City on the north bank of Qiujiang River.
When Fu Youde saw that Li Jin and the others had returned safely, his heart that had been hanging on him slowly relaxed.
Seeing Li Jin walking this way, Fu Youde also stepped forward and asked:
"Master Li, how did things go?"
"Then the people of Annan Kingdom are causing trouble for you?"
Li Jin shook his head and said slightly disdainfully:
"As small as Annan is, they don't dare to embarrass us."
"Not only that, I also told them that our Ming Dynasty will soon have an army of 500,000 troops pressing down on the border, which will completely destroy Ping'an South."
"Let them wash their necks and wait to be slaughtered."
Fu Youde was confused and said:
"Sir, where do we have an army of five hundred thousand?"
"These 100,000 troops were mobilized without the knowledge of the Emperor. Where are the 500,000 more?"
"Could it be a scam?"
Li Jin smiled and explained as he walked inside:
"It's true that we don't have half a million, but completely destroying Ping'an South is a real thing."
"The small country of Annan is facing death, so there is nothing to fear!"
The more Fu Youde listened, the more confused he became, with confusion on his face:
"But now it's difficult for us to even cross the river. How can we go to Ping'an South?"
"Besides, Annan still has an army of 150,000. If we really wipe out all of them, it will still take some time and effort."
No matter how he thought about it, Fu Youde was puzzled.
Li Jin did not explain too much, but said meaningfully:
"Don't worry, things will turn around soon."
Then he asked again:
"Have you found the Artemisia annua I asked you to look for?"
Fu Youde nodded:
"I found it. This kind of stuff is everywhere in Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou. I've already asked people to collect it. But my lord, what is the use of this Artemisia annua?"
Li Jin looked serious and said:
"This kind of thing is very important. It is related to the life and death of our army of 100,000 troops. We must not be careless."
"When it arrives, you'll know what it's for."
There was nothing there now, and no matter how much he said, it would be useless.
Seeing Li Jin like this, Fu Youde didn't ask any more questions.
After the two of them walked into the tent and sat down.
Fu Youde then told Li Jin about the problems that had arisen in the army in the past few days:
"Sir, the weather is getting hotter and hotter now. Miasma is rampant in the forest. There are many people in the army suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. If they are not treated, there may be a plague rampant."
When he heard that it was a plague, Li Jin couldn't help but frowned. He didn't expect that the plague would come so quickly. Nothing to suppress it has yet arrived.
Plague is one of the most troublesome diseases. It spreads quickly and spreads widely. If it is not suppressed quickly, more people will die.
Especially in this backward ancient times, the medical environment was very poor and there were many human factors, which led to a greatly increased mortality rate.
Whenever the plague is mentioned, everyone panics.
If the plague really breaks out, it will definitely cause disunity in the entire army and a significant reduction in military strength.
Today is still a special period. Thinking of this, Li Jin's mind was spinning rapidly, and he combined his previous life experience to arrange in an orderly manner:
"Those who have vomiting and diarrhea should be treated together. Ordinary soldiers should not approach these patients and let the doctors treat them with all their strength. Everyone must take precautions and do not drink raw water. It must be boiled before drinking."
Fu Youde was stunned when he heard Li Jin's novel arrangement, and couldn't help asking:
"Is this useful?"
"Whether it's useful or not, you'll know when your Qinghao arrives."
Speaking of Qinghao, Li Jin did not forget to urge again:
"Handle the Qinghao matter as soon as possible. The life and death of the soldiers are in your hands."
Seeing that Li Jin spoke so solemnly, Fu Youde said no more. He just sent several groups of messengers to urge the people in the rear to send Qinghao to the front line as soon as possible.
Although he didn't understand the function of Artemisia annua, as long as it was arranged by Li Jin, it would always make sense. After so many days of getting along, Fu Youde was quite convinced of Li Jin!
...
On the dragon boat, after Li Jin left, the king and civil and military ministers of Annan Kingdom were all lost and at a loss.
They all listened to what Li Jin said, and because of this, the more they thought about it, the more panicked they became.
Half a million troops! !
That was the Ming Dynasty's 500,000-strong army. You must know that Annan devoted all his efforts to gather this 150,000-strong army. For them, the 500,000-strong army was simply a disaster.
Chen Zheping's eyes couldn't help but glance at the courtiers of Annan. As if he remembered something again, his eyes that were bright just now suddenly turned gray.
Thinking of this, Chen Zheping felt mentally and physically exhausted. Although he was a king, he had no power.
Chen Zheping's eyes fell on Hu Jiya and asked directly:
"Hu Aiqing, what do you think about this?"
"If the Ming Dynasty really sends 500,000 troops south, I'm afraid our Annan Kingdom will really turn into powder."
Compared with the scared faces of other ministers, Hu Jishen said with confidence:
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. That man is clearly bluffing. If the Ming Dynasty really has 500,000 troops going south, what else will he talk to us about? Just fight over here."
"But now, the Ming army is standing still. I am sure that the Ming army does not have so many troops to attack our Annan Kingdom."
"Humph, this is just a trick of that pretty boy. He just wants to deceive us, make us believe it is true, and then be afraid, and force us to give them ten million taels of silver!"
After hearing what Hu Jisao said, Chen Zheping did not agree. He worriedly said:
"Even if it doesn't happen now, if Ming is angered and Emperor Ming really sends 500,000 troops, how should we respond?"
"In my opinion, it's better to reconcile enemies than to end them. Let's find peace with the Ming army as soon as possible."
Moreover, its small Annan does not dare to confront the Ming Dynasty head-on. It is like an egg and a stone, which will break when touched!
After hearing this, Hu Jiyou's face suddenly became very ugly, but before he could speak, the ministers of civil and military affairs next to him had already agreed with each other:
"The king's words are indeed true. Considering the military power of the Ming Dynasty, Annan alone is no match for them."
"Yes, don't say that they won't have an army of 500,000 people coming now. If the two countries are really fighting, can the Ming Emperor give up on our Annan? He will have to fight to the death to stop it!"
"If this is really the case, Prime Minister, why not just obey the king's wishes and seek reconciliation with the Ming army?"
"Prime Minister, this is a critical moment for both countries. The general has put down his words. Let's agree. Only by reconciliation can there be no casualties."
"Our Annan Kingdom is originally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. If they want to do anything to us, we have no room to fight back. Now that general has given us an opportunity, Prime Minister, let's seize it. In this way, Annan can also Go down in peace!"
Others nodded in agreement and echoed:
"Yes, yes, let's reconcile!"
"..."
When Hu Jiyou saw that all the officials had said this, even his minions were a little frightened. In desperation, he could only say:
"In that case, let's continue to negotiate with the Ming Army."
"Ten million taels of silver is absolutely impossible. Let's discuss the specific amount of compensation and then negotiate with the Ming army."
"This part of the money will be deducted from the salaries of your officials and the king's inner treasury. At this time of life and death, we should share the same hatred and overcome the difficulties together."
The officials were naturally unwilling, but they didn't dare to complain. Chen Zheping didn't want to pay, but when he saw Hu Jiyou's cold eyes, he finally shut his mouth obediently.
After all, when comparing money with one's own life, there is no need to think about it. Of course, I would choose the latter.
Someone asked:
"Then I don't know, how much money is appropriate to give them?"
"If it's too little, I'm afraid that Ming Dynasty won't agree, and it will arouse their anger. By then, I'm afraid there will be trouble!"
Others nodded after hearing this.
Everyone's eyes were on Hu Jiya, because they would only pay after he finalized the amount.
Chen Zheping also looked at Hu Jishao beside him and asked:
"How much money does Hu Aiqing think is appropriate?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Jisha glanced at Chen Zheping, and then said:
"There are too many and we can't take them out, and your money didn't come from the strong wind, let alone..."
At this point, Hu Jisao paused, and everyone looked at him, waiting for his next words.
Hu Jisao looked impatient and said:
"Besides, the Ming Dynasty came to attack us, so why should we give the enemy so much?"
"In my opinion, giving them three million taels of silver is enough!"
Just for the three million taels of silver, Hu Ji Ya didn't want to give him a penny.
A minister suddenly said:
"Three million taels, isn't that a little too much?"
After all, Ming Dynasty opened his mouth and asked for ten million taels of silver. The gap was not huge!
"Then how much more do you want to give?"
Hu Ji Yao's tone was very unkind. He looked at the minister who had just spoken, his eyes flashed with coldness, and he said in a cold voice:
"Of course, if you really want to give Daming more money, that's not impossible. You can make up for the remaining money yourself!"
After hearing this, everyone lowered their heads, and the minister who just spoke also acted like an ostrich, bowing his head and saying nothing.
Whoever speaks here wants to die, and they don't want to be on the edge of a knife.
After Hu Jiya's final decision and everyone's unanimous consent, Annan decided to give three million taels of silver to the Ming Dynasty as an apology, and then the envoy set off again.
