Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 896 Convincing Shui Dong
Zhu Su's words made Song Qin's face change several times.

Indeed, Shuidong at this time was actually in an extremely embarrassing situation: although these chieftains had lived in the mountains for generations, the Yunnan and Guizhou regions had been influenced by the Central Plains Chinese civilization for hundreds of years, and many tribal chieftains were well-educated. As tribal leaders, they could not be just foolish and reckless men who only saw the world from a well.

They were very aware of the power of the Ming Dynasty, and they also understood the general trend of the world. They were also extremely concerned about the general trend of the world and the interests of the court.

Therefore, Song Qin, as a chieftain, knew that if Shuixi was successfully forced to rebel and the chieftains were transformed into officials, the next one would definitely be their Shuidong.

With this kind of mentality of "the fox mourns the death of the rabbit", although Song Qin chose to protect himself, deep down in his heart he was actually very sympathetic to Shuixi's experience and even felt a sense of solidarity with them against the same enemy.

They dare not join Shuixi to rebel against the Ming Dynasty, but they are also unwilling to help the Ming Dynasty to attack Shuixi.

Zhu Su's words contained a threat, and Song Qin immediately felt unhappy and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Because of this anger, the cautiousness he had just pretended to be had been slightly suppressed.

"Your Highness." He organized his words a little, thought for a moment, and straightened his sitting posture. His slightly bent spine was now completely straightened. He said sincerely: "My Shuidong troops have no intention of rebelling against the court."

"Song Qin and his people just want a stable life. Why is Your Highness forcing us?" Song Qin's face was bitter when he said this. "We donated the land for the construction of Guiyang City for free. We also don't want the management rights of the market promised by Your Highness... Why doesn't the court trust us?"

"Drive the tiger to devour the wolf, drive the tiger to devour the wolf... The imperial court regards us as tigers and wolves. After devouring the crippled wolf of Shuixi, will they also destroy the sick tiger of Shuidong?"

His voice was mournful and trembling, as if he had reached the end of his rope. At the end, he sounded a little indignant, and there was even a hint of iron in his last question.

Behind Song Qin, the curtains in the room moved slightly, but finally calmed down and the room fell into silence.

Zhu Su's royal robe had been taken away to dry, so at this moment he was only wearing a moon-white lining. He took a sip of tea and was not panicked.

He deliberately spoke rudely in order to induce this fierce chieftain to speak out his true feelings. Otherwise, the other party would always wear a mask when talking to him, so how could he open his heart to him? So he put down the teacup, not only was he not surprised, but he laughed softly.

"Haha, why do you say that, Tusi?" Zhu Su said with a smile. "When did I ever say that I would drive the water east to attack the water west?"

"Huh?" Song Qin was stunned, and the curtain behind him moved slightly.

"I am not exaggerating. Shuixi is not something that the court should take seriously for now." Zhu Su said. "The army led by Duke Liang is stationed in nearby Sizhou and could arrive any day. The army led by Duke Cao is in Lianzhou, preparing for battle. Even in Yunnan, the army led by Duke Qian has cut off the retreat of this place and is eyeing us covetously."

"Even without these three armies, Guiyang City was built by your tribe and me. Do you really think that you can successfully break the city with the strength of Shuixi? Just this one city can exhaust Shuixi's strength... When Shuixi is exhausted, my Ming Dynasty will send hundreds of troops and the chaos will be quelled overnight. This can be regarded as a military achievement picked up for free. All the soldiers of my Ming Dynasty are coveting it. If Shuixi really rebels, will it be your turn, Chieftain Song?"

Song Qin was stunned again and again, thinking of the fact that many parts of the Ming Dynasty had stopped fighting, and many soldiers and generals were full of complaints on a daily basis... He had seen this with his own eyes in Guiyang City. Thinking of this, this group of people might not be willing to give up the "sweet bun" of Shuixi.

"Besides," Zhu Su saw that he had resolved half of his doubts, so he explained:
"Chief Minister Song said that the imperial court does not trust Shuidong...if that is true."

"If I want to drive away a tiger and devour a wolf, would I only bring a few riders to look for you, Tusi Song?"

These words made Song Qin excited again. Yes, if the court did not trust him, Song Qin, would it allow Prince Zhu Su to go deep into his Shuidong Village and put himself in danger?

Song Qin is a man as fierce as Zhang Fei. Although he is rough but meticulous and knows some strategies, he is still honest in nature.

After hearing what Zhu Su said, he understood that the court had no intention of forcing him and Shuixi to kill each other. After glancing at the curtain, he said awkwardly: "This... this, then it was Old Song who misunderstood the court..."

"But, His Highness's visit..."

Since he was not here to drive Shuidong away, he was confused as to why Zhu Su came.

"I came here to resolve this war." Zhu Su sat up straight, his expression becoming serious. "Chief Song, you can believe that I sincerely hope that the tribes in Guizhou can coexist peacefully with the imperial court."

This is true. Although Zhu Su also hopes that the chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou can be transformed into officials and completely incorporated into the imperial court...but he hopes that it can be achieved through peaceful evolution through various means of easing integration, rather than through cruel and disastrous means such as forcing rebellion and destruction.

Therefore, Zhu Su had a clear conscience and his eyes were sincere. Song Qin stared at him for a long time, and finally exhaled a breath of turbid air, saying: "Your Highness and I will build Guiyang together. I believe in your intentions."

"It's just that... Ai Cui is dead, Shuixi and the imperial court have become mortal enemies, how can we help Your Highness and resolve the conflict..."

"Of course." Zhu Su said firmly.

"Mrs. Shetz has already believed me once. If I try to persuade her again, I will definitely come back empty-handed."

"But Shuidong is different... Chieftain Song, there was no fighting in Shuidong Village. Why did they openly fight tonight and mobilize so many villagers to be on guard? Even though I was still several miles away, the chieftain knew the news and mobilized such a large force to come and welcome me?"

Song Qin gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"I think there is a messenger from Shuixi who has come to Shuidong today?" Zhu Su said to himself. "Mrs. Shezi from Shuixi is not a reckless person. Although she does not want to betray the Ming Dynasty, she wants to, and can only, avenge her husband. If Shuixi alone attacks Guiyang City, it is like hitting a rock with an egg. They will naturally want to win over allies... and if Shuixi dies, the next step is likely to be Shuidong... They will definitely come here to tell the chieftain this truth. Is what I said correct?"

Song Qin looked a little embarrassed.

"When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. This is true... Shuixi and Shuidong are now grasshoppers on the same rope. Shuixi naturally knows that the ones who can empathize the most and feel the grief of the rabbit's death are you, Shuidong."

"That is to say, now only Shuidong's words are available... maybe they will listen to them a little."

Song Qin was slightly moved. After thinking for a while, "But... the hatred for killing the chieftain is irreconcilable. Shuidong and Shuixi also had a lot of hatred before. Just based on this..."

"This alone is naturally not enough, but what if I am included?" Zhu Su interrupted.

(End of this chapter)