Chapter 652

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“Twenty thousand soldiers entering Shu!”

The Third Prince’s expression was somewhat stiff.

This time, the King of Chu betraying him also meant betraying the King of Shu. After all, with the King of Shu’s unruly nature, he would not pledge allegiance to the King of Chu.

As a result, the King of Shu became a lone wolf, unable to hold out much longer against Prince Zhao’s attack.

After all, after Prince Zhao mastered the forging technology of matchlock guns, he had trained a musketeer unit. With muskets, coupled with the Black Armored Iron Cavalry and barbarian cavalry, the King of Shu’s situation could be said to be very difficult.

If Xiao Ming had not provided him with cannons to defend the city, it would be questionable whether the King of Shu would have survived until now. Therefore, in the Third Prince’s opinion, Xiao Ming attached great importance to Bashu. Otherwise, he would not have put aside past grievances and provided cannons and ammunition to the King of Shu, whom he disliked.

Precisely considering this issue, when the King of Chu decided to escort him to Qingzhou, he felt a glimmer of hope, because for Xiao Ming, he still had some use, but for the King of Chu, he was completely a burden.

“This is just the first batch of soldiers. In my opinion, 20,000 elites are enough to help the King of Shu block Prince Zhao’s southward advance. Of course, the prerequisite is that the King of Shu pledges allegiance to me. If he doesn’t comply, these 20,000 men will be the last straw that breaks his back. Do you understand?” Xiao Ming’s tone was beyond doubt.

The Third Prince was silent for a while. He said, “Does Your Imperial Majesty want me to go to Shu to persuade the King of Shu to submit?”

“No, I want you to replace him. The King of Shu is foolish, while you are intelligent. It is more suitable to entrust Bashu to you.”

“Entrust it to me? Is Your Imperial Majesty not afraid that I will occupy Bashu and use my military power to claim independence?” The Third Prince was somewhat confused.

Xiao Ming laughed upon hearing this, “I am only asking you to be responsible for the governance of Bashu. As for military matters, I am the one who decides. Do you think these 20,000 men entering Shu are merely to help defend against Prince Zhao?”

The Third Prince’s heart sank. At this moment, he finally understood Xiao Ming’s true intention. Once the King of Shu pledged allegiance, Xiao Ming could legitimately revoke the King of Shu’s princely title, citing his ineffective resistance against Prince Zhao.

And to appease the King of Shu, Xiao Ming would let him replace the King of Shu, but he would only hold the title of King of Shu, without the actual power of a King of Shu.

Seeing the Third Prince fall silent, Xiao Ming reminded him, “For me, this is just one method. Even if Prince Zhao occupies Bashu, I will only have to expend a little more effort in the future.”

“The allied forces of the three princes suffered a crushing defeat. How could a single Prince Zhao be a match for His Imperial Majesty? Third Prince, His Imperial Majesty merely cannot bear to see the imperial family continue to fight amongst themselves. This is an opportunity for you to live and continue to enjoy wealth and glory. If you miss it, it will truly be gone.” Qian Dafu and Xiao Ming performed a double act.

The Third Prince’s expression was complex, clearly struggling internally. He asked, “How does Your Imperial Majesty plan to deal with the King of Shu?”

“How about I let him be a carefree prince?” Xiao Ming picked up his tea and took a light sip. For him, the most important thing now was to stabilize Bashu and prevent Prince Zhao’s scheme from succeeding.

As for the Third Prince and the King of Shu, it was fine to keep them for now. After all, without military power, they were just fish on a chopping board.

If the two could honestly be carefree princes, then so be it. If not, they could be killed at any time.

And if his plan succeeded, he would gain the Land of Abundance, Bashu, avoiding a costly expedition while also curbing Prince Zhao’s expansion.

“Is Your Imperial Majesty serious!”

The Third Prince’s eyes darted around, but he was no fool. He had thought of everything Xiao Ming had. So he said, “If Your Imperial Majesty is sincere, I hope Your Imperial Majesty can bestow upon the King of Shu and me an imperial death-exemption tablet! No one with such a tablet can be killed unless for the crime of treason!”

“Imperial death-exemption tablet!” Xiao Ming looked confused.

Qian Dafu knew that Xiao Ming was not very clear about the past of the Great Yu Empire, so he explained, “Your Imperial Majesty, when the Great Yu Empire was founded, Gaozu once bestowed imperial death-exemption tablets upon three of his generals and established a rule that those who possessed an imperial death-exemption tablet could not be killed unless for the crime of treason.”

Xiao Ming nodded upon hearing this. The imperial death-exemption tablet had also appeared in contemporary history, and it was actually just a form of appeasement by the emperor towards meritorious officials.

In the contemporary historical process, this death-exemption tablet proved to be of little use. Since treason could not be exempted from death, as long as officials played their cards right, they could still kill them. After all, sometimes if you are said to be guilty, you are guilty even if innocent, and if you are said to be innocent, you are innocent even if guilty.

However, if the Third Prince could truly change his ways and loyally support him, there was no need for him to kill him.

So Xiao Ming merely pondered for a moment before saying, “This is easy. As long as you handle this matter for me, I will bestow upon both of you imperial death-exemption tablets, so that you may enjoy a lifetime of prosperity.”

The Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief. This time, he had bet correctly. For him, allowing things to continue as they were would only lead to death for him and his brother. Now, to be able to survive was already a great fortune.

“Thank Your Imperial Majesty for your great kindness,” the Third Prince bowed deeply.

Xiao Ming was even pleased in his heart. If he were to take Yan, Liang, and Zhao, and then gain Bashu, no one in the Great Yu Empire would be able to shake his position.

The two reached an agreement. Xiao Ming had Qian Dafu arrange a residence for the Third Prince in Qingzhou City for a temporary stay. When 20,000 soldiers were withdrawn from the front lines, he would dispatch the Third Prince and these soldiers by warship and merchant ship along the Yangtze River into Bashu.

After all, with the Prince of Huainan’s allegiance, the warships could receive supplies along the Yangtze River. Between the King of Shu’s fiefdom and the Prince of Huainan’s, there was only the Prince of Ruyang, who possessed only three prefectures, located roughly at the border of modern-day western Hubei and Chongqing.

At the same time, this entry into Shu would also serve as a deterrent to the Prince of Ruyang. Currently, only the Prince of Ruyang had not yet contacted him, and he was unsure what the Prince of Ruyang was thinking.

After gaining control of Bashu, the Prince of Ruyang would be sandwiched between the Prince of Huainan and Bashu, which he controlled. He believed that at this point, the Prince of Ruyang would inevitably become restless.

The Third Prince departed. At this point, Qian Dafu said, “Your Imperial Majesty, besides the Third Prince, the Prince of Huainan’s daughter, Cui Xue’er, has also arrived in Qingzhou. Does Your Imperial Majesty wish to see what this Cui Xue’er looks like? Your Imperial Majesty has been working day and night these past few days. Consider it a diversion.”

At this point, Qian Dafu suddenly smiled slyly. In his opinion, the Emperor taking a new consort was a perfectly normal thing.

Xiao Ming’s heart stirred upon hearing this, but he thought for a moment and dismissed the idea. Since Cui Xue’er had arrived, she would surely enter the palace soon to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, and he would accompany the Empress Dowager to see her then.

Moreover, Fei Yuer was pregnant and about to give birth. At this time, if he were to indulge in frivolous affairs, he would feel somewhat uneasy, and he also didn’t want to give the ministers an excuse to criticize him.

Thinking of this, he said to Qian Dafu, “Forget about this matter. How about you accompany me to see how the imperial palace is being built?”