The passage in the palace was dim and quiet. The guards on duty stood in the inconspicuous corner. The leading eunuch, obsessed with warm yellow lanterns, led Qin Hui through the familiar road in the early morning, crossing the long street and turning around the palace. The cool air accompanied by the slowly blowing wind made it all feel nostalgic.
In the Qinzheng Hall of the Inner Palace, the lights are bright in the summer curtains, reflecting the flowers and plants in the flower beds at night. After the eunuch entered the room to report, Qin Hui was only announced to enter. There was a large map hanging on the wall on one side of the side hall. Zhou Yong sat paralyzed in the chair, facing the map and raised his head in despair. Get up, then turn this way.
Holding the message in his hand, the emperor's face was pale and tired.
"Qin Qing, the news from Zhenjiang... has come."
"Sir... I already know."
"Oh." Zhou Yong nodded, this was not surprising, but his expression was desolate, "Jun Wu is injured, my crown prince... He stayed in Zhenjiang and did not retreat. After being offered the city by a traitor, he ran for the people of the city. In order to save innocent subjects, Zhuangzhuang, this is the real benevolence and righteousness! My prince... not lose to anyone!"
"Prince's kindness and righteousness are the blessings of the common people." Qin Hui said.
Zhou Yongyi waved his hand: "But Zhenjiang is still broken, Qin Qing, you are right, since Wanyan Xiyin is desperate to fight Zhenjiang, it means that he has a sure-fire plan. Haha, the sure-fire plan! Just hook up those spies! Let people open the city. Let them in! Yesterday evening... The Crown Prince was injured, look at this time, the whole city is getting up soon, a surefire way, Qin Qing... "
Zhou Yong paused: "You tell me, what should I do?"
Qin Hui was silent for a while, Zhou Yong looked at him, and patted the letter in his hand on the table: "Speak. Qin Qing, if the Wu Dynasty falls and Lin'an is broken, will you be able to escape? Outside Lin'an City... Jin Wushu outside Lin'an City Our troops have been going around for four months! Even if he doesn't attack the city, he is waiting for Zhenjiang's all-around plan! If you don't speak up, did you vote for Jurchen and want to sell me!?"
Zhou Yong's voice was sharp, his spittle mixed with his tears, his emotions were obviously out of control, Qin Hui stood with his head bowed, and after Zhou Yong finished speaking for a while, he slowly handed over and knelt down.
"I ask Your Majesty, please forgive me for the unforgivable sin."
"You are hiding and tucking... it is an unforgivable sin!"
"The old minister is stupid. There are always omissions in the previous planning, and it is only with His Majesty's protection that he can survive in the court to this day. Therefore, although I felt it before, I did not dare to speak rashly. However, when this overturned, it was inappropriate. I have to speak with your Majesty. Your Majesty, I received news today that the old minister... I can't help but think of Tang Qinsou during the Jingping period, and my heart is filled with sadness and sorrow..."
Qin Hui fell to the ground. Speaking of this, the choking sound in his throat became heavier, and he couldn't help crying. Zhou Yong also felt it. His eyes were slightly red, and he waved: "Tell me!"
"What the old minister said next is that losing power and humiliating the country is unreasonable, but... In this world and the situation in Lin'an, His Majesty also understands in his heart that Wanyan Xiyin's desperate attempt to capture Zhenjiang is precisely to use the situation in Zhenjiang to put pressure on Lin'an. This is a sure-fire strategy, because he has secretly instigated various traitors to cooperate with the Jurchen army. Your Majesty, now that he broke Zhenjiang in three days, and His Royal Highness was seriously injured, how many people in the capital would conspire with him, I am afraid ... no one can tell..."
When he said this, Zhou Yong nodded: "I understand, I can guess..."
Qin Hui paused: "This is the fourth time the golden dog has gone south, in order to defeat Lin'an, destroy our Wu Dynasty, and reproduce the incident of Jingping. Your Majesty, it is a big taboo in the military to be afraid before the enemy comes out. As far as Lin'an's situation is concerned, the old minister only felt that when the Jurchen attacked the city, my military court would rise and fall... I'm afraid there will be no power to return to the sky."
When he said this, he slammed his head on the ground heavily, Zhou Yong looked dazed, and nodded: "You say, say anything."
"The situation is critical and the overthrow is imminent. If you don't want to repeat the mistakes of Jingping, the old minister believes that there is only one strategy that can save a ray of life for our Wu Dynasty under such circumstances. Talking nonsense, at this time, the old minister has to say... I invite you to negotiate peace."
Qin Hui's remarks were generous but calm. In fact, the idea was not surprising. Zhou Yong was not surprised. In fact, even if Qin Hui proposed a bizarre idea, he would not be surprised at this moment. He nodded and replied: "This is Wait, how do you discuss it?"
In the early morning, the palace was quiet everywhere, and the wind blew the curtains. Qin Hui said, "I will never underestimate the ferocity of the Jurchen. If there are only me, Jin and Wu, in this world, negotiating peace is a dead end, but there are still black flags in this world. On the other hand, if we chose to negotiate peace a few months ago, it would be equivalent to surrendering without a fight. When I get to the current situation, I believe that there will be many people who can understand the situation and have the same thoughts as I."
He said: "Zhenjiang has been defeated, the crown prince is wounded, and Lin'an is in danger. At this time, accepting the terms of the Jurchen negotiation and ceding the land thousands of miles to the west of Xiangfan is really a last resort. Your Majesty, now we can only bet on the Black Flag Army in the eyes of the Jurchen. No matter what humiliating conditions are accepted, as long as the Jurchen is fighting against the Black Flag in the southwest, the state of the Wu Dynasty will eventually survive. The Jin Kingdom and the Black Flag are both fierce tigers in the world. If one side loses the battle, the other side is bound to suffer greatly. I have His Majesty in charge of the court, and the prince is wise and wise. As long as we can give the prince more time, the Wu Dynasty... will surely have the hope of rejuvenation."
Zhou Yong was silent for a moment: "It is indeed a helpless move to negotiate peace at this time, but... Jin Guo's tigers and wolves, he conquered Zhenjiang and gained the upper hand, how could he be willing to give up? General Han comforted the Jin people, and now I am seeking peace at this disadvantage, how can the Jin people be satisfied with this? This peace... How to negotiate?"
Zhou Yong was afraid in his heart. He had already thought of many terrible things. If Jin Guo could eat all of the Wu Dynasty, why would he be the next best thing? When he asked this question, Qin Hui's answer came immediately.
"Your Majesty's concern about this matter is quite reasonable, but the countermeasures are actually simple." He said, "The golden man wants to destroy our Wu Dynasty and reproduce the Jingping affair. The real core of this matter lies with Your Majesty. The golden man If you really catch your Majesty, our Wu Dynasty will be destroyed, but as long as His Majesty is not caught, how long will the Jin people stay in our Wu Dynasty? As long as we are tough, the Jin people will have to choose to compromise. ."
When Qin Hui said this, Zhou Yong's eyes lit up slightly: "You mean..."
"Your Majesty, no matter how serious this matter is, it is nothing more than a search of the mountains and the sea. Your Majesty only needs to go out to sea from the Qiantang River, and then take care of your dragon body. No matter where you go, my Wu Dynasty will still exist. Besides, many things can be done. Promise the Jurchen as appropriate, but even if we do our best, as long as we can send the Jurchen troops to the southwest, our Wu Dynasty will have a chance to rejuvenate.
Zhou Yong's eyes brightened, his heart was about to move, his face was silent for a long time, and he muttered: "It's okay for me to be infatuated for a while, as long as Junwu has a chance, ZTE is in the world..."
Qin Hui was still kneeling there: "The safety of His Royal Highness is also the top priority at this time. According to the old minister, although His Highness has a heart of benevolence, but the son of a thousand gold cannot sit down in the hall, His Highness runs for the people, it is the world. The blessing of the people, but the close ministers around the prince failed to fulfill the righteousness of the ministers... Of course, His Highness has no danger of life, this is a small matter, but His Highness has gained popular support and stayed in the north, the old minister is afraid that he will also become a Jurchen. A thorn in the eye, a thorn in the flesh, Xi Yinruo is desperate to get rid of His Highness first, the minister is afraid that after Zhenjiang is defeated, the morale of the generals around His Highness will be low, and it will be difficult for Xiyin Tushan to hit the elite..."
"That's right, that's right..." Zhou Yong thought for a while, then murmured and nodded, "Xiyin attacked Zhenjiang because he bribed the guards in Zhenjiang. I'm afraid it's not just one or two, maybe around Jun Wu. And... I can't let him stay in front, I have to let him come back."
"I am afraid that the prince will be brave and unwilling to return."
"If I ask him to come back, he has to come back!" Zhou Yong roared, but after a while, his eyes trembled, "If he really doesn't come back..."
"The only chance of survival is still with Your Majesty. As long as His Majesty leaves Lin'an, Xi Yin will eventually understand that the Kingdom of Jin cannot destroy our Wu Dynasty. At that time, he needs to retain his strength to attack the southwest, and will not start the war again. The bargaining chip is also in this matter. And even if the prince stays in the front, it is not a bad thing. With His Royal Highness's brave and fierce temperament, Xi Yin may believe in my determination to resist the Wu Dynasty.
"Ah... I have to leave after all..." Zhou Yong nodded suddenly.
Qin Hui, who was kneeling on the ground, straightened his upper body. His previous words were calm, but only now can he see that his upright and resolute face was full of tears. He folded his hands and kowtowed again, his voice choked.
"Your Majesty! All the things that I have said before, remain between the tongues, but they are nothing but rebellious words, but if I really do it, the majesty of my military dynasty will be swept to the ground, the temples will be overturned, the society will be in turmoil, and the grief and humiliation will be unspeakable... Minister, the old minister is really reluctant to say these words..."
He cried loudly: "If it is possible, the dream of the old minister is that my Wu Dynasty can forge ahead, open up its borders and break ground, and go to the land of the Jinren, invade its land, and destroy its country, Wu Dynasty. At this stage, the old minister is guilty, and there is no redemption in ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths, ten thousand deaths…”
He wailed loudly, knocking his head down and down again... Zhou Yong couldn't help covering his mouth and weeping, then came over to support Qin Hui's shoulders and pulled him up: "It's my fault! It's... It's the fault of those treacherous officials earlier. It's Zhou Zhe's fault, Lord Shun, Chen Chen... Cai Jingtongguan, they are all... It's my fault, I deeply regret that I couldn't use Qin Qing to break the Southwest's strategy..."
Dawn has not yet come, and in the palace at night, the two rulers and ministers wept while supporting each other, and decided how to deal with them. Zhou Yongchao said to Qin Hui: "At this time, only Qin Qing can speak these disgusting words to me without hesitation. It's just that this matter involves a lot. Qin Qing should preside over the plan for me and tell everyone how powerful it is..."
This is not a plan to gain a good reputation. Zhou Yong's eyes were fixed on him, and Qin Hui's eyes did not reveal the slightest escape. He solemnly cupped his hands and knelt down heavily.
"For the ruler of the Wu Dynasty, minister, I would like to bear this infamy, and I would like to be a pioneer for Your Majesty, and I will do my best and die."
Soon after, on a crisp morning, the sky was bright and bright. When the people of Lin'an City got up, the emperor, who had not shown a good face for a long time, summoned Zhao Ding and other ministers into the palace, and announced to them the idea and decision of the peace talks. .
The imperial study room in the early morning was in chaos after that. After understanding all the meaning of the emperor's words and failing to refute it, some officials cursed according to the supporters. Zhao Ding pointed at Qin Hui and said hysterically, "Qin Huizhi, you old man. I know that you are narrow-minded and have been planning for the Southwest until now. You are going to destroy our Wu Dynasty, the society, Ji Dao, and Taoism. You know that this is the same thing. All the soldiers will be killed by the thieves! You messed up the ministers and thieves, you said, are you communicating with the Jurchen in private, and you have already made preparations?"
Qin Hui pointed at Zhao Ding and scolded: "Reconciliation is a thief, and the main battle is a loyal minister! You wait for the calamity of the country, for the loyal name, regardless of how weak my military dynasty has been! Talk about the southwest! Southwest, if you are not obstructing it and can't go all out, why is it today? You only know the battle in the court, only for the sake of two bad reputations behind you, narrow-minded and selfish! This infamy! It's like you and others, there are some who have illicit intentions with Jurchen, I don't know how many, stand up."
Both sides scolded each other, and when they arrived, Zhao Ding rushed up and started to fight. Zhou Yong sat on the chair and watched all this with a gloomy expression.
The soldiers who sent the order had already left the palace and headed for the city's inevitable Qiantang River wharf. Soon after, the Jurchen envoys who had traveled all the way in the starry night would arrive at Lin'an arrogantly.
At midnight, soft white clouds floated in the sky, and the breeze was blowing. The carriage passed from the streets of Lin'an City toward the imperial palace. Zhou Pei lifted the curtain of the car and saw that the shops on both sides of the road were still open. The residents of the city were walking on the streets, and they were starting their daily life as usual.
On the morning of April 28, this was Zhou Pei's last memory of Lin'an.
More than 300 miles away, Jun Wu was still sleeping in the tent of the military camp. He has completed the transformation, and he is not afraid in the endless dream. Two days later he will wake up from the coma, and everything is powerless.
The avalanche of chaos is about to begin...