The candlelight in the hall was swaying, and everyone was sitting one after another. The steam in the tea cups was steaming, but the atmosphere was very subtle. Everyone's expressions were solemn, and almost no one spoke, but every word he spoke was sharp.
During the tea time, the two sides engaged in the first round of confrontation, but no one actually gained the upper hand. To be precise, this round was just a test of each other's bottom line.
Li Zicheng took the initiative to propose peace talks, but the lion asked not only to seal the vassal but also to retain the army. The asking price can be said to be quite high, but the meaning of the court is also very clear. Whether your asking price is too high or whether to bargain is a matter of course.
Before that, please show your sincerity. I will talk to you about the price.
But both parties are stuck on the road of sincerity.
Song Xiance proposed to use Jingxiang troops to help the imperial court attack Chongqing, but the imperial court believed that it was just for self-protection. After all, Zuo Liangyu was still attacking Jingzhou, which brought him a lot of trouble and pressure.
So the imperial court proposed that they withdraw from the Yellow River defense line, but Song Xiance flatly rejected it. The reason why they had the confidence to negotiate with the imperial court was because of this defense line. If they removed the defense line, it would be equivalent to opening the door. How about talking about it?
Damn it, even a fool can't do that.
"The dishes are ready and the wine is warmed. Why don't we chat while eating, please." Seeing that the situation could not be settled for a while, Song Xiance wanted to change the atmosphere of the negotiation. The wine table was also a negotiation table. After a few glasses of wine,
Maybe there will be a bright future in another village.
Which Wu animal simply said: "I won't eat after noon" and was rejected.
Song Xiance didn't know if he really didn't eat after lunch, but Shi Kefa and others knew that with Wu Sheng's character, he would never eat with a thief. He didn't even drink tea since he came in. Wu Sheng was present.
Boss, if he doesn't come to the table, Shi Kefa and others will naturally not go to eat and drink with shame.
Seeing that everyone was motionless, Song Xiance smiled bitterly and shook his head and sat down again. If that's the case, let's continue. It's just that there is no point in going on like this. Since we are sincere in making peace, let's show some sincerity first.
"You ask for the price first, so show your sincerity first," Wu Sheng said coldly. Although he was not ashamed of Song Xiance, a thief like him, he already admired him a little in his heart.
He knew that there were six or seven people on his side. Although he and Shi Kefa were the only ones talking, Song Xiance could not be considered as a verbal quarrel with other scholars. However, the momentum of the six or seven people was there, but this man was calm and composed. He had to say that he was determined.
He is very powerful and extremely smart. Every time a card is played here, he knows what the next card will be.
"Okay." Song Xiance nodded: "But before that, I still want to make it clear that although we proposed this peace negotiation, the court has no need and is not qualified to be condescending..." These words made Wu Sheng a little annoyed.
He wanted to retort but held back. Song Xiance continued: "We all know the current situation very well. Regardless of whether the court admits it or not, King Chuang has established his own business and can compete with the court. Although he does not have the title of vassal by the court,
The name is true, but the reason why we propose peace talks is just to have a name, but in fact the biggest beneficiary is the imperial court! If this talks fails, we will compete with each other, and we don’t know who will win.”
This is harsh, but it is true!
Even though Wu Sheng was angry, he had to admit it.
But he couldn't admit it, and he didn't want to refute it. He just smiled coldly: "Don't say these bluff words. As I said before, talk about peace first with sincerity."
Forget it, Song Xiance nodded slightly: "The imperial court ordered Zuo Liangyu to stop attacking Jingzhou and Xiangyang. We will send troops from the two places to attack Chongqing. Instead of assisting the imperial court, we will defeat it ourselves. How about it?"
Wu Sheng frowned and looked at Shi Kefa, while everyone around him also looked at each other sideways and whispered.
Shi Kefa chuckled and shook his head: "This move is just for my own peace. After all, I don't want Zuo Liangyu to touch your rear. Jingxiang is your last retreat, and the importance to you is known to the world. Besides, let's
Are you going to attack Chongqing for half a year or a year? You are not the only one who knows how to use this delaying tactic. Military Advisor Song, since you have corrected your attitude, please show some sincerity. I would like to advise you not to take Jingxiang for granted.
The matter has been discussed over there, and the court cannot ask Zuo Liangyu to stop before the peace talks are confirmed."
Song Xiance was not embarrassed at all by Shi Kefa's revelation, and smiled slightly: "For buying and selling, you can negotiate the price as long as you shout. You guys in the south won't give in. The Yellow River defense line is our bottom line and we can't give in an inch, but the court is in trouble again and again.
Let us show sincerity. When doing business, both parties must be sincere, right? Let’s listen to your calculations first.”
Shi Kefa looked at Wu Sheng and saw that he nodded slightly, and then said: "Since we talked about the bottom line, let's get to the bottom of it. First of all, vassalization has a great influence and can easily lead to imitation, so the court must be cautious. In addition,
We still need to be careful of Li Chuang's repeated requests, not to mention Li Chuang's request to retain his troops. This is simply an impossible price to accept. However, in order for the people of the world to no longer suffer from the disaster of war, the imperial court still agrees to sit down and talk with you, and there is only one condition.
, just show your sincerity first, and the rest will be easy to talk about.”
"I'm all ears," Song Xiance said calmly with no expression on his face.
"Send troops to regain Jinzhou" Shi Kefa stared at Song Xiance and said every word.
Song Xiance's face suddenly became solemn. This request was so unexpected. Before he came, he and Li Zicheng and others speculated on the various requests of the imperial court. It was very likely that they would make a fuss about Zhang Xianzhong or the Yellow River defense line, but he did not expect that the human world
I just found one in the northeast.
Seeing Song Xiance's expression, Shi Kefa and Wu Xuan looked at each other, with a hint of pride on their faces, and they admired that person even more in their hearts. Yes, the court also discussed various prices before Song Xiance came, and this price
It was Chang Yu who suggested it.
Chang Yu does not agree with this peace negotiation. He must let Li Zicheng die, but it is not impossible if he can use his strength to fight. Wouldn't it be easier to kill him half to death first and then beat him up? Another thing is to let him
I thought of the time when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated, or even before the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated. Although the great men had been retaining their strength, they also fought against the Japanese, large and small, and fought many battles. But on the other hand, when the Tatars entered the border six times, they got out of the way.
, An Xin took the opportunity to rebel, let alone beat him, without even showing his face, which is really infuriating!
"This matter is of great importance, I can't make the decision." Song Xiance held back a sentence for a long time, and Wu Sheng immediately snorted coldly: "You previously said that you could represent Li Chuang with full authority, but why are you going back on your word? If you can't make the decision, what's the use of being here!
"
"Even if King Chuang comes here, he may not be able to make the decision." Song Xiance shook his head lightly and said calmly: "This matter is not trivial and needs to be discussed by everyone..." He said with a sudden smile: "I said sincerity in my mouth, but in my heart I was
I guess this move by the imperial court is too unfair."
Oh? Shi Kefa seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "Why did the military commander of the Song Dynasty say this?"
"It is possible to regain Jinzhou, but at least tens of thousands of troops need to be mobilized. Where do these tens of thousands of troops come from? From the land of Jingxiang to thousands of mountains and rivers, until the ground is weak, Zuo Liangyu will be
"We will take advantage of the opportunity and move in. If we mobilize troops from Xi'an, hey, Li Yan will be able to march straight in. The imperial court is very smart about this, but it can't think that we are fools."
"So you are worried about this." Wu Sheng snorted, and then sneered: "You previously proposed to attack Chongqing, aren't you afraid that Zuo Liangyu will take advantage of it?"
"Is Chongqing closer or farther than Jinzhou? If Zuo Liangyu makes any changes, we can return to the defense in time." Song Xiance sneered: "And the prerequisite for us to send troops must be that the imperial court orders Zuo Liangyu to withdraw his troops."
"In this case, the Song military advisor has nothing to worry about. As long as you go to Jinzhou and mobilize the troops in Jingxiang, the imperial court will order Zuo Liangyu to withdraw his troops. If he mobilizes the troops in Xi'an, the imperial court will order Li Yan to withdraw his troops." Shi Kefa said at the right time.
: "And one thing, I wonder if you have ever thought about it, once the peace talks are successful and the imperial court grants Li Chuang a vassal, Jingxiang is not his fiefdom and will still be returned to the imperial court."
This sentence made Song Xiance fall into deep thought, and he spoke after a while: "We will discuss later whether Jingxiang should be returned to the king. Let's talk about the present first. How can the imperial court guarantee that we will not go back on our word and launch an attack after we send troops to Jinzhou?"
"We are afraid of wolves in front and tigers in the back. You are the one who ordered us to buy and sell, and you are the ones who shouted out the prices. Yet you still think of everything carefully. Is it possible that we have to ask the imperial court to withdraw troops from the Yellow River first?" Wu Sheng shouted angrily.
"Don't be upset, Mr. Cifu. Let's first listen to what Song's military advisor has to say." Shi Kefa was actually angry, but he could still control his emotions. Song Xiance took a long breath: "If the imperial court withdraws the Yellow River defense line first, we may be able to
Send troops to Jinzhou".
With a bang, Wu Sheng stood up with a slap on the table. He didn't expect that the other party actually had such an idea. He turned around and left with a sigh, but Song Xiance stood up and stopped him: "Master Cifu, you should bargain when buying and selling. Don't just settle down if you don't agree."
Bang the table and leave."
"What are we going to do here when we can't reach an agreement? You're pushing too far and don't know what's good or bad," Wu Sheng scolded angrily. Shi Kefa walked by and chimed in: "Song Military Counselor, you just said that you can't make the decision yourself. Even if the imperial court withdraws its troops first, you wait.
It is only possible to send troops, so you can't decide on this matter and you need to discuss it with Li Chuang. Moreover, I would like to express my attitude first. It is impossible for the imperial court to withdraw troops first! Farewell!" After saying this, he left with Wu Sheng and others.
go.
"Wait a moment" Song Xiance stopped them both again, lowered his head and thought for a moment: "Sir Shangshu is right, this matter still needs to be discussed with King Chuang, but King Chuang is in Xi'an, and it will take some time for me to reply to the court, and
If we need to send people out of the city, please don’t stop us."
"You can come and go of your own free will. Why did the imperial court force you to stop it? Don't throw dirty water." Wu Sheng snorted coldly and turned around to leave: "We will discuss this with you in ten days!"
In the blink of an eye, Wu Sheng and others were all gone. Song Xiance was left alone in the lobby, sitting upright and looking at the tea cup in his seat, deep in thought. Two attendants stood at the door, not daring to come in or make a sound.