Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 202 Negotiation: Unconditional Surrender
"It's just about breaking the city. I have a clever plan."

Li Chengqian's mouth curled up slightly. He had a magical weapon that could break through the city.

The danger of Ueno Castle is far less than that of Goguryeo's mountain castle.

Homemade explosives have now become a must-have item in Li Chengqian's army. Naturally, he carried a lot of them when he went to war, but they had never been used before and there was no place for them to be used.

"Your Highness, if this is the case, and if the plan of feigning surrender doesn't work, then why don't we try another method and trick the city into surrendering?"

Futu Daochen's eyes rolled, and the evil plan came to his mind again. He had a lot of evil ideas.

Although it is impossible to seize the entire country by falsely surrendering, it is not completely impossible to defraud a city or a place.

This kind of practice can also be called the art of warfare, and it can be accepted as long as it does not cross the bottom line of war history.

After all, there is a difference in nature between killing enemy soldiers and slaughtering innocent civilians.

To rob a city is a military strategy, to cheat a country is immoral.

"Pretend to surrender to Ueno Castle. I think this is feasible. Why not send an envoy to persuade them to surrender? Under such heavy pressure, the Japanese pirates may really surrender."

Heichi Changzhi nodded, indicating his agreement with Futu Daochen's proposal.

Just as they were discussing, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the central army tent. Wu Xing hurriedly walked into the tent and reported:
"Your Highness, General, an envoy from Ueno Castle has arrived and is waiting outside the camp. Do you want to receive him?"

It was like someone brought a pillow just when I wanted to doze off. Even Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

It seems that these Japanese pirates can't hold on any longer.

The three of them looked at each other, smiled knowingly, then turned around and took their seats.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said loudly: "Please pass it in. We will meet the messenger for a while."

A moment later, Mao Ye Zhizi walked in under the guidance of Wu Xing.

"The Japanese envoy Mao Ye Zhizi pays homage to the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire!"

Mao Yezhizi was very humble and bowed to Li Chengqian.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. General Maoye seems to be in high spirits."

Seeing this old acquaintance, Li Chengqian couldn't help but tease him.

There is something in the words.

Mao Ye Zhizi's mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but think of his experience in Baekje.

"Your Majesty, I am confused. Why did Your Majesty break your promise?"

Mao Ye Zhizi asked, trying to take the initiative and lower the price.

"His Royal Highness once said that we have one year to submit a letter of surrender to His Royal Highness, otherwise we will attack you."

"But why is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince massacring the people of Japan? We haven't even arrived at the Imperial Capital to report the situation to the Emperor, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already led his army to kill us. Isn't this a breach of trust with Japan and the world?"

"Your Highness is the heir to the throne of the Celestial Empire. Your words are as good as gold. If you don't keep your word, how can you convince the people? I ask your Highness to consider the overall situation and withdraw the troops. The Japanese surrender letter will be delivered to us. The whole Japanese nation is willing to be commanded by you, Your Highness."

"Now, Your Highness, when you raise your sword, are you nothing more than beheading your own subjects?"

Mao Yezhizi was a silver-tongued man. He not only had outstanding military talent, but also had a good mouth.

After all the words, they were all considering Li Chengqian.

It seems impossible to refute.

Before I knew it, I really thought I had done something wrong.

However, there was always a faint smile on Li Chengqian's lips.

Like a mockery.

"You're such a good mouth, what a pity, you're a Japanese!"

Li Chengqian spoke leisurely only after Mao Yezhizi finished speaking.

"First, I did say that if you don't submit to the letter of surrender, I will definitely attack you in a year, but I didn't say that I won't attack you during this period of time?"

Being a rogue is the best way to restrain those who are reasonable.

"Secondly, the art of war is something you will never understand even if you study it for hundreds of years. To put it bluntly, I let you go because I didn't know the safe route to Japan."

"You may call yourself a smart person, but in fact you are extremely stupid. Don't try to be clever in front of me. Now Japan can only be slaughtered by me."

"Remember, it is me who is making the conditions, not you. Put away your pathetic pride."

Li Chengqian scolded, exuding domineering aura, and he always controlled the aura.

"Your Highness, I am also thinking about Your Highness. If I do this, Your Highness will be put in a place of distrust."

"The Celestial Empire has always said that without trust, there is no foundation. Setting up a tree is a sign of trust. Your Highness the Crown Prince will be the ruler of all dynasties in the future, so how can you be without trust?"

Mao Yezhizi was still making excuses.

"It seems that you know a lot about the culture of our Celestial Empire, but you only know one side of it and not the other."

"This palace is kind-hearted. Let me tell you another wise saying: history is written by the victors. Loyalty, righteousness, courtesy, faith, and justice can be redefined."

"The faith you believe in is not the faith I define!"

Li Chengqian replied strongly, Han culture is extensive and profound.

Only the winner has the final say.

Mao Yezhizi's momentum was suppressed and he could not win the argument.

Not to mention the strength.

I thought Li Chengqian would be bound by trust and loyalty, but that was not the case.

The feeling that Li Chengqian gave to Mao Yezhizi was that he was both good and evil, hard to see through, as if he was staring into the abyss.

"Let's get back to the point. Tell me why you're here, or I'll have to ask you to leave."

Li Chengqian seemed to have run out of patience and spoke unhappily.

"May I ask, Your Highness, how can we withdraw our troops?"

The situation was stronger than the people, and with Li Chengqian being extremely clear-headed, Mao Yezhizi could not reverse the disadvantages by his own strength.

We can only let Li Chengqian set the price.

"Withdrawal, it is impossible to withdraw the troops. This palace does not want a vassal state."

Li Chengqian spoke, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince means there is no room for negotiation!"

Mao Yezhizi's previous respectful attitude also disappeared at this moment, replaced by a cold tone.

"It's you who should discuss this, not me!"

Li Chengqian stood up and spread his hands.

"Humph, my country of Japan is now mobilized as a military force. If Your Highness the Crown Prince insists on having his own way, then this may be the place where Your Highness the Crown Prince is buried."

Mao Ye Zhizi was not willing to be outdone. He asked for surrender in order to avoid unnecessary losses. Japan was not yet in a situation where it was completely desperate and could not withstand a fight.

"How dare you, a defeated general, talk about courage?"

Futu Daochen on the side slammed the table and stood up, angrily speaking.

Mao Ye Zhizi and Azumi Hirafu were captured alive by this trick.

Mao Yezhizi also heard the voice and looked over, hatred revealed in his eyes.

"Whether you are brave or not, you will know it only after you fight. Don't think that you are really sure of victory. You are already running low on food and grass. We only need to defend Ueno Castle and hold you back. Then you will have no choice but to retreat."

Mao Yezhizi said confidently that they also had a way to defeat the enemy, but the cost was very high.

That is, most of the Japanese area will be slaughtered by the Tang army.

The number of personnel was halved. "Then please go back. Soon, I will lead the army to the city. If you don't surrender, I will kill you all to prevent future troubles."

Li Chengqian issued an order to expel the guest. In negotiations, one cannot be led by the other party.

You have to take the initiative to get what you want.

"Your Highness, you need to know that we sincerely want to negotiate. If we continue the war, it will not be good for us. Cooperation is beneficial to both sides. Otherwise, even if Your Highness can break the city, we will definitely suffer heavy losses under our desperate resistance."

Negotiation is a process of bargaining, and Mao Ye Zhizi can only speak realistically.

Li Chengqian fell into deep thought, seemingly unable to make a decision.

"Okay, we can talk, but I want to see your sincerity. When you return, Ueno Castle will immediately open its gates and surrender."

The fish has been hooked, it's time to reel it in.

"Your Highness, I am only a subject. I still need to report my reply to the Emperor. It may take half a month before the letter of surrender can be presented."

Mao Yezhizi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Li Chengqian agreed, there would be a way forward.

"Half a month?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and smiled.

"Your delaying tactic is too ingenious. Don't think I don't know that you are continuously sending reinforcements to Ueno Castle. If the gates of Ueno Castle are not opened within three days, I will launch a general attack and break the city myself."

They all have their own calculations against each other, and the Japanese pirates will not be stupid enough to sit and wait for death.

"For such a major event, we must report it to His Majesty the Emperor."

Mao Ye Zhizi tried to evade the request again, saying that time was very important to them.

First, it can continuously increase reinforcements.

The second is that it can consume the food and grass of the Tang army.

"No, you may have misunderstood. What I want to accept now is Ueno Castle, not Japan."

Li Chengqian no longer gave Mao Yezhizi the opportunity to pass the buck.

If they want to delay, I will definitely not let them get their way. The initiative is in our hands.

Beads of cold sweat the size of beans slid down Mao Yezhizi's cheeks. He was too difficult to deal with.

I have always been led by Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, this matter is not for me to decide. If Ueno Castle surrenders without the Emperor's permission, it will be treason."

"Why not give us ten days to report the situation and then accept the surrender."

Even if Japan is forced to surrender, it must have certain countermeasures.

After all, Li Chengqian was too murderous, so it was not impossible for him to be killed.

This was already something they all expected.

They can accept surrender, but Japan definitely still wants military autonomy.

To put it bluntly, they wanted to become a vassal state just like paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty.

More conditions can be added, but it cannot completely become a puppet state, otherwise it will be the same as destroying the country.

"After three days, if your commander does not leave the city and surrender, I will destroy the city and leave no one alive in Ueno."

We can't give the Japanese pirates too much time to prepare.

Maoye Zhizi couldn't help swallowing his saliva. He knew that Li Chengqian was not just talking. If Ueno Castle was unfortunately breached.

That would have been a horrific massacre.

"It was previously rumored that the Crown Prince Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty was benevolent and loved the people. Now it seems that was a big mistake. I never thought he was such a cruel person. Your Highness, if you don't curb your murderous intent, you will definitely become a tyrant."

Seeing that there was no room for maneuver, Mao Ye Zhizi no longer chose to endure.

"Haha, being kind to the enemy is the greatest cruelty to yourself. My kindness is for my subjects, not you, Japan."

"That's all I have to say. Go back and tell the people who can make the decision that in three days, I will lead the army to attack the city. It's up to you to decide whether to surrender or die."

Li Chengqian threatened without any disguise, as if for him, capturing Ueno Castle was as easy as taking something out of a bag.

"If Shanye City surrenders, Your Highness, can you guarantee the safety of all soldiers and civilians? Will there be no incidents of killing prisoners of war and civilians?"

Mao Yezhizi asked, as long as there was even a slight possibility, they were unwilling to waste time with Li Chengqian any longer.

This involves national strength. Li Chengqian has the support of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla.

Even if this attack is repelled, Li Chengqian can still make a comeback.

If we fight a few more times, the Japanese will be defeated.

Therefore, reconciliation and admitting defeat is the best and only solution.

But they also had concerns, that is, Li Chengqian loved to kill prisoners of war.

More than 10,000 personal soldiers of Goguryeo's peerless general Su Wen were killed by Li Chengqian.

Before that, the 3,000 captured Japanese pirates were also sunk into the river.

How can we not be wary of cases like this?

"I promise you now, do you believe it?"

Li Chengqian laughed in silence. He had no credibility at all now.

If a person breaks his promise once, he will be labeled.

"Whether to kill or not, you can only gamble. Any guarantee I give you is based on your belief."

"But you also know that if you don't surrender, you will be massacred after the city is captured."

"After you surrender, there is still a chance that you will not be massacred."

Li Chengqian did not give a direct answer, but gave the choice to Mao Yezhizi.

Not to mention any preferential treatment, even the basic right to survival is not clearly stated.

"I will convey your Highness' words to our general truthfully."

Indeed, this negotiation result did not meet Mao Ye Zhizi's expectations.

Li Chengqian's eyes were bright as he watched the wild hairy boy slowly retreat.

It was as if telling the Japanese pirates that they were sure to be defeated.

"This Japanese pirate really has bad intentions. He wants to use the opportunity of peace talks to delay us."

Futu Daochen also saw the purpose of Mao Yezhizi's mission.

"Your Highness, since these pirates do not want to surrender, then we should launch an attack. Otherwise, the longer we delay, the more reinforcements will come to Ueno Castle. We should take advantage of the fact that they have not yet recovered and their morale is low, and break into the city and kill them."

Black Tooth Changzhi said.

The fact that Mao Ye Zhizi is now on a diplomatic mission also shows that the people in Ueno Castle have no confidence in withstanding the frontal attack of the Tang army.

That's why we have the current delaying tactic.

"Wuxing, go and fetch some trucks of Thunderbolts. It is time for me to see off my old friend Mao Ye Zhizi."

"General Blacktooth, organize the troops and prepare to attack the city."

Li Chengqian gave the order decisively and started fighting.

Not long after Mao Yezhizi left, the entire Tang army camp began to become restless.

Smoke rises, and people make fire to cook.

(End of this chapter)