Crossing the Unknown Country

Chapter 293 The Emperor Receives Wang An’s Memorial

They were busy here, waiting for the news from the capital, knowing that it would not arrive too soon, and it would be good if it could be done in three or four months. Now, soldiers had to deliver letters on horseback, and this matter could not be rushed, so it would not reach the capital too quickly.

More than a month later, General Wang An's memorial was finally presented to the emperor. Emperor Zhang Qian was a middle-aged man in his late twenties, which was considered middle-aged for people of this era. He had grown a beard and looked like a weak scholar, probably because he was already the third emperor and had never been to the battlefield in person, mainly because he grew up in the palace.

The eldest prince was already thirteen years old, the second prince was not much older than him, and the youngest, the tenth prince, was already ten years old. He already had ten princes so far, which was also due to the large number of concubines in the palace.

It is also because God has not yet come to restrict the Ansheng Kingdom. Otherwise, if you look at history, when a dynasty is about to change, the emperor may not have a son even if he has a lot of concubines, and sometimes he even has no children. The old emperor wanted to arrange a successor, but he couldn't. Some arranged for his sons, nieces and daughters to inherit, which eventually led to the overthrow of the dynasty.

Su He never looked down on women, she herself is a woman. Women can do many things, but they cannot hold power. There are too many emotional factors in women's character. If you don't believe it, look at history. Every empress has a slanderer around him, without exception. The empresses are indecisive, at most they are a monarch who guards the country, and most of them are arrogant and extravagant, both in China and abroad.

Although there were also such emperors among men, most of them would not give power to outsiders, even to their parents and relatives. Most emperors were strong in their bones when it came to conquering territory, and they were never afraid of war. They pursued the policy of beating the enemy to scare them, rather than selling out their interests to the enemy.

There are also some families that are so big, but the head of the family just has no children, and even if he tries every way to have a son, it is still nothing. This is the beginning of the decline of a family, and God is destined to destroy your family.

Emperor Zhang Qian looked at the memorial submitted by Wang An, thought for a while and felt that it was not a bad idea. If the two countries started to trade, goods could be exchanged at equal value, and it would also be a good thing to transport some grain from the inland to exchange for horses, cattle and sheep.

The next day, in the main hall, Emperor Zhang Qian asked the chief eunuch Han Yong to read out Wang An's memorial and let the court officials express their opinions. The ministers below whispered to each other.

Finally, the Left Prime Minister Wu Chongzhi stepped forward and knelt down and said, "Regarding the matter written in this memorial by General Wang An, I think the court can appoint an official to negotiate with the border town. If feasible, it can ease the relationship between the two countries and reduce the damage of the war."

Sun Boyan also knelt and said, "I feel something is wrong. The Dongjie Kingdom has evil ambitions. If we allow them to trade for food and recuperate, will they be more powerful to attack our country?"

Other court officials also began to kneel down and express their ideas, and they were roughly divided into two factions based on the opinions of the left and right prime ministers.

One party thinks that it is better to negotiate and open up trade, which will also benefit our country. At worst, we can just go to war, as we have fought before.

One side thinks that they are hungry and weak now, so we can still have the upper hand in a fight. If we wait until they are well fed and clothed before attacking, we may not be able to defeat them.

Emperor Zhang Qian sat on the dragon throne, listening to the ministers' analysis with a serious face. Finally, he decided to go back and listen to the opinions of the Five Sage Kings before making a decision. The Five Sage Kings were Zhang Qian's brothers. After he ascended the throne, the other brothers were all given different fiefs. Only his brother, the Five Sage King Zhang Fei, had his fief in a county outside the capital, so he lived directly in the capital.

Their mother was still alive, and the relationship between Zhang Qian and Zhang Fei had been closer than other brothers since childhood. So after he became emperor, he did not have any suspicion of his younger brother and let him stay.

The Five Wise Kings did not disappoint their brother's good intentions and always worked diligently to protect his interests. They never did anything to embarrass their brother and were often called into the palace by the emperor to discuss important matters.

At the sharp and high-pitched call of the eunuch Han Yong to leave the court, the court officials all knelt down to see Emperor Zhang Qian off majestically. The court officials then stood up, straightened their clothes, and filed out of the palace along the corridor.

The ministers walked out of the palace and discussed the matter in twos and threes. Although they knew that the emperor wanted everyone to express their opinions, it would ultimately depend on his own opinion. After several years of experience, the emperor had become very independent.