Wang Zeng and Cai Qi stared blankly with their mouths open.
Isn’t tens of millions of loads of grain the most critical thing?
Do you know how many lives can be saved by tens of millions of loads of grain?
Do you have any misunderstanding about the number of tens of millions of tons of grain?
Amid the astonished expressions of Wang Zeng and Cai Qi, Kou Ji said with a smile: "The most important thing is that the official family and I have sent people to negotiate with the King of Jiaozhi, and the King of Jiaozhi has agreed to sell Jiaozhi to me.
Great Song Dynasty."
"bass!"
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi stood up suddenly, as if they had been stung by a bee on the buttocks, and stared at Kou Ji in horror.
"For...sale?"
"Cochin?!"
From the time when the two of them became officials until now, I have never heard that the entire territory of a dynasty can be sold with a clearly marked price.
The king of Jiaozhi sold all the territory of Jiaozhi. Where did he go?
Would you like to become a rich man in the Song Dynasty?
I heard that the Prince of Jiaozhi was the British leader who put down the chaos in Jiaozhi. Would he be willing to be a prisoner in the Song Dynasty?
Of course, these are not important.
Anyway, when the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty of the Song Dynasty learned that Jiaozhi’s grain was harvested three times a year and four times a year, Jiaozhi had become the official granary of the Song Dynasty.
They don't care where the Jiaozhi County Prince sells Jiaozhi.
The Song Dynasty was determined to win the territory of Jiaozhi.
What really frightened Wang Zeng and Cai Qi was that Jiaozhi, which the Song Dynasty was determined to win, was treated as a commodity by Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen, and they could sell it back as soon as they said it would.
Isn’t it a bit too shocking?
Too childish?
Facing the horrified looks in Wang Zeng and Cai Qi's eyes, Kou Ji smiled and asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Wang Zeng suddenly came to Kou Ji's side and shouted urgently: "People from Zhengshitang and the Sixth Ministry are here, and people from Honglu Temple are also there. I haven't seen anyone with any weight sent out by the government. How did you talk about it?"
Who is going to negotiate? Will the price be too high?"
Regardless of his identity, Cai Qi approached Kou Ji and said in a deep voice: "Now we are not discussing the price. If we really can buy Jiaozhi back, we can pay any price."
Wang Zeng was stunned for a moment and nodded heavily.
In the eyes of Wang Zeng and Cai Qi, Jiaozhi was a large granary that continuously supplied food to the Song Dynasty.
It was also the foundation for the Song Dynasty to achieve long-term peace and stability.
As long as the Song Dynasty had this big granary.
Then the people of the Song Dynasty no longer have to worry about food.
The number of civil rebellions in the Song Dynasty will plummet, and in the end they may even die out completely.
As long as no one among the people rebels, the Song Dynasty can really be called a prosperous age.
A prosperous age is what everyone yearns for and expects.
Faced with Wang Zeng's doubts, Kou Ji smiled and said: "There is no one in the imperial court, but there is someone in my house."
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi were both stunned.
"Liu Heng?!"
Wang Zeng said in shock.
Kou Ji nodded and said: "Liu Heng is the most suitable candidate. He is the king of the Song Dynasty. Although the throne has been passed down, his identity, status and achievements will not be erased.
Therefore, when he faced the King of Jiaozhi County, he could treat them equally.
When the King of Jiaozhi County saw him, he could also feel the sincerity of our Song Dynasty.
In addition, Liu Heng was familiar with military affairs. When he went to Jiaozhi, even if he could not negotiate a deal with the king of Jiaozhi, he could secretly help us in the Song Dynasty to find out a lot of military information about Jiaozhi.
If the King of Jiaozhi does not agree to sell Jiaozhi to the Song Dynasty, then the Song Dynasty will have great confidence to send troops to conquer Jiaozhi."
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi pondered, nodded and said, "Liu Heng is indeed a suitable candidate."
After saying this, Wang Zeng raised his head and stared at Kou Ji, "From what you just said, Liu Heng has reached an agreement with the King of Jiaozhi County, and has sent someone to inform you and the officials about the matter."
Kou Ji did not hide anything, he said frankly: "Three days ago, Liu Heng wrote a letter saying that the King of Jiaozhi County had agreed to sell Jiaozhi to the Song Dynasty. He had also sent an envoy to follow Liu Heng back to the capital."
Wang Zeng said in disbelief: "The King of Jiaozhi County really agreed?"
Cai Qi said with a shocked look on his face: "It's hard to imagine that the founding monarch of a dynasty would sell a dynasty."
After the two sighed, they both looked at Kou Ji.
Wang Zeng asked in a deep voice: "What request did the King of Jiaozhi make?"
Kou Ji narrowed his eyes and said: "Firearms, big ships, manpower, supplies."
When Wang Zeng and Cai Qi heard this, they looked at each other and fell into deep thought.
Kou Ji continued: "If my guess is correct, he must have discovered a place larger than Jiaozhi and planned to occupy the land to become king, so he made these demands to me, the Song Dynasty."
"He actually doesn't want money..."
Cai Qi couldn't help but murmured.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "He has seen through the essence of money. Money is used to spend, not to hide. If he wants to conquer other places, money is the most useless place for him.
After he gets the money, he will definitely use it to buy enough supplies from Da Song.
After all this trouble, it would be more direct to ask me directly for supplies from the Song Dynasty.
It also eliminates the need to change hands in the middle.”
Wang Zeng nodded in agreement.
"If he is really determined to conquer another place, money will not be of much use to him. Besides, after he conquered Jiaozhi, he made a lot of money. He has made a lot of money in these years by selling grain to me, the Song Dynasty.
So he already has enough money in his hands and there is no need to make any more money."
Kou Ji smiled and nodded: "Yes, so he only needs supplies and armaments, as well as enough manpower. Because he needs enough soldiers and horses to help him expand territory and govern the place."
Wang Zeng asked with some uncertainty: "Is he really selling it?"
Kou Ji grinned and said, "Really..."
Wang Zeng took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
It took a full quarter of an hour for him to calm down.
He stared at Kou Ji and said: "Jiaozhi's grain is harvested three times a year and four times a year. He doesn't want such a good place, but he wants to find other places. Are other places better than Jiaozhi?"
Cai Qi was stunned when he heard this, and then nodded in agreement.
Kou Ji couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this, "As far as I know, four crops a year is the limit for rice and other grains."
Wang Zeng hesitated and said: "The world is huge and full of wonders. In the past, we were stuck in our own way, so we didn't understand the world. Now that we have broadened our horizons, we can see a lot of amazing things.
So there may not be a better place in the world."
Kou Ji smiled bitterly and said: "Prince Wang, you are greedy. A thousand birds in the forest is not as good as one in the hand. Now that we have not yet obtained Jiaozhi, you have begun to think about other places.
Although other places are good, I, the Song Dynasty, may not be able to take them into consideration.
Besides, if the King of Jiaozhi is planning to go elsewhere, it may not necessarily mean that other places are better than Jiaozhi.
He might be trying to avoid our powerful country, the Song Dynasty.
It is also possible that he discovered that the territory of other places was large enough, much larger than that of Jiaozhi, allowing him to establish a larger dynasty."
Wang Zeng was stunned for a moment, frowned, and fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Kou Ji was filled with emotions.
In the past, the Song Dynasty was like a domestic dog who locked himself in the door and only wanted to guard his own one-third of an acre of land.
Today's Song Dynasty is like a tiger and wolf released by him.
As long as you encounter something good or see a good place, it doesn't matter whether you can take care of it or send people to manage it.
The first thing that comes to mind is to grab those good places and good things first.
Kou Ji really likes such a temperament.
The Song Dynasty he hopes to see is the kind of Song Dynasty that pursues the principle of inner saint and outer king.
Internally, he is like a sage, generous, kind, and able to save all sentient beings.
To claim kingship and hegemony externally, if the sword is directed at you, you will either surrender or die.
But today's Song Dynasty has expanded its territory to a certain limit.
When the Song Dynasty did not completely digest the existing territory, and when the Song Dynasty did not completely control the existing territory, it would be easy to be overwhelmed if it tried to expand the territory.
Kou Ji admonished: "Prince Wang, as you said, the world is huge, full of wonders, and good things are everywhere. But we, the Song Dynasty, have not yet digested the Liao land, Qingtang, and Xingqing Mansion.
, Dali Prefecture and other places are now expanding again, so it’s easy to get a bad stomach.
Nowadays, we have shown our inability to govern the Liao region.
If we try to open up territory and expand the territory, we will only be able to reach it beyond our reach.
Just like people planting crops.
It is easy for one person and one cow to cultivate five acres of land, but it will be a bit difficult for him to cultivate twenty acres, and he will definitely not be able to cultivate one hundred acres.
The same is true for the governance of the Song Dynasty.
In the past, when we were in the Song Dynasty, we were able to govern with ease.
Nowadays, it is difficult for us to govern the Song Dynasty.
No matter how big it is, we will be unable to cope with it.
Therefore, it would be good to win Cochin.
Don’t worry about other places for now.
Besides, the fact that the King of Jiaozhi County is willing to give up Jiaozhi may not mean that he has found a better place than Jiaozhi.
It is very likely that he knew that the Song Dynasty was interested in Jiaozhi through the people sent by the Song Dynasty to negotiate. He was afraid that the Song Dynasty would be strong in military power, so he had to give up Jiaozhi and go to other places to make a living.
After all, he can get a lot of things by trading with me, Da Song.
If you fight with me, the Song Dynasty, you will gain nothing."
After Wang Zeng listened to what Kou Ji said, he was a little dazed for a while. After he came back to his senses, he said in a dumbfounded way: "I am greedy..."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "As the rulers of a big country, it is a good thing to be greedy. If we were not greedy and just showed kindness, the small countries around us would think that we are easy to bully.
But everything must be done within one’s ability.”
Wang Zeng nodded and said: "I just feel that there are so many good things in the world, but I, the Song Dynasty, cannot get them all. It is really a pity."
Kou Ji laughed loudly and said: "When I first entered the court, I encouraged the Song Dynasty to send troops. Two-thirds of the courtiers in the Song Dynasty court wanted to protect themselves wisely and endure humiliation.
But few people think that we, the Song Dynasty, cannot take advantage of all the good things in the world, which is a pity."
Wang Zeng glanced at Kou Ji and said angrily: "I admit that we are not as good as you. If you hadn't led the Song Dynasty on the road of conquering all directions, we, the Song Dynasty, might still be protecting our lives and enduring humiliation."
Kou Ji said very humbly: "I dare not take all the credit on myself."
"Are you two finished? Is now the time to talk about this? What we should discuss now is the conditions proposed by the King of Jiaozhi."
Cai Qi shouted loudly from the side.
Kou Ji and Wang Zeng were both stunned, looked at each other, smiled and shook their heads.
Wang Zeng apologized to Cai Qi: "I only wanted to praise our Kou Prime Minister, but I went to Cai Qi and still stood aside."
Cai Qi glared at Wang Zeng and snorted coldly: "The King of Jiaozhi County wants firearms, big ships, manpower, and supplies. We can find a way to allocate the big ships to him, and we can also find a way to get the supplies he wants.
But what do you say about human hands and firearms?"
When Wang Zeng heard this, he pondered a little and said: "The number of manpower required by the King of Jiaozhi is probably not small. I, the Song Dynasty, recruited troops twice and moved the people several times. We have already mobilized 7788 of the people that can be mobilized by the people.
It is simply impossible to allocate a large number of manpower to him.
As for firearms..."
When firearms were mentioned, Wang Zeng looked at Kou Ji.
Although firearms have now been equipped in all the major imperial armies of the Song Dynasty.
But the power of production and administration was in Kou Ji's hands.
In order to prevent the leakage of firearms, Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen gave death orders to everyone in the Song Dynasty.
If a firearm is leaked, the court will investigate it to the end, and those involved will be beheaded.
Officials at both the upper and lower levels will also be held accountable if they fail to supervise.
It’s not like no one takes desperate risks.
But without exception, they were all captured.
Either they are reported by people below, or they are noticed by people above.
It is precisely because of this that the Song Dynasty has been equipped with firearms for so long, and there has been no news of leaks, let alone seeing any enemies of the Song Dynasty using firearms.
Now the King of Jiaozhi County wants firearms, and the quantity is probably quite large.
Kou Ji has the final say whether to give it or not.
Even if the others nodded, Kou Ji would not be able to get the firearm if he did not cooperate.
If a group of people were recruited from the army through other means, Kou Ji would most likely fall out.
No one knows what Kou Ji will do after he completely falls out with everyone, and no one dares to bet on it.
Don't look at the civil servants who participated in the court and impeached Kou Ji before.
Listed the crimes for Koji.
But no one asked the court to convict Kou Ji of death.
Because no one can bear the consequences of Kou Ji completely falling out.
Kou Ji saw Wang Zeng's eyes falling on him and said with a smile: "I won't give you firearms, and I won't give you any manpower either."
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi stared at Kou Ji in astonishment.
Wang Zeng couldn't help but said: "Firearms and manpower are probably the most important two conditions proposed by the King of Jiaozhi. If they are not given, the King of Jiaozhi may not talk to us."
Cai Qi solemnly nodded and said: "The King of Jiaozhi County is willing to sell Jiaozhi to me, the Song Dynasty, probably because of the firearms and manpower. The King of Jiaozhi County has asked me, the Song Dynasty, more than once before to move some people to Jiaozhi.
Now that I can do business with Da Song, he will naturally put this condition first."
Kou Ji put away the smile on his face and said: "We, the common people of the Song Dynasty, are neither goods nor slaves, how can we be traded as goods and slaves?
If we really do this, what is the difference between us and those people who take pictures of women?
Maybe we are not even as good as those who take pictures of flowers.
Because they only kidnapped one or two people.
And we are sending large numbers of people out to be eaten by mermaids.
Although the Song Dynasty moved some people to Jiaozhi before, it had nothing to do with business.
It was purely the officials who took the initiative to send the poor people out in order to keep them alive.
Therefore, we cannot trade people as goods.
If the King of Jiaozhi County is capable, he can attract the people of the Song Dynasty to take the initiative to join him.
Then I won't say anything.
But if he wants to buy people from the Song Dynasty, it is simply impossible.
I won’t agree to it, and neither can anyone else.”
After Wang Zeng and Cai Qi finished listening to Kou Ji's words, they looked at each other and fell into silence.
Kou Ji continued: "As for the firearms, at the moment, I don't want to sell them to anyone. So it is impossible for me to give the firearms to the King of Jiaozhi County.
If he settles for the next best thing and buys soldiers and armor from me, the Great Song Dynasty, I can agree to it.
But firearms are definitely not acceptable."
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi were silent for a while.
Wang Zeng suddenly said: "If the king of Jiaozhi County insists on firearms and manpower, what should we do? Just watch Jiaozhi leave us?"
Kou Ji knocked on the table in front of him and said: "Then gather the troops and fight over. I will personally lead the troops to Jiaozhi and ask the king of Jiaozhi if he wants firearms and manpower."
Wang Zeng pondered for a moment and said: "That's the only way it can be."
Cai Qi nodded and said: "If we can't negotiate, we can only fight. After all, I, the Song Dynasty, are determined to win Jiaozhi."
Kou Ji stood up and said, "Then it's settled. I'll go and talk to you after the envoy from Jiaozhi arrives in Bianjing City. During this period, all government affairs, both in the government and in the public sector, will be handed over to you two."
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi bowed and said: "It is our duty to..."
After deciding the matter.
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi took over all the government affairs of the political hall, freeing up enough time for Kou Ji to plan and prepare for negotiations.
Although they cannot directly participate in the peace talks.
But they also want to indirectly help negotiate peace talks.
After Wang Zeng and Cai Qi took over all government affairs, Kou Ji was free.
He did not go to the political hall again and stayed at his house all day.
Time flies, and a month has passed.
Liu Heng and Jiaozhi's envoy appeared quietly outside Bianjing City.
So far, no more than one person knows about the sale of Jiaozhi to the Song Dynasty by the King of Jiaozhi County.
They all knew the seriousness of the matter, so no one said anything.
Therefore, when the Jiaozhi envoys arrived in Bianjing, they did not cause much trouble.
Since the rise of the Song Dynasty, there have been an overwhelming number of envoys paying tribute to the Song Dynasty.
Every gesture is humble.
The people in Bianjing City have long been accustomed to strange things.
After the Jiaozhi envoys arrived in Bianjing City, they stayed at the post station in Bianjing City.
Liu Heng and one person quietly appeared in the bamboo courtyard where Kou Ji lived without attracting anyone's attention.
After the man entered Kou Ji's study, he knelt down in front of Kou Ji with a thud.
The man was young, about nineteen years old.
After kneeling down in front of Kou Ji, he solemnly said: "My nephew Cao Min, please see Uncle Kou."
Kou Ji looked Cao Min up and down and said, "Are you Cao Min's grandson?"
Cao Min raised his head and said solemnly: "The eldest grandson of the Cao family..."
Kou Ji nodded and said: "When I took you out of death row, you were just a little bit older, but in the blink of an eye you have grown into a big man."
Cao Min held his fists and said in a deep voice: "Everyone in the Cao family remembers my uncle's great kindness and virtue."
Kou Ji waved his hand and asked, "How is your grandfather?"
Cao Min said: "My grandfather is still strong, but he rarely deals with military and civil matters anymore. Nowadays, my father is handling all the affairs of Jiaozhi."
"Cao Yuan?"
"Exactly!"
Kou Ji sighed: "I have allowed you to conquer the southwest and west all these years. Not only have I not given you any rewards, but I have also taken away a lot of money from you. Can you blame me?"
Cao Min shook his head decisively and said: "My Cao family has been fighting in the southwest for many years. Although my Cao family is leading the army, it is my uncle's people who really make the most of their efforts.
The fact that my Cao family is able to aspire to be the leader of a region today is also a gift from my uncle.
I don’t dare to have any complaints.”
Kou Ji sighed and said: "After Jiaozhi enters the Song Dynasty, your Cao family will no longer have to do anything for me. There will be no grudges between me and your Cao family.
When we meet again in the future, whether we are enemies or friends all depends on the ensuing friendship."
Cao Min said seriously: "My grandfather said that you saved my Cao family in times of crisis, and you showed great kindness to my Cao family. I, a member of the Cao family, must give you a big courtesy no matter when and where I meet you."
My grandfather also said that although he has cultivated some ambitions over the years, as long as you don't ask permission, he will carry his ambitions into the coffin."
Kou Ji sighed faintly and said: "It doesn't have to be like this... I, Kou Ji, am not someone who wants to repay favors. You, Cao, have done enough over the years, and you are worthy of the Song Dynasty and worthy of me.
What you owe to me and the Song Dynasty will be repaid together with your grandfather's surrender of Jiaozhi."
Cao Min stared at Kou Ji without saying anything.
Kou Ji asked: "What do those conditions put forward by your grandfather mean?"
Cao Min said frankly: "After my Cao family sacrificed Jiaozhi, there was no way to stay in Jiaozhi, nor to return to Bianjing to enjoy the glory and wealth.
So my Cao family needs a place to settle down.
So we need firearms, big ships, men and supplies.”
Kou Ji said calmly: "I have already told Liu Heng my conditions, and Liu Heng must have conveyed them to your grandfather. I will agree to anything that should be agreed, and I will not agree to any of the things that should not be agreed."
Cao Min nodded and said: "When I came here, my grandfather also said that you are a very independent person and you will not change the things you have decided.
My grandfather said that he did not expect you to agree to the conditions he proposed.
The main reason why he opened his mouth like a lion was to prevent outsiders from seeing his flaws.
After all, if he offered Jiaozhi and only asked for some large ships and supplies from the Song Dynasty, it would be easy for people to spot the clues."
Kou Ji nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Your grandfather doesn't need other armaments?"
Cao Min said frankly: "To be honest with my uncle, the armaments captured by my grandfather from Jiaozhi and the cannibals are enough. Uncle, you sold nearly half of the armaments of the Song Dynasty to Jiaozhi.
Those armaments will last us a long time."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "You must have recruited many craftsmen from the Song Dynasty, and you can already use those craftsmen to create equivalent armaments, right?"