It is ten miles west of the capital of Tan State.
Qi Gong and Wang Zhao sat opposite each other, neither of them had any guards. Outside the camp, five miles to the left and right, there were five thousand soldiers and horses in formation.
Wang Zhao took out a pot of wine and filled it for both of them, and then said to the Marquis of Qi: "Please, Duke Qi!"
"Please, Mr. Huai!"
After the two had a drink together, they started negotiating.
"What do you want to talk about when Qi Gong invites you here this time?" Wang Zhao said directly.
Qi Gong said: "Huaigong, I want to stop fighting today. Is Huaigong willing to withdraw his troops and return to Huai?"
Wang Zhao said with a cold face: "Does Duke Qi think that with Bang Zhou's 100,000 reinforcements, he can defeat our Huai army?"
"All the elite soldiers of Emperor Bangzhou's six armies have been defeated by our Huai division. Can you win with a hastily prepared army of 100,000 people?"
"As Huai Gong said, these 100,000 troops were indeed hastily assembled, which is somewhat different from the emperor's six armies. However, our country has tens of millions of people and a land of thousands of miles. And how many are there in Huai? What if it is defeated for a while? ? If our army cannot hold on, how many people in the Huai army can fight against our country Zhou?" Qi Gong said with a smile.
Wang Zhao heard the threat from the Marquis of Qi and was not afraid, and continued: "If the Duke of Qi is really willing to pay such a price, the Huai State is indeed no match."
Hearing Wang Zhao's words, Qi Gong thought he was going to give in, and he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but at this moment he heard Wang Zhao continue: "But Qi Hou, do you think the princes of Bangzhou are willing to continue to fight with Huai? ? And the army is out all the year round, how can those Rong and Di suppress it?"
"If the Marquis of Qi is not afraid that Bang Zhou will be defeated by Rong Di, he can give it a try."
The Marquis of Qi's heart slowly sank. Indeed, he did not dare to spend time with the Huai Kingdom here for a long time. Although the state was strong, there were still Rong and Di rebelling in various places from time to time. There are not just one or two countries that have been destroyed by Rong and Di in recent years.
"Huai Guo really wants to continue to confront our country Zhou?" Qi Hou said coldly.
Wang Zhao smiled slightly and said: "Since the Marquis of Qi wants to negotiate, then show some sincerity without intimidating me."
Qi Hou quickly calmed down and said, "What do you want?"
Wang Zhao smiled and said: "Please ask the Emperor of Zhou to make Huai a duchy!"
"Impossible!" Qi Hou's expression suddenly changed and he refused directly. Not long ago, Bang Zhou was defeated by the Huai Kingdom and his entire army was annihilated. Even the emperor died. Now Bang Zhou is being conferred the title of Duke of Huai Kingdom. Isn't this a naked slap in Bang Zhou's face?
Wang Zhao was not angry either: "What's impossible? Isn't Song also a country of Yin and Shang?"
"Song State is a state of three, how can it be compared with Huai State?" Qi Hou said coldly.
"If the Marquis of Qi agrees, the Huai State will withdraw its troops and stop fighting!" Wang Zhao said directly.
Wang Zhao asked Bang Zhou for the position of Duke because Zi Jue told him not long ago. The best way to weaken the backlash of Bangzhou's destiny is to have Bangzhou canonize Huai Kingdom as Bangzhou Fang Kingdom. Of course, this is only in name. However, even if it is only a nominal canonization, it can weaken the backlash by 20% to 30%.
That's why Wang Zhao asked Bang Zhou for the position of duke.
Qi Hou's expression changed for a while, and then he said: "Huaigong wants the position of duke, I can make suggestions to the king, but in addition to withdrawing the troops, Huaiguo must also agree to several conditions!"
"What conditions?" Wang Zhao asked.
"First, you stop fighting and return to Huai Kingdom! Give up the occupied land!"
"Impossible!" Wang Zhao suddenly stood up and refused directly.
"These lands were obtained through bloody battles between our Huai State soldiers and Xu State. How can we give them away?"
"Huai Gong, let's not talk about this for now. Can you listen to the conditions before we talk?" Qi Hou was not angry and continued.
"Please speak!" Wang Zhao sat down again and said.
"Second, send back the bones of Emperor Zhou!"
"Third, please ask Duke Huai to send back the captured soldiers of Bangzhou! If Duke Huai agrees to these three terms, I will ask the emperor for orders to make Huai a duchy!"
Wang Zhao thought for a while and then said: "The land of Tan State can be returned, but the land of Zhongwu State cannot! The bones of Emperor Zhou can be returned. As for the prisoners, they have been rewarded to meritorious ministers. If the Marquis of Qi wants to ask for it, then Take slaves in exchange!"
After some debate, Qi Hou and Wang Zhao finally reached an agreement. The land of Zhongwu State belonged to Huaixu, and Bangzhou's captives needed to be exchanged for slaves. Wang Zhao made some concessions on this point. Instead of exchanging three slaves as usual for a Bangzhou soldier, two slaves were exchanged for one.
...
As soon as the Marquis of Qi returned to the camp, other princes gathered around him: "Mr. Qi, do you have any plans for peace?"
Almost none of these princes want to continue fighting with the Huai Kingdom. The Huai Kingdom is not a barbarian with weak strength, but an elite who defeated the Emperor's Sixth Army. If they really want to fight, the losses will be heavy, but the gains will be very little. It is estimated that the weak Princes, after a great war, all the savings of more than ten years were gone. How to deal with those barbarians and Rongdi then?
Qi Gong immediately informed everyone of the results of their business.
"Qi Gong, does the Huai Kingdom really want the emperor to confer the title of Duke to the Kingdom?"
"It's just a name. Even if he is granted the title of Huaiguo, will he pay tribute? Will the princes of Shandong regard it as a state of Zhou Fang?"
"Confused, this is the name that the Huai Kingdom wants!"
"It's not impossible to make him a Duke. Anyway, the land of Huaisi belongs to them. This time, the late king's southern expedition can be covered up."
After hearing the conditions discussed by Qi Gong and the two men, everyone started talking, but in the end, the majority agreed to ennoble him as a duke.
As for whether the Emperor agrees or not, basically no one thinks that the Emperor will refuse. After all, if he refuses, the Sixth Army of the Emperor captured by the Huai Kingdom will not be able to come back. If there is a chance to exchange the Sixth Army of the Emperor, the Emperor will definitely agree.
As for the land of Zhongwu Kingdom, except for Qilu and other countries, others don't care at all. After all, it is too far away from their Fang Kingdom, and these lands have nothing to do with them.
Now that the decision had been made, the emperor's canonization was soon sent over, and the Huai Kingdom was canonized as a duke's country. From then on, the Huai Kingdom became a dukedom recognized by Zhou Bang.
Immediately afterwards, the Huai State army began to slowly withdraw its troops, and the army withdrew all the way to the territory of Zhongwu State, and then a group of guards escorted the coffin of Emperor Zhou to Qi State. Then the vassal states such as Qi and Lu would escort them all the way and transport the coffin back to Chengzhou.
The exchange of prisoners will be carried out next. The Huai Kingdom captured 30,000 Bangzhou soldiers. When Bangzhou's 100,000 troops were defeated, many died, and many died of injuries and illnesses. In the end, 30,000 soldiers survived. According to the ratio of prisoner exchange, at least 60,000 slaves can be obtained this time.
Some of these slaves will be distributed to soldiers as rewards, and the other part will be owned by the royal family.
According to the regulations of the Huai Kingdom, slaves can obtain the status of Chinese citizens after making great achievements. Although the hope is small, it is still a hope. At the same time, the law of Huai State also clearly stipulates that slaves are not allowed to be killed at will.
After all, if Huai State wants to develop, it needs a large population.
King Ya's southern expedition was over, Duke Huai returned his coffin to the court, and the emperor appointed Zhao to Huai as a duke. ——"Historical Records·Zhou Benji"
