Two days later, in Honglu Temple.
"Prisoner exchange, this is the first major event." Xin Qiwu no longer had the reckless expression when the two countries were negotiating, and said indifferently: "Your Majesty has a decree that the captured soldiers should be exchanged no matter what. The rest are trivial matters. , we might as well make some concessions in this regard.”
An official below responded and said: "The number of people who captured Northern Qi and the small countries they controlled has been roughly counted. There are more than 2,400 people in total, and our side has captured about 1,000 people in total. According to Your Majesty's instructions According to the decree, even if we exchange one of the two of us, we can exchange it back."
"En." Xin Qiwu nodded, satisfied with the efficiency of his subordinates' work, and said: "As for the issue of redrawing the boundaries, His Majesty's meaning is also very clear. Any land occupied this time will not be given up. If Northern Qi wanted land, they would exchange it with the grassland in Qianlong Bay."
Qianlong Bay is located in the northwest of Qingguo, and is connected to Qingguo's only enclave there. If it can be taken back, Qingguo's enclave will be safe.
The officials below wrote down the meaning of their superiors, and someone said with a headache, "It's just that this time, I don't know why. The Northern Qi side is very tough. It seems that they are trying to kill each other. They only promise to give money to horses, but they refuse to cede the land."
The chief bookkeeper who jumped out first at the last tea party was obviously impulsive. He slapped the table and scolded: "We have already occupied those lands, why do we have to spit them back?"
Xin Qiwu nodded: "Master Xiao is straightforward, but it is true." He glanced at his subordinates coldly, put down the teacup in his hand, and said: "Colleagues, don't forget, These lands were brought back by our soldiers with swords and guns, in exchange for blood and flesh. Of course, we cannot give them back with both hands. Those soldiers paid the price with their lives, what about us? We are just talking, so we can't Give up the interests of your own country, and fight with the other party for every strand of one tael of silver and one inch of land."
The person who spoke before continued to frown and said: "My lord's words are very true, but according to the secret report from the envoys stationed in Shangjing of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the relationship between the Queen Mother of the Northern Qi Dynasty and the emperor has become more relaxed because of this defeat. , and the younger brother of the Empress Dowager has also been convicted and returned home. If we demand too much in the negotiation, if the two countries break up and the two countries fight again, this is not in line with the Holy Majesty's intention. Everyone should be clear that if the Northern Qi side really Monarchs and ministers are of one mind, even a centipede would not feel good even if it bites a person."
"Northern Qi's Shangjing is too far away, and these information may not be useful every time I go back and forth." Xin Qiwu felt a little headache. The most important thing in negotiations is to know yourself and your enemy. Among them, relying on the Northern Qi spy network that the imperial court has not had time to wipe out. They could have first-hand information about the reaction of the Qing court, but it was difficult for Qing to know the true reaction of the Northern Qi court.
Someone suggested: "Why don't you ask Your Majesty to ask the Overwatch Council to assist us everywhere? You must know that the people in the Northern Qi Dynasty are much more powerful than the other yamen in the imperial court."
Everyone's eyes lit up, and they thought that this was the truth. As officials in the capital, of course they feared and hated the Overwatch Council, but if they used the crazy dog of the Overwatch Council to deal with the enemy, no official would have any objection. agree. To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this suggestion, Xin Qiwu suddenly lost his demeanor, and cursed: "What you think of, I and Si Qing, can't you think of it? That Yan Luodian refuses to give things, what can I do?" ? Do you want me to cry and kneel in front of His Majesty's bedchamber?"
All the officials thought that this was the case, their faces returned to tranquility, but deep in their hearts they thought, if you can get information about Northern Qi, what are you afraid of crying on the stone steps in front of Xingqing Palace
The hall suddenly fell into silence. Although the officials and people of the Qing Kingdom always considered themselves the most powerful country in the world, before His Majesty ascended the throne, the people of the Qing Kingdom were always living under the terrifying shadow of the huge Northern Wei Dynasty. Although the Northern Wei Dynasty was beaten by His Majesty's three Northern Expeditions to only half of its territory and became the current Northern Qi Dynasty, it seems to be a terrible thing if the opponent is forced to fight again. So, without the backing of strong confidence, the only way the negotiations seem to go is to stall.
"I will enter the palace again tonight, and ask for His Majesty's will."
Xin Qiwu frowned and said, but glanced at Fan Xian who had been sitting quietly at the bottom. Fan Xian, the deputy envoy, seemed to have no self-consciousness as a deputy envoy. These days, no matter what he was negotiating or doing, he always sat with a smile on his face and was speechless, not knowing what he was thinking. Xin Qiwu was sent here by the Prince's order, with the intention of making Fan Xian gain some political capital. This kid is quite sensible and doesn't take credit, but it's not a problem to be bored like this all the time.
He thought for a while, then said softly, "Master Fan, what do you think about this matter?"
Fan Xian's fists tucked into his sleeves tightened slightly, but his face was still calm, and he replied softly: "Your official thinks that Bei Qi is just bluffing now, if they really have the strength to fight again, they will be able to fight again." If you don’t mind, you won’t be in such a hurry to send a mission to ask for peace.”
All the officials have always known that Mr. Fan is famous for his poems and boxing, and these days he appreciates the other party's quietness and uncompetitiveness, so they are all looking forward to his speech at this moment, but they find that he can only say such a big way , can not help but be a little disappointed. But in terms of face, the officials were not good, so they agreed a few times casually.
On the contrary, Xin Qiwu thought that since he wanted to sell the favor of the other party, he should sell it more thoroughly, and continued to ask softly: "This statement is reasonable, but the relationship between the two countries is only false, and false is true. A country is like a person. Sometimes it is often dominated by emotions, so it cannot be inferred entirely by reason, I wonder if Deputy Envoy Fan has other evidence?" In his heart, he really hoped that Fan Xian could strengthen the belief of the officials of Honglu Temple.
Fan Xian secretly praised Master Shaoqing's words "A country is like a person", and after thinking for a while, he said: "The key is that Zhuang Mohan, and you adults are also aware of the status of this person in the hearts of scholars in the world. Bei Qi didn't intend to ask for peace, so he definitely wouldn't spend a lot of money to invite this Zhuang Mohan to come to the capital with the mission."
The officials of Honglu Temple all came from imperial examinations, so of course they knew Zhuang Mohan's name, and after a little pondering, they found that this was indeed the case, but this alone was not enough to bring the negotiation back to the original path.
Xin Qiwu frowned and said, "It may be helpful if I know how Zhuang Mohan is willing to come."
It is clearly written in the case files of the Overwatch Council that the reason why Zhuang Mohan was willing to come was that the Queen Mother and the Emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty lowered their figures to beg each other; The third reason for the military dispute between countries seems to be this person's personal reason, which has not been found out yet. Although Fan Xian despised the attitude of this "sage", he would not underestimate the other party's reputation, but at this moment he would not tell these reasons in front of the officials, but replied softly: "If you can meet him On the one hand, we may be able to see some clues."
Master Xiao shook his head, and said helplessly: "It is the practice of exchanges between the two countries that people like this can only be seen at banquets in front of the palace. If the officials of our Honglu Temple go to ask for an audience, if the other party does not see, we will There's no other way, I'm just taking my own humiliation." Suddenly his eyes lit up and he said: "However, Deputy Envoy Fan's poems have already spread all over the world, and I believe Zhuang Mohan will not refuse the title of Friends of Poetry."
Fan Xian was taken aback, thinking that he had only copied three poems in total, and two of them were written by Ruoruo, so how could the poems be famous all over the world? Fortunately, Xin Shaoqing shook his head to help him out: "Zhuang Mohan has always been extremely proud, and he is the first choice for strange people in the world through history, articles, poems and songs. How could he put down his dignity to see Deputy Envoy Fan? The key to Northern Qi's invitation to him is to give a banquet in front of the hall. I want to use his reputation to convince His Majesty."
The officials thought, probably so.
After the meeting was over, Fan Xian took a moment to pull Master Shaoqing aside, and handed over the strategies that he and Ruoruo had spent several nights "sorting out". Xin Qiwu's eyes lit up as soon as he flipped through it. He didn't expect Fan Xian to write such a thing. Although the facts and evidence in it were quite absurd, after careful analysis, it seemed to directly point to the current situation of Beiqi. of the court.
"Okay!" Xin Shaoqing said excitedly: "In this way, I will have the confidence to negotiate with Honglu Temple. It's just... Deputy Envoy Fan, why didn't you mention it before, but now you give it to me in private?"
Fan Xian looked at his boss's suspicious expression, smiled slightly, and said, "Some of the inferences in it are a bit absurd. They are just the personal opinions of the subordinates, so I dare not say them in public. They are just for Sir Shaoqing's reference in private."
Xin Shaoqing couldn't bear the excitement in his heart, so he stood in the corridor and read it carefully, but his eyebrows gradually frowned, and after a long time, he asked softly: "Mr. Fan, there are many things in this that the court doesn't even know about. Secret."
Fan Xian's heart trembled, knowing that he could not hide it from the other party after all, but he had practiced his energy-raising skills from Danzhou to Kyoto for more than ten years, so his face remained unchanged and he said with a smile: "I have some things that I can't say more about."
One of the main points of being an official is to pretend to be inscrutable. Sure enough, Xin Qiwu didn't ask any more questions, but instead smiled gently: "If this negotiation can be successful, I will definitely write a letter to His Majesty to give you a great credit."
Fan Xian smiled and bowed to leave.
Xin Qiwu looked at his back in the green shirt that disappeared into the gate, and the bewildered look on his face disappeared. He is a close relative of the prince, so he naturally knew that Sinanbo Fan Jian held a personal power belonging to His Majesty, but this It seems that this force has never shown its style on the political stage of the Qing Kingdom. Could it be that... just because of Fan Xian, Fan Jian dared to use it? He never connected Fan Xian with the Overwatch Council. After all, the Overwatch Council was His Majesty's private spy agency, and even the princes could not interfere, let alone the illegitimate son of a minister.
Sitting in the sedan chair, Xin Shaoqing propped his jaw in thought. After the sedan chair stopped, he looked at the tall vermilion palace wall outside the sedan chair, and thought in his heart. It seemed that what he had said to the prince was correct. As for the Fan family, he could only win him over. , cannot hit.