roccoschili Chapter 380 The true intentions are revealed!
Chapter 380 The true intentions are revealed!
Zong Yu kowtowed heavily, his voice trembling with tears: "Your Majesty! War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin. It is imperative to examine it carefully! Now the Xiongnu are willing to back down, not wanting a single grain of food from our Great Qin, only a marriage alliance."
Throughout history, the practice of establishing peace and stability through marriage alliances has been a common occurrence.
Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to consider the well-being of the people, temporarily quell your wrath, and grant this marriage proposal!
These words sound grand and righteous, occupying the moral high ground.
Immediately, the civil officials behind Zong Yu stepped out of the ranks and knelt down in unison:
"We, your humble servants, second that request! We beseech Your Majesty to consider the plight of the people!"
Ying Zheng looked at the kneeling civil officials with an extremely cold gaze.
"Zongyu".
Ying Zheng's voice seemed to carry shards of ice, "You mean, you want me to give my most beloved Yin Man to the barbarians on the grasslands as a plaything?"
Everyone in the Qin Dynasty knew that Princess Ying Yinman was the apple of the First Emperor's eye.
Zong Yu's body trembled slightly, but he dared to stand up, which meant he had already thought of a solution.
He raised his head and said seriously:
"Your Majesty misunderstands! The Tenth Princess is of noble birth; how could she be married off to a barbarian? My suggestion is that a marriage alliance is feasible, but the choice of the bride can be flexible."
Zong Yu's eyes flashed, and he said loudly, "There are many women of marriageable age in the royal family of Great Qin. Your Majesty may choose a gentle and virtuous woman from the collateral branches of the royal family, bestow upon her the title of princess, grant her a generous dowry, and send her to the Xiongnu in place of the Tenth Princess for a marriage alliance!"
In this way, we not only protected His Majesty's beloved daughter but also appeased the Xiongnu, demonstrating the benevolent virtue of our Great Qin in pacifying distant peoples!
"As for that woman from Chu, Mi Yueyao..."
Zong Yu sneered, "She's just a remnant of the six kingdoms. Since the Xiongnu Chanyu specifically asked for her, then it's her good fortune. Sending her as part of her dowry is making the best use of her."
As soon as Zong Yu finished speaking, the Xiongnu envoy who was pinned to the ground looked embarrassed and pretended to be at a disadvantage, but in his heart he was overjoyed!
Before he arrived, the Great Chanyu had told him that the Xiongnu had suffered a rare white disaster this year, with most of their cattle and sheep freezing to death, making it impossible for them to fight a major war.
The so-called demands for grain, princesses, and war are all just bluffing and intimidation!
As long as Qin is willing to negotiate, no matter which woman Qin sends, even if it's a fake princess, as long as there's a way out, the Great Chanyu will immediately withdraw his troops!
Unexpectedly, these civil officials of Qin were so weak; I hadn't even put much pressure on them.
They themselves backed down first, and even came up with the idea of replacing the princess for him!
"The civil officials of Qin are truly a lucky star for my Great Xiongnu!" the envoy thought to himself with a smile.
In the imperial court, as Zong Yu proposed his plan, more and more civil officials stood up to express their agreement.
In their view, it was a great deal to gain ten years of peace without fighting, spending money and food, or sacrificing the real princess, simply by sending away a woman from a collateral branch of the royal family and a woman from the Chu Kingdom who appeared out of nowhere.
"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"
Left Chancellor Li Si finally couldn't hold back any longer. He strode forward, pointed at Zong Yu's nose, and cursed, "Since the reforms of Duke Xiao of Qin, all the previous rulers of our Great Qin have established the country through military force!"
"By marching east out of Hangu Pass and sweeping away the six states, we relied on the bravery of our soldiers and the unyielding spirit of the Qin Dynasty! When have we ever relied on offering women to grovel and beg for mercy?"
Li Si turned to face Ying Zheng and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty! Once a precedent is set for a marriage alliance, it is tantamount to declaring to the world that our Great Qin is afraid of the Xiongnu!"
The morale of our 300,000 Qin soldiers on the Northern Expedition will plummet! This precedent must never be set again!
Veteran generals such as Wang Ben and Meng Wu stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and shouted in unison:
"We would rather die on the battlefield than live in dishonor! We beg Your Majesty to send troops!"
For a time, the court was divided into two factions. The pro-peace faction, led by Zong Yu, was large in number and accounted for most of the civil officials.
The pro-war faction, mainly composed of Li Si and military generals, took a radical stance.
The two sides engaged in a heated exchange, neither willing to back down.
Zong Yu looked at the noisy court, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
He knew it was time to unleash his final trump card, and said with feigned authority:
"The imperial court is a place of great importance for discussing national policies, and it is inconvenient for foreign envoys to be here. We request Your Majesty to issue an edict to allow these envoys to leave and be placed under the supervision of officials from the Court of State Ceremonies, until the matter is resolved in court."
Ying Zheng watched Zong Yu's performance with a cold eye. He wanted to see what other tricks this old scoundrel could pull off.
"allow."
Ying Zheng uttered a single word indifferently.
The two guards immediately dragged the crippled Xiongnu envoy out of Zhangtai Palace like a dead dog.
The hall fell silent briefly after the envoy departed.
Zong Yu turned around, straightened his court robes, and then prostrated himself deeply on the ground.
"Your Majesty! Prime Minister Li and the generals are wholeheartedly committed to the war effort, and we admire their courage and strategy!"
But wars are fought with money and supplies!
"May I ask you generals, you keep saying you want to crush the Xiongnu, but how are you going to transport the provisions for 300,000 troops to the northern border?"
Zong Yu suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping towards a corner of the court!
That was the spot where Zhang Fan originally stood, but Zhang Fan did not attend court today.
"His Majesty!"
Zong Yu's voice rose to its peak, echoing beneath the dome, "A month ago, Zhang Fan, the director of the Imperial Academy of Natural Sciences, made outrageous remarks in court, signing a military pledge, claiming he could build some kind of 'steam train' that could travel a thousand miles a day and transport hundreds of thousands of tons of grain as easily as taking candy from a baby!"
"Now, the one-month deadline has arrived! I dare ask, where is that so-called steam train? Why has it not yet appeared?"
Zong's prophecy was like a knife, each word piercing the heart: "Zhang Fan spreads heresies, deceives the emperor, and misleads the people!"
The deadline has now passed, and there is no solution to the problem of transporting grain and supplies!
Without provisions, the Northern Expeditionary Army is like a tree without roots, utterly unable to launch an attack!
He slammed his head heavily against the stone slab, making a dull thud.
"Since we cannot send troops, besides marriage alliances, does Qin have any other options?"
Zhang Fan has harmed the country and its people, delayed military operations, and his crimes are unforgivable!
Your Majesty, I humbly request that you immediately issue an edict to arrest Zhang Fan and punish him for deceiving the emperor, so as to quell the anger of the entire court! This will uphold the authority of the laws of the Great Qin!
See you in the picture!
The target is Zhang Fan!
Only now did Ying Zheng fully understand Zong Yu's true intentions.
This old scoundrel has been laying the groundwork for so long, even going so far as to make a big deal out of the humiliation of a marriage alliance, all to corner Zhang Fan.
What a brilliant move!
"hehe……"
Ying Zheng sat on the throne and, to everyone's surprise, chuckled softly.
He knew, of course, that Zong Yu and his group of old civil officials didn't get along with Zhang Fan.
Since Zhang Fan entered the court, every novel thing he has come up with has been shaking the foundations of these powerful families.
Zong Yu's attempt to launch an attack was exactly what he had expected.
However, they underestimated that kid, and they also underestimated my judgment.