Chapter 428: Qingzhou Hou is in a dilemma

Moreover, with Xiao Han’s arrogance and domineering behavior, once he sits on the throne, the Marquis of Qingzhou may not be able to protect himself.

The reason for their alliance over the years is not because they share the same ideals, but simply because they each get what they need.

The Marquis of Qingzhou wanted to expand his power under the suppression of the imperial court, and Xiao Han also needed to support a shield to contain the imperial court, so the two hit it off.

Soon Xiao Han no longer needed a shield, and the imperial court no longer needed to continue suppressing the Marquis of Qingzhou, because their common enemy was Xiao Han.

The Duke of Qingzhou, who knew that a cunning rabbit would be killed and his running dogs would be cooked, could not just watch himself fail. He had to give it a try.

He had no choice but to take advantage of the situation, so he secretly formed an alliance with the court.

However, Xiliang was too powerful, and he did not dare to turn against the King of Xiliang for the time being.

“What do you think I should do?”

The Marquis of Qingzhou swept his deep gaze over them and said in a deep voice, “I think the envoys from Xiliang are most likely here to warn me.”

“We will continue to form an alliance with Xiliang and turn our love to the imperial court to fight against Xiliang together.”

It is an extremely difficult decision. If you make the wrong choice, the outcome will most likely be the destruction of your family.

“this.”

The members of the Happiness Sect in the hall looked at each other, and no one dared to stand up and speak.

“My Lord, Xiliang is a group of fierce soldiers, and Xiliang King Xiao Han is even more fierce. We need to be on our guard at all times when cooperating with them.”

Finally, it was Lu Yun, the chief clerk of the Qingzhou Marquis’ Mansion, who spoke up: If the prince continues to cooperate with Xiliang and continues the previous years’ transactions, Qingzhou will gain a lot of benefits. “

“But if we turn against them and join Cai Ting now, Qingzhou will become the front line against the eleven states of Xiliang.”

Lu Yun’s face was solemn: “In this case, Qingzhou will inevitably suffer from the war, and the court will just have to hide behind and provide some money and food.”

“This is still good. If the emperor is cruel, he will just sit on the sidelines and wait for Xiliang and Qingzhou to be defeated. Then we will be powerless to counterattack.

In today’s world, chaos has already occurred, and all that matters is profit. I dare to speak out, but at this moment, we must not break off relations with Xiliang, and we must not turn to the imperial court.”

Lu Yun’s words hit the nail on the head for Marquis Qingzhou. He was by no means a fool with no strategy or wisdom. The Marquis Qingzhou’s methods were extremely clever as he was able to turn Qingzhou into an iron plate.

Based on his understanding of the emperor, he was willing to sit on the sidelines and watch the fire unfold.

But he had other concerns.

“I know exactly what you said, but if we continue to form an alliance with Xiliang, what if Xiao Han completely conquers the five states in the northern border in three to five years, and then hundreds of thousands of elite troops march south?”

The Marquis of Qingzhou spoke, his tone mixed with helplessness and bitterness.

In troubled times, the strong become stronger and the weak become weaker.

“My Lord, haven’t you heard that long sleeves are good at dancing and can get along with everyone?”

Lu Yun continued, “We cannot offend the King of Xiliang, and the court also needs to make some moves, but Qingzhou is extremely important to both Xiliang and the court.”

“No matter whether it is the arrogant and domineering King of Xiliang or the shrewd and calculating Emperor, neither of them will offend the Marquis easily.”

“Qingzhou’s elite army of more than 100,000 people, whether they completely turn to Xiliang or the imperial court, is something they don’t want to see.”

“So the best way right now is to remain neutral, so that they can only win over Qingzhou and the Marquis.”

“Your Majesty can even take this opportunity to increase trade with Xiliang, and at the same time secretly ask Haoting for food and supplies.”

Lu Yun had a very thorough understanding of the situation. Qingzhou’s geographical location was so important that it was the only way for Xiliang to go south, and it was also the gateway to the imperial court and a barrier against Xiliang.
If one is good at maneuvering, he may be able to maneuver between Xiliang and the imperial court.

Qingzhou Hou thought for a moment and decided to adopt this method. There was really no better way out.

“My Lord, if you want the King of Xiliang to believe you, I’m afraid you’ll have to sacrifice the imperial messenger.”

A cold and murderous look appeared on Lu Yun’s face. “I’ll leave it to you.”

“Come on, keep playing the music and keep dancing.”

The Marquis of Qingzhou waved his hand, and the sadness on his face disappeared. A graceful girl wrapped in gauze came into the hall and danced gracefully. The sounds of flutes and Xiaos echoed, lingering in the air for a long time.

“huhu”

“huhu”

The snow was pouring down and spreading endlessly. The entire Qingzhou city was submerged in the snow. The towering city walls stood in the wind and snow. On the top of the city, there were rows of soldiers. Three of the four gates were closed and only one was open.

Moreover, since the gate opened in the morning, soldiers have been guarding the north gate and no one is allowed to enter or leave. Many citizens or vendors who want to enter or leave the city gathered in the distance to watch.

“No one is allowed to enter or leave this gate today. Everyone go away.”

The soldier in heavy armor had an indifferent expression on his face and shouted at the crowd around him, and the soldiers under his command also followed suit to disperse the crowd.

“what happened?”

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Outside the city, a merchant who was in a hurry to enter the city asked, the other three gates were closed, only the North Gate was open, people coming and going from the south and the north gathered at the North Gate, but now no one was allowed to enter or exit the North Gate.

“have no idea.

The clerk went to ask someone nearby, and soon came back jogging, wiping the sweat off his face: “Boss, I’m afraid we can’t enter Qingzhou City today. I heard that the city is under martial law.”

“Could it be that some important person is coming?”

The shopkeeper was muttering in his heart when he heard this.

“With such a strong snowstorm, Qingzhou City is the only place within a radius of dozens of miles where we can stay overnight. If we can’t enter the city, are we going to be frozen or starved to death outside?”

A merchant from the south said indignantly.

With such heavy snow, carriages and pedestrians moved slowly. From morning to night, they could only travel a few dozen miles.

After finally reaching Qingzhou City, they were not allowed to enter the city, which made them very troubled.

“What nonsense.”

At this time, someone who knew the inside story glared at him and said, “No one should complain. You will suffer the consequences.”

The man who spoke came from the north, a caravan from Xiliang, dragging many carts of jackets and brocade.

The accompanying servants drove the carriage to an open space nearby, picked up firewood, built a bonfire, and took out the dry food they brought with them and threw it into the pot to cook.

“We just saw this morning that our Xiliang envoy is right behind them, with a thousand riders accompanying them. We estimate that they should be here in half an hour.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the reason why Qingzhou City is under martial law is because of our Xiliang envoy.”

The shopkeeper’s explanation.

“So domineering?”

Someone complained.

“Who the hell are you to complain?”

The shopkeeper snorted coldly: “In my opinion, when our Xiliang envoy arrives, it would not be excessive to seal the four gates for ten days, let alone one day.”

Most of the merchants in Xiliang are governed by local commercial and travel offices. They are extremely united when traveling outside, and of course, they are also extremely arrogant.

The main reason is that they have the capital to be arrogant. Xiliang has strong soldiers and horses and abundant resources, which is much stronger than the Central Plains.

(End of this chapter)