The prince sighed: "I am also surprised why they left the envoy and left without saying goodbye." He wondered: "The Northern Han envoy did not find out until noon yesterday that Prince Yu and Prince Feng were missing. According to them, they returned from the court the day before yesterday After that, Prince Yu and Prince Feng went back to their houses respectively. After that, Prince Feng took Lord Vulcan to Prince Yu's yard, stayed there for half an hour, then came out, and then returned to their own house. From then on, they were never seen again. Appear."
"Has it been inspected in detail over there?" Qining asked, "Are there any traces of fighting?"
The prince shook his head and said: "We specially asked people from the Ministry of Punishment to come over to check. There were no signs of fighting. Moreover, Dongyuan is full of Northern Han people. If there is any movement, you can hear it immediately outside. What's more, Prince Feng and Prince Yu do not live there." Together, but missing at the same time.”
Qi Ning smiled and said: "They can't go to the sky and escape from the earth, they will never disappear out of thin air."
The prince said: "That's true. The Ministry of Punishment sent more than a dozen tracking experts, and finally found a clue on the east wall. They were sure that someone climbed out of the wall. Beyond the east wall is a river in the city, which leads directly to Zi Fu Lane and Zifu Lane are not too far from the east gate. Now it is certain that, if nothing else, Prince Yu and the others climbed over the wall. It was probably because they left in a hurry that they did not have time to deal with the problem on the east wall. They must have thought that someone would follow the traces, so we judged that after climbing over the wall, they went directly into the river and followed the river. And left, went to Zifu Lane."
Qi Ning was even more surprised: "They left from the river?"
"Yes." The prince said: "Someone in the Northern Han Dynasty mission said that Prince Yu had issued an order that no one was allowed to approach his residence without his instructions, so no one noticed it until noon yesterday. Later, some people still felt that Prince Yu has been refusing to eat, and he may be hurting his body, so I mustered up the courage to go there, only to find that Prince Yu has disappeared, and not only that, Prince Feng has also disappeared."
"There is no leader, no wonder the people of the Northern Han Dynasty are in chaos." Qi Ning smiled lightly. At this time, someone served tea. The prince raised his hand to invite Qi Ning to have tea. After all, he was the prince of the Eastern Qi Dynasty. Qi Ning was a guest, and the host treated him. Tea, of course. They both picked up their teacups, and the prince said: "Jin Yihou, in your opinion, is it because Prince Yu left without saying goodbye because he is dissatisfied with me, Dong Qi?"
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Your Highness, I really can't guess this. According to common sense, Prince Yu is also a man who has read poetry and books. He shouldn't be so rude. Even if he is leaving in a hurry, he should say hello. .”
The prince sighed: "To be honest, Jin Yihou, I think so in my heart. Now not only the desire has disappeared, but even the masters of the Ancient Elephant Kingdom have disappeared."
"Your Highness, do you think these two things are related?"
The prince said: "The two groups of people disappeared at the same time. If there is no connection, it would be really unbelievable. I heard that there are still some conflicts between the Northern Han Dynasty envoy and those masters. There must be some involvement in it."
"There is indeed some contradiction." Qi Ning said: "I heard that Prince Feng sent someone to steal something belonging to those masters, so they formed a grudge."
The prince smiled bitterly and said: "My father was assassinated, and people in the court were in panic. Jin Yihou was even held hostage by the assassin. I was very worried. Fortunately, Jiren has his own destiny, and Jin Yihou returned safely. I just felt a stone in my heart." Landing, something so weird and bizarre suddenly happened again, there was no peace for a moment."
"Your Highness has many things to do every day, so you must pay attention to your health." Qining said: "This happened suddenly, but the truth will eventually come to light, so Your Highness does not need to worry too much."
The prince smiled and said: "My father is frightened. I can only take more care of all the matters in the court." He put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "Jin Yihou, I am here to give you an invitation. Although my father Frightened, but hearing that the Marquis of Jin Yi came back safely, Long Xin was overjoyed. He prepared a small banquet in the palace tonight and invited the Marquis of Jin Yi to the banquet. There is no need to worry, the Marquis of Jin Yi, there will be no one else at the banquet tonight, but his father wants to serve the Marquis. I'm just calming down."
Qi Ning's heart tightened, but on his face he smiled calmly and said, "The monarch is ill, so there is no need to be in such trouble."
"Since it is your father's special decree, Jin Yihou should not refuse." The prince lowered his voice and said: "Although envoys from both countries have come to propose marriage, from the beginning, my heart has been biased towards your country, Chu. You Our two countries have never fought wars and have always been in harmony. On the contrary, the Northern Han people are ambitious and once had a sharp dispute with Da Qi. To be honest, if Da Qi and Northern Han get married, I am afraid that the people of Qi will also feel the same. There are complaints that many of our young men in Da Qi died at the hands of the Northern Han people on the battlefield."
Qi Ning thought that this was also a high-sounding statement. If it really involves national interests, no matter how incompatible enemies are, they can become friends in an instant, and no matter how close friends are, they can turn into enemies. But since the prince said this, he naturally made a decision. With a look of joy, he said with a smile: "Your Highness said this, and I tell the truth. I came here under the emperor's order this time, and I did not dare to insult the holy order. However, I did not expect that the Northern Han people would cede territory to ask for marriage."
The prince also sighed and said: "I never thought of this. I have already told my father before that the Northern Han people have evil intentions and it is not good to have more contact with them."
"We, the State of Chu, will never be able to cede territory and ask for marriage." Qi Ning said solemnly: "But the State of Chu can guarantee that if there is a sword fight between the Han army and your State of Qi, as a country of in-laws, the State of Chu will never I will sit back and ignore it." He smiled slightly and lowered his voice and said: "Your Highness, actually I have been worried about something, it's just hard to say."
"Jin Yihou, I have shared life and death with you." The prince said seriously: "King Taishan of Xuzhou rebelled. If you hadn't stepped forward, I might not have been able to return to the capital. If you have anything to say, it doesn't matter."
Qi Ning nodded slightly and then said: "Your Highness, the Han people assigned Maling Mountain and all the counties in the southeast to Qi State, and claimed that all troops and horses from these places would be evacuated within three months. Under the conditions, the State of Qi will naturally betroth Princess Tianxiang to the Northern Han Dynasty."
The prince hesitated for a moment and then said: "Father is indeed tempted, but I am still trying to convince him."
"Once an agreement is reached, Princess Tianxiang will marry the Northern Han Dynasty, and it will soon spread throughout the world." Qining said with a smile: "Even the common people will know that Princess Tianxiang will marry the Northern Han Dynasty."
The prince nodded and said, "Not bad."
"Your Highness, since it is an agreement, if Maling Mountain is not handed over to Qi, Princess Tianxiang will certainly not be sent to Han immediately." Qi Ning looked directly into the prince's eyes.
The prince said: "This is natural. Maling Mountain is an important military area. I still doubt whether they will really hand over those places happily."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Your Highness, the people of the Northern Han Dynasty have a large number of people and strong troops. It would be a good idea not to ask for land from the Eastern Qi Dynasty. They also voluntarily gave up so much land. Unless the people of the Northern Han Dynasty have lost their minds, how can there be such a cheap thing? . If the government is really stupid, then that's fine, but if there is a conspiracy hidden in it, His Highness will have to be careful."
The prince frowned and asked, "Jin Yihou, do you think there is fraud in this?"
Qi Ning said: "If I were from the Northern Han Dynasty, I would never be willing to cede a large amount of land just to marry a princess. The impact on the morale of the army cannot be compensated by marrying back a princess. Your Highness, I will tell you what I have to say. Don't do it. Sorry."
"I don't blame you, I don't mind. It doesn't matter if you say so." The prince said cheerfully.
Qi Ning said: "Our country of Chu sincerely wants to form an alliance with your country. Your Highness is wise and naturally understands. Otherwise, the emperor would not agree to the position of queen."
The prince sighed: "Your country is very sincere, and I naturally understand it. In fact, I also understand that the people of Han who came this time may not really want to marry our country of Qi, but maybe they just hope that the country of Chu It’s just that we can’t successfully form an alliance with our Qi country.”
Qi Ning thought to himself that you are quite smart, he saw through the doorway, and said with a smile: "Your Highness, it will take two months for the Han people to withdraw their troops. After two months, Qi's troops and horses will accept defense. In your opinion, these places , how long will it take for it to be fully digested... In other words, how long will it take for the people on these lands to completely become the people of Qi?"
The prince frowned slightly. He was not a mediocre person, so he naturally understood what Qi Ning meant.
The counties ceded by the Northern Han Dynasty have been under the rule of the Northern Han Dynasty for decades. Regardless of the tax laws, they are all subject to the system of the Northern Han Dynasty. It is naturally not difficult to accept these places, but they must be fully integrated into the Qi State. In the system, it cannot be completed in three or two months.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, compared to Qi and Han, the strength of Han is far superior to that of Qi." Qi Ning said sternly: "Even if the counties in Malingshan are placed under the name of Qi, Qi wants to completely conquer them. It is never easy to win the hearts of the people. When Maling Mountain is handed over to Qi State and Princess Tianxiang is sent to Han State, it will be seen whether Qi State can quickly recover the counties. Your Highness, imagine that Princess Tianxiang is already in Han State by then. Will the Congress allow the State of Qi to easily integrate the counties of Malingshan into the State of Qi?"
The prince seemed to understand something and frowned: "You mean, they are still up to something?"
"Your Highness, if I say more, I'm afraid people will think that I am sowing discord." Qining sighed, "But Your Highness treats me with sincerity. If I say nothing, it seems that I am hiding something secret from His Highness."
The prince picked up the teapot, poured tea for Qin Ning himself, and said: "Marquis Jinyi, I am determined to marry with the State of Chu. If there is a way to reverse the current situation, please enlighten me."
Qi Ning thought that Prince Yu and Beitang Feng were missing, and the current situation had changed, and there was no need to reverse it. Without the envoys, Qi and Han would still have nothing to talk about, but he still said with a smile: "Your Highness, I am only worried that if Qi State makes a mistake this time, it is very likely that he will lose his wife and lose his troops."
"I lost my wife and lost my troops?"
Qi Ning nodded and said: "Maling Mountain has been under the control of the Han army for many years. Every plant and tree on the mountain and every fortification were built by the Han people. Even if Qi was given a month, they might not be able to fully control it." All the defenses of Maling Mountain, in fact, even if Maling Mountain is in the hands of Qi State, there is no secret to Han State, they know every advantage and disadvantage of Maling Mountain."
The prince frowned and said: "What Jin Yihou means, does it mean that after Tianxiang is sent to Han, the Han people will fight back?"
"How difficult will it be for the Han army to take back Maling Mountain while Qi's foothold is not stable?" Qin Ning picked up the tea cup, took a sip of tea, and continued: "There are also all the counties in Maling Mountain, which are all in Ma Southeast of Lingshan Mountain is between Qi State and Maling Mountain. The Han people know the geographical environment of these places very well. Your Highness, if the Han people mix their troops and horses into the counties and break them into pieces, Once the war breaks out, we will immediately cut off the connection between Malingshan and Qi. When the two sides attack, I wonder if Malingshan can still be defended?"
When the prince heard this, his expression suddenly changed.
…