Chapter 0938 The negotiation has not started, it is already over
Cao Min was stunned for a moment, then a wry smile appeared on his face, and he whispered: "I dare not lie to my uncle. My grandfather did recruit some craftsmen from the Song Dynasty intermittently, and the craftsmen were indeed able to create the original weapons of the Song Dynasty Forbidden Army."
arms.
It’s just that the crossbows of the Song Dynasty were a bit laborious to forge, and the current output is extremely low.”
Hearing this, Kou Ji nodded with satisfaction and said, "You are quite honest...not bad, not bad..."
Hearing Kou Ji's compliment, a smile appeared on Cao Min's face, but the smile didn't last long before it was dispersed by Kou Ji's next words.
"How advanced are your firearms research?"
Kou Ji asked lightly.
Liu Heng, who was listening on the sidelines, showed an expression of disbelief.
The smile on Cao Min's face froze instantly, and his body remained motionless as if under a immobilizing spell.
Kou Ji stared at Cao Min, smiled and said nothing, waiting for his answer.
Cao Min knelt on the spot, pursed his lips, unable to say a word.
Kou Ji waited for a long time, but Cao Min didn't speak. He asked with a smile: "Are you wondering how I know?"
Cao Min still pursed his lips and did not speak.
Kou Ji smiled again and said, "If you don't want to say it, is it because Cao Lili doesn't let you say it, or is it because everyone in your Cao family is planning to hide it from me?"
An ugly smile appeared on Cao Min's face and he said: "Uncle, although my nephew has seen firearms, he has never touched them, and he has never seen any artificial firearms in Jiaozhi.
Uncle, you sent all the man-made firearms before, and the horse guards took all of them away when they left.
Even the missing parts are not left."
Kou Ji couldn't help but admired: "You are smart and gave me an ambiguous answer. But I am not that easy to fool.
If you don’t want to tell me, I’ll tell you.”
With an ugly smile on his face, Cao Min stared at Kou Ji, seeming to be waiting for the next step, and also seemed to be waiting for Kou Ji's decision.
Kou Ji sighed: "Firearms are a good thing, but no one who has seen them doesn't want them. Generals like you, the Cao family, who made their fortune through war, are even more coveted for them.
The generals in the Song Dynasty all coveted firearms.
It's just that they know that they can't get past me and get the firearm, so they can only suppress their greed for the time being.
Not only could I not reveal it, I had to hide it deeply for fear that I would find out and break with them.
Outside of the Song Dynasty, there were countless people who coveted firearms.
But it is almost impossible for them to have access to firearms, even if they pay a high price, they cannot buy them.
You are different. You are the only one outside the Song Dynasty who has used firearms in combat, and you are also the only one who has held firearms for a long time.
I don't believe it, you won't study it in private.
Although I have told the horse guards to strictly guard against the leakage of firearms.
But Jiaozhi is your territory. If you want to hide it from the horse guards and take the firearms over to study for a few days, it will be easy."
After listening to Kou Ji's words, Cao Min's expression didn't even change.
Everyone inside and outside the Song Dynasty knew how much Kou Ji valued firearms.
From the emergence of firearms to the present, there has been an endless stream of people who have been researching and reselling firearms overtly or covertly, but without exception they have all been eliminated.
Although Kou Ji never came forward to deal with the matter, there was always Kou Ji's shadow behind it.
If Cao Min dared to admit it, Kou Ji would dare to raise troops.
Seeing this, Kou Ji said with a smile: "You don't have to hide it in front of me. You and I know very well whether your Cao family has done any research. Since I didn't send anyone to take you down, it means that I won't do it because of
This incident sparked an army.
But just because I have not raised troops now does not mean that I will not raise troops in the future.
Specifically, it depends on whether your Cao family is candid or not."
Kou Ji had already talked about this, but Cao Min still didn't want to speak.
Kou Ji slowly put away the smile on his face and said lightly: "Didn't your grandfather tell you not to try to hide anything in front of me?"
Cao Min hesitated again and again, gritted his teeth and said, "My grandfather will not let you down, and my Cao family will not let you down either."
Kou Ji snorted coldly and said: "Since you won't let me down, why can't you even be honest at the most basic level? Do you think that if you don't say anything, I won't know anything?"
Firebolt Meteor Arrow, you should have already made it, right?
But a hundred tigers are running together, but you still can't get the point.
As for the muskets and artillery, you should still be lingering at the door."
Cao Min suddenly raised his head and stared at Kou Ji in horror.
Kou Ji snorted coldly, "Don't look at me like that, and don't wonder if I have planted someone in your Cao family. When I gave the firearm to your Cao family, I knew that your Cao family would study it secretly."
I also know how much research your Cao family can achieve.
That’s why I will leave the firearms to you with confidence.”
Cao Min couldn't believe it.
Kou Ji is confident.
Things that are hundreds of years apart cannot be studied by anyone who wants to, even if the structure of the thing is very simple.
Kou Ji personally overcame some of the technical difficulties, and he knew the difficulties inside.
Without the guidance of craftsmen who are familiar with muskets and artillery, the Cao family would not be able to make muskets and artillery at all.
Many things are actually blinders, but just this one leaf is enough to block the Cao family for decades, even hundreds of years.
Kou Ji looked directly at Cao Min. Cao Min didn't dare to look at Kou Ji for long before he lowered his head with guilt.
Seeing this, Kou Ji stopped pursuing him.
"For the sake of your grandfather's joyful dedication of Jiaozhi this time, I will not pursue this matter. When you go back, tell your grandfather and ask him not to worry about it. No matter how long you study, you will not break it.
The secret is that there is more than a slight difference in the middle.
As long as he doesn't care about the Song Dynasty, he can take permission from places other than the Song Dynasty.
Now that you have researched the Firebolt and Meteor Arrow, it is enough for you to go out and bully others.
Any other armaments you want can be purchased from the Song Dynasty.
Five years from now, ask your grandfather to send people to my fief, and I will tell you the secret of Hundred Tigers Running Together.
At that time, you can also equip hundreds of tigers to run together.
As for muskets and artillery, maybe fifteen years from now.
Fifteen years later, as long as your grandfather is still alive, I can sell you some muskets and artillery as a token of our past kindness.
If your grandfather has passed away, then let’s see again.”
Kou Ji said calmly.
Cao Min knelt on the ground and listened.
Cao Min's biggest feeling was that the man in front of him controlled everything, and everything in the world seemed to be judged by the man in front of him.
He was now listening to this man's verdict on Cochin.
After Kou Ji finished speaking, he saw that Cao Min was still kneeling, so he waved his hands and said, "I have said everything that needs to be said, and I have nothing else to explain.
You go and stay in the post house.
Please discuss with the people at Honglu Temple the exact amount of the ships and supplies you need.
How much you can ask for depends on your ability. I will not participate in the negotiation of large ships and supplies.
Lest your grandfather complain that I bully the younger generation."
Cao Min knelt on the ground and bowed respectfully to Kou Ji, "Nephew, farewell..."
After Cao Min said goodbye, he stood up and exited Kou Ji's study.
Liu Heng led Cao Min out of the Bamboo Garden and sent him to the post house.
After nightfall, Liu Heng returned to the Zhuyuan. As soon as he returned to the Zhuyuan, he went straight to Kou Ji's study.
Kou Ji was sitting alone in the study, flipping through a book. When he heard Liu Heng's entry, he put down the book in his hand.
Liu Heng entered the study and said to Kou Ji with a smile: "Fourth brother seems to know that I am coming?"
Kou Ji sighed and said: "It stands to reason that you have been traveling around for several months, so I should let you go back and wash yourself before taking a rest.
However, you have been listening to the conversation between me and Cao Min today. You must have countless questions in your heart to ask me.
That’s why I’m waiting for you in the study.”
Liu Heng smiled and took off his coat, sat down on the recliner in the study, let out a sigh of relief and said, "Fourth brother still understands me..."
After saying this, Liu Heng seemed to be about to say something else, but before he could open his mouth, he heard Kou Ji say: "I have already ordered the kitchen to prepare the meals you like, and they will be delivered to you shortly.
And your favorite wine."
Liu Heng was overjoyed and said with a bright smile: "You are really my brother."
Kou Ji shook his head and smiled: "Okay, don't talk about useless things. If you have anything to ask, ask as soon as possible."
When Liu Heng heard this, he was not pretentious. He immediately said: "How did fourth brother conclude that the Cao family will definitely study firearms?"
Kou Ji rolled his eyes and said: "This is a stupid question. If it were you, seeing firearms dangling in front of your eyes and taking them easily, wouldn't you want to study them?"
Liu Heng reached into his arms, took out a short blunderbuss, and asked, "Do I need it?"
Kou Ji said angrily: "You are near the water, others are not as lucky as you."
Liu Heng put away the blunderbuss and said with a dry smile: "I just think that you saved the Cao family. They know that you don't like letting this thing fall into the hands of outsiders. They shouldn't study it."
Kou Ji pondered for a moment, shook his head and sighed: "Not everyone abides by the rules like you, and not everyone is like you and regards friendship as the only thing.
Cao Li has never violated my wishes in these years, and he does everything according to my instructions.
This time he was asked to hand over Jiaozhi, and he handed it over happily.
This is already very rare for him.
I can't be too demanding on him."
Liu Heng curled his lips and said: "But you saved the lives of their whole family, so they shouldn't go against you, let alone do things you don't like behind your back.
They are called ungrateful."
Kou Jirao glanced at Liu Heng meaningfully, "There will be no good results if you rely on your own kindness. There are too few people who can repay a drop of kindness like a spring, so every time a benevolent and righteous person appears, it is very valuable.
.
When Taizu sent his wife to Jingjing thousands of miles away, she remained calm in her arms, which became a legend.
Although there is some intention to flatter Taizu, it is more about praising Taizu's benevolence and righteousness.
If you send Jingniang thousands of miles away, I'm afraid she will be pregnant with your son."
Liu Heng smiled dryly and did not refute.
Kou Ji continued: "So, if we cannot be the most benevolent and righteous, we cannot ask others to be the most benevolent and righteous. Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you."
Liu Heng said carelessly: "Don't tell me these big principles, I don't like it. Anyway, I just feel that whether it is Zhang Yuan or Cao Yili, they all started their business through your hands. They don't treat you right."
Those who follow orders are ungrateful people."
Kou Ji said angrily and funny: "I don't even care, why do you care so much? Besides, don't you think carefully about whether they can develop their today's ambitions as a result of my deliberate indulgence?"
Liu Heng was stunned and looked at Kou Ji in astonishment.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Whether they belong to Zhang Yuan or Cao Yong, the most powerful soldiers and horses under them are all my people. If I really want to kill them, I will do it as early as when their ambitions first emerge.
When the time came, they were killed.
The reason why I don't care about this is to allow them to develop their ambitions and then continue to grow."
Liu Heng couldn't help but sit up straight, stared at Kou Ji and said, "What are you doing this for? Aren't you afraid of raising tigers?"
Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "Raising tigers will cause trouble? As long as I live, they will not be a trouble. Even if I die, they will not be a trouble for a long time."
As for what I’m planning, don’t you already know?”
Liu Heng was stunned for a moment, thought about it carefully, and asked with his eyes widened: "Are you thinking about the Golden City in the West?"
After Kou Ji overthrew Xixia, he briefly told Liu Heng and others about the magnificence of the world, including the cities made of gold in Western legends.
Liu Heng and others all remembered it.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Gold is no longer important to me. I just think that there are many rich places in the West. If I, the Han, cannot get involved, it will be a big regret in the future.
So I thought of letting Cao Yong and Zhang Yuan develop their ambitions, and then go to the West on my behalf."
Liu Heng hesitated and said: "I heard you say that the land in the west may not be lost to the Song Dynasty. You are not afraid that they will attack the west and establish a big country in the west that is comparable to the Song Dynasty.
When the time comes, they will take the power of a great nation and invade the Song Dynasty from the east?"
Kou Ji was stunned at first, and then laughed loudly, "If they really have that ability, they can really build a huge empire in the West that is not inferior to the Song Dynasty.
I won’t care what they do then.”
Liu Heng stared at Kou Ji in confusion.
In his eyes, Kou Ji was a person who protected the Song Dynasty as if it were his own life.
How could he just watch Da Song being bullied by others.
Through Liu Heng's eyes, Kou Ji felt the confusion in Liu Heng's heart. He smiled and said: "At that time, whoever wins and who loses, the world belongs to me, the Han people.
Do you...understand?"
Liu Heng stared in shock and looked at Kou Ji in disbelief.
What Kou Ji said was so big that he couldn't react for a moment.
Kou Ji sighed: "Okay, don't think so much. The western region is not small, and there are soft persimmons and ruthless ones. It is not easy for them to build an empire in the west that is not inferior to the Song Dynasty.
Maybe only two or three generations of hard work can be done."
Liu Heng asked in a strange way, "Can't it be solved in one lifetime?"
Kou Ji said with a smile: "If I open the firearm and provide it to them, of course I can do it in my lifetime."
Liu Heng raised his eyebrows, "So... everything is still in your hands in the end?"
Kou Ji smiled and nodded.
Liu Heng couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The world only thinks that you, Fourth Brother, are a talent for the country, but they don't know that you are actually a talent for the world."
Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "What's wrong with the world? I'm just an ordinary person."
Liu Heng did not respond to Kou Ji's words, but asked: "Let's go back to Jiaozhi. Can you really conclude that Cao Yongli cannot develop firearms?
I think firearms are quite simple, not that complicated?"
Kou Ji pondered and said: "If there are skilled craftsmen to help, three or five handles are still possible. But it is simply impossible to equip the army on a large scale."
"Why?"
Liu Heng asked.
Kou Ji said quietly: "The material of the gun barrel alone was enough for him to ponder for a long, long time."
Liu Heng pondered for a moment and asked: "Is steel so difficult to forge? I think people in the equipment workshop can forge it easily?"
Kou Ji rolled his eyes and said: "I made the things and taught them everything without any leftover, so that they can forge qualified steel.
You can go find some craftsmen among the people and see if they can forge the same thing."
Liu Heng scratched his head.
He didn't understand this, so no matter how detailed Kou Ji explained it to him, he still didn't understand it.
Seeing that Kou Ji was so certain, he chose to believe it.
He asked again: "Then do you really plan to give him something in five years?"
Kou Ji sighed and said: "When things get into the hands of people below, they will leak out sooner or later. There is no airtight wall in the world. No matter how tight our defense is, others will find loopholes to exploit.
Instead of letting them work hard to find loopholes, it is better to give them a time limit, and when the time is up, hand over the things to them decisively."
Liu Heng stared at Kou Ji with gleaming eyes and asked, "What about us?"
Kou Ji glared at Liu Heng, "I'm going to have someone send you a batch now. Do you dare to use it openly?"
Liu Heng shook his head decisively.
If Kou Ji really sent someone to send him a batch of firearms, he would not dare to use them.
Once it is taken out and exposed to light, Zhong Shiheng will immediately discover it.
Zhong Shiheng would definitely inform the court of this matter without hesitation.
Once the court finds out about this, the situation will be very embarrassing.
Kou Ji and Liu Heng would no longer have the shame to stay in Bianjing City.
"Okay, have you finished asking all the questions you should ask? The meals should have been prepared in the kitchen. Do you want to go to the dining hall to eat, or let the kitchen deliver them."
"Let the kitchen send it over. It's been a long time since you and I had a drink together. Have a good dinner tonight, and I'll tell you about what I saw in Cochin."
Liu Heng suggested with a smile.
Kou Ji did not refuse, nodded, and went to the door to give instructions.
Not long after, the people from the kitchen delivered the food and wine to the study.
Kou Ji and Liu Heng sat at the table, eating and drinking while listening to Liu Heng's stories about what he had seen in Jiaozhi.
It wasn't until midnight that the two of them went back to their rooms to rest.
Early the next morning.
Before Kou Ji woke up, Wang Zeng and Cai Qi came to the door together.
The two old guys hurriedly broke into Kou Ji's bedroom without asking anyone's convenience.
Fortunately, Kou Ji was the only one in the bedroom.
After the two old guys entered the bedroom, they blocked Kou Ji's bed on the left and right, and forcefully woke Kou Ji up.
"I heard that the Cochin envoy came to Beijing?"
"Then do you still need to hear about it? The guards at the gate of Jiaozhi Posthouse have been changed. He must have entered Beijing."
"Is Jiaozhi going to present his credentials soon and accept the title of vassal to me, the Song Dynasty?"
"That's a sale, not a surrender."
"..."
The two old guys stood guard in front of Kou Ji's bed, talking to each other one by one.
Kou Ji helplessly opened his eyes and glanced at the two of them sleepily, "Are you two talking about a duel?"
Wang Zeng snorted and said, "The two of us had a sleepless night when we learned that the Cochin envoy had arrived in Beijing, but you slept comfortably."
Kou Ji curled his lips and said, "No one is stopping you from sleeping."
Wang Zeng shouted angrily: "Jiaozhi came to negotiate the issue of selling land. How can we sleep on such a big matter?"
Cai Qi stopped Wang Zeng and said, "Okay, don't talk about these useless things."
After saying this, Cai Qi stared at him and shouted to Kou Ji: "Get up quickly, go to Honglu Temple, take the people from Honglu Temple to talk to the Jiaozhi people, and try to settle this matter today. The two of us will
I’ll have a good night’s sleep tonight.”
Wang Zeng nodded solemnly, "This matter has not yet been decided, and the two of us really have trouble sleeping and eating."
Kou Ji sat up helplessly, stretched and said, "You also know that this is a major matter involving the sale of land, and it cannot be discussed in one day."
When Cai Qi heard this, he immediately said: "Then let's talk with the Cochin people all night. When I was young, I traveled to many countries as an envoy and discussed many important matters.
When this person is unable to stay up late, his ears are prone to deafness, his eyesight is prone to blurring, and his brain is prone to difficulty functioning.
If you can seize the opportunity, you can gain a lot of benefits for our Song Dynasty."
Wang Zeng saw that Cai Qi taught Kou Ji his negotiation experience, and not to be outdone, he began to tell Kou Ji about his own negotiation experience.
Koji'er listened to the two of them talking in his ears, one was the head and the other was the big one.
Negotiation is a big deal for Wang Zeng and Cai Qi, and it is a big deal for Kou Ji.
We finished talking last night.
Going now is just a formality.
Wang Zeng and Cai Qi chatted in Kou Ji's ears for a long time. When Kou Ji either stretched or yawned, the two old guys became anxious.
"Did you listen to what the two of me were saying?"
Wang Zeng asked.
Kou Ji said perfunctorily: "Listen...listen..."
Wang Zeng said decisively: "Then I just told you, how to deal with the situation when you are in doubt?"
Kou Ji was stunned for a moment and said casually: "Drag..."
Wang Zeng immediately puffed his beard and glared angrily, "What are you delaying? We are obviously forcing them to open their mouths and expose their flaws, and then we will find loopholes in them."
Seeing that Kou Ji was absent-minded, Cai Qi immediately had a harmful idea, "We might as well occupy his bed. If he can't discuss this matter, we won't be able to sleep, and he won't be able to sleep either."
When Wang Zeng heard this, he immediately nodded and said, "That's it!"
Kou Ji glanced at the two old guys, not bothering to argue with them.
Under the watchful eyes of the two old guys, he got up, washed himself, and walked out of the bedroom door.
The two old guys followed Kou Ji closely until they reached the entrance of Honglu Temple. They watched Kou Ji enter Honglu Temple before letting him go.