Fan Lai looked at everyone and said sternly: "The only heir to the Champa Kingdom is Her Royal Highness Princess Xuanzhen. You have all been deceived!"
General Shi Li looked at everyone, and everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
When Mahapancha succeeded to the throne, he was appointed at a critical moment and did not receive the edict of succession from the previous king, Mahapaya.
If the old king died in Annan, it would be logical for him to take this position, and there is nothing to say.
However, the situation now is completely different.
The Ming army rescued the old king and sent someone to escort him back to the country, but he was intercepted and killed on the way.
If what Fan Lai said is true and the old king passed the throne to Princess Xuanzhen before he died, then...
Everyone fell into deep thought. What happened was so strange and so sudden that no one could make up their mind.
This is not just a power struggle between Mahapancha and Princess Xuanzhen, the issue is very complicated.
Because Maha Pancha holds the power, even if Princess Xuanzhen is the legitimate heir, it will be useless even if she has no power, no soldiers, and is still imprisoned.
However, what needs to be considered now is the Ming army in the north!
Can you really fight against the Ming army with these troops at your disposal?
Mahapancha's backbiting had already angered the Ming army, who didn't even ask for an imperial edict from the imperial court and just called over.
How long can Champa hold out in the face of those devastating artillery pieces...
General Shi Li raised his head and suddenly said: "Everyone, can you listen to me?"
The other generals had no idea at all, so they all looked over.
General Shi Li looked at everyone and continued: "Tomorrow's battle will be a disaster for us. Although we are acting under the king's orders, who doesn't care about his own life?"
When everyone heard these words, they seemed to have other intentions. They were all thoughtful and silent.
General Shi Li added: "As the commander-in-chief, I naturally don't want to see you all die in battle. Why don't you let Fan Lai be the messenger and go to the Ming army's formation? Maybe this war can be avoided."
Seeing the hesitation of the crowd, Fan Lai said loudly: "The Ming army is a righteous army. They helped us repel the invading enemies. You have all seen it with your own eyes. Why are they launching an army to attack now? You are not that hypocrite."
Mahapancha caused trouble! First he killed his close relatives, and now he wants me to die. Think about it, is it worth dying for such a person?"
"You're right, it's not worth it to waste your life for such a person!"
"Yeah, I thought the war was over and I could live a good life for a few days. My son was just born, and I wanted to see him grow up and get a wife!"
"If the blood letter is true, Princess Xuanzhen is the heir to the throne. We should rescue the princess and support her on the throne!"
Everyone was very excited when you said something and I said something.
They are not stupid. Can they really fight the Ming army?
Now they have an excellent reason not to die, so why not!
If we counterattack now, support Princess Xuanzhen, and get the support of the Ming army, wouldn't it be a great achievement?
Seeing this, General Shili knew that the situation of Maha Pancha was over, so he said: "Pass the order, from now on, no one is allowed to step out of the camp gate. Fan Lai, you'd better go to the Ming army's position and say that we don't want to
To be an enemy of him is just to be deceived by the hypocrite. Let’s see what the Ming army’s next plan is.”
Fan Lai nodded and said: "General, don't worry, I will definitely convey your wishes!"
After everyone listened, they felt relieved.
Just one day later, Van Lai left and returned.
"General Qi, the commander-in-chief of the Ming army, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jingan County has said that as long as we are willing to cooperate and wait for the hypocrisy to be punished by Maha Plate Tea, we will be rewarded if we are not guilty and have meritorious service!"
General Shi Li looked nervous and asked: "How to cooperate? Do we need to be the vanguard to help them break the city?"
"That's not necessary!"
Fan Lai shook his head and said: "His Royal Highness Prince Jing'an said that the Ming army has its own strategy to break the city. What we need to do is to spread the crimes of the hypocrite Maha Pancha and let the people of Champa know.
Princess Xuanzhen is the real heir, and the Ming army was the reinforcements invited by Princess Xuanzhen to dispel the hostility of the people."
General Shi Li couldn't help laughing. At this level, the Ming army still wanted to appease the people?
In this world, what matters is the winner and the loser. As long as you win, everything you say is right. What do ordinary people know? When that happens, they will support you.
In this situation, it’s okay if you don’t need to help yourself.
After all, when it comes to attacking a city, the defender must have the upper hand. If Mahapancha can't retreat like it did against the Annamites, I don't know how many people will die.
Others thought roughly the same as General Shi Li. They didn’t have to die, but they also had merit. It was a free bargain!
As a result, the occupying army began to break out of camp and turned south, appeasing the people along the way.
The Ming army marched straight in, crossed Hengshan Pass, and came all the way to the capital of Champa.
When Mahapancha got the news, his face was full of disbelief.
What's going on?
Where are my 30,000 troops?
Even if there are 30,000 pigs put on the road to kill for you, it will still take ten or eight days to kill them, right?
Why are the troops suddenly approaching the city again!
Hey, why should I say again...
At this point, he has no choice. If the Ming army breaks the city, he will follow in the footsteps of King Annan and die without a burial place.
Then... negotiate peace?
Yes, make peace!
Mahapancha quickly arranged for a messenger to go out of the city to discuss peace.
This person's name is Linga, and his identity is not simple. He is a Hessac official in Champa, also known as an oracle, and is in charge of the country's education.
Champa people believe in Brahmanism and believe that Shiva is the supreme god, and Champa is the spokesperson of God in the mortal world, which is why the name of Champa comes from this.
The status of the Hesa official is second only to Champa, which is roughly equivalent to Champa being the high priest. He will not show up unless it is an important occasion.
On weekdays, the will of God is conveyed by the Hesa official, whose status is equivalent to the Minister of Rites in the Ming Dynasty.
Linga arrived at the Ming army formation and showed his identity.
Li Kechang recognized this person, but when it came to the diplomacy between the two countries, he did not dare to make any suggestions, so he brought the person to the coach Zhang Fu.
Since Lin Ga arrived at the Ming army's position, he looked arrogant.
This is because he once studied the beliefs of the Han people, but found that although the Han people also worshiped many gods, they were of various types, and they did not look like real gods.
For example, some are responsible for giving birth to children, some are responsible for fishing at sea, and some are dedicated to guarding the stove... Whose god squats on the stove all the time?
To eat ashes?
In comparison, as the most loyal believer of Shiva, I am at least half a god. Why should I be afraid of mortals?
"I am the Hesaguan Linga of the Kingdom of Champa, and by the order of His Majesty the King, I have come to negotiate with you."
Linga spoke in Champa language, which Zhang Fu couldn't understand, but seeing the man's arrogance, he felt a little angry in his heart.
Fan Lai translated in a low voice on the side. After Zhang Fu listened, he frowned and said, "Well, I just want to ask, when I sent troops in the Ming Dynasty to help you repel the invading enemies, what did your king promise?
Why regret it?"
Linga also had a translator, but after listening to it, he laughed out loud.
Zhang Fu was puzzled and asked: "Why are you laughing?"
Linga's laughter slowly turned into sarcasm, and he said strangely: "You claim to be a kingdom of heaven and a land of etiquette, but you are taking advantage of the situation and are still talking so brazenly that it makes people laugh!"
Zhang Fu's old face turned dark and he said: "Come here, beat this guy up, I'll see him angry!"
"You...what are you doing?"
When Linga saw that someone was about to take action, he immediately became anxious.
"The two countries are at war. If you don't kill the envoy, how can you..."
"No, I can't help it anymore!"
Zhang Fu and others didn't even have time to take action. He stepped forward, grabbed the opponent's collar, and punched the angry face with an old fist.
Bang!
A fist as big as a sandbag hit the bridge of Linga's nose, causing blood to spatter immediately.
He screamed in pain and shouted randomly: "You are really... barbarians, unreasonable..."
Zhang Fu didn't need a translator at all, he knew that this guy didn't say anything nice, so he punched Lin Ga twice again, making Lin Gia beg for mercy.
"You don't even look at where this is, and who are you, how dare you act wild here?"
"Wrong, I, I was wrong..."
Linga no longer dared to be arrogant and lay down on the ground, begging for mercy again and again.
"Damn it, now you know how to beg for mercy. Where is that yin and yang face just now?"
"I don't dare anymore, I don't dare anymore..."
Zhang Fu raised his leg and kicked him out again.
"Go back and tell Mahapancha that I will only give him one day. If he does not leave the city and surrender within one day, then you should know the outcome of King Annan, right?"
"Yes, yes..."
…………
Mahapancha was waiting for news in the city, but what came was a man who was beaten like a pig's head.
"Are you... Linga?"
"Your Majesty!"
Linga was filled with grievances and burst into tears.
Mahapancha quickly asked: "How could this happen?"
Lin Jia cried and said: "The Ming army is unreasonable. When I arrived at the camp, I was brutally beaten by the enemy. It is so inhumane..."
"Have you met their coach?"
"See you!"
Lin Jia cried even harder: "I was beaten by that person!"
Mahapancha asked again: "Have you told us our conditions?"
"I just revealed my identity, and before I had time to negotiate terms, they took action against me..."
Looking at Linga's swollen pig-headed face, Mahapancha was very frightened.
If we had known earlier, what if we gave Saigon Port to them?
It's better now, for the sake of just a port, the entire Champa will be lost!
"Your Majesty, they also said..."
"What did you say?"
"Say, say... within one day, I will ask you to leave the city and surrender, otherwise..."
Otherwise, there is no need to say it, everyone knows it.
Mahapancha is as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. The Ming army is serious about it. What should we do?
In desperation, he had to go to the temple in person, ask Champa to come out, and try to negotiate with the Ming army for the second time.
The status of Champa in Champa is second only to the king, and sometimes even has higher prestige than the king.
…………
Champa personally visited the Ming army camp.
Zhang Fu looked at this person. He was dressed in strange clothes, and his face was painted with unknown paint patterns. He looked messy and mysterious.
When Fan Lai saw this person, his expression suddenly became nervous.
"Your Majesty, this is Champa, which has a high status in the hearts of Champa people."
Zhang Fu curled his lips and said, "I don't care what he is, ask him what he does here?"
Fan Lai acted very cautiously in front of Champa, asked a few questions, and then turned around to convey the message.
"Champa came to negotiate on behalf of Mahapancha. They said they were willing to transfer Saigon Port to the Ming Dynasty. The trade, tax exemption and other terms they had promised before were all valid."
Zhang Fu chuckled and said: "Tell him it's too late now!"
Fan Lai came forward and the two started chatting.
"The Mahapancha also said that he was willing to allocate two more ports for the use of the Ming Dynasty. In addition, he would also spend 200,000 shi of rice, 50,000 taels of silver, and 5,000 taels of gold to reward the Ming army as a thank you for the assistance.
."
Zhang Fu smiled disapprovingly and said: "Tell him, my Ming Dynasty lacks everything, so how can I send such a small amount of money and food to beggars?"
When Fan Lai translated this sentence, Champa's face became more solemn when he heard it. He pointed at Zhang Fu and muttered something.
"Your Highness, Champa said, said..."
Zhang Fu asked impatiently: "What did you say?"
Fan Lai looked pale and said cautiously: "It is said that Champa is the residence of Lord Shiva. If the Ming Dynasty forcibly occupied it, Lord Shiva would be angry and bring down the plague, and no one would survive..."
"Hahaha!"
Zhang Fu burst out laughing, as if he had heard the most interesting joke in the world.
Champo looked solemn and asked: "Why are you laughing?"
Fan Lai asked to translate this sentence, but Zhang Fu said: "I didn't laugh at him, I laughed at you!"
"Laughing at me...what?"
"Can you use your brain to think about it, if that god really exists and is really high in the sky overlooking the world, why didn't Annan Kingdom attack Champa City and kidnap the king of Champa City?
?"
Fan Lai suddenly reacted, yes, why?
Is it because I am not sincere enough?
Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.
This obviously means that the so-called God does not exist at all!
However, the environment in which he grew up and the influence of the people around him made him extremely devout in his belief in Lord Shiva.
Now someone suddenly told him that all of this was fake and all lies to you. At this moment, it was a little hard for him to accept...
When Champa saw that Zhang Fu had no fear, he was even more angry and shouted: "God Shiva has the power of destruction. Your actions have offended the gods. When the plague comes, everyone will die in this land."
Up!"
Zhang Fu said angrily: "This bitch is still cursing us. Come on, beat me up!"
The soldiers had long disliked this guy and swarmed him.
Champa did not expect such a result. Even when the Annamites attacked the city, they did not dare to destroy the temple.
And these Han people are so disrespectful to gods...
Seeing this scene, Fan Lai suddenly felt a little unbelievable, and the faith in his heart began to collapse.
All gods are useless in the face of absolute power!