The prefect didn't have the time to waste talking to Cao Lian, but pushed the clause in front of him forward. I won't say any more to you here. Since you say you don't know, just take a look at it now. There are only two pieces of paper, and it won't take long to read it now.
Cao Lian frowned as he watched. He also knew the situation in the country. His Highness was already on the way. When His Highness arrived at the southern border, our army would be divided into three groups and cross the border.
Cao Lian has also assembled 800 armed personnel, most of whom are troops from the border areas. They are currently hiding in the city as merchants. As long as it is in the border area, they will create chaos in the city and cut off the logistical supply lines of the border troops to help the Tang army occupy Wa City as quickly as possible.
"These changes are too big for me to make personally. I can only report them to General Changsun first, and have him report them back home. This involves relations between our two countries, so please give me some time."
Cao Lian's answer was quite standard. The prefect had thought of it a long time ago. If you were given time, it would definitely take at least one or two months to finish the work according to your current way of operating.
"We can't give you time. The imperial court's order has been issued for half a month. Brother, you've been avoiding me everywhere, and you've already spent the past half month hiding. So I came here today to give you a notice. I'll give you two hours at most. Once you're ready, we'll start the registration. As for your extra armed personnel, you must leave the city before sunset today."
Hearing the prefect's words, everyone in the room changed their expressions. However, the prefect had nothing to worry about. The 400 soldiers outside were ready. If you dare to turn against us, the worst that can happen is that we will defeat you.
Officials from the Pyu Kingdom court are waiting at the prefect's house. If the people here cooperate, it means that the Tang Dynasty court has no intention of attacking them, and those previous rumors were just rumors.
But if they resist, it means that the Tang Dynasty court is already preparing for an attack. Then there is nothing we can say. We should just arrest this group of people first. When the Tang Dynasty army arrives, maybe they will still be useful.
"Of course I don't think this is excessive. Is this all the time our Great Tang Dynasty has to give us to get things done? Our Great Tang merchants support the prosperity of the entire Wa City. If no merchants come to do business in the future, can Your Excellency bear this responsibility?"
Cao Lian still wanted to try harder, but if the other party was really prepared to launch a war and resist to the end, then Cao Lian’s diplomatic efforts would not have much effect.
"The number of merchants from your Tang Dynasty has decreased significantly this month. Do you really think I can't see that? Before, there weren't many merchants, but the quantity of goods was high. Now, the merchants who come here only bring a few horses' worth of goods. Are they really merchants?"
The prefect sneered and said that he was not doing it for nothing. He had already grasped the changes that had taken place in the city during this period through his subordinates.
After hearing this, Cao Lian and his men secretly thought that it was not good. They thought that these people would not be so vigilant after taking the money, but they didn't expect that they really underestimated them. They never let their guard down.
"Your Excellency, have you heard some other rumors? If so, I can assure you on behalf of the Tang Dynasty that we have no intention of starting a war. If you believe those rumors, a huge misunderstanding may arise between us, enough to lead our two countries into a state of war, which you may not be able to withstand."
Diplomatic work is like this: black can be said to be white, and white can be said to be black. As long as the war has not broken out for a minute, we can say so. This is also a way to paralyze the other side.
"We certainly don't have the strength to fight the Tang Dynasty, but our court will not give up its own interests. So Lord Cao, please don't say too many useless words. We also don't want to get into war. Now the chess pieces are in Lord Cao's hands, it depends on how you play them."
The prefect also knew that there was no need to continue the conversation, so after saying this, he retreated with his men. The area around the Tang Dynasty Guild Hall was full of soldiers, and the people in the city seemed to understand what was going on, and all those who needed to go home went home.
"Remember this! If you don't do what we say before sunset, we'll storm in immediately and bring everyone to justice."
The prefect left a message before leaving, saying that he must not put himself in danger. In addition, in many border towns, the Tang Dynasty Guild Hall was also surrounded at the same time.
Through the communication of carrier pigeons, Cao Lian also knew that it was impossible for the people around them to come to support them, after all, they were also surrounded.
"My Lord, what should we do? If we want to fight our way out of the city, it won't be a difficult task for us. Even though there are hundreds of people around us, we have the new weapons left by His Highness, and with the soldiers we just arrived, we will have no problem fighting our way out."
The generals under his command are already prepared. They have practiced using crossbows many times. With these things in their hands, they can break out of the city effortlessly. But is breaking out what we want?
"Send the message to the border immediately. No matter what the cost, the message must be delivered."
Cao Lian took a few deep breaths at this time. He had to calm himself down. He knew that he could fight his way out, but it would be useless.
It is impossible to send the letter by people, so we can only use carrier pigeons. Although there is a possibility of being shot by the enemy, it is hard to believe that more than 20 carrier pigeons can be released at once. Is it possible that not a single one can escape?
At the same time, one corner of the dragon flag on top of the Tang Dynasty Guild Hall was tied.
They also have some other personnel in the city. When they see this corner, they will quickly arm themselves and wait for the next order.
As for the interior of the Tang Dynasty Guild Hall, many letters and other written records were taken out and had to be burned immediately in the yard. If they fell into the hands of the Pyu Kingdom court, many things would be difficult to predict.
The Pyu soldiers outside also saw people in the Tang Dynasty Hall burning things, but they didn't take it seriously. In that era, espionage warfare was not well understood...
