In the Tai Chi Hall of the Imperial Palace, Murong Xue knelt down on one knee and carefully reported everything that happened at Mingde Gate. After speaking, he changed to kneeling down and asked the emperor to punish him.
Wang Huan, the commander of the imperial army, and Liu Ce, the prince's young master, all looked gloomy and stared at Murong Xue who was kneeling on the ground without saying a word. Mr. Xu continued to cough and said nothing.
Shen Lie maintained his usual calm expression and spoke first, his words full of murderous intent: "Your Majesty, Murong Xue deliberately let the prince and Xie Guang go. According to the law, they are guilty of the same crime. If they are not sentenced to death, it may not be enough to shock the overall situation."
Li Chengwu didn't say a word when he heard this, but just sat in front of the dragon case and was slightly lost in thought.
"Your Majesty?" Liu Ce, the prince's young master, asked worriedly: "Your Majesty? What's wrong with you?"
"Oh." Li Chengwu came back to his senses and was slightly surprised: "What did Shen Lie just say? Punished to death? Was it Murong Xue?"
Shen Lie nodded: "Your Majesty, this is exactly what Wei Chen means."
Mr. Xu coughed twice and said before Li Chengwu could: "Your Majesty, cough, I thought..."
Li Chengwu waved his hand at him and said calmly: "Old general, there is no need to say more, I know what you are going to say. Murong Xue has done a good job in this matter, why should he be sentenced to death?"
Hearing the emperor suddenly say this, all the ministers were shocked, especially Shen Lie who was confused and thought that the emperor was speaking ironically.
"What can we do if we don't let Bing'er go?" Li Chengwu murmured to himself: "Is it possible to really kill him on the spot? If you do this, I'm afraid everyone in the world will be behind it. Just poke me in the spine."
Wang Huan couldn't help but said: "But...but the prince intends to rebel."
Li Chengwu shook his head: "You are making things simple! People in the world will not see the prince treason. They will only see the emperor executing his nephew on the charge of treason, and then letting his biological son inherit the throne. Not to mention that I can't stop the mouths of all sentient beings, just under the Nine Springs, how should I face the emperor's brother? Could it be said to the emperor's brother: Bing'er wants to get back what originally belongs to him? So I killed your only son?!"
He paused for a moment, raised his hand to signal Murong Xueping, and said warmly: "You did a good job in this matter. Nian Jinsong did not misjudge the person at the beginning. If you hurt the prince in order to show your loyalty to me, you will not only be responsible for the negative consequences of Nian Jinsong Even I will not dare to use you again in the future due to the entrustment given to you by the Grand Tutor."
Murong Xue never expected that the emperor would actually say this. Tears burst out of her eyes and she knelt down again, sobbing softly.
"Your Majesty has a kind heart, and I admire you deeply." Liu Ce bowed and said: "However, the current crisis in the court has not been resolved. The prince is outside the city, and the movements of hundreds of thousands of troops are unpredictable. What should we do next? "
As soon as these words came out, the monarch and his ministers couldn't help but fell silent again. Mr. Xu suddenly stopped coughing and cupped his hands and said: "I have a 'method of having both worlds'. Your Majesty and your Excellencies, please take a closer look."
The world is safe and secure, and I will live up to the Tathagata and your Majesty.
There is nothing more difficult in the world than "getting the best of both worlds"; and the reason why it is not easy to get the best of both worlds is because you can't agree on one thing.
It is precisely because both sides that need to be chosen are reasonable, meaningful, and valuable, and cannot be easily given up, that tragic and comic scenes will continue to be staged in this world.
Mencius said: You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Sacrifice one's life for righteousness has always been the fundamental standard for a gentleman to uphold integrity, and holding such a belief is often due to an inability or unwillingness to compromise.
Right or wrong, choose one of the two.
Similarly, looking back on this, it is not difficult to understand that the so-called "compromise" is also the foundation of the method of having the best of both worlds.
Some people say that compromise is a kind of wisdom and courage. Only those who know how to compromise can take the overall situation into consideration. Such wisdom and courage are especially valuable for politicians.
As a famous general in three dynasties, Mr. Xu is exactly such a senior politician who knows how to compromise. That's why he proposed his "double-win method" before the emperor.
First of all, he analyzed for everyone that all parties currently involved in the situation actually do not want the situation to escalate to the point of fighting.
It was easy for him to understand: he did not have an absolute advantage in military strength, but at the same time he had to take into account the safety of the imperial capital. During the critical period of the Turkic invasion of Western Xinjiang, he did not want to see the court's internal strife or war at all.
Looking at Xie Guang again, Mr. Xu judged from various previous signs that this person's original idea was to defraud military power, and then launch a military revolt in an attempt to establish the crown prince as the throne at the minimum cost. Only after the overall situation has been decided can he really go on a killing spree and eliminate dissidents in the court.
This judgment is based on three reasons:
First, Xie Guang was not fully prepared in advance to seize the imperial capital by force. It was obvious that the Xuanjia Army's performance in the Imperial City was substandard. Although the attack by the "Junior Ninth Class" surprise troops caused trouble to Xie Guang to a certain extent, under normal circumstances, the Xuanjia Legion, the number one in the world, would never be defeated in one blow and would be nothing more than a child's play.
Second, the timing of launching is wrong. Whether it is a military remonstrance or a rebellion, most of them will be carried out at night, or when the courtiers are gathering. Sending troops into the city in broad daylight gave off a sense of haste. As for why Xie Guang suddenly acted in such a panic, although the specific reason is not yet clear, it is enough to show that this was not a careful plan.
Thirdly, when the Xuanjia Army was defeated, Xie Guang and his family were still in the city, but they had to retreat hastily to save their lives. This was completely unlike the behavior that a battle-experienced general should have.
From this point of view, Xie Guang is not willing to start a war with the imperial court now.
Since they were not prepared for a big fight from the beginning, Shangzhu Kingdom, who is now outside the city, is probably still hesitating about the next question of "whether to fight or to make peace."
If you push him harder, it will inevitably lead to a desperate situation. If you let him go more loosely, there may be room for negotiation, and the Shengtang Dynasty will not immediately fall into civil war.
This analysis was first recognized by Liu Ce. Although General Wang Huan was still a little worried, he basically agreed with Mr. Xu's statement. Even Shen Lie felt that what the old general said was reasonable.
Li Chengwu nodded slightly and asked: "In that case, how do you do your so-called 'double-win method'?"
"Three sentences, nine words." The old man held back his cough and answered word by word, "Give me steps, save face, and buy time."
Murong Xue listened quietly to Mr. Xu's explanation of his idea of "the best of both worlds". The more she listened, the more emotional she became. She couldn't help but secretly thought: Grandpa Xu, you are really good at this trick.
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Outside the imperial capital, in the military camps spread over the mountains and plains, a slight restlessness began to appear.
There had been an uproar in the city, and all the soldiers and horses stationed outside the city were restricted from leaving the camp. For a time, gossip spread like wildfire, and everything was possible.
For a while, some people said that the Xuanjia Army was in rebellion; for a while, some people said that was not the case at all. In fact, a bloody conflict broke out between the Forbidden Army and the Qilin Army, and the Xuanjia Army was ordered to enter the city to suppress it.
Others say that it was because Xie Guang of Shangzhu Kingdom was framed by the Nilin Division and his entire family was executed. The Xuanjia Army entered the city to complain to the emperor and demanded justice from the imperial court.
An even more exaggerated statement is that His Majesty Li Chengwu died suddenly. Several princes and princes began to attack each other in order to compete for the throne. The Xuanjia Army, Qilin Army, Long Sword Army and Forbidden Army each chose a new master and joined the melee. As for the Prince of the East Palace, Li Bing, he was poisoned by some prince and was already dead.
The news became more and more chaotic, and the chief officers of each army almost went crazy with anxiety. At such a critical moment, he holds military power and is close at hand, but does nothing. Once the situation in the court becomes clearer, won't he miss a good opportunity to take sides?
However, the terrible thing is that they don't dare to move out easily now. If they don't figure out the situation clearly and join the losing side, it will be a major crime to kill the Nine Clan.
Facing the hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city who were like headless chickens and gradually falling into complete chaos, Xie Guang himself was in a dilemma. Mr. Xu's analysis was correct. Xie Guang himself did not really want to launch a large-scale civil war. At least, before he obtained full military power, he really did not want to have a head-on fight.
Successfully persuading the prince to join only gave him temporary legal and moral support, but this support was not absolutely reliable. If they really drop everything and fight head-on with the imperial court, then the 60,000 black armor army and the 100,000 long sword army may not be able to easily defeat the emperor's troops relying on strong defenses.
Once the battle situation reaches a stalemate, it is really difficult to judge whether other armies near the imperial capital will suddenly transform into King Qin's army and suddenly jump out to attack him.
It can be said that when a war breaks out, the outcome is only between 50 and 50, and even the odds of winning on our side may be even smaller.
According to Xie Guang's previous thoughts, Nilin Chief Shi Shenlie suddenly returned to the capital and entered the palace. He responded immediately and adopted a two-pronged strategy to control the prince with one hand and the imperial capital with the other. Even if the two sides fall out in the end, he will still have the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and force Li Chengwu to abdicate.
But I never expected that the emperor's reaction was also very quick: the Qilin Legion rushed onto Suzaku Street without hesitation and directly launched an armed confrontation with the Xuanjia Army. Then, a group of soldiers suddenly came out of nowhere. Inexplicably, the assassin suddenly disrupted his own rhythm.
If Prince Li Bing hadn't stepped forward at the critical moment and restrained Murong Xue, it would have been hard to say whether he, Xie Guang and his family could have left alive.
Such a situation is absolutely terrible. What should we do next?
Xie Guangwu felt worried and was considering whether to take the risk and start a war directly. At this time, Di Xian suddenly ran in from outside the tent: "Shangzhu Kingdom, there is an imperial edict!"
