Chapter 356 The prince rewards the army, the deadline has come
Li Gu gave Li Yu three days to consider surrender. Even for such a big event as surrendering to Jinling, it was enough, but it was very difficult to make a decision. Perhaps it was because of this.
Three days also gave Li Yu the opportunity to delay and hesitate. He was still deep in the palace without saying a word, as if he wanted to use up the last grace period.
It is ridiculous to say that since the Han army knocked the pass, Li Yu has not yet climbed to the top of Jinling City to see the Han army with his own eyes and get to know the battles of this army that is about to destroy his country and make him the king of subjugation.
momentum.
In fact, even the troops still guarding Jinling did not offer condolences or rewards, let alone measures to comfort and encourage the people. Faced with the crisis of national subjugation, Li Yu actually chose to give up and trapped himself in the palace, waiting for the end.
The moment has come.
Of course, during these three days, Li Yu did not move, and there were always people active. In Jinling City, some people led by Chen Qiao were still actively running around, mobilizing people and materials, and making difficult defense preparations. This was a very small group of people.
I have a passion for it, I am grateful for your kindness, and I still have a glimmer of hope and longing for Jiangnan.
In contrast, Zhong Mo's group did not make any big moves. They just spread some rumors, exacerbating the panic in the city, dispersing people's hearts, and promoting the benefits of surrender. This force is not small in number, but there are many people inspired by them.
, caused a great response, the army's will to resist continued to weaken, and the people of Jinling were eager to avoid war and save themselves.
This is like beating a snake seven inches apart. Chen Qiao and others can't even do anything to Zhong Mo's party, which is nakedly clamoring for surrender. How can they have the ability to change the direction of the people? They can only struggle in vain in the wave of historical trends.
Most of the Jiangnan bureaucrats chose to remain silent, looking at Li Yu silently and waiting silently for the city to be destroyed. Although the destruction of Jiangnan would directly harm their interests, most people still have concerns about survival and destruction.
Basic understanding. If you surrender, the outcome may be unpredictable, but if you resist stubbornly, the outcome in the future will definitely be ugly!
While the personnel and affairs in Jinling City were in various situations and there were constant disturbances, outside Jinling City, the Han army's war preparations were carried out in an orderly manner and implemented to the end. During this period, the biggest thing that happened was that the crown prince Liu Yang
Together with the emperor's eldest son Liu Xu, as envoys from the imperial court, they came to Jinling to reward the troops.
A reward to the army made the troops in the camp happy and their morale high. Emperor Liu's intention was not only to continue to train the prince and increase his prestige and qualifications, but also to express to the people of Jiangnan that the court valued and cared about them, and laid the foundation for future acceptance and governance.
prepare for.
At the same time, it also brought some pressure to Li Gu. Perhaps due to the successive victories, the Pingnan War was progressing too smoothly, which accelerated the emperor's patience. He wanted to wipe the independent countries of Jiangnan from the map and replace them with big men.
The colors will completely eliminate these separatist regimes that have existed outside the center for half a century.
The 13th was the last day Li Gu gave Li Yu a deadline. He thought hard for a long time and listened to a lot of suggestions. Even though his mind was already biased, Li Yu still couldn't make up his mind. In the afternoon of that day, he summoned Zhong Mo into the palace.
After the discussion, Zhong Mo was ordered to prepare more than two hundred carts of wine, food, and vegetables and leave the city to reward the army. Zhong Mo's task was to ask the Han army for a few more days of grace.
In the commander's tent, Zhong Mo was given a warm reception. The seating arrangement was quite interesting. Li Gu and Liu Yang were seated at the same table, and below them were Liu Xu and Shi Shouxin. Originally, Li Gu wanted Liu Yang to take the main seat.
, but was rejected by Liu Yang, saying that Li Gu was both a marshal and an elder. The prince was so humble, and Li Gu did not dare to be arrogant. He said that Liu Yang was both a prince and an envoy of the court, so he should have been seated. One old and one young.
After Qian resigned for several rounds, Liu Xu gave a suggestion and asked them to sit down together with the case.
In addition, there were also senior generals such as Zhao Yanjin and Zhang Yongde. Such a standard of reception gave Zhong Mo a lot of face. Of course, it was not just because of his status as the envoy of Jinling.
After training in the center of the imperial court for several years, although Liu Yang was still young, he had developed a good temper and temperament, and he would not have stage fright in such situations. Before leaving, Emperor Liu had taught him that all matters related to marching and combat should be dealt with.
You are not allowed to interfere or talk too much, but as the crown prince, you cannot lose the dignity of the royal family and the dignity of the Tian family.
The atmosphere in the tent was quite harmonious. Although there were few close friends, he did not want to make the atmosphere too stiff because the Crown Prince was here. Towards Zhong Mo, Liu Yang had a very kind attitude and smiled at him and said: "Before coming.
, His Majesty once told me that Duke Zhong was a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. For the great cause of unification, he was willing to take risks, regardless of safety and reputation. He was in the enemy camp and devoted himself to it. It has been ten years now. Although he has no outstanding achievements, he has
If you have done profound work, you should be highly praised!"
"I came south under the imperial edict, so I take this cup to express my admiration for Mr. Zhong for his ten years of hard work!" Liu Yang took the initiative to raise his cup to Zhong Mo.
After hearing what the prince said, no matter what he thought in his heart, the reaction on his face was very violent. He stood up, spilled the wine in his glass, and bowed to Liu Yang. Zhong Mo had a look of emotion on his face:
"How honored I am to have Your Majesty miss you so much. I have no other ambitions but to do my best to repay Your Majesty and serve the country!"
"If we can capture Jinling this time without any use of weapons or blood, Mr. Zhong will be greatly rewarded!" Liu Yang said.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, has given you the award!" In front of the room full of General Pingnan, Zhong Mo did not dare to make excuses, so he hurriedly said humbly: "With Grand Marshal Li Gong and all the generals here, how can Zhong Mo dare to talk about his merits? Just because he took advantage of the situation, he simply took advantage of the situation.
Just showing off your rhetoric!"
"Zhong Shangshu's three-inch tongue is worth tens of thousands of powerful soldiers!" Li Gu also smiled and showed goodwill to Zhong Mo.
Shi Shouxin also said: "If Zhong Shangshu hadn't told us about the situation in the city, how could our army have fully understood the truth? This would have destroyed the city and saved us a lot of trouble!"
"I don't dare to take it! I don't dare to take it!" Although there was a smile on his lips, Zhong Mo's attitude was still very low. In front of these people in the handsome tent, he did not dare to be high-profile at all.
After drinking a few glasses of wine and socializing, Zhong Mo took the initiative and said, "May I ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Grand Marshal if they are sure to launch an attack on Jinling tomorrow?"
When business was mentioned, the atmosphere in the tent became a little calmer. Li Gu looked at Liu Yang. Liu Yang did not speak, but gestured towards Li Gu. Seeing this, Li Gu looked at Zhong Mo, his voice was old but
Extraordinarily tough and determined: "Preparations for the attack have been completed. If Jinling does not surrender, the army will launch the attack as usual tomorrow without any delay!
Zhong Shangshu can report back to the Lord of Jiangnan. He still has one night to think about it. Don't have any other extravagant hopes. Surrender is his only way out. His Royal Highness is here under the edict. As long as he takes the initiative to surrender, he can be safe.
Yu. If the army breaks the city, all the consequences and responsibilities will be borne by him!"
Hearing this, Zhong Mo sobered up from his drunkenness, stood up and said respectfully: "I understand! I will tell the king of the country to urge him to surrender!"
By the time Zhong Mo returned to Jinling to return his life to Li Yu, it was already dark. Before entering the palace, Zhong Mo even washed his face with cold water to keep himself awake and persuade. At this time, he had no intention of persuading Li Yu to surrender.
, and also saved an extra thought to protect the city and reduce the losses of the soldiers and the people.
On the other hand, it is also a friendship for Li Yu. Although it is difficult to understand the ambivalence of a subjugated king, there is a huge difference between surrendering before breaking the city or surrendering after breaking the city. Zhong Mo sees this very clearly.
And Li Gu’s words also revealed this meaning.
"The Han army actually refused to grant an extension of three or two days?" In the Chengxin Hall, Li Yu stood up directly, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
During this period of time, the young king was under great pressure, especially psychological pressure, and the stubble on his lips became much thicker.
"If the king is sincere in his intention to surrender, why would he need these three or two extra days?" Zhong Mo asked rhetorically.
Hearing this, Li Yu stopped talking.
Seeing the young king's depressive temperament becoming more and more obvious, Zhong Mo also felt a little unbearable in his heart. He opened his mouth and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the army is approaching the city now and the situation is irreversible. If you want to keep the Li family safe,
Please make your decision early and don’t hesitate any longer.
Otherwise, if you offend the court, you may end up with everything broken. The king of the country should know that Nanping, Meng Shu and Hunan surrendered on their own initiative, and returned to the court to gain the title of king and enjoy wealth and honor. This has been passed down to one generation; Meng Shu surrendered to Chengdu,
Returning to the imperial court, he did not lose his position as a prince, and his wealth and splendor were not lacking. Hunan resorted to militarism and resisted the imperial court. To this day, Zhou's mother and son are still dressed in coarse linen and working in the gardens of the Han palace.
Both are surrendering, but there is a gap between them. I hope the country will save them!"
After Zhong Mo finished speaking, Li Yu's face finally changed, and there was a trace of panic in his eyes. After hesitating for a while, Li Yu said: "I want to ask the clan brothers for their opinions..."
Li Yu cannot have the final say on matters such as surrender. It is a family matter that should be decided together by everyone.