In the dimly lit and quiet corridors of the palace, the guards stood in inconspicuous corners. The leading eunuch carried a warm yellow lantern, guiding Qin Hui through the familiar paths of the early morning, past the long streets and through the palace walls. The cool air, carried by the gentle breeze, made it all the more poignant. Search: \(¨Complete¨Book¨God¨Station¨) to read high-quality literature for free.

Inside the diligent government hall of the inner palace, lights shone through the summer curtains, illuminating the flowers and plants in the night garden. After the eunuch went in to report, Qin Hui was summoned. A large map hung on the wall of the side hall. Emperor Zhou Yong slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the map, his head tilted back. After Qin Hui paid his respects, Zhou Yong rose from his chair and turned towards him.

Holding the transmitted intelligence report in his hand, the Emperor's face was pale and weary.

"Qin Qing, the news from Zhenjiang... has arrived."

"Your subject... already knows."

"Oh." Zhou Yong nodded, not surprised, but his face was mournful. "Jun Wu is injured. My太子... defended Zhenjiang to the death, refusing to retreat. After the city was betrayed by traitors, he rushed about for the sake of the people, seeking to save innocent civilians. How magnificent! This is true benevolence and righteousness! My太子... is second to none!"

"太子's benevolence is a blessing for the people," said Qin Hui.

Zhou Yong waved his hand, "But Zhenjiang has still fallen. Qin Qing, you were right. Since Wanyan Xiyin was determined to attack Zhenjiang, it means he had a foolproof plan. Haha, a foolproof plan! It was to collude with those traitors! To have them open the city gates and let them in! Yesterday evening...太子 was injured. And now, look, the entire city is probably rising up. A foolproof plan, Qin Qing..."

Zhou Yong paused, "Tell me, what should we do?"

Qin Hui was silent for a moment. Zhou Yong looked at him, slapping the letter on the table, "Speak. Qin Qing, if the Wu dynasty falls and Lin'an is captured, can you escape? Outside Lin'an... Wanyan Wushu's forces have been circling outside Lin'an for four months! He just won't attack the city, he's waiting for Zhenjiang's foolproof plan! You're not talking, have you surrendered to the Jurchens, are you going to sell me out!?"

Zhou Yong's voice was shrill, his saliva mixed with tears, his emotions clearly out of control. Qin Hui stood with his head lowered, waiting until Zhou Yong had finished speaking for a while, then slowly cupped his hands and knelt down.

"Your subject begs Your Majesty to forgive a crime that cannot be pardoned."

"Hiding things... is a crime that cannot be pardoned!"

"Your old subject is foolish. My previous plans have always had oversights, which Your Majesty has protected me from, allowing me to linger in the court until now. Therefore, although I had some feelings earlier, I dared not speak rashly. However, at this time of collapse, some inappropriate words must be spoken to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, upon receiving the news today, your old subject... couldn't help but think of Tang Qinshou during the Jingkang Disaster, and felt a sense of sorrow from within..."

Qin Hui prostrated himself on the ground, his voice choking as he spoke, unable to hold back his tears. Zhou Yong was also moved, his eyes slightly red, and waved his hand, "Speak!"

"What your old subject will say next is treasonous and humiliating to the nation, but... the world and the situation in Lin'an, Your Majesty also understands. Wanyan Xiyin's desperate attack on Zhenjiang is to put pressure on Lin'an with the situation in Zhenjiang. He had a foolproof plan in Zhenjiang because he had secretly mobilized all parties of traitors to cooperate with the Jurchen army. Your Majesty, now that he has broken Zhenjiang in three days, and太子殿下 is seriously injured, how many people in the capital will collude with him, I'm afraid... no one can say for sure..."

As he spoke, Zhou Yong nodded, "I understand, I can guess..."

Qin Hui paused, "This is the fourth time the Jin dogs have come south, for the purpose of breaking through Lin'an and destroying my Wu dynasty, recreating the Jingkang Disaster. Your Majesty, to be timid before the enemy appears is a great taboo in military affairs, but given the situation in Lin'an, your old subject only feels that when the Jurchens attack the city, my Wu dynasty... I'm afraid there will be no way to recover."

As he said this, he knocked his head heavily on the ground. Zhou Yong looked dazed and nodded, "Speak, say everything."

"The situation is critical, the collapse is imminent. If you do not want to repeat the Jingkang Disaster, your old subject believes that there is only one strategy that can preserve a glimmer of hope for my Wu dynasty in this situation. This strategy... others care about their reputation and dare not speak乱, but at this time, your old subject must say it... I ask that we negotiate for peace."

Qin Hui's words were generous yet calm. In fact, this idea was not surprising, and Zhou Yong was not surprised - in fact, even if Qin Hui proposed an even more bizarre idea, he would not be surprised at this time - and nodded in response, "In this situation, how can we negotiate?"

In the palace at dawn, everything seemed quiet. The wind blew the curtains, and Qin Hui said, "Your subject will never underestimate the ferocity of the Jurchens. If there were only Jin and Wu in this world, negotiating for peace would be a dead end, but there is still the Black Flag Army in this world, which has become a glimmer of hope for peace, but only a glimmer of hope. On the other hand, if we had chosen to negotiate for peace a few months ago, it would have been tantamount to surrendering without a fight, Your Majesty's prestige would have been damaged, and the Wu dynasty would have been filled with resentment, but given the current situation, your subject believes that there will be no shortage of those who can understand the situation and have the same ideas as your subject."

He said, "Zhenjiang has been defeated,太子 is injured, and Lin'an is in danger. At this time, accepting the Jurchens' negotiation conditions, ceding thousands of miles west of Xiangfan, is a last resort. Your Majesty, now we can only gamble on the weight of the Black Flag Army in the eyes of the Jurchens. No matter what humiliating conditions are accepted, as long as the Jurchens are fighting the Black Flag in the southwest, my Wu dynasty's reign will eventually be preserved. The Jin Kingdom and the Black Flag are both fierce tigers in the world. A desperate blow will result in mutual destruction. Even if one side is defeated, the other side will inevitably be severely injured. My dynasty has Your Majesty sitting in charge, and the太子 is wise. As long as we can give the太子 more time, the Wu dynasty... will have hope of revitalization."

Zhou Yong was silent for a moment, "Negotiating for peace at this time is indeed a desperate move, but... the Jin Kingdom are wolves and tigers. He has captured Zhenjiang and has the upper hand. How can he give up? At the beginning of the year, he said that I should cede thousands of miles of land and kill General Han to appease the Jin people. Now that I am at a disadvantage and seek peace, how can the Jin people be satisfied with this? How can this peace... be negotiated?"

Zhou Yong was afraid, and he had thought of many terrible things. If the Jin Kingdom could swallow the entire Wu dynasty, why would it retreat and seek second best? He asked this question, and Qin Hui's answer came immediately.

"Your Majesty's concerns are very reasonable, but the response is actually simple." He said, "The Jin people want to destroy my Wu dynasty and recreate the Jingkang Disaster. The real core of this matter lies in Your Majesty. If the Jin people really capture Your Majesty, then my Wu dynasty may be destroyed. But as long as Your Majesty is not captured, how much time can the Jin people stay in my Wu dynasty? As long as we are strong, the Jin people will have to choose to compromise."

As Qin Hui said this, Zhou Yong's eyes lit up slightly, "You mean..."

"Your Majesty, even if this matter is said more seriously, it is nothing more than another search of the mountains and seas. Your Majesty only needs to go to sea from the Qiantang River. After that, take care of your health. No matter where you go, my Wu dynasty still exists. In addition, many things can be agreed to the Jurchens as appropriate, but even if we exhaust our resources, as long as we can send the Jurchen troops to the southwest, my Wu dynasty will have a chance to revitalize. But this matter is humiliating and bears a heavy burden, Your Majesty may have to bear some infamy, your subject... is guilty."

Zhou Yong's eyes became lively, his heart was restless, and he was silent for a long time, murmuring, "Temporary infamy, I don't mind, as long as Jun Wu has a chance to revitalize this world..."

Qin Hui was still kneeling there, "The safety of太子殿下 is also of paramount importance at this time. In the opinion of your old subject, although the prince has a heart of benevolence, the son of a thousand gold should not sit under a dangerous eaves. The prince is running around for the people, which is a blessing for the people of the world, but the close ministers around the prince have failed to fulfill their duties as ministers... Of course, since the prince is not in danger of life, this is a small matter, but the prince has won the hearts of the people and is staying in the north. Your old subject is afraid that he will also become a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh of the Jurchens. If Xiyin is determined to get rid of the prince first, your subject is afraid that after the defeat of Zhenjiang, the morale of the soldiers around the prince will be low, and it will be difficult to withstand Xiyin's elite attack..."

"That's right, that's right..." Zhou Yong thought for a while and nodded, murmuring, "Xiyin attacked Zhenjiang because he bribed people in the Zhenjiang garrison, I'm afraid more than one or two, there may still be... cannot let him stay in the front, I have to let him come back."

"Your subject is afraid that the prince is brave and unwilling to return."

"I'll make him come back if I tell him to come back!" Zhou Yong roared, but after a while, his eyes trembled, "If he really doesn't come back..."

"The only glimmer of hope is still on Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty leaves Lin'an, Xiyin will eventually understand that the Jin Kingdom cannot destroy my Wu dynasty. At that time, he needs to retain his strength to attack the southwest and will not start another war. My Wu dynasty's bargaining chips are also in this matter. And even if the prince stays in the front, it is not a bad thing. With the prince's brave nature, Xiyin may believe in my Wu dynasty's determination to resist. At that time... maybe he will stop when he sees the good."

"Ah... I have to leave after all..." Zhou Yong nodded suddenly.

Qin Hui, who was kneeling on the ground, straightened his upper body. His previous words were calm, and only now could he see that his righteous and resolute face was full of tears. He clasped his hands and kowtowed again, his voice choked.

"Your Majesty! Everything your subject said before remained between words, but it was just a series of treasonous words, but if it were really done, my Wu dynasty's prestige would be swept away, the temple would be overthrown, the country would be shaken, and it would be difficult to express our grief... As a subject, your old subject really does not want to say these words..."

He cried loudly, "If possible, what your old subject has dreamed of is that my Wu dynasty can move forward, can open up new territories, can go to the land of the Jin people, invade their land, and destroy their country—my Wu dynasty has reached this point, your old subject is guilty, I deserve to die ten thousand times, I deserve to die, I deserve to die..."

He wailed and cried, his head kowtowing, again and again... Zhou Yong couldn't help but cover his mouth and cry, then came over to hold Qin Hui's shoulders and pulled him up, "It's my fault! It's... it's the fault of those treacherous officials before! It's Zhou Zhe's fault, a昏君, a treacherous minister... Cai Jing and Tong Guan are all... it's my fault, I deeply regret that I couldn't use Qin Qing's strategy to break the southwest..."

Dawn had not yet arrived. In the palace at night, the two monarchs supported each other and wept, and decided on a response. Zhou Yong said to Qin Hui, "At this point, only Qin Qing can speak these unpleasant words to me without hesitation, but this matter involves a great deal, Qin Qing should preside over the planning for me and explain the stakes to everyone..."

This was not a plan that could gain a good reputation. Zhou Yong's eyes stared at him, and Qin Hui's eyes did not reveal the slightest escape. He solemnly cupped his hands and knelt down heavily.

"For the sake of the Wu dynasty, your subject is willing to bear this infamy, and is willing to be Your Majesty's vanguard, to give my all until my dying day—"

Not long after, in the refreshing morning, a hazy light appeared on the horizon. When the people of Lin'an got up, the Emperor, who had not shown a good face for a long time, summoned Zhao Ding and other ministers into the palace to announce his idea and decision to negotiate for peace.

The imperial study in the early morning was in chaos. After understanding all the meanings of what the Emperor said and failing to refute them, some officials cursed at those who supported the peace talks, and Zhao Ding pointed at Qin Hui, hysterically: "Qin Hui, you old fool, I knew you were narrow-minded and have been planning for the southwest until now. You want to destroy the Wu dynasty and its orthodoxy. Don't you know that this peace talk, even if it is just the beginning of negotiations, will be the same as the Wu dynasty's demise! Millions of soldiers on the Yangtze River will die at the hands of the bandits! You rebellious and thieving son, tell me, have you been in secret communication with the Jurchens and have been preparing for this—"

Qin Hui pointed at Zhao Ding and cursed: "Negotiating for peace is a thief, and advocating war is a loyal minister! You are all moths who harm the country, for the sake of your loyalty, you don't care that my Wu dynasty is so weak! Talking about the southwest! Two years ago, when the troops were sent to the southwest, if it weren't for you people who interfered and couldn't go all out, why is it like this today? You only know how to fight in the court, and you only care about a few thin names behind you, you are narrow-minded, selfish, and self-serving! If I, Qin Hui, were not for the sake of the world, why would I come out to bear this infamy! As for you people, I don't know how many of you have ulterior motives and are in private communication with the Jurchens, stand up—"

The two sides cursed each other, and later, Zhao Ding rushed up and started fighting. The imperial study was a mess. Zhou Yong sat in his chair, watching all this with a gloomy face.

The messenger had already left the palace and headed to the Qiantang River pier, which was inevitable in the city. Soon after, the Jurchen envoy who had traveled day and night would arrive in Lin'an with his head held high.

At Chen hour (7-9 AM), soft white clouds floated in the sky, and a gentle breeze was blowing. The carriage passed from the streets of Lin'an to the palace. Zhou Pei lifted the curtain and looked at the shops on both sides of the road that were still open, and the residents in the city were walking on the streets, starting their daily routine as usual.

The morning of April 28th, this was Zhou Pei's last memory of Lin'an.

More than three hundred miles away, Jun Wu was still asleep in the tent of the military camp. He had completed his transformation and did not feel fear in his endless dreams. Two days later, he would wake up from his coma, but everything would be beyond recovery.

An avalanche-like chaos was about to begin...

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