mtlumby2d Chapter 336 "Brothers, Friends and Brothers"
Chapter 336 "Brothers, Friends and Brothers"
Early in the morning, the court of Jingsong State was in an uproar over whether to send troops to help Liunan State. The weak-willed Emperor Jing was also wavering in the debate among his ministers. In the end, he decided not to send troops because he was afraid of Xiyue State.
The envoy of Liunan waited anxiously in the guesthouse for three days, and asked the palace for information many times, but the ambiguous and perfunctory response of Emperor Jing made him at a loss. In desperation, he went to the East Palace to visit, but the crown prince Gong Liangming refused to see the envoy because he was ill.
The streets were deserted in the freezing cold night, and the envoys from the Liunan Kingdom were filled with grief. Their country was small and their population was sparse, so they were powerless in the face of a powerful invader and could only dream of getting help from other countries. However, asking for help was like swallowing a three-foot sword, which was even more difficult than climbing to the ninth heaven. This was the tragedy of a weak country!
Although Gong Liangming, who was hiding in the Prince's Palace, was not really sick, he was very angry with his weak and incompetent father. He dared not send troops to help, nor did he want to directly reject Liunan Kingdom. So he wanted to push this trouble to himself, the prince. But now Gong Liangming was unwilling to meet the envoys of Liunan Kingdom. How could he speak since he could not make up his mind?
Without the help of Jingsong, the weak Nanjiang would certainly not dare to help. Soon, in front of the powerful Xiyue, the isolated Liunan was like an ant facing extinction at any time. Jingsong watched coldly today, and it will become the second Liunan in the future. Thinking of this, Gong Liangming's mood was similar to that of the Liunan envoy tonight.
Jingsong State was afraid of Xiyue State and avoided Liunan State's request for help. Meanwhile, Xiyue State had already signed a war assistance agreement with Wucang State. But Xiyue State's ambition was not just to get half of Liunan State's territory.
"Who is guarding the southern border now?"
In the imperial study of the imperial palace in Shangjing, the capital of Xiyue Kingdom, Yan Qiaofeng narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at the huge map on the wall in front of her, and asked slowly.
"Your Majesty, last year after Prince Zong left Mucheng in the southern border, we sent General Shufeng to garrison there at his recommendation." Xiyue Kingdom's Prime Minister Geng An stepped forward slightly and replied respectfully to Yan Qiao. Opposite him stood the two brothers Yan Zong and Yan Han.
"Shufeng, he is quite good. Although he is only in his early twenties, he is as brave as you, my third brother." Upon hearing this, Yan Qiao nodded with satisfaction, then turned around and smiled at Yan Zongrun.
"That's right. Otherwise, I would not dare to recommend him to the Prime Minister to garrison the southern border." Yan Zong also smiled in agreement and saluted to his elder brother.
Yan Zong's humility made Yan Qiao and Prime Minister Geng An smile at each other, but Yan Han remained silent, with a hint of contempt flashing in his evil eyes.
"I remember that you two are good friends for many years, but you are rarely together. Why don't you send troops to help Wu Cang this time..." Yan Qiao didn't pay attention to Yan Han, but raised his head and patted his third brother Yan Zong on the shoulder, and continued to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by his second brother Yan Han before he finished speaking:
"Brother, the third brother has been working hard in the North for the past six months. I heard that he was wounded by an arrow during the battle with the Western Rong. Although his wound has healed, he should rest more. Why don't you let me take care of the trip south this time?"
"You?" Although Yan Qiao had a smile on his handsome face, worry was revealed in his eyes.
Yan Han has always been unwilling to get close to his two brothers, so he usually sounds very distant even when calling Yan Qiao, not to mention his constant ridicule of Yan Zong. But today he suddenly changed and was so considerate and caring about his third brother Yan Zong. Yan Qiao naturally guessed that his second brother did this because he was eager to go to the battlefield.
However, Yan Han was brutal by nature, so Yan Qiao naturally worried that he would kill innocent people in the south and cause a bad influence on Xiyue Kingdom. After all, Yan Qiao was different from the previous emperor in his tyranny and he cared more about the people's will.
"Don't worry, big brother. During the three months of being punished to reflect on my mistakes in the mansion, I have sincerely repented. As the prince of Xiyue Kingdom, I should set an example and abide by the laws of the country, love my subjects and common people, and I really shouldn't take human lives lightly and kill for fun." Seeing Yan Qiao's worry, Yan Han suddenly knelt in front of him, straightened his expression, put on a sincere look, and raised his hand to salute.
The three people in front of him were really shocked to see King Han, who had always been unruly and arrogant, say these words in a serious manner. But after they realized what was going on, no one took it seriously. After all, no one would believe that he would reflect on himself.
"I'm glad that you can repent. I hope you can really mend your ways in the future and care for the people as well as the concubines and servants in your house." Yan Qiao remained calm, still smiling gently, reaching out his hand to help his second brother who was kneeling at his feet, and sighed with pretended happiness.
"Brother, do you agree?" Yan Han stood up and looked at Yan Qiao expectantly.
"How can I refuse you if you are sincere? However, the position of the general will be temporarily held by General Shufeng, and you will stay beside him to assist and cooperate."
As soon as Yan Qiao finished speaking, Yan Han's face darkened instantly. The sincerity in his eyes had long been swallowed up by evil anger, and his hands hidden in his sleeves were clenched into fists.
"What? Are you going to throw a tantrum again?" Seeing the change in Yan Han's expression, Yan Qiao remained indifferent and continued to smile softly. He immediately patted his shoulder and comforted him, "You also know that last year you slaughtered the concubines in the mansion and the whole Xiyue Kingdom has known about it. Now the people are quite dissatisfied with you. I agreed to let you go to the battlefield for the sake of brothers, but I am also the king of a country after all. I can't only care about my brothers and ignore the people. I hope you can understand how difficult it is for me."
Yan Han sneered at Yan Qiao's consolation, but he was only a subordinate, how could he dare to disobey? Moreover, Yan Han now understood Yan Qiao's tactics of using courtesy before force. If this set of false benevolence and false righteousness did not work, then he would not get any good results.
"Your Majesty, you care about the people and work hard for the Xiyue Kingdom every day. I dare not cause trouble for you. Thank you for your consideration and for allowing me to go to the battlefield." Sure enough, Yan Han changed back to being a subject and replied to Yan Qiao.
"I'm so glad that my second brother understands how difficult it is for me." Yan Qiao didn't care about the resentment in his second brother's tone, but continued to be friendly and respectful to him in front of the prime minister.
Yan Zong, who was standing by, did not take the change in his second brother's tone to heart. Instead, he was surprised that his second brother suddenly became obedient and honest in front of his eldest brother. He wondered what means his eldest brother used to easily restrain his second brother's temper?