jdhmnovel Chapter 164 How do you want to break the deadlock?
Chapter 164 How do you want to break the deadlock?
Qi Xiao still stared at Chi Yue with his brows slightly furrowed. Chi Yue was not a man of few words. On the contrary, he knew better than anyone what to say and when to whom.
"Is there any news about Lu Fangjin?"
Chi Yue still lowered his head: "General Lu has requested His Majesty to return to Linjiang Prefecture several times, and His Majesty has approved it. Calculating the date, General Lu should have left Yuanjing three days ago."
Lu Fangjin left Yuanjing City and returned to Linjiang Prefecture, which meant he was going the same way as Qi Xiao.
Before Qi Xiao left the capital, he met Lu Fangjin one last time at the Taihe Temple and said goodbye briefly. At that time, His Majesty hadn't yet issued an order for Lu Fangjin to leave the capital, and even Lu Fangjin himself thought he wouldn't be able to return this year. But as soon as Qi Xiao left, Lu Fangjin was released.
"what do you know?"
"Your Highness, are you asking about... General Lu?" Chi Yue blinked, looking confused and ignorant.
Qi Xiao frowned, drank half a bowl of porridge silently, wiped his mouth and said, "Let's clean it up."
Zong Sheng had been with Qi Xiao the longest, and he could understand his expression. Chi Yue's words made him feel very serious. Zong Sheng cleared away the dishes, glanced at Chi Yue, and retreated.
Chi Yue followed out quickly.
Zong Sheng pulled Chi Yue away before asking, "What did you mean by that just now?"
"Ah? It's nothing interesting. I just wanted to tell His Highness a joke to cheer him up."
"Do not lie to me."
Chi Yue sighed: "I really didn't lie to you."
Zong Sheng pinched Chi Yue's wrist. He looked at Chi Yue and suddenly remembered that ten years ago when Chi Yue broke his leg, Chi Yue had been lying to him all along, and he could never see through him!
Chi Yue was pinched so hard by Zong Sheng that it hurt, but he gritted his teeth and said nothing, not even his expression changed.
After a while, Zong Sheng finally let go of Chi Yue and turned away.
Chi Yue looked at Zong Sheng's back and sighed silently.
This time when Qi Xiao and his companions returned to Fuzhou, they took an official ship, which was much larger than the merchant ship they came on. Qi Xiao's room was very large, with a living room, a bedroom, and it was connected to the next room to serve as a study.
The study was empty except for a huge sheepskin map hanging on the wall. It was a map of Qi State, with towns, roads and passes marked on it.
Qi Xiao raised his hand and gently ran his fingertips across the sheepskin map. He went south from Fenglin Mountain and deep into the capital of Qi, Shuoliang. Then he went east and passed five states to reach the Zhou Kingdom. The northern border of Zhou Kingdom faced Dachen across the Taihua River, and the Huwei Army was stationed in Linjiang Prefecture.
"……Ah."
***
When Tang Ling returned, Qi Xiao was standing motionless in front of the sheepskin map, staring at it for who knows how long. The moment she saw Qi Xiao, Tang Ling's heart skipped a beat, as if something ominous had struck her.
"what happened?"
"Tang Ling, are you hiding something from me?" Qi Xiao didn't turn around to look at Tang Ling, as if he already knew the answer before asking.
"Hidden from you? What?"
"If I were Your Majesty, I would have the ambition to unify the three kingdoms. I would have the opportunity to ally with Zhou to attack Qi, or ally with Qi to attack Zhou, wouldn't I?"
Chi Yue's words suddenly woke Qi Xiao up. He didn't understand his father, but Chi Yue was in the Tiance Camp and was one of the people closest to His Majesty. When it came to guessing the emperor's intentions, Chi Yue should be the person who understood it best except Zhang Suian.
Tang Ling's plan is very dangerous. She will use Zhou to tie down the main force of Qi, while Qi Xiao will cross Fenglin Mountain alone and attack Shuoliang with a surprise attack. What are the chances of winning?
But if Qi were to ally with them, the situation would be very different. With the covert support of Chen, Qi could easily surround Qi Xiao and Tang Ling with minimal military force, effectively holding Tang Ling in its clutches. Xun Anhou must be wary of Tang Ling, and his army must remain stationed at the Qi border, barring any rash moves. If Lu Fang led his entire army across the Taihua River, their path would be unimpeded.
Compared to Qi Xiao, a lazy prince who had never led an army, what were Lu Fangjin's chances of winning? His Majesty naturally trusted Lu Fangjin more.
Moreover, the Zhou State had just fought for several months and its treasury was empty. It was simply unable to fight Lu Fangjin again, and its defeat was already doomed.
Qi Xiao is the King of Chu and the ninth prince of Da Chen. Even if he is captured, he will only be used as a bargaining chip in the negotiations between Chen and Qi, and his life will not be in danger. Moreover, to Your Majesty, Qi Xiao is nothing compared to unifying the world, so just give him up.
But wasn't Tang Ling sending herself into danger? How could he not have thought of this?
"Are you planning to trick me back to Fuzhou and enter Fenglin Mountain yourself?"
This thought flashed through Qi Xiao's mind, making him tremble all over. He was filled with pain and resentment. If Tang Ling really intended that... he would use Chen Hui to lock Tang Ling together with himself.
Qi Xiao turned around and faced Tang Ling, waiting for his answer.
Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao, took two steps closer, then turned to look at the sheepskin map and said, "For Great Zhou, the better solution is to ally with Qi and capture you as a hostage. I will return to Zhou from Qi, and my father will ambush troops along the Taihua River. If Lu Fang sets foot on Great Zhou soil, it will be his death. For Qi, helping Great Zhou resist Chen is the only way to survive. Otherwise, if Qi hands over Great Zhou to Chen, it will be the end of its only chance of survival."
"As the saying goes, 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' You helped His Majesty attack Qi, and the same applies to Zhou. This is a dead end. So, how exactly do you plan to break it? What are you hiding from me?"
"I...did think about leaving you in Fuzhou and entering Qi alone..."
"Tang Ling!" Qi Xiao reached out and grabbed Tang Ling, shaking with anger. He actually dared to admit it!
Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao with soft eyes, not her usual gentleness, nor the obedience she showed when she had done something wrong, but rather a kind of unfounded honesty.
"Qi Xiao, if you were me, what would you do?"
"If you enter Qi alone, you will die. It would be better to tie me up and hand me over to the Emperor of Qi!"
Tang Ling gave a wry smile: "That's right."
The most important condition Tang Ling negotiated with His Majesty was that Qi Xiao must accompany him to Qi. Qi Xiao was his hostage, his spear and shield, and a prerequisite for the Great Zhou's alliance with Chen to attack Qi. Even if Tang Ling secretly wanted to protect Qi Xiao and send him back to Fuzhou in accordance with Concubine Lin's wishes, it was just a thought. If the Three Kingdoms were to reignite, Tang Ling would be shouldering the fate of the Great Zhou and the lives of millions of its citizens. How could he dare to make decisions on his own and do as he pleased?
"and many more……"
Qi Xiao looked back at the sheepskin map. For Zhou and Qi, if they did not have the natural barriers of Fenglin Mountain and Taihua River to defend, Chen's army would have already invaded. Whether it was Zhou asking for peace with Chen after the defeat, or Qi's capital planning to assassinate Tang Ling, they were all trying to avoid fighting, because they could not compete with Chen in terms of national strength, financial resources and military strength.
If Qi Xiao were Tang Ling, he would choose to ally with Qi and fight against the Great Chen. This is how the balance of the Three Kingdoms has been maintained for a hundred years. This logic is too simple. Therefore, if Your Majesty wants to ally with Qi and destroy Zhou first, you must offer Qi an irresistible inducement and convince Qi that after Zhou's fall, Chen will not invade Qi. And vice versa.