bookbashuk Page 1429
Page 1429
"The Grand Marshal requests the presence of the four of you."
News of the Liang dynasty's capture of Tokyo has already spread throughout the Northwest.
The four of them naturally knew that Master Zhong would receive them.
The four men followed the soldiers to the front hall.
Then they saw a man with white hair and beard.
An elderly man with a dignified appearance sat in the hall waiting.
Lu Zhishen saw the seed master,
He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed,
"Lu Da pays his respects to the Grand Marshal."
Master Zhong said in a deep voice.
"You are now a great general of Liang,"
"I cannot accept your generous gift."
Lu Zhishen scratched his head and said, "No matter what,"
"I was once under the command of the Grand Marshal."
Zhong Shizhong nodded and said, "You are a general of the Great Liang."
"I am a general of the Song Dynasty,"
"Since we are enemies, not friends, there's no need to reminisce about the past."
"What brings you here?"
When Lu Zhishen heard Zhong Shizhong say this,
It was also a bit awkward.
He grinned widely.
"To be honest, my lord, Lu Zhishen has come here to inquire about the whereabouts of General Zhong."
Zhong Shizhong also knew that Lu Zhishen had once been his brother's most beloved general.
Hearing this, he frowned and said,
"Although my elder brother was dismissed from his official post by the Song Dynasty,"
"But I will not become a traitor to you,"
"You guys go back."
If an ordinary person said this,
Lu Zhishen would have rushed up and given him a good beating long ago.
However, Zhong Shizhong was his former superior.
He couldn't very well make a move.
Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but look at Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "The world belongs to the virtuous."
"Zhao Ji was immoral and caused chaos throughout the land."
"Our Great Liang acts on behalf of Heaven and rises in accordance with the tide,"
"To wipe out the Song Dynasty is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people."
Zhong Shizhong observed that Lu Zhishen had just seemed to be leaving the decision to Zhao Yuan.
He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Who are you?"
Zhao Yuan didn't hide anything and laughed.
"I am Zhao Yuan, the King of Liang."
Upon hearing this, Master Zhong
He couldn't help but stand up.
After a pause,
Staring at Zhao Yuan,
"Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you and use you to replace my emperor?"
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Although I come from a martial arts background,"
"But I've also heard of the formidable reputation of the Zhong family generals,"
"That's why I came in person, to show my sincerity."
Chapter 1723 Dilemma
"It's just that we can't reach an agreement,"
"The Zhong family generals probably won't arrest me, an envoy from Liang, right?"
Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's words, Zhong Shizhong...
Only then did he sit down.
"The King of Liang has great courage, which Zhong Shizhong admires."
As he spoke, he stretched out his arm.
Pointing to the seats on both sides,
"Please have a seat."
Zhao Yuan didn't stand on ceremony.
The master of the seed-bow clasped his hands in greeting.
He then sat down on the left.
Zhong Shizhong thought for a moment,
"The King of Liang has come from afar,"
"They probably want to persuade my brother to submit to the Great Liang,"
"Then, let's use my brother's prestige in the Western Army to incorporate them into our forces?"
Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "To be honest, my lord, that is exactly what I meant."
Zhong Shizhong shook his head and said, "My Zhong family has been military generals in the Song Dynasty for generations."
“My brother will never submit to you.”
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "The Song Dynasty has only been established for a little over a hundred years."
"The Zhong family has only served as officials in the Song Dynasty for a few generations."
"Your ancestors must have served as officials in the previous dynasty,"
"In the end, he changed allegiance and became a subject of the Song Dynasty."
"No family would be willing to die alongside a dynasty, would it?"
Zhao Yuan said this,
But it struck precisely at the heart of the enemy's weakness.
If it were just him alone
He could then decisively reject any proposal from Daliang.
However, behind him is the vast Zhong family.
Therefore, he dared not make decisions lightly.
Zhong Shizhong retorted, "Although you have captured Tokyo,"
"But most of the prefectures and counties in the country were still in the hands of Song Dynasty officials,"
"It is still unknown who will win and who will lose."
"Perhaps it's not about being buried alive, but about revitalization?"
Zhao Yuan smiled and asked, "I wonder if Emperor Huizong's decree has reached you, sir?"
Zhong Shizhong shook his head and said, "Does the King of Liang mean an imperial edict ordering us to submit to the Great Liang?"
Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "That's right."
Zhong Shizhong said, "I received it a couple of days ago, but Tokyo has fallen into your hands."
"I'm afraid this imperial edict is also a forgery, isn't it?"
Zhao Yuan naturally knew that this was a pretext used by the military commander to refuse to accept the imperial decree.
"What if I bring Zhao Ji here?"
"Let him deliver the decree to you personally,"
Are you going to answer or not?
Upon hearing this, Master Zhong
I couldn't help but be stunned.
He could claim that the imperial edict was forged.
He couldn't very well say that the emperor was a fake, could he?
They were all officials appointed by the imperial court personally by Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji).
If anyone dared to say that Zhao Ji was a fake emperor,
Wouldn't that make them traitors and rebels as well?
After thinking for a while, Zhong Shizhong said, "My emperor unfortunately fell into your hands."
"We will not yield. Why would we personally hand over our ancestral land to you?"
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Both he and his son have been captured by me."
"Even if the Song imperial family still exists in this world,"
"I'm afraid it's been countless generations of collateral blood."
"You said he would save their lives,"
"Or should we let some distant relatives inherit his empire?"
Upon hearing this, Master Zhong
I was stunned again.
Zhao Yuan looked at the seed master.
"Are you truly loyal to Emperor Huizong of Song?"
"Or do they want to take this opportunity to amass an army and declare themselves independent?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Shizhong hurriedly replied, "My Zhong family has been loyal and virtuous for generations."
"How could they possibly hold military power and declare independence?"
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Then why didn't you accept the imperial decree?"
Upon hearing this, Master Zhong
He was speechless again.
Although he would not establish his own regime with an army
But if he were to accept the imperial decree...
He was unwilling.
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "If you're not going to establish your own independent regime with your own troops,"