Chapter 142 Peace Negotiation

Chapter 142 Peace Negotiation
Almost the entire world's attention was attracted to these two places.

One is Tongguan. After learning that King Liang had rebelled and entered Guanzhong from Hedong, Murong Chao sent General Lou Jushi to lead 80,000 elite troops of the central army to Guanzhong for support.

But after Tongguan was occupied by the rebel army of King Liang, if Lou Jushi's 80,000 elite Yan troops wanted to enter Guanzhong again, they had to attack Tongguan, which was a natural barrier.

On the other side, Murong Zan gathered an army of 100,000 and stationed them at the foot of the city. They had begun building fortifications and creating siege equipment.

It seems that Chang'an is a must-win.

The victory or defeat of these two battlefields is directly related to the ownership of Guanzhong, the imperial base.

If King of Liang Murong Zhan had captured Chang'an first, then Murong Zhan, who occupied Guanzhong and Hedong, would have had a great geographical advantage.

In contrast to these two places, the confrontation between more than 100,000 troops from both sides in Hanoi was surprisingly calm and did not cause much trouble.

In the direction of Henei, there were 25,000 soldiers under the command of Murong, the Prince of Xia, the governor of Jizhou, and more than 40,000 infantry and cavalry led by the left general Zhao Yi.

In Huai County, the total number of defenders, including the able-bodied men who assisted in defending the city, was less than 3,000, while the total number of Yan troops was close to 70,000.

The number of rebels was not far from that of the Yan army, about 60,000 to 70,000.

After Zhao Yi led his troops to the scene, Duke of Dai Tuoba Yuqing pulled his troops back to the Yewang line, which made the defenders in Huai County feel relieved.

Obviously, the emperor and a group of ruling ministers in Luoyang City were very dissatisfied with the situation on the Hanoi battlefield.

"Has Zhao Yi not sent out his troops yet?"

In the court, Murong Chao asked helplessly.

Duan Yihong, the Minister of War and General of the Imperial Army, said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Yi's memorial said that it would take a few days to repair it."

Murong Chao frowned and asked, "General Duan is a famous general of Yan, who has experienced many battles. In your opinion, is what Zhao Yi said an excuse or the truth?"

Duan Yihong patiently explained, "The saint has also led the army to war, so he should know that the military situation changes rapidly. Zhao Yi has just led his army to Hanoi, and it will take a few days to set up camp and investigate the terrain. Your Majesty does not need to worry too much about the situation in Hanoi. Even if Zhao Yi cannot defeat the Tuoba rebels, he and King Xia are enough to resist the enemy together."

Murong Chao nodded, and then continued to ask: "What about Guanzhong?"

Duan Yihong sighed and said, "Guanzhong has already lost the initiative. If General Lou cannot capture Tongguan before Chang'an falls, then Guanzhong will no longer belong to the court."

Murong Chao's face darkened when he heard this. The situation had deteriorated far beyond his expectations. He really regretted it.

No one reminded him.
"The past cannot be reversed. Although the current situation is critical, it is far from the end of the road. Even if Guanzhong is lost, the court can still mobilize troops from Longyou, Shuzhong, and Hexi to retake Guanzhong. I think that we should first deal with the Wagang Army. These rebels attacked the dragon boat of the previous emperor, and now they have successively seized Shanyang, Jiyin, and Dongjun. If we allow them to grow stronger, they will definitely be a serious threat."

At this time, Shangshu Ling Gao Shizhe made a clear suggestion, which made all the ministers complain.

What the highly respected Mr. Gao Ling said is right. Absolutely right.

The Wagang Army was a traitor that had attacked the previous emperor's dragon boat, and they must be wiped out.

But, but, but.

Guanzhong is almost lost now. Mr. Lou’s 80,000 elite troops are blocked in the Qiaohan Road. Can King Gaoyang Murong He defend the city of Chang'an with his 20,000 soldiers and horses?

That is Xijing. If it falls into Murong Zhan's hands, the symbolic significance will be too great.

But the Wagang Army could not be ignored. The Wagang Army, which had grown to more than 100,000 people, had already seized several counties. If they were left alone, the Guanzhong in the west would not be owned by the court, and the Yanzhou and Qingzhou in the east would not be owned by the court. The Great Yan Empire would fall apart.

But the current military strength of the imperial court is really dwarfed by that. There are less than 40,000 soldiers and horses in Luoyang City, and Master Lou is still leading 80,000 troops in the Xiaohan Road. Even if they cannot attack Guanzhong immediately, these people cannot move lightly.

As for the rest of the places, Jingchu, Jianghuai and Xuzhou all expressed their willingness to obey the imperial edict and their troops were on the way.

As for Jiangdong, distant water cannot put out a nearby fire, not to mention that it is difficult to protect itself.

The Duke of Ju, the general stationed in Jiangdong, had requested the court to send elite troops to help quell Cao Yuanjing's rebellion at the end of last year. At that time, Cao Yuanjing had only tens of thousands of soldiers.

Now the number of people with the surname Cao has grown to 100,000, and they call themselves the Son of Heaven, changing the reign title and year name, making them increasingly difficult to control.

On the Jingchu side, the royal general, the governor of Jingzhou, and the King of Changsha Murong Deyu led more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry through Wancheng, Nanyang, and headed towards Yingchuan.

As for Xuzhou, Pei Minzhi led 15,000 infantry and cavalry along the old course of the Yellow River and headed north via the Tongji Canal.

The Yuzhou Army, which was closest to the area, was transferred to the Xingyang-Chenliu line to protect the smooth flow of the canal.

On the Jianghuai side, Li Yuanhui sent more than 10,000 troops, who went north along the Ying River and also took the road from Yingchuan to Luoyang in the north.

It seems that Li Yuanhui did not send many troops, but Murong Chao felt that it was understandable. After all, Li Yuanhui had only been in Jianghuai for a few months. How many troops could he have? Previously, the Huainan troops were dismembered because they were involved in treason. Some were exiled, some were beheaded.

Being able to mobilize more than 10,000 soldiers and horses is already considered loyal to the country.
Thinking of Li Yuanhui, Murong Chao felt regretful again, and then looked at Li Xiaoyan, the Palace Attendant in the crowd.

"Li Changshi, do you have any advice?"

Li Xiaoyan was somewhat surprised when he heard Murong Chao calling him. Although he was an official of the Eastern Palace, he was only in this position for a few months before he was appointed as Palace Attendant due to the death of the previous emperor and the ascension of the new emperor to the throne.

But he had a shallow foundation in the court. He didn't think he had a say in front of this group of prime ministers, ministers, and censors. But he soon figured it out. It should be that the saint remembered the letter from his fourth brother.

Now that the saint has asked, this must be said.

"Your Majesty, I think that things should be prioritized. The King of Liang rebelled and colluded with the Turks, recognizing the rebels as his father. He is a traitor to the country and must be eliminated first to stabilize the people's hearts. Wagang Zhai Rang is an old official of the court. He rebelled out of fear of punishment. I think we can temporarily give him a false attitude and even grant him an official position. As long as he does not cause chaos, the court can concentrate its efforts on suppressing the Liang rebellion."

Gao Shi directly rebuked him, "It is absurd to negotiate peace with the rebels. Moreover, the Wagang rebels once attacked the dragon boat, causing the late emperor to fall into the water. This is a national hatred and family feud."

"Gao Linggong's words are wrong. In the past, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty failed to capture Luoyang after a long siege. He pardoned Zhu Yu, who killed his brother, and granted him an official title, which became a good story. Why can't Your Majesty follow Emperor Guangwu's example and pardon Zhai Rang and others to solve the urgent problem?"

The speaker was Zuo Pushe Xue Chu, who was in his forties, tall as a warrior, and had a loud and resounding voice.

Gao Shize immediately retorted upon hearing this: "This is a different time, and that is a different time. How can the revenge for killing my brother be compared with the revenge for killing my father?"

Xue Chu said: "The late emperor died of illness. Could it be that Lord Gao knows the reason better than the doctor?"

It was very rare for two prime ministers to confront each other directly in the court.

After all, they have reached this point, who would want to speak for each other? But the current situation is indeed urgent, so both of them went out in person.

In the end, the court could not come up with a solution.

But after everyone left, Murong Chao summoned Li Xiaoyan again.

"I agree with Mr. Li's proposal. I wonder if Mr. Li is willing to go to Chenliu on my behalf and meet with Zhai Rang to preside over the matter of recruiting the amnesty?"

(End of this chapter)