When countries compete for hegemony, if there are no vested interests, who will send troops to help you for no reason? The superficial friendship between the two countries cannot explain any problems.
King Huan's request was considered from his own standpoint. Although Huan sent troops and did not have to bear the burden of food, grass or weapons, the soldiers had to fight. If the country did not get anything in return, how could he agree.
But this was a bit unacceptable to the Jin State, because before, they were used to being aloof and ceding land would be a great shame.
Seeing that King Huan's attitude was clear, the Jin envoy couldn't help but snorted, and then said: "In that case, I'll take my leave!"
His tone was full of suppressed anger, and even a fool could hear it. As soon as he finished speaking, he walked away.
When King Huan saw this, he shouted from behind: "Messenger, please don't be angry. Shangjun is a small place, so there is nothing wrong with it. I am waiting for news from the envoy..."
Upon hearing this, the Jin envoy paused slightly, snorted again, and left.
When he left, the court meeting hall immediately became lively. A minister immediately stood up, bowed his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the attitude of the envoy of Jin can be seen from the anger in his heart. Why is your Majesty like this?"
"What else?" King Huan looked at him and asked, "Are you going to ask me, the officers and men of the Huan Army, to shed blood and sacrifice my life for the Jin State in exchange for a small amount of gold and silver as an envoy to Jin?"
"This...Wei Chen didn't mean that. It's just...it's just a matter of going to the county. I'm afraid the King of Jin will not agree." The minister said.
King Huan said: "That is King Jin's problem, but I, the King, must make this condition, do you understand?"
What he said is right. When the minister heard this, he hesitated for a moment. After a long pause, he said again: "But, if you do this, wouldn't you offend the Jin State?"
"Haha." After hearing this, King Huan smiled and said: "What is offending? What is an ally? It's all driven by interests. Countries are competing for hegemony. From now on, if Huan and Jin have common interests, they will still be allies. On the contrary, they will still be allies. will be the enemy."
This is what a king should consider. After King Huan finished speaking, the ministers were silent. Then, someone asked tentatively: "Then, if the Jin Kingdom is unwilling to cede Shangjun, what are your plans?"
"Well..." King Huan thought for a while and said, "Isn't Prime Minister Qin here? Why haven't you met with me yet?"
"Well, Qin Xiangyan said that after a long journey, he needs to rest for two days to recuperate before meeting with the king again." The minister replied.
"Oh?" King Huan raised his eyebrows: "This Prime Minister Qin is somewhat interesting."
Liu Yuzhi has indeed arrived in Huandu now, but he is not in a hurry to meet King Huan, because he knows that the Jin envoy is still lobbying, and he needs to get some valuable information before making a final decision.
The official responsible for receiving him was Zhou Mao, a senior official of the Jin State. This person was also a member of the group that advocated Huan Guo to sit on the sidelines, so he came here for the same purpose as Liu Yuzhi. In the past two days, the two of them had talked a lot, especially Liu Yuzhi. From the side, he kept asking Zhou Mao about some situations.
After this day, as always, Liu Yuzhi came to visit again.
He is the Prime Minister of Qin, so where is his status? No matter how good Zhou Mao is, he must be treated politely due to the etiquette of the two countries.
After the two had tea in the living room, Liu Yuzhi asked him again and said, "Master Zhou, I wonder what the Jin envoy said in your country's court today?"
Zhou Mao was originally a spectator on the sidelines. When Liu Yuzhi arrived, he naturally hoped that Qin Xiang could persuade King Huan to stay out of the matter, so he pondered for a while and then said: "It's not that kind of rhetoric, but my king, today But I mentioned Shangjun.”
He didn't say it clearly, but when Liu Yuzhi heard this, his heart moved and he couldn't help asking: "How did King Huan say this?"
"Haha, this..." Zhou Mao smiled dryly, then picked up the teacup and took a sip.
It was not convenient for him to reveal it, and Liu Yuzhi did not force it, but of course he had a glimpse of the meaning from his words. He nodded slowly, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for telling me."
"No, I am thinking about the country. It is really inappropriate for the Huan State to participate in this battle. I hope that when Qin Xiang meets my king, it will be successful immediately." Zhou Mao returned the gift and said.
Here, Liu Yuzhi stayed at the Huandu Posthouse for another day. It was not until the morning of the third day that he asked to see King Huan and was summoned into the Huanguo court meeting hall.
No matter how good the Qin Kingdom is, Xiao Yuan is still an orthodox king and the king of a country. Liu Yuzhi is the prime minister of the current dynasty and is named the Marquis of Xingguo. He is the envoy. Because of his status, the civil and military ministers on the left and right sides of the hall couldn't help but look at him sideways. Come over.
Liu Yuzhi nodded slightly to everyone, then walked slowly to the center of the hall, then bowed his hands, bent down and gave a deep salute: "Foreign envoy Liu Yuzhi, I have met His Royal Highness King Huan."
His etiquette was neither humble nor arrogant, and his standards were in place. There was nothing wrong with him. When King Huan saw this, he stretched out his hand slightly and said, "Hey? Prime Minister Qin doesn't need to be polite."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After Liu Yuzhi straightened up, King Huan asked directly: "Since the King of Qin has used the Prime Minister as his envoy, he must have discussed state affairs. I am in this palace today to see what the Prime Minister of Qin has to say."
He went straight to the point, and Liu Yuzhi also said without any nonsense: "The foreign envoy is here today to represent our king and advise His Highness that it is not appropriate to participate in the war between Qin and Jin. This is a suggestion, not a request."
"Oh?" King Huan raised his eyebrows and extended his hand with interest: "Please tell me, Prime Minister Qin, how to advise me."
Liu Yuzhi said: "The reason why Qin and Jin were at war, I think your highness should know, is because the previous king of Jin did despicable things. When the four kings were meeting, he assassinated assassins. Such behavior has lost the national etiquette. May I ask, your highness?" , put it on any country, who can endure it?"
"The one whom King Jin assassinated was our King of Qin. After hearing about this, both the soldiers and the people in Qin were extremely angry and sent troops. It was justifiable. If Huan wanted to be involved in this matter at this time, it would be Jin. The country's accomplices are not only unknown, but also despised by the world. From what I can see below, if Huan's army helps the Jin, their morale will be low. Your Highness must be aware of this."
After he finished speaking, King Huan couldn't help but pause for a moment, first glanced at his ministers, and then directed his gaze at Liu Yuzhi, and said with a smile: "Although what Prime Minister Qin said has some truth, it is not an absolute reason for me, Huan, to sit on the sidelines. "
As he spoke, he added: "If the Huan army joins the battle, the Qin army will inevitably retreat in this battle, and all the previous achievements in occupying Yiyang will be lost. The King of Qin will definitely be extremely anxious at this time. Therefore, with the help of a few people, See, Prime Minister Qin needs to be careful in his words and deeds when he comes here."
"Please try again."
"Haha." Liu Yuzhi smiled.
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