We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 954 Demanding the King of Shu from Li Che

Seeing his wife's agitation, Wei Xun reached out and gently ruffled her hair, soothing her, "Yueniang, Emperor Qing is Emperor Qing, and the new emperor is the new emperor."

"I observe that although this new emperor does not lack ruthless methods, he mostly uses open strategies and is an upright and honest man."

“Since he made a public promise, he wouldn’t easily break it.” Wei Xun paused. “Besides, killing me wouldn’t do him any good.”

Li Che's reputation was polarized; he was a demon in the eyes of the aristocratic families, but an angel in the eyes of the common people and his soldiers.

Wei Xun knew that rumors were not credible, and that news that spread to everyone was mostly for a purpose.

But one thing is certain: the new emperor was truly brutal in his treatment of enemies, especially those of other races.

Wei Xun had no doubt that Li Che would use even more ruthless tricks than Emperor Qing when fighting against the foreign tribes.

However, judging from their battle record, they always tried to avoid large-scale battles during the Daqing civil war, and relied more on psychological warfare to achieve victory.

Therefore, Wei Xun felt that Li Che's attempt to persuade him to surrender was sincere.

Luo Yueniang shook her head vigorously: "Husband, you are too naive. That young emperor is by no means a benevolent ruler. He and his father are both people who fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

"He slaughtered those powerful families in the north, leaving countless heads rolling and rivers of blood flowing. How ruthless he was!"

"He can uproot even the deeply rooted northern aristocratic families, how could he possibly spare our Wei family?"

At this point, Luo Yueniang's voice carried a hint of sorrow:

“I come from a bandit's den, but my father did not care about my background. He not only did not look down on me, but also treated me as his own daughter, taught me to read and understand principles, and helped me get rid of my bandit mentality.”

"This kindness is heavier than Mount Tai. If I cannot avenge him, but instead have to serve the son of my enemy, how can I face my father's spirit in heaven?"

Luo Yueniang possessed exceptional martial arts skills, so she could not possibly have come from an ordinary family.

She was not the daughter of a military family; her biological father was one of the most powerful bandit leaders in Sichuan.

When Wei's father took office as governor, his primary task was to suppress bandits.

He used a counter-espionage tactic to cause the two largest bandit groups to fight each other, and then ordered Wei Xun to lead troops to ambush them, thus reaping the benefits.

In the end, one of the two bandit leaders died and the other escaped, and the Shu army won a great victory.

Luo Yueniang's bandit father abandoned his wife and daughter and joined the Qiang people, while Luo Yueniang was taken back as a prisoner.

No one could have predicted that Wei Xun would fall in love with this spirited female bandit at first sight and would marry no one but her.

In those days, let alone marrying into a prestigious family like the Wei family, even an ordinary, respectable family would never agree to it.

But Wei Xun was determined, and nothing could sway him. In the end, Wei's father could not persuade his son and had to reluctantly agree.

Wei's father was indeed a virtuous man. After Luo Yueniang entered the family, he saw that although she came from humble origins, she was not a bad person at heart.

Being born into a family of bandits was her fate, not her fault.

Therefore, instead of making things difficult for her, Wei's father genuinely loved her like a daughter.

He personally taught her poetry, literature, and etiquette, tempering her bandit-like nature.

Luo Yueniang was not ungrateful; she respected and loved her father-in-law as if he were her own father.

Wei Xun looked at his wife's slightly reddened eyes, his eyes filled with tenderness.

He knew his wife's fierce spirit and deep affection, but as the local official in Chengdu, he had to consider not only the gains and losses on the battlefield, but also the overall situation.

“Moon Lady, we can’t keep fighting like this.” Wei Xun patiently advised, “Since we started fighting the Qing army, the Duzhang Man in the west and the Baicao Qiang in the north have been making trouble and have been colluding with each other.”

"If we fight the Qing army to the death at the front, exhausting our strength, wouldn't that allow these foreign tribes to take advantage of our weakness and plunge the people of Shu into an even greater catastrophe?"

"We should not disregard the well-being of the millions of people in Sichuan because of a personal feud within our own family."

The Duzhang Man and Baicao Qiang are both ethnic minority tribes surrounding the Shu region. They have a long history of friction with the government and frequently raid the border.

The relationship between the two was very complicated. These foreign tribes lived together with the Shu people, and some of them even joined the Shu army.

But that's because Shu is strong and they are weak. If the Qing army and the Shu army continue to fight, they will show their fangs sooner or later.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yueniang's phoenix eyes widened, and she said proudly, "Even if the Qing army and the barbarian Qiang invade at the same time, I will drive them back together!"

Seeing Luo Yueniang's appearance, Wei Xun felt even more sorrowful.

He knew his time was running out.

If he were to pass away, given his wife's fierce nature, she would surely fight to the death.

But the general trend of the world is overwhelming and unstoppable. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who oppose it will perish. How can it be reversed by the bravery of an individual alone?

Wei Xun coughed violently for a while, and an abnormal flush appeared on his pale face.

Luo Yueniang was startled and quickly stepped forward to help him pat his back.

Once his breathing had calmed down, Wei Xun grasped Luo Yueniang's hand and said, word by word:

"Moon Lady, listen, I have already replied to the new emperor."

Luo Yueniang's heart tightened: "You agreed to him?"

“Not entirely.” Wei Xun shook his head and said slowly, “I made a condition in the letter.”

"What conditions?"

"I demand that he..." Wei Xun took a deep breath, "...assign me the title of King of Shu!"

"What?!" Luo Yueniang's eyes widened in astonishment, almost thinking she had misheard. "Husband! You...you've lost your mind? You want to become king?!"

She knew Wei Xun too well; her husband was by no means a power-hungry person. In fact, he had only taken the position of prefect to preserve his family.

Moreover, those who were not of the imperial family and were granted the title of king were invariably thorns in the side of the court, and how many of them had a good ending throughout history?

She quickly pressed, "What if he doesn't agree? Should we just keep fighting?"

Wei Xun shook his head again: "No, quite the opposite."

"If he flatly refuses and refuses to be made a king, we can surrender without worry!"

Seeing his wife's completely incomprehensible look, Wei Xun patiently explained, "The Great Qing Dynasty has just been established and is full of vigor. The new emperor has lofty ambitions and is by no means willing to be controlled by others."

"He would never tolerate the emergence of a king of a different surname who would seize territory and establish his own fiefdom within his borders."

Wei Xun finished speaking with difficulty, his breathing already somewhat rapid:

"Therefore, if he agrees to my conditions immediately, it only shows that he is only looking for a quick victory to stabilize us temporarily, and has no sincerity in governing Shu for the long term."

"The so-called promises are nothing more than expedient measures, and things will inevitably change in the future, and they may even settle scores later."

“If he refuses outright,” Wei Xun’s gaze deepened, “it shows that he values ​​the peace of Shu and is willing to go through more trouble to solve the problem at its root.”

"A monarch like this makes a promise that carries more weight and is more worthy of being entrusted with something."

Meanwhile, at the Xuanzheng Hall.

Li Che opened Wei Xun's letter and his eyes lit up when he saw the elegant handwriting on it.

He then read it word by word, and couldn't help but laugh: "They actually want the King of Shu from me? Do they think they're Han Xin?"