Section 2044: Making Peace

Less than half an hour had passed, and His Majesty the Emperor urgently summoned the Third Prince. It seemed that he had made his own decision in his heart. Several ministers over there also saw in their tents that the Third Prince had passed away. He entered the tent of His Majesty the Emperor. Now the matter is very clear. His Majesty the Emperor wants to compromise with that side. He is reluctant to see any danger in his empire. Of course, the main thing is not to let his seat What changes happened, this is the most important thing, otherwise he will order an attack now, and the people in the Cao's firm will die endlessly.

"Father? But the matter has already been decided?" The third prince said after coming in to greet His Majesty the Emperor. The meaning of these words was also guessing, and he couldn't tell what His Majesty was thinking in his heart. There are some other variables.

"Well, I thought about it, now there are only two of us, father and son, and there is no need to say so many beautiful words. The current situation is like this, and it is very simple. We must first keep the rights in our hands. It seems that I still That's too kind. When I left the capital, I already sorted out the people in the capital. Most of the royal children were driven out of the capital by me, but those old guys were the ones I exposed. Look Come on, I was wrong. I thought that after the young ones left, these old guys would settle down, but they didn't follow what I thought. Just look at the joint letter of the ten princes. They are already fancy I took the seat of Lao Tzu, and your brother and younger brothers in the capital supported me hard. This matter is also a good harvest. You brothers can still clearly distinguish when to fight and when to unite. It’s a blessing among misfortunes, now let’s not talk about this, I will tell you a few words, you sign an agreement with this Li Cong instead of me.” His Majesty said a little tiredly, such things happened quite a lot in history, If he was a little careless, he might boast himself in an all-round way. It would be no good for a person who had been an emperor to be pulled down.

"Father, please tell me, my son will definitely handle this matter well." The third prince said solemnly. He had never seen his old man like this before. There must be something that he can't control. If he could control it, he would definitely not show it in front of his son. From the time when the third prince was young, the emperor gave him the feeling that all the storms were borne by the emperor himself. It is only at this time that he is a father. But now. He felt his father start to panic. This is definitely not a good thing, in fact, he was a little scared in his heart.

"Twenty-five provinces are too few. It is absolutely impossible for us to dispatch so many troops to get that little. Let Li Cong spit out at least 50 provinces. As for his benefits, he will naturally not Without him, some islands in the South China Sea can be handed over to him. Anyway, they are gone now, so I will give it to him, and I can give him the title of duke, and let him help me manage it on the surface. The southern waters, just tell him it’s just a name, we don’t want other taxes or anything, open most of the empire to Cao’s business, he can come in and do all legal business, and the ocean-going fleet is also handed over to He, the condition is that we can end this dispute decently. In addition, if he can provide us with some of those weapons, we can cooperate with him in some depth. For example, we can sell some mining rights in the empire to him. "His Majesty the Emperor is indeed a generation of heroes,

If this kind of thing were replaced by other people, I would definitely not be able to say it. This is already bloodletting myself. The third prince also felt the gap between himself and his father. If he were the emperor, he would definitely not be able to do it With so many sacrifices, he was a little scared at this moment, and he was even a little speechless. The emperor glanced at this kid and shook his head helplessly. He looked very shrewd outside. At this critical moment Why don't you know the trade-offs? If you don't want your child to be unable to trap a wolf, you don't understand this truth. How can you become a superior person? But considering that your son is still so young, it is impossible to know so much.

"Boy, what's the matter? Time is running out, and there is not so much time for you to stay here in a daze. If he has any excessive thoughts, you can think about it and agree." The emperor thought for a while and said, this impromptu decision Emperor Quan has never given it away. What he said before can't catch up with the current sentence. The third prince looked at his father in surprise. In his impression, although his father is old, but He is very conservative about rights, neither his own son nor his brothers have much rights, and now he is given such great rights.

"Hehe, what kind of look is this? Now is the time for us to make concessions. If we don't make concessions, maybe we will be nothing in a few days. We must take advantage of the fact that the army is still in our In your hands, to create such a fake victory, you must first settle the inside if you fight against the outside. We have a lot of things to do, but if we can't end this war right now, we're really doomed." His Majesty the Emperor said with a long breath, feeling really uncomfortable in his heart, an emperor should never I admitted defeat, but now I have to admit defeat.

"My son knows, now go and talk to that Li Cong, and I will definitely give my father back fifty provinces for our empire. It may take a long time to go this time, so don't worry too much about my father." , my son met Li Cong. Although his son's ability to know people is not very good, he can still feel that he also wants to negotiate. He is a businessman and will definitely abide by the businessman's set Yes, he said it nicely, saying that he is a good friend with that boy Linghu. In fact, I think it’s because the price we offered didn’t reach that person’s bottom line. If it did, he probably wouldn’t hesitate " Hearing what his son said, a smile finally appeared on His Majesty's face. I have been cultivating it for decades, no matter what, this kid really did not disappoint me. Being able to say such a thing proves that this kid has really grown up and can analyze some news very well.

"Well, you have to be more careful when you go. This can be regarded as a test for you by your father. If the matter is completed, a county king's hat will definitely be given to you. Among your brothers, except for the crown prince who now has a title, The others don't have titles. I hope you don't let me down." After His Majesty finished speaking, he waved his hand and told him to go out and do business quickly.

Walked out of His Majesty's tent. This guy's heart can't be calm for a long time, and it doesn't have any weight if others say it, but the person who is speaking now is his own father, the emperor of the Eastern Empire. This is completely different. County king? hehe. My starting point is really much higher. According to the rules of the Eastern Empire, as long as the prince reaches the age of twenty, he will have his own title. Move out of the palace, but there must be someone who can get credit for going out. If there is no credit, it will be an earl at most. After leaving the palace, the earl can be said to be all over the street. If his mother is very powerful After you come out, even if you are an earl, no one dares to neglect you, but if your mother is not of such a high status, you may be an earl after you come out, and the prince will be the county king when he was first named. It is definitely a great honor, how could he not do this well with all his heart.

Going back to his camp, the 500 guards of the third prince are already ready. The third prince himself is also an excellent sixth-level archer. There are many archers in this barracks, but they are so young. They are rare, and he does not lack those things like gold, silver and jewelry. Every prince is born with a family property of tens of millions of silver, so they can eat and drink all their lives, but These high-quality magic arrows are not so easy to get, and this thing is a consumable, and it will be gone after it is used up. After using such a good magic arrow, and then using those rubbish ones, my heart is naturally Uncomfortable, the boy Li Cong gave as a gift is also very satisfied.

The third prince glanced at his personal guards. They were all composed of sixth-level fighters. He didn't say anything else. These people have followed him since he was ten years old. Until now, when they followed him, most of them They are all fighters of level three and four, and now the lowest ones are all level six fighters. In the past ten years, I have spent a lot of money on them. If there is not so much medicine supply, they will not It may be that the upgrade is so fast, only ten years have passed the time that others have to go for decades, and they all know clearly that all this was given to them by the third prince, and in their eyes, only This master, other people, including His Majesty the Emperor, cannot order them. Although on the surface they may obey His Majesty's orders, in fact it is definitely not the same thing. They all have their own thinking.

"Set off". The third prince waved his hand and took his people out. Five hundred people were riding on tall horses. Everyone knew very well what they were going to do this time. They also felt very dangerous when they went last time. This time it might be even more dangerous. The last time I met was only people from the Cao’s family firm, but this time there were more people from the Linghu family. The reason was that Li Cong was afraid that there would be problems between himself and Linghu, so he just Let Linghu send someone here, of course, all the decision-making power is still in Li Cong's hands, the person who came is just to help Li Cong's staff, it is said that the person who came is the younger sister of Master Linghu, he The meaning is also very clear, that is, I want to get closer to Li Cong, but such a thing as a kiss is not very useful in the face of specific interests.

The city gate was opened again, and it was the second time in this day that the city gate was opened. The speed of the Eastern Empire's work is also very fast, and there is no bureaucratic thinking at all. If it was like this in the past It takes a few months to decide on important things. Now there is no need for so much time, and no one is asked to discuss this matter. I don't dare to give opinions. If this kind of thing is right, it may not have much credit, but if it is wrong, it will be the fault of the Jiuzu. As a prince, I dare not say anything about this matter. I can only let the emperor himself do this thing. But obviously he did it very quickly.

The army of the Eastern Empire withdrew ten miles, which was what was agreed at the beginning. Otherwise, if the city gate opened and the other side would rush over, this matter would be difficult to handle. The third prince took his five Hundreds of people have entered the city. Originally, some people in the city did not allow the third prince to bring so many people. Like last time, dozens of people are enough, but Li Cong didn't have so many ideas. Is there any difference between an individual and five hundred people? If there are five hundred eighth-level fighters, it may not work. But five hundred sixth-level fighters. It's really nothing, not to mention anything else, it's very easy for the few monsters I brought to solve them, if it doesn't work. And myself. Li Cong hasn't made a move in person for a long time. However, he concluded that the people of the Eastern Empire would never be so stupid, and now is their time of life and death.

The third prince knew a little bit about this city, and after entering the city, he walked along the main street towards the City Lord's Mansion. It’s as if this city has never experienced war, and even some strategic materials on the market have not increased in price. All of this is caused by Li Cong. The ability to support it, thinking of this guy here can only be thankful that they chose to cooperate, otherwise I don't know how much I will suffer, and I would not do such a thing myself.

Li Cong came out to greet him this time, and we have to cooperate with him, so naturally there is no need to put on that air, and he came so soon, I just lost some face, but I will definitely With practical benefits, it seems that I made the right decision to help the people of the Linghu family guard the city this time. There is indeed someone from the Linghu family, and this one is Linghu's younger sister. Hu Jia, a beautiful girl from the Linghu family, although she can't be considered the most beautiful in the huge Linghu family, she can definitely be ranked in the top three. In fact, this woman is not only powerful because of her looks, but also because of her looks. The most important thing is this woman's brain. His brain can be said to be very powerful. Li Cong can feel it after a few words with her. This woman's calculation level is similar to that of Master Linghu. Fortunately, This is also a woman. If this is a boy, it is hard to say what the Linghu family is like now.

"Let me introduce. In fact, we are not very familiar with the relationship between the two of you, but now I can only reluctantly introduce each other to you. Maybe you have met each other in the imperial capital before, but Now we meet on this new occasion, we are here to negotiate, the third prince of the Eastern Empire, Linghu Jia of the Linghu family." Li Cong said with a smile, the reason he said this was as if he was a middleman Similarly, the third prince felt very comfortable with Li Cong's words, but although the Linghu family felt uncomfortable, they still didn't show it on their faces. They nodded generously to the third prince. They had met him in the capital before. Several times, but they are not very familiar with each other. The identities of the two parties are basically the same, but the two parties have no interests, so there is no need to talk.

"I've heard that the Linghu family has beauties, and today it seems that the reputation is indeed well-deserved. Mr. Cao, I heard that Linghu is ready to hand over the beauty in front of you. I'm really envious." The third prince whispered on the road. Li Cong said to Li Cong that the performance was very intimate. This kind of intimacy was a bit too much for their relationship, but Li Cong didn't say anything, just a slight smile on his face. I always want to stay away from the thorny roses, otherwise I will be the one who will be hurt. Such a girl pretends more to be a right than to live a good life. How can I treat such a woman? Anyone who is interested, but also knows that if he refuses this gift, that kid Linghu probably won't fall asleep all night, especially during this negotiation.

The three of them called out their entourage and started the most important negotiation in the original city lord's study. The court couldn't afford it anymore, so the third prince spoke first. For Li Cong They agreed to the proposal, but demanded that the land to be relinquished should be increased. Twenty-five provinces were absolutely not enough. He asked for 60 provinces. In fact, he only wanted 50 provinces. Just leave a certain amount of space. Li Cong also knows this very well, so he directly paid back a price of 50. Of course, he also gave the imperial court an extra step, that is, their army would create a loophole and flee in the face of the wind, and the Linghu family's army would lose millions of people. This kind of acting is still very good. Although Linghujia wanted to talk several times, she held back when she thought of what her brother said. In this life, she didn't think much of others. My brother is considered a talent. The Li Cong in front of him can be regarded as one. Under such a disadvantage, he can still keep the city undefeated, and he can even force the court to sign such an alliance under the city. It really made her feel a little strange. I really don't know how this guy did it.

Both parties want to talk about this negotiation for the better. Half an hour later, the basic treaty was formed, and the Linghu family promised not to establish another empire within ten years, nor would they publicly declare rebellion. It is even possible to hand over some of the family's children to the imperial court. The imperial court also promised not to kill these people, but to lock them up. The remaining 50 provinces still belong to the Linghu family. The premise is that the Linghu family will not act recklessly. If they act recklessly, then I'm sorry. The court also has its own tolerance limit. Of course, Li Cong will not forget his own interests , I have been busy for a while, of course I have my own harvest.

In order to avoid problems that may arise between the two sides, such as friction and the like, all 36 counties and cities in the border areas of the two sides are regarded as neutral areas, and are managed by the people of Cao's business firm. Of course, the officials and the like They were sent by the imperial court and the Linghu family. They were only responsible for the public security of the city. Both parties understood that these dozens of cities might become the same as the dozens of cities along the coast. I don't believe in the Linghu family, and the Linghu family doesn't believe in the imperial court, so they can only let Li Cong's people defend, but each city can only have 50,000 troops stationed, and the Cao family business will support these people for taxation That's it, the two sides will discuss the final solution to this matter after ten years.

On the surface, the tax revenue of the area occupied by the Linghu family should be given to the imperial court in a certain percentage, and they did not object to it. In fact, everyone knows this. They will really give you money? That's a big mistake, it's absolutely impossible, the Linghu family wanted two county towns in the southern coastal area as their outlets to the sea, originally the imperial court didn't want to agree to this matter, but thought it had already agreed to Li Cong The Cao's firm can operate its own business in most areas, so it doesn't make much sense to control the Linghu family. It's better to be a good person, so this is agreed, and they also know that this is the Linghu family It is an important channel for people to contact Cao's House of Commerce, and some things from Cao's House of Commerce will be shipped in here.

One is Li Cong's own problem. The imperial court gave him the title of duke and built him a duke's mansion in the capital. Now Li Cong occupies more than a dozen cities on the southern coast and a large number of islands in the southern coast. Yes, it is legally determined that these things belong to Cao's house, but Li Cong will not be able to occupy other people's places everywhere in the future. Li Cong also agrees with this, in fact, he has eaten so much now It just so happens that I need a certain amount of time to digest it. Anyway, the power is in my own hands. It is very easy to tear up this agreement whenever I want. There will be absolutely no obstacles. Most people will follow me of doing things the same way.

Li Cong didn't care much about dukes. There were a lot of aristocrats in the Eastern Empire. There were eighty dukes if there were no one hundred. One more than himself was not much, and one less than himself was quite a lot. In fact, Li Cong understood this too. It's a bit wrong, there are many nobles, but there are not many nobles with their own fiefdoms, and Li Cong's duke can be hereditary, and other nobles will have to be replaced by their sons when they reach the generation of their sons. Being downgraded to one level, Li Cong still has a lot of benefits, but what he wants is the whole world, and the title of a duke is naturally out of his eyes.

"Our affairs are basically discussed. I don't know if Mr. Cao has time to talk to me alone. I have some things to talk to Mr. Cao. Don't worry, it has absolutely nothing to do with the Linghu family. Relationship is a matter for both of us. I wonder if Miss Linghu can avoid it for a while? I know it is very impolite for a lady to avoid it, but what we are talking about next is of great importance. And it is absolutely up to you It doesn't matter." When the two parties finalized some negotiation details, the third prince said suddenly that neither Li Cong nor Linghu Jia had thought of what this guy wanted to do.

"Hmph, I don't want to know about your affairs yet. I know what you're planning. Mr. Cao, Xiao Jia will go down first." Linghu Jia also understood that she could not continue to come here. If Li Cong made it clear If he objected, he could be here, but now he has no objection, if he doesn't know how to praise and continues to be here. It may be offensive to two people. I am not a fool, I would never do such a thing.

Li Cong nodded, and Linghu Jia went out. Of course Li Cong knew what the man in front of him was going to say. If it has nothing to do with the Linghu family. It will definitely have something to do with your weapon. If the war in front of him can end, he will naturally retire a large number of weapons, especially the chain crossbow. At least hundreds of thousands can be spent, and it’s enough to give them to them when the time comes, but the service life is stipulated, and you can’t get the springs, so why don’t you come to buy it with us? Certainly, you cannot be cheap.

"If His Highness the Third Prince has something to say, just say it directly." Li Cong said.

"Hehe, just what I told you last time, Mr. Cao also has his own news system in our empire. We are not stable in the capital. This time, the emperor's army lost a lot, so we have to strengthen our The combat effectiveness of the army is already high, so I wonder if you can sell us some weapons and so on, you can just say what price, we will never bargain, and we also know that these things are not cheap." Very straightforward, after dealing with Li Cong for so long, I naturally know who this guy is.

Weaponry? Li Cong knew that this guy would definitely mention this matter to him, but he didn't expect to tell him about this situation so early. Isn't it a bit too early? Now the two parties have signed something like a letter of intent. In the future, the emperor of the Eastern Empire will have to use the jade seal himself to complete it. Li Cong is a little unsure about bringing it up now, but Li Cong also understands that this is also a sincerity of the other party. From the peace talks, naturally they would not propose to buy weapons, and they also showed their weaknesses.

"Your Highness, to tell you the truth, I don't have many weapons. You have seen the wars these days. I have really consumed a lot here. If it is a small amount, it is fine, but if it is more I guess it’s a bit difficult for me here.” Before I figured out the specific things, the important thing is that I didn’t see the price they gave me. Why did Li Cong say that? A certain modification, even the crossbows used are not something that exists in this era. Li Cong set the crossbows to a certain size. Only with the help of a tool used by Cao's business can the crossbows be made well. It can only be used by the chain crossbow, and other manufactured ones are not unusable, but let’s not talk about the quasi-head. This kind of tool is also made by the Cao’s firm from the earth, just like a mold, so It is said that this arms sale is absolutely necessary. If it is done well, this can ensure that the Cao family firm will not need to worry about its own safety for a long time. The big empires will not be stupid when they buy their own weapons Of course, they may research it after many years have passed, but by that time, Cao's Commercial Bank will have some new weapons, and this will be outdated.

"That's right, the war has just ended, and I'm a little impatient. I definitely don't need a large number of them, and I don't need much. I just need 5,000 chain crossbows. According to my observations, the number of crossbows on the battlefield here is too high." There are at least hundreds of thousands of them, so it should be no problem to give us 5,000, and the price is easy to talk about, Mr. Cao just ask the price directly." The third prince didn't mention the shells and grenades at all, he knew that Li Cong They definitely won’t give it to him. This is also for sure. If they take it, the explosives in it can be easily researched. If you get it out, although you can’t get the shells, but Things like explosive kits must have been produced, so we will not leave this matter to you, at most we will give you some chain crossbows. Of course, Li Cong will also gradually manipulate the contents of the grenade. Adding some other chemical substances will not affect his power, but just make them more complicated. Sometimes it is good to complicate simple problems, but That is also a matter for the future, it cannot be done now, it is a matter of pure helplessness for the Linghu family, and now they are about to be defeated. Naturally, there is not so much thought to study this. If Li Cong would not have dared to give it to them before, all the grenades would have to be taken back later, otherwise he would have his own troubles.

5000 chain crossbows? This number is not very large. It is estimated that they saw some things about Young Master Linghu in the capital, so they did things like that. They also saw the results of those 5,000 people to think so. Otherwise they wouldn't have done it. One by one will definitely have other ideas, and the price must be very high.

"If there is only such a small quantity, this matter is negotiable. If the army on my side does not fight, I can give it to you, but the price is not low. My cost for each price of these things must be in For more than 600 taels of silver, the price of each bow and arrow is 500 Wen." Li Cong thought for a while and said, opening his mouth wide open. Of course, this price is not such a small batch, it must be in the future They will still ask for it in large quantities, and the price is more than a hundred times higher. What kind of things can make money with this, this transaction is of course trivial, but in the future, the Eastern Empire will definitely have a large number of purchases. We are not afraid when we are on the battlefield. Your crossbow arrows are not as far as ours. This is a trick, and your endurance is not as strong as ours. You will know when the time comes.

"The price is not a problem. It's just that we want 5,000 pieces in the first phase, and next time we hope to get 500,000. I wonder if Mr. Cao can satisfy us with this amount? Of course, apart from these monetary transactions, We have other good things that are cheap for Mr. Cao. We know that Mr. Cao’s navy is very powerful at sea. The southeastern coastal areas we have traveled from east to west are very rich areas. Presumably your navy was also very rich in the past. I've been here, how about a coastal province as our thank you gift? As long as Master Cao's army can attack here, then this province will be Lord Cao's fief from now on, and the imperial court will not ask for it here every year. One tiny bit." This guy actually said such a thing, let an outsider attack his own territory, this matter is not very clear to Li Cong, and his intuition told himself that the matter is not that simple.

500,000 serial crossbows is easy to say. We have a lot of these things here, that is, hundreds of millions of silver. I just didn't expect this guy to give me such a condition. I must not lose my mind in the face of temptation. If I really If you lose your mind, you will be no different from a fool. Maybe this is a pit, but now anything can happen. The person in front of you is not even your friend. desperately.

"Hehe, don't you have to explain this matter a little bit more clearly? I really don't think it makes any sense. Why do you people from the Eastern Empire want an outsider like me to attack your territory? Doesn't it make people feel uncomfortable when you say this? It's so unbelievable, I don't understand this matter, and generally speaking, I won't attack decisively when I don't understand." Li Cong thought for a while and said, his words also made the third prince look up to Li Cong again At a glance, such a big temptation, he can even refuse a coastal province, such a person is indeed very remarkable, and such a person is very good to be his supporter.

"Of course I want to make it clear that the royal family in our empire is the most powerful. In the past, apart from my father, it was the Linghu family. Now that the Linghu family is gone, the next one is my third uncle. My third uncle can be said to be a strange figure in the entire empire. He doesn't care about the affairs of the court at all. Of course, it can be proved that the reason why he doesn't care is because this guy is dormant. He actually cares about these things very much. , Now that the empire is in danger, he stepped forward, of course not to solve the problem for my father, but this guy wants to replace my father, he doesn't know that we have become friends with Mr. Cao, My father is going to give this guy a hard blow. The province on the coast is his biggest source of financial income and base camp. Now it is all yours. It is conservatively estimated that there is a lot of wealth on it. My third uncle is in China. I don’t know if Mr. Cao is satisfied with such an explanation?” The third prince feels a little uncomfortable when he thinks of his fat third uncle, this guy usually hides it too well, but now Something happened to the empire, and they jumped out immediately. If they wanted to be at odds with the emperor, it was said that they had already started recruiting troops in the capital.

If the war continues, it may be an extravagant hope for them to go back. His third uncle will definitely control the capital in a short time, and then use His Majesty's defeat to attack His Majesty the Emperor. There will also be a large number of rebels. At that time, the Eastern Empire will really change hands. No one can bear this kind of thing. If it weren't for his jumping too much, the emperor of the Eastern Empire would not be willing to let such a A piece of fat was handed over to Li Cong. It is said that this guy's family property is more than trillions of silver. There are too many people who are greedy.

"Hehe, there is no problem with this explanation, it's just that Mr. Cao eats too much of so many things, that's it, 20 airships for your royal family to use for two years, 500,000 serial crossbows, each equipped with 300 crossbow arrows, When I gave it to you, no, I paid tribute to His Majesty the Emperor." Li Cong said with a smile, he got a benefit, and he just said a few good words, and there is nothing to say about the rest Yes, the third prince is also happy that Li Cong is so sensible. What the court wants is face, what Li Cong wants is benefits, and can unplug the foundation of the prince. It can be said that both parties have obtained what they want. Yes, the Eastern Empire really can't stand the toss now, and it must take a good rest for a while. It is estimated that it will be ten years from the contract. After ten years, it will not be what it is now, at least The emperor of the Eastern Empire would not have swallowed this breath at that time. If there is no adaptation, no matter it is the Linghu family or Li Cong, their life will not be easy. At that time, Li Cong needs to worry about it. Only ten years. (To be continued..)