Shaking his head slightly, Lei Juetian did not agree with his master's views. He knew Li Wufeng too well. So what if he gave up Huayang and Yushan? Li Wufeng's nature is to put profit first and forget about everything else. If his side gives up Huayang and Yushan, in addition to losing the two places in vain, it will only increase the prestige of the Tang Empire, destroy his own morale, and make the situation worse. Become more sinister.
"Your Majesty, do you think Li Wufeng is willing to stop after regaining Huayang and Yushan? Your Majesty, you don't know Li Wufeng very well. I carefully analyzed Li Wufeng's experience in the past ten years of his rise. I studied everything in detail, and found that This person’s most common trick is to play cards that don’t follow the rules and take things by surprise. The more we think he won’t do this, the more likely he is to make a move from here.”
Lei Juetian showed a trace of regret on his face: "Back then, he had just established a foothold in the northwest. Everyone thought he would buy time to develop the economy and stabilize the local situation. However, he rashly sent troops to Northern Luzon to take advantage of the civil strife in Luzon and Pasha. During the Northern Expedition, Li Wufeng captured Northern Luzon in one fell swoop, which gave him a bridgehead in the Central Plains. The Taiping Sect of the Tang River Empire was in rebellion. Even I thought this was an opportunity for Li Wufeng to extend his power deep into the hinterland of the Central Plains, but he did the opposite. Following the path, he went west to India to seize Pangzhe and grabbed a lot of funds for the development of the northwest. However, the Tanghe Empire was roiled and crumbling under the influence of the He Taiping cultivators. And in the east In the war with the nomads on the Tengger Grassland and the war in the South Peninsula, in which of the battles did we guess his intentions? Except that we only noticed when he was ready. It can be said that we could not guess any of his intentions at all. idea."
Nodding in agreement with Lei Juetian's view, Bi Xili knew that Lei Juetian had not noticed one thing, and that was the change in Li Wufeng's identity. He felt that he needed to remind his Minister of State: "Juetian, you are right, Li Wufeng is Disregarding integrity and betrayal are commonplace for him. Maybe he will feel complacent by saying that he never tires of deceit. But Juetian, you have forgotten one thing. At that time, he was just a vassal town in the Tanghe Empire, or to put it harshly. After all, he was just a warlord struggling for survival. At that time, his survival was the first priority, for the continuation of his regime. He could do anything, and the people supported him because their fate was at stake, and their interests were almost unanimous. Very simple, of course he can be unscrupulous."
Seeing Lei Juetian's thoughtful expression, Bi Xili further said: "But now, Li Wufeng is about to ascend the throne of the most powerful empire in the Eastern Continent that he created with his own hands. There are mixed interests in the huge empire territory. Everyone has their own needs. , especially when the empire was first established. People who have experienced war are eager to obtain a stable and peaceful environment to develop. Everyone knows that fighting requires sacrifices, and the economy will also be affected. I can confirm that from the bottom of my heart, Generally speaking, the people of the Tang Empire are definitely not willing to see war anymore, and these public opinions will also be reflected on the officials under Li Wufeng. If we do not withdraw from Huayang and Yushan, Li Wufeng can use this to create public opinion and guide public opinion to point to us. It is reasonable for him to send troops. If we withdraw from these two places and cut off his excuses, then we will take the initiative. We can also use our and their media to launch an offensive. It declares that we, the Machi Khans, also long for peace. , I hope there will be a stable and peaceful environment in the Eastern Continent. Of course, we can be more strategic when returning Huayang and Yushan. Not only must we create a lot of momentum, but we must also sign a non-aggression peace agreement with the Tang Empire as an additional condition."
Lei Juetian nodded with understanding and continued: "Does His Highness want to use this peace agreement announced to the outside world to restrain Li Wufeng?"
"Yes, Li Wufeng had no scruples before because he had no status to restrict him, but now that he has ascended to the throne, don't the people of the Tang Dynasty value integrity the most? If a peace agreement was just signed and then torn up, then do you think the people would react to this? How can an emperor who goes militarily and ignores his integrity have doubts and fears? For Li Wufeng, I think he will never fail to consider this issue." Bi Xili knew the difference between an emperor and a warlord, especially when he claimed to be a man of etiquette. Among the Tang people in the country, this binding force was even greater. Once the peace agreement was signed, Li Wufeng had to consider the pros and cons of tearing up the agreement.
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, but I still want to remind you of two questions. First, what if Li Wufeng looks for or even creates excuses to tear up the agreement and shift the responsibility to us? This kind of tactics is simply unacceptable to Li Wufeng. It's a piece of cake; secondly, what if Li Wufeng takes it one step further and asks us to withdraw from Anjie, Yuejing and Ronisia? As far as I know, Li Deguang's three daughters are all involved with Li Wufeng. I'm afraid Li Wufeng has already As their guests, once Li Wufeng accepts them as his concubines, wouldn't he have more excuses to start a war?" Lei Juetian's voice was low, but his tone was heavier. Li Wufeng, a guy who even became romantically involved, had to take advantage of all the good things. This was a bad luck. Not admitting that he is better than anyone else.
"Of course we need to pay attention to these two points. Whether we are looking for excuses or making excuses, we just need to control the situation and try not to give him a chance. In addition, we might as well invite some officials and gentry who advocate peace in the Tang Empire to come to our Machi Khan. Take a look and walk around to create an intimate atmosphere. If he wants to find an excuse, he will have to think hard. As for the second possibility, we will adopt a delaying strategy, whether it is Anjie or Yuejing, Now it has become a fait accompli. I believe that many people in the Tang Dynasty are not sure about the status of these two places. If they want to annex them, wouldn't it be just as humiliating to their heavenly state as us? If they don't want to Annexation, it seems a bit far-fetched to start a war for this reason, we still have to work hard on public opinion and strive to get the upper hand."
Lei Juetian's two questions both asked Bi Xili's weaknesses, making Bi XiLi a little difficult to answer. However, since he had this intention, he naturally had some preparations. Although the answer was a bit far-fetched, it was still a countermeasure.
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, these ideas of yours are a bit wishful thinking. Many things will not go according to the track we expected, and Li Wufeng will not do it. I personally think that if war is unavoidable, then we must make various preparations in advance. Be prepared, especially for the worst." Lei Juetian smiled bitterly, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Juetian, I understand what you mean. Since we can't avoid it despite our efforts, let him come where he is. We can try our best to avoid it, but if we can't avoid it, then we have to be more generous and brave to face it. Li Wufeng is a strong man. , but don’t you people in the Tang Dynasty have an old saying? A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake! In this land, are we, the Machihans, not even local snakes? When someone bullies us, we don’t even have room to fight back? " Bixili clasped his hands and laughed loudly, and the confidence and domineering surge in his body was beyond words.
"Your Majesty, but you have also forgotten that we in the Tang Dynasty also have a saying that the dragon cannot cross the river. If Li Wufeng doesn't come, it will be a storm." Lei Juetian sighed.
"Juetian, since the thunderstorm is coming and we can't stop it, then we just need to be fully prepared. In a word, we can try to avoid war, but we are not afraid of war. I just hope that we can have more Ma Qihan We have only been here for a few years, how can we allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the bed! One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. These are how you Tang people describe the current situation in the Eastern Continent. The Libo people were defeated by Li Wufeng, which does not mean that we, Machi Khan, The same is true for people. If Li Wufeng wants to do whatever he wants in this land in the south, he will have to ask me Bixili!" At this time, Bixili was already full of vindictiveness, and the calmness and calmness he had just now had long been cast aside.
"As long as Your Majesty has this idea, Juetian will feel at ease. Juetian is going to go to the imperial capital in person to attend Li Wufeng's enthronement ceremony." Lei Juetian said calmly.
"What?" Bi Xili, who had remained calm despite being on top of Mount Tai, suddenly changed his expression at this time, "Are you going in person? Are you talking nonsense? Can you go to Zhongzhou too? After entering the territory of the Tang Dynasty, Li Wufeng randomly arranged for someone to assassinate him. I want to find an excuse to say that the people are not angry with you for serving as an official and doing harm to the people in Machi Khan. Doesn’t that mean I can’t complain about my grievances? No, absolutely not! I will never agree to this matter, you can arrange it Anyone can go, but you must not go!”
Lei Juetian's heart felt hot again. A soldier dies for his confidant. Even if he is accused of being a traitor and traitor, he has no regrets. Being infamy for ten thousand years is better than being unknown in the grassland. Not everyone can be like Li Wufeng, Xiao Tang, Su Qin, etc. People's good luck, but I can only say that I was born at the wrong time.
"Your Majesty, I must go this time. Important figures from the northern Liberian countries will attend this coronation ceremony. I believe they will not just watch Li Wufeng remove obstacles one by one. They should understand this sentence. The Three Kingdoms Alliance will also be attended by important ministers from various countries. It is said that Milan Prime Minister Bedoric will also be included. I would like to meet him for a while. I am afraid that the Three Kingdoms Alliance is also very uneasy now. Although the Tang Empire is now on good terms with them, but That's because they have something to use, just use them to contain the Japanese. If the cunning rabbit dies, the lackey will be cooked. I'm afraid Bedorich will not understand this truth. We are the only people in the south who can compete with Li Wufeng. Really We collapsed, and Milan and the other two countries still want to maintain their current aloof status and live such a prosperous life?" Lei Juetian's eyes looked even deeper at this time.