Chapter four hundred and thirty first twists and turns
Pan Liao and Zhang Qianyi said goodbye and left. Guo Song returned to the inner house and sat in the inner study, deep in thought. He knew very well that he had seriously exceeded his authority. Even the Hexi Jiedushi had no power to arrange the ownership of Beiting, not to mention that he was just
As a small governor of Ganzhou, this is the power of the prime ministers. Even if he is the emperor, he must ultimately listen to the opinions of the prime ministers.
The historical Beiting was eventually captured by the Uighurs. The commander of the Beiting, Yang Shigu, was killed by the Uighurs on his way to Dunhuang. Now Shatuo threatens the Beiting even more, and the soldiers and civilians of the Beiting can no longer support it. In this case,
Will the imperial court agree to let the soldiers and civilians of Beiting abandon Beiting and return eastward?
The answer is no. The imperial court will never agree to abandon Beiting, but it will not send troops to liberate Beiting. What the imperial court wants is a great cause, and let the soldiers and civilians of Beiting die for this great cause.
Guo Song felt very heavy in his heart. He knew that he was faced with a dilemma. Should he pursue righteousness like the imperial court? Or should he listen to his inner call and bring the soldiers and civilians of Beiting back to Ganzhou?
At this time, Xue Tao walked into the study with a tea cup. She could see the anxiety and even pain in her husband's heart. She put the tea cup on the table and asked softly: "Husband, are you in trouble?"
Guo Song nodded, told his wife about Beiting, and sighed: "I have decided that even if I am dismissed and lose my official position, I will let the soldiers and civilians of Beiting return eastward."
"But can my husband afford to give up the historical responsibility of Beiting?"
Guo Song bit his lip and said: "I have not given up on Beiting. I will definitely take it back. I just want to save the soldiers and people of Beiting."
Xue Tao thought for a while and said: "I fully support your husband's decision. It doesn't matter if this official position is inappropriate, but I want to remind you that even if you reach an agreement with Shatuo, without the emperor's permission, the soldiers and civilians of Beiting may not return eastward."
One sentence reminded Guo Song that he had not considered the wishes of the soldiers and civilians in Beiting. Guo Song took a few steps with his hands behind his back, and he finally realized that this matter really could not be bypassed by the emperor.
"You're right, this matter still needs to be reported to the emperor, but I'm afraid I won't have enough time."
"My husband can send pigeon messages."
Guo Song shook his head, "Sending pigeon letters must go through the imperial court, so this matter will become a big deal."
Xue Tao thought about it and said with a smile: "Let Mengzi deliver the letter?"
Guo Song lowered his head and thought for a moment, and realized that it was really feasible. Mengzi could send a letter to Zhang Lei, and Zhang Lei would then give the letter to his aunt and ask her to deliver it to the emperor.
"Okay! I will write a letter tonight and ask Mengzi to go to Chang'an to deliver the letter tomorrow morning."
Early the next morning, the two sides continued to negotiate at the Ganzhou Dudu Mansion. Shatuo proposed that 9,000 Han slaves could be converted into sheep to redeem 200,000 sheep, and asked the Ganzhou Army to reduce the number of 100,000 sheep.
The ransom was finally paid by Shatuo to Ganzhou with 200,000 sheep in exchange for Zhu Xie Shenglu.
Pan Liao first rejected the request to reduce the number of 100,000 sheep to be redeemed, insisting on 500,000 to be redeemed in exchange for Zhu Xie Shenglu. However, Pan Liao proposed another plan that would allow more than 10,000 soldiers and civilians in Beiting to return to Gansu.
The state was used to offset the 200,000 redemption sheep. In the end, Shatuo only had to pay 100,000 redemption sheep to complete the exchange.
This new plan was indeed beyond Zhu Xie Jinman's expectations. He expressed that he would ask the Khan for instructions, and the Tang army also wanted to ask the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty for instructions. The two parties agreed to continue negotiations after five days.
In the early morning, Guo Song tied two mailboxes to Mengzi's legs and gave him a few instructions. This was of course arranged in advance. Mengzi sent Guo Song's personal letter to Zhang Lei. They had trained when they left Chang'an. Mengzi
I also know Zhang Lei.
The fierce man soared into the sky, spread his wings, circled twice in the sky, and then flew away towards the east.
Zhang Lei is also thinking about Ganzhou these days. He has always been thinking about Ganzhou's wine. Now that he has defeated the Shatuo people, can he get a share of Zhangye's wine? This is something Guo Song personally agreed to.
At noon that day, Zhang Lei just came out of Jubao Pavilion and was going to have a drink.
"Look at that eagle!" The people around him looked at the sky and exclaimed. When Zhang Lei raised his head, he saw a huge eagle hovering above his head, only a dozen feet away.
Zhang Lei suddenly recognized it, and he waved his hands quickly and shouted: "Brother Mengzi, I'm here!"
Mengzi folded his wings and landed accurately on Zhang Lei's shoulder. Zhang Lei saw two small bamboo tubes tied to his legs and quickly took them off. One small bamboo tube was engraved with the small characters Zhang Lei. This was sent by his junior brother from Ganzhou.
letter.
The proprietors of the surrounding shops gathered around and asked with envy on their faces: "Proprietor Zhang, is this the eagle you raised?"
Zhang Lei patted Mengzi on the head and said with a smile: "This is my godson. He has been raised since he was a child. But he is obedient. If you tell him to go east, he will not dare to go west."
Mengzi was a little annoyed. No one dared to slap it on the head. Who did this fat guy think he was?
Mengzi spread his wings and jumped on top of Zhang Lei's head. He scratched the top of his head twice with his sharp claws and scratched his turban to pieces. He stuck his butt out and squirted a puddle of shit on his head before fluttering his wings and flying away.
The people around burst into laughter. Zhang Lei couldn’t lose his face. He pointed at Mengzi, who was flying far away in the sky with disheveled hair, and yelled, "You flat-haired beast, if I catch you, I will stew you in a pot!"
Zhang Lei laughed twice and explained: "Haha! This guy likes to joke. This is his way of showing affection and making everyone laugh."
Everyone covered their mouths and snickered, and left one after another. Zhang Lei was so bored that he had to go back to Jubao Pavilion in anger.
But a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Lei hurriedly came out again, got on the carriage and drove away in the direction of Qingxu Palace.
Just an hour later, the eagle letter written by Guo Song was placed on the desk of Emperor Li Shi.
Li Shi stood in front of the window with his hands behind his hands and remained silent for a long time.
Guo Song gave him a huge problem.
The various benefits listed in Ying's letter really tempted him. He also knew that this was the best opportunity for Beiting soldiers to return to the Tang Dynasty. The two to three thousand old and weak troops in Tingzhou isolated city could not resist Shatuo at all.
An attack by people or Uighurs.
I am afraid that as Guo Song said, the soldiers and civilians of Beiting will not survive this winter.
Allowing the soldiers and civilians of Beiting to return was also a sign of the emperor's compassion for the people of the Tang Dynasty.
Moreover, Guo Song promised to recapture Beiting within three years.
But none of the thousands of reasons can stand up to one sentence. Tingzhou City is the last land of the Tang Dynasty in Beiting. Who dares to give up the territory of the Tang Dynasty?
If you give up, how can you explain to your ancestors if you can't get it back?
"Your Majesty, let the Political Affairs Hall make the decision! Your Majesty cannot accept this sinner who gave up his territory." Privy Councilor Huo Xianming advised in a low voice.
Li Shi was a little hesitant. Guo Song sent him a private message, just because he didn't want the Zhengshitang to know about it. Li Shi also knew very well what the Zhengshitang's attitude would be.
But I don’t want to bear this crime myself.
Li Shi suddenly felt a little dissatisfied with Guo Song. Why didn't he decide the matter on his own and leave such a difficult matter to himself?
"The troops and people of Tingzhou will only leave according to His Majesty's decree. Let the imperial court decide!"
Huo Xianming paused for a moment and then said: "If it's hard for Your Majesty to tell you, your humble position may reveal this matter unintentionally."
Li Shi finally nodded, "Okay! I'll do it as you wish."
If you can't tell yourself, you can only let the news leak out "accidentally" and let the prime ministers come to your door.
In the Zichen side hall, six prime ministers were sitting upright with solemn expressions. Zhongshu Ling Yang Yan, his servant Han Huang, and four deputy prime ministers Cui Youfu, Li Bi, Qiao Lin, and Zhang Yi. Yan Zhenqing had retired last month.
After leaving the official position, Zhang Yi, the governor of Bianzhou, took his place. However, Yang Yan did not like Zhang Yi, so he recommended him to serve as the governor of Longyou as the prime minister, replacing Zhu Si. The appointment had been made, but Zhang Yi had not yet taken up the post.
At this time, the six prime ministers all looked dissatisfied. Huo Xianming, the privy councilor, accidentally revealed that Guo Song suggested abandoning Beiting and allowing the soldiers and civilians of Beiting to withdraw to the Central Plains. This immediately caused an uproar in the political hall. The six prime ministers were all extremely angry.
Tuo's negotiations have made them seriously dissatisfied, and now they actually want to give up Beiting?
Guo Song's suggestion completely aroused public outrage in the political hall. Even Han Huang, who had always supported Guo Song, was a little dissatisfied. It was fine that Guo Song had not communicated with him in advance, but giving up Beiting was something he could never accept.
of.
Li Shi coughed and said slowly: "Everyone, please tell me! Governor Guo believes that it will be difficult for the soldiers and civilians in Beiting to sustain themselves. Once Shatuo breaks through Beiting, there will be a tragic outcome. He hopes to use the opportunity of this negotiation to
His idea of withdrawing the troops and civilians from Beiting and then restoring Beiting later makes sense based on practical considerations."