It's summer again.
Liu Yu led 10,000 Dazhou "mercenaries" to the Xiliang King City.
He had a cordial and friendly meeting with Pei Meng, the second king of Anxi.
One is the old Jianghu, and the other is the eldest prince who was trained by the emperor himself.
When the two met, the atmosphere was harmonious.
At the banquet, the Chu River and the Han border on both sides were clearly separated.
Drink in big bowls and eat meat in big pieces.
They are a group of bold and good men.
The interest is strong, and the atmosphere changes suddenly.
Affection aside, brothers have to settle accounts, let alone not brothers.
"The loan from the Shaofu Bank has arrived, and the empress is indeed a trustworthy person, keeping her word. It's just that I have some ideas about the 'mercenary' fee set by the empress."
Pei Meng spoke first.
He kept silent about the emperor Liu Zhao, because he must be dissatisfied with Liu Zhao deep in his heart.
The two cousins have always been wary of and disgusted with each other.
Liu Zhao looked down on him, why did he think highly of Liu Zhao again.
In Pei Meng's heart, he only recognizes one opponent, the Empress Empress Gu Jiu.
For Liu Yu, Pei Meng definitely wanted to weigh the other party's weight first.
It is said that Qi Wang Liu Yu was taught by the empress herself, Pei Meng was very curious, how much Liu Yu learned from the empress.
Liu Yu put down his wine glass, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Is the lord planning to go back on his word?"
Pei Meng laughed, "This king doesn't like to hear what you say. It's no small matter to send troops to the Western Regions. According to the empress' arrangement, the imperial court will benefit the most. But I want this king to pay to 'invite' you to fight. The advantage is that Yours, the benefits and money are yours, but all the consequences have to be borne by this king, what benefit does this king get
Apart from attracting a group of enemies, it seems that there is no benefit! According to the Empress Empress, money is what is fought in wars, so it doesn't matter if you don't fight wars without benefits. This king thinks about it, if this battle is won, what are my interests? "
Qi Wang Liu Yu smiled, "King Anxi thinks this battle is boring and can't make money. Why don't you give up Xiliang to this king, and you take the Northwest Army to find another territory. This king brings people to fight How about this king bearing any consequences of this battle?"
"Hahaha... His Royal Highness King Qi really knows how to joke." Pei Meng laughed loudly.
Qi Wang Liu Yu also laughed loudly, "King Anxi might as well consider this 'joke' seriously. In Xiliang, the prince dislikes it, but I don't. .This king is anxious about what the lord is anxious about, is the lord satisfied?"
Pei Meng narrowed his eyes slightly, and laughed, "A hero is a teenager, and a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, not bad. You have the demeanor of a queen who is not afraid of troubles and dares to take on them. It's just your small shoulders that can bear such a heavy burden. ?"
Qi Wang Liu Yu lowered his eyes and smiled, his eyes were cold, "You have to try to know whether you can afford it or not. Xiliang is a place that military strategists must fight for. The importance that the father and mother attach to Xiliang, and the years The layout of Xiliang is well-intentioned. Nowadays, there are tigers and wolves around outside, and we should cooperate sincerely to drive away the tigers and wolves.
However, the prince backtracked on what he had agreed to, and now he regrets what he had agreed upon. This is not the attitude one should have when doing big things. If the lord misses the opportunity to deploy the Western Regions and win the hearts of the people for a mere little silver, this lord can only say: Your lord is getting old! "
Bang!
A general of the Northwest Army directly smashed the jug, jumped up and pointed at Liu Yu, "What are you talking about? Son, when you were not born, we were born and died with the prince. What right do you have to speak nonsense."
"Presumptuous!" Pei Meng softly scolded his generals, and then said to Qi Wang Liu Yu: "They are all a bunch of rough people, His Highness Qi Wang, don't be as knowledgeable as them."
King Qi Liu Yu chuckled, "General, what you said just now is correct, and this king agrees with all of you. It is true that this king was not born when you fought on the battlefield. Now, this king has grown up, but you are old. people feel sorry.
In addition, this king also wants to warn the general that this world belongs to us young people after all. The general is old, he can't wield a sword, and he can't kill for three days and three nights. It's better to retreat to the second line and don't come out to make a fuss. It makes people mistakenly think that the Anxi Palace can't even find a rising star who can take on a big role.
This has to be worrying. When you grow old day by day, who will guard Anxi Palace? Do you want to expect a group of old men with gray beards to charge forward? Twenty years later, is the Anxi Palace still surnamed Pei? "
"Shameless boy, don't speak wild words!" All the generals of Anxi Palace were filled with righteous indignation.
It's so ugly to speak!
If it weren't for the fact that the other party is the eldest prince, he would have rolled up his sleeves and overthrown him long ago.
Pei Meng did not get angry, but was full of worry.
Because what Liu Yu said hurt the weakness of Anxi Palace.
The talents of the younger generation are dying, or they are still studying in school, and the situation is supported by a group of old guys.
The old guys can last five or ten years.
Within ten years, if the younger generation fails to grow up, Anxi Palace will be in danger, and Xiliang will be in danger.
Especially in the current situation, when tigers and wolves are waiting outside, and foreign races may attack Xiliang at any time, the Anxi Palace urgently needs to seize the time to replace the old with the new.
War is the best training ground.
Whether young people can stand up and pull them to the battlefield will quickly draw conclusions.
Should we fight the Western Regions
It's time to fight!
It is also good for Anxi Palace.
However, Pei Meng didn't want to give in easily.
He wants more benefits.
The people and horses on both sides quarreled furiously.
Pei Meng closed his eyes and rested, not in a hurry.
Liu Yu was not in a hurry.
Mr. Dou is in a hurry.
Through the cooperation between the two parties, he will have a place in the first volume of "Biography of Celebrities", and his name will be immortalized forever.
The Dou family will be honored because of him and passed down through the ages.
But seeing Pei Meng's attitude, Mr. Dou knew that now was not a good time to speak.
So, he set his sights on Mr. Lu.
Last year, Mr. Lu was fooled by the empress, and went to Xiliang as the former Zhong Shuling to persuade Pei Meng to agree to send troops to the Western Regions, to accept the help of the court's 'mercenaries', and to accept a loan from the Shaofu Bank.
The task was completed, and it was time to return to Beijing.
Pei Meng refused to let him go, and insisted on waiting until Liu Yu led his troops to Xiliang before allowing Mr. Lu to leave.
With no choice, Mr. Lu had no choice but to stay in Xiliang.
He was naturally present at today's banquet.
Mr. Dou called his name, "Mr. Lu, please say something! This cooperation was facilitated by Mr. Lu. We all want to hear Mr. Lu's opinion."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Mr. Lu snorted, put down his wine glass, and said with a smile: "The two princes disagree on the cost of the 'mercenaries'. We can discuss it. King Anxi is not convenient at hand, how about this, after the troops are dispatched, they will be captured after the war." Mercenaries' priority selection. How?"
"Well, hahaha..." Mr. Dou laughed, "Mr. Lu may not know much about the situation in the Western Regions. Most of the seizures after the war were gold, silver and jewelry. The 'mercenaries' were selected first, which is not very good for our Anxi Palace. Fair!"
"Then half of one side."
"No, no!"
"Then select in batches. Each time for half an hour, the two sides rotate."
"This method works."
The generals of both sides agreed to take turns to select the captured after the war.
For half an hour, the number of people is limited and the time is limited, so there will not be too many things that can be moved.
Both parties have the opportunity to make a lot of money.
Mr. Dou cautiously asked Pei Meng, "What do you think, my lord?"
Pei Meng opened his eyes, "If I don't let the king pay, I have no objection. What would His Royal Highness Qi want to say?"
Liu Yu was not polite, and directly took out the list of supplies that he had prepared a long time ago, "Please be sure to prepare the supplies on the list, my lord."
Pei Meng took a look at the list of supplies, and sneered, "His Royal Highness Qi really has the essence of empress empress, and he has a good ability to ask for prices."
"The prince can pay back the money on the ground."
Pei Meng was very straightforward, "All materials, the quantity will be halved."
"At least 80%"
"Fifty percent!"
"Eighty percent!"
The bargaining between the two sides was another round of anxiety.
In this way, a banquet abruptly turned into a large-scale bargaining scene.
The price could not be negotiated, and a fight broke out at one point.
These days, bargaining has taken on a new twist.
Late at night, the banquet is over.
They went back to their rooms to rest.
Liu Zheng complained to Liu Yu, "King Anxi is so stingy, he cares about a few pieces of armor. Don't even think about it, we are here to help him fight the war. Except for a little money, all the benefits belong to him. I don't think he is sincere. , my lord, be careful that he is plotting against us behind our backs. When sending out troops, you must be careful, and don't be betrayed by him."
Liu Yu let out a "hmm", noncommittal.
"There are also generals in the Anxi Palace, all of whom are very old. I am really worried whether these old guys can wield swords on the battlefield."
"The foundation of Anxi Palace is the Northwest Army, and its combat effectiveness is still there. Over the years, they have added nearly 10,000 troops, which should not be underestimated."
Liu Yu's attitude is very objective, he doesn't look down on anyone, and of course he doesn't look up to anyone.
Liu Zheng asked: "Does the lord have confidence in this expedition to the Western Regions?"
Liu Yu looked at him, "Are you scared?"
"Who would be afraid! I'm worried that King Anxi will plot us behind his back and use us as cannon fodder, and he will enjoy the benefits of the fisherman."
"Don't worry! He dare not do nothing."
"Why did your lord say that?"
Liu Yu smiled, "Because the Anxi Palace cannot do without the support of the court, he dare not let this king have an accident. So he will definitely do his best."
Liu Zheng seems to understand but not understand.
Liu Yu didn't explain much, but took advantage of this time to talk to Mr. Lu.
Mr. Lu opened the door to greet him, "The old man expected the prince to come, so he has prepared a cup of tea."
"Mr. Yaxing."
The two sat on the ground, drinking tea and chatting.
"I have been in Xiliang for more than half a year. What I feel the most is that Pei Meng is very good at civil affairs. Walking on the streets of Xiliang Wangcheng, you can hear Xiliang people speaking Chinese and using Chinese characters everywhere. Large inn and business houses , and can even be settled with bank notes issued by the Shaofu Bank. It gives people the illusion of being in a certain city in the inland of the Great Zhou."
Liu Yu said "oh", "I don't know what's going on outside of Hope King City?"
Mr. Lu thought about it and said: "The situation outside the king's city is not very good. The farthest place I have traveled is a village three hundred miles away from the Xiliang king's city. The people there still maintain their language habits and live Habits. Everything that happened in the royal city has no effect on them. They are also indifferent to everything that Pei Meng promotes in the royal city.
The people in these villages, even though they knew that Wang Cheng had changed to the prince of Da Zhou, they still spoke good things about King Anxi. But the old man is sure that as long as someone shouts with real arms, these people will turn into rebels. What's more frightening is that they are proficient in bows and horses and familiar with the terrain, which will pose a great threat to the Xiliang King City. This time I sent troops to the Western Regions, the old man thought that the biggest danger was not the foreigners from the Western Regions outside, but the group of people in Xiliang who had never been naturalized. "
"Sir, I'm worried that those rebels will take advantage of the emptiness of the Xiliang King City to launch an attack, causing us to suffer from the enemy."
"I have to guard against it!"
"Then come and catch a turtle in a urn!"
"My lord already has a plan?"
"There's a small plan! Why don't you take this opportunity to uproot all opposition forces in Xiliang, so as not to cause future troubles forever."
"Can it be done?"
"As long as Pei Meng is willing to cooperate, the chances of winning are great."
Mr. Lu thought for a while, "Pei Meng's side, I'm going to talk. Deep down in his heart, he still hopes that the Pei family can take root in Xiliang smoothly. If he can take down a piece of territory in the Western Regions this time, Pei Meng's momentum will be unstoppable. After a good run, the Pei family is very hopeful to take root in this land from generation to generation. I have to say that the strategy for the Western Regions formulated by the empress was very far-sighted."