Although he was blindfolded, he was not afraid. As the carriage shook, the speed seemed to slow down. Before leaving, the prime minister's profound eyes and solemn instructions seemed to be still floating in his ears and eyes.
"Right now, our huge neighbor to the south has fallen into a huge crisis. It is a crisis for the Tanghe people, but it is a great opportunity for us Kaman people. You must seize the opportunity during this trip and do everything possible. It is possible to reach a deal with the other party. What I said before is our bottom line. You must try your best to achieve your goal above this bottom line." The prime minister's short and fat figure and round face are always filled with the aspiration that inspires people to work hard* *.
"But Prime Minister, are the conditions we gave them too generous, but we didn't gain much?" He couldn't help but ask, relying on his confidant, the Prime Minister.
"We need to take a longer-term view. Now that we have the thick shield of Jerok in front of us, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to do much before we solve this problem. There is no reason why we proposed such generous conditions this time. He just wants to let them hold back the Tanghe people's troops in the north, so that they have no time to take care of the Jerok people. If necessary, we can even support them to make the momentum bigger, as long as we take Jerok. ``" There was a cunning light flashing in his eyes, but his words were paused.
"But sir, I think if we want to achieve great things just by relying on these people, might our hopes be too high? We were not like this in the past few years." The prime minister seemed to think of something, he Of course, he didn't know that the prime minister was thinking of his colleagues who were on another mission to the northwest county, but he still felt that he was not so at ease in his heart.
"No, you must not underestimate this group of people now. Their tightness of organization and scope of power development are by no means comparable to that group of stupid farmers back then. And as far as I know, the time they spent preparing and the hidden secrets behind them The things will surprise you, not to mention we are not the ones trying to fish in troubled waters, the people of Poole seem to be very interested as well." The round face looked a little funny when he smiled, but he did not dare to show any disrespect to his mentor. , just hearing these words, he felt more stable in his heart.
The carriage became slower and slower, and finally stopped, pulling his thoughts back. It seemed that he had reached his destination. A quick voice sounded in his ears, "Sir, I'm sorry, please get off the car. We're here." "
The negotiation reached a long deadlock. Looking at the strong man in brown clothes in front of him, he really couldn't figure out what the other party was thinking. He had already revealed all his cards. In his opinion, with such a favorable condition, even if the other party was No matter how powerful he is, he should accept his proposal, but this man in brown clothes is always picky, like a cunning and mean little woman. He really doesn't understand how the other party can have such a leader.
He stood up and left with some regret. Since he could not reach an agreement on the bottom line, he had nothing to say. It was just that it was difficult to explain to the Prime Minister when he returned.
Looking at the other party's disappearing figure, the man in brown clothes showed a hidden smile. He calmly picked up the "Historical Records" on the desk again and tasted it carefully. Reading it at night by candlelight is really a great enjoyment in life, and I also You should have good taste.
The man beside him who had been silent during the negotiation finally couldn't hold himself back. He bowed deeply and asked in a very respectful tone: "Master, I really don't understand. I would like to ask you why?" Don’t agree to the other party’s conditions? The conditions they proposed are exactly what we need most now!”
Slowly putting down the book, the man in brown clothes raised his head, his bright eyes dancing with the flame of wisdom under the dim candlelight, "Well, then what is the reason why you said I didn't agree to them?"
He scratched his head. Although the man standing next to him regarded the man in brown clothes as a god, no matter how he looked at it, the conditions proposed by the man just now should be considered extremely beneficial to his side. He really couldn't figure out why he was always so smart. Why did the young master reject the other party's conditions? He shook his head in confusion to show that he couldn't guess what the other person was thinking, and returned his gaze to the face of the man in front of him, hoping that he could solve the confusion in his heart.
"The Kaman people have a great appetite. They are eager to get our support, no, we should say help, so that they can carry out operations in Jerok or other parts of the empire. This may be a good thing at first and can help us attract A lot of attention, but eventually they will become our enemies, and they are quite dangerous enemies, so we must consider it carefully. Of course, you are right, the conditions they proposed are indeed very tempting, and for us right now It's a great help, but we can't just focus on immediate interests, but should take a longer-term view." The man in brown's words were full of confidence.
After a pause, he continued: "Of course, if their conditions are better, we can't consider it. All conditions can change at any time. I believe they will come and contact us, and they will also bring More favorable conditions. And they are not the only ones we can choose from. I believe that as soon as we get this started, other partners will definitely come to our door."
After listening to the words of the man in brown clothes, the man standing beside him suddenly realized that his vision was so narrow and limited to the present, but the young master had already thought about the development issues in the future and even a few years later, and he couldn't help but well up in his heart. Feeling of sincerity.
He bowed silently and quietly left. The man in brown clothes was the only one left in the huge room. The room seemed extremely quiet. The candlelight on the desk was flickered by the wind that came in from the cracks in the room. The man in clothes gently put down the book he had been holding in his hand and stared at the flickering candlelight. A faint melancholy slowly appeared on his face, lingering, "The front is a wolf and the back is a tiger. This situation is really out of control." It looks like I have to ask Master for instructions."
Lu Wenfu has been a little annoyed recently. Looking at the leaves trembling in the cold wind outside the window, he feels even more restless inside. It's not just Li Wufeng's problem. If it were just this problem, maybe he wouldn't be so bothered. After all, Li Wufeng is very capable, but he is still in the imperial capital. As long as he is not allowed to return to his own sphere of influence, he will always be overthrown. Can't afford too much storm.
What's more, according to the information he has, many heavyweight ministers in the DPRK have launched an "anti-Li movement". Although Li Wufeng took the initiative to retreat in the DPRK meeting two days ago and expressed his willingness to recuperate and stay in the imperial capital for a long time, Lu Wenfu believed that this would not sway His Majesty the Emperor, who was already suspicious. Because once the seeds of doubt are planted, they will take root and sprout, and eventually grow into a towering tree. As the Minister of the Interior, he understands this psychology better than anyone else. The news that He Zhiqiu brought to him a few days ago was like a reassurance pill for him, which made him feel more relaxed.
But it seemed that he was deliberately going against his rare good mood. The problem he sent to secretly investigate finally yielded some results, but this gain made him feel even more anxious. He had read the few thin pages of materials tightly in his hands so well that even when he closed his eyes, he could recall every detail of the materials. The harsh facts even kept him awake at night, and he had wanted to bite him off several times. He gritted his teeth and took the risk to report to His Majesty the Emperor, but he finally gave up the plan.
In addition to the upcoming Spring Festival, the most important factor is that although the special investigation team I sent has obtained some important clues, due to the haste of the matter, there were not many valuable things at the beginning. Most of them are things that everyone knows on the table, and the whereabouts of these people are mysterious, and the geographical and human scope involved are too wide. In just two or three months, not much precise and reliable evidence has been obtained. Simply relying on what you have on hand will not only fail to achieve the desired results, it may even backfire, and it will also alert the enemy and make these guys even more vigilant.
Rubbing his cheeks in annoyance, Lu Wenfu paced around his study room. This so-called Taiping Holy Religion can actually attract so many ignorant people to join and donate money and food for it. It is obvious that it is very inspiring. It is a pity that many local officials are indifferent and turn a blind eye, and some even support it. Is this really hidden by the other party? Was it so deep that no one discovered the clue, or was there someone with ulterior motives who deliberately concealed it
If the latter situation is the case, it would be even more terrifying. Who would be the people involved? The level of these people is definitely not low, and it is not an easy task to hide from the all-pervasive internal affairs departments at all levels of the empire. There are only a handful of people available for screening. Thinking of this, Lu Wenfu, who had gone through countless ups and downs over the decades, couldn't help but shudder.
While receiving an urgent letter from Wu Feng reporting safety, the Northwest Independent First Division also formally formed an army. When he saw more than 20,000 cavalry riding through the grand competition field in Qingyang City, Northwest stood on the high viewing platform. The county military and political leaders did not seem to pay much attention to it. On both sides of the viewing platform were mostly celebrities and gentry from the entire northwest county. They were all smiling. The invitation from the government made them proud, and the uniform cavalry soldiers made them feel even more secure about the property they owned.
Various news was also circulating among the whispers. Among them, the news that Li Wufeng officially concurrently served as the governor of the Northern Luzon region of the empire made the gentry and celebrities present celebrate with joy, and the industrial and commercial people among them even smelled the rolling business behind this news. With the trendy taste, the huge market of Northern Luzon seems to be open to everyone, and the huge resources it possesses are enough to make businessmen wake up laughing even if they fall asleep. The two businesses of coffee and raw lacquer can create hundreds of millions of people. Millionaire, in an instant, the businessmen missed Li Wufeng who was far away in the imperial capital even more. Perhaps only his presence here made the businessmen feel extra at ease.
However, several core figures sitting in the middle of the auditorium were having a headache over the secret letter sent back by Wu Feng.
"So it seems that your Excellency won't be able to come back in a short time?" Ling Tianfang's face turned gloomy and blue.
Xiao Tang, who was in the middle, was also very troubled. He sighed and said: "It seems that there will definitely be trouble. Maybe our prediction was too optimistic before, but from the letter, it seems that you are not worried, but now." The internal situation in the empire mentioned in the letter is becoming increasingly complex and the variables are greatly increasing. I am worried that big changes will happen this year. Could it be the problem of the Taiping Religion? Or is it the physical problem of His Majesty the Emperor?"
"It's hard to say. There are too many questions, and the letter is unclear, so it's hard to judge." Su Qin, who was sitting on the left wing, had returned from the Western Regions. It was just a piece of cake for him to destroy the military alliance plan of the five countries in the Western Regions. Military intimidation plus coercion and inducement, coupled with the inherent gap in strength between the two sides, made it easy for him to succeed. At this moment, he was holding the letter Xiao Tang handed him, carefully chewing and analyzing the information hidden between the lines.