
Qin Huizhi simply smiled faintly and responded calmly: "Prime Minister Du, you are wrong. This is just a temporary measure, a delaying tactic."
"If Li Che agrees, I will have a chance to breathe, recruit more warriors in the south, and build stronger weapons."
"If he disagrees, it will only reveal his wicked ambitions and inspire our soldiers to fight to the death."
"For Your Majesty and the court, there are a hundred benefits and no harm."
His words sounded high-sounding, but they also gave Emperor Wenchu a way out, making it seem that Emperor Wenchu was not afraid of fighting, but was doing it for the sake of the country's overall interests.
As expected, the more Emperor Wenchu listened, the more he felt it made sense. He quickly asked, "Prime Minister Qin's words resonate deeply with me. But... who should I send as an envoy?"
The cunning smile on Qin Huizhi's face deepened, and his gaze turned to Du Fuchen, who had an angry look on his face.
Du Fuchen's heart sank suddenly, and he thought to himself that this was not good.
But Qin Huizhi said slowly:
"I heard that Prime Minister Du and Prince Feng were quite close when they were in the court. Moreover, Prime Minister Du is a brilliant debater and highly respected."
"Having Prime Minister Du as an envoy can not only demonstrate our sincerity, but also leverage our old friendship to secure the best terms for Your Majesty."
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Du Fuchen.
Du Fuchen was shocked and looked at Qin Huizhi in disbelief.
He instantly understood what Qin Huizhi meant.
Qin Huizhi may not know the relationship between Du Fuchen and Li Che, but he knows that Du Fuchen has always been loyal to the emperor and is a potential core member of the "Emperor Party".
Qin Huizhi represents the interests of the aristocratic families, who do not need an emperor in power.
As the backbone of the pro-war faction, Du Fuchen could be sent away by force, or even be eliminated through Li Che.
Moreover, if he were to discuss the humiliating division of the North and the South, regardless of success or failure, Du Fuchen would be nailed to the pillar of shame in history.
What a good trick of killing with a borrowed knife, killing two birds with one stone!
Unfortunately, Qin Huizhi was wrong about one thing. Du Fuchen did not belong to the imperial party, nor was he a pro-war faction.
He was a member of the previous emperor's party from the beginning to the end. After the previous emperor passed away, he was loyal to the successor designated by the previous emperor.
At this time, Emperor Wenchu, sitting on the dragon throne, could not wait to speak: "Prime Minister Qin recommended the right person. Prime Minister Du, this matter concerns the fate of the country, and it must be you!"
Du Fuchen looked at Emperor Wenchu, and the last ray of hope in his heart disappeared without a trace.
If such a monarch were to be in power at the end of a dynasty, the country would be doomed to fall!
An emperor who has no obsession with unification will have a reputation in future history books no better than a king who lost his country.
"His Majesty......"
Du Fuchen sighed. After all, he was still a member of the imperial party, so it was not easy for him to refuse.
"If Your Majesty wants me to go on a mission, I will do my best."
"Okay." Emperor Wenchu's face was filled with excitement. "I will appoint you as a special envoy, fully responsible for the peace talks. Prepare to head north immediately to negotiate peace with Prince Feng!"
Du Fuchen looked at Emperor Wenchu's urging eyes and bowed helplessly:
"Your Majesty...I obey your order."
Qin Huizhi, standing aside, suppressed his smile and spoke again, "Your Majesty, we must make preparations for both scenarios. If the peace talks fail, we will need another army to continue marching north to resist Feng."
"That's right, that's right." Emperor Wenchu nodded repeatedly.
He was about to speak up to support Qin Huizhi's plan when his eyes accidentally swept across Du Fuchen, whose face was ashen, and the people below who had different expressions.
Suddenly, a faint flash of lightning flashed through his little head, which was not very smart to begin with.
He suddenly remembered that when Emperor Qing was in power, he was very good at making his ministers check and balance each other, which was the art of balance.
I almost completely leaned towards Qin Huizhi just now. Isn't this a bit unbalanced?
After all, Du Fuchen is the left prime minister, so I have to take care of his face.
It seems that Du Fuchen just supported Zheng Mao...
It is better for a bad person to rack his brains than for a stupid person to have a sudden inspiration.
Emperor Wenchu imitated Emperor Qing and cleared his throat. "What Prime Minister Qin said is very much in line with my opinion. As for the commander-in-chief, my dear Minister Zheng..."
Zheng Mao, who was kneeling on the ground, only listened halfway and his face instantly lost all color.
Does the emperor mean to let him take command?
"Your Majesty! No!"
Zheng Mao no longer cared about etiquette and crawled forward half a step, "Your Majesty...your Majesty is uneducated and incompetent. I have lost my troops and humiliated my country. I deserve death. I have no face to lead the army anymore!"
"The Fengtian Army's firearms are fierce, and Li Che's generals are as skilled as ghosts in their tactics. I...I am absolutely no match for them! If you continue to let me lead, I will probably jeopardize Your Majesty's important mission. I will never forgive myself even if I die a hundred times!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed.
His forehead instantly turned red, and his posture was extremely embarrassed. There was no trace of the demeanor of a young man from a noble family.
In the court, there was a sudden sound of contempt.
Even some officials from aristocratic families who were originally closely related to the Zheng family turned their faces away in disgust.
Deserting from the battlefield was already a disgrace, and now that his name was called out, he was so frightened that he was like this. It was a complete disgrace to the family!
Are the Fengtian Army really that scary?