It can be said that since the fall of the Jin Kingdom, almost no one in the entire Southern Song Dynasty was willing to fight.
Zhao Gou was unwilling to fight, and neither were the ministers. Except for a few die-hard elements, no one was willing to fight again.
They just want to coexist peacefully with the Ming Dynasty and stop fighting. They cherish this hard-won peace very much.
So when Xin Qiji threatened with force, Tang Sidui and Shen Gai changed their expressions and were shocked.
"Director Xin! What do you mean?"
"Director Xin! Will the Northern Dynasty declare war on the Song Dynasty because of this kind of thing?!"
Offensive and defensive positions are instantaneous.
Xin Qiji picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, then smiled and said: "The Ming Dynasty's determination to repair the Yellow River is unstoppable. I hope the Southern Dynasty can understand the Ming Emperor's concern for the world and respond to the Ming Dynasty's request to support the Ming Dynasty with money and materials. Otherwise, I will not Know what to expect."
Tang Situi and Shen Gai were greatly shocked.
Although I had thought of this possibility before, it was quite scary when such words came out of Xin Qiji's mouth.
"Director Xin, this...isn't this appropriate?"
Shen Gai's attitude was as hard as the ice skates outdoors in Oymyakon in winter just now, but now it is as elastic and soft as the green tongue after being licked.
Xin Qiji knew this very well.
"Why is it inappropriate? The Yellow River must be built. Once it is built, ten years is not too long. Not only the army is needed, but also a large number of civilians need to be recruited. The people of the Ming Dynasty will pay a considerable price for this, and the main expenditure is borne by the Ming Dynasty itself. I just want the Southern Dynasty to pay a negligible amount of money and supplies, but you are still resisting?"
Xin Qiji shook his head and said: "I still say the same thing. The successful renovation of the Yellow River will also be good for the Southern Dynasty. The Southern Dynasty should provide money to help. This is one of them. His Majesty the Ming Emperor cherishes the people's power and does not want to waste too much people's power. He needs the Southern Dynasty's full help. This That’s the second one.”
Tang Sihui frowned tightly.
"But, this... this is too..."
"If we can't reach an outcome at the table, the next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield."
Xin Qiji put his hand on the table and tapped his finger slowly on the table, making a clicking sound.
"Should we agree to Ming's conditions and avoid the disaster of war between the two countries, achieve peace and live in harmony, or should we not agree to Ming's conditions and spend ten times and a hundred times the military expenditure and war damage to fight a war that is destined to be unwinnable.
In the end, the Southern Dynasty not only had to agree to the Ming Dynasty's conditions, but also compensated the Ming Dynasty for its war losses. I think with the number of heroes in the Southern Dynasty, we will definitely come to the correct conclusion on this issue. "
Tang Situi and Shen Gai were silent.
Xin Qiji waited for a while and stood up.
"I have just said this. Xianggong Tang and Xianggong Shen understand that although the Ming Dynasty is not as wealthy as the Southern Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty only has an army that can be said to be magnificent. I am not bragging. The Ming Dynasty's army is elite. No dead person knows.”
After saying this, Xin Qiji stood up, glanced around the Southern Song Dynasty negotiation team with indifferent eyes, and then voluntarily left the negotiation site, leaving behind Tang Situi and Shen Gai with extremely complicated expressions.
Xin Qiji left the venue and returned to the high-end inn arranged for him by the Southern Song Dynasty.
Since he moved in, the security work of the post has been completely taken over by the accompanying guards. No one from the Southern Song Dynasty can approach the place without permission, and the place has been searched inside and outside to ensure that there are no other people. Institutions and the like would endanger Xin Qiji's safety.
Following Xin Qiji southward to protect Xin Qiji was a section of the Huben Forbidden Army beside Su Yonglin. The guard captain leading this escort team was one of Su Yonglin's personal guards named Ma Chao.
Because he is cautious and powerful, Ma Chao was entrusted by Su Yonglin with the important task of taking on Xin Qiji's security work. Despite this, he had almost no communication with Xin Qiji outside of official business, and he gave the impression that he was not good at communicating with others. .
However, he can still give Xin Qiji a sense of security. The security work of the station is left to him, and Xin Qiji doesn't have to worry about it at all.
At the door of the inn, Xin Qiji was about to go in. Ma Chao walked up to Xin Qiji and whispered: "Here we come."
Xin Qiji blinked.
"is it safe?"
"It's very safe. Our people accompanied him all the way and monitored him. No one followed him."
"good."
Xin Qiji nodded, entered the inn, and returned to his room.
A young man with a beard and a slightly rich figure stood in Xin Qiji's room. Seeing Xin Qiji come in, he bowed his hands and said with a smile: "Su Changsheng, director of the Jiaxing branch of the Renaissance Society, has met Vice Premier Xin!"
When Xin Qiji heard this kind of address that made him feel happy, he also took off his guard and laughed sincerely.
"Director Su, I have long admired his name, and finally I can meet him."
"Don't dare to be arrogant. You are my superior whether in the court or in the Fuxing Association."
Su Changsheng smiled.
"We are all revival members. Regardless of their positions in formal situations, they are all friends and comrades in private. There is no distinction between them."
Xin Qiji took a few steps forward and held Su Changsheng's hand: "All the way south, what I saw and heard were the sufferings of the human world, and the companions were all jackals, tigers and leopards. Today I finally meet my comrade, and I am very happy."
Su Changsheng smiled broadly.
"This is not the Ming Dynasty after all. It is normal for wolves, tigers and leopards to be everywhere. Many things that are no longer seen in the Ming Dynasty are very normal here. Over the years, I have long been used to it."
"Developing members in the heart of the enemy's country, persisting in fighting, and still achieving such achievements, Director Su has lived up to His Majesty's trust."
Xin Qiji felt that Su Changsheng had been fighting behind enemy lines and was very remarkable and knew how to be patient, so he felt very good about him.
Su Changsheng felt that although Xin Qiji joined later, he had relied on his military exploits to reach his current position step by step, and he was considered a truly awesome person, so he admired him very much.
The two exchanged business blows for a while before gradually getting down to business.
"My purpose of going south this time is to ask the Southern Song Dynasty for annual coins to renovate the Yellow River. The cost of renovating the Yellow River is too high. It is just too difficult for the Ming Dynasty to invest alone. In any case, the Southern Song Dynasty cannot enjoy the benefits."
Su Changsheng nodded and said, "How many coins do you want to ask for from the Southern Song Dynasty?"
"Same as the Jin Kingdom, 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 bolts of silk may not be needed that much, but the content delivered by the Southern Song Dynasty must be equivalent to them. Money is ok, and so is the materials needed to repair the Yellow River. In short, it is not few."
Xin Qiji whispered: "With this income invested in the Yellow River renovation project, the Ming Dynasty can also preserve its vitality to a certain extent without breaking out."
"I see."
Su Changsheng said: "But in my opinion, it is still very difficult to ask the Southern Song Dynasty for annual coins just through negotiation. Although the Southern Song Dynasty court was cowardly and incompetent, they did not shed tears without seeing the coffin before the war. They knew that the Ming Dynasty was strong and powerful. , but it’s still fantasy.”
"You mean, they have to fight a war and hurt the Southern Song Dynasty before they will obediently pay the coins?"
"I'm afraid we need to do this. No matter it is the Liao Kingdom, the Xia Kingdom or the Jin Kingdom, the reason why they can get the coins is because they defeated the Song people militarily, forcing the Song people to give coins in exchange for the coins. Peace, the Ming Dynasty has not fought with the Song people, and the Song people may not be afraid of the Ming Dynasty."
Su Changsheng nodded and said: "The senior officials and dignitaries of the Song Dynasty are all tough-tempered people. If you negotiate with him in a soft voice, he will think you are easy to deceive and bargain with you. He will only scold you harshly, beat and scold you frequently, and threaten you with force. They Only then can I offer the New Year coins with both hands honestly."
