Duan Zhichun met Wang Zhong in his tent and said with tears streaming down his face: "Master Wang, I am not uniting with Tianzhu and Bagan to seek to usurp the throne! I am loyal to my brother, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never do it." Doing something unfaithful and unjust!" Seeing him like this, Wang Zhong couldn't help but feel a little moved. He clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty ordered your subordinates to come here to ask the general about his intentions! Please tell the truth, general. What exactly do you want to do by joining forces with Tianzhu and Bagan to invade the country?"
Duan Zhichun sighed and said: "I have no choice but to do this!" He glanced at Wang Zhong and said, "Master Wang, you must be very aware of our situation in Dali! After the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Song Dynasty, it openly issued the final plan to our Dali. According to the ultimatum, the situation of the Dali Kingdom is already very critical, and it will be annexed by the Ming Dynasty at any time! However, our country of Dali is small and weak and cannot fight against the tigers and wolves of the Ming Dynasty, so we have to rely on external forces! In fact, I have already discussed this strategy with the emperor, Your Majesty I have already agreed! However, many misunderstandings occurred afterwards, which made the emperor suspicious of me. In order to protect myself, I had no choice but to escape from the capital."
Wang Zhong nodded and said, "I know all these things." He glanced at Duan Zhichun and asked, "Does the general really think that there is just a misunderstanding between you and your majesty?"
Duan Zhichun said: "At first, I was very angry and sad. I thought that the emperor regarded me as a thorn in his side and wanted to get rid of me quickly! But then I carefully thought about the whole thing, and I found that there were many doubts. Emperor. Why did he send someone to ambush me on my way to the palace? Then he expected that I would follow Qionghua's advice and go to apologize to him! Since the emperor brother can expect that I will go to the palace to apologize to him, then the relationship between the two The misunderstanding can be resolved here, why does the emperor need to send someone to kill me? By doing this, doesn't he not want to resolve the misunderstanding with me? Therefore, I feel that there seems to be a black hand behind the whole thing! I thought of those things again An unusually ferocious killer in black. Although my subordinates don’t have such a powerful fighting force, I also believe that none of the emperor’s subordinates will have one either! After thinking about it, only the Ming Dynasty has such a powerful army!”
Wang Zhong felt that it made sense after hearing his explanation and couldn't help but nodded.
Duan Zhichun said: "In other words, the misunderstanding between me and the emperor's brother was most likely instigated by Ming Dynasty. The purpose is self-evident."
Wang Zhong cupped his fists and said, "What the general said is absolutely true."
Duan Zhichun continued: "I felt that the matter was already very critical, so I quickly sent someone to express my goodwill to Your Majesty, but His Majesty did not listen to my explanation at all. I had no choice but to see that the Ming army would invade at any time, so I had to join forces with Tianzhu and Pu Gan entered Dali with the intention of using them to deal with the Ming Dynasty army! Alas, but they inevitably fought with our own army. It's so frustrating that there is no rush!"
Wang Zhong saw that Duan Zhichun spoke very sincerely and logically, and couldn't help but feel that things were indeed as he said. Asked: "If His Majesty makes peace with the general, what will the general do?"
Duan Zhichun said excitedly: "Your Majesty can forgive me, that is my greatest wish. If your Majesty understands my painstaking efforts, I will immediately restrain Tianzhu and Bagan from attacking, and then discuss a proper way to let their armies Go deal with the Ming Dynasty people! But there is a price." Then he bowed to Wang Zhong, and Wang Zhong quickly returned the salute: "General, what do you mean?"
Duan Zhichun said: "I would like to ask your Majesty to apologize to Your Majesty on your behalf. In order to persuade Tianzhu and Bagan to raise troops to support, I have made the decision without permission and agreed to them. After the matter is completed, I will cede Tengchong Prefecture, Shanju County, and Moutong Prefecture to Tianzhu, and ceded Jinglong and Yongchang Prefecture to Bagan." The so-called Tengchong Prefecture is the current Tengchong area of Yunnan, including the northern part of Myanmar. Shanju County and Moutong Prefecture are both in the northeast of Tengchong Prefecture, both in Gaoligong Mountain. and the east of Nu River; Jinglong is not Chinese territory now, it is probably the eastern part of Myanmar plus the northwest of Laos. Yongchang Prefecture is southeast of Tengchong Prefecture and northwest of Jinglong. If all these lands are ceded, almost half of Dali's land will be gone.
Although Wang Zhong felt that Duan Zhichun had overstepped his bounds, he also felt that he had no choice but to do so. He nodded and said: "Your Majesty also knows that asking Tianzhu and Bagan to help us cannot be without cost! This is better than being destroyed by the Ming Dynasty! Duan Zhichun nodded and said, "I thought so too."
Wang Zhongdao: "Your Majesty said, if everything is as the general said, then please ask the general to restrain the Tianzhu and Bagan armies to stop attacking immediately. Then, we will discuss specific plans to deal with the Ming Dynasty."
Duan Zhichun said without hesitation: "I will do it immediately. But please tell the emperor that you must not delay for too long. The Tianzhu and Bagan armies must fight with the Ming army as soon as possible. Otherwise, these alien armies will eventually attack us if they stay in the country for a long time." It will be very disadvantageous!"
Wang Zhong nodded, stood up, clasped his fists and said: "Without further delay, I will report back to Your Majesty immediately." Duan Zhichun stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Now that the country is facing a national crisis, I will not keep you!" Wang Zhong said: "General, you are polite. Okay, farewell." Then he left in a hurry.
Duan Zhichun watched Wang Zhong leave with a thoughtful look on his face.
The confidant next to him said worriedly: "General, I'm afraid the people from Tianzhu and Bagan won't listen to our greetings, right?"
Duan Zhichun said: "I have no intention of letting them listen to us. But I have a way to make them temporarily stop attacking. As long as the attack is suspended, the emperor will definitely believe our words and prepare to deal with the Ming people with all his strength. In this regard, the Ming Dynasty Careful work on this aspect will definitely reveal it. At the same time, if we send people to spread rumors between them, both sides will definitely feel that the situation is urgent. With the style of the Ming Army, they will definitely take a surprise attack immediately! At that time, the emperor had no choice. , we can only mobilize the main force to resist the Ming army! The Dali army in front of us will be empty, and we can march straight in!"
The confidants admired him greatly and felt that the general's strategy was truly miraculous. Then he frowned and said worriedly: "I'm just worried, how will I deal with the aftermath after the incident is completed?"
Duan Zhichun thought: "Once our army marches straight in, the emperor has only two choices. One is to quickly negotiate a peace with the Ming army to deal with us, but at this time both of them have paid a heavy price. The other is to continue to fight with the Ming army." It is better for us to fight against each other. No matter what the situation is, it is inevitable for the Tianzhu Army and the Bagan Army to collide with the Ming Army! A fierce battle between the two sides. At that time, the Tianzhu Army and the Bagan Army will definitely see the true power of the Yanyun Army. Even if they can win, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses. In fact, no matter who wins in the end, the Ming Army, the Tianzhu Army, and the Bagan Army will all suffer losses. At that time, we can be in a corner. They contain each other, No one will want to attack us."
The confidant sighed, "If this happens, I'm afraid most of our country in Dali will fall into water and fire!"
Duan Zhichun said: "This is helpless! In the face of the powerful power of the Ming Dynasty, it is already a miracle that Dali Guozuo can be saved!" The confidant felt that Duan Zhichun's words made sense, nodded, and couldn't help but sigh.
Wang Zhong reported Duan Zhichun's words to the emperor. The emperor was overjoyed, but he was also somewhat wary of Duan Zhichun. Until the scouts reported that the rebels, Tianzhu, and Bagan had stopped attacking, the emperor thought it was true as Duan Zhichun said, and couldn't help but be overjoyed. Immediately, the ministers were summoned and a mobilization order was issued to prepare to deal with the Ming Dynasty with all their strength. There was a busy scene everywhere in Dali City. At the same time, Emperor Dali also ordered the delegation to be placed under house arrest.
A minister who had a good relationship with Princess Qionghua informed Princess Qionghua of the emperor's decision. Princess Qionghua was shocked when she heard this. She looked pale and said: "It's not good! It's not good!" The minister asked in confusion: "Why did the princess say this? General Duan has restrained the coalition forces. What happened?" The truth should be just like what General Duan said!"
Princess Qionghua frowned and shook her head, "I don't know what the emperor's uncle is planning. I only know that after the Tianzhu army and the Bagan army enter our Dali, they will never listen to his command!"
The minister was stunned, "Well, how could this happen? Didn't we have plans to ask them to help deal with the Ming Dynasty before? At that time, we didn't think that Tianzhu Haijial Bagan would not listen to the greeting!"
Qionghua smiled bitterly and shook her head: "How is the situation now the same as that time? Today, whether it is Tianzhu or Bagan, the momentum along the way has been overwhelming. They have completely looked down on our Dali. Now they only want to use force to seize the greatest benefits. , who cares about the covenant!" Then he frowned and said: "I hope the Ming Dynasty can defeat them, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous, and our Dali will eventually be ruled by foreigners! No, I want to go to the palace to meet my father immediately!" Then he stopped. There was no delay, so he hurriedly prepared the car, left the mansion in a hurry, and rushed to the palace.
However, when they arrived outside the palace, they were stopped by guards. Princess Qionghua shouted displeasedly: "I am a princess, don't you know me?"
The guard captain saluted Princess Qionghua and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty has ordered that Your Majesty is not allowed to enter the palace."
When Princess Qionghua heard this, she couldn't help but be startled, and then a feeling of sadness surged into her heart. After calming down, he took a deep breath and said to the captain: "I have something very urgent to see my father. Please let me know!" The captain hesitated for a moment, cupped his fists and said, "Your Highness, wait a moment." Then he ran away. Go down.
Princess Qionghua was waiting outside the palace, feeling that the time was extremely long and unbearable. After a while, I finally saw the captain running back, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Have you been summoned by your father?" The captain's face was very ugly, and he cupped his fists and said, "Princess, please come back! Your Majesty does not want to see the princess. The officer gave me a severe reprimand!”
Princess Qionghua was sad and anxious at the same time, and begged: "Please report to your father again and say that this matter is very urgent, related to the survival of Dali Kingdom, and more importantly, the life and safety of my father!"
The captain didn't take Princess Qionghua's words to heart at all. He shook his head and said, "I don't dare to cause trouble for Your Majesty anymore! Princess, please come back!" Princess Qionghua begged again and again, but the captain refused. Princess Qionghua became angry and simply broke into the palace gate. The captain was startled and hurriedly ordered his sergeants to surround Princess Qionghua. Princess Qionghua raised her eyebrows and shouted: "Get out of the way!" The captain felt a powerful force coming towards him and was startled, but he did not get out of the way. He cupped his fists and said, "Your Highness, please don't embarrass us! Your Majesty has a strict order. If we let Her Royal Highness in, everyone here will not have a good end. We cannot let Her Highness in no matter what!"
Princess Qionghua frowned and took a step forward. The captain suddenly pulled out his saber, and then there was a clanging sound, and all the guards also pulled out their sabers. Princess Qionghua's heart trembled, and she realized that they really would not let her in no matter what! Looking up at the many palaces and gardens behind the guards, I felt that they were so close yet so far away. I couldn't help but feel infinite melancholy and helplessness. Princess Qionghua sighed and turned around. The guards could not help but heave a sigh of relief when they saw that she no longer forced her way into the palace.
All parts of Dali received orders to strictly guard against the Ming army. At the same time, the Emperor of Dali mobilized the troops gathered around Dali City, preparing to join the coalition forces to besiege the Ming army. Everything is arranged properly, just waiting for news from the coalition forces.
At the same time, Duan Zhichun was pacing back and forth anxiously in his tent. Suddenly, the curtain opened and a confidant rushed in.
Duan Zhichun immediately stopped and asked urgently: "How is the situation?"
The confidant frowned and shook his head: "The Ming army still stood still and did not raid nearby cities as we had expected. At the same time, their follow-up troops were parked near the border, and there was no sign of any forced assault!" Duan Zhichun He frowned and said at a loss: "How could this happen? How could this happen?"
At this moment, another confidant hurried into the tent and said urgently: "General, no luck, the Bagan army has attacked without authorization! The Indian Marshal Kshatriya has also issued an order to march!"
The henchman who came to the big tent first said angrily: "Why do they act without permission without saying hello to us?"
Duan Zhichun said with a gloomy face: "How can they take us seriously!"
The two cronies were startled and couldn't help but look at each other. One of the cronies said to Duan Zhichun: "General, should we stop them immediately?" Duan Zhichun frowned and shook his head, "How can we stop them?" ? It’s useless!” He turned to his two confidants and said, “Give me the order and the army will set off immediately and march towards the north of Erhai Lake!” The two confidants looked at each other in surprise, clasped their fists in agreement, and ran down.
The monarchs and ministers of Dali were eagerly looking forward to the news of the coalition forces. The news of the coalition forces finally came, but it was not what they expected. The coalition forces came, but they attacked the city with overwhelming force. They had no intention of helping Emperor Dali deal with the Ming army. When the kings and ministers of Dali heard the news, they were as shocked as if they heard a thunderbolt from the blue. There was a moment of silence in the hall, and you could hear a needle drop.
The monarchs and ministers finally came to their senses, and the scene immediately exploded. Everyone was terrified and at a loss. This scene was like a group of mice that had been facing a catastrophic disaster and had nowhere to escape.
Emperor Dali shouted angrily: "Abominable! Abominable! How could they betray their trust!" Then he thought of Duan Wu, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had been trying hard to persuade him to reconcile with Duan Zhichun, and he wanted to vent his anger on him. The ministers searched for Duan Wu and shouted at the same time: "Duan Wu! Where is Duan Wu?" Everyone was also searching everywhere, but although there were people in the hall, there was no figure of Duan Wu. One minister clasped his fists at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that Duan Wu is not in the main hall!" Another minister clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that Duan Wu did not come today!" Another minister said, "Duan Wu has been speaking for Duan Zhichun. , must have colluded with Duan Zhichun, I’m afraid he has already escaped at this moment!”
Emperor Dali was shocked and immediately ordered the general of the Royal Forest Army to lead his troops to Duan Wu's mansion to capture Duan Wu's family.
Soon after, the general of the Royal Forest Army came back and reported: "Your Majesty, Duan Wu's family has disappeared. I asked the officers at the city gate. It is said that their family left Dali City through the south gate last night. I don't know. Where to go.”
The hall immediately exploded, with someone cursing: "Okay! Duan Wuweisi has absconded, and he has clearly colluded with Duan Zhichun and the others!" Someone else shouted: "Everything he said before, They are clearly setting a trap for us!”
Emperor Dali felt ashamed and angry, and shouted to the general of the Royal Forest Army: "You lead the army to pursue immediately, and be sure to arrest this traitor!" The general of the Royal Forest Army was startled, and said quickly: "Your Majesty, this, this is difficult to handle! Duan Wu and the others had already escaped from the city last night, so how can they catch up now?"
At this moment, a herald rushed into the hall and reported anxiously: "Your Majesty, it's not good! Guangyi Prefecture, Shengxiang County, and Kainan County have all been lost, and the Tianzhu army is approaching the dragon's tail. closed!"
The kings and ministers of Dali were all shocked when they heard this. The scene was like a mole frightened by thunder. The Emperor of Dali came back to his senses, stood up suddenly, and shouted in panic: "This is impossible! How, how could it be possible, how could it be..." He said a few times how could it be possible, but what he said after that was because of panic. I can’t express my emotions!
The herald continued: "After the Bagan army defeated the Luobiao tribe, they attacked the Magong tribe, Weichu Prefecture and other prefectures and counties along the way; Duan Zhichun's rebels approached Fengyu County!"
The hearts of the Dali monarchs and ministers sank a little less every time they heard what he said. When he finished speaking, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom, and they only felt the despair of doomsday.
The Emperor of Dali suddenly became angry and shouted: "How come the enemy has arrived near Dali City in an instant! Have all the cities been betrayed?"
The herald raised his head and glanced at the emperor, but hesitated to speak. The Emperor of Dali was angry and anxious. Seeing the herald hesitating, he was very annoyed and shouted: "Speak quickly!"
The herald was startled and said quickly: "Because, because His Majesty announced to all places that he had reconciled with Duan Zhichun, and the Tianzhu Army and the Bagan Army were not invaders, but came to help us, he asked all places to prepare food and grass. The baggage was sent to pick up the friendly troops. The various places complied with the instructions, but they did not expect that they would suddenly attack! Every place was caught off guard, and they were all knocked down in one fell swoop!..."
Emperor Dali was so depressed that he almost wanted to bang his head against the wall. This was really like shooting himself in the foot! The ministers complained in their hearts about the emperor, thinking that the emperor was really ridiculous! However, they forgot that they also supported the emperor's decision at the beginning, and did not take Princess Qionghua's objection seriously.
Emperor Dali was at a loss and asked: "What should we do now?" He looked at his highness and ministers with hope. All the ministers looked at each other, no one could speak. Emperor Dali was very angry and was about to curse when he suddenly thought of Qionghua and felt that only Princess Qionghua could solve his problems at this moment! However, he hesitated, feeling that he couldn't shake off his old face when he treated her like that before and now he begged her in turn. After hesitating for a long time, the current critical situation finally defeated his face, and he immediately ordered Princess Qionghua to be summoned for an audience.
When Princess Qionghua heard her father's call, her first thought was that her previous predictions had come true. Duan Zhichun and the others must have failed to abide by their covenant. Their previous actions were just a trap. Now I am afraid that the south and west have all been lost. .
Princess Qionghua did not dare to delay and hurried to the main hall. Seeing the atmosphere in the main hall, I immediately knew that my guess was correct. However, she didn't want her guess to come true, because it meant that the situation in Dali had reached an extremely critical point!
When the emperor saw Qionghua, he said anxiously: "Qionghua, you are finally here! What do you think we should do about the situation in front of us?"
Princess Qionghua bowed to her father Yingying, and then asked: "Is it true that the emperor's uncle, Tianzhu, and Bagan are not at all like what they said before, but instead took advantage of our unpreparedness to launch a sudden and large-scale attack?" The emperor nodded with an embarrassed look on his face. , and then cursed angrily: "These guys are treacherous and despicable!"
Princess Qionghua sighed and said: "In fact, how could they possibly unite with us? If it was before the war, it would still be possible to unite, but after seeing the vulnerable situation of our army, Tianzhu and Bagan were already dismayed. If they are arrogant and don't take us seriously anymore, why would they join forces with us to deal with the Ming Dynasty? What they want can be easily obtained by robbing, so why should they join forces with us to deal with the Ming Dynasty? Besides, In their tripartite alliance, Tianzhu is the strongest, followed by Bagan. Duan Zhichun’s strength is simply incomparable to theirs. However, neither Tianzhu nor Bagan participated in our negotiations with them. Why should Duan Zhichun represent them? How can it be possible to restrain Niao Tianzhu and Bagan with their pure promise to us?"
When the monarchs and ministers of Dali heard what Princess Qionghua said, they couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Only then did they feel that their previous move to negotiate with the other party was too ridiculous! However, despite this, no one is willing to admit their mistakes! Emperor Dali said angrily: "What's the use of saying these words now? Just tell me what to do now?"
Princess Qionghua sighed and said: "What else can we do now? We can only ask Ming Dynasty for help!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
