It was just a casual question. Emperor Qianwen didn't even think that Shen Ao could answer him. Unexpectedly, Shen Ao, who was kneeling on the ground, had already taken out a letter of credence signed by the barbarian and the man Bahan from his arms. , while raising it high, he said loudly: "War is indeed not a child's play, it is extremely dangerous. Fortunately, thanks to your majesty's great blessing, we won in the end. This is the alliance signed with the three countries. Please take a look at it."
"What? Victory...Victory!" At this time, Emperor Qianwen's face was full of disbelief.
Yan Fu was stunned for a moment, then thought of something, and trotted up to Shen Ao, took the presented credentials in his hand, and trotted to Emperor Qianwen.
Emperor Qianwen, who was somewhat rude, quickly opened the memorial and saw the signed Three Kingdoms Covenant.
It states that the three countries will not invade each other, trade is allowed, and it is stamped with the seals of the Barbarian King and the chief of the Bahan tribe. On the contrary, the seal of Daqian is the seal of Lord Zhongguo, which seems a bit ridiculous and unfair. equality.
Others may be fake, but the big seal of the Barbarian King cannot be fake. Especially due to the war, the Man Seal was dropped and lost a corner, and now the gap is so obvious.
"Yan Fu, quickly bring the credentials submitted by the barbarians." Emperor Qianwen said with a hint of urgency in his voice.
Emperor Qianwen wanted to make a comparison. Although he believed in Shen Ao in his heart and believed that he would not cheat, it would be better if he could make a comparison easily and be aware of it.
Yan Fu agreed, turned around and ran towards the memorial treasury behind the Jinluan Palace. He quickly found the marriage certificate sent by the barbarians and delivered it to Emperor Qianwen. After comparing the two, it turned out that the gaps were all there. it's the same.
Patting his thigh fiercely, Emperor Qianwen seemed very happy at this moment, "Haha, good, good, very good."
Obviously, Emperor Qianwen dispelled his final doubts after comparison, and no longer doubted that Shen Ao's victory was a lie.
Taking advantage of Emperor Qianwen's good mood, Shen Ao, who felt that the time was right, lifted his purple robe and knelt down on the ground with a plop, "Your Majesty, I am guilty."
"Huh? What's the crime?" Just when he was in a happy mood, Shen Ao came and made Emperor Qianwen's face confused. Even Yan Fu standing beside him also had his eyes wide open, confused. Find out what is going on.
"Your Majesty, although we won the battle this time, we did not capture every city or pool in the barbarian land. It is a serious crime for me to make the decision in private without your Majesty's permission. Please be punished." Shen Ao took the initiative. As he said this, he knew in his heart that although doing this would be a bit disappointing, if he didn't say it in advance, there was no guarantee that others wouldn't make trouble about it. If so, he would be truly passive.
It's better to take the initiative now and finish this article while the emperor is in a good mood.
"Yeah." The smile on Emperor Qianwen's face slowly faded. Although he was excited and a little excited, he still read the Three Kingdoms Credentials carefully just now and knew that Daqian did not get any territory from it. Originally, he thought that he would take it slow in the future. After asking slowly, Shen Ao admitted it now, which made him happy in his heart. After all, Shen Ao took the initiative to admit it, and he asked it. These were two different attitudes.
"Lord Guo, even if you won the battle, why didn't you go and claim the barbarians' land?" Emperor Qianwen knew that Shen Ao would explain, so he decided to give him a chance to explain.
"Your Majesty, our troops are limited in this expedition. We relied on the support of the Bakhan tribe to achieve this victory. I had promised to the leader of the tribe, Ayuda, that he would share one of the cities he captured. That is what he said. , there was absolutely no remorse, otherwise it would show that our cadres had no credibility, which would also be very detrimental to our future interactions with them. This minister then took the decision and handed over the city of Suduishana to the jurisdiction of Bakhan's tribe. "
"That's right." After listening to Shen Ao's answer, Emperor Qianwen nodded silently, "Then why should Xiucheng be returned to the barbarians?"
"Your Majesty, although I defeated the barbarian, it was a fluke. If we don't give him a little sweetness, the other party will definitely fight to the death. If the battlefield is really sword to sword, sword to sword, our troops are limited and our riding skills are not good. It's hard to win. Even so, it's better to give up Xiucheng. In other words, this was originally snatched by us, and it doesn't count as a loss when we send it back. Not to mention, the food and grass supplies in the city have already been shipped out, and what the barbarians got It is just an empty city. We will have to spend a lot of effort to make up for it later. It can still involve some of the energy of the barbarians and prevent them from trying to plot our ideas in the short term. This can be considered a good thing."
After saying this, Shen Ao took a breath and continued: "The important thing is that returning Xiucheng is equivalent to giving the Barbarian King a step and giving him an explanation to the people of the country. In this way, he will not hate us. .But in fact, in the battle of Xiucheng, the barbarians lost tens of thousands of elite warriors, but we made a profit."
What Shen Ao really wanted to say was to focus on eliminating the opponent's vitality, and not to worry about the gains and losses of a city or a place. But thinking about it, these words were not spoken out in the end, not for anything else, but because it was not time yet. He doesn't really want to be a military commander, it's not his hobby.
When Emperor Qianwen heard Shen Ao's answer, his expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even nod his head. No one knew what he was thinking. But only he knew clearly in his heart, what he meant to Shen Ao. He was very much in favor of what he did.
As the emperor of Daqian, Emperor Qianwen naturally knew the surrounding countries very well. The barbarians were so strong that they could not be easily destroyed. If they had given up without seeing anything good, instead of fighting to the death, Daqian might have won, but In the end, it is very likely that the enemy will be injured by one thousand, and oneself will be damaged by eight hundred. If Daqian's national strength is weakened because of this, who knows what other vassal kings and neighbors will be thinking. If someone intervenes at that time, It would be really dangerous to be an enemy of Da Gan.
In this regard, Shen Ao was thinking the same thing as himself and had the same worries. Speaking of it, he was a very discerning person. Naturally, Emperor Qianwen was very pleased and happy. He did not expect that one of his own sons would actually have such a person. Master of the art of war. With only a few thousand men, you can defeat tens of thousands of enemies, and force the opponent to sign an alliance under the city. With this, I am afraid that many generals in the Great Qian cannot do it.
Emperor Qianwen was very fond of Shen Ao's performance in military ability. He asked tentatively, "Mr. Zhongguo, although you are only seventeen years old, based on your achievements, there must be no one who can command the troops in advance." Say something. How about I transfer you to the Silver Armor Guard for some exercise?"
Emperor Qianwen did not force it, but spoke in a consultative tone. But when Shen Ao heard it, he shook his head repeatedly and said: "Your Majesty, you must not do it. This law of not wearing the title and not leading the army should not be broken in the hands of the minister. That’s good. Besides, I’m stupid and prefer to make money for Da Qian instead of fighting to the death on the battlefield.”
Shen Ao refused. He had no intention of leading the army in the first place, but this time he was forced to have no choice. The barbarians wanted to let him go through marriage, and most of the courtiers were supportive, which made the emperor very embarrassed. . He had no choice but to bring troops like this.
Now the barbarians have fully realized their mistakes and promised not to mention marriage with themselves and the fifth princess in the future. Even if the goal has been achieved, of course they should give up as soon as they are ready. Besides, leading troops to fight is very difficult. He had to eat and sleep in the open every day, which was also a test for Shen Ao who liked to enjoy life.
In a word, Shen Ao would not lead the army unless necessary. He had made this decision even after he was twenty years old. Now that the emperor asked him, of course he had to tell the truth.
Shen Ao spoke out of preference, but he didn't know that Emperor Qianwen was extremely satisfied after hearing these words.
Military power is always a taboo in the hands of those in power, and it is the greatest weapon in the hands of the emperor. Others will not be allowed to get involved.
Which general the emperor trusts will give him temporary general power, but he will definitely take it back after the incident. Only in this way can the emperor's authority be formed. Otherwise, every general has the power to lead troops, wouldn't it mean that the world would be in chaos?
As the old saying goes, soldiers are also deadly weapons.
Of course, such a murderous weapon must be in the hands of the person with the highest authority.
As he said just now, Emperor Qianwen was indeed optimistic about Shen Ao's ability to lead troops in combat. At the same time, he also had a tentative heart. He wanted to see if Shen Ao was greedy for military power. If so, with his With his suspicious character, he would be on guard against even his own son.
Fortunately, Shen Ao's answer was very pleasant, which made him very satisfied. A person who can fight and win more wars with less, and who is not greedy for military power, is the person the emperor likes the most.
Because he was in a happy mood, Emperor Qianwen did not pursue Shen Ao's responsibility. Instead, he took everything on himself. "Mr. Zhongguo, you have considered this matter carefully. Not only is it not guilty, but it is meritorious. Well, so be it. Let’s say to the outside world that the signing of the three-country agreement was with my permission, so no one will say anything.”
"No, thank you Your Majesty." Shen Ao was also very happy when he heard this. If the emperor is willing to come out and top the cylinder, that would be the best. No matter whether others believe it or not, at least there is a legitimate reason, so that he will not be afraid of others impeaching him. Already.
Seeing that Shen Ao was also so happy, Emperor Qianwen laughed and said, "Lord Zhongguo, can you tell me the story of the war?"
Before, he knew that Shen Ao had won two battles in a row and captured two cities in a row. Emperor Qianwen only knew the result but not the process. He had always been very curious about what happened. Now that he had the opportunity, of course he wanted to ask for details.