LRAB Chapter 2598 Xiao Ping'an's Conditions, Mu Xiaotao's Whereabouts
Chapter 2598 Xiao Ping'an's Conditions, Mu Xiaotao's Whereabouts
Chapter 2598 Xiao Ping'an's Conditions, Mu Xiaotao's Whereabouts
Jiang Ziya gave his answer to Xiao Ping'an's first request almost without hesitation.
"This is the proper course of action. The army of a king is meant to comfort the people and punish the guilty, not to take pleasure in killing. Since you have come representing the Great Qian Dynasty, you can agree to King Xuan's request. When the Qian army enters the city, we will strictly enforce military discipline, comfort the people, and ensure their peaceful and prosperous lives."
"If I break this oath, may Heaven condemn me and may all people abandon me."
"Moreover, this matter can still be guaranteed in the name of the imperial court."
If the imperial court were to act as guarantor, it would be tantamount to staking the national credibility of the Great Qian Dynasty as well.
Jiang Ziya did this to make Xiao Ping'an believe his guarantee even more.
National credibility is intangible and may seem unimportant, but its absence can be quite distressing in many situations.
Xiao Ping'an nodded, not surprised by the answer. If Jiang Ziya wouldn't even agree to such a condition, then he wouldn't have been able to restore the nearly broken Great Qian Dynasty to its current state.
As he extended his second finger, he continued, "Secondly, I have several people by my side, such as Mu Xuanyang, Xiao Yuesheng, and Tao Zhixing. They have followed me for many years, each with their own talents and integrity."
"If, after the Qian army has pacified the four directions, they do not wish to serve as officials or generals in Qian, and no matter where they go—whether they choose to live in seclusion, travel, or go to other dynasties—you, Jiang Ziya, and the Great Qian court must not obstruct or harm them for any reason."
"This matter requires you to swear an oath on behalf of the Jiang clan, on the ancestors of the Great Qian Dynasty, and on the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty."
After so many years of fighting, his men and the Great Qian Dynasty had accumulated countless blood debts, including killing countless members of the opposing royal family. Xiao Ping'an was indeed reluctant to let these men join the Great Qian Dynasty.
At the very least, leave them a way out: if they are willing to join Qian, that's fine; if not, at least let them withdraw in time.
Upon hearing this second condition, Jiang Ziya hesitated.
Mu Xuanyang, Xiao Yuesheng, Tao Zhixing, and others are all top-notch talents, representing the essence of the Great Xuan's literary and martial arts.
Jiang Ziya was equally eager to acquire these talents.
Especially given the current situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it is very likely that Wang Han in the north and Zhu Ming in the south will join forces to invade next year. This is precisely the time when manpower is needed, and Jiang Ziya is indeed reluctant to release such a group of people.
He could even imagine that if he agreed to this request, there was a more than 90% chance that these people would leave Daqian directly.
Moreover, precisely because the two sides have fought for so many years and have formed a deep-seated hatred for each other, they might very well join the Han Dynasty in the north or the Ming Dynasty in the south after leaving the Great Qian Dynasty.
This move is tantamount to adding more difficulty to next year, piling all the problems of this year onto next year.
After a long silence and weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Ziya finally spoke up, “Talented people are hard to find. Their decision to stay or leave should be voluntary. A forced melon is not sweet, and a person who is forced to stay has no heart. If they are determined not to serve our Great Qian, Great Qian can let them and their families leave Qian and go to the four directions.”
"However, the Xuan Lord must also promise my Great Qian that those who leave Qian must not be enemies of my Great Qian again, nor can they defect to Han or Ming."
"This is the bottom line of our Great Qian Dynasty." Don't be fooled by the fact that Wild Wolf Ridge is still putting up a stubborn resistance, and Great Xuan Capital City is also putting up a stubborn resistance, but it is just a last-ditch struggle.
If Jiang Ziya really wanted to, he was absolutely confident that he could easily defeat him, at most it would just take a little more time and result in a few more casualties.
The reason he made this trip was because he saw Xiao Ping'an's status and reputation in Xuandi.
Although Xiao Ping'an seized a large amount of territory from Da Xuan last year, small-scale rebellions continued to occur in the part of the territory where he ruled for the longest time.
During this year's campaign to pacify Xuan, even though the vital forces of Da Xuan had been almost completely wiped out, Zhang Men and Xiao Yuesheng easily rallied large numbers of people.
Therefore, while he could certainly end this with ruthless measures, if he did so, at least three or four regions in the south would not be able to remain peaceful for the next few years.
If that's really the case, then the south next year will not be able to serve as a buffer for the central plains of the Great Qian Dynasty, nor will it be able to become a strategic depth for the core area of the Great Qian Dynasty. So how can it resist the Ming Dynasty?
I fear that while the Great Qian is locked in a bloody battle with the Great Han in the north, Zhu Yuanzhang in the south will easily seize the opportunity to strike at the heart of the enemy with the help of countless rebels.
For Jiang Ziya, for the sake of the future, he could only weigh the pros and cons.
Even if he coveted these talents, under the current circumstances, he had no choice but to agree to Xiao Ping'an's request.
Furthermore, it's not impossible for the Great Qian Dynasty to try and persuade some of these people to voluntarily join the court as officials or generals.
Even if things go wrong, as long as these people don't become enemies of the Great Qian next year, and don't directly join the Han or Ming factions, then it's not necessarily a bad thing!
This is the bottom line for Jiang Ziya and the Daqian Dynasty behind him.
If these people were to join the Han or Ming dynasties next year, Jiang Ziya might as well simply eliminate them all at Wild Wolf Ridge and Da Xuandu City, regardless of the cost.
After all, given their prestige in Xuandi, it would be too easy for them to cause trouble if they wanted to.
"All my ministers and generals must swear an oath on Your Excellency's pure name regarding this matter," Jiang Ziya added.
Just as Xiao Ping'an made him swear an oath in the name of the ancestors of the Great Qian Dynasty, Jiang Ziya also had to make these people swear an oath in Xiao Ping'an's name when they left Qian.
"Okay!" After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Ping'an finally nodded.
"My Lord, Mu, Xiao, and Tao are all great talents in the world. Isn't it a pity that they wander around like this?"
"If they are unwilling to join my Great Qian, I can write a letter recommending them to the Wu and Yu regions!" Seeing Xiao Ping'an nod, Jiang Ziya seemed to have thought of something and immediately spoke up.
If these people could enter the Wu and Yu regions, it would be beneficial to the Great Qian Dynasty, as both the Wu and Yu dynasties are allies of the Great Qian.
Jiang Ziya's strategy was to unite the Yu to control the Ming, and the Wu to control the Han, forming a triangular alliance among the three families of Wu, Qian, and Yu, thereby balancing the alliance between the Han and the Ming.
If we can't be on our side, then we'll be the enemy of our enemy.
However, Xiao Ping'an completely ignored Jiang Ziya's suggestion. After discussing some other minor conditions and details with the other party, he decisively had the guests sent away for the time being.