Chapter 506

Five hundred thousand taels of silver was nothing compared to the annual tax revenue of the imperial court, but it also depended on the timing.

Maintaining the operation of the imperial court and supporting the military expenditure required a large amount of silver. The imperial court was already "poor" and was waiting for the beginning of spring to resume farming.

The original purpose of the peace talks was to "survive". If Yunzhou wanted to force Daibun to a dead end through the peace talks, the imperial court would definitely not agree.

The Yongxing Emperor said calmly,

"I intend to negotiate with Yunzhou, but it seems that Yunzhou is not willing to negotiate with the imperial court."

Ji Yuan frowned.

"Your Majesty, you are putting me in a difficult position. Our Yunzhou Army is full of vigor. If not for my father's concern for the people of the world, I'm afraid they would have already attacked the city. Yunzhou is sincere in negotiating, but why does it seem like we are giving alms to beggars in the eyes of the imperial court? "

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

Hearing this, the Yongxing Emperor and the ministers frowned.

At this time, Ji Yuan suddenly changed the topic and sighed.

"Fine, I will take a step back. This year's annual tribute can be halved, but it will have to be paid next year.

"Your Majesty, ministers, what do you think?"

The Yongxing Emperor let out a sigh and said with a smile,

"As for the details, Honglu Temple and Envoy Ji will discuss it."

The so-called detailed rules were to continue bargaining and wrangling.

The discussion in front of the palace was only a general discussion, not a detailed discussion.

Xu Yuanshuang listened quietly and almost figured out Ji Yuan's routine. Last night, Ji Yuan and Ge Wenxuan had discussed and analyzed the Daibun Emperor and the ministers' minds, as well as their tolerance.

The conclusion was that the limit was between two hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver.

On the way, Xu Yuanshuang was still thinking that the first condition might be a "fierce battle", but with Brother Jiu's eloquence, it should not be a big problem.

Only now did she realize that she had underestimated Ji Yuan.

How did he calculate it so accurately? Xu Yuanshuang guessed that it must have something to do with him putting on airs outside the capital.

After finalizing the first condition, Ji Yuan continued.

"The second condition is that my father hopes that Your Majesty can announce that the Yunzhou Army is part of the Central Plains."

The officials were still calm about this, and no one jumped out to criticize him harshly.

"You're going too far!"

Prince Qian, who was also Emperor Yuan Jing's younger brother, stepped out of the crowd and glared at Ji Yuan.

"Traitors! Are to the Central Plains of the Central Plains? They're just bandits who occupy the mountain and call themselves kings. "

"Emperor and is to, the Central Emperor is to of the Central Printo to of war.

The reactions of the royal family were completely different from the reactions of the dukes. The attitude of the royal family members was extremely intense. The bloodline of the Central Plains can be considered the legitimate lineage of the Central Plains, but what about us? "Are we traitors?"

If one really had to look deeper, it was true. But it was precisely because of this that the Great Feng Imperial Family would never admit it or back down.

Ji Yuan's face turned cold as he looked at the princes and princes.

"Don't you know how Emperor Wuzong gained control of the world? It's only normal for us to regain our identity and status. "

The prince who had stood out earlier reprimanded.

"Five hundred years ago, an incompetent and tyrannical ruler loved the virtuous and alienated the vile. In order to protect his ancestors, Emperor Wuzong stood out."

Ji Yuan gave tit for tat and raised his voice.

"The late Emperor Yuan Jing was incompetent and incompetent. He was addicted to the beauty of the Renzong Daoist and ignored the politics of the court for twenty years. My Yunzhou lineage could not bear to see the foundation of our ancestors destroyed by the hands of an incompetent ruler, so we rose up in revolt. This is also in accordance with the will of the people. "

The princes and princes were furious.

"Nonsense! Your Majesty, he should be killed! "

If it were up to the princes, this was a condition they could agree to without hesitation, because they did not have to pay a substantial price.

Of course, it was not without a price.

Once the imperial court admitted this matter, the rebels in Yunzhou would be "justified". The surrender of the common people was not the most important thing. What they were afraid of was that the squires, landlords, and local officials would righteously rebel and seek refuge in Yunzhou.

Since it was the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, it would not be considered a betrayal. Even if they wanted to be loyal, they would not surrender.

But these were trivial matters, because Daibun could not win the war. Since they could not win, the officials would betray and join the Yunzhou Army sooner or later.

Therefore, the princes did not have much resistance to this.

But in the eyes of the Yunzhou Imperial Family, admitting that the Yunzhou Army was the orthodoxy of the Central Plains was more unacceptable than five hundred thousand taels of silver, because it was a betrayal to their ancestors.

The Yongxing Emperor frowned and said slowly,

"We will discuss this later!"

He did not intend to make a decision now. After all, the meeting in front of the palace was the keynote. The negotiation between the two countries involved complicated details, and it would take a long time to reach a conclusion.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan was very strong. He shook his head.

"Before I came, my father told me that if Your Majesty does not agree to this, there is no need to continue the negotiation."

This was equivalent to blocking the prince's words.

The Yongxing Emperor had to either agree or stop the negotiation, and the Yunzhou Army would not give in on this matter.

"Wishful thinking!"

Prince Yu also stood up and said in a low voice,

"I can also tell you that the imperial court will not 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 I have given the imperial court enough face, but I did not expect to get such a return."

His face darkened, and he said sternly,

"Are you really not afraid of the one hundred thousand cavalrymen of the Yunzhou Army?"

First, he was reasonable, and then he used his power. He stood straight and made the princes and princes look like they did not know how to appreciate favors.

A prince shouted,

"Then I will kill you first as a sacrifice!"

Ji Yuan sneered and said,

"If I am afraid of death, I will not come to the capital city."

In fact, the real purpose of this negotiation was to force the Daibun to cede territory and ask for peace without bloodshed. Fighting for territory was the core goal of the Yunzhou Army.

Because the more territory Xu Pingfeng obtained, the more fate he would condense, and the closer he would be to become the Heaven's Mandate Master.

Ji Yuan did not let go of the second condition. At first glance, it seemed that he was neglecting the essentials, but in fact, he was sure that the Yongxing Emperor would agree.

Compared to practical interests and life and death, the reputation of the royal family was much more important.

Moreover, this was more of a dispute between the two branches of the Daibun royal family. It did not touch on the core interests of the royal family, so the nobles were not very opposed.

Therefore, no matter how arrogant the royal family members were, they were just powerless and angry.

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

"Okay, I agree!"

As soon as he said this, the royal family members in the hall changed their expressions and shouted,

"Your Majesty …"

The Yongxing Emperor raised his hand and forced the princes and princes to step back with his sharp eyes.

"I have made up my mind!"

The royal family members, including King Yu, looked at the Yongxing Emperor with eyes full of disappointment.

The Yongxing Emperor turned to look at Ji Yuan and asked,

"What is the third condition?"

Ji Yuan stretched out his hand, spread his fingers, and said in a clear voice,

"Cede territory. Daibun wants to cede Yongzhou, Yuzhou, and Zhangzhou to us."

The Throne Room fell into a dead silence for a moment, and then there was a noisy discussion in the next moment.

Although the nobles and the Yongxing Emperor had guessed in advance that the Yunzhou Army might ask for compensation and cede territory, they did not expect that the Yunzhou Army would be so greedy.

After fighting for so long, Daibun had only lost Qingzhou.

Then, they wanted to take away the land of the three provinces through peace talks without shedding a drop of blood?

Qian Qingshu, the Grand Secretary, stepped out and glanced at Ji Yuan and the others coldly.

He said, "Although Qingzhou is lost, Daibun still has eleven states and many soldiers. Do you really think that we are afraid of a small place like Yunzhou?

"His Majesty is willing to negotiate with you because he does not want the people to suffer from the war, not because he is afraid of Yunzhou."

Ji Yuan laughed heartily and said,

"If I remember correctly, before the autumn harvest, Wei Yuan led a hundred thousand elites to suppress the Witchcraft Sect, and the army was almost wiped out. This is the first reason.

"After winter, the Imperial Court gathered ninety thousand soldiers again and fought with the soldiers of Yunzhou in Qingzhou, and more than half of them were lost. This is the second reason.

"The troops of the three northwestern states were used to resist the harassment of the allied forces of the Western Region, so they could not be diverted to help the war in the south. This is the third reason.

"Many soldiers, many generals, what a good excuse. May I ask Grand Secretary Qian, does the Imperial Court still have soldiers to fight with Yunzhou?"

With every sentence that Ji Yuan said, the faces of the officials in the hall darkened.

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

The war in Leizhou in the west was not serious. The allied forces of the Western Region mainly harassed. There were many small battles, but no major ones. After all, the Buddhists were restrained by the demons of Southern Border.

But just in case, they could not mobilize troops on a large scale.

Qian Qingshu was speechless. He did not want to quibble and snorted coldly.

Seeing that the Grand Secretary was angry but silent, the officials looked at each other and thought about how to refute.

At this moment, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue walked out and said slowly,

"If I remember correctly, in the 30th year of Yuanjing, there were eight hundred and thirty thousand households in Yunzhou. May I ask Envoy Ji, does Yunzhou raise an army for ten households or twenty households? How do you get a hundred thousand cavalry?

"We can calculate how many elites there are in the Cloud Province. A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how weak Daibun is, it should not be a problem for them to use up all the elites in Yunzhou. "

The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue was very sensitive to data such as money and grain, household registration, and population.

Liu Hong, the Imperial Censor of the Left, immediately stepped out and echoed,

"In the end, both sides will suffer losses. Don't forget that the Witchcraft Cult is watching from the side. The allies of the Buddhists are not really loyal to Yunzhou."

He was about to continue explaining the situation to convince this young man from Yunzhou.

But he was interrupted by a loud laugh. Ji Yuan said with a mocking face,

"Lord Liu, these words are enough to fool a three-year-old. Don't you think it is ridiculous to talk nonsense in front of me?"

He looked at the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Lord Liu is right, but so what? Now that Qingzhou is under our control, all the refugees can be soldiers. If you want to use up the elites of Yunzhou, you can try.

"Besides, the Supervisor has been killed by our Imperial Advisor in Qingzhou. Without this guardian, how dare you say that you will use up the elites of Yunzhou?"

Finally, this topic could not be avoided.

It was because of the loss of the Supervisor that the Yongxing Emperor and the officials were scared out of their wits. Recently, they did not even dare to sleep at night, afraid that the terrifying Extraordinary Ones would invade the capital and the palace, and then behead them in their sleep.

Hearing this, Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice retorted,

"Although the Supervisor is dead, Daibun still has Extraordinary Ones. The Celestial Commissioner Sun Xuanji, the Imperial Advisor Luo Yuheng, and the Director of the Yunlu Academy, Zhao Shou, and … Xu Qi'an!"

"That's right, we still have Xu Yinluo." As if to encourage himself, someone added.

Ji Yuan smiled but did not say anything. An official in a red robe behind him sneered.

"Even the Supervisor died in the hands of our Imperial Advisor. Xu Qi'an is just a Third Rank Cultivator. How dare he compete with him? It seems that the Ninth Young Lord is too humble, which makes you think that Yunzhou is afraid of Daibun.

"If you want to negotiate, agree to our conditions. If you don't want to negotiate, there will be experts from the Cloud State who will come to the capital and kill you first. Then, the army of Yunzhou will invade the Central Plains.

"Do you have any other choice?"

Shedding all pretenses of cordiality was a necessary part of the negotiation. The more powerful party had the bargaining chips, which they used to pressure the other party.

Ceding territory was a must. How much to cede was the key to the negotiation.

Ji Yuan gently waved his silver fan and said calmly,

"Your Majesty and the officials may not know the details of the Supervisor's death. Speaking of which, the Supervisor is indeed powerful. If the Imperial Advisor did not invite the legendary Divine Beast White Emperor of Yunzhou and the Taoist Leader of the Earth Faction, Black Lotus, it would have been extremely difficult to kill the Supervisor."

He slowly told the story of how the Overlords besieged and killed the Supervisor. Of course, it was all nonsense, but it was not important. What was important was that he told the Yongxing Emperor and the officials how terrifying the Extraordinary Overlords behind Yunzhou were.

In the hall, the members of the royal family, the officials, and the generals all looked gloomy. Some looked gloomy, some clenched their fists, and some felt helpless and depressed.

Humiliation!

The Yongxing Emperor could not help but pinch his eyebrows and said in a deep voice,

"Three continents is impossible. We'll discuss this later. What's the fourth condition?"

He meant that he had agreed to cede territory, but the quantity had to be discussed.

The corner of Ji Yuan's mouth twitched. He had achieved his goal. So far, the negotiation went smoothly without many twists and turns.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. The fourth condition is not a big deal. It's just an extra."

Hearing this, the Yongxing Emperor's solemn face relaxed a little.

"Go ahead."

Ji Yuan closed the small silver fan with a snap.

"I want to ask Your Majesty for the Supervisor's Handbook of Refining Equipment."

Compared to the first three conditions, this was indeed an extra. Although the Handbook of Refining Equipment of a first-grade warlock was extremely precious, an item of too high a level was not as important as personal interests.

…

A crushing defeat!

The first confrontation between the imperial court and the Yunzhou Emissary Group resulted in a crushing defeat.

This peace negotiation was unfair in the first place. The Great Consort wanted to ask for peace, so it was unavoidable that he had to bear the pain and cut his own flesh. However, the powerlessness that the dukes and Yongxing Emperor showed in the process still made many of the middle and low-level capital officials feel disappointed and disappointed.

And the four conditions, in the eyes of some scholars, were simply a humiliation of losing power.

"Ceding territory to ask for peace is a great shame!"

The first to make trouble was the Hanlin Academy. These scholars had no real power, but they were first-class and noble scholars in the imperial court. They gathered at the Meridian Gate and shouted abuse.

"Fatuous emperor, just the loss of Qingzhou has scared you out of your wits."

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

"Yunzhou is the orthodoxy? Then what is the imperial family? What are we scholars loyal to? A fatuous emperor who has forgotten his ancestors. "

After that, these people were dragged out one by one and beaten until they were on the verge of death.

This did intimidate some people, but it could not stop the rumors from fermenting. Just after lunch, the students of the Imperial Academy went on strike. The spirits of scholars were the sharpest. Some wrote essays to ridicule the Emperor, some gathered in the downtown area to denounce him, and some stormed the Grand Chancellor's court, demanding to hand over a blood letter to the Emperor …

What happened in the morning first spread in the capital officialdom and the upper class, and then slowly spread to the lower class. At dusk, the rumor that the imperial court ceded territory to ask for peace and recognized the rebel army as the orthodoxy of the Central Plains was spread in the market.

"Yesterday when I saw the bandits enter the city, I knew the imperial court wanted peace."

"Alas, of course, it's best not to fight. The world is chaotic … But thinking about it, I'm not reconciled. How could the imperial court lose so easily? Last year, when they sent troops to attack the Witchcraft Cult, it was so glorious."

"I heard that even the Supervisor died. He was the old immortal of the Celestial Commissioner. Alas, the world is going to change. "

"What about Xu Yinluo? Is Xu Yinluo going to watch the imperial court cede territory for peace? "

"Xu Yinluo has tried his best. Didn't the imperial court put up a notice a while ago, saying that Xu Yinluo has formed an alliance with the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom and the Gu Tribe? Even if we lose the Buddhist Sect, we still have other allies."

"Alas, who would have thought that Qingzhou would fall just like that? Isn't there no hope for me now? In the past, no matter what happened, Xu Yinluo would always stand up for me."

…

At the courier station.

Ji Yuan took out a magical artifact and set up a soundproof array. After listening to the report from his subordinate, he smiled and said,

"It's quite lively outside. These bookworms don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Forget it, they are all insignificant people. Our next target is to test Xu Qi'an."

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

"How do we test him?"

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

"For example, when the negotiation is about to end, I suddenly add a condition to ask for a marriage with Daibun, and the bride must be one of the two princesses of Lin 'an and Huaiqing."

He found out that Xu Qi'an had an engagement with Lin 'an from the people sent by Imperial Concubine Chen.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned and said,

"Are you courting death?"

If he really did that, it was one thing whether the peace negotiation could succeed or not, but another thing whether Xu Qi'an would let him leave the capital alive.

Ji Yuan laughed,

"The two princesses are of the same clan as me. Naturally, the marriage is not between us, but Yuanhuai. How do you think Xu Qi'an will react? Will he do it to his own brother? "

"He will!" Xu Yuanhuai's face suddenly changed. He was forced to the road to death.

"I'm just kidding. Look at how nervous you are."

Ji Yuan smiled mischievously. He suddenly sat up straight and said, "I'm not sure.

"Xu Qi'an has not shown up. We don't know what he is planning in the dark.

"Although the Supervisor has been sealed, he is still the Supervisor. Who knows what trump cards he has left. The Imperial Preceptor doesn't know either, so he wants to test Xu Qi 'an. He wants to use the peace talks to test Xu Qi' an so that he can get rid of the Supervisor. "

Xu Yuanshuang's face turned a little better and she asked,

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

Ji Yuan thought for a moment and laughed,

"A 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 negotiation, and then take advantage of the time bought by the peace negotiation to beg everywhere to rope in the Extraordinary Masters to be allies.

"That's why our trip to the capital is a free merit. There won't be any danger."

The folding fan in Ji Yuan's hand spun.

"Even if he is very capable, he can only pinch his nose and accept it. Ah, I really want to see him at the end of his road, but now is not the time. We have to break into the capital. "

…

Jingxiu Palace.

"Mother, I heard from Huaiqing that once they give up the land and ask for peace, Daibun will be completely hopeless," Lin An said worriedly.

Her oval-shaped face was no longer bright, but was covered with a layer of haze.

Imperial Concubine Chen said anxiously,

"There is no other way. If we don't ask for peace, are we going to continue fighting with Yunzhou? If there is a chance of winning, will His Majesty and the guilds focus on the peace negotiation?

"The only way out now is to ask for peace. Otherwise, will you rely on your fiancé?"

Lin An bit her lips and was about to cry.

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

A figure in white flashed across Imperial Concubine Chen's mind. She gritted her teeth and said,

"There is no good person with the surname Xu."

She immediately softened her heart and held Lin An's hand.

"That Huaiqing has been black-hearted since she was a child. You can't believe her words. Lin An, you don't understand. Nobody can save the imperial court except for peace negotiation. "

…

Prince Yu's Mansion.

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

Seeing him come in, Wang Zhenwen waved his hand and dismissed the maids. He asked straightforwardly,

"What are the conditions?"

Qian Qingshu told him the four conditions of the Cloud State.

"Rebel! Rebel! "

Wang Zhenwen cursed several times and suddenly coughed violently.

Qian Qingshu sat by the bed and gently stroked his back to help him breathe. He sighed and said,

"Now that things have come to this, His Majesty has agreed, but it is impossible to cede the land of three continents. His Majesty's bottom line is to cede Yuzhou. "

"Admit Hidden Dragon City as the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, disturb the people of Daibun, ask for money, squeeze out Daibun's financial resources, cede the three continents, and become completely powerful …"

Wang Zhenwen murmured,

"It's over. There is no way to reverse the situation. There is no way to reverse the situation."

Even if Wei Yuan came back to life, he could not save this game of chess.

Qian Qingshu sighed and said,

"But who can persuade His Majesty? Moreover, peace negotiation is in line with the general trend. Now the only person in Daibun who can go against the trend is Xu Qi 'an.

"But Brother Wang, forcing Xu Qi 'an to break with the imperial court is also a conspiracy of the rebels in Yunzhou. The reason why he hadn't appeared was because he understood this point.

"I have found out that he is in the Celestial Commissioner and sent a message. If he wanted to come, he would have come a long time ago."

…

In the big bedroom of the Celestial Commissioner.

Xu Qi 'an was soaking in the bathtub with his back against the wall. In his arms sat the Flower Goddess, who was nearly forty years old and more delicate than a young girl.

She sat softly in Xu Qi 'an's arms, her head on his shoulder. Her face was red, her eyes were blurred, and she had no strength in her body.

"What, what time is it …"

Finally, there was a break. Mu Nanzi asked weakly.

"It's just after lunch."

Xu Qi 'an pinched Mu Nanzi's slim waist and did not let her leave his arms for a moment. He 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 Nanzi scolded with a sobbing tone,

"Are you an animal? You have played with me for a day and a night. I, I don't want to do Dual Cultivation with you … "

"Compared with Xiao Yu, your combat power is really too weak …" Xu Qi 'an said,

"The first Dual Cultivation has the best effect. At present, my Qi activity is still growing. I will stop when it reaches the limit. The Qi activity in your body is also vigorous. Nanzhi, do you know how many people desire this kind of cultivation to increase their cultivation? "

Beside the bathtub, water was splashed everywhere. The clothes and dudou on the screen had already slipped to the ground and were soaked by the overflowing bathwater.

The spacious and sturdy bed was in a mess. The quilt was on the ground, and the bed sheet was wrinkled and messy. There were irregular marks left on it.

Thanks to the vigorous Spiritual Accumulation of the Flower God, Xu Qi 'an only took one night to stabilize his foundation.

Under normal circumstances, it would take about ten days after the advancement to stabilize the realm and adapt to the power.

At this moment, he felt a familiar throbbing in his heart.

He waved his hand and summoned the fragments of the Earth Book from the messy clothes.

[One: The Yun State's envoy group has already met Yongxing. Yun State has given four conditions.]

Huaiqing sent a detailed message to the Earth Book chat group about what had happened during the morning court meeting.

In the end, there was a simple evaluation.

[One: It was a crushing defeat. Ji Yuan is an extremely powerful person. Coupled with his power, Yongxing and the other officials have no bargaining chips to negotiate with him.]

[Seven: Useless!]

The Saint commented.

After reading Huaiqing's message, Li Lingsu felt aggrieved for Daibun, let alone Li Miaozhen who hated evil.

[Two: If this useless emperor really gives up the land of three continents, Xu Pingfeng will be like a tiger with wings, and the Yunzhou Army will be like a tiger with wings. Does Daibun still have a chance to win?

[Xu Ningyan, what should we do? Should we fight it out or what? Say something.]

Xu Qi 'an rarely sent messages recently and seemed very passive. This made Flying Swallow Heroine so anxious that she could not eat or sleep in peace.

The other members of the Heaven & Earth Society were also anxious. They could not do anything about Daibun sliding into the abyss in front of them.

[Three: Don't worry. Do what you need to do. I'll handle the negotiation.]

After a simple explanation, he held the weak Mu Nanzi in his arms and sent a private message to the genius Princess Royal.

[Three: Your Highness, is everything ready?]