Qian Ping could see that the Prince of Zhennan and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were of the same kind. They did not ask for these empty things, but wanted tangible benefits.
Prince Zhennan also saw clearly that although the Tang army had arrived, it was probably not enough to occupy the entire Nanzhao, especially since the situation in the royal city was unstable and more troops were needed to control the situation.
No matter how things develop, as long as the number of Tang Dynasty troops coming is not large, the Prince of Zhennan will still be able to control the situation. But if the number of Tang Dynasty troops coming is large, the Prince of Zhennan will not be able to control many things.
"Your Highness has misunderstood us. We don't want to increase our military forces at all. We have just pacified the four great chieftains. We still have a lot of things to do in Sichuan, and we don't want to get involved in matters here. However, Nanzhao is our vassal state, and your King is still recognized. He wrote the letter..."
Qian Ping was rambling on, implying that this had nothing to do with us. The king of a vassal state had asked the suzerain for help, so were we just going to stand by and watch? If we just stood by and watched, who would be willing to become a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty in the future?
The root of the matter lies with you. We do this to show the kings of other vassal states that you usually treat our Tang Dynasty as your suzerain state, but when something really happens, we must step in and never stand idly by and watch the fun.
"Your Highness, please understand our Emperor's dilemma. If we don't send troops, we can certainly get by, but won't your King's words be of no use to our Emperor? And then, the entire Nanzhao Nation will suffer."
Qian Ping's nonsense made the King of Zhennan a little confused. Sometimes it was about the face of the whole country of Nanzhao, and sometimes it was about your sending troops is normal. Finally, the King of Nanzhao shook his head and talked for a long time but nothing changed. After this letter arrived in the capital, it would be very likely that the Tang Dynasty would increase its troops.
"I hope the General Steward can mediate. Can he still be called a king now? He can't even be considered a king. Apart from the few thousand men under his command, he can't command anyone else. If the General Steward can help mediate, I will double the tribute after I become the king of Nanzhao."
The Prince of Zhennan gritted his teeth and said that in the past, the tribute paid to the Tang Dynasty accounted for about one-tenth of their fiscal revenue. If it were to double now, it would account for one-fifth of the fiscal revenue. This amount is already very large and will affect the lives of ordinary people.
"Oh, Your Highness, you think too highly of me. If it were just some ordinary little thing, I could really do it, but this is a matter of national importance. Not only me, but General Qin can't do it here either. Your king wants to write a letter to our emperor, who can stop him? If we stop him, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. Not only my head, but the heads of dozens of people in my family would all be in jeopardy."
The conditions are indeed good, but compared with the conditions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, there is still a gap. What's more, we are not here to ask for benefits this time, we are here to take your entire country.
The Prince of Zhennan looked at Qian Ping's face. If he didn't have a trace of rationality, he would really want to chop Qian Ping off. "Can't you people just live a good life in the north? You have to come to our place to meddle. This is the result of your meddling."
The coup was about to succeed, and the Prince of Zhennan was about to ascend the throne. However, because of the Tang army, the Prince of Zhennan had to withdraw his troops and pretend that his victory had not happened. His men were filled with resentment, and they believed that all this was done by you, the Tang.
Qian Ping saw the guy's volatile expression and could easily guess what he was thinking. But then again, didn't our Tang Dynasty help you? If it weren't for our Tang Dynasty's help, you would be in great danger. To put it bluntly, they just took advantage of the conflict between you two brothers. This matter can't be blamed on anyone else, it's yourselves.
"Does the General's words represent the final attitude of the Tang Dynasty? Does your army have to continue to increase its troops?"
The Prince of Zhennan is also a man of blood. He has no time to hide it now. If the Tang army continues to increase, it will definitely be a fatal blow to him. Even if it means taking risks, should he give it a try?
"What I say can only represent myself. I'm just an old servant in the Eastern Palace. How can I represent the entire Tang Dynasty? If I could represent the entire Tang Dynasty, then I would be able to do a lot more."
Prince Zhennan had already prepared to turn against Qian Ping, but who knew that Qian Ping would say this. Prince Zhennan was like a deflated ball, and he really didn't know what to say. Then he thought Qian Ping was right. This guy was the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace and couldn't even represent the entire Eastern Palace. How could he represent the entire Tang Dynasty?
It would be ridiculous to turn against him just because of one word.
Prince Zhennan wanted to make some harsh remarks, but he didn't know how to do it. Qian Ping had made it very clear just now that the man was just an old servant. If you say harsh words to him, it would lower your own status. What's more, if you say harsh words, you have to do it, otherwise you won't be able to explain to your subordinates.
"Your Highness, there's no need to be so anxious. Although this letter has reached Chang'an and our army may arrive, we will have to return sooner or later. As long as peace is restored everywhere, why should we cause trouble here? Your Highness, it would be better for you to gather your forces as before and plan for the future..."
Qian Ping saw that the Prince of Zhennan was in a bit of a dilemma, so he had to show him a way. Before our army arrived, we had to appease the two major local forces. When our strength is stronger than yours, then there will be no need to say more about some things. Now we have to come in peacefully, without any gunshots.
after?
Prince Zhennan looked outside in confusion. The Tang army had increased its troops again. Was there any future?
If we use the whole country's strength, we may be able to defeat the existing Tang army, but if we continue to increase the troops, there will probably be no hope at all.
But after the fight, Nanzhao had exhausted all its strength, but the Tang army still had plenty...
