Fang Xuanling was actually very worried about the current situation, because the Tang Dynasty was in a very unfavorable situation. Du Ruhui was unwilling to persuade Du Qi, and Wei Zheng's diplomatic mission to seek peace failed, which meant that it was almost impossible for the Tang Dynasty to stop the war. In the end, it was up to Li Shimin to resist Du Qi.
However, Li Shimin only had a little more than 10,000 soldiers, which was almost impossible to stop Du Qi's army of nearly 100,000. Not to mention that Du Qi's army was extremely elite and equipped with more powerful weapons.
Under this premise, if the Tang Dynasty did not find another way, their defeat was inevitable.
Unfortunately, even the shortcut of seeking peace was not feasible.
Fang Xuanling was worried and thinking about countermeasures. He had to come up with a strategy to break the deadlock when he returned to Anrong Pass. Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty would not have many days left.
Time passed quietly while Fang Xuanling was thinking.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage had arrived at the city gate.
Fang Xuanling asked his men to stop and wait in place. Fortunately, Zheng Yu came out after a short wait. He boarded the carriage but did not enter it. He just sat on the shaft and hurried along with the coachman.
The carriage moved forward and in a short time, it had already traveled a distance. When the carriage was far away from the imperial capital, there was a bamboo forest beside the official road. Zheng Yu, who was sitting in the carriage, suddenly made a move. He directly knocked out the coachman and then pulled the reins to stop the carriage.
The two guards who were protecting Fang Xuanling immediately wanted to protect Fang Xuanling when they saw Zheng Yu make a move. However, they were knocked to the ground and also knocked out by Zheng Yu.
At the same time, several people came out of the bamboo forest and took away the people who were knocked out by Zheng Yu.
Fang Xuanling lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw Zheng Yu make a move. He saw Zheng Yu let people take away the guards and coachman. His eyes were sharp and he said in a deep voice, "Zheng Yu, I didn't ride a horse back to the Tang Dynasty this time, but I didn't expect that you would ambush me halfway. What are you trying to do? "
Zheng Yu's eyes were fierce as he gritted his teeth. "Fang Xuanling, you are the Prime Minister of the Tang dynasty. When I asked you to sacrifice yourself for the Tang dynasty, you gave me an excuse and refused to do it. Since you're not willing to do it, I'll have to do it myself. "
"You stay. I'll use you to fish Du Ruhui out. I don't believe that I can't take down Du Ruhui. As long as I capture Du Ruhui, I can facilitate the peace between the Tang dynasty and Xia Xia, and give His Majesty a chance to breathe. "
"You, Fang Xuanling, are always overcautious. For your own benefit, you don't want to fall out with Du Ruhui. I, Zheng Yu, am not that particular, nor do I have such taboos. Therefore, I am willing to fight to the death. "
Zheng Yu said, "Even if I have to pay with my life, I won't hesitate."
Fang Xuanling, however, shook his head and disagreed with Zheng Yu's action. He said in a deep voice, "Zheng Yu, let me tell you something. What you're doing will only worsen the situation. Even if you take action, all the spies belonging to the Tang dynasty in the entire Imperial Capital will be in dire straits because of your dispatch. "
"This is extremely unfavorable to the Tang dynasty."
"You'll stop your actions at once and return to the Tang dynasty with me. Otherwise, you'll definitely bring trouble to the Tang dynasty. This old man can understand your painstaking efforts, and I can also understand your loyalty and courage. But if you take action without a plan, it will only backfire. "
Fang Xuanling said, "What you're doing is not helping the Tang dynasty, but putting the Tang dynasty in dire straits."
Zheng Yu sneered and said disdainfully, "You're really a scholar. Fang Xuanling, you scholars always speak in a set way. As soon as you open your mouth, you talk about the line and put us in dire straits. It seems that only you can do things right. "
"I'm tired of people like you."
"You, the high and mighty officials of the imperial court, all claim to be loyal to His Majesty, but none of you can help His Majesty, none of you can stop Du Qi. In the end, the situation has deteriorated to this state, and this is all because of your incompetence. Now, you still have the nerve to persuade me, saying that it'll backfire and that the Tang dynasty will be in dire straits. Bah! "
He was extremely indignant about Fang Xuanling's refusal to take action, so he said those words.
He had to get it off his chest.
Now that he had finished speaking, Zheng Yu was completely relieved. At this point, he had to take action. Even if the action failed, he had nothing to fear, because as a man of the Tang dynasty, he had already put life and death aside.
Fang Xuanling frowned after hearing that. Zheng Yu in front of him was a stubborn person.
He didn't listen to any advice at all.
The problem was that Fang Xuanling had no way to solve it now.
He couldn't stop Zheng Yu.
He couldn't escape.
Fang Xuanling took a deep breath and said in a softer tone, "Zheng Yu, you have to be clear about one thing. You're loyal to the Tang dynasty, but doing whatever you want may not be good for the Tang dynasty. I know your intention, but have you considered the consequences? "
Zheng Yu glanced at Fang Xuanling and said disdainfully, "Fang Xuanling, you said those words just to dissuade me. Unfortunately, I can't listen to you. Let me tell you, I'll do it today without hesitation. If I do it, maybe the Tang dynasty will still have a chance to survive. If I don't do anything, I won't be able to help anything. "
"Now, I have to give it a try."
"Even if I fail, how bad can the situation get? Anyway, Du Qi has now refused to make peace and is determined to destroy the Tang dynasty. At this time, if I don't take him down, I'll miss a good opportunity. "
"Well, don't talk nonsense. You're a high and mighty prime minister. You have your own selfish reasons and considerations. Anyway, even if the Emperor is changed, you'll still be a high and mighty person. For you, it's better not to do these things. "
Zheng Yu said, "I'm different. We're not the same as those who are loyal to the Tang dynasty. All of us will fight to the death. We're willing to give up everything for the sake of the Tang dynasty. "
Fang Xuanling looked at Zheng Yu in front of him. He was in his early thirties, with a bronze complexion, a square face, chiseled cheeks, and firm eyes.
"Alas …"
Fang Xuanling sighed.
He asked, "What's your plan, Zheng Yu?"
Zheng Yu raised his head and said loudly, "My plan is very simple. I'll arrange someone to send a letter to Du Ruhui's residence, telling him that you're in my hands and asking him to pay the ransom. As long as Du Ruhui comes, I'll take the opportunity to take him down and leave the capital. We'll rush back as fast as possible. As long as we reach the Tang dynasty first, His Majesty will have the upper hand. "
After a pause, Zheng Yu continued, "Du Ruhui is Du Qi's father. If Du Qi doesn't care about Du Ruhui's life and death, how will he explain himself to the world? How will he stand in the imperial court? Besides, the father and son have a very good relationship. Du Qi can't ignore Du Ruhui's life. So this time, I'll definitely succeed. "
Fang Xuanling didn't hold any hope and said, "Your operation will definitely fail. Once you take action, you'll be schemed against. "
Zheng Yu didn't want to talk too much and directly said, "Cut the crap. Let's go back to the carriage."
Fang Xuanling directly returned to the carriage and Zheng Yu personally drove it back to the capital. Because the next operation must be carried out in the capital.
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.
