Hsieh Hyun-chen kept thinking about how to clear his name while telling Mu Mingtang the truth. Before he could make up a story to frame Yelv Yan and Xie Xuanji, he suddenly saw Yelv Yan stand up from the Northern Army banquet.
At this time, the music in the hall was loud and the Musical House had arranged a grand dance. A group of palace maids with long sleeves and slim waists danced on the stage. With the music in the background, Yelv Yan raised his wine bottle and proposed a toast to the Emperor, "Rong and Ye are negotiating peace. This is a grand event and will definitely affect the overall situation. With this toast, I wish that the peace talks between our two countries will go smoothly. I wish that the two emperors will live forever. "
Hearing this, the Emperor smiled and raised his wine glass. Yelu Yan drank a cup of wine in front of everyone. Suddenly, he changed the topic. "Our War Hounds sincerely want to form an alliance with the Ye Dynasty. However, along the way, there are too many people who want to interfere with the peace talks. Your Majesty, let's not talk about the outsiders. The Ye Imperial Court should be in favor of peace talks, right? "
The Emperor immediately agreed, "That is only natural. Your Highness, you can rest assured about this. "
"That's good." Yelv Yan said, "I hope that Rong and Ye will be brothers forever. The two emperors will call each other brothers. The white-haired old man at the border will not recognize war."
Yelv Yan publicly proposed the terms of peace talks today. This meant that the peace talks were about to officially begin.
Of course, the real contract would be very complicated. There were many small rules and regulations. However, today, both sides had to first set the tone. If one side wanted to make the other side pay tribute and the other side wanted to coexist as equals, then there was no need to talk about the following treaty.
Even if they talked about it, it would collapse. It was better to save some energy. Today, Yelv Yan threw out the touchstone. Both sides were testing the other side's attitude and bottom line.
The Emperor slightly raised his spirit and said, "Of course, I am willing to be friends with the Northern Army forever. We will be on equal footing."
The emperor agreed to the Yelv Yan's first condition. This was, without a doubt, the consensus of many people. Times were different from the past. With the Ye Dynasty's current size, it was not realistic to expect a vassal state to submit to the Ye Dynasty like the previous dynasty. Being on equal footing with the Northern Tribes was a good thing for both countries.
The first condition was a prerequisite. Only when everyone's attitude was the same could the following conditions continue. The Yelv Yan then said, "We came here with sincerity. We hope that after the ceasefire, the Ye Dynasty will not station troops at the border and will not build any more watchtowers. Our two countries will open their borders to each other and allow merchants to come and go freely. "
The Emperor frowned and felt that there were some risks in doing so. However, the Emperor had second thoughts. The contract was mutual. If the Northern Tribes also withdrew their troops, it would not be a problem. In fact, it would even promote trade.
The Emperor said, "I can withdraw my troops, but the Northern Tribes have to agree to the same terms. If not, it would be unfair if I am the only one left unguarded."
This was within Yelv Yan's expectations, so he readily agreed. After reaching two agreements, the people of the Ye Dynasty were undoubtedly much more relaxed.
Based on the current situation, it would not be hard to reach an agreement. If they really did not have to fight in the future, that would be great.
The Yelv Yan also seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He was very confident in the following conditions. The first two conditions were just probing. Since the Ye Dynasty really wanted to negotiate, then they would definitely agree to the following conditions.
Because of the sudden appearance of Hsieh Hyun-chen, the Yelv Yan had an urgent discussion with the emissary this afternoon and relaxed a few conditions. The Yelv Yan felt that they were already very sincere after changing the conditions. It would be weird if the Ye Dynasty did not agree.
The Yelv Yan was very confident and his voice became much calmer, "Your Majesty is also sincere in negotiating. That is great. Apart from trading at the border, the Ye Country will provide the War Tribes with three hundred thousand taels of military aid and two hundred thousand bolts of silk, which will be handed over to Xiong Prefecture. "
Provide military aid?
The Emperor frowned slightly. The Yelv Yan made it sound nice, providing military aid to the Northern Tribes. But in other words, wasn't this just money?
However, three hundred thousand taels of silver and two hundred thousand bolts of silk were not much. If they really fought, the military expenditure would be much higher than this. To use five hundred thousand to buy peace, it was worth it.
The Emperor had already agreed in his heart. However, he was still the ruler of a country. It was already very awkward for him to not be able to maintain the dignity of a suzerain country. If he immediately agreed, he might be criticized by the historians. The Emperor then pretended to decline, "Since we are brothers, helping each other out in times of trouble is something we ought to do. However, five hundred thousand is too much and will put too much pressure on the court. "
"To others, it might be a lot, but to the Ye Emperor, five hundred thousand is just a small number." The Yelv Yan said, "Tokyo is densely populated and prosperous. Who knows how much profit they make in a year. Five hundred thousand is really nothing to you. If there is a war, then there will be nothing left. However, if you can use five hundred thousand to exchange for peace, then your court will be able to earn far more than five hundred thousand. "
The Yelv Yan's words made sense and the Emperor had already agreed. However, these words could not be said by a ruler like him. In the end, money was not something to be proud of.
Prime Minister Song immediately understood the meaning behind the words and immediately said some official words to the Yelv Yan. His words revealed that he was willing to compromise. When the people sitting nearby heard that they had to give the Northern Tribes five hundred thousand a year, although they were sad that their suzerain country was no longer as glorious, they felt at ease.
Five hundred thousand was not a lot for a country. Anyways, it would be taken from the court's account. It did not hurt them and they could enjoy a rare period of peace, so why not?
The sleeves on the stage were still fluttering softly. Other people could not hear what the Emperor and the Yelv Yan were talking about, but judging from the expressions of the bigwigs on the stage, they probably guessed that they were discussing something serious. Prime Minister Song kept loosening his mouth and was about to agree. However, Hsieh Hyun-chen suddenly put the wine bottle on the table. He used too much force and the wine bottle quickly cracked and broke with a bang.
Other people were shocked by this movement. The maids dancing on the stage also paused and did not understand what had happened. Hsieh Hyun-chen was already suppressing his anger. He coldly glanced at the dancers and slightly opened his thin lips, "Back off."
These two words were not loud, but the cold air inside seemed to have substance. The entire palace was frozen, and there was no sound. The dancers of the Musical House were startled and subconsciously retreated to one side, terrified.
Hsieh Hyun-chen's movement was not small. From the Emperor and the Yelv Yan on the stage to the ordinary officials below, and even the ladies who were chatting on the side, they all looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen.
The Yelv Yan's expression changed and his face became cold. He asked, "What does Prince An mean?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen seemed to be really angry. His face was like jade. At this moment, he had completely restrained his smile. The mole under his eye was cold and resolute. He was murderous. "Since the founding of the Ye Dynasty, there have been endless internal and external wars. There have been wins and losses, but we have never surrendered without a fight. The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the least important. The worst case scenario is death. Anyway, the Ye Dynasty will not be married. We will not cede land or pay tribute. Don't even think about the annual coins. "
The atmosphere in the hall was frozen. Especially Prime Minister Song and others who advocated peace. At this moment, they were somewhat stunned.
It was only five hundred thousand. What was Hsieh Hyun-chen doing? Why would he make a scene with the Northern Tribes for a little bit of money?
When the Yelv Yan heard Hsieh Hyun-chen's words, his expression quickly darkened. The rest of the Northern Tribes also stared with their eyes wide open and showed signs of alertness.
The Yelv Yan did not want to go too far. Originally, the negotiations were going to be successful. If they completely fell apart, it would be difficult to continue in the future. The Yelv Yan left some leeway in his words. He took a breath and said, "Prince An is unyielding and righteous. I admire him. However, relying on war will not solve the problem. War will consume a lot of resources. It is far better to peacefully coexist. This is beneficial to both countries. Five hundred thousand is really insignificant to your country's imperial court. I'm afraid it is not even one-tenth of your military expenditure. Using such a small amount of money in exchange for peace at the border is really worth it. I have long heard that Prince An has rich spoils of war and extravagant expenses. Could it be that you are not even willing to part with five hundred thousand? "
Of course, five hundred thousand was not a lot to Hsieh Hyun-chen. Mu Mingtang knew the financial situation of his residence. Not to mention the imperial court, even Hsieh Hyun-chen himself could immediately take out five hundred thousand. However, this was not a matter of money.
Hsieh Hyun-chen laughed coldly. Although he was laughing, it did not reach his eyes. His eyes were still cold, "Five hundred thousand is indeed not a lot. However, although Daye has a lot of money, we do not have a single extra. With the wealth of the people, it is impossible for us to invest a single cent in a foreign country. "
Yelv Yan was thoroughly angered. He suddenly flicked his sleeves and threw the wine cup to the ground. He said darkly, "According to Prince An, you do not agree to peace and want to start a war?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen was still sitting upright. His posture was like a sword and his eyes were cold.
"Then let's start a war."
Hsieh Hyun-chen's voice was powerful. His eyes were cold. The entire palace was silent.
Yelv Yan was very angry. He looked darkly at Hsieh Hyun-chen. Their gazes met. They could faintly hear the sound of weapons. Yelv Yan said coldly, "Our War Tribes have strong soldiers and strong horses. Our warriors are not afraid of death. Father Han only proposed peace because of Ye Dynasty. Our War Tribes are not afraid of war. However, can you afford to fight? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen smiled and said, "Whether or not we can afford to fight, you will know once you try."
No one in the main hall dared to speak. Prime Minister Song's heart was in his throat. Actually, Yelv Yan was right. Their Northern Tribes were originally nomads. They were not afraid of war. However, they really could not afford to fight the imperial court.
Hsieh Hyun-chen looked disdainfully. He did not budge an inch. After a while, Yelv Yan took a step back and said, "Since peace is a consensus between the two countries, we can discuss the details later. The issue of the coins can be discussed later. "
All the officials present, including Jiang Honghao, who was in charge of the three provinces' finances, were shocked. They were originally prepared to pay for peace. They did not expect Hsieh Hyun-chen to suddenly make things difficult. They also did not expect that Yelv Yan would take a step back in the end.
In negotiations, one step back was another step back. At the beginning, they showed signs of compromise and exposed their bottom line. After that, it would be impossible to get back. Yelv Yan said that the coins would be discussed later. However, the officials knew that if they discussed it again, they would not discuss it again.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
