Li Banghua has been observing carefully.
Seeing the lost looks of these officials in the DPRK, he couldn't help but admire them in his heart.
When the peace talks plan was first drawn up, the young commander's methods were one after another, which was dazzling and made him somewhat confused.
Especially that sentence...
“The hard work of negotiating is outside the negotiating table.”
Li Banghua has never had a good taste.
But now, he understands.
This demonstration alone increased the possibility of forcing the court to submit by 30%.
"Everyone, let's go, it's getting late."
Lu Xiangsheng and Gao Qiqian didn't know how they moved. Until they arrived at the negotiation place, their minds were filled with the scene of the volley of muskets.
It wasn't until Fu Shuxun could not help but whisper that the two of them woke up.
They turned around and saw that the negotiation place was very strangely arranged.
This is a very spacious tent.
Because the window is open, it is very bright.
There is nothing superfluous in the tent.
The two rows of tables and chairs were arranged opposite each other, forming a pattern between the Chu River and the Han Dynasty. It was completely different from the way they were familiar with, with the venerable being in the middle and the others moving to the left and right.
Not only that, there are nameplates placed in front of each position on the tables on both sides.
The identities and names of everyone involved in the negotiation are written on it, so no one will sit in the wrong seat.
And all of this was accomplished along the way.
On the court side, Zhang Fengyi's nameplate is placed in the center.
As mentioned in the previous briefing, he is the foreman of this negotiation.
On the Shandong side, it is no surprise that it is Li Banghua.
Both of them are in the middle, not at the beginning.
"Please take a seat."
The person in charge of decorating the venue was, of course, Chonghua.
He was also the moderator of the talks.
Everyone in the court was very curious about this method, so they followed suit. They looked for their nameplates one by one and sat down one after another.
On the Shandong side, there were originally four negotiators, not as many as the imperial court. But when Li Banghua and others also took their seats, a young woman in military uniform came in and took a seat next to Zuo Fu.
Fu Shuxun was not satisfied.
"How can women and children be present at such a big event?"
Chonghua said seriously: "This is the secretary of our Shandong Foreign Affairs Department, responsible for recording the secrets of this meeting. In Shandong, women can also work for officials. Unlike you, who only treat women as forbidden toys."
Zhang Yandeng looked sulky.
"Hmph, Si Chen, the etiquette is corrupted."
The clerk suddenly raised his head and shouted back on the spot.
"The Ming Dynasty will be destroyed because of its foolish king and its traitorous ministers."
Zhang Fengyi and others suddenly changed their colors, but when they looked at each other, they didn't want to get involved with the 17- or 18-year-old woman.
Otherwise, how decent would it be for a group of important officials to quarrel with a young woman?
Nothing about today's events went smoothly, and Zhang Fengyi couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Everything in the world is the land of the king. On the shore of the land, is it the king's ministers. You have stolen Shandong..."
As a result, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Chonghua.
He waved his hand, and someone had already come forward and placed documents one by one in front of Zhang Fengyi and others.
"Everyone, before negotiating, we need to communicate with each other. These are the terms and conditions of our peace talks in Shandong. I wonder where your terms and conditions are?"
Zhang Fengyi and others looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what kind of game they were playing.
How can they have any clues?
I just thought that after arriving here, I would argue with each other and argue with each other, and it would be best to persuade Shandong to withdraw its troops.
But looking at the thick pile of documents handed over by Shandong, for some reason, it seemed more formal and professional than them.
Zhang Fengyi and others all turned pale when they thought that the dignified imperial court was outmatched by a group of rebels in this regard.
Not wanting to answer Chonghua's question, they simply opened the file and looked at it.
Shandong's documents are always simple and plain, and the meaning can be understood at once.
However, the Shandong conditions listed in this document made Zhang Fengyi and others look like the bottom of a pot.
In the document, Shandong put forward several points in total.
First, Shandong maintains de facto independence and does not accept the jurisdiction of the imperial court.
The nominal appointment power of Shandong officials could be handed over to the imperial court, but only in name.
Second, the imperial court must ensure the safety of Shandong's personnel, commerce, and exchanges throughout the world, and no arrests or persecutions are allowed.
Third, the imperial court must not deploy troops and horses around Shandong to constitute a military threat.
Fourth, the safety of the families and relatives of officials at all levels in Shandong and all over the country must be protected.
If the court violates these four articles, it will be regarded as war with Shandong. Shandong will definitely send troops and respond with war.
If the imperial court meets these four conditions, Shandong promises the following.
First, the new army will immediately retreat to Shandong, and will not threaten the capital without even taking a step into the capital.
Second, Shandong will ensure the smooth flow of the canal and will not block, detain or tax ships passing from the north to the south.
Third, the safety of the family members of Shandong officials in the imperial court was also guaranteed.
Fourth, the new army can send troops to rescue King Lu who is trapped in Yanzhou City and return him to the court with gifts.
These conditions really mean that the imperial court is not taken seriously, as if the king of another big country is on an equal footing with the Ming Emperor.
Zhang Fengyi and others were terrified. They really didn't know if these conditions were known to Chongzhen. Would the emperor go completely crazy?
"Is this reasonable? Is this reasonable? How are these conditions any different from seizing the country and usurping the throne? Don't have such a dream."
He raised his voice sharply and expressed his attitude on the spot.
Based on his understanding of Chongzhen, Chongzhen would definitely not agree to such an agreement that was close to a slap in the face.
But it is very peaceful here in Shandong.
"Everyone, let me remind you. The Yanzhou offensive and defensive battle has now entered its seventh day. According to our investigation, the Yanzhou city wall has been damaged in many places and is about to collapse. The safety of King Lu depends on the imperial court.
The destruction of Heng Fan and De Fan dealt a heavy blow to the Ming Dynasty.
Even the princes second only to the emperor were unable to protect themselves. The weakness of the Ming Dynasty had been seen by everyone in the world.
If all three kings of Ludi were to die...
Just thinking about that consequence, Zhang Fengyi and the other two people all shuddered.
This is the difference between Shandong and the imperial court.
On the negotiating table, Shandong has full cards.
The imperial court, except for its useless reputation at critical moments, had no power to suppress Shandong.
The situation is clear now.
As far as the court was concerned, King Lu could no longer disappear.
But to save King Lu, the court had no choice.
Although there are also rebels in Shandong, whether they can save the dignity of the imperial court depends on them.
Lu Xiangsheng looked up to the sky and sighed, finally understanding what it meant to have the intention to kill a thief but to be unable to save him.
All the ministers in the court were silent.
No one dared to speak first.
They understand that whoever makes the decision and agrees to these conditions will inevitably become the target of public criticism.
"Ahem, this is a serious matter and we need to discuss it."
Experiencing this kind of formal negotiation for the first time, Zhang Fengyi was sweating on his forehead and decided to use a strategy to delay the war and unify his own ideas at the same time.
Shandong has absolute initiative, and such tolerance is still very generous.
"Then we'll adjourn for half an hour."
Zhang Fengyi and others were led out of the venue and arrived at a quiet small room. The atmosphere was even more depressing than this room.
