Dafeng Night Watchman

Chapter 740 - 740 Is everything ready?

Five hundred thousand taels, compared to the court's annual tax revenue, is nothing, but it also depends on the timing.

Maintaining the court's operation and supporting military expenditures requires a lot of silver. The court is already "poor and destitute", just waiting to resume farming after the spring to take a breath.

The original intention of peace talks is to "survive". Yunzhou wants to force Dafeng to death through peace talks, and the court will definitely not agree.

Emperor Yongxing said lightly:

"I intend to negotiate peace with Yunzhou, it seems that Yunzhou is unwilling to negotiate peace with the court."

Ji Yuan frowned:

"Your Majesty, this makes me embarrassed. My Yunzhou army is in high spirits. If it weren't for my father's concern for the people of the world, I'm afraid that the army would have been at the gates of the city. Why is our Yunzhou sincere in peace talks like giving alms to beggars in the eyes of the court?"

He mentioned the advantages of the Yunzhou army on the battlefield again, hinting at the unequal relationship between the two sides.

Hearing this, Emperor Yongxing and the gentlemen frowned.

At this time, Ji Yuan suddenly changed the subject and sighed:

"Forget it, I will take the initiative and take a step back. This year's tribute can be halved, but it will be supplemented next year.

"Your Majesty, all the adults, what do you think?"

Emperor Yongxing let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile:

"As for the details, let the Honglu Temple and Envoy Ji negotiate. "

The so-called details are to continue bargaining and wrangling.

The meeting in front of the palace only discusses the general situation, and does not discuss the details.

Xu Yuanshuang listened silently, and almost figured out Ji Yuan's routine. Last night, Ji Yuan and Ge Wenxuan used the conch shell to communicate and discuss and analyze the mentality of the Emperor of Dafeng and the officials in advance, as well as their approximate tolerance.

The conclusion is that the limit is between 200,000 and 250,000 taels of silver (silk is not included).

On the way out, Xu Yuanshuang was still thinking that this first condition might be a "fierce battle", but with the eloquence of the ninth brother, it should not be a big problem.

Now I realize that I still underestimated Ji Yuan.

Why did he estimate so accurately...Xu Yuanshuang's heart moved, guessing that it was related to the test of putting on airs outside the capital yesterday.

After initially finalizing the first condition, Ji Yuan continued:

"The second condition is that my father hopes that your majesty can post a notice to recognize that my Yunzhou lineage is also the orthodox of the Central Plains. "

The gentlemen were calm about this, and no one jumped out to criticize harshly.

"You are going too far!"

Prince Qian, the younger brother of Emperor Yuan Jing, who was wearing casual clothes, stepped out of the line, glared at Ji Yuan, and shouted:

"You rebels, are you worthy of being called the orthodox of the Central Plains? You are just bandits who occupy the mountains and become kings."

Several kings and princes immediately stepped out and echoed.

Compared to the reaction of the gentlemen, the attitude of the royal family was extremely fierce. The Central Plains lineage was considered the orthodox of the Central Plains, so what about us? Are we rebels?

If you have to investigate it, it is true, but because of this, the royal family of Dafeng will never admit or give in.

Ji Yuan's face turned cold, and he glanced at several princes and dukes, and said lightly:

"How did Emperor Wuzong get the world back then? Don't you know? We just want to get back our identity and status, which is human nature. "

The prince who just stood up scolded:

"Five hundred years ago, the emperor was tyrannical, favored virtuous ministers and kept away from villains, and persecuted loyal and good people. Emperor Wuzong stood up to protect the foundation of his ancestors, which was in line with the will of the people. "

Ji Yuan responded sharply and raised his voice:

"The former emperor Yuan Jing was stupid and incompetent. He was obsessed with the beauty of the leader of the sect. He practiced Taoism for twenty years and ignored the government, so that the people were living in misery. I, the Yunzhou lineage, could not bear to see the foundation of our ancestors destroyed by the hands of a tyrant, so we rose up, which was also the clear will of heaven and in line with the will of the people. "

Several princes and dukes were furious:

"You are talking nonsense! Your Majesty, this boy should be beheaded! "

If you were to choose, this would be a condition that you could agree to without hesitation, because you don't have to pay a substantial price.

Of course, it's not without a price.

Once the court recognizes this, the Yunzhou rebels will become "legitimate". The people's surrender is secondary. The fear is that the gentry, landlords, and local officials will rebel and surrender to Yunzhou.

Since it is the orthodox of the Central Plains, it is not considered a betrayal. Even if you want to be a loyal and brave man, it would be difficult to die rather than surrender.

But these are all trivial matters, because given the current situation in Dafeng, it is impossible to win the battle. Since it cannot win, it is only a matter of time for officials to rebel and surrender.

So you don't have much resistance to this.

But in the eyes of the royal family, recognizing Yunzhou as the orthodox of the Central Plains is more difficult to accept than 500,000 taels of silver, because it is a betrayal of the ancestors.

Emperor Yongxing frowned and said slowly:

"Let's discuss this later! "

He didn't plan to make a decision at this time. Anyway, the discussion in front of the hall was to set the tone. The details involved in the "two countries" negotiations were complicated and could not produce results in a short time.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan was very strong and shook his head:

"Before coming, my father specifically told me that if your majesty didn't agree to this matter, the peace talks would not continue."

This was equivalent to blocking the words.

Emperor Yongxing either agreed or terminated the peace talks. Yunzhou will never give in on this matter.

"Wishful thinking!"

Prince Yu also stood up and said in a deep voice:

"I can also tell you that the court will never give in on this matter."

Ji Yuan stood with his hands behind his back and sighed:

"I have made such a big concession on the annual tribute and given the court enough face. I didn't expect to get such a reward."

His face sank and he said sternly:

"Are you really not afraid of my 100,000 cavalry in Yunzhou! "

First he claimed the truth, then he used his power, and he stood straight, making all the princes and dukes look unreasonable and ungrateful.

A duke shouted:

"Then I'll kill you first!"

Ji Yuan sneered:

"If I was afraid of death, I wouldn't have come to Beijing. "

In fact, the real purpose of this peace talk is to force Dafeng to cede territory and seek peace without bloodshed. Fighting for territory is the core goal of Yunzhou.

Because the more territory is obtained, the more luck the national teacher Xu Pingfeng condenses, and the closer he is to the master of destiny.

Ji Yuan insisted on the second condition. At first glance, it seems to be missing the point, but in fact, he is sure that Emperor Yongxing will agree.

Compared with actual interests and life and death, the reputation of the clan must be put behind.

And this matter is more of a dispute between the two branches of the Dafeng royal family. It does not touch the core interests, and the opposition of the gentlemen is not high.

Then, no matter how much the royal family members clamor, it is nothing but impotent rage.

Emperor Yongxing stared at Ji Yuan for a moment, and said word by word:

"Okay, I agree! "

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the clan members in the hall changed and they shouted:

"Your Majesty..."

Emperor Yongxing raised his hand and used a sharp look to force the princes and dukes to retreat:

"I have made up my mind!"

Including Prince Yu, the clan members looked at Emperor Yongxing with disappointment.

Emperor Yongxing turned to look at Ji Yuan and asked:

"What is the third condition?"

Ji Yuan stretched out his palm, opened his five fingers, and said loudly:

"Cede the land. Dafeng must cede Yongzhou, Yuzhou and Zhangzhou to us. "

In the Jinluan Palace, there was a moment of dead silence, and then a noisy discussion arose the next moment.

Although the officials and Emperor Yongxing had guessed in advance that Yunzhou might ask for compensation and ceding land, they did not expect that the appetite would be so big.

The two sides fought for so long, and Dafeng only lost Qingzhou.

Then they wanted to take away the three states without bloodshed through peace talks?

The Prime Minister Qian Qingshu stepped out, swept his cold eyes over Ji Yuan and others, and said:

"Although Qingzhou was lost, Dafeng still has eleven states, with many soldiers and generals. Do you really think you are afraid of a tiny place like Yunzhou?

"Your Majesty is willing to negotiate peace with you, also because he can't bear to see the people suffer from the war again, not because he is afraid of you Yunzhou."

Ji Yuan laughed and said:

"If I remember correctly, before the autumn harvest, Wei Yuan led 100,000 elite troops to attack the Wushen Sect, and almost wiped out the whole army. This is the first reason.

"After the winter, the court once again assembled 90,000 troops and fought with our Yunzhou soldiers in Qingzhou, losing more than half of them. This is the second reason.

"The troops of the three northwestern states must be used to resist the harassment of the Western Regions coalition forces, and no troops can be withdrawn to support the war in the south. This is the third reason.

"Many soldiers and generals, what a great many soldiers and generals. May I ask Prime Minister Qian, does the court still have troops to fight with our Yunzhou? "

Every time Ji Yuan said something, the faces of the officials in the hall became more and more ugly.

They would not admit it verbally, but they knew in their hearts that every word Ji Yuan said was true and hit the nail on the head.

The war in Leizhou in the west was not serious. The coalition forces of the Western Regions mainly harassed, with small battles constantly, but no big battles. After all, the Buddhist sect was restrained by the demon tribe in the southern border.

But just in case, it is indeed impossible to mobilize troops on a large scale.

Qian Qingshu was speechless for a moment. He naturally disdained to quibble and snorted coldly.

Seeing that the Prime Minister was angry and silent, the officials looked at each other, thinking about how to refute.

At this time, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue came out and said slowly:

"If I remember correctly, in the 30th year of Yuanjing, the registered population of Yunzhou was 830,000 households. May I ask Envoy Ji, does Yunzhou support one soldier for every ten households, or every twenty households? How did the 100,000 iron cavalry come from?

"It's reasonable to know how many elite troops Yunzhou has. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how weak Dafeng is, it's not a problem to fight all the elite troops of Yunzhou."

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is most sensitive to data such as money, household registration, and population.

Left Censor Liu Hong immediately stepped out and echoed:

"The final outcome is nothing but a loss to both sides, and don't forget that the Wushen Cult is watching covetously, and the allies of Buddhism are not really sincere to you Yunzhou."

He just tried to continue to explain the situation and persuade the young man from Yunzhou.

He was interrupted by a loud laugh. Ji Yuan said with a mocking face:

"Master Liu, these words are enough to fool a three-year-old child. Don't you think it's ridiculous to talk nonsense and change the concept in front of me?"

He looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue:

"What the master said is right, but so what? Now Qingzhou is under our control. All refugees can be soldiers. If you want to fight with Yunzhou's elite, just come and try.

"In addition, the Supervisor has been killed by our national teacher in Qingzhou. Without this guardian, how can you have the confidence to fight with my Yunzhou's elite? "

Finally, it was inevitable to bring up this topic.

It was because of the loss of the Supervisor that Emperor Yongxing and the other officials were frightened. A while ago, they did not dare to sleep at night, fearing that the group of terrible supernatural powers would break into the capital and the palace and take off their heads in their dreams.

Hearing this, Sun Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice retorted:

"Although the Supervisor is dead, Dafeng is not without supernatural powers, including Sun Xuanji of the Sitianjian, Luo Yuheng, the national teacher, Zhao Shou, the dean of Yunlu Academy, and... Xu Qi'an!"

"Yes, we still have Xu Yinluo." As if to cheer himself up, someone echoed.

Ji Yuan smiled but said nothing. A scarlet robe official behind him sneered:

"Even the Supervisor died in the hands of our national teacher. Xu Qi'an, a mere third-rank official, is he qualified to compete with him? It seems that the Ninth Prince is too humble, making you think that Yunzhou is afraid of Dafeng.

"If you want to negotiate peace, agree to our conditions. If you don't want to negotiate peace, naturally there will be strong men from my Yunzhou who will come to the capital and destroy you first. Then the Yunzhou army will march to the city and take over the Central Plains.

"Do you have any other choice?"

The truth is revealed, and it is an inevitable process in negotiations. The powerful party holds the bargaining chips to exert pressure.

It is necessary to cede land, and how much to cede is the details of the negotiation.

Ji Yuan gently shook the silver bone small fan and said lightly:

"Your Majesty and the gentlemen may not know the details of the day when the Supervisor died. Having said that, the Supervisor is indeed extremely powerful. If the national teacher had not invited the legendary beast Baidi from Yunzhou and the Taoist master Heilian, the head of the Earth Sect, it would be difficult to kill the Supervisor. "

He slowly recounted the process of the strong men besieging and killing the Supervisor that day. Of course, it was all nonsense, but it was not important. What was important was that through the so-called process, he let Emperor Yongxing and the others understand how terrible the extraordinary strong men behind Yunzhou were.

The royal family members, civil officials and military generals in the hall all looked very ugly, some with gloomy faces, some with clenched fists, and some with helplessness and frustration.

Humiliation!

Emperor Yongxing couldn't help but pinched his eyebrows and said in a deep voice:

"The land of the three continents is absolutely impossible. This matter will be discussed later. What is the fourth condition?"

It means that the land has been agreed to be ceded, and the quantity needs to be discussed.

Ji Yuan raised the corner of his mouth. His goal had been achieved. For now, the negotiation went smoothly without too many twists and turns.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. This fourth condition is nothing. It's just a bonus."

Hearing this, Emperor Yongxing's solemn expression eased slightly and said:

"Just say it. "

Ji Yuan slammed the silver-bone fan shut:

"I want to ask your majesty for the refining notes of the supervisor."

Compared with the first three conditions, this is indeed a bonus. Although the refining notes of a first-class sorcerer must be extremely precious, items of too high a level are really not as important as personal interests.

.........

A complete defeat!

The first confrontation between the imperial court and the Yunzhou delegation was a complete defeat.

This peace negotiation itself was unequal. Dafeng wanted to seek peace and had to bear the pain of cutting flesh. However, the powerlessness shown by the officials and Emperor Yongxing in the process still made many middle and low-level Beijing officials feel chilled and disappointed.

And those four conditions, in the eyes of some scholars, were simply a loss of power and humiliation of the country.

"Ceding land for peace is a great shame! "

The first to stir up trouble were the Hanlin Academy. These scholars, who had no real power but were the most noble scholars in the court, gathered at the Meridian Gate and cursed.

"Stupid emperor, you are scared just by the loss of Qingzhou."

"Everyone has to die. We scholars would rather die standing than live on our knees."

"The Yunzhou lineage is the orthodox one? Then what is the current royal family? What do we scholars owe our loyalty to? A stupid emperor who has forgotten his ancestors. "

Then these people were dragged out one by one and beaten with sticks in the court, until they were almost dead.

This did shock some people, but it could not control the fermentation of rumors. Just after lunch, the students of the Imperial College went on strike. The scholars were the most sharp. Some wrote articles to mock; some gathered in the downtown to criticize; some stormed the office of the chief priest and demanded to hand over a blood letter to His Majesty......

What happened in the morning court first spread in the officialdom and upper class of the capital, and then slowly spread to the lower-class people. By dusk, rumors spread in the market that the court ceded land to seek peace and recognized the rebels as the orthodox Central Plains.

"Yesterday, I saw the bandits entering the city, and I knew that the court asked for peace."

"Alas, it would be best if there was no war. This world is in chaos... But when I think about it, I always feel unwilling. How could the court be defeated just like that? When it sent troops to fight the Wushen Sect last year, it was so glorious. "

"I heard that even the chief supervisor died. He was an old god in the Imperial Observatory. Alas, things are going to change."

"Where is Xu Yinluo? Did Xu Yinluo just watch the court cede land and seek peace?"

"Xu Yinluo did his best. Didn't the court post a notice a while ago saying that Xu Yinluo had formed an alliance with the Wan Yao Kingdom and the Gu Clan? Even without the Buddhist ally, we still have other allies."

"Alas, who would have thought that Qingzhou would fall just like that? I have no hope now. Xu Yinluo would always come forward when there was something wrong in the past."

Post station.

Ji Yuan took out the magic weapon and set up a soundproof formation. After listening to the report from his subordinates, he smiled and said:

"It's quite lively outside. These ignorant nerds are nothing but insignificant little people. Our next goal is to test Xu Qiyan."

Xu Yuanshuang asked when he heard that it was related to Xu Qiyan:

"How to test?"

Ji Yuan turned the silver bone fan in his hand and said:

"For example, when the negotiations are about to end, I suddenly add a condition and ask for a marriage with Dafeng. The object must be one of the two princesses of Lin'an and Huaiqing."

Xu Qiyan and Lin'an have an engagement, which he found out from the people sent by Concubine Chen.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned and said:

"Are you looking for death?"

If he really did this, whether the peace talks could be successful was one thing, and whether Xu Qiyan would let him leave the capital alive was another.

Ji Yuan laughed loudly:

"The two princesses and I are of the same clan, so the marriage is naturally not with our lineage, but with Yuan Huai. How do you think Xu Qi'an will react? Can he attack his own brother?"

"He will!" Xu Yuanhuai's face suddenly changed, this is forcing him to death.

"Just a joke, look how nervous you are."

Ji Yuan smiled with a bad taste, suddenly sat up straight, and said:

"Xu Qi'an has not shown up, and we don't know what he is thinking behind the scenes.

"Although the Supervisor has been sealed, he is the Supervisor, who knows what trump cards he will leave behind. The national teacher doesn't know either, so he wants to test Xu Qi'an, test Xu Qi'an through peace talks, so as to understand the Supervisor's backhand. "

Xu Yuanshuang's face improved slightly, and asked:

"Brother Jiu, what trump cards do you think he will have?"

Ji Yuan thought about it and laughed:

"Dead end!

"This is a dead end for Xu Qian'an. If I were him, I would have turned a blind eye to the peace talks, and then take advantage of the time gained by the peace talks to beg for help everywhere and win over extraordinary strongmen as allies.

"So, our trip to the capital is a free gift, and there will be no danger."

The folding fan in Ji Yuan's hand rotated:

"Even if he has the ability to reach the sky, he can only pinch his nose and accept it. Ah, I really want to see his desperate posture, but now is not the time, we have to wait until we break through the capital."

.......

Jingxiu Palace.

"Mother, I heard from Huaiqing that once we cede land to seek peace, Dafeng will be completely hopeless."

Lin'an said worriedly, his oval face was no longer bright, and was stained with a layer of haze.

Concubine Chen said anxiously:

"There is no other way. If we don't seek peace, do we have to continue fighting with Yunzhou? If there is a chance of winning, will His Majesty and the other officials be so focused on peace talks?

"The only way out now is peace talks. Otherwise, how can you count on your fiancé?"

Lin'an bit his lip and was about to cry:

"Mother, why do you hate him so much?"

A figure in white flashed through Concubine Chen's mind, and she gritted her teeth and said:

"No one with the surname Xu is a good person."

She immediately softened her heart and took Lin'an's hand:

"Huaiqing has been a black-hearted person since childhood, and her words cannot be trusted. Lin'an, you don't understand, now except for peace talks, no one can save the court."

......

Wang Mansion.

Qian Qingshu, wearing a thick cloak, went straight to Wang Zhenwen's bedroom.

Wang Zhenwen saw him coming in, waved his hand, dismissed the maid, and asked directly:

"What are the conditions?"

Qian Qingshu recounted Yunzhou's four conditions.

"Rebels! Rebels!!"

Wang Zhenwen cursed several times and suddenly started coughing violently.

Qian Qingshu sat on the bed, gently stroked his back, helped him breathe, and sighed:

"At this point, His Majesty has agreed, but ceding the three continents is impossible. His Majesty's bottom line is to cede Yuzhou."

"Recognize the Qianlongcheng lineage as the orthodox Central Plains, disturb the people's hearts of Dafeng, demand money, drain the financial resources of Dafeng, cede the three continents, and completely become powerful......"

Wang Zhenwen murmured:

"It's over, there's nothing we can do, there's nothing we can do."

Even if Wei Yuan was resurrected, he couldn't play this game.

Qian Qingshu sighed:

"But who can convince His Majesty? Besides, peace talks are in line with the general trend. Now the only one in Dafeng who can go against the trend is Xu Qiyan.

"But my brother, forcing Xu Qiyan to break with the court is also a conspiracy of the Yunzhou rebels. He had not shown up, which meant he understood this.

"I have found out that he is in the Imperial Observatory and sent someone to deliver the message. If he wanted to come, he would have come long ago."

......

The Imperial Observatory, the big bedroom.

Xu Qi'an was soaking in the bathtub, his back against the wall, and in his arms sat the flower goddess who was nearly 40 years old and more delicate than a girl.

She sat limply in Xu Qi'an's arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her face flushed, her eyes blurred, and she had no strength in her body.

"What, what time is it....."

After a hard intermission, Mu Nanzhi asked weakly.

"It was just after lunch."

Xu Qi'an pinched Mu Nanzhi's willow waist, not letting her leave his arms for a moment, and was full of energy.

The beauty in his arms was white and soft, her skin was like ivory, delicate and elastic.

Lunch was over...... Mu Nanzhi cried and cursed:

"Are you an animal? You've been playing with me for a day and a night. I, I won't practice dual cultivation with you anymore......"

Compared with Xiaoyu, your fighting power is too weak... Xu Qian'an said:

"The first dual cultivation has the best effect. My Qi is still growing. I'll stop when it reaches the limit. The Qi in your body is also powerful. Nanzhi, do you know how many people are eager for this kind of cultivation that will increase their cultivation?"

By the bathtub, water stains were splashed everywhere. The clothes and bellybands on the screen had already fallen to the ground and were soaked by the overflowing bath water.

The spacious and sturdy bed was in a mess. The quilt fell to the ground. The sheets were wrinkled and messy, with irregular spots left.

Thanks to the rich spiritual essence of the flower god, Xu Qian'an only took one night to stabilize his foundation.

Under normal circumstances, it takes about ten days to stabilize the realm and adapt to the power after promotion.

At this moment, he felt a familiar palpitation.

He waved his hand to summon the fragments of the Earth Book from the scattered clothes.

[One: The Yunzhou delegation has already met with Yongxing, and Yunzhou has given four conditions. ]

Huaiqing sent a detailed message to the Earth Book chat group about what he said at the court this morning.

Finally, a simple evaluation:

[One: A complete defeat. Ji Yuan is an extremely powerful character. In addition, he uses his power to suppress others. Yongxing and the gentlemen have no bargaining chips to negotiate with him. ]

[Seven: Cowardly! ]

The Son of God commented.

After reading Huaiqing's retelling, Li Lingsu felt aggrieved for Dafeng, not to mention Li Miaozhen, who hated evil.

[Two: If this useless emperor really ceded the land of the three continents, wouldn't Xu Pingfeng be even more powerful, and wouldn't the Yunzhou army be even more powerful. Does Dafeng still have a chance of winning?

[Xu Ningyan, what should we do? Should we fight or what? Please tell me.]

Xu Qian'an has rarely sent letters and made speeches recently, and he seems extremely negative, which makes Feiyan Xia anxious and unable to sleep or eat.

The other members of Tiandihui are also anxious. They are powerless to stop Dafeng from sliding into the abyss step by step.

[Three: Don't worry, just do your work, I will take care of the peace talks.]

After a simple explanation, he hugged the weak Mu Nanzhi while chatting privately with the academic princess.

[Three: Your Highness, are you ready?]