Chapter 259: Fight for Rewards
On March 24, Prince Gong and his party heard the news that the negotiations were over as soon as they arrived in Wangping.
Prince Gong was in a daze. Did Lu Desheng negotiate so fast? Then he slapped his thigh and said that the late emperor was wrong. Lu Desheng should not be allowed to be the censor. Instead, he should be placed in Honglu Temple to deal with foreigners!
The subordinates looked at each other in confusion, and then asked him for instructions, "Your Majesty, are we still going to Houcheng?"
"Go!" It's coming!
Not only Prince Gong and his party were surprised by Lu Desheng's efficiency, but Jiang and his party were all honored after hearing about the success of the negotiations.
For example, family members like the Xu family who were persuaded by their son to move their family to Liaodong County for the sake of their son's future felt really relieved when they heard the good news.
Liaodong County and even Pingzhou are not safe. Xianbei goes south almost every year, not to mention that Houcheng borders the Xianbei grassland, which is even more dangerous. Along the way, they were secretly worried about this.
Now Mr. Lu has just arrived in Houcheng and has solved this big problem. It's great.
At least for the next three years, they don't have to worry about getting involved in the war. As for three years from now? Let’s talk again. Perhaps Mr. Lu can negotiate a peace treaty by then? Families think optimistically.
As the deeds of Lord Lu Deshenglu spread, he gradually gained the reputation of a famous person.
Many knowledgeable people or people who are well-read in poetry and books began to travel to Liaodong County with great expenses, hoping to witness the elegance of the famous scholar Lu Desheng. Anyway, it's very safe there now.
They either go alone or in groups, but without exception, they are very relaxed.
Looking at this scene, some hermits murmured, "There are experts in Liaodong County."
In the Dali court, Emperor Song Mo looked at the memorial from Pingzhou Governor Shi Tao and Lu Desheng's request for merit. After the initial excitement passed, he sighed deeply.
It would be great if the person who achieved great results in the negotiations with Xianbei was not Lu Desheng.
This Lu Desheng is really lucky. In such a dangerous situation, he did not suffer any loss, but actually made meritorious deeds. He was really lucky.
Zuo Anmin glanced at the emperor and said tentatively, "Your Majesty, Lu Desheng, a small county magistrate, dares to take the lead in negotiations with Xianbei. Isn't this standard not enough?"
Zhang Xian stopped as soon as he heard this, "Mr. Zuo, didn't you hear what the Pingzhou Governor said just now? Because the person who delivered the letter had an accident, the Pingzhou Governor and the county magistrate did not attend the agreed negotiation time, so he came to Lu County Ling took it upon himself to do it so beautifully, so he should be rewarded.”
Zuo Anmin did not argue with him, but said to Song Mo, "Lu Desheng's matter was handled well, but Your Majesty, I think that if Lu Desheng delays the negotiation and waits for someone with a higher status to come to preside over it, Will the outcome of the negotiation be better?”
Zhang Xian heard this and sneered, "Master Zuo, have you ever thought about it, even if things develop as you said, Xianbei promises ten years, do we dare to believe it?"
Zuo Anmin clearly wants to weaken Mr. Lu's role and contribution in this negotiation. With him here, don't even think about it!
Zuo Anmin choked.
Song Mo didn't feel upset when he listened to the quarrel between the two ministers. At this time, his face was slightly red and excited.
This was the signing of the peace treaty between Dali and the Xianbei royal court in the first year of his ascension to the throne. This event will be recorded in the history of Dali and can be regarded as one of his achievements as emperor.
In addition, this incident can also confirm from the side that he is the true destiny of the emperor.
Song Mo was excited but also a little regretful, and he even sighed.
Zhang Xian's heart tightened and he whispered, "Your Majesty, what deserves a reward should still be rewarded."
"I know."
Hearing this, Zuo Anmin shut up angrily.
Zhang Xian said quickly, "Your Majesty is wise."
Song Mo nodded. Not long ago, he had someone sort out the imperial examination relics and found a family heirloom book - "Emperor's Mind". He read it for several days and was greatly inspired.
He finally understood what it meant to say, "The emperor is ordered by Heaven to rule all the people on behalf of Heaven."
"The Art of the Emperor" makes it very clear that the royal family is committed to maintaining order and ethics because these two are the cornerstones of its rule.
Merits are rewarded, mistakes are punished.
Otherwise, if the order is disordered, the people below will be at a loss as to what to do, which will be detrimental to the governance of the country.
Therefore, Lu Desheng deserves the reward this time. Lu Desheng was demoted and sent out, from imperial censor to a small county magistrate. Now it doesn't hurt to give him a promotion.
When Zhang Xian saw the emperor take out the jade seal and put a big seal on Mr. Lu's reward document, he felt relieved.
Hainan County, Panyu
Xie Zhan was checking the news about Liaodong County in his study at home.
At this moment, two clan elders, Xie Qian and Xie Yuan, and the younger generation Xie Nan and Xie Bai were also present. They are now the core members of the Xie clan and are mainly responsible for handling the general affairs of the Xie Di clan. Xie Zhan's current focus is on the Chen family, and it is inevitable that the Xie family will not take care of it.
A few days ago, Xie Zhan and Chen Baozhu held a simple and solemn wedding.
These days, with Xie Zhan's efforts, Chen Jiaye handed over the intelligence collection to him.
After Xie Zhan took over, he immediately increased investment in manpower in Liaodong County.
In the past few days, a steady stream of news has come back from Liaodong County via waterways.
The news that Houcheng successfully negotiated and signed a three-year peace treaty reached Xie Zhan as quickly as possible.
Looking at the information in his hand, Xie Zhan knew that the Qin and Lu families not only survived the disaster safely, but also showed good fortune in their death.
After reading the letter, Xie Zhan handed it to Xie Qian, Xie Yuan and others, and said by the way, "The negotiations in Houcheng are over. Lv Desheng, the new county magistrate of Houcheng, signed a three-year peace treaty with the Xianbei royal court in just two days."
The news of negotiations in Houcheng had been heard before.
Xie Yuan, Xie Qian and others were shocked when they heard it, "How could it be so fast?"
Yes, how could it be so fast? At this time, Xie Zhan, with this question in mind, spread out all the information he had collected about Liaodong County, studied and researched them one by one. He always felt that the negotiations were full of weirdness.
"Such a negotiation speed is rare." Xie Yuan found it incredible.
Xie Qian echoed on the side, "Isn't it? It's like it has been negotiated long ago, and it's just a formality."
Xie Nan asked, "Master, do you think it is possible that Lv Desheng and others colluded with the Xianbei royal court?"
Xie Zhan has been thinking about this problem. In a real negotiation, the opinions and demands of both parties cannot be agreed so quickly.
Unless someone can accurately grasp the psychology of the highest decision-makers of both sides, or collude with the Xianbei...
Xie Zhan immediately denied the latter speculation, "It's impossible. First of all, the Qin family has been stationed in the northern border for generations. Many of the Qin family's sons died in the northern border. They hate foreigners and it is impossible to collude with the Xianbei. Secondly, Lu Songli will not leave such a fatal handle." The national justice point must not be wrong.
Excluding the second point, only the first point remains.
Xie Zhan looked at the peace contract again and tried to consider the issue from the perspective of the Qin and Lu families.
In Xie Zhan's view, the signed peace treaty is very empty. If you think about it more deeply, it is actually a kind of exchange.
The Xianbei royal court rescued Tuoba Lian without any effort: the emperor got a false name and merits: Lu Desheng relied on this peace treaty to seek huge benefits.
This is a game!
Xie Zhan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the negotiations ended so quickly!
This opportunity is fleeting. If the speed is not fast, there will be no Qin and Lu families.
Xie Zhan sighed lightly. Lu Songli's insight and grasp of human hearts have gone a step further. After all, the thoughts of Tuoba Khan and Song Mo, the emperor, are not something that ordinary people can guess.
With Xie Zhan's explanation, Xie Yuan and others understood that Lu Desheng and others did not collude with the Xianbei royal court, but reached a tacit cooperation. Each party has benefited, and people can't catch the handle.
The information was passed among the four people. After everyone read it, they looked at each other in silence.
After a long time, "Now, the Qin family and the Lu family have established a firm foothold in Liaodong County."
And the Qin family has the protection of Lu Desheng, a relative, which is much better than their Xie and Zhao families.
Xie Qian, Xie Yuan and others felt very uncomfortable. In the past, Lu Desheng was a troublemaker, but now Lu Desheng alone has supported a world for the Qin and Lu families.
Xie Zhan didn't care about the thoughts of Xie Yuan and others.
He took up the pen, thought for a moment, crossed out Zheng Xun, and wrote the words Liaodong County Governor above Lv Desheng's head.
He knew that the emperor would definitely reward Lv Desheng in the court, and it would be difficult for the emperor to refuse such a merit that could be recorded in history books.
Xie Zhan knew that he was one step behind the Qin and Lv families in Liaodong County, but he was not in a hurry. His plan was progressing slowly. When it succeeds, it will not be worse than the current Qin and Lv families. Moreover, he has secretly sent out several outstanding young people in the family, which is a backup plan.