Wei Zheng knew that it would be impossible to persuade Du Qi to give up attacking the Tang dynasty if he tried to persuade Du Qi through ordinary means. So now, Wei Zheng could only find another way to take action and find an opportunity from other aspects.
Wei Zheng stared at Du Qi and his eyes turned sharp. He said in a deep voice, "Emperor Xia, are you willing to make a bet with this old man?"
"What kind of bet?" Du Qi asked with a smile.
"Emperor Xia, do you dare to bet with me?" Wei Zheng provoked.
"Don't worry," Du Qi said. "Just tell me what the bet is. It won't be too late for me to decide whether to bet or not after you tell me. I don't know anything right now, so I can't promise you. "
Wei Zheng shook his head and sneered. "Emperor Xia's power is unparalleled. Don't tell me you don't even have the courage to bet with an old man like me? As the Emperor of a country, I'm afraid people will laugh at you if you don't even have such courage! "
Du Qi, however, was not provoked. He said indifferently, "Prime Minister Wei, if your provocation worked, you could have used other methods. Your provocation won't work at all. You haven't even told me what the bet is, yet you want me to bet with you. I won't agree to buy or sell by force. If you don't want to tell me what the bet is, then don't say anything. Please go back. "
"Emperor Xia is really decisive!" Wei Zheng said.
"So, are you going to tell me or not?" Du Qi asked.
"This old man and Emperor Xia are betting that Emperor Xia will agree to the Tang dynasty's request for peace and not attack the Tang dynasty for three years, leaving the Tang dynasty to fend for itself," said Wei Zheng. "Three years later, Emperor Xia will attack the Tang dynasty. If Emperor Xia can still sweep the Tang dynasty by then and the Tang dynasty can't resist, this old man is willing to pledge allegiance to Emperor Xia and serve Emperor Xia."
When he said this, an embarrassed look flashed across Wei Zheng's face.
It was a helpless move.
He had to use a surprise move to win, and this was the only way.
If he didn't use a surprise attack, it would be impossible to make Du Qi agree to make peace. But even so, Wei Zheng wasn't too confident because it all depended on Du Qi's decision. Wei Zheng stared at Du Qi with a burning gaze and said, "Emperor Xia, do you dare to make this bet with this old man?"
Sitting on horseback, Du Qi looked at Wei Zheng, whose back was slightly stooped and who kept provoking him for the sake of the Tang dynasty, and said seriously, "Prime Minister Wei, to be fair, do you think you can be equal to the Tang dynasty by yourself?"
"Given the current situation, if I lead the army to attack them directly, we can wipe out the Tang dynasty, calm the situation in the sea, and unify the world."
"Because of your little bet, you want to give Li Shimin three years of buffer time. Your request is a bit naive. Prime Minister Wei, what kind of good thing is this? You can't take all of it. You want to use your own strength to buy three years of time for Li Shimin. So much so that three years later, I must be able to defeat Li Shimin, then you will serve me. "
"This bet is too unfair," said Du Qi.
Wei Zheng said in a deep voice, "Since it's a bet, there's no such thing as fairness or unfairness. If Emperor Xia is willing to bet, then so be it. If Emperor Xia doesn't have the courage, then there's no need to bet. "
"I choose not to bet," said Du Qi.
Wei Zheng's cheeks twitched and a helpless expression appeared on his face.
Du Qi didn't want to bet.
What should he do?
Wei Zheng looked up at Du Qi on horseback and said, "I implore Emperor Xia to give the Tang dynasty a chance."
"Prime Minister Wei, I've already said that I'm giving you a chance," said Du Qi. "Who will give the soldiers of Xia Xia a chance to comfort the countless soldiers of Xia Xia who have died? In this war with the Tang dynasty, countless soldiers of Xia Xia have died in battle, and countless soldiers of Xia Xia have returned home due to injuries. But now, I'm giving up attacking the Tang dynasty just because of your words. How can I explain it to them? "
Wei Zheng's mood was extremely gloomy.
Looking at Du Qi's appearance, it was obvious that he had made up his mind. However, Wei Zheng was still unwilling to give up. He saw that it was useless to move him with emotions, and that it was useless to submit to the Xia Kingdom. He saw that it was useless to make a bet. He made up his mind, lifted his robe, and knelt down in front of Du Qi's warhorse.
Wei Zheng kowtowed and said, "Emperor Xia, please show mercy and give the Tang dynasty a chance. The Tang dynasty will never betray you. Not only that, the Tang dynasty is willing to send hostages to Xia Xia's capital. Emperor Xia, you can choose the hostages. "
This was Wei Zheng's last insistence.
It was his trump card.
For the sake of the Tang dynasty, he had done his best to do this. It could be said that he had fulfilled his duty.
After hearing this, Du Qi sighed with emotion in his heart. An old man like Wei Zheng, who was extremely proud, actually knelt down in front of him to ask for peace for the sake of the Tang dynasty. It was quite sad.
It was precisely because of this that it reminded Du Qi that if he did not do his best to govern Xia Xia well, Du Qi would also face the same situation one day. His subjects would also have to grovel and beg for peace for the sake of Xia Xia's survival.
A lesson from the past was a teacher for the future.
This was something that Du Qi must be vigilant about.
Du Qi dismounted and helped Wei Zheng up, saying, "Prime Minister Wei, I admire you very much. But when it comes to Xia Xia's interests, I can't possibly shake Xia Xia's interests just because I admire you. It's even more impossible for me to be soft-hearted and let the Tang dynasty go. Because today's soft-heartedness is to leave behind trouble for tomorrow. You, go back. "
Wei Zheng was extremely disappointed when he heard this. He staggered back two steps. Immediately, Wei Zheng took a deep breath and regained his composure. He looked at Du Qi and said solemnly, "Emperor Xia, this old man will take his leave!"
Du Qi nodded.
Wei Zheng turned around and was about to mount his horse.
In order to save time, Wei Zheng could only hurry on horseback to avoid delay. The sooner he returned to Anrong Pass, the sooner he could inform Li Shimin and let Li Shimin make preparations.
Just as Wei Zheng was about to mount his horse, he heard Du Qi say, "Prime Minister Wei!"
Wei Zheng looked at Du Qi with hope on his face, saying, "Emperor Xia, have you changed your mind?"
Du Qi sternly said, "Of course not. My Xia Xia's army can never change. The reason why I'm reminding you is that I hope you can inform Li Shimin when you return. In order to reduce the casualties of the common people and to reduce the number of killings, surrender. If Li Shimin surrenders, the world will be united again and countless wars will be spared. Once Li Shimin resists again and delays the time, the situation in the Tang dynasty will be even worse and countless people will be affected. "
Wei Zheng's cheeks twitched. He nodded in response, then turned his head and shook the reins, urging the horse to leave.
Du Qi looked at Wei Zheng's departing back, shaking his head and sighing.
Li Shimin could not stop his army, and at this time, Du Qi could not change his offensive strategy because of any situation. His intention to lead the army to attack the Tang dynasty was unshakable.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
