Nightwatcher

Chapter 741 Is everything ready? (20,000.1 million)

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

To maintain the operation of the imperial court and support military expenditures requires a lot of silver. The imperial court is already "poor and destitute", and it is waiting for the resumption of farming after the spring, so that it can breathe a sigh of relief.

The original intention of the negotiation was to "survive". Yunzhou wanted to force Dafeng to die through the negotiation, and the court would 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 imperial court."

Ji Yuan frowned:

"Your Majesty, this is embarrassing me. My Yunzhou army is as powerful as a rainbow. If the father and emperor did not care about the common people in the world, I am afraid that the army would have come to the city by now. Our sincere peace talks in Yunzhou, in the eyes of the court, it is like giving alms to beggars?"

He once again mentioned the advantage of the Yunzhou Army on the battlefield, implying the unequal relationship between the two sides.

Hearing this, Emperor Yongxing and the princes frowned.

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

"That's all, I'm going to make my own opinion, take a step back, this year's annual tribute can be halved, but next year will have to make up.

"Your Majesty, what do you think, my lords?"

Emperor Yongxing let out a breath silently, and said with a smile:

"As for the detailed rules, we will leave it to Honglu Temple to negotiate with Envoy Ji."

The so-called detailed rules are to continue haggling and wrangling.

When discussing matters in front of the palace, we only discuss a general idea, leaving aside the minutiae.

Xu Yuanshuang listened silently, and almost figured out Ji Yuan's routine. Last night, Ji Yuan and Ge Wenxuan Faluo transmitted voice, and discussed and analyzed the hearts of Emperor Dafeng and the princes in advance, as well as their general endurance.

The conclusion reached 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 the first condition might be a "fierce battle", but with Brother Nine's eloquence, it must not be a big problem.

Only now did I realize that I still underestimated Ji Yuan.

Why did he estimate so accurately? Xu Yuanshuang's heart moved. He guessed that it had something to do with putting on airs outside the capital yesterday.

After finalizing the first condition, Ji Yuan continued:

"The second condition, Father, hopes that His Majesty can post a notice widely, acknowledging that our lineage in Yunzhou is also orthodox in the Central Plains."

The princes were still calm about this, and no one jumped out to speak harshly.

"Too much deceit!"

Prince Gan, the younger brother of Emperor Yuan Jing, who was wearing ordinary clothes, strode out, glared at Ji Yuan, and shouted:

"You rebels, worthy of being called the orthodox of the Central Plains? They are nothing more than bandits who occupy the mountains as kings."

Immediately, several kings and princes came out and followed suit.

Contrary to the reaction of the princes, the attitude of the royal family is extremely fierce. The Central Plains is considered to be orthodox in the Central Plains. What about us? Are we rebels?

If you have to get to the bottom of it, it's true, but because of this, the Dafeng royal family will never admit it or back down.

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

"You guys don't know how Emperor Wuzong won the world back then? We just want to return our identity and status, which is human nature."

The prince who just stood up reprimanded:

"Five hundred years ago, the emperor was incompetent and had no way, and the good officials were far away from the villains, and the loyal and good people were killed. In order to protect the foundation of the ancestors, Emperor Wuzong stepped forward, which was in line with the people's will."

Ji Yuan confronted each other and raised his voice:

"The former emperor Yuan Jing was incompetent and incompetent. He was fascinated by the beauty of the head of the sect. He practiced the Tao for 20 years and ignored the government, so that the people had no means of living. My lineage in Yunzhou couldn't bear the ruin of our ancestors' foundation at the hands of a foolish king. It is also a clear law of heaven and conforms to the people's will. "

Several princes and county kings were furious:

"Speak wild words! Your Majesty, this son should be beheaded!"

If you let the princes choose, this is a condition that you can agree to without hesitation, because you don't have to pay a substantial price.

Of course, it's not without cost.

Once the imperial court admits this matter, the Yunzhou rebellious party will become "justified", and the people's surrender is the next best thing. I am afraid that those gentry and landlords and local officials will rebel with confidence and take refuge in Yunzhou.

Since it is orthodox in the Central Plains, it is not considered a betrayal. If you want to be a loyal soldier, you would rather die than surrender.

But these are trivial matters, because considering the current situation, the fight is impossible to win, and since the fight cannot be won, it will be a matter of time before the officials defect.

So you don't have much resistance to this.

But in the eyes of the royal family, admitting that Yunzhou is the orthodox of the Central Plains is more difficult to accept than five hundred thousand taels of silver, because it is a betrayal of the ancestors.

Emperor Yongxing frowned and said slowly:

"We will discuss this matter later!"

He does not intend to make a decision at this time. Anyway, the discussion in front of the palace is to set the main tone. Negotiations between the "two countries" involve complicated details, and results cannot be achieved in a short time.

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

"Before coming, the emperor specially explained that if His Majesty does not agree to this matter, there is no need to continue the peace talks."

This is equivalent to blocking the conversation.

You, Emperor Yongxing, either agree or suspend the peace talks. Yunzhou will never back down on this matter.

"wishful thinking!"

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

"This king can also tell you that the court will never back down on this matter."

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

"This official has already made such a big concession on the annual tribute, which has given the court enough face. I didn't expect to get such a return."

His face darkened, and he said sharply:

"Aren't you afraid of my hundred thousand cavalry from Yunzhou?"

First take advantage of the reason, and then use the power, the waist is straight, and the strong words set off by the princes and kings are unreasonable, and they don't know how to flatter.

A county king shouted:

"Then kill you first!"

Ji Yuan sneered and said:

"If this official is afraid of death, he will not go to Beijing."

In fact, the real purpose of this peace talks is to force Dafeng to cede territory to sue for peace without bloodshed. The core goal of Yunzhou is to fight for territory.

Because the more territory he got, the more luck the national teacher Xu Pingfeng condensed, and the closer he was to the Destiny Master.

Ji Yuan insisted on the second condition. At first glance, it seemed that he was giving up everything, but in fact he was sure that Emperor Yongxing would agree.

Compared with actual interests, life and death, the reputation of the clan has to rely on it.

And this matter is more of a dispute between the two lines of the royal family, not touching the core interests, and the public's opposition is not high.

Then, no matter how clamored by several royal family members, it is nothing but incompetent rage.

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

"Okay, I agree!"

As soon as this remark came out, the face of the clan in the hall changed, and they shouted:

"His Majesty."

Emperor Yongxing raised his hand and forced the princes and county kings back with sharp eyes:

"I've made up my mind!"

Including King Yu, all the clan looked at Emperor Yongxing with disappointment.

Emperor Yongxing turned to look at Ji Yuan and asked:

"What's the third condition?"

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

"To cede the land, Dafeng will cede Yongzhou, Yuzhou and Zhangzhou to us."

In the Golden Luan Hall, there was a dead silence for a moment, and then there was a noisy discussion in the next moment.

Although the princes and Emperor Yongxing had guessed in advance that Yunzhou might open his mouth to demand compensation and cede land, he really didn't expect such a big appetite.

After fighting life and death on both sides for so long, Dafeng only lost one Qingzhou.

Then you want to take away the land of the three states through peace talks?

The chief assistant Qian Qingshu came out, glanced coldly at Ji Yuan and the others, and said:

"Although Qingzhou is lost, Dafeng still has a territory of eleven continents, and there are many soldiers and generals. Do you really think that you are afraid of a tiny place in Yunzhou?

"Your Majesty is willing to negotiate a peace with you. It is also because he can't bear the people to be tortured by the flames of war again, not because he is afraid of you Yunzhou."

Ji Yuan laughed loudly and said:

"If I remember correctly, before the autumn harvest, Wei Yuan led 100,000 elite troops to crusade against the Witch God Sect, and almost wiped out the whole army, this is one of them.

"After the winter, the imperial court assembled another 90,000 troops and fought fiercely with our soldiers from Yunzhou in Qingzhou, losing more than half of them, this is the second.

"The troops of the three states in the Northwest should be used to defend against the harassment of the Allied Forces in the Western Regions, if no troops can be dispatched to support the war in the south, this is the third.

"There are many soldiers and generals, and it is good to have many soldiers and generals. Dare to ask Qian Shoufu, does the imperial court still have troops to fight with me in Yunzhou?"

Every time Ji Yuan said a word, the faces of the princes in the hall turned ugly.

They won't admit it verbally, but they know in their hearts that everything Ji Yuan said is true and hits the nail on the head.

The battle in Leizhou in the west is not serious. The coalition forces of various countries in the Western Regions mainly harass.

But just in case, it is really not possible to deploy troops on a large scale.

Qian Qingshu was at a loss for words for a moment, he naturally disdained to argue, and snorted coldly.

Seeing that the first assistant was so angry and silent, the princes looked at each other, thinking about how to refute.

At this time, the household servant came out and said slowly:

"If I remember correctly, in the 30th year of Yuanjing, there were 830,000 households recorded in Yunzhou. Dare I ask the envoy Ji whether ten households in Yunzhou raise one soldier, or twenty households raise one soldier? How about 100,000 cavalry?" come?

"How many elites there are in Yunzhou can be counted as a reason. A thin camel is bigger than a horse, no matter how weak Dafeng is, it will be easy to fight all the elites in Yunzhou."

The servant of the household department is the most sensitive to data such as money and food, household registration, and population.

Liu Hong, the imperial censor of Zuodu, came out immediately and echoed:

"The final outcome is nothing but a loss for both sides, and don't forget that the Witch God Sect is watching, and the allies of Buddhism are not really pouring out their hearts and lungs for you Yunzhou."

He just tried to continue to state the situation and convince this young man from Yunzhou.

Then was interrupted by loud laughter, Ji Yuan laughed all over his face, and said:

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

He looked at the Minister of Tobe:

"This lord is right, but so what? Now that Qingzhou is under our control, all the refugees can be soldiers. If you want to fight against the elite of Yunzhou, just come and try.

"In addition, Jianzheng has been beheaded by our national teacher in Qingzhou. Without this patron saint, how can you have the confidence to say that we have wiped out our Yunzhou elite?"

Finally, it was inevitable to mention this topic.

It was precisely because of the loss of the supervisor that Emperor Yongxing and the princes were terrified. A while ago, they did not dare to sleep at night, for fear that the group of terrifying superpowers would enter the capital, enter the palace, and pluck it away in their dreams. own head.

Sun Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment heard the words and retorted:

"Although Jianzheng is dead, Dafeng is not without superpowers, such as Sun Xuanji of Sitianjian, Guoshi Luo Yuheng, and the head of Yunlu Academy Zhao Shou, and Xu Qi'an!"

"That's right, we still have Xu Yinluo." As if to cheer himself up, someone echoed.

Ji Yuan smiled without saying a word, an official in scarlet robe behind him sneered and said:

"Even Jianzheng died in the hands of our national teacher. Xu Qi'an, a mere third-rank, is worthy of fighting against him? It seems that the ninth son is too humble, making you think that I, Yunzhou, are afraid of Dafeng.

"If you want to negotiate a peace, agree to our conditions. If you don't want to negotiate a peace, naturally the strong from my Yunzhou will come to the capital and destroy you first. Then the army of Yunzhou came to the city and entered the Central Plains.

"Do you have other options?"

It can be seen from the picture that tearing the face is an inevitable process of negotiation, and the powerful side holds the bargaining chip, which is used to exert pressure.

The cession of the land must be cede, and the details of the negotiation are the details of the negotiation.

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

"Your Majesty and the princes may not know the details of the day Jianzheng died. Having said that, Jianzheng is indeed extremely powerful. If the national teacher hadn't invited the legendary beast Baidi in Yunzhou, and the Taoist head of the Dizong, Heilian Taoist priest, to kill him." It is as difficult as going to the sky to be in charge."

He slowly talked about the process of the strong men besieging and killing Jianzheng that day. Of course, it was all nonsense, but this is not important. What is important is that he let Emperor Yongxing and the princes understand the situation behind Yunzhou How terrifying is the extraordinary powerhouse.

The royal family members, civil servants and military generals in the hall all had extremely ugly faces, either gloomy, clenched fists, or helpless and depressed.

humiliation!

Emperor Yongxing couldn't help pinching the center of his brows, and said in a deep voice:

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

It means that the land is agreed to be ceded, but the quantity still needs to be negotiated.

The corner of Ji Yuan's mouth twitched, his goal had already been achieved. So far, the negotiation has gone smoothly without any major twists and turns.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, the fourth condition is nothing but an addition."

Hearing this, Emperor Yongxing's serious face softened slightly, and said:

"But it doesn't matter."

Ji Yuan closed the small silver bone fan with a "snap":

"I want to ask His Majesty for the Jianzheng's refining handbook."

Compared with the first three conditions, this is indeed an addition. Although the handwriting of a first-grade warlock must be extremely precious, items that are too high in level are really not as important as personal benefits.

Flat out!

In the first confrontation between the imperial court and the Yunzhou Mission, they were completely defeated.

This peace negotiation itself was unequal, and it was inevitable for Dafeng to seek peace. However, the sense of powerlessness shown by the princes and Emperor Yongxing during the process still chilled and disappointed many middle and low-level Beijing officials.

And those four conditions, in the eyes of some scholars, simply lose power and humiliate the country.

"Ceding land and asking for peace is a shame and a shame!"

The first to make a fuss was the Hanlin Academy. These scholars who had no real power at hand but were first-class and noble scholars gathered at the Meridian Gate and yelled at them.

"Mr. Hun, just the fall of Qingzhou makes you scared out of your wits."

"Everyone is mortal. Scholars of my generation would rather die standing than live kneeling."

"The lineage of Yunzhou is orthodox? Then what is the royal family today, and what are the scholars we are loyal to? A faint king who has forgotten his ancestors."

Then these people were dragged out one by one with the court rod, and beaten to death.

This indeed shocked some people, but they couldn't control the ferment of rumors. Just after lunch, the students of the Imperial College went on strike. The scholar business spirit was the sharpest. Some wrote articles to mock; some gathered crowds in the downtown area to criticize; The office hall of the Great Sacrifice Wine, who asked to hand over the blood letter to His Majesty

What happened in the early dynasty was first spread in the official circles of the capital and the upper class, and then slowly spread to the people at the bottom. At dusk, there were rumors circulating in the market that the imperial court cede land for peace and recognized the rebels as the orthodox of the Central Plains.

"I saw the gangsters entering the city yesterday, so I knew the court wanted peace."

"Hey, it's best not to fight. The world is in chaos. But when I think about it, I still feel unwilling. Why did the court lose as soon as it said it would? Last year when it sent troops to fight against the Witch God Sect, it was so beautiful."

"I heard that even Jianzheng is dead, but that's an old fairy in Sitianjian. Alas, the sky is about to change."

"Where's Xu Yinluo? Could it be that Xu Yinluo just watched the court cede land and seek peace?"

"Xu Yinluo has also tried his best. Didn't the imperial court post a notice a while ago, saying that Xu Yinluo formed an alliance with the Wan Yao Kingdom and the Gu Clan. We don't have the ally of Buddhism, but we also have other allies."

"Hey, who would have thought that if Qingzhou said it would fall, then it would fall, so I'm hopeless. Xu Yinluo would always come forward in whatever happened before."

station.

Ji Yuan took out the magic weapon, propped up a sound-proof array, and after listening to his subordinate's report, he said with a smile:

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

When Xu Yuanshuang heard that it was related to Xu Qi'an, he asked:

"How to test?"

The small silver bone fan in Ji Yuan's hand turned around, and said:

"For example, when the negotiation was about to end, I suddenly added a condition, requesting to marry Dafeng, and the partner must be one of the two princesses of Lin'an Huaiqing."

Xu Qi'an has a marriage contract with Lin'an, which he found out from the people sent by Concubine Chen.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned and said:

"Are you looking for death?"

If you really want to do this, whether the peace talks can be completed is one thing, but whether Xu Qi'an will let him leave the capital alive is another matter.

Ji Yuan laughed loudly:

"The two princesses are of the same family as me, so the marriage is naturally not from our lineage, but from 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, which was forcing him to his death.

"Just kidding, look how nervous you are."

Ji Yuan smiled wickedly, suddenly sat upright, and said:

"Xu Qi'an hasn't shown up all this time, what plans he has behind his back, we don't know yet.

"Although the prison is sealed, it is the prison. Who knows what cards will be left behind. The national teacher doesn't know, so he wants to test Xu Qi'an through peace talks, so as to understand the future of the prison. hand."

Xu Yuanshuang's complexion improved slightly, and he asked:

"Brother Jiu thinks, what cards will he have?"

Ji Yuan thought for a while, then laughed:

"Dead end!

"This is a dead end for Xu Qi'an. If I were him, I would always turn a blind eye to the peace talks, and then take advantage of the time bought by the peace talks to go around begging grandpa to sue grandma and win over superpowers as allies.

"So, our trip to the capital is due to Bai Jian, and there will be no danger."

The folding fan in Ji Yuan's hand rotates:

"Even if he has the ability to reach the sky, he can only recognize it by pinching his nose. Ah, I really want to see his desperate posture, but now is not the time, we have to wait for us to break through the capital."

Jingxiu Palace.

"Mother Concubine, I heard from Huaiqing that once the territory is cede to seek peace, Dafeng will be completely hopeless."

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

Chen Guifei said anxiously:

"There is no other way. If you don't seek peace, do you want to continue to fight with Yunzhou? If there is a chance of winning, will your majesty and the guilds be single-minded in negotiating a peace.

"The only way out is to negotiate a peace now, otherwise you can count on your fiancé."

Lin'an bit her lip, wanting to cry:

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

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

"No one with the surname Xu is good."

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

"Then Huaiqing has been a dark-hearted person since she was a child. You can't believe her words. Lin'an, you don't understand. Now, no one can save the court except for the peace talks."

palace.

Qian Qingshu wore a thick cloak and went straight to Wang Zhenwen's bedroom.

Seeing him coming in, Wang Zhenwen waved his hand, turned away the servant girl, and asked straightforwardly:

"What are the conditions?"

Qian Qingshu recounted the four conditions of Yunzhou.

"Anti-Party! Anti-Party!!"

Wang Zhenwen cursed several times, and suddenly coughed violently.

Qian Qingshu sat by the bed, stroked his back, helped him to breathe, and sighed:

"The matter has come to this point, His Majesty has agreed, but it is impossible to cede the land of the Three Continents. Your Majesty's bottom line is to cede Yuzhou."

"Admit that Qianlong City's lineage is the orthodox of the Central Plains, mess with my Dafeng people's hearts, demand money, drain my Dafeng's financial resources, cede the three continents, and completely become a power."

Wang Zhenwen murmured:

"It's over, there is no power to return to heaven, there is no power to return to heaven."

Even if Wei Yuan is revived, he still can't win this game.

Qian Qingshu sighed:

"But who can convince His Majesty? Besides, negotiating peace is in line with the general trend. Now the only one who can go against the trend is Xu Qi'an.

"But brother Wang, forcing Xu Qi'an to break with the imperial court is not a conspiracy of the Yunzhou rebellion. He has not appeared all this time, and he understands this.

"I have already found out that he is in the Sitianjian, and I have also sent someone to send a message. If he wants to come, he will come already."

Si Tianjian, big bedroom.

Xu Qi'an was soaking in the tub, with his back leaning against the wall of the tub, sitting in his arms was the nearly forty-year-old Flower God, whose body was more delicate than a girl's.

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

"What time is it?"

After a half-time break, Mu Nanzhi asked feebly.

"Not long after lunch."

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

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

After lunch, Mu Nanzhi scolded in tears:

"Are you an animal? Don't let me sleep for one night, I, I won't double cultivate with you anymore"

Compared with Xiaoyu, your combat power is really too weak Xu Qian said:

"The first double cultivation works the best. At present, my energy mechanism is still growing, and I will wait until the limit is reached before stopping. The energy mechanism in your body is also vigorous. Nan Zhi, do you know how many people are eager for this kind of practice with skyrocketing cultivation?"

Water was splashed everywhere by the bathtub, and the clothes and aprons on the screen had already slipped to the ground, soaked by the overflowing bath water.

The spacious and firm bed was in a mess, the quilt was on the floor, the sheets were crumpled and messy, and the pillows were not at the head of the bed, but in the center of the bed.

Thanks to the richness of the flower god's spiritual accumulation, Xu Qi'an stabilized his foundation in just one night.

In a normal state, it takes about ten days after being promoted to stabilize the realm and adapt to the strength.

At this time, he felt the familiar palpitations.

Beckon to call the fragments of the book from the scattered clothes.

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

Huaiqing passed on the details of what he said at the court meeting this morning in the Dishu chat group.

Finally, a brief review:

[One: A crushing defeat, Ji Yuan is an extremely powerful character, coupled with his overwhelming power, Yongxing and Zhugong have no bargaining chips with him at all. 】

[Seven: Useless! 】

Saint Son commented.

After reading Huaiqing's report, Li Lingsu felt aggrieved for Dafeng, not to mention the jealous Li Miaozhen.

[Two: If this trash emperor really cedes the land of three continents, wouldn't Xu Pingfeng be even more powerful, and wouldn't the Yunzhou army be even more powerful. Dabong still has a chance of winning?

[Xu Ningyan, what should I do, whether it's a fight or something, just say something. 】

Xu Qi'an seldom sent letters to speak recently, and seemed extremely negative, which made Feiyan woman anxious to sleep and eat.

The other members of the Tiandihui were equally impatient, seeing Dafeng slipping into the abyss step by step, but there was nothing he could do.

[Three: Don't worry, do your business with peace of mind, I will take care of the peace talks. 】

After a brief explanation, he hugged the limp Mu Nanzhi while chatting privately with Princess Xueba.

[Three: Your Highness, is everything ready? 】

PS: This chapter originally had 8,000 words, but I deleted more than 1,000 words later. Alas, I feel a little distressed. This chapter is 6,600 words, 4,000 words chapter, and the remaining 2,600 words are supplementary.