ebookland Chapter 240 Peace Talks
Chapter 240 Peace Talks
In order to facilitate peace talks, the emperor, the prime minister and others were incredibly weak and offered to cede the city. If it were not for the strong opposition of Prince Li, a veteran minister of three dynasties and the most respected elder among the royal family, the emperor would have signed a fifty-year non-aggression treaty at the cost of ceding thirty counties north of Jizhou and paying a compensation of one million taels of silver.
Fortunately, Prince Li is here to negotiate.
Prince Li ignored the presence of the envoy from Qi State and was so angry that he immediately rushed to the Minister of War Kuang Limin who made this suggestion, grabbed him and started fighting.
Kuang Limin never expected that a prince of this age would actually take action in front of outsiders. Isn't this a disgrace to the Qi Kingdom?
He didn't dare fight back.
Prince Li has a special status, and his status and prestige in the royal family are extremely high. He is also old. If he fights back and causes harm, he cannot bear the consequences.
Kuang Limin had no choice but to run away holding his head. His court robes were torn into strips, and his face was slapped several times. One of his eyes was bruised, and the corner of his mouth was swollen. The Qi Kingdom envoy was stunned.
When they first heard the news, they also felt a little unbelievable, but then they were overjoyed. If such a contract could really be negotiated, then they would not be envoys who endured humiliation and endured heavy burdens, but great heroes.
You know, the Shang State's Ghost-faced General killed their military commander and defeated their 200,000 elite soldiers. Now the Qi State is seriously injured.
When they traveled to the Shang Kingdom, their emperor gave them the bottom line of ceding 17 counties in the south and trying to reach a peace treaty of more than 20 years so that the Qi Kingdom could recuperate and make a comeback.
But watching this farce, they became uncertain again.
Did they hear it wrongly?
Or is it that the Minister of War is having a hysterical episode?
How could there be such a condition? If it weren't for such a condition, why would the white-haired old man suddenly attack his own people?
Several envoys from Qi State looked at each other, and after exchanging glances, they had something in mind.
Wait!
It was obvious that the Shang State had different opinions, and there must be one of their own people manipulating it, and that person was of high status. Who knows, in the end, their own people won.
In this way, Qi State not only does not have to cede 17 counties, but can get 30 counties and one million taels of silver for free. They would never dare to dream of such a good thing!
So they were not in a hurry to negotiate and agreed to continue the talks in three days.
When he learned that this was also the emperor's intention, Prince Li's white hair seemed to grow even more. He looked up to the sky and sighed: "Shang's misfortune! Our ancestors are ashamed!"
Afterwards, he did not agree to compromise, but opposed it even more fiercely. At the early morning court session the next day, he questioned the emperor in front of all the court officials.
"The soldiers at the front fought bloody battles and repelled the invasions of Qi State. What was it for? Wasn't it to protect the territory of Shang State and the people of Shang State? Obviously, our country has the upper hand now, but you want to cede thirty counties in one go and compensate one million taels of silver. Why?"
The emperor's dirty little thoughts were suddenly revealed in the court, and he was immediately furious.
Prince Li has always been very conscious of current affairs. Since he took power, Prince Li has played a great role in helping him stabilize the government. It can be said that if it were not for Prince Li's help, it would take at least another ten years for him to truly exercise the power of the emperor and become a true monarch, and it might not even be possible.
However, Prince Li, who had made such a great contribution, did not take any credit for it.
Afterwards, he retired and took the initiative to hand over the power in his hands, becoming a carefree prince of the royal family.
The emperor had remembered his kindness before, and since the peace talks involved two countries, a royal relative had to come and maintain order.
The emperor thought that Prince Li was both knowledgeable and capable, and that if he were to negotiate, things would surely go smoothly.
But Prince Keli was so bold that not only did he disrupt the peace talks on the spot, he also dared to question the emperor in front of all the civil and military officials at the morning court.
A sharp-faced courtier jumped out and rebuked: "Prince Li, how can you speak to the emperor like this? The emperor is the ruler of a country, and his decisions have their own profound meanings. You are so rude, isn't it unworthy of a minister?"
"That's right. How can you question His Majesty's decision at will? You are disrespecting your king and father, and committing treason!"
Prince Li was furious. His white beard was trembling. He pointed at the emperor and asked, "Is all this what the emperor wants? In the eyes of the emperor, can we give away the thirty counties of Shang and one million taels of silver? How many people in these thirty counties will become remnants from now on? Will they look south to Shang or north to Qi? The kingdom built by the ancestors of the Jing family and the border land that the princess defended with her life, do you want to give it away?"
He shouted angrily: "How dare you!"
She even dared to mention the eldest princess in front of him: "How dare you be so rude to me, do you still have the king in your eyes?"
Prince Li was furious, his eyes were wide open, his back was straight despite his white hair, "My soldiers on the frontier of Shang fought bloody battles, and only with the advantage gained through blood and flesh fighting did Qi take the initiative to seek peace. This is the time for us to consolidate the fruits of victory and let Qi see that I have improved the country's prestige. Now it is our turn to propose the conditions, but you have instructed the Minister of War Kuang Limin to humiliate and sell out the country. Are you worthy of being a king?"
These are quite serious words.
The emperor's face turned livid with anger, and his hands tightly grasped the armrests, his knuckles turning white. His eyes burned with anger, and he shouted angrily: "Prince Li has disregarded the imperial order and has no respect for the emperor. Come, drag him away!"
Yuan Taifu stepped out and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, although Prince Li's words were harsh, his loyalty is evident. This matter may still require some consideration, and I hope Your Majesty will think twice. The battles on the border are not easy, and the contributions of the soldiers are indelible. We should put the interests of the country first and properly handle the peace talks with Qiguo."
Pei Hongmiao, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, also stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Li has been loyal to the emperor and patriotic throughout his life, and has made great military achievements for our Shang State. His harsh words this time are also out of concern for the country. I hope Your Majesty will not punish him for his past achievements."
Dugu Yun, the Minister of Imperial Households, said, "Your Majesty is wise and only a minister dares to speak out. Although Prince Li's words and deeds are inappropriate, he has a sincere heart for the country. Your Majesty, calm down! After all, this is all for the peace talks between Shang and Qi. This matter is of great importance. Why not gather all the ministers to discuss a comprehensive plan together? What do you think?"
The emperor's expression looked a little better. He was not a wise and enlightened monarch. On the contrary, he was petty and suspicious, but he still cared about his reputation.
Originally, he was going to let the Minister of War take full responsibility for the peace talks. If no one complained, the matter would be over. If someone complained, he would first demote the Minister of War by three levels, and then find an opportunity to promote him again.
But Prince Keli's disturbance in the court directly tore off his fig leaf.
He hated it very much in his heart, but pretended to be calm: "Prince Li, do you know your crime?"