Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 1155 To Fight or to Surrender, the Heir Apparent's Decision

From the Inner Five Dragon Bridge outside the Meridian Gate all the way to the Honglu Temple, Luosuo Tuoli kept thinking: "If you want to nip problems in the bud, you have to make an example of my country, Pegu, as a warning to others?"

How wronged was Bago?

How wronged are the people?

Upon arriving at the Honglu Temple's office, Yang Shaofeng smiled and sat down behind the desk, then pointed to the chair opposite the desk and said, "Please sit down, Your Highness."

Luosuo Tuoli didn't dare to sit down. Instead, he bowed to Yang Shaofeng once again and said in a trembling voice, "Please, Your Highness, save the people of my kingdom of Pegu!"

"The suffering of Ming merchants is not what the people of Pegu wanted. If this leads to war, how wronged the people of Pegu will be!"

"Please, Your Highness, have mercy!"

Yang Shaofeng glanced at Luosuo Tuoli, then pointed to the chair opposite the desk and said in a deep voice, "Sit down and talk."

Rashadari's heart sank, and he finally sat down obediently in the chair.

Yang Shaofeng chuckled and tapped the table lightly with his finger, saying, "The matter of the Kingdom of Pegu has set a bad precedent for all the vassal states in the world. If it is not dealt with severely, I'm afraid the vassal states will become even more unruly and arrogant, and will not obey orders."

Rashadari still tried to struggle in his death throes, but Yang Shaofeng raised his palm and said with a smile, "Your Highness, do not panic. Let me tell you a story."

Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty, he sent an envoy named An Guo Shaoji to Nanyue."

"An Guo Shao Ji first rekindled his old relationship with the Queen Mother of Nanyue, and then persuaded her to submit to the Han Dynasty."

"If the plan is well-planned, An Guo Shao Ji can reunite with the Queen Mother of Nan Yue, and also gain merit by offering up the country, thus preserving Nan Yue."

"Unfortunately, he acted without discretion and was killed by Lü Jia, the prime minister of Nanyue."

"Nanyue was also massacred and divided into nine prefectures."

Luosuo Tuoli's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. The story was correct; the beginning, the process, and the ending were all right. But how could you, Yang Fuma, say the words "was killed by the Prime Minister of Nanyue, Lü Jia" without blushing or panting?

Furthermore, the Han Dynasty sent troops to destroy Nanyue because of An Guo Shao Ji's status as a Han envoy. Even though the Han army arrived at the Nanyue border a few days earlier than An Guo Shao Ji, it still had a "just cause."

The question is, what about those two prominent Ming Dynasty merchants?

Are they envoys from the Ming Dynasty?

Or are you, Prince Consort Yang, planning to reissue official titles and decrees for them as officials of the Ming Dynasty?

Just as Luosuo Tuoli was pondering this, Yang Shaofeng smiled again and said, "Besides An Guo Shao Ji, the Crown Prince must have heard of the stories of Han envoys such as She He, Ban Chao, Fu Jiezi, and Su Wu, and should also have heard of the name Loulan."

Rāsadāli thought to himself, "I've heard of those names far too many times."

She He risked his own life, giving the Han army an excuse to send troops to Wiman Joseon.

Ban Chao assassinated the Xiongnu envoys in the Western Regions, deposed the puppet king of Kucha in Shule, and killed the king of Yanqi. A minor official who started out copying books in Luoyang, he managed to suppress more than fifty kingdoms in the Western Regions.

Fu Jiezi, who was Ban Chao's idol, not only also assassinated a Xiongnu envoy, but also killed King Angui of Loulan in public and threatened him, saying, "The Han army is coming. Do not move. If you do, your country will be destroyed!"

As for Loulan... just because Loulan fled overnight and wasn't destroyed by you Han people, you've been thinking about it for over a thousand years, from the Han to the Tang to the Song, constantly talking about "destroying Loulan," "slaying Loulan," and "breaking Loulan."

So... are you, Prince Consort Yang, planning to add another allusion to "destroy Bogu", "slay Bogu", and "break Bogu"?

Yang Shaofeng smiled and picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile, "Your Highness may not know this, but before I left the palace, the Grand General's Office was already in an uproar. The Duke of Wei, the Duke of E, the Duke of Cao, the Duke of Wei, the Duke of Deng, the Duke of Song, as well as the Marquis of Nan'an and the Earl of Krupp, were all vying for the opportunity to lead troops."

Seeing that Rashadoli's face was ashen, Yang Shaofeng changed the subject and said, "However, the ruler is ultimately kind-hearted and could not bear to see the people of Pegu suffer from the calamity of war, so he entrusted this matter to me to handle."

Luo Suo Tuo Li's heart sank. He quickly stood up again and bowed to Yang Shao Feng, saying, "Please, Your Highness, save Bogu! Save the people of Bogu! Your great kindness and virtue will be forever forgotten by us, your humble servant and the people of Bogu!"

Yang Shaofeng smiled again and pointed to the seat, saying, "See, you're in a hurry again!"

"If I were unwilling to save the Kingdom of Pegu and its people, why would I have come to see the Crown Prince?"

"Your Highness, please sit quietly and peacefully."

Luosuo Tuoli sat down nervously, and Yang Shaofeng continued, "Actually, the way out for the Kingdom of Pegu lies in the story I just told the Crown Prince."

“An Guo Shao Ji was harmed by Lü Jia because of his lack of secrecy.”

"If the Crown Prince can persuade your king to submit to usurpation before the army sets out..."

Luosuo Tuoli's face darkened, but Yang Shaofeng smiled meaningfully and said, "The people of Bago will certainly be judged as criminals, and it will be possible for them to change their household registration to the Ming Dynasty after three generations. However, since the Crown Prince and your father have contributed to the land, the Emperor will certainly reward them with titles and honors."

Yang Shaofeng picked up his teacup again and said earnestly, "Your Highness has been living in the capital for two or three years now, hasn't he?"

"The capital is so prosperous that I need not elaborate."

"Whether one should be a noble duke of the Ming Dynasty or live in a remote and impoverished place, the young master should know the answer."

After a slight pause, Yang Shaofeng added, "Although there's a saying that it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond, there's also a saying in medical school: only those who survive have the right to talk about aftereffects."

As Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, images of the Ming army's expedition and Pegu being plunged into chaos flashed through Luosuo Tuoli's mind, followed by images of the prosperity of the capital and the poverty of Pegu.

Is it a war?

Is it a reduction?

Is it better to become a marquis who has contributed land and then be at the mercy of others?

We should hurry back to Bago and lead the people of Bago to fight the Ming army to the death, striving to become a local emperor in a corner of the country.

If I surrender and give up my territory, how can I face the nearly one million people of Pegu?

If we fight to the death, let alone whether we can defeat the Ming army, even if we can, how should Pegu deal with the punishment of cutting off tribute at the border?

In an instant, a variety of thoughts flashed through Rashadari's mind, and his heart was in complete turmoil.

Yang Shaofeng ignored him and simply sipped his tea.

After a long while, Rashadari asked in a hoarse voice, "May I ask, Your Highness, what about the sinners you mentioned earlier..."

Yang Shaofeng put down his tea and said, "The people of Bago are by no means innocent—where did the bandits get their food and drink while hiding in the Bubeqiang area? It must have been provided by the people of Bubeqiang. If that's the case, how can the people of Bubeqiang be considered innocent?"

Rashadari was still unwilling to give up and asked again, "Even if the people of Bubeqiang are guilty, what about the Kingdom of Pegu...?"

Yang Shaofeng waved his hand again, interrupting Luo Suotuoli, "As the saying goes, when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. If the people of Bubeiqiang commit a crime, the entire kingdom of Bago will naturally protect them."

"Moreover, whether the people of Bago are guilty or not is not up to me to decide, but up to the Great Ming Code."

"Whether to fight or surrender, the Crown Prince shall decide."