Nowadays, the Imperial Court in the capital had developed a habit. No matter what they were discussing, as long as the pigeons from Yizhou flew over, they would interrupt the discussion and wait for Gao Lishi to bring back the news.
In fact, if there was a war in other places, they would do the same. However, news from Yizhou was transmitted faster and more frequently. Not only was there news from the front line, but there was also a series of things Zhang Zhong had done.
Old Man Bi and Old Man Yao were like spies who had infiltrated the enemy. They brazenly collected information and analyzed it. If they did not understand something, they would ask Zhang Zhong. Once they were done sorting out the information, they would immediately send it to the capital via pigeons. They would let the people in the capital see what kind of information could be used in other regions.
Of course, there were also things that couldn't be said. For example, the Zhang family didn't report the fact that they used dead people for research. The officials in the Imperial Court didn't need others to report it. They already knew about it and tacitly allowed the Zhang family to do it secretly. However, they definitely couldn't say it out loud.
It would be troublesome if the people knew about it. In their hearts, they didn't want to stop it. After all, it wasn't their own family members who were used for research. If it was their turn to be injured one day, they wouldn't expect the medical school to save them.
Now, three pigeons were sent at a time. Because two pigeons didn't arrive at the destination one time, there was a gap in the content of the next pigeon. The Imperial Court sent an urgent report from 800 li to ask about it.
It was unknown whether the two pigeons were tired of flying and found a place to settle down or were beaten up by something. Therefore, they added another pigeon to be safe.
Li Longji stopped talking. Although the overseas expansion was important, it was far less important than Yizhou. As long as the Zhang family in Yizhou was there, they could ask his family about whether to use force or business to invade.
Gao Lishi walked all the way back to the Imperial Court. Everyone could roughly guess from his expression. After losing news of Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, and the army a few days ago, Gao Lishi's face was so gloomy that it was about to drip water.
Today was different. Gao Lishi, who was already very 'handsome', became energetic. His eyebrows were raised and the corners of his mouth were raised. The officials understood that this was good news.
"Do you have news about Cuckoo and Xiao Bao?" Li Longji sat on top and asked calmly. If he did not take the initiative to ask, then he would be truly calm. Now that he had asked, it meant that his heart was not like what he showed.
Gao Lishi nodded but didn't say anything. It seemed that he hadn't recovered from his joy. A courtier beside him reminded him in a low voice, "General Gao, His Majesty is asking you a question."
"Ah? Oh, Your Majesty, good news, we won. "Gao Lishi was surprised and quickly replied.
Li Longji nodded and didn't say anything, waiting for Gao Lishi to continue.
All the officials were also waiting. They didn't know which side would win. After all, the Jiannan Faction was fighting two wars at the same time. One was military, and the other was economic. The military was more direct, and the economic was not bad either.
"Your Majesty, there's a report from Wing Province. Under the command of Xiao Bao, Jiannan's economic war has successfully defeated the Tubo Empire, swallowing all of the funds invested by the Tubo Empire. At the same time, the local merchants who cooperated with the Tubo Empire were implicated as well. The farmers have been able to earn some income, and the other commoners haven't suffered too much losses. The Zhang family is currently preparing to compensate the commoners who suffered from the high price of grain."
When Gao Lishi reported the news to the crowd, an official by the side pouted and grumbled, "The Zhang family is just being kind. The commoners were the ones who went to buy the grain themselves, so why should they care about them? Don't they know that they are helping the Tubo Empire by buying the grain themselves? "
As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Lishi immediately replied, "That's not right. Before the dust settled, how could the commoners know that Jiannan is in the midst of a war that can kill without seeing blood? Since we can't eliminate the Tubo Empire before the war, we have to take responsibility for the commoners. "
"Indeed. Continue," Li Longji spoke up to help Gao Lishi.
"Your Majesty, according to the data compiled by the Zhang family, the Tubo Empire and the merchants invested roughly 400,000 strings of cash to launch an economic war against Jiannan. Due to the 'leverage' effect, the capital invested was increased by five times, and Jiannan City suffered a blow of nearly 2,000,000 strings of cash.
The Zhang family invested 25 strings of cash to create half of the Tubo Empire's leverage in the form of futures contracts. At the same time, through technology and public opinion, they managed to limit the amount of money invested by the Tubo Empire and the merchants to a small extent. Furthermore, they cooperated with the local merchants to solidify the reputation of the tricycles in the market. Using the excuse that the newly renovated roads were suitable for the tricycles, they launched a direct attack on the Tubo Empire's livestock acquisition method.
The concrete operation plan will be sent to you later. This economic war is being commanded by Xiao Bao from the Tubo Empire. When he returned, he said that he had too many regrets that he wasn't able to control the situation as he wished. "
Gao Lishi tried his best to explain with a calm tone. As for the various terms, the officials in the royal court knew them, and they had no choice but to learn them.
Li Longji nodded. Weiwei nodded. He still didn't understand the details of the matter, and he would have to wait for the news to reach the capital. This was the first time he was witnessing what a true economic war was like, and he was certain that the situation wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface.
An official by the side suddenly asked, "General Gao, did the news mention where the money invested by the Tubo Empire and the merchants working with them went? A portion of it was taken by those with grain, but it can't be that they took 400,000 strings of cash, right? Also, where did the money spent by the local merchants go? "
"That wasn't mentioned, but it should be taken by the Zhang family," Gao Lishi replied.
"If the Zhang family took it, who would the money belong to in the end?" the official asked.
The others couldn't help but have similar thoughts as well. Indeed, would the money belong to the Zhang family in the end? Wouldn't the Zhang family think that they would be able to reap benefits just by participating in an economic war? Wouldn't that make the Zhang family think that they could play around with it in the future?
Gao Lishi didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he turned to Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, Cuckoo has returned with a great victory. She launched a series of sneak attacks on the Tubo Empire's territory, burned countless Tubo rations, killed countless enemies, and annihilated the Tubo Empire's cavalrymen before returning from the snowy mountains. As for the details, we'll know once the battle report arrives.
This sneak attack was also to coordinate with Xiao Bao's economic war. Tubo is in a precarious situation this winter, and Xiao Bao intends to use the excess rations in Jiannan to trade for cheap livestock in Tubo. The livestock will be used in Jiannan Province's transportation and farming areas, and they will only be charged a small fee, which will be supplemented by the local medical hall in the future. "
The officials finally understood. The Zhang family had given the benefits to the entire Jiannan Province, and the ones who received the money were the commoners and local officials. The Zhang family didn't ask for the money themselves.
The official who asked the question earlier didn't know what to say.
Similarly, Li Longji wasn't clear on the details of Wang Juan's battle, so he could only await further news.
"That means to say that Tubo is currently lacking in rations, and the morale of their troops has been reduced to zero? They won't be able to invade the borders for the next few years. Officials, when will Zhang Zhong return, and where should we arrange for him? Also, how should we reward Cuckoo and Xiao Bao? "
Li Longji pondered for a moment before asking the officials.
This time, the royal court was in an uproar. There were all kinds of opinions. Some said that Wang Juan should be allowed to lead more troops to attack Tubo instead of using rations to trade for livestock. After all, wouldn't they be able to obtain livestock after conquering Tubo?
Some said that Zhang Zhong should be allowed to return to the capital as an idle official. After all, he had too many matters to deal with, and he needed to rest for a while. In other words, they were saying that Zhang Zhong's reputation was growing more and more, and they should restrain him a little.
There were also some who suggested that Zhang Zhong should continue to be the Provincial Governor of a province, and arrange for Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to be local officials.
In short, there were all kinds of opinions, and some even suggested that Xiao Bao participate in next year's imperial examinations. Because Zhang Zhong was the Provincial Governor, it wouldn't be a problem to give Xiao Bao the position of High Scholar, and they could save the trouble of taking the examinations. If possible, they would allow Xiao Bao to be an official in the royal court.
Li Longji was also considering this problem. Zhang Zhong's position was very simple to him. He just needed to arrange a place for him, and it wouldn't be a problem even if he had to go to the capital.
The main thing was Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. There was no need to mention the capabilities of the two of them. One of them was good at war, and even when Tubo's military strength was less than four times the enemy's, they could only use defensive measures. How arrogant was this? No one dared to oppose the arrangement of a general with real power.
Xiao Bao didn't seem to have killed many Tubo soldiers directly, but in the economic war in Jiannan Province, he was able to win so easily even when he was commanding from afar. He definitely wasn't bad in terms of economy, and he was able to predict the enemy's plans. He was able to defeat the person who was ranked eleventh on the Monopoly game board that Tubo arranged.
If they arranged for him to be the county magistrate, he would definitely be able to do a good job. Besides, he also had the help of his family.
However, the two children were really too young. According to the rules, once they were assigned a position, they couldn't be in the same place as their family. He didn't know if they were willing or not. If they weren't willing, he couldn't do anything to the two children.
During the debate, time passed quickly, and it was already past the usual morning court session. If they continued to debate like this, they probably wouldn't be able to eat their meals.
Gao Lishi didn't participate in the debate. He was thinking about when he could meet Xiao Bao and Cuckoo in person and let Xiao Bao be his adopted son. He was worried that Xiao Bao wouldn't accept.
After waiting for a while, seeing that the debate still hadn't reached a conclusion, Gao Lishi moved closer to Li Longji and quietly said, "Your Majesty, why don't we wait until after the New Year to ask Zhang Zhong's family and see what they plan to do? There's one more thing. Give the Zhang family some benefits. The Zhang family asked for land in Jiannan Province or Hebei Province. We should think about this. Should we give it to them or not?"
"Give, if we don't give, how can we be at ease? But I heard that the Zhang family actually doesn't intend to give them land in Jiannan Province. They want to go to Hebei Province, but I don't want to give them land in Hebei Province. They want to raise horses, and Hebei Province is too close to the sea. Their sea transportation is also very big. What should we do? "
Li Longji thought of the news that came last time. The Zhang family wanted a place to raise horses, and they also wanted a desert. The desert was easy to deal with, because it wasn't Tang's land. The Zhang family also specially trained people who could adapt to the cold on the snowy mountains, which meant that they wanted to go to Hebei Province.
This was difficult. He couldn't use people so casually, otherwise, it would easily lead to a big mistake.
Gao Lishi didn't know what to say. The main thing was that he didn't understand the Zhang family's plan. Why did they want to go to Hebei Province?
Li Longji didn't insist on Gao Lishi's idea. He just said casually. After thinking about it, he said, "Since they want to raise horses, let's arrange for them to go to Feng Province. It's closer to the capital than Hebei Province, and it's not close to the sea. The population is small, so even if the Zhang family wants to do something, they can't do it. What do you think?"
Gao Lishi nodded. In fact, he didn't want to let the Zhang family get a land there, which would make the imperial court too stingy. If there was a heavy snowfall, the road would be blocked, and it would be inconvenient to communicate with here. Even if the Zhang family sent people there, the news would be blocked.
When the Emperor said so, it meant that he had almost made a decision. Gao Lishi's objection didn't have much effect. Besides, the Zhang family had the ability to make money. They didn't lack a slightly bad place. Xiao Bao and the others wouldn't go to Feng Province in person.
Li Longji seemed to feel that it was a little bad, so he said, "You can give them a land in Feng Province."
*****
At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were still telling stories to the little ones at home in Yizhou. They told the stories of the battlefield in Tubo as if they were fairy tales. They didn't know that there was already a fierce fight in the capital over their family's matter.
They also didn't know that before the follow-up measures were used, Li Longji had already arranged the land in Feng Province according to their plan.
"On this day, the army of the Tang Dynasty came to the desert. There was a lot of sand in the desert, and it didn't hurt at all when you fell on it. Unlike other deserts, there was a lake in the desert. The lake water was clear and blue, and there were big shells in the lake.
When the Tang army arrived in the desert, there was no water, so they drank from the lake. When there was no food, they picked shells in the lake. However, the lake water was very deep. Some people in the Tang army didn't know how to swim, so they could only watch others pick shells to eat. They were anxious at the side. "
Zhang Xiaobao told the little ones about the desert. He tried his best to remove the bloody places and focused on describing the scenery.
"Then wouldn't it be fine if the people who knew how to swim picked up shells and gave them to the people who didn't know how to swim?" Hearing this, Xiao Bei expressed his thoughts.
"Xiao Bei is really smart. As Xiao Bei said, the people who knew how to swim helped the people who didn't know how to swim. In the end, everyone was full. When they were eating, they found beautiful pearls in the shells. They didn't secretly hide them. Instead, they gave them to Sister Cuckoo, and Sister Cuckoo kept them."
"She kept them and brought them back for us. I know. When I swim in the desert in the future, I will also find pearls for them." Xiao Bei's reaction was very fast. He immediately knew who the pearls belonged to. When he spoke, he even made a swimming action.
The other little ones also clamored to swim in the desert. They also knew how to swim. Usually, when the weather was hot, they played in the water and had long learned how to swim. All of them were good swimmers. Even if there were some man-made waves, they wouldn't drown.
"Yes, Xiao Bei is right. In the future, when you swim in the desert, not in the desert, but in the desert lake, remember to pick up shells. These shells, after a long time, people will come out of them. Let's see who can find them."
Zhang Xiaobao was exhausted from telling stories. When telling stories to the little ones, he had to adjust his mentality to the level of a little one. He had to let himself see the world from the perspective of a little one. Otherwise, the little ones wouldn't understand.
Xiao Bei nodded vigorously and asked, "What happened after that?"
"Then, then, a big fish came out of the lake. It wanted to eat the person who picked the shells. You saw the big fish, right? The big fish in the water are very powerful. Such a big fish, even if I went in, I wouldn't be able to deal with it. I could only run. If I ran too slow, I would be eaten by the big fish."
Zhang Xiaobao casually gestured the length of the fish. The group of little ones nodded. They did see the dried fish that they brought back. The biggest one was more than five feet long. It was frightening.
"Then what happened?" Xiao Zhu asked worriedly.
"Then, what are we? We are the invincible Tang army. If one person couldn't beat it, two people would go. If two people couldn't beat it, ten people would go. In the end, more than two hundred of us rushed up. When the big fish saw that it was not good, it wanted to run away. Guess, did it run away? "
Zhang Xiaobao said with a mighty look.
"No." The little ones shook their heads.
"Yes, it didn't run away. More than two hundred of us surrounded it. Someone said to the big fish that it was wrong. We just wanted to eat some shells. If it rushed out and hurt us, we would eat it. So, everyone rushed up and killed the big fish that was not convinced. We were not willing to eat the meat and left it for you."
When Zhang Xiaobao was telling the story, he waved his fists and kicked to make the story more vivid.
In fact, 200 people were not needed at all. Four people of the protection team went down and pierced through the fish. It didn't take long for the fish to float up.
The little ones didn't know how powerful their family's No. 0 protection team was. They really thought that their brother and sister mobilized 200 people for a fish.
Xiao Bei pursed his lips and said, "The big fish was too bad. It didn't let me eat. Serves it right. I ate it. Then what happened? How did I hide? "
"Then, didn't we kill the big fish later? We found that the lake was very big, so we let those who didn't know how to swim learn how to swim. We swam in the water to avoid the Tubo scouts. As for me, in order to see where the Tubo people were, I let the water cloud take me to the sky. I flew in the sky and when there was a chance, I let you all fly once.
I flew to the blue sky and was with the white cloud. The white cloud turned into a little lamb and wanted to play with me. The next moment, it turned into a steamed bun for me to eat. At that time, I wanted to bring some back for you. But I could only eat and couldn't take. So I … "
"Little Young Master, Little Miss, the Tubo people came. They said that they agreed to exchange livestock for food. They want us to discuss the price with them."
A person came from outside the courtyard and reported to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Wang Juan was watching Zhang Xiaobao make up a story. When she heard that the Tubo people came, she said to the person, "Tell the Tubo people to wait. Xiao Bao and I will go and talk to them. We are busy telling stories to our younger brothers and sisters. They don't know what's important. Xiao Bao, continue. Why didn't you bring back the steamed bun?"
Xiao Bei and the others also thought that the Tubo people didn't know what was important. They were listening to stories.
Zhang Xiaobao also thought so. Telling stories to their younger brothers and sisters was a big matter. The Tubo people asked them to wait. They couldn't delay the important matter. He continued, "Then I asked White Cloud, how can I let my younger brothers and sisters eat it? White Cloud told me a way to make cotton candy. I will make it for you all later. "
The little ones couldn't help but stick out their tongues and lick their lips. After waiting for a while, they followed their older brother and sister to make cotton candy.
They found a craftsman to assemble the equipment. It was very simple. They just needed to heat and rotate it. Then, they put sugar into the box with holes that could produce centrifugal force. They took a pair of chopsticks and caught it. After a while, a big cotton candy came out.
After the little ones ate one by one, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan took a few more cotton candy to meet the Tubo people.
The Tubo people sent over was a person from the Kemu Kehu tribe who was relatively knowledgeable about economics. His name was Kemu Jiji. He was a cautious person and usually didn't show his abilities. He was the leader of the negotiations. One was to talk about war, and the other was to talk about exchanging livestock for food.
However, when he told others, he only talked about exchanging livestock and didn't talk about war. The Tubo people who came with him didn't understand why he did this.
They arrived at Yizhou the day before yesterday. Ever since they knew that Cuckoo came back after crossing the snow, the Tubo troops outside the pass all retreated. They couldn't afford to waste more food.
Zhang Zhong stole some of the rations and Wang Juan burned a portion of the rations. Most of the rations were used on the march. In order to capture Wang Juan, the Tubo army had mobilized too many soldiers. The rations were constantly being depleted. If they didn't think of a solution soon, many people would starve to death this winter. They would only be able to replenish their rations during spring.
Kemu Jiji could speak the language of the Great Tang very fluently. He also studied the culture of the Great Tang. After arriving here, he didn't rush to meet the negotiators. Instead, he asked for a meeting after gathering a lot of information from the local people and made preparations.
He thought that the Great Tang would send a large team to negotiate with him. There would be many experienced people in the team.
However, after he revealed his identity, the reaction of the people in Yizhou was too cold. They didn't take him seriously at all. After all, he was representing a country.
After waiting for two hours, someone sent a message saying that the people negotiating with him were Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan who entered Tubo this time.
However, the two of them were busy with very important business. They told stories to their younger siblings and asked them to wait for a while. They would talk after they finished.
Some of the people Kemu Jiji brought were unwilling. They shouted to express their protest and even threatened to send troops if they didn't come to Tubo. However, they were stopped by Kemu Jiji.
Although he was also very angry in his heart, he didn't dare to let his subordinates completely say that they were going to send troops. If the other party was unhappy and didn't want to talk, then this trip would be in vain. This time, not only was he going to exchange the food back, he also had another plan.
After waiting for another three and a half hours, it was already past lunchtime. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who had finished telling stories to the little ones and made cotton candy, came over with the cotton candy.
When the two of them came over, they only brought the two servant girls who accompanied them and the Old Man Pi who was already sitting there silently. They didn't bring any more guards.
There were seven people from Tubo, led by Kemu Jiji. When they saw that the two people who came in were the two children who messed up their country, some of them wanted to kill the little girl right away.
However, when this person's murderous gaze met with Cuckoo's eyes, he immediately retracted his gaze.
At this time, Cuckoo no longer had the doting expression she had when she was playing with her younger siblings. There was a cold smile at the corner of her mouth, her pupils contracted, and her cute face revealed a layer of coldness. Her gloomy expression was even more severe than a rainy day.
Zhang Xiaobao, on the other hand, was facing the Tubo people from the side. He stood in front of Wang Juan and squinted his eyes. When he saw the unfriendly gazes from the other side, he chuckled and said, "Heh! What? You want to kill all of us here? I'll warn you, if you show that kind of expression again, I'll bury you in the Tang Empire.
Just with you guys? I'm not looking down on you guys, but you guys are really not worthy of my attention. Killing you guys now is as easy as crushing an ant. If you're not convinced, look at me again. "
"Xiao Bao, don't scare them. We've already beaten them up like that, so it's not right to scare them anymore. Give them some face. Grandpa Bi, Grandpa Zhang, Grandpa Yao, you guys are here too. That's great, I'll give you guys some cotton candy. I made it especially for Xiao Bei and the rest just now."
Wang Juan also attacked the confidence of the Tubo people. Her attitude clearly showed that she did not put the seven people from Tubo in her eyes. She walked in front of Old Man Pi and the other two and passed the cotton candy to them.
Old Man Pi also cooperated and took it. He asked, "Are Xiao Bei and the rest asleep?"
"They're going to sleep immediately. Otherwise, Xiao Bao and I won't have time to care about other small matters. It's just some people from Tubo dying. How can it be more important than Xiao Bei and the rest being happy?"
Wang Juan answered with a smile. Then, her expression changed. She turned around and passed the extra cotton candy in her hand to Ke Mu Jiji. "This is for you. Try the good things from Tang Empire. Go back and talk about it. Let your Tubo people know about it."
Ke Mu Jiji looked at Wang Juan and held back the anger in his heart. He took the cotton candy and squeezed out a smile. "When I go to Tubo to greet General Cuckoo's family, I'll definitely try the good things from Tang Empire."
"Not bad. I'm very satisfied with your attitude. Now, you can tell me why you guys are here." Wang Juan sat down on the chair Zhang Xiaobao pulled out. She licked the cotton candy in her hand and smacked her lips. Then, she said to Ke Mu Jiji.
If the six people behind Ke Mu Jiji had not been warned by Zhang Xiaobao's words just now, they would have rushed up and used force to regain their dignity.
Ke Mu Jiji took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He said, "This time, I have two things to say. First, that is …"
"Wait. You haven't told me your name. Tell me first. Tubo won't send a nameless person here, right?" Before Ke Mu Jiji finished, Wang Juan interrupted him and asked.
"I'm Ke Mu Jiji." Ke Mu Jiji's brewing mood disappeared again.
"Oh, it's you. Are you with Ke Mu Ke Hu? Your names are similar. He was defeated by me. Fortunately, he didn't come. Otherwise, I would ask him if he still dares to come. "Wang Juan continued.
Ke Mu Jiji's hands under the table clenched into fists. Then, he loosened them and nodded. "We are from the same unit. But names have nothing to do with each other. The war is over. Let's not talk about the battlefield. I have two things to talk about. First, that is the situation of the war. I, Tubo, want to ask if the Tang Empire is willing to maintain the relationship between the two countries …"
"Wait a minute. You are contradicting yourself. You just said that the war is over. If you don't talk about the battlefield, why are you asking about the situation of the war? By the way, what's your name again? I was thinking about how to make the cotton candy more delicious and forgot. Please say it again. Sorry. "
Wang Juan said to Ke Mu Jiji apologetically.
"My name is Ke Mu Jiji. I said the situation of the war because we are not on the battlefield now. I want to know the Tang Empire you represent …"
"You and Ke Mu Ke Hu are not biological brothers, right? It looks very similar, you're not lying to me? "Wang Juan once again interrupted Ke Mu Ji Ji.
"Can't you guys continue the negotiations? If you don't want to talk, we will go back and come back with the army. "One of Ke Mu Jiji's men couldn't help but stare at her and ask.
Wang Juan looked at him contemptuously and nodded. "Okay. Tubo, you are welcome to come and talk with me. I am going to go to war again and ask you about the art of war. But this time, I won't come with less than ten thousand light cavalry. I will mobilize all the soldiers of Jiannan Circuit and send them to Tubo. Please, I won't see you off."
Ke Mu Jiji knew that he was in trouble when he heard his men's words. Sure enough, Wang Juan's reaction was too strong.
He hurriedly scolded his men, "Shut up. Otherwise, I will report this to my superiors when we go back."
Ke Mu Jiji was furious. Why couldn't the men he brought bear it? Why did they say that they would send troops to Mosha? Were they afraid of this?
The people beside him also knew that they made a mistake. They lowered their heads and didn't say anything.
Ke Mu Jiji turned back and said to Wang Juan, "Don't take what I said just now to heart. To be honest, Tubo doesn't want to fight anymore. After all, this year isn't that good. What I want to say is, can the Great Tang have a truce with Tubo? And compensate for Tubo's losses. "
"Do you have any shame? Why should we compensate Tubo? Even if you don't want to fight, I still want to fight. I still don't have enough fun killing people. In the past, you always used the tone of a victor when invading the border. You still want to do that this year? Then I will fight until Tubo gives up. If you don't believe me, we can try.
I will immediately mobilize the army. I am going to send out 100,000 soldiers. Let's see how many people Tubo will send to encircle us. You don't want to fight anymore? "Sure, you have to admit your mistake first. You shouldn't have harmed the people of Wangjiang. You have to compensate for the losses of Shuzhou and Wangjiang. As for the exact amount of compensation, we will talk about it after Xiao Bao calculates it.
"Second, compensate for the losses of the Great Tang in this war, including the little tricks you guys played behind the scenes and the self-righteous economic war. You have to compensate for both. As for the exact amount, we will talk about it after Xiao Bao calculates it.
"Third, send more of your princesses to the Great Tang. Marry them to us to show your sincerity. Send three of them first. Do you have three of them? It won't do if there are too few of them. We have to think of something.
"Fourth, hand over the main culprit who supported this war. I don't care who you push the blame to. You have to hand over one of them and let the Great Tang conduct a public trial.
"That's all I have to say about the war. If you don't agree, I will immediately send troops. Also, the few of you have to stay behind. Don't think of going back. I am like this and don't dare to do things by the rules. Do you have anything to add?"
Wang Juan's attitude was very firm. It was to the extent that she was bullying them.
The seven people from Tubo all stared at Wang Juan with their eyes wide open. They didn't expect this lass to be so belligerent. She wanted to start a fight at the slightest disagreement. If it wasn't for the fact that she was famous in Tubo, they would have thought that she was joking.
But it wasn't the case now. If she really had such capabilities, when she sent out 100,000 troops, how many Tubo troops would be able to contend against her?
After hearing Wang Juan's words, Ke Mu Jiji was worried sick. This little girl was indeed not easy to talk to. She would say whatever she thought and didn't care about reason at all.
But this little girl was different from other children. She really had the ability to lead troops to war and even win.
Thinking of this, Ke Mu Jiji said to Wang Juan, "We can talk about it slowly. There's no need to rush. I don't have the authority to decide on this matter. Why don't we wait and talk about another matter first?"
"Okay, I'm not in a hurry. Xiaobei and the rest should be asleep already. I will talk with you for a while and won't delay telling them stories. If we can't finish talking about the war today, we will talk about it tomorrow. If we can't finish talking about it tomorrow, we will continue to postpone it until spring.
I will also take a break. If the wild vegetables come out in spring and we still haven't finished talking about it, I will lead the troops to talk to the people who can really talk to you. When we reach your capital city, I think everyone will know what to talk about. When the wild vegetables come out, Xiao Bao, what do you think? "
Wang Juan pinched a piece of cotton candy and threw it into her mouth. She smacked her lips and said to Ke Mu Jiji. In the end, she asked Zhang Xiaobao a question.
Zhang Xiaobao was calculating how much compensation he would need from the other side. If they won the war and didn't earn a sum of money from the war, wouldn't it be a loss? It was not in line with his and Cuckoo's style of doing things.
Hearing Wang Juan's question, he said, "I'm not in a hurry. Really, I'm not in a hurry at all. Anyway, we have enough food this year, and we don't lack animals. Let's drag it out until spring next year. That's the time when we don't have enough food. Cuckoo, you fight on your own. Don't worry about not having enough food. I will prepare for you from other places.
We have a clear division of labor. I will be in charge of logistics, and you will be in charge of killing. As long as you dare to kill, I will guarantee that you will have no worries. You are my future wife. How can I let my wife suffer? Come, give me a kiss. "
Zhang Xiaobao said and moved his face closer. Wang Juan smiled sweetly and really kissed Zhang Xiaobao's face. "Xiao Bao, I know you are the best. You know me, and you know that I like to kill people. In the future, when I want to hit people, you have to do the same."
"Okay, if I don't help my wife, who else can I help? Give me another kiss." Zhang Xiaobao replied.
Just when Ke Mu Jiji and the others were angry, Old Man Chang finally couldn't help but laugh. He didn't expect Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to be so interesting. The two countries were negotiating, not at home. Even if they were at home, he didn't see the two children kissing each other. What did they think this place was? What did they think Tubo was?
Ke Mu Jiji had to admit that the two children in front of him were very compatible. But the problem was that this wasn't the place to flirt.
Thus, he said, "Cuckoo and Xiao Bao are indeed a pair of beauties. Let's talk about exchanging Tubo's livestock for Tang's food first."
"Thank you for the compliment." Wang Juan smiled and thanked him. "We are talking about exchanging things. I can't make this decision. Xiao Bao, it's your turn. Don't calculate, they are not prepared to talk about war compensation now."
Zhang Xiaobao pushed the big abacus aside and nodded. "Okay, I will do it. That … Ke Mu Jiji, right? How do you want to exchange? How about this, I will tell you my conditions first and let you take the initiative. What do you think? "
Ke Mu Jiji slapped his head. He was going crazy. Why did he have to deal with these two during the negotiation? Take the initiative? When did he ever take the initiative?
Since they brought it up and said it first, then he should say it. Ke Mu Jiji signaled Zhang Xiaobao to speak.
Zhang Xiaobao pretended to be excited. He rubbed his hands and his eyes lit up. He coughed and said, "Because you Tubo stirred up trouble behind the scenes, the economy of our Jiannan Circuit was almost destroyed and the entire financial system was damaged. Therefore, in the spirit of pacifism, we resolutely decided to help our neighbor despite the instability of our financial system.
But we really can't take out too much food. For example, we don't have any rice. For example, we don't have any wheat. We can only provide you with corn.
Before coming here, I believe you have already understood many things. Even if you don't, it's fine. Let me tell you. Because you have controlled the price of food in our Jiannan Circuit, our days are not good. In addition, you have also attacked the livestock industry at the same time, causing the livestock in our Jiannan Circuit to reach the point of not having enough to eat.
Most of the corn will be fed to the livestock, and the rest will be given to you. A bushel of corn is 50 copper coins. How about exchanging livestock for it? "
Ke Mu Jiji and the others were dumbfounded. These words coming from the mouth of a child made them feel very ridiculous. But this child was also very unreasonable.
With such an excuse and such a price, he still scolded them. Did he have no shame? What kind of corn could cost 50 copper coins a bushel? Could it be eaten by the emperor in the capital?
The people behind Ke Mu Jiji wanted to refute, but they were stopped by Ke Mu Jiji. He had his own ideas. He said, "To be honest, 50 copper coins is really expensive. But since you also don't have it easy, then we'll go with this price.
Because of the war, our Tubo's food and fodder are also a lot less. It's not easy to raise livestock. A donkey, even if it's 15 copper coins, a horse pulling a carriage, even if it's 20 copper coins. How about it? "
"So cheap? A donkey and an ordinary horse pulling a carriage only cost this much? "Zhang Xiaobao asked in surprise.
"Yes." Ke Mu Jiji responded with a smile.
Zhang Xiaobao said with a sad expression, "It's cheap, but it's a pity that the livestock we originally planned to exchange for isn't for work. We already have a tricycle, so we want to kill them for meat. If it's really this price, then it's better to get meat from elsewhere. We can't afford to raise them. Livestock eat too much.
Since it's like this, we'll use the extra corn to exchange for livestock in our country. You wait for two months. If we still have some left, then we'll give it to you for free. We can't let your people starve to death. "
Zhang Xiaobao's words were very helpless, but the meaning he expressed was not helpless at all. That was, he was not exchanging, and he very tactfully refused.
Ke Mu Jiji, who thought that the other party would bargain, and when the time came, he would also bargain. At this time, he was dumbfounded. The other party actually directly refused.
The two maids who were in charge of pouring tea at the side resisted the urge to laugh. They looked at Ke Mu Jiji and the others with eyes full of pity. They thought in their hearts, You guys can't negotiate with anyone, but you have to meet the young master and young lady. You guys can't use the method you thought of previously, right?
Old Man Pi and the other two were very comfortable at the side. They originally thought that this negotiation would be very difficult, because Tubo had negotiated with Tang many times before, and every time, they could not achieve better results.
Sometimes, they would show a strong attitude, but the other party would not compromise at all. The main reason was that both sides were adults, and they knew that war was not a child's play. If they could make peace, then they would. Unless they were confident, then they would take the risk of threatening with war. Unexpectedly, when it was two children, the other party was helpless.
Children were not like adults, who thought about many things. If they felt that something was right, they would do it according to their own ideas. If an adult threatened to send troops, the Tubo people would not believe it. However, if Cuckoo said to send troops, there was absolutely nothing to doubt.
This was because she did not consider other things at all, and did not consider the internal situation of the country. She just wanted to fight.
Amazing, this was really too amazing.
The three old men had this thought in their minds at the same time. They did not think that Cuckoo and Xiao Bao did not know the price of war. However, the two children clearly knew in their hearts, but they still used the advantage of their age to put pressure on the Tubo people, and the effect was so good.
However, how would Mu Jiji know the ability of Cuckoo and Xiao Bao? He was indeed frightened. The two children were really easy to do things, so he asked tentatively, "Then how much do you think it should be to eat meat?"
"Ah? Eat meat? Eating meat is not that expensive, and it's not like you have to eat donkeys and horses. Do you have cows? If you have cows, the price will be more expensive. A normal cow can be sold to you for 15 strings of coins. After all, the cows of Tang Dynasty are not that delicious, and the imperial court is in charge of them.
"If it's a donkey or an ordinary horse, it's useless. We can use poultry as a substitute. Our family does this, so it's very easy to raise them. If we sell a chicken at my farmstead, it's worth twenty copper coins and weighs about ten catties. One catty is only two copper coins. How heavy can a donkey be? I'll give you more, 200 catties, that is 400 copper coins. How heavy can a horse be? I'll give you 400 catties, and I'll give you 600 catties for a cow.
Isn't this the price? A donkey is basically 400 copper coins, a horse is 800 copper coins, and a cow is 1200 copper coins. This is also an extra 200 copper coins. This is still an extra calculation. How about it, do you want to exchange? When the time comes, the exact weight will have to be weighed.
Of course, there is one more thing, and I have to compensate you. After all, when you ship it here, sometimes the weight will be reduced. Based on our friendship, I am willing to pay you this money. A copper coin for a catty is not a small amount, right? "
Zhang Xiaobao gave such a price. Using the price of a chicken, the price of livestock was based on the weight. In Zhangjia Zhuangzi of Sanshui County, the internal price of a cow could be sold for 20 copper coins. That was a lot. Who would buy someone else's cow for no reason?
"How is this possible? That is a donkey and a cow. Not to mention the use, even the taste is different. "Ke Mu Jiji argued. He definitely could not sell it at such a price.
"How is the taste different? Indeed, it is not as delicious as chicken. My family's smoked chicken and roasted chicken are not ordinary things. That taste, I will treat you to a taste later. As long as you can make the taste of donkey and cow to such a degree, I will give you a higher price. "
Zhang Xiaobao also retorted.
Ke Mu Jiji and the other seven people had already tasted it. In Yizhou, there was a shop that specialized in smoking and roasting chicken. He did not know what was added, but the taste was really good, especially the pine bone chicken. When he grabbed a leg and shook it slightly, the meat would fall off.
However, this was not because the chicken was really delicious. It was because the method used to make it was different. The seasonings used were also different. Even if it was livestock, if the same method was used, the taste would only be better.
Ke Mu Jiji knew clearly in his heart, but he could not say it. He knew that once he said it, the other party would have a reason to lower the price. First, the other party would raise the price of his livestock. Then, they would talk about the cost of production. In the end, it might even be lower than the current price.
In a negotiation, one naturally had to pay attention to the method. However, Ke Mu Jiji immediately put this matter aside and said to Wang Juan, "The price is too low. Let's talk about the war. How about this? Tubo will compensate Zhang Xiaobao's family 100,000 strings of coins and give Tang 50,000 strings of coins. Then, Tang will no longer send troops to Tubo."
"That won't do. It's too little. You have to compensate my family 200,000 strings of coins and compensate my soldiers 100,000 strings of coins. Otherwise, Tang will continue to fight."
Wang Juan shook her head and refused Ke Mu Jiji. She stated her conditions. It did not sound like much. In total, it was only 300,000 strings of coins.
For Tubo, 300,000 strings of coins could be easily taken out, but Ke Mu Jiji's purpose was not this.
He asked Wang Juan again, "Then we will forget about what you said? When Tubo really pays the money, you can't go back on your words. Write a written agreement. "
"Okay, Xiao Bao, write it." Wang Juan agreed without any hesitation. Zhang Xiaobao wrote a contract. The contents were what Wang Juan said. There were two copies, and both parties pressed their fingerprints.
Ke Mu Jiji happily put it away. Just as he was about to not mention the second matter and leave to carry out the next step of the plan, Wang Juan smiled at him and said, "Ke Mu Jiji, it's written on the contract.
"But Mu Jiji, it's already written on the agreement. Within a month, Tubo has to send the item over. It has to reach 300,000 strings of coins. I have the agreement in my hands. If you dare to lie to me, if I don't organize an army of 300,000 to slaughter Tubo, I will hang myself at the entrance of Pengzhou.
"I promise to support you. Even if I have to sell all the businesses in my family, I will raise enough money for you to attack Tubo. At most, I will kill all the Tubo people and find another profitable business for my family. If I can't do it, I will hang myself there with you," Zhang Xiaobao supported her and said.
When the two of them said this, Ke Mu Jiji's seven people, including Old Man Pi and the other two people, were all moved. Their words were too ruthless. They were using their lives as a bet to threaten the other party to see if they would send troops.
Ke Mu Jiji smiled awkwardly and said, "You don't have to do this, right?"
"Yes, I will do what I say. Just like when I entered Tubo and killed tens of thousands of your people, my words are final. No one can change them," Wang Juan stared into Ke Mu Jiji's eyes and said word by word.
"Okay, I will definitely give you 300,000 strings of coins. I will send it over within a month." Ke Mu Jiji didn't dare to doubt this little girl's determination. She was so big that she could do anything.
As soon as Ke Mu Jiji agreed, Wang Juan smiled and turned to Old Man Pi and said, "Grandpa Bi, quickly go to the capital and send a letter. Tell them that I have made the decision for the imperial court. When the time comes, all 200,000 strings of coins will be given to the imperial court. My family doesn't want a single coin."
Old Man Pi nodded with a smile and said to Wang Juan, "Cuckoo, you don't have to do this. Even if your family keeps all 300,000 strings of coins, the imperial court won't say anything. The Emperor is a famous monarch. The portraits of you and Xiao Bao are pasted in the Emperor's study. When you see the Emperor, make some good food for the Emperor. Even if you immediately mobilize all the soldiers in Jiannan Circuit, the Emperor will still happily agree.
You may not know this, but when you are leading the soldiers outside, the imperial court is waiting for news of your return every day. Even when the imperial court has stopped discussing matters, they still have to take care of the news from Yizhou first. "
"Yes, that's right. Cuckoo, you don't know how many people like you and Xiao Bao. If you agree, so be it. So what if you represent the imperial court? No one will punish you. "Old Man Yao also helped to say.
Wang Juan revealed a brilliant smile. She turned to the dumbfounded Ke Mu Jiji and said, "Did you hear that? Hurry up and give me the money. You want to play tricks with me? You are still too inexperienced. Who am I? I am a little girl. Who will lower themselves to the same level as a little girl? "
Ke Mu Jiji stared blankly at Wang Juan. He was too surprised. He was surprised by the imperial court's indulgence of Wang Juan. He was also surprised by Wang Juan's intelligence. She actually knew what he was going to do next.
Yes, he wanted to sow discord through this negotiation so that the emperor of the Tang Empire would no longer believe in Wang Juan. He even wanted to punish the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. If he could make the Zhang Family and the Wang Family hate him and leave the Tang Empire, that would be even better.
But what he didn't expect was that his plan was seen through as soon as it started. The news he got from the other two was unbelievable.
The imperial court of the Tang Empire had already recognized Cuckoo and Xiao Bao. According to this, he had to give them the 300,000 strings of coins. If he didn't give them the money, Cuckoo would promise to send troops. If he was in her position, he would do the same.
While Ke Mu Jiji was thinking about this, Wang Juan, who had finished eating the cotton candy, yawned and said, "Let's call it a day. You send the letter back and ask. Tomorrow we will discuss the matter of exchanging livestock for food."
After that, Wang Juan got up and left. Zhang Xiaobao followed her. Old Man Pi and the other two also left. Only two maids were responsible for arranging a place for Ke Mu Jiji and the seven people to rest. The money for the rest was free. The Zhang Family and the Wang Family would bear it themselves.
After Ke Mu Jiji returned to the place that the Zhang family arranged for him, he began to prepare the letter. After dipping the brush in ink, he suddenly didn't know what to write.
Should he write that he failed in the negotiation and was schemed against by the other party when he was scheming against them, causing Tubo to lose 300,000 strings of coins?
In the past, when he was complaining about the Japanese invaders, he didn't say that he would compensate the Tang Empire even if they were defeated. Today, he had to give such a result?
It was too late to regret. The handprint was already on the letter. If he didn't give the money, Tubo would be attacked by the Tang Empire's army this winter. Moreover, Cuckoo would be the one leading the army.
After thinking for a while, Ke Mu Jiji felt that he had made a mistake. He sighed helplessly and began to write on the paper. The other six people who followed him here waited obediently at the side.
Today, they had seen how difficult the negotiation was. Cuckoo and Xiao Bao didn't care about anything else. As long as they thought of something, they would immediately say it. They were even willing to sell all of their properties for money to attack the Tang Empire.
They had never seen or even heard of such opponents before. However, the imperial court might admit that they were unlucky. They were really unlucky today.
The person who looked at Wang Juan murderously at the beginning muttered, "If we had known, we would have killed the two of them. As long as they don't lead the army, why should we be afraid of them? Even if we die in the end. "
At this moment, Ke Mu Jiji, who had finished writing the letter, vented his anger on the person who spoke.
"Then why didn't you do anything just now? Don't be so scared that you shrank back. Now, you still dare to talk about this matter? Kill, kill, do you really think that the two of them are so easy to kill? There's no need for you to do anything. If you had looked at them one more time, you would have been dead by now. They don't care about the matter of not killing the envoys when two countries are at war. "
Ke Mu Jiji always felt that he was in danger when he sat opposite Cuckoo. He didn't know where the danger came from, but he didn't dare to do anything casually.
After scolding the person who followed him, he began to think about how to exchange the livestock of Tubo for more food. Otherwise, many people would starve to death this winter. At that time, the Tang Empire would take advantage of the lack of manpower to send troops again. Tubo wouldn't have the strength to fight back.
The person who was scolded didn't say anything. Ke Mu Jiji said something that he didn't want to mention. At that time, when he was stared at by Zhang Xiaobao, he felt that his soul was about to leave. It was as if he would be killed in the next moment.
The other five people also became silent. They were very helpless about the result of today's negotiation. They couldn't help much and couldn't show the Tubo's imposing manner. The other party kept saying that they would send troops. What imposing manner was there to speak of?
After Ke Mu Jiji sent the letter away, he felt as if he had just been fished out of the water. His clothes were drenched in sweat.
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