The substitute prince: Reported the emperor's brother at the beginning

Chapter 321 The Prime Minister's End

Yang Long was questioned by the emperor.

He felt aggrieved and conflicted. This Minister of War really didn't want to fight anymore.

The war has reached this point and all available troops have been used. There is no benefit for him to continue fighting.

But he still didn't dare to disobey the Sixth Prince's request.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I also hope that the war will end as soon as possible, but the barbarians' demands are too excessive."

The Minister of Rites beside him immediately said, "Lord Yang, the barbarians' demands are exorbitant. We can continue to bargain. Isn't it something your Ministry of War should be happy about to negotiate peace with the barbarians and put an end to the war?"

These words left Yang Long at a loss for words.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Sir Qin, it's not that I don't want to quell the chaos and end the war as soon as possible. It's just that the barbarians are making these demands and have no sincerity in negotiating."

Anyway, Yang Long attributed all the problems to the demands of the barbarians.

It's all the barbarians' fault; there's nothing he can do.

Lord Qin suddenly reminded him, "Lord Yang, don't you want to be reunited with your beloved daughter?"

"If the fighting continues, Hushan Pass won't hold out for much longer. Last time, the barbarian army was less than 300 miles from the capital. If the barbarians strike again, the Sixth Prince won't be so lucky. The Northwest Cavalry has suffered heavy losses. What will they use to resist next time?"

"Do you want to see your beloved daughter fleeing southward?"

These words are full of threats.

Yang Long shuddered and looked at the expressionless Emperor Wu sitting on the main seat.

This Minister Qin is truly the old emperor's most loyal dog.

He actually threatened his daughter.

Look at Yang Long, he lowered his head and said nothing.

Emperor Wu finally spoke: "My son is at Hushan Pass. I am naturally worried about Hushan Pass. I also want to quell the war and bring my son back as soon as possible."

This sentence didn't seem like anything to other people, but Yang Long and the Prime Minister subconsciously looked up.

They both received news that the Sixth Prince did not want to return to Beijing and wanted to stay in Hushan Pass.

As for why he had to go to Hushan Pass, why did he have to like to live with a group of messy soldiers who were short of food and clothing?

Do you just want to reorganize a group of rebels?

But now it is clear that once Emperor Wu succeeds in the peace talks, the Sixth Prince must return to the capital.

But the two had different ideas. Yang Long felt that if the Sixth Prince came back, his daughter could also leave the palace and go home.

Otherwise, staying in the palace all the time would always make people worry.

Yang Long immediately said, "Your Majesty, I naturally support peace talks. After all, peace talks will bring many benefits to our Great Wu Kingdom. It will allow our Great Wu Kingdom to recuperate. Moreover, the Sixth Prince has made great contributions in resisting the barbarians this time. He should go home and have a good rest."

Seeing his statement, Emperor Wu nodded slightly with satisfaction, "You are right. Old Six did a great job this time. He resisted the barbarian attack at Hushan Pass. It is really gratifying."

"After I come back, I will naturally not treat him badly."

Emperor Wu was very satisfied when he saw that no one else spoke.

The several important officials here are all important figures in the court of Dawu Kingdom. As long as they are confirmed, everything will be easy.

Emperor Wu just opened his mouth and said, "Lord Qin, as for how to negotiate peace with the barbarians, I leave it to your Ministry of Rites."

Lord Qin just said the words "obey the order".

The Prime Minister, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, the successful peace talks with the barbarians are naturally a good thing."

"But the barbarians want to occupy more than ten cities in the north. I think this cannot be agreed to."

Things have come to this point, and the Prime Minister can no longer pretend. He seriously despises Yang Long. As the father-in-law of the Sixth Prince, he only thinks about his own daughter. Aren't you afraid that once the Sixth Prince comes back, he will be angry and deal with you, the fat guy?

But the Prime Minister must stand up, this alone is enough.

Emperor Wu was somewhat displeased, as the Prime Minister's words were indeed quite reasonable.

But this one point is indeed the key.

Minister Qin immediately said, "Prime Minister, even if we don't agree to this, can we take it back?"

"Instead of doing that, it's better to agree first, and then have a chance later..."

"Is there a chance?" The Prime Minister looked at him coldly. "How can you be sure that the barbarians aren't occupying these places to recuperate?"

"If they rest and recuperate for even a year, when spring comes next year, will the army attack Hushan Pass again?"

"You're willing to watch the barbarian army recuperate outside Hushan Pass. What will you use to resist after the New Year?"

This left Lord Qin speechless.

Emperor Wu was somewhat unhappy, and he looked at Duke Baoguo.

As a loyal follower, the Duke of Baoguo had no choice but to bite the bullet and smile, "Prime Minister, you're worrying too much."

"Once the peace talks are successful, how could the barbarians break their promise and continue their assault? Wouldn't the world laugh at them then?"

The Prime Minister glanced at him and said, "Duke Baoguo, when the barbarians invaded our Great Wu Kingdom from the south, they did not violate the treaty. When did they ever keep their word?"

Duke Baoguo was also stunned. It seemed that the barbarians who attacked them had never really had any credibility.

There is no way to refute the Prime Minister's words, this is the fact.

Lord Qin said uncomfortably, "Prime Minister, are you not prepared to negotiate?"

"I didn't say I didn't want peace talks," the Prime Minister said calmly, "but you must ensure that the barbarians won't attack our Great Wu Kingdom for at least a few years, right?"

"According to the Prime Minister's opinion, what should we do?" Emperor Wu suddenly interrupted.

As a referee, he naturally hopes that the barbarians will never come.

The Prime Minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that first and foremost, the barbarian army must be withdrawn to the border."

"That seems impossible." Yang Long shook his head slightly. "If that happens, the barbarians will be giving up these lands."

"There's no way they'll let it go."

The Prime Minister said leisurely, "They can leave a small number of troops behind to defend the city, but we will not allow the army to enter the border. Our Great Wu Kingdom also promises to leave these places alone."

"Otherwise, how can the barbarians be sincere?"

No one else said anything. After all, the Prime Minister's words did not oppose the peace talks and were indeed for the benefit of the Great Wu Kingdom. Even the Emperor Wu nodded slightly.

Otherwise, who would dare to believe that hundreds of thousands of troops were outside Hushan Pass and were still clamoring for peace talks?

The Prime Minister added, "Also, there's no need to compensate them with money and grain. These states alone are enough to cover their income for next year. After all, even the Great Wu Kingdom's court can't afford it."

This one sentence left everyone speechless. The money and food were in the hands of Emperor Wu. He had already moved them to the southern warehouse. Where could they find the money and food? Was he going to let them pay for them to the barbarians themselves?

Seeing that they had no objection, the Prime Minister continued, "Also, this old minister suggests that we must not relax our guard at Hushan Pass, and the Sixth Prince must not leave Hushan Pass."

"We should continue preparing for war. Otherwise, once the barbarians have recovered enough after winter and march south again, Hushan Pass will be difficult to resist."

This made Yang Long look at him suddenly.

He was seriously muttering in his heart that the Prime Minister had already received a letter from the Sixth Prince.

Otherwise, he would not have made such a suggestion and insisted on keeping the Sixth Prince at Hushan Pass.

This time, even the Martial Emperor frowned, still worried in his heart: "Old Six has been at Hushan Pass the entire time. This is really putting him in a difficult position."