Your Majesty, please consider that I have followed you for so many years. Wang Zhaoyuan knelt in the hall and crawled a distance towards the lofty dragon throne, sobbing and weeping.
Kill him, kill him! All the civil and military officials were furious and shouted for his death. No one was willing to speak for Wang Zhaoyuan now. Wang Zhaoyuan had lost the key to the Yangtze River, the important town of Kuizhou to the east, which had allowed the Zhou army to march straight in and was already close to Chengdu. The status, wealth and even life of all the people in Shu were in danger. Who was willing to speak for him
Wang Zhaoyuan was lying on the ground, anxious and scared. Hearing so many people throwing stones at him, he was also very ashamed and angry. He thought, "I am Wolong. I have encountered such humiliation today." He pricked up his ears to listen to who was shouting and killing. It was strange today. Li Hao, who usually had the most conflicts with him, did not take the opportunity to attack him. He had not heard Li Hao's voice. Wang Zhaoyuan could not help but glance sideways, and saw Li Hao standing there as if he had closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Li Hao doesn't care about his past mistakes out of loyalty or because he is broad-minded. If Wang Zhaoyuan didn't understand Li Hao, he would know that this guy is an old fox.
At this time, a general said: Wang Zhaoyuan is our deputy envoy, how come he was released? Are you here to persuade us to surrender
Wang Zhaoyuan was shocked when he heard this, thinking: If I try to persuade them to surrender now, wouldn't that be courting death
Although it was clear that the Shu Kingdom was doomed, as long as the emperor did not express his intention to surrender, anyone who dared to directly propose it would most likely be caught by someone with ulterior motives. So no one was talking about surrendering now.
Meng Chang's voice said: Wang Zhaoyuan, you are here to persuade me to surrender to the enemy
No, no, Wang Zhaoyuan said hurriedly, Your Majesty, it is not time to surrender yet, we still have a chance
What opportunity? Meng Chang seemed to have forgotten why Wang Zhaoyuan came back to Chengdu.
Wang Zhaoyuan was still kneeling, but he stood up and said: Your Majesty is now determined to protect the country. You can still attack the Zhou army from the east for 2,000 miles and go deep into the country alone. You can divide your troops to guard the road from Kuizhou to Yuzhou and then to Suizhou. There are only 20,000 people in total. How many are left after this division? Your Majesty, think about what threat the Eastern Route Army can pose to Chengdu.
Meng Chang continued to ponder.
A general urgently advised: Your Majesty, Wang Zhaoyuan is more likely to cause trouble than to help, so don't believe his slander anymore.
Wang Zhaoyuan was furious: "There are only slanderers who kill loyal officials and slander the monarch for not caring about government affairs. Who has ever heard of slandering the monarch to work hard to govern the country?"
The general couldn't argue.
Wang Zhaoyuan said: "I was in Kuizhou and led the troops to fight hard with the Zhou army. Unfortunately, the soldiers were not brave enough and collapsed at the first blow, so I was defeated and captured. Gao Yanchou was hiding in Kuizhou City and watching the fire from the other side. After seeing me fight to the death and being defeated, he led Kuizhou to surrender to the Zhou army without firing a single arrow, and also offered 300,000 hu of grain and grass. If I had not been captured, I would have burned the grain and not left it for the Zhou army. Gao Yanchou's family should be killed as a warning to others."
Is there any justice in this? Someone was furious. What kind of person is Gao Yanchou? We don't know who you, Wang Zhaoyuan, are. Who doesn't know
Meng Chang said: I have known Wang Zhaoyuan for a long time, at least he is not a bad person. Moreover, what Wang Zhaoyuan said is true. Gao Yanchou surrendered without fighting, but Wang Zhaoyuan fought with Zhou's army.
The angry general said: "Your Majesty, although Wang Zhaoyuan fought, he achieved no results and completely defeated the troops of Kuizhou. Gao Yanchou was unwilling to fight, he must have wanted to keep Kuizhou, and then he surrendered when he saw that the situation was hopeless."
Offering 300,000 hu of military rations to surrender, Wang Zhaoyuan sneered.
Meng Chang pondered and said: Gao Yanchou is also a veteran, I cannot be too harsh on his family.
Wang Zhaoyuan said: Gao Yanchou still has Kuizhou, and there are still a large number of Shu army prisoners in Kuizhou and other places. Your Majesty can send someone to issue an order to threaten Gao Yanchou's family, so that he will turn against the Zhou army and cut off the Zhou army's food supply. Our great Shu imperial army will send troops to harass the Fu River and the Yangtze River to support the rebels. We still have more than 100,000 troops to fight against the 20,000 scattered Zhou army troops. Why should we surrender
Meng Chang seemed to have a glimmer of hope after hearing this: Deputy Envoy Wang, do you really think the situation can still be saved
Wang Zhaoyuan said: Your Majesty, you are wise. If Shu surrenders, those ministers who are idle and eat and drink for free can live, but Your Majesty is the emperor. Since ancient times, those who have claimed to be emperors have lost their lands and still have a way to live. Anyone who advises Your Majesty to surrender is just trying to use Your Majesty's head to exchange for their own wealth. They are people with a dog-hearted conscience. Your Majesty must see clearly.
Meng Chang stood up and looked around and said: "I think Wang Zhaoyuan's plan makes sense. What do you think?"
No one in the palace wanted to be a heartless person who would trade the emperor's head for wealth and glory, so no one said anything.
At this moment, a eunuch suddenly walked into the hall and said: The Zhou army has sent a letter of surrender.
Bring it up and I'll see what they want to say. Meng Chang said, when he saw the things, he was immediately furious. Guo the blacksmith was too much of an exaggerator, and he actually gave me five days to surrender.
The ministers were in an uproar. Everyone had something to say. Can he reach Chengdu in five days? Do you really think there is no one left in Shu
Meng Chang stood up, his fat and weak body almost unable to stand, but he said angrily with full momentum: If the Zhou army dares to come to Chengdu, I will lead the army in person to fight against Guo the blacksmith in the battle array.
Wang Zhaoyuan hurriedly bowed and said: Your Majesty is as powerful as a dragon. Great Shu is saved.
Wang Zhaoyuan walked through the gates of hell and breathed a sigh of relief when he walked out of the imperial city. When he saw the carriage coming to pick him up, he quickly climbed on it. He took out the letter written by Guo Shao to the Emperor of Dashu from his arms, his hands were shaking, and no one searched him. He hurriedly tore it into several pieces, thought about it, and simply stuffed it into his mouth to chew it up.
When he got home, a group of wives and concubines came up to him crying. Wang Zhaoyuan was furious: "Get out of here!"
Soon, the cousin came in and said: I heard that my cousin advised Your Majesty to resist the Zhou army. I think there is still hope for the Great Shu.
There is no hope of rescue. Wang Zhaoyuan looked around and whispered, "I fought a battle in Kuizhou, and even ten of them couldn't defeat one Zhou soldier. This battle cannot be fought. Dashu will be destroyed within a month, and your majesty will only be able to sit on the throne for a few more days. You should all be prepared early, and you will be right to listen to me."
The cousin was stunned and asked: Why did the old cousin
Wang Zhaoyuan glared and said: If I persuaded Your Majesty to surrender, would you still be able to talk to me now? My head has been moved, how can I still speak
The cousin seemed to be thinking about something and bowed quickly.
Wang Zhaoyuan paced back and forth in the room, thinking: When Guo the Blacksmith attacks Chengdu and finds out that I not only did not persuade Meng Chang to surrender, but also persuaded him to fight to the death, will Guo the Blacksmith let me go
Wang Zhaoyuan felt that he still had a way out, this was a hunch. Wang Zhaoyuan really didn't understand why Li Hao didn't add insult to injury today, but he thought it was this: Li Hao believed that he could still turn things around, and didn't want to do it to the extreme.
Li Hao believed that he could turn things around, but Wang Zhaoyuan pondered over how to do it.
At this moment, a tall young woman came to the door and said happily: Father, you are really back. We all thought you
Qian'er Wang Zhaoyuan's face suddenly showed an expression of surprise, as if he had seen a ray of inspiration, as if he had vaguely seen an exit.
His daughter Wang Qian was frightened by him: Father, why are you looking at your daughter like this
Wang Zhaoyuan said: "It's okay, it's okay. My father survived a near-death experience on the battlefield, and was plotted against by villains when he returned to the court. He was walking on thin ice. Now I can see my family. It's great, it's great."
Father, you have suffered so much. Wang Qian said with emotion, all our relatives can only rely on you.
Wang Zhaoyuan nodded and sighed, but he pondered carefully in his heart. That Bai Sanniang Bai Lao could actually enter the Zhou army's central army tent, and even Guo Shao spoke to her very politely.
Wang Zhaoyuan knew who Bai Sanniang was. She was the ex-wife of his son-in-law Li Liangyou, who was divorced for having an affair. Li Liangyou was just a Jinshi, with nothing, no power and no connections. Wang Zhaoyuan didn't agree with her at first. But his daughter had an affair with him, so Wang Zhaoyuan thought that she was someone who could become an official, and he could promote her in the future, so he didn't object.
Wang Zhaoyuan thought: Bai Sanniang is still thinking about her ex-husband, and her ex-husband is her son-in-law, who listens to her in everything. With this relationship, it would be possible to deal with Bai Sanniang.
Then let Bai Sanniang plead for him, or even use this opportunity to get close to Guo Shao, maybe it would be a blessing in disguise.
What is the relationship between Bai Sanniang and Guo Shao? After Wang Zhaoyuan was captured, he found Bai Sanniang in the camp and was very curious. He asked about it: It is said that Bai Sanniang is a great doctor and wants to treat Guo Shao's friend.
What nonsense! She was still nagging for treatment. It was said that one of her nieces was sent back to Tokyo for treatment. Wang Zhaoyuan boldly guessed that Guo Shao had taken a fancy to Lu Xiaoniang and then tried to please Bai Sanniang. He was so tolerant of her just to find someone to treat her. Their relationship was not that serious.
Father, why did you suddenly stop talking? What are you thinking about? Wang Qian reminded Wang Zhaoyuan.
Wang Zhaoyuan lamented: My father will not live long.
Wang Qian was surprised and asked: Didn't His Majesty let you go back
Wang Zhaoyuan whispered: When His Majesty was still the crown prince, I was his book boy. His Majesty cannot kill me. The one who wants to kill me is the general of the Zhou army. They will come to Chengdu, and soon Shu will perish.
What should we do? Wang Qian said, let's pack up our belongings and find a place to hide.
Wang Zhaoyuan sighed: "The whole Shu Kingdom belongs to the Zhou Dynasty. Where can we escape to? Besides, we have so many fertile fields and houses, so many things. Can we throw them all away?"
Wang Qian said: Money and material possessions are just material possessions, so just throw them away. Let’s find a place in our house where no one will know us and hide.
Wang Zhaoyuan smiled and said: "You have been living a life of luxury since you were a child, you have never suffered or endured any hardships, you don't understand. It's okay if you don't understand, your father just wants you to be fine like this forever, without suffering any hardships. But we have to bear some grievances, Liangyou's son-in-law's ex-wife Bai Sanniang has found a big backer, this time there is no other way, we let her be the big boss and you be the small boss, do you agree to resolve the past grudges, we are all one family now."
Wang Qian remained silent.