Du Qi drank another cup of wine and continued, "The fourth condition involves Duan Zhixuan and the 50,000 Tang soldiers I captured. If these soldiers are to be returned to the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty must guarantee a condition, that is, my Xia Xia's businesses in the Tang Dynasty must not be deliberately targeted. "
"From last year to this year, my businesses in the Tang Dynasty, whether it is restaurants, banks, or other businesses, have either been suppressed or robbed."
"From beginning to end, the Tang Dynasty's imperial court has never given an explanation. Instead, they have joined forces to suppress my Xia Xia's businesses. This approach has really lost the magnanimity of the Tang Dynasty. "
"The Tang Dynasty can't even treat people fairly, which makes people look down on them.
Du Qi continued, "As long as the Tang Dynasty is willing to fulfill these four conditions, I will withdraw from the Tang Dynasty. Then, I will withdraw my troops and return to the Xia. I will not enter Guazhou again. "
Hearing this, Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Du Qi's four conditions seem a bit harsh, but in fact, they are not that harsh.
Li Yuan said, "Erlang Du, I agree to your fourth condition. But for the specifics, I need to ask the Emperor and see what the Emperor decides. I will give you a final answer. "
Du Qi said, "No problem, I will wait for the Retired Emperor's news."
In this battle, Du Qi suffered some losses, but in the long run, he did not lose anything. Moreover, most of the money and food in Guazhou City were taken away when they withdrew yesterday. Although there was some left, there was not much left. Most importantly, in this battle, he made Su Dingfang surrender and killed Hou Junji, which showed Xia Xia's strength.
On this basis, the Tang Dynasty will have to think twice before starting a war with Xia Xia in the future. After all, the first time Li Shimin and Xia Xia fought, Li Shimin retreated without a fight. This time, Li Shimin and Xia Xia fought and lost Hou Junji, and even Duan Zhixuan was captured. It can be said that the loss is huge.
Li Yuan stood up and left, going down the mountain. Not long after, Li Yuan came to the base of the Tang army at the foot of the mountain.
Li Shimin hurriedly said, "Imperial Father, how's the situation?"
Li Yuan said, "Emperor, Du Qi agreed to withdraw the army, and also agreed to release Duan Zhixuan and the more than fifty thousand captive Tang Army soldiers. However, Du Qi raised four conditions. "
Li Shimin's face twitched. He gritted his teeth and said, "Du Qi, this bastard, he really dares to raise conditions! As soon as he opened his mouth, he stated four conditions. Tell me, what are his conditions? "
Li Yuan explained at once.
After the four conditions were stated, Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wuji's expressions turned solemn. Because of the four conditions, opening up Guazhou without collecting taxes and not targeting Du Qi's industries in the Tang dynasty was actually not difficult.
What Li Shimin was troubled about was how to deal with Hou Junji's family. Now that Hou Junji was dead and had begged Li Shimin to take care of his family, Du Qi was proposing that Hou Junji's family be exiled to Lingnan.
Du Qi had done this on purpose.
He wanted to embarrass Li Shimin.
As for the first condition, Li Shimin did not find it difficult to make Zhangsun Wuji apologize. The one who was troubled was Zhangsun Wuji. Back then, at the Guazhou border, Du Qi had raised the condition for Zhangsun Wuji to kneel down and apologize. Now that the Tang army had suffered a setback, Du Qi raised this condition again. In essence, he was purposely targeting Zhangsun Wuji to make him feel a bone-chilling cold.
Terrifying!
Du Qi was too terrifying!
Was it him, Zhangsun Wuji, who was the one who started this?
No!
This time, Hou Junji had been the one to stir up trouble. Ambushing Du Qi was also Hou Junji's decision, and it had nothing to do with Zhangsun Wuji. Du Qi was still targeting him.
This was like the fish in the moat being implicated when the city gate was on fire.
Zhangsun Wuji's gaze landed on Li Shimin. Because the final decision still depended on Li Shimin. However, Zhangsun Wuji did not have much hope in his heart. This involved the safety of the Tang dynasty and the face of the Tang dynasty. He guessed that Li Shimin would agree to Du Qi's condition in the end.
Li Shimin was still thinking.
As the Emperor, if it was purely for the sake of the Tang dynasty, Li Shimin could only swallow this anger. Because if he continued to fight with Du Qi, he might not be able to win. On the other hand, Du Qi had Duan Zhixuan and the others. If he continued to fight, Li Shimin would be at a disadvantage.
Li Shimin's expression changed again and again. Finally, Li Shimin said, "Imperial Father, reply to Du Qi that I have agreed to his condition. Imperial Father, please tell him to take care of himself. "
Li Yuan shook his head.
The one who had to behave himself was Li Shimin.
Although Hou Junji was one of the reasons for this matter, if Li Shimin had made a decision early on, he would not have been able to deal with Hou Junji. In fact, if he had given the order to deal with Hou Junji early on, things would not have escalated to this stage.
Li Yuan said, "Since we have agreed to Du Qi's condition, the next condition is Zhangsun Wuji's matter. Immediately have Zhangsun Wuji ascend the mountain and apologize to Du Qi again. "
Li Shimin turned to look at Zhangsun Wuji. Before Li Shimin could speak, Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, this subject is willing to go and apologize to Du Qi."
Li Shimin nodded.
Li Yuan and Zhangsun Wuji headed up Niulan Mountain.
Li Shimin looked at the departing figures of the two and clenched his fists. There was a hint of savagery and anger on his face. Although he had agreed to Du Qi's condition, under such conditions, Li Shimin was forced. Especially when Zhangsun Wuji kowtowed and apologized to Du Qi in front of all the soldiers. This affected the morale of the soldiers and made them lose face.
On the other hand, Hou Junji was dead and his family was going to be exiled. This matter would affect the imperial court and the pro-war faction in the imperial court. After all, the people who were targeting Du Qi were dealt with in such a manner. Who would dare to make a move against Du Qi?
This was a gain and loss in the hearts of the people. Li Shimin had no other choice but to agree to the condition now. After returning to the imperial court, he would slowly consider the problem of recovering and adjusting.
Not long later, Li Yuan and Zhangsun Wuji arrived at the mountain. Li Yuan looked at Du Qi and said, "Erlang, the Emperor has agreed to your request. Now that Zhangsun Wuji is here, it's time for you to fulfill your promise. "
Du Qi shook his head and smiled, "Retired Emperor, it's time for Zhangsun Wuji to fulfill his promise."
He looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Duke of Qi, I didn't expect us to meet again. What a coincidence! Last time, you personally came to my camp and kowtowed to apologize. This time, you're here again. Don't you think that we're fated? "
After saying those words, Zhangsun Wuji's expression became awkward.
He felt even more helpless.
Du Qi continued, "Duke of Qi, this is the second time. Actually, I'm looking forward to the third time. I hope that in the future, you'll treat me as an enemy as before. Once you meet the officials of the Tang dynasty who want to use force against me, you'll actively plan, give advice, and give suggestions. I believe that we'll meet again. So, I'm looking forward to the third time. "
Speaking until here, Du Qi paused and said, "I don't know if there'll be another war with the Tang dynasty in the future. But I can guarantee that if there's another war, once I gain the upper hand and want to raise my condition again, I'll let you come again. Over and over again, it'll become a routine. This is a good thing. "
Zhangsun Wuji's face twitched, and he even said hysterically, "Du Qi, why are you always targeting me? Your condition can totally not involve me, but you're targeting me like this. "
Du Qi said, "I can't help it. I'm a vengeful person! Moreover, you, Zhangsun Wuji, have enough influence in front of the Emperor. If you were to influence the Emperor and persuade him, maybe it wouldn't be like this. In the future, you'll have to think twice before you act. "
Zhangsun Wuji felt exceptionally angry.
Why?
Why was he targeting him?
Yet, Zhangsun Wuji didn't have a solution. So now, he could only suppress his anger towards Du Qi. In his heart, he even had the thought of not making an enemy out of Du Qi.
This was a subconscious reaction.
And it was exactly what Du Qi wanted. He wanted Zhangsun Wuji to be afraid. In the future, once it involved the war against Xia, Zhangsun Wuji would stand out to oppose. This was what Du Qi wanted to achieve.
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