Chapter 1071

Of course not!

Pu Cun denied Chen Wuji's statement, continuing: "If Marquis Zhenyuan can help our Family Head ascend the throne, he is willing, beyond the lands Your Highness already occupies, to additionally cede two prefectures as compensation."

Chen Wuji smiled, "Your Family Head is indeed quite generous."

Pu Cun lowered his head slightly, "I dare not conceal from Marquis Zhenyuan, Your Highness, that our Family Head comes from humble origins; relying on normal means, there is no hope of attaining the great treasure, and thereafter the only option may be to go to the borderlands. Therefore, we must offer genuine sincerity to seek cooperation."

Indeed quite sincere—are these the only conditions?

"Our Family Head has only conveyed these; if Your Highness deems them improper, I can send someone back to inquire." Pu Cun said.

Chen Wuji gave a slight nod, "Someone, take the Envoy down to eat."

Yes!

After ordering Pu Cun to be taken away, Chen Wuji immediately summoned Chu Xiu, Zhao Chen, and Guo Shuhan, among others.

"The fourth son of the Uyghur King sent an Envoy; his attitude is quite direct, and his conditions are laid out quite sincerely. You few, discuss it." Chen Wuji, without waiting for others to relay, repeated Pu Cun's conditions one by one to Guo Shuhan and the others.

"My lord, we could actually add to the conditions: grain and money, winter clothing, and future tribute!" Guo Shuhan blurted out, opening her mouth wide like a lion.

Upon hearing that condition, Chen Wuji even blushed a little.

They had already made clear their attitude, willing to provide detailed information about Mòdū Mountain and the garrisons in various places, and even to supply grain and forage nearby, as well as cede land; yet this fellow opened his mouth only to demand more grain and money, winter clothing, and years of tribute.

Even a greedy landlord isn't as ruthless as he is.

"Improper, my lord wants Uyghur territory; he never intended to support another Uyghur king." Zhao Chen retorted, "These conditions should prioritize our army's upcoming battles; with winter already here, our troops can hardly continue fighting, so these conditions must not be excessive."

"It is said that this fourth son of the Uyghur King holds little real power; when we raise conditions, we should ask only for what he can actually do—asking for what he cannot do now is useless."

"I second that!" Chu Xiu said, bowing.

"Grain and money should be appropriate; tribute need not be mentioned for now, but winter clothing could be raised."

Zhao Chen countered, "If we ask for winter clothing, aren't we revealing our army's weakness, letting the Uyghur forces know we'll struggle to fight ahead? This Envoy may not truly come with sincere intent; perhaps he feigns cooperation while actually probing our army's weaknesses."

"If the Uyghur King learns our army lacks winter clothing, what will they do?" Chu Xiu asked back.

Zhao Chen pondered briefly, then said, "Either they will stubbornly wait for our army to retreat, or they will deem our troops' morale unstable and seize the opportunity to launch a large-scale Bīngmǎ."

Chu Xiu nodded, "The Uyghur King's eldest son and the left general have held Mòdū Mountain for several days; though there is stored grain, calculating the days, there likely isn't much left. They face a shortage of grain and forage, while our army lacks winter clothing; if Zhao Brother were the eldest son and left general, I wonder what choice he would make."

This question seems simple, but it's actually not easy.

Zhao Chen frowned in thought.

The others present, including Chen Wuji, fell silent for a moment, all furrowing their brows to ponder this question.

"I think they will wait!" Zhao Chen suddenly said.

First giving the result, he paused slightly, then explained, "Our army has fought several bitter engagements with this Uyghur Bīngmǎ; this eldest son of the Uyghur King seems to be of a conservative nature, daring neither to advance rashly nor to make big moves, with many scruples."

"If such a person learns our army lacks winter clothing, he should be overjoyed and then wait for our troops to retreat!"

Xu Zengyi nodded, "I think the same."

"My idea is roughly the same, but I think it's not that the Uyghur King's eldest son is overly cautious; rather, this left general is timid and hesitant, or perhaps he has his own calculations, daring not to commit large forces to the battlefield and fight us to the bitter end." Guo Shuhan said.

After pondering, the crowd gave a nearly unanimous answer.

Chu Xiu immediately raised another question: "If our army mutinies due to lack of winter clothing, how would they respond? Could they possibly send out troops?"

Probably realizing his question was somewhat problematic, the forthright Chu Xiu slightly changed his tone.

The crowd again fell into deep thought.

"I think they will!"

Once again, Zhao Chen was the first to give an answer.

"My basis is that the Uyghur currently has princes vying for the throne amid external warfare. The Uyghur King's several sons each have their own thoughts; the crown prince and the left general have consistently employed a conservative stance, daring not to advance rashly or make big moves—perhaps one reason is that the crown prince wishes to preserve his strength."

"If our army mutinies due to lacking winter clothing, this is an opportunity for the crown prince and left general to gain prestige; precisely because they employ conservative tactics, they will not let this chance slip."

"Our army's seven routes of Bīngmǎ are now scattered east and west of Mòdū Mountain; they perhaps dare not launch a full-scale sortie, but they likely have the courage to attack one or two places."

Xu Zengyi was the first to endorse Zhao Chen's view, "I deem it feasible."

"They might send out troops, but our army may be hard to control." Guo Shuhan voiced her concern: "The weather is bitterly cold now; our army's lack of winter clothing is a fact, and the soldiers may not cooperate so readily. I worry that the pretense could become real."

Xu Zengyi smiled faintly, "No need to overthink; I have seen the military affairs of two dynasties and never witnessed troops more loyal than those under our lord. If you have worries, then at that time simply promise the soldiers some temporary benefits."

"Although the weather is poor, wearing iron armor now would surely be uncomfortable, but the soldiers will also reckon the accounts, considering present difficulties and future benefits."

"Mr. Xu, it's still best to err on the side of caution!" Guo Shuhan advised.

"Double the military pay; let Li Qiming obtain this silver!" Chen Wuji, who had been silent all along, said, "Hearing your meaning, this scheme has already taken preliminary shape, right?"

"My lord, roughly so." Xu Zengyi said.

No one explicitly said anything, yet in this question-and-answer exchange everything actually became clear.

This is their usual method of discussing military affairs these days.

Throw out all the questions, keep throwing until there are none left, and that is the final answer.

"Since it's roughly decided, I'll add a couple of remarks." Chen Wuji said.

"When devising the lure-the-enemy plan, we should openly tell the soldiers why we lack winter clothing, why we still insist on fighting this battle here, and why we are issuing this silver."

"What Mr. Xu just said is correct; the soldiers indeed have their own ledger, these words are not superfluous—they will let the soldiers calculate their accounts more clearly, giving them a stronger sense of belonging!"

"If there are no other problems, let the Uyghur Envoy come; I agree to this cooperation!"