Yihong Lake looks particularly quiet under the dark night, with a gentle breeze and sparkling waves. Everything is so peaceful and quiet, except for the swishing sound brought by the breeze from time to time on the ancient trees by the lake.
Two burly figures walked leisurely on the path by the lake, with several armored guards not far away following closely behind them. The two of them turned a blind eye and pointed at the scenery around the lake while moving forward happily.
"Juetian, that's probably the Nicui Building," the middle-aged man in dark brown trousers laughed loudly, pointing to the vague buildings standing on the small island in the lake in the distance, "It looks really independent. The smell of cold autumn.”
The climate of Yuejing Country is very pleasant, with warm winters and cool summers. Especially the Yihong Lake, where there is no cold or heat all year round, and autumn becomes autumn when it rains. It is really a resort for self-cultivation.
"Well, it should be so. I heard that the Cui Cui Building was the favorite of King Li Deguang of the Yue Jing Kingdom when he was resting. It is also the landmark building of the Yue Jing Kingdom. It is beautifully built and draws on the architecture of the Tanghe Empire and the Western Continent. The essence of art, combining the styles of both schools, is truly a masterpiece in architectural art." The middle-aged man next to him is naturally Lei Juetian, the Minister of State of the Macchi Khanate, and the middle-aged man in a fashionable dress is of course Bixili, the great Khan of the Macchi Khanate.
"Well, I heard that the place is decorated so splendidly that once you go in, you won't want to come out." Bixili's face was full of curiosity like a child, "However, it seems that this guy Mingzhong has ordered people to seal the place. No one is allowed to enter, what a pity." Bi Xili clicked his tongue.
"Great Khan, I think it's not that exaggerated. If you really want to go in and see it, who can stop you? General Ming has his reasons for doing this. One is to protect this famous building, and the other is to I don't want to overly irritate the Yue Jing people." Lei Juetian was dumbfounded. It was really funny that the majestic leader of a country was as envious as a child.
"No, since Mingzhong has decided this way, even if I am profuse, I won't be able to offend him. Fortunately, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry." Bi Xili shook his head and smiled, "Everyone has a love for beauty. Don’t the people of Tanghe have this saying? Appreciating unique architecture is also a kind of enjoyment, Juetian, don’t you like it?”
Admiring his own cautious attitude on matters of principle, Lei Juetian secretly nodded and continued, "Of course I also want to see the elegance of famous buildings, but since even you dare not violate the military orders of General Ming, , how dare I?"
"If you don't dare, you really can't." Bi Xili is also very proficient in Tang culture and used an old saying, "There is always a chance."
"The purpose of this battle has been basically achieved. It's a pity that Li Deguang and his group escaped, which is a bit of a fly in the ointment." Lei Juetian walked with his hands behind his back, his vision far-reaching.
"Juetian, the battlefield situation is ever-changing, how can we expect to be perfect? This Mingzhong operation is as fast as the wind, even worse than the last raid on Anjie Province. As for Li Deguang's escape, it has no impact. The overall situation. Just from the fact that this garrison did not encounter many rebellions, you can see how low the popularity of this guy is here. I think even without us entering, the rule of his Li family will not be able to survive for long." Bi Xililang He said, "Just because a few of them have established a so-called government-in-exile in the Tanghe Empire, it is probably unreasonable to want the local people to risk their lives for a family that is illusory and unpopular."
"I'm not worried about this. Although the Li family has ruled here for a long time, the people's support is not strong. As long as we adjust our policies reasonably, reduce corvee and tax, and supplement it with military garrison, I think even if there is any trouble, It won't cause any trouble. What I'm worried about is that if this family runs away, it will inevitably be used by someone with intentions as an excuse to peek at this land." Lei Juetian explained.
"Are you talking about Lin Guoxiong? I'm afraid he is not so bold, right? What's more, now that Li Deguang's family and those so-called government-in-exile personnel have arrived in Zhongzhou, the capital of the Tanghe Empire, Lin Guoxiong has already passed the opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble. Ah." Bixili was a little confused.
"Lin Guoxiong is just a possibility. Now the struggle among the various factions in the Tanghe Empire over the succession to the throne has become more and more intense. Any party with strength may use this card to fan the flames." Lei Juetian's The voice became deeper.
"Hmph, soldiers will stop you, and water will cover you. If you want to get it, you have to be prepared to pay. We are waiting for you at any time." Bi Xili said proudly, and his originally peaceful face suddenly surged with a mountain of momentum.
"Maybe I am unfounded." Lei Juetian shook his head, "However, the Milanese have signed an armistice agreement, and we are now fully capable of dealing with the provocation from the north. The Tanghe Empire has hundreds of thousands of troops stationed on the border. , whether to fight or not to fight, whether to make peace or not, I’ll see how long they can drag it out.”
"It's the Spring Festival for you Tang people soon. I think they probably have to wait until after the Spring Festival before making any plans."
"I think so too, but the pressure on us from hundreds of thousands of troops is really too great. Although they can't afford it, it's also very difficult for us. I'm thinking that if we can really stop the war, we might as well make some concessions." Lei Juetian slowly expressed his thoughts.
Bi Xili was lost in thought. He rarely objected to the suggestions put forward by his right-hand man, but that didn't mean he didn't have his own opinions. "Juetian, do you think there is hope? I think the Tanghe people made a mistake about us last time." He must be holding a grudge, and it may be difficult to reach an armistice agreement."
"Soldiers never tire of deceit. If they believe that, it only shows that they are stupid. Although our territory has expanded a lot this time, the consumption is also quite large. The army is also relatively tired now. I am worried that if this consumption continues for a long time, the troops will become war-weary. , this will be very detrimental to us." Lei Juetian expressed his worries.
"Then where are you going to make concessions?" Bi Xili finally accepted Lei Juetian's suggestion, but he was still very concerned about where he would make concessions.
"It's not certain yet, but the territorial issue cannot be considered at all. Everything else can be discussed." Lei Juetian was very determined on this point.
Bi Xili breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about was Lei Juetian's concession on territory. This was also the biggest reason why he was unwilling to agree at first. When Lei Juetian said this, his heart suddenly relaxed, but then he thought again: : "If we don't make concessions on territory, I'm afraid the Tanghe people will never agree to peace talks."
"Let's talk about it then. We must not give in now, otherwise we will definitely be passive. We can only wait until after the Spring Festival." Lei Juetian also let out a long sigh, obviously feeling that he was under too much pressure.
Bi Xili also felt this, "Juetian, don't worry too much. You can just ask Yaning, Pu Tiancheng and Mingzhong to handle military matters. You can also arrange for the ministers below to handle government affairs. You can take care of it." Just take care of the big things. Also, you should pay more attention to your body and relax more. Why don't Mingzhong send you some women from Yuejing to relax. I heard that they invaded Yuejing City and captured a large number of prisoners this time. The beauties in the Li Duc Quang Palace include all kinds of beauties, let them send them to you, you choose a few, and that’s it.” Bi Xili’s words are unquestionable.
Lei Juetian shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Dahan, you have different hobbies, so you can't force it. If Dahan is interested in it, he can choose on his own. I really don't have any intention."
"Well, I heard a long time ago that Li Deguang didn't have much ability, but he gave birth to several good daughters who were as beautiful as flowers and jade. They all looked like fairies. The folk rumors in Yue Jing were even more miraculous. I originally wanted to play with two of them. It's a pity that I followed this old guy Li Deguang and ran to Tanghe. This is what I regret most." Bi Xili sighed.
"There will be a chance, but Dahan should also pay attention to his body." Lei Juetian said with a smile.
"Don't worry, I have my own sense of discretion. By the way, Juetian, you are so anxious to talk to Tanghe people, but what do you have in mind?" Bi Xili's eyes hovered over Lei Juetian's dark and thin face.
"Those who know me are sweating. Yes, I do have some plans, but everything will have to wait until the armistice with the Tanghe Empire." Lei Juetian looked like a confidant and sighed.
"Let's talk and listen first. It doesn't matter if I'm the only one." Bi Xili was very interested.
"Actually, there is nothing new. It's just an extension of the original idea." Lei Juetian sorted out his thoughts, "Right now, our territory has expanded by one-third compared to two years ago, and They are all relatively developed areas, especially Anjie Province, which has fertile land and rich mineral deposits, which has greatly helped our country's economic development. The situation is now very stable, and the people have gradually accepted us. Now that we have occupied Yue Jing, I have I have an idea to establish the Yue Jing Province as soon as possible and speed up the assimilation efforts. I think this is not a big problem, after all, the Li family’s rule is unpopular.”
"In addition, based on the current situation around our country, I want to change our country's foreign policy, that is, alliance with the south, good relations with the east, defense in the north, and expansion in the west." Lei Juetian said word by word.
"This South-South alliance means forming an alliance with the Nanyang Alliance, using their developed business network as our logistical backing to prevent other sanctions from affecting our economic development; this East-East friendship means temporarily giving up on Milan in the east. , Andako and Mahad's military pressure, try to build a good relationship, exchange economic needs, and create a good development atmosphere; to the north, the Tang River Empire now has great wariness and distrust towards us, even if The ceasefire agreement reached is just a temporary measure. We must maintain a defensive posture towards the north. Of course, we should maintain it as much as possible in terms of economy and trade and wait for the situation to change; towards the west, our Anjie Province and the soon-to-be-established Anjie Province There are many small city-states to the west and south of the Viet Nam Province. They do not belong to the Nanyang Alliance, but are independent or belong to some small-scale loose alliances, such as Burma and the Ronisian Alliance. Their national power is weak and their economy is not developed. , but they have a large population, we can choose a favorable opportunity to incorporate them into our territory. But we must hurry up, they must be a little worried now. Otherwise, once they ask to join the Nanyang Alliance or join forces to resist us, it will also cause unrest Necessary trouble.”
Slapping Lei Juetian hard on the shoulder, Bi Xili laughed excitedly and said: "It's exactly what I wanted. I also want to say that we have completed the military operation against Yue Jing. Is it time to continue heading west? Just ask me. We have come up with this plan. It can be said that the heroes have the same idea! Okay, let’s seize the time to negotiate peace with the Tanghe people. If necessary, we can make some concessions. As long as it does not involve territory, we can talk about anything. We must also make some concessions as soon as possible here. Complete the formation of the local government of Yue-King Province and turn it into a bridgehead for the westward expansion!" Bixili was in a happy mood and couldn't help but laugh loudly. Even several guards behind him hurriedly ran up to see if he was sweating profusely. What's the problem.