Li Zhi, who was only in his twenties, stepped forward and saluted the two of them. The gilt Mingguang armor set off his majestic appearance and handsomeness.
"My dear nephew, you're welcome."
Cheng Mu and Zhu Di returned the gift at the same time.
But Cheng Mu had some strange feelings in his heart. What kind of thing was being called uncle by someone who was a few years older than him?
"Thank you for your hard work, my dear nephew, who has been tired of traveling and traveling."
Zhu Di didn't think too much, he just greeted him enthusiastically.
He was really like a biological uncle and nephew, caring passionately about Li Zhi.
"hehe."
Seeing such a scene, Cheng Mu smiled and shook his head.
He naturally knew what Zhu Di meant. And the implication of Li Zhi calling him uncle was also self-evident.
This Li Zhi also disagreed with marrying his sister to Cheng Mu.
After naturally calling Cheng Mu uncle, Cheng Mu is his elder and also Si'er's elder.
And as an elder, how can any uncle marry his niece?
"Qihuang."
At this time, Zhu Di turned around and said to Cheng Mu: "Since the nephew has arrived, how about we go in first?"
With Li Zhi here, he already seemed to be taking the spotlight.
"please."
Cheng Mu didn't criticize or argue. Instead, he was very generous and invited the two of them in.
Since Li Zhi is so determined, he is determined to be this uncle!
Inside the city, in the palace of the Shah.
Lei Dun has arranged everything. Not only are there young and beautiful maids to serve him, but there are also mighty and domineering warriors of the Sand tribe to guard him.
At the dust-washing banquet, Cheng Mu raised his wine glass high.
"On behalf of the Apocalypse Empire, I welcome the arrival of Emperor Ming and his nephew."
Since you are the master, you must also have the atmosphere of a master.
Zhu Di raised his glass: "The Emperor Qi is very polite."
Li Zhi Tongju: "My two uncles have to work hard these days."
He knows the purpose of his coming. So for now, he still stands with Zhu Di.
Later, when changing cups and cups.
Cheng Mu first introduced the virtuous ministers and generals under his command.
Guo Jia, who is the number one counselor of the Apocalypse Empire, is also attending the banquet as his companion.
The talented generals Zhao Yun, Zhang Wanlong and other powerful generals also attended as representatives at this time.
Yijian Qingxin, March Fat Tiger and others sat at the back as representatives of the rangers.
What Cheng Mu wants to show is not only the strength of his soldiers, but also the strength of a large group of virtuous ministers, good generals, and elite rangers.
The national war has already begun, and there is no point in hiding it.
Zhu Di didn't hide his clumsiness either.
The three guards of Duoyan who came to escort were only part of the strength of the Ming Dynasty. To protect the generals, he brought the brave Chang Yuchun and the experienced Lan Yu.
Just go with Chang Shiwan's name. One Chang Yuchun is worth an army of one million.
Li Zhi also demonstrated the power of the Tang Empire.
His bodyguard is the famous Yu Linwei.
As the imperial army guarding Chang'an City, the Yulin Guards are already super elite. And the guards Li Zhi chose this time are even more elite among the super elites.
The strength of these more than 10,000 people has all reached the overlord level.
Coupled with the powerful Mingguang Armor, these ten thousand people are like heavenly soldiers in the sky!
This is also the only place where the Wan Yu Lin Guards can outshine the Apocalypse soldiers in terms of color.
In terms of strength, Li Zhi's overlord-level Yulinwei, who was extremely proud of himself, was not worth mentioning in front of the half-step super-god-level Apocalypse soldiers.
But this is not the most important thing.
The sense of superiority of a big country made Li Zhi still confident.
His subordinate is Changsun Wuji, the first counselor of the Tang Dynasty and the leader of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion.
Next to Changsun Wuji, there is also the super strong general of the Tang Dynasty, Qin Qiong.
In terms of commanding operations, Qin Qiong is indeed inferior to Li Jing, Su Dingbian, Xue Rengui and others.
But when it comes to martial arts, Qin Qiong has few opponents.
Qin Qiong, who is now in her twenties, is really the center of attention wherever she goes.
Of course, Cheng Mu's eyes are not only on him. More importantly, Cheng Mu prefers to look at Changsun Wuji.
As the first hero in the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Changsun Wuji's immortal achievements are the embodiment of his extremely high talents.
Naturally, he was one of Cheng Mu's candidates for provincial governor.
It's just that Cheng Mu is a little worried now. How long can Zhangsun Wuji, who already looks like an old man, last?
What if I destroy the Tang Empire and the eldest grandson Wuji dies for his country?
This is an issue that Cheng Mu will focus on in the future.
"Two uncles."
After three rounds of drinking, Li Zhi finally revealed his purpose.
"My two uncles should know the reason why my father sent us here this time."
"Now, I want to hear what Uncle Cheng means?"
If there is a conflict between the two countries, then as the eldest brother, it is natural for us to mediate.
"I? What I mean is very simple."
Cheng Mu didn't mince words: "My army has captured Xiaoliuqiu from Liu Xiu, so of course we can't let Xiaoliuqiu fall into the hands of bandits again."
"Emperor Ming."
He looked at Zhu Di again and said with a sincere expression: "That Zheng Zhilong is so rampant, I have no choice but to do it!"
The first step in negotiation is to present yourself as the victim.
"Then Zheng Zhilong, I, Daming, can solve it."
Zhu Di's voice was very strong. It seemed that he was trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart: 'You have to do this? I think it's shameless!'
It's obvious that you are the victim, okay?
"My nephew knows what the two uncles mean."
Li Zhi said promptly: "Since we are allies, we should live in harmony."
"Uncle Cheng, your Apocalypse Empire is vast and rich in resources, so a mere little Liuqiu shouldn't be able to catch your eye, right?"
He naturally knew Cheng Mu's ambition.
But at this time, what he had to do was to put an end to Cheng Mu's ambition.
The war over the Song Empire is not over yet. Now if we turn against the Ming Empire, wouldn’t that be a squabbling fight?
"What my nephew said was wrong."
Cheng Mu shook his head: "Every inch of land in our Apocalypse Empire was bought with the blood of the soldiers. As the saying goes, every inch of mountains and rivers is full of blood. That little Liuqiu has been stained with the blood of the soldiers of our Apocalypse Empire."
"So, I cannot let down those soldiers who died in battle."
The Ming Empire may not do it now, but Xiaoliuqiu must do it.
He has received the information about Yu Qian going to Shenlong Island. If Zheng Zhilong really surrenders to the Ming Empire, it will be an obstacle to the Apocalypse Empire.
"What Uncle Cheng said makes some sense."
Li Zhi nodded. He realized that he seemed to have underestimated Cheng Mu's shamelessness.
Then he changed the topic: "But the land of Xiaoliuqiu belongs to Uncle Zhu after all. The people there also hope to return to Uncle Zhu's arms."
On the side of justice, the Ming Empire holds great righteousness anyway.
"Yes, people all want to be reunited with their loved ones."
Zhu Di also said: "Emperor Qi, the soldiers under your command are probably also homesick, right?"
Before he could break up, he decided to endure it one more time.
However, Cheng Mu still shook his head: "Every inch of land in our Apocalypse Empire is the home of our soldiers!"
You just want to let Xiaoliuqiu go out with just a few words? Is this a bit of sincerity?
"See Qihuang."
At this time, Changsun Wuji, who was sitting in his seat, suddenly stood up. He saluted Cheng Mu and said, "Since we are brothers and allies, we should unite as one."
"If you help the Ming Dynasty conquer Xiaoliuqiu, the Emperor Ming will definitely thank you."
"The most important thing for us now is to be consistent with the outside world!"
If the two younger brothers fought, the Tang Empire would be devastated in an instant.
His eldest son, Sun Wuji, was the main mediator in this negotiation.
"It's natural."
Cheng Mu nodded. Unity, we must unite.
But since they are brothers and allies, what's the point of Zhu Di giving Xiao Liuqiu to him? Aren't they all brothers anyway?
Why are they still so divided?
Cheng Mu did not say these words face to face. But he also hoped that Changsun Wuji would understand a little bit.
Xiaoliuqiu is really too important. Unless Zhu Di can come up with a thank-you gift worth as much as Xiaoliuqiu now, he might relent.
"Qihuang."
Zhu Di used up his last trace of patience. He said: "Although our Ming Dynasty has experienced war, the hearts of the people have not changed."
"Thousands of soldiers are waiting to be reunited with their families in Xiaoliuqiu."
As his son, Zhu Di has already lost a face of Zhu Yuanzhang. If he makes any humble request now, then Ming Dynasty's backbone will really be broken.
He, Zhu Di, came here today just to see Cheng Mu's attitude for himself.
If Cheng Mu acts recklessly again, why should he be afraid of a fight?
"Qihuang."
At this time, Changsun Wuji also spoke: "You should also understand what Your Majesty means."
"Only when we are united can we be called brothers."
He was echoing Zhu Di's words. At the same time, this was also a threat.
If Cheng Mu continues to be stubborn, the two countries may no longer be brothers.
When Cheng Mu rejected Li Shimin's kindness at first, Li Shimin's heart finally changed a little bit.
If we could unite with the Ming Empire, it wouldn't actually be a big loss.
Sometimes it is not necessary to really destroy the Apocalypse Empire. It is okay to teach Cheng Mu a lesson and make this little brother more obedient.
"Haha, of course I understand."
Cheng Mu nodded. He didn't expect the two of them to fall out so quickly. Are you really not afraid that he will fall out too?
By then, it will be impossible for everyone to walk out of Beishen Palace alive!
"Since everyone is here, I won't show off."
After nodding, Cheng Mu directly stated his request: "You, Ming, bring out items equivalent to Xiaoliuqiu, which were obtained in exchange for the blood of my Apocalypse soldiers."
At first, the covenant stated that he would assist the Ming Empire in killing Liu Xiu. However, the covenant did not mention how Xiaoliuqiu was dealt with.
"Can."
Zhu Di nodded: "I, the Ming Dynasty, can give you silver taels. But that is not to redeem Xiaoliuqiu, but to pay you the military expenses of the Apocalypse Empire!"
The two words "redeeming Xiaoliuqiu" and "military expenditure" have completely different meanings.
"Can."
Cheng Mu agreed. But he still had a request: "Zheng Zhilong is mine, and you, Ming Dynasty, can't interfere!"
When Zhu Di and Changsun Wuji talked about that, he had to think carefully.
Sometimes integrity is important, but timing is also important. Maybe now is not the best time to occupy Xiaoliuqiu.
If there is no Xiaoliuqiu, let’s make up for it with Zheng Zhilong’s Shenlong Island.
"That won't work."
However, Zhu Di refused.
"Then Zheng Zhilong is already an official of my Ming Dynasty."
In terms of value, is Zheng Zhilong’s Shenlong Island worth far more than Xiaoliuqiu?
Although Xiaoliuqiu was the maritime barrier of the Ming Empire, Shenlong Island was actually a very large maritime barrier.
And within this barrier, there are countless resources that can be supplied to the Ming Empire.
Which one is lighter and which one is more important is clear at a glance.
"Emperor Ming, greed is not a good thing."
At this time, Cheng Mu's voice began to become gloomy: "Then Zheng Zhilong destroyed our Kyushu fleet, and our Tianqi Empire will definitely avenge this."
"I also ask Emperor Ming to understand the situation clearly!"
