The current core of power in the Ryukyu Kingdom is these four people in the circle. Needless to say, King Shangtai belongs to others. Jin Changsen and Lin Yuanmiao are the heads of the civil service. As long as they agree on their opinions, they will no longer be in the court. There are objections.
Cai Mao is the head of the Ryukyu native military attachés. The brothers who were left behind by the Imperial Guards in the past and the new Ryukyu native troops recruited in large numbers are still very loyal to him.
Liang Kun belongs to an outside force and is a direct descendant of Xiao Letian after Xiao Hexin, Sima Yun and others. What he now joins forces with shopkeeper Fan Jian is to protect Xiao Letian's interests.
In this kind of high-level meeting to decide the fate of the Ryukyu Kingdom, people should not forget the old shopkeeper Fan Yan. After all, the super financial trust Lotte & Yang Co. has firmly controlled the economic lifeline of the Ryukyu Kingdom. But it is a pity that the old shopkeeper has no official status after all. He had no right to participate in such a meeting.
Three of the four people now have a tendency to negotiate, which makes Liang Kun very annoyed. He can't get angry even if he wants to. After all, they didn't say surrender. They just wanted to listen first. No one can say that this request is reasonable. What comes.
But Liang Kun knew very well that once the negotiations started, the morale of the military and the people would be pried open. Under the threat of life and death, the military and the people could work together to fight against a powerful enemy. After all, it would be a certain death situation if there was no fight at that time. But now, people have seen it. With a little glimmer of hope, when people suddenly feel that peace can be obtained without dying, how can people's hearts not be moved?
"Your Majesty, I have one condition. If you see this messenger, you must not let the people see it." Liang Kun could only add this sentence at the end.
"Okay, just do as the general said." After King Shangtai made the decision, the soldiers immediately got busy. After a while, in an open space outside the valley, more than 300 soldiers held torches high and surrounded them in a long queue. There are two layers of cordon, and inside is a temporary reception area.
Half an hour later, more than a dozen new soldiers escorted a wretched man holding a white flag up the mountain road. Under the light of the torch, the man's face showed no trace of fear, but a look of cynicism.
"Hiss...it's a water dog. How did this bastard become the envoy of the French?" Someone among the vigilant soldiers subconsciously shouted out.
Cai Mao's ears were very sharp. "Who, who is talking... Suzuki Tai, you know this person, come out..." The soldier named Suzuki Tai trotted up to the general and gave a new military salute.
"Report to the general, I know this man. He is a Chinese pirate... When I was making a living at sea, I once cooperated with him in a business. This man is so cruel and ruthless that no one will be left alive in any business he handles. …”
Suzuki Tai was a pirate. During the Naha uprising led by Xiao Letian, it was because of Nohira Tai's matchmaking that these pirates successfully whitewashed themselves and became members of the new army, and their future positions It won't be low, and there will be no problem getting on a battleship.
"There has been no news about water dogs at sea in the past few years. We thought this guy was dead, but we didn't expect that he would appear here today..."
Water Dog walked over with a smile. He had a really good memory and recognized Tai Suzuki at a glance. "Hey, old acquaintance, aren't you Tai Suzuki from Shikoku? Haha, it turns out that you have also been cleared. Congratulations."
Shuigou raised his hand and saluted his old acquaintance, but at this time, Suzuki Tai's heart was filled with the pride of the new army by Xiao Letian. He raised his chin and casually returned a new military salute, which made Shuigou's triangle eyes twitch.
"Tsk tsk... You are so powerful and domineering. You really are so powerful and domineering. You made Prime Minister Xiao act like this. You are no worse than the foreign Japanese soldiers. Look at this military uniform. You can even use the Western military salute. Tsk tsk tsk..."
The water dog was joking, but the light hidden in his eyes couldn't deceive anyone. He really envied Suzuki Tai. He never expected that the pirates who drank and robbed together would actually change their temperament from the inside out. He must be prouder than a foreign soldier.
"You are the messenger, and I am Cai Mao. If you have anything to say, you can tell me." Cai Mao said coldly when he saw the water dog walking in.
"Oh...it's General Cai. I'm going to salute you..." As he spoke, he bowed down in a standard Manchu etiquette. His posture should be as respectful as possible, and his face should have a flattering smile. As brilliant as it is brilliant.
Shui Gou's sudden change of attitude caught Cai Hao off guard. Although Ryukyu was deeply influenced by Confucianism, he didn't learn much from the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's slave mentality, and the etiquette between monarchs and ministers was not so cheap.
"Uh... Your Majesty, please wake up. Time is precious, so you should explain it clearly..."
"Well... I obey the general's order. My master said that the terms of the negotiation must be stated in front of His Majesty. The matter is serious, so please forgive me..."
Looking at that flattering face, Cai Hao was either angry or not angry. In the end, he could only lead him inside to see King Shang Tai. When King Shang Tai's face appeared in front of the water dog under the torch, he said nothing. Throw away the white flag and kneel three times and kowtow respectfully.
"Long live your majesty, long live, long live your majesty, foreign ministers bow to your majesty."
The soldiers didn't know where to find a chair for King Shangtai to sit on. The young king had already experienced two large-scale wars and was a man who had seen the world. He knew that the more respectful the messenger was, the more likely the terms of the negotiation would be. The more demanding it is.
"Pingsheng, please tell me if you have any conditions. I still want to comfort my subjects."
"Your Majesty is truly an eternal wise king, and the people of Ryukyu are blessed... Your Majesty, the foreign minister has been assigned to Mr. Gong Chenggong. This time he comes with the sincerity of peace. I would like to congratulate Your Majesty in advance. This battle has been fought so far. It’s over.”
"Yeah." King Shang Tai and the four of them whispered at the same time, "What do you mean, what do you want to say."
"Your Majesty, gentlemen... This is really great news. The French have been fighting for these four days and are almost running out of ammunition and food. Although the British sold a shipload of arms to the French, it is not enough. It’s useful, today’s round of shelling is the end of the line..."
"Really or not." King Shang Tai stood up immediately. "Who are you on the other end? What do you want Gong Cheng to do?"
Shuigou smiled and said, "Of course my master is on the other side of Ryukyu and us. People in the world say that my master is traitorous to the country. In fact, it is not the case. My master is patriotic... Think about it, if it were not for my master to force the Qing Dynasty." After signing the agreement, God knows how many more years Beijing will be occupied, and God knows how many more people will die."
"Hey...my master is trying his best to gain notoriety, but there are countless people alive. Today, he can't bear to see the people of Ryukyu sinking into fire and water and making unnecessary sacrifices, so he has no choice but to take a British merchant ship and come to Ryukyu to adjust the situation. Now my master is here There are people living on the merchant ships outside the port..."
"Damn, that's nonsense." Liang Kun was originally lying on a stretcher, but now he sat up angrily. "The lackeys of the foreign devils have such good intentions. Get out of here. If you don't, I'll kill you."
The water dog's knees were so frightened that he knelt down quickly, "This is General Liang, please calm down. Don't get angry. You are angry with a dog slave like me. It's not worth it to make you angry." , I am just a small person who spreads the news, aren’t you the ones who make the decision? Calm down, calm down..."
The water dog with a playful smile looked up and said to King Shangtai, "Your Majesty, my master said that the conditions of foreigners are actually not high. First of all, there must be an apology. After all, Prime Minister Xiao insulted the French Emperor in Europe, and he is here today. Just out of anger..."
"The other one is to sign a garrison treaty with the foreigners. This Ryukyu Port is a pretty good haven. If a French warship comes and encounters a typhoon in the future, it will be much more convenient to replenish fresh water, food, etc. with an agreement. …”
"The last thing is the compensation. After fighting for so many days, the French warships were injured, the ammunition was used up, and many foreign soldiers died. The Ryukyu Kingdom must pay some compensation, but my master said , this has all been discussed, and the French also know that the Ryukyu national treasury is not full, and it is estimated that it only costs a few hundred thousand taels of silver..."
"Slave, I am stupid and cannot explain many things in detail. This is just a summary. The specific details still need to be discussed by my master on the island. As long as Your Majesty has this intention, slave, I will go back to the sea to convey the message immediately. I will let my family know tomorrow. Master, come to the island, what do you think?"
"Hahaha..." King Shangtai didn't say anything. Liang Kun laughed first, "What nonsense is this? Are there any such shameless people in the world? They massacred Ryukyu people for no reason. In the end, we have to apologize."
"The lives of the French people are their lives, and the lives of our Ryukyu people are nothing but grass. Why should we lose money... If you still want to station troops in Ryukyu, you are dreaming, so get out of here..."
Water Dog ignored Liang Kun this time. He just knelt down and waited for King Shang Tai's response, "Your Majesty, do you think I should get out or stay and wait for your news."
"How dare you ignore me, you idiot." Liang Kun stood up dragging his injured leg. He took out the pistol on his waist, pointed the gun at the water dog and was about to fire.
"General, please don't..." Jin Changsen rushed up and stood in front of Liang Kun. "The two countries are at war with each other. Besides, this is not the final agreement. Isn't negotiation just about bargaining?"
"Hey, this is the one who understands..." Shui Gou slapped his thigh, "Buying and selling are not righteous, and there is no mention of killing people in the bargain. If the news of Ryukyu Kingdom killing the envoy is spread, do you think there will be others in the future?" Do you want to speak for this country?"
After all, Liang Kun is a fierce general. He has a big temper and gets angry easily. Bickering and being clever are not his specialty. "Listen, there is no such thing as a fucking business. Do you know what benevolence and righteousness are? And you, I advise you to think carefully and understand why the Prime Minister shed blood and sacrificed his life in Europa, so that we can live upright as human beings instead of kneeling in front of foreigners and becoming slaves..."
"Don't forget, none of the Westerners that the Prime Minister has come into contact with are equal to us. Those Americans and countless foreign businessmen are so polite when they come to Ryukyu. Who earns this face?" The one who came down is the Prime Minister, are you going to forget your roots?"
When Xiao Letian was mentioned, the high-ranking Ryukyu officials present were a little embarrassed, but at this moment, the angry water dog opened his mouth again.
"Haha, of course Prime Minister Xiao is a great hero, but this great hero is also a human being. He will die even if he is stabbed. He has already ascended to heaven, and you are still holding on to him."
