Ning Yan looked at the two men standing in the court and felt a little overwhelmed.
These two men were dressed differently from other officials. One man had greasy hair tied into pigtails and was tall and stout. He was wearing a leather robe. He was obviously a barbarian. It was hard to tell how old he was because his skin was dark and rough. His expression was unruly and his eyes were sinister.
, the other one is also wearing Hufu, but with neat sideburns and a fair face, he is a Han Chinese.
An urgent report was sent some time ago, saying that the Jin people requested an armistice.
This news is undoubtedly great news for the emperor.
It is also good news for officials in North Korea and China. After all, no one likes to fight.
Ning Yan was also very pleased that the Jin people were willing to sue for peace. This was all because they were frightened by Duke Cheng. He must take this opportunity to teach the Jin people a lesson.
After several court meetings, the cabinet went through the process and sent a letter of agreement. After waiting for a while, the Jin people's envoys came to the capital. The Ministry of Rites handed over the Jin people's credentials. The emperor immediately agreed to receive him and arranged it at the court meeting.
After all, the Jin people's request for peace meant the victory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which meant glory. Of course, the emperor was not willing to let go of this opportunity, especially since he had been frightened and anxious for so long.
The court officials are also very happy. After solving this matter, they no longer have to worry about it. They can also reward according to their merits and live a good year.
But things don't seem to be what they imagined.
The barbarian came forward, neither saluting nor bowing his head, but chirping with an unruly expression. His tone didn't sound like he was pleading.
When the interpreter he brought with him translated the barbarian's words, everyone in the court was stunned.
"...To form a good alliance and not to cause chaos with each other, we must have equal relations with each other and open up mutual markets." The interpreter said in a soft voice.
The equal exchange between China and China means the opening and closing of mutual markets. Since Cheng Guogong guarded the north and strictly inspected the border, not to mention mutual trade, even smuggling has disappeared.
Not only did the Jin people suffer huge losses, but the wealthy merchants in the North also suffered huge losses. They were dissatisfied. They went on strike several times and even complained to the court. However, Duke Cheng Guo mercilessly killed three big businessmen on charges of collaborating with the enemy.
Shangxiang gentry family.
"They are crafty and deceitful, and businessmen are seeking profit. They are all-pervasive. The gold thieves went south to buy merchants as internal agents, destroyed our three cities, killed our officials and people, and finally trapped the city and kidnapped my majesty. If you dare to incite chaos in the city for personal gain now, you will dare to betray the country by betraying the enemy in the future.
, and the gold thief exchanged his horse furs for food and clothing in exchange for my gold and silver mines to build weapons, armor and heavy equipment. He is undoubtedly using my blood to nourish the enemy, which will cause endless troubles."
Duke Cheng Guo said this in his memorial to the court.
Mentioning the events of that year, plus the evidence of collaboration between these merchants sent by Duke Cheng, no one could argue whether it was true or not. Everyone knew that Duke Cheng was trying to scare the monkeys, so he left it alone and the emperor rewarded him.
He praised Duke Cheng.
From then on, the Northland no longer dared to do business with the Jin people, which made life increasingly difficult for the Jin people who were short of supplies.
Originally, some people impeached Cheng Guogong and said that this move would affect the army and horses, thereby affecting the strength of the generals of the Zhou Dynasty. However, in the past ten years, there were no horses in the north. Horses could be raised in the west and southwest, and the quality and quantity were considerable. Gradually, there were no horses.
Speaking of this matter again, as the situation stabilized, Jiangnan became more and more prosperous, and trade between the north and the south was connected. The materials from the Jin people were dispensable to the Zhou Dynasty, and they were completely looked down upon.
In the past, the market was forced not to open, but now there is no interest in opening the market at all.
What does the golden messenger mean?
Is this a request or...a demand?
Why doesn't it sound right?
"Mutual trading is not impossible..." an official said after careful consideration.
But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Ning Yan.
"Mutual trade is not allowed." He said solemnly, "You can solve the shortage of supplies through separate discussions."
The emperor coughed lightly. Such matters as mutual trading were not important to him.
"Let him finish," he said.
Ning Yan and others bowed in response, and the officials from the Ministry of Rites motioned for the golden envoy to continue.
Ambassador Jin had already heard the translator whisper a few words, and his face became even more arrogant, with a bit of a sneer, and he babbled a few more words.
After the barbarian finished speaking, several people in the hall shouted. Although their voices were small, they still caused a stir. Several censors responsible for the order and etiquette in the court looked dissatisfied, and saw the expressions of those few people.
Horrified.
These people did not have high official positions. They seemed to understand some nonsense, and they obviously understood what the envoy said.
What are the words? To make them forget themselves and speak rudely?
As the officials were thinking about it, the voice of the interpreter sounded.
"My second request, Daikin, is to redraw the boundaries and return Baozhou, Xiongzhou, Bazhou, Qingzhou, Qizhou, and Hejian Prefecture to my Daikin," he said.
The boundaries were redrawn and six counties were ceded.
This person is not here to surrender and negotiate for peace. This person is clearly here to make demands and provocations.
There was a moment of silence in the court, and then there was an uproar.
But it wasn't over yet, the golden envoy waved his hands and shouted a few words loudly.
This time the voice of the interpreter also became louder.
"If not, I, Dajin, will gather another 50,000 men to go south and won't stop until we take back our homeland," he shouted.
After saying this, the noisy court suddenly became quiet. Everyone looked at the golden envoy in astonishment, including the emperor on the dragon throne.
Many places in this northern land were once occupied by the Jin people and were recaptured by Duke Cheng. Just because they occupied it does not mean that it belongs to them. It is really shameless to call these six counties their hometown.
There are such incredible things in the world!
But besides being incredible, there is something even more shocking.
Fifty thousand gold soldiers will gather again and go south, fighting to the death.
Again.
Calculated this way, what Zhou will face is a hundred thousand gold army.
One hundred thousand!
This is not a surrender, this is clearly a threat!
After a period of silence, the court was once again in an uproar.
"Be bold!"
"absurd!"
"The thief slave is so bold!"
Ning Yan and others scolded one after another.
Compared to the anger, surprise, and panic of others in the court, Ning Yunzhao's expression remained the same.
"I told you, there won't be good news." He whispered.
………………………………….
Through the stone window, the women's sudden laughter came in, and the sweet fragrance lingered in their breath.
Miss Jun looked away from the window, looked at the shopkeeper and sighed softly.
"The thief's heart is really undying." She said, "If that's the case, then just gather your troops and fight. Why go to the capital to show off your power?"
"It's a threat," the shopkeeper said.
Miss Jun sneered.
"With the people of the country as a threat, is he trying to scare people or seek his own death?" She said, "If the emperor...the late emperor was still here, he could have killed the envoy and thrown his head back to where the gold thief was."
Unlike the emperor's uncle, who always acted kindly.
The shopkeeper nodded.
"Yes, even if it costs another 50,000 yuan, how can you be sure that you will win?" He said, "It's just that the battle will be more intense and last longer."
Miss Jun stood up.
"So what if it lasts a long time? It took Cheng Guogong and others nearly ten years to drive out the Jin people and retake the Northland. At worst, it will take another ten years." She said, "Who is afraid of whom?"
It was obviously not good news, but the shopkeeper couldn't help but laugh.
"Miss Jun is not afraid of any girl's family, and of course we men are not afraid either." He said with a smile.
"Mr. Cheng Guo is not afraid." Miss Jun said, "You can rest assured."
The shopkeeper laughed.
"I was supposed to tell the lady this," he said with a smile. With this joke, the nervousness he felt when he received the news dissipated.
"The road is still not peaceful. If anything happens, shopkeeper, don't run back and forth. I can go wherever you are." Miss Jun warned again, "You are ordinary people after all."
We are ordinary people? What about you? The shopkeeper was startled, are we officers and soldiers?
"Yes." He bowed and responded.
He opened the door and walked into the yard, where the laughter became even louder. Two women saw him and brought a box to him.
"The shopkeeper will give you some freshly made cakes." They laughed.
The shopkeeper was not polite and took it with a smile. He couldn't help but glance at the woman sitting in front of the main room sunbathing.
When he arrived, he noticed that she was a strange woman.
Seeing him looking over, the woman also looked over and nodded slightly to him.
The shopkeeper subconsciously bowed his head and saluted. After the salute was completed, he was a little confused. His reaction seemed to be instinctive, because of the aura of this woman?
Although she was wearing the kind of rustic floral jacket and cotton skirt worn by women in the village, she was particularly impressive.
Who is this person?
Just as he was hesitating whether to ask, he saw someone running in in a hurry.
"Miss Jun." The thin villager said with a clear voice, holding a bamboo tube in his hand, "Letter from the city."
This is a message delivered by a carrier pigeon.
The shopkeeper was a little surprised. A letter came to his house right after he left home? He must have just received it.
Any new news?
Miss Jun took the mailbox and opened it, and her expression changed drastically after just one look.
"Absurd!" she yelled, slamming the letter box in her hand to the ground.
The chatter and laughter in the yard suddenly died down, and everyone looked over, looking surprised and then uneasy.