Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 241 Guangxi Officials Want to Talk

“My lord, let’s talk to the Crown Prince of Han!” In the Guangxi Provincial Administration Office, after a long silence among the five chief officials, it was Commander Zhang, who was in charge of military defense in Guangxi, who spoke first with a troubled expression, breaking the peaceful atmosphere in the office.

"You, surnamed Zhang! You want to negotiate with the traitors!?" Upon hearing Commander Zhang's words, Inspector Liu jumped up from his chair like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He pointed at Commander Zhang with a face full of indignation, his eyes as sharp as if he were looking at a traitor.

"Lord Liu, with the few troops we have left in Guangxi, even if we gathered them all together, it would be a question of whether we could hold a single city! Not to mention that these troops are currently scattered throughout various cities in Guangxi!"
"Just consider this: hundreds of thousands of people live here in Guangxi! We, as their officials, must think of them!" Faced with Inspector Liu's accusations, Commander Zhang also looked distressed. Furthermore, he raised a problem that everyone had to confront: nearly a million people were scattered throughout Guangxi, and if war broke out, innocent civilians would inevitably be the first to suffer heavy casualties!
“Well, we can’t negotiate with rebels either.” The mention of nearly a million common people instantly brought Liu, the Provincial Inspector, to his senses, leaving him speechless. In truth, he was well aware that a million people lived in Guangxi, but the integrity of a scholar made him disdain associating with rebellious traitors.

"My lords, I also suggest that we have a proper talk with the Crown Prince of Han." Seeing that a disagreement had broken out among his own group, leading to a somewhat awkward silence, the Left Provincial Governor Ji spoke up. He stood up, bowed to his superior Yin Shi and several other colleagues, and then began to speak.

"Lord Ji!?" Seeing that even the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner Ji had agreed to peace talks, Inspector Liu was momentarily speechless. He was shocked and stared blankly at the refined-looking Left Provincial Administration Commissioner Ji, not knowing what to say.

"What are your thoughts, Lord Ji?" Yin Shi knew from Ji Zuo's expression that he had something to say. He first stopped Liu Ancha in his next words, and then asked Ji Zuo with great interest. After all, they needed to unite and not fall into chaos in order to resist external enemies!
"Please speak, Lord Ji," said Wang You, the Right Provincial Governor, with a look of great interest.

"Fellow colleagues, firstly, our military strength in Guangxi is currently weak and scattered. The city defenses in various places are basically powerless against the elite soldiers of the Han prince. It can be concluded that we will be defeated in this battle without a doubt!"

Secondly, once we go to war, regardless of who wins or loses, the nearly one million people of Guangxi will be the biggest victims!
Thirdly, I believe there are doubts about the Crown Prince of Han's intention to occupy Guangxi, or even the entire Guangdong and Guangxi region! Ji Zuo, the Provincial Governor, stated his three reasons for agreeing to the peace talks. Furthermore, he clearly told everyone that he believed there were huge problems with the Crown Prince of Han's plan to attack Guangxi and even the Guangdong and Guangxi region!
After hearing his analysis, the other four people in the room nodded in agreement with Governor Ji's words.

"Lord Ji, what do you mean by 'There's doubt about the Han Crown Prince's intention to occupy Guangxi'?" Commander Zhang didn't understand the third point raised by Governor Ji. So, being straightforward, he asked directly. "I don't see any doubt about the Han Crown Prince's intention to conquer Guangxi. Am I stupid?"
"Lord Zhang, gentlemen, please allow me to explain the matter concerning the doubts surrounding the Crown Prince of Han's recent military expedition to Guangdong and Guangxi." Faced with a rough and uncultured man who was willing to listen to reason, Governor Ji Zuo was quite willing to give him a detailed explanation, so he continued to speak.

"Firstly, after the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao raised their armies, the Crown Prince of Han never participated in them. Instead, after Emperor Renzong ascended the throne, he directly led his entire family to Yunnan to assume his fiefdom. This shows that the Crown Prince of Han had no intention of rebelling, at least not before he assumed his fiefdom."
Secondly, if the Crown Prince of Han is now harboring rebellious intentions, then the King of Han and the King of Zhao have already attacked the city of Jinan. As the first heir of the King of Han, and with an army of 100,000, the Crown Prince of Han could simply join the rebel forces of the two kings. This would not only bring him wealth and honor, but also increase the strength of the two kings. Why would he go to such great lengths to lead his troops to attack my Guangdong and Guangxi regions?

Thirdly, the King of Han and the King of Zhao plotted a rebellion, issuing a forged imperial edict to the world. Disregarding Emperor Taizong's mourning period, they directly raised an army, wreaking havoc across the land. However, the Crown Prince of Han wrote to us beforehand, informing us that he intended to lead troops to conquer the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, and that he would only begin his campaign after Emperor Renzong's mourning period ended. Logically, this would have given us ample time to request aid and investigate the cause of the rebellion.

Therefore, this official believes that the Crown Prince of Han is a person with his own opinions, reasonable, and a filial son who cares deeply about the people.

I believe that the Crown Prince of Han must have a reason for launching this military campaign. Otherwise, Guangxi is not the only region bordering Yunnan.

Furthermore, Guangdong does not even border Yunnan, so why did the Crown Prince of Han insist on attacking Guangdong and Guangxi instead of other places?
These are all problems!

Let's talk it out. Only by understanding the causes of these issues can we find a solution! Otherwise, there's no solution!
"If we can understand the cause of the matter through negotiation, even if we compensate the Crown Prince of Han for some losses, as long as we can resolve this crisis without bloodshed, wouldn't that be a great merit?!" Facing his four colleagues, Governor Ji Zuo explained what he considered unreasonable in detail. His words were clear and convincing.

Even though Zhu Zhanhe's 100,000-strong army had reached the border of Guangxi, the Guangxi provincial officials, led by Yin Shi, did not give up. They still wanted to try their best to resolve the issue peacefully. "In that case, let's have a good talk with the Crown Prince of Han." Yin Shi agreed with the analysis of the provincial governor Ji Zuo, so he immediately decided to have a good talk with the Crown Prince of Han.

"I'll go!" Just as Yin Shi decided to talk to the Crown Prince of Han, Liu, the Inspector General, suddenly stepped forward before anyone could react, hoping to meet with the Crown Prince of Han in person to find out the reasons for the Crown Prince's military action and even persuade him to withdraw his troops.

"Lord Liu, I am the Provincial Governor!" Yin Shi objected when he saw that Provincial Governor Liu had taken the initiative to negotiate with the Crown Prince of Han.

After all, the Crown Prince of Han had already amassed a large army to intimidate the border. Even though the two sides hadn't clashed yet, the situation was extremely dangerous. No one knew if the Crown Prince would sacrifice someone to appease his troops! As the local official, he couldn't allow his subordinates to take such a risk!

"It is precisely because you are the commander that I must go!"

"I am the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, in charge of criminal law matters. I must find out the reason why the Crown Prince of Han sent troops." Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Liu did not budge an inch, his eyes fixed on Yin Shi with unwavering determination.

It must be said that although Inspector Liu was a bit impulsive, he was truly a qualified official. For the safety of the local people, he was willing to risk his life to meet with the Crown Prince of Han in the hope of persuading him to withdraw his troops.

“Lord Liu, you and Lord Yin should stop arguing. Let me go,” said Ji Zuo, the provincial governor.

"Wow!!" Wang You, the provincial governor, exclaimed.

"I am the chief official, how can I let you take such a risk?" Yin Shi looked at the officials vying to negotiate with the Crown Prince of Han. Although he didn't know what they were really thinking, as the chief official of Guangxi, he was unwilling to let his subordinates take such a risk.

"My lords, urgent military report!" Just as the five people inside the room were arguing about who should meet with the Crown Prince of Han, the door of the Provincial Administration Office was hurriedly pushed open.

This sudden turn of events startled everyone, and they all turned to look. They saw a soldier carrying a small, sealed wooden tube burst in.

"My lords, an urgent message from Fangchenggang!" The soldier who entered the room knelt down abruptly, holding a tightly sealed, pitch-black letter in both hands, and said to the crowd.

(End of this chapter)