Two days later, in the Office of the Grand Herald.
"Exchanging captives is the first major event." Xin Qiwu was no longer as reckless as when the two countries were negotiating. He said lightly, "His Majesty has decreed that the captured soldiers must be returned no matter what. Everything else is trivial. We might as well make some concessions in this regard."
An official replied, "The number of people captured from Northern Qi and the small countries they control has been roughly tallied. There are more than 2,400 people. On our side, about 1,000 people were captured. According to His Majesty's decree, even if we were to exchange our captives, we would still be able to get them back. "
"Yes." Xin Qiwu nodded, satisfied with his subordinates' efficiency. "Regarding the issue of redrawing the border, His Majesty's intentions are clear. We will not give up an inch of the land we have taken. If Northern Qi wants it, they will have to exchange it with the grasslands of Qianlong Bay."
Qianlong Bay was in the northwest of the Kingdom of Qing, and it was connected to the only enclave of the Kingdom of Qing there. If they could take it back, that enclave would be safe.
The officials noted down their superiors' intentions. One of them said, "But for some reason, Northern Qi has been particularly unyielding this time. It seems they want to fight to the death. They have only agreed to give us money and horses, but they are not willing to cede the land."
The first person to jump out at the tea party was an impulsive person. He slammed the table and scolded, "We have already taken the land. Are we going to have to give it back?"
Xin Qiwu nodded. "Although Master Xiao's words are a bit direct, they do make sense." He coldly glanced at his subordinates, put down the teacup in his hand, and said, "My fellow colleagues, don't forget that these lands were won by our soldiers with swords and spears. They were exchanged with blood and flesh. Of course, we can't give them back with both hands. Those soldiers have paid with their lives. What about us? We are only moving our lips, so we cannot give up on the interests of our own countries. We must fight with them for a tael of silver and an inch of land. "
The man who had spoken earlier continued to frown. "What you say is very true, sir. But according to the secret reports from the envoys stationed in Shangjing, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor of Northern Qi has become warmer because of this defeat. Furthermore, the Empress Dowager's brother has already been punished and returned home. If we ask for too much in the negotiations, and the two countries go to war again after a breakdown, this would not be in line with His Majesty's wishes. Everyone should know that if Northern Qi is truly of one mind, even a centipede with a hundred legs would not feel good if it bit someone. "
"Shangjing of Northern Qi is too far away. Going there and back, this information might not be useful." Xin Qiwu felt a headache coming on. The most important thing in negotiations was to know yourself and your enemy. Although they had the home advantage and the advantage of being the victor, the other side was in their own capital. They could rely on the Northern Qi spy network that the court had not yet had time to clean up. They could have firsthand information on the Qing court's reaction, but it would be difficult for the Qing side to know the true reaction of the Northern Qi court.
Someone suggested, "Why don't we ask His Majesty to have the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council assist us? You should know that the people of the Fourth Bureau in Northern Qi are much more powerful than those of the other yamens of the court. "
Everyone's eyes brightened. This was true. As officials of the capital, of course they feared and hated the Overwatch Council. But if the mad dog, the Overwatch Council, was used to deal with the enemy, no one would object. They would all be in favor of it. Unexpectedly, hearing this suggestion, Xin Qiwu suddenly lost his poise. He scolded, "What you have thought of, haven't I and the prefect not thought of it? If Yan Luo Dian doesn't want to give us anything, what can I do? Do I have to go cry in front of His Majesty's palace? "
So that was how it was. Their faces became calm again, but deep down, they thought, if you can get information on Northern Qi, what is there to be afraid of crying on the stone steps in front of Xingqing Palace?
The hall fell silent. Although the officials and people of the Qing Kingdom had always thought of themselves as the strongest country in the world, before His Majesty ascended the throne, the people of the Qing Kingdom had always lived under the terrifying shadow of Northern Wei. Although Northern Wei had been reduced to half of its territory by His Majesty on three northern expeditions, becoming the Northern Qi of today, if they were forced into a corner again, it would still be a terrifying thing. So without the support of strong confidence, the negotiations seemed to be stuck in a stalemate.
"Tonight, I will go to the palace again to ask for His Majesty's decree."
Xin Qiwu frowned, but his eyes glanced at Fan Xian, who had been sitting quietly at the end. Fan Xian seemed to have no self-awareness as a deputy. These days, whether it was negotiations or anything else, he always sat there with a smile on his face. No one knew what he was thinking. Xin Qiwu had been sent here by the Crown Prince's edict to give Fan Xian some political capital. Fan Xian was sensible enough not to take credit, but it was not good for him to be so silent.
He thought for a moment, then said gently, "Master Fan, what do you think of this?"
Fan Xian clenched his fists in his sleeves, but his face remained calm. He said gently, "I think that Northern Qi is just bluffing. If they really have the strength to fight again, they would not be in such a hurry to send a diplomatic mission to sue for peace."
The officials all knew that Master Fan was famous for his poetry and fists, and they had admired his quiet and unambitious attitude these days, so they had some expectations of what he would say. But when they found out that he could only say such a general statement, they could not help but feel disappointed. But for the sake of face, the officials could not say anything, so they casually agreed.
Xin Qiwu, on the other hand, thought that since he was going to do Fan Xian a favor, he might as well do it thoroughly. He continued to ask gently, "What you say is reasonable. But in the relationship between two countries, what is real is fake, and what is fake is real. A country is like a person, and sometimes it is dominated by emotions, so it cannot be judged by reason. Do you have any other evidence, Deputy Fan?" He really did hope that Fan Xian could strengthen the conviction of the officials of the Chamberlain of Dependencies.
Fan Xian inwardly praised the vice-minister for saying that "a country is like a person". He thought for a moment, then said, "The key is that Zhuang Mohan. You all know his position in the hearts of the world's scholars. If Northern Qi did not intend to sue for peace, they would not have spent so much to invite Zhuang Mohan to the capital with the diplomatic mission."
The officials of the Chamberlain of Dependencies all came from the imperial examinations, so of course they knew of Zhuang Mohan's name. After a moment's thought, they realized that this was indeed the case. But this alone was not enough to bring the negotiations back to the original path.
Xin Qiwu frowned. "If we could find out why Zhuang Mohan was willing to come, perhaps it would be of some help."
The Overwatch Council's files clearly stated that Zhuang Mohan was willing to come because, first, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor of Northern Qi had lowered themselves to beg him. Second, Zhuang Mohan had always prided himself as a mortal saint, and wanted to mediate the military conflict between the two countries. The third reason seemed to be his personal reasons, which had not yet been discovered. Although Fan Xian despised the attitude of this "saint", he would not belittle his reputation. But at this moment, he would not reveal these reasons in front of all the officials. He only replied quietly, "If we could meet him, perhaps we would be able to find some clues."
Registrar Xiao shook his head and said somewhat helplessly, "According to the customs of the two countries, such a person is usually only seen at banquets in front of the palace. If an official of the Chamberlain of Dependencies asks for an audience, and he refuses, there is nothing we can do. We would only be humiliating ourselves. " Suddenly, his eyes brightened. "But Deputy Fan's reputation for poetry has long been known throughout the world. I believe that Zhuang Mohan would not refuse the title of meeting friends through poetry."
Fan Xian was surprised. He had only copied three poems, and two of them had been written by Ruoruo. How could he make his reputation known throughout the world? Fortunately, Xin Qiwu shook his head and helped him out. "Zhuang Mohan has always been an extremely arrogant person. His scholarly works, poetry, and songs are all the top talents of the world. There is no way he would lower himself to meet Deputy Fan. In my opinion, the key to Northern Qi's invitation this time is the banquet in front of the palace. They want to use his reputation to persuade His Majesty."
The officials thought that this was probably the case.
After the meeting was over, Fan Xian found an opportunity to pull Xin Qiwu aside and hand over the proposal that he and Ruoruo had spent several nights "organizing". Xin Qiwu flipped through it hastily, and his eyes brightened. He had not expected Fan Xian to write something like this. Although the evidence was rather absurd, after careful analysis, it seemed to point directly at the current situation in Northern Qi.
"Good!" Xin Qiwu said excitedly. "With this, the Office of the Grand Herald will have more confidence in our negotiations. But... Deputy Fan, why did you not mention it before, and now you are giving it to me in private? "
Fan Xian looked at his superior's suspicious expression and smiled. "Some of the deductions are a bit absurd. These are my personal opinions, so I did not dare say them in public. I am only giving them to you in private for your consideration."
Xin Qiwu could not contain his excitement. He stood in the corridor and read carefully, but his brow gradually furrowed. After a long time, he said quietly, "Master Fan, there are many things in here that even the court does not know about."
Fan Xian's heart trembled. He knew that he could not hide it from Xin Qiwu, but he had trained his composure for over ten years, ever since he arrived in the capital. His expression did not change. He smiled. "There are some things that I cannot say."
One of the most important things about being an official was to pretend to be mysterious. As expected, Xin Qiwu did not pursue the matter. Instead, he smiled warmly. "If this negotiation is successful, I will certainly write to His Majesty and guarantee you a great service."
Fan Xian smiled, bowed, and excused himself.
Xin Qiwu watched Fan Xian's green-robed silhouette disappear into the courtyard, and a look of confusion appeared on his face. He was close to the Crown Prince, and naturally knew that Count Sinan held a private power that belonged to His Majesty. But this power had never been displayed on the political stage of the Kingdom of Qing. Could it be... that Fan Xian dared to use it just because of Fan Xian? He had never connected Fan Xian to the Overwatch Council. After all, the Overwatch Council was His Majesty's private spy agency. Even the princes could not interfere, much less the illegitimate son of an official.
Sitting in the sedan chair, Xin Qiwu rested his chin on his hand and pondered. After the sedan chair stopped, he looked at the tall red palace wall outside. It seemed that his advice to the Crown Prince had been correct. As for the Fan family, they could only be roped in, not attacked.
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