"Sir, please be sure to tell Lord Duanmu that Chu will do his best to convince His Majesty." Chu Cheng said with a look of exhaustion and helplessness.

It was a dark night, and the man was standing opposite Chu Cheng with no light on his back. He only heard the man say: "Master Chu, the Prime Minister believes in you, but Chen Shangshu has already left Jinling and rushed to Youdu, and Teng

The general is also reorganizing the army. Prime Minister hopes that you will think more about the people. After all, my Majesty does not want to see too much bloodshed."

"Sir, as I said before, Chu will definitely do his best. I can't guarantee the rest." Chu Cheng was a little unhappy. This was naked coercion.

Chu Cheng never expected that Quan Lang would commit treasonous behavior and actually colluded with Beimu and Donghai in an attempt to invade the Central Plains. As a result, Youdu was now in danger of collapse. Some of Quan Hanliang's old ministers took this opportunity to start targeting Quan Xi.

Forced into the palace, Xiao Yu threw a life-saving straw at this moment, but the price of this straw was to surrender to Daning.

Emotionally speaking, Quan Xi is definitely not willing to give in, but from a practical point of view, just like Quan Xi rejects Xiao Yu, it is inevitable for Daning's troops to go north.

The country's subjugation was inevitable, but Xiao Yu gave him a different choice, but in fact there was only one choice, surrender.

Chu Cheng asked someone to send the person away secretly. He sat slumped in a chair for a long time and couldn't get up. He couldn't understand why he suddenly reached this point. He didn't even have the strength to fight back. He collapsed too quickly. It was him.

Incompetent or the enemy is too powerful? I can't tell.

Sitting alone until almost midnight, the old servant came to report that His Majesty summoned him to the palace overnight. Chu Cheng shook his head helplessly. It seemed that something big had happened again. As expected, it was Quan Lang who led the Beimu people to break in.

It's closed.

When Chu Cheng hurried into the palace, what he saw was Quan Xi sitting on the dragon chair. He was very haggard after several days of restless sleep and eating. Seeing Chu Cheng come in, he quickly stood up to greet him, licked his chapped lips and said: "Chu Cheng came in."

Please take a seat quickly."

"Your Majesty, I heard from the chamberlain that you have not slept for many days. You should take care of your dragon body." Chu Chengcheng felt distressed. Quan Xi treated him well anyway. If Quan Lang hadn't done something despicable, he wouldn't have

to where it is now.

"Prime Minister, Mr. Lu sent a 800-mile rush overnight. Dezhou is in urgent need!" Quan Xi no longer cared about his manners.

"Your Majesty, we are now surrounded by enemies, and Beijing can no longer mobilize troops to rescue us." Although Chu Cheng didn't want to say it, it was a fact.

Quan Xi staggered and slumped down on the dragon chair, muttering: "Failed, really defeated!"

"Your Majesty, the Zhuozhou Camp of Shangyu Marquis and the Tongzhou Camp of Dingxing Marquis have moved north and south respectively. Lu Gong can still hold on for a while, but Lehou's side is probably a drop in the bucket. Beimu's cavalry is strong, and Donghai

Coming from the sea, we may have to retreat to the pass." Chu Cheng had no better way to solve the current predicament.

"Is the Jinling envoy arriving soon?" Quan Xi asked suddenly.

Chu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't know how to bring it up unless Quan Xi took the initiative. After sorting out his emotions, he said: "Da Ning sent Chen Zhuo, the prime minister of their political affairs hall, to postpone the attack.

, but the safety of the mission must be guaranteed.”

"Prime Minister, do you think we will bow to Jinling?" Quan Xi said helplessly.

Chu Cheng couldn't answer this question at all. It didn't matter to the officials of the imperial court in Youdu. Whether he was loyal to the Quan family or submitted to the Xiao family, it was just a life. As for whether the Quan family wanted to surrender to the Xiao family, it was just a matter of life.

No one knows what will happen after joining the Xiao family.

Knowing that Chu Cheng was not good, he did not dare to answer. Quan Xi stood up with difficulty holding on to the handle and said: "Prime Minister Chu, what kind of conditions do you think Xiao Yu will give me? Is it my head or life imprisonment?"

"Your Majesty, the matter can be discussed. The right prime minister has asked Chenjing and Xijing for help. For the safety of the northern border, Xijing Quanbo will send troops to support us." Chu Cheng comforted, but he himself could not believe this comfort.

.

He was sure that Quan Bo would definitely send troops to the northern grasslands, but it would only be to contain Beimu. Now he was more willing to believe in Xiao Yu's conditions. At least the Xiao family in Daning was strong enough, and Donghai did not dare to provoke them.

Quan Xi shook his head, paced back and forth, and then said: "No matter what, there is no room for error in Shanhaiguan, Donghai and Beimu will never be allowed to enter the Central Plains. If they are allowed to come in, I will be a sinner in the Central Plains. Let Yu Qing lead the imperial guards to support

Lehou!"

Chu Cheng's body trembled, he stood up, saluted Quan Xi, and respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, I obey your decree!"

No matter how the Central Plains is divided, no matter how ambitious Quan Xi is, at least Quan Xi is a qualified Central Plains person. Letting the Imperial Guards go out means that Quan Xi has put himself into danger, but he still decided like this.

For this reason, Chu Cheng was willing to accompany him to face the national crisis and share life and death.

Quan Xi smiled helplessly and said: "Prime Minister, please inform Mr. Lu to make every effort to ensure the safety of the Daning mission. Let's wait for them to come and make conditions."

"Your Majesty, I have something to say that may be treasonous." Chu Cheng gritted his teeth and hesitated before deciding to speak out.

Quan Xi raised his hand to stop, and then said: "Prime Minister, it goes without saying, what is supposed to come will always come. I know your good intentions. How can I know what the result will be if you don't talk about it."

Quan Xi no longer calls himself "I" but "I", which shows the sadness and pain in his heart. As the overlord of one party, he still wants to maintain his face. Who knows what the result will be if he gives it a try? Although he knows that Daning will definitely

Will not give in.

The monarch and his ministers were speechless. The hall became even more deserted in the middle of the night. A gust of wind blew in, which jolted Chu Cheng. His head suddenly sobered up. Seeing Quan Xi who was in a daze again, Chu Cheng said nothing and slowly withdrew.

The next day, Gan Ming was receiving Chen Zhuo in the Ningjun camp on the Dezhou front line. As expected, Sun Mu did not show up due to busy government affairs. Even when Chen Zhuo arrived in Jinan, Sun Mu did not show up. Of course Chen Zhuo understood the meaning, but

He didn't bother to investigate. As the only two ancient aristocratic families in the Ning Dynasty, they didn't want to fight between them.

"Master Jiedu is going to trouble you this time." Chen Zhuo smiled like an aunt.

Gan Ming said expressionlessly: "Uncle Xiao Guo, I understand your Majesty's will and I will do my best to ensure the safety of the mission."

Chen Zhuo didn't feel embarrassed either. Gan Ming was a member of His Majesty's personal guard. Apart from the fact that the emperor could instruct him to do things, Teng Han's orders were mostly given in a consultative tone.

"General Teng will arrive in Shandong soon. Before the results of the negotiations are reached, I hope Jiedushi will not use weapons without permission." Chen Zhuo was not polite.

"Your Majesty's decree is for me to ensure that nothing happens on the front line. If you are going to fight, I cannot guarantee that we will not use weapons." Gan Ming's attitude was tough and left no room for negotiation.

This made people angry. Chen Zhuo stood up and walked out. Just as he opened the tent curtain, he turned around and said to Gan Ming: "Jiedushi, this negotiation is very important. If it is your problem that causes the negotiation to fail,

, if Your Majesty blames you, I will report the truth!"

"Please!" Gan Ming still refused to let go.

Chen Zhuo left angrily and took the envoy away from the main camp to set up tents alone. However, Gan Ming still fulfilled his duties and sent a team of soldiers to station around the envoy's tent, but maintained a sense of detachment from the envoy.

status.

"Uncle Xiao Guo, this Gan Ming is too ignorant of praise." Chen Zhuo's personal attendant muttered in a low voice.

Chen Zhuo immediately returned a stern look and said sternly: "Don't speak like this in the future. He and I have different political opinions and have no personal hatred. Jiedushi is your Majesty's most trusted general. If you let me know that there are rumors about me and Jiedushi.

With the news of the discord between the governors, you should accept the family law yourself!"

The flattery was slapped on the horse's leg. Chen's family law was more than a personal follower could bear. He immediately fell to his knees and quickly admitted his mistake.

After all, he was an old servant who had been with him for many years. Chen Zhuo didn't really punish him. He just kicked him as punishment, which was more like a way to vent his hatred.

The dilemma in Youzhou and the war in Poyang are the two major events that have attracted the most attention in the Central Plains recently, and Meng Yan, who is far away in Chengdu, has also been paying close attention to them.

"Mr. Zhuo, Beimu wants to take the opportunity to invade the Central Plains. We can't sit back and watch. Let Meng Huan take the initiative to contact Xijing. While ensuring the safety of Hanzhong, he can send some combat power to Xijing." Meng Yan looked at the Mingjian Division.

The information said.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that if we are interested in Xijing but won't agree, it will be difficult for us to do anything."

"If no one resolves the issues on the grasslands in western Sichuan, we will always be trapped in the southern border. Beimu has become more and more powerful in recent years, and the people in the East China Sea are also eyeing it. This is not an option." Meng Yan frowned and said.

"Your Majesty, King Yong and his companions are about to return to Beijing. The appointment of General Chao has also come down. With him in charge in western Sichuan, I think Di Xin and the others will be more confident in breaking through Dafeichuan and entering the Western Region. As long as they capture the Hexi Corridor, the North

There is no chance for Mu to go south."

"That's it, Zhuge Xingchen has been looking for him more and more over the years. If we can't catch him, the grasslands of western Sichuan will not be peaceful."

"Your Majesty, the western Sichuan grasslands are a big deal, but the news that came back is that Quan Xi may bow to Jinling. If Quan Xi bows his head, Daning's strength will increase dramatically, and it will be even more difficult for us to go north again." Zhuo Bai

Ling said worriedly that for Zhuo Bailing, Beimu and the East China Sea were still too far away. He was more concerned about unifying the Central Plains.

"It's not possible, but it will definitely happen. Quan Xi is different from Quan Lang. Quan Lang has no bottom line, but Quan Xi still has a conscience. He will choose to bow his head for the safety of the people of the Central Plains. It is a fait accompli that Jinling will become the strongest."

It's over." Meng Yan had his own judgment, but he was not nervous.

"Your Majesty, do you want our people, Youdu, to do something about the negotiations between the two parties?" Zhuo Bailing was unwilling to accept it. After many years of hard work, he finally achieved what he is today. He was unwilling to watch Jinling grow bigger and bigger.

Meng Yan shook his head, took a deep breath and said: "Foreign invasion is the focus now. Our people's focus at this time should be Shanhaiguan." Meng Yan decisively opposed Zhuo Bailing's suggestion.

Meng Yan's attitude is clear, but Luochen's Zhong Rouxuan has other thoughts. If she doesn't take the opportunity to do something at this time, I'm afraid everyone in the world will laugh at her. Life in Chenjing is not easy, and the sphere of influence is constantly expanding.

Being squeezed by the powerful enemies around her, she was eager to strengthen herself.

On the day Chen Zhuo entered Youdu, Long Tingfei was ordered to go north to confront Taiyuan Pei Xin in Qinyang. Pei Xin had no choice but to divide his troops to deal with it, and asked Three Letters a day for help from Youdu.

Quan Xi stared at the map in the royal study and was worried. He originally planned to have the first contact with Chen Zhuo but did not go there. Instead, he let Chu Cheng act as his agent. He had to find a way to ensure the safety of Datong.
Chapter completed!