"Who are you?" In the dimly lit room, Zhao Pu frowned slightly and stared at the official standing in front of him with his hands tied: "Who sent you here? What do you want to see me?"
"I am the Southwest Marriage Officer of the Wude Department, and the Minister is on an envoy, and I have been ordered to cooperate with you!" The visitor said calmly, which basically dispelled most of Zhao Pu's doubts.
However, he still kept his vigilance and looked at the person. He had a round face, a mustache, his skin looked very delicate, and he always had a smile that made people feel like spring breeze.
Zhao Pu said: "How do you sneak into the hotel?"
The marriage officer responded calmly: "When I learned that the assistant minister was coming, I specially found a job as a hotel clerk in the hotel. I have been waiting here for two days!"
Hearing this, Zhao Pu couldn't help but be surprised: "Is Wude Si's penetration into Chengdu already so powerful?"
"I can only say that the position of a public official is nothing!" the marriage official said, and his expression and demeanor showed that this was not a difficult matter.
Slightly relieved, Zhao Pu nodded. Seeing this, the marriage official said: "The minister is in Chengdu. If you need anything, please tell us directly and we will fully cooperate!"
"Just in time, please tell me, what is the current situation of the Chengdu court?" Zhao Pu asked immediately.
The marriage officer spoke directly without thinking: "Since the fall of Nanzheng, the officials and people of Chengdu were horrified, and the government and the public were shaken. Meng Chang, the lord of Shu, held court for three consecutive days to discuss the military situation, and mobilized three thousand troops from the imperial army guarding the imperial city to go north.
, strengthen the defense of Lizhou.
The ministers of the Shu court, headed by the privy envoy Wang Zhaoyuan, expressed that our army was exhausted from the battle and was short of men and horses. They suggested that the Lord of Shu should concentrate his strength and wait for the next spring to launch a counterattack and take back Xingyuan Mansion by surprise.
Prime Minister Wu Zhaoyi, Li Hao and others criticized Wang Zhaoyuan for improper arrangements and failure to assist Hanzhong, which led to the fall of Xingyuan Mansion. They also severely opposed the continued use of troops. Wu Zhaoyi was the first to propose peace!
The two parties were arguing endlessly, and the Lord of Shu was hesitant. After learning that the minister was on an envoy, he gave up the discussion, but he never showed his intention to fight!"
"Wuzhaoyi!" Zhao Pu recited and raised the corner of his mouth: "As you said, the kings and ministers of the Shu court are also willing to negotiate peace!"
"Exactly!" said the marriage official: "It is said that the Lord of Shu and several ministers have recently drafted a peace agreement."
The smile bloomed, and Zhao Pu's eyes showed a scheming light. If Shu wanted to seek peace, he would have to take the opportunity to gain some benefits for the big man.
"How is the public sentiment in Chengdu?" Zhao Pu asked again.
"Since the fall of Nanzheng, rumors have spread and public sentiment has been greatly disturbed. Thousands of Shu people have fled southward! In more than a month, the price of rice in Chengdu has tripled, now reaching 24 cents per dou! In order to supply the north
The Imperial Guard and the Chengdu granary allocate more military supplies, while profiteers took the opportunity to hoard them.
A month ago, the Shu court increased the grain tax, significantly increased the price of salt, and increased city taxes and customs duties. There are also evil officials who are treacherous and take advantage of the opportunity to make profits. The common people in Chengdu are suffering unspeakably.
Don't run away to hide in your hometown.
The Privy Council also forcibly recruited 50,000 young men from various states and counties and trained them in the suburbs of Chengdu to make up for the losses in the northern war. In Chengdu, public security has deteriorated recently, with thefts, injuries, and fights occurring from time to time, and the government has repeatedly prohibited them.
....."
"Such chaos seems to have not hurt the roots!" Zhao Pu looked relaxed and almost applauded, but in his mind, he obviously felt that it was still not enough. He was even considering whether the withdrawal of troops would give Shu a chance to breathe.
"The Kingdom of Shu has been at peace for many years, but the accumulation of twenty years has caused a lot of damage. Its finances and people's strength should not be so tight!" Zhao Pu thought for a while and asked.
"What the minister doesn't know is that although the soldiers and people of Shu have enjoyed peace for twenty years and the country is rich and prosperous, since they had bad relations with the Han and suffered successive defeats, they suffered huge losses in money and food, especially before the Qin-Feng war.
Starting from the fifth year, in two years, half of the money and food of the Shu court, and most of the elites, were sent north. Because of the fierce fighting, hundreds of thousands of people were expended. In the end, they were defeated in one battle, and all of them died in the north.
To this day, the people of Shu still have a lot of wealth, but most of it is in the hands of Shu's dignitaries, officials, tycoons, and wealthy businessmen. And these people take advantage of the national crisis to make money, regardless of the livelihood of the people, and the country is in difficulty...
..
Furthermore, since last year, the Lord of Shu has built a crystal palace on the Maha Pond, using luxurious materials and collecting a large number of rare treasures, which has cost a lot of money. Now, the only difficulty is the Shu treasury!"
"With such a monarch and such national conditions, how can we survive!" After hearing this, Zhao Pu nodded, his bright eyes full of ridicule.
In fact, what the marriage officer said was not much different from what Zhao Pu had expected, it was just more detailed.
"Okay, what you said is very valuable, and I am very satisfied. It is getting late, so in order to avoid people's attention, please retreat first!" Zhao Pu said knowingly.
"I'm resigning!" the marriage official said.
"By the way, do you know how to contact people from the Military Intelligence Department?" Zhao Pu suddenly asked before he left.
Upon hearing this, the marriage officer's eyes showed something strange. He turned around and saluted, and said calmly: "The Department of Wude and the Department of Military Intelligence are not subordinate to each other and communicate independently. If there is an order from above, someone from them will take the initiative to contact you, Minister!"
Zhao Pu hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly realized that he was a smart person, and he also guessed that there might be some conflicts between the two companies.
"I'm resigning. As I said before, if the minister has something to do, he can arrange it as soon as possible!" After saying this in a neither humble nor condescending manner, the marriage official stepped back and helped to close the door.
Before long, the maid entered and saw Zhao Pu cross-legged and meditating. He carefully stepped forward to straighten the brocade quilt, took off his clothes, exposed his fair skin and petite figure to the air, and then got into the quilt.
After a while, a soft voice sounded: "Master, the bed is warm, please go to bed!"
Zhao Pu came back to his senses and looked at the little lady on the couch under the brocade quilt. Her tender and lovely appearance was so pleasing that he suddenly felt aroused.
The next day, Zhao Pu came to the palace to see Meng Chang, feeling refreshed and swaggering. As a sign of respect, Meng Chang received him in the main hall of the Shu palace, where all important officials of the Shu court were present.
After entering the palace, without squinting, the other Shu ministers seemed not to be taken seriously by Zhao Pu, and looked directly at Meng Chang, who was described as handsome, but slightly fatter, with a vague look of sadness between the gods.
After a simple salute, Zhao Pu Surong said loudly to Meng Chang who was sitting on the golden throne: "I, Zhao Pu, have met the Lord of Shu by order of His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!"
From the time he entered the palace, Zhao Pu behaved arrogantly. Seeing his arrogant words and deeds, some people were already dissatisfied. The prime minister Ouyang Jiong stood up and scolded: "The Han envoy is rude! Why don't you worship me when you see me, the Emperor of Shu?"
!”
Without even looking at Ouyang Jiong, Zhao Pu said calmly: "I am the envoy of the Heavenly Kingdom, how can I bow down to the lord of the separatist regime!"
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When Zhao Pu finished speaking, Ouyang Jiong suddenly scolded him angrily.
Meng Chang, on the other hand, although his expression and eyes were unhappy, he still endured it, stared at Zhao Pu coldly, and said in a calm voice: "There is no need to say these false words and do those false courtesy. Now the two countries of Shu and Han are at war, and the Lord of Han sent
What do you mean when you come to Chengdu?"
"Since the Lord is so happy, I won't be nagging you. I heard that the Shu Kingdom intends to stop its troops and seek peace. I came west on your orders to see the sincerity of the soldiers and civilians of the two rivers?"
"Arrogant!" Zhao Pu's attitude angered Wang Zhaoyuan. He stood up directly and reprimanded: "The Emperor of Han is far away in Tokyo. I don't know where he heard the rumors of peace talks. We still have one hundred thousand soldiers and millions of people in our dynasty.
, Why are you afraid of the Northern Han Dynasty? If you have the courage, you will send your horses to attack and want to come to Chengdu to do those lies and deceptions. It is a delusion!"
Hearing this, Zhao Pu looked at him: "I wonder who your Excellency is?"
"This is Wang Zhaoyuan, our Privy Envoy to Shu!" Someone introduced him on his own initiative.
"I have heard of his name for a long time!" Zhao Pu said with a smile: "He is well versed in the art of war, has extraordinary far-reaching strategies, can strategize, and can win thousands of miles away. Everyone in Tokyo has heard of Privy Wang's reputation. When I see him today, he is well-deserved. He is really overestimating his abilities.
!”
"You!" Zhao Pu always kept a steady and sarcastic tone. Hearing this, Wang Zhaoyuan's face became darker and darker. If he wasn't in the palace, he would have wanted to hit him directly.
"Your Majesty, you are too rude!" Meng Chang said coldly with an indifferent expression.
Seeing this, Zhao Pu showed a warm smile: "For the sake of peace between the two countries, I have come all the way sincerely, but Privy Wang is shouting to fight and kill, and is stubborn and wants to fight. I am helpless!"
Taking a deep breath, Meng Chang waved his hand: "I would like to hear how sincere this man is!"
After hearing the question, Zhao Pu came to talk slowly and calmly: "If you want to stop the army! Firstly, there will be no two days in the sky, and the country will not have two masters. The Shu Kingdom should reduce the emperor's title and become a vassal to the Han Dynasty; secondly, this battle will be fierce for a long time.
The expense of the people of the Han Dynasty was huge, so the Shu State should compensate for military expenses; thirdly, the Shu court should pay tribute to the Han Dynasty every year; fourthly, to avoid further disputes in the future, the Shu State should reduce its military equipment and cede Lizhou and Jiange to the Han Dynasty.