"Now that the matter is over, let's talk about it. What should we do?"
In the small room, Zhang Fengyi had aged several years in a short period of time.
He remembered the situation when he succeeded Xiong Mingyu.
Xiong Mingyu believed in Yu Dacheng's words and advocated recruiting the Dongjiang rebels. Later, as the Dongjiang rebels became more and more troublesome, they had to take the blame and resign.
And he gained the favor of Chongzhen and became one of the six great ministers.
At that time, he was extremely high-spirited.
He felt that with his own talents, he would be able to quell the rebellion and rebuild the country.
But now, Xiong Mingyu's words of relief couldn't help but ring in his ears.
"Up and down the court, those who do things have no place to be ashamed of themselves, those who are arrogant only get fame and bad luck, those who are above are hiding their illnesses and avoid medical treatment, and those who are below are living like flies and dogs. It's okay for this official to not do anything."
At that time, he still felt that Xiong Mingyu was deceiving himself.
Today's situation finally made him understand that being an official in the Ming Dynasty was really difficult!
"The world is big and the emperor has the greatest dignity. If anyone dares to agree to such conditions, our family will not accept it."
Before the others could do anything, Gao Qiqian screamed.
He knew Chongzhen's character best and knew very well that such conditions were simply a slap in Chongzhen's face.
Zhang Yandeng and Fu Shuxun sat as straight as bells, saying nothing.
They are impressed and cannot express an opinion in any case. Otherwise, the blame will fall on you for no reason.
Among the people present, Lu Xiangsheng is the youngest and has the lowest official position.
But he is the only one who is dedicated to national affairs.
Seeing these people only caring about their own lives in a critical situation, Lu Xiangsheng was almost furious.
He really wanted to take action and take the responsibility.
However, even if he stood up, it would not help.
Because his official position is too small and he is not qualified to take responsibility.
Watching the time go by, it's time to return to the negotiating table. Once they can't come up with an idea, the new army will really launch an attack.
He is a tough person who will stand up to the strong and never frown at any danger.
But after seeing the terror of the new army today, he understood deeply that being tough on some things was useless.
Chongzhen was able to passively grow up in crisis, and so was Lu Xiangsheng.
He quickly thought of a way, stood up suddenly, and said impassionedly: "Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, how have we ever been afraid of small and powerful enemies? Eunuch Gao is right. I, the Ming Dynasty, would rather die than agree to such conditions. We, the Ming Dynasty, have Then go back, and when General Chao's soldiers arrive, they will immediately strengthen the city defenses and fight to the death with these Shandong thieves."
Zhang Fengyi and others' faces looked like rainbows.
Fight to the death?
After seeing the power of the new army, they had great doubts about this statement.
But Lu Xiangsheng firmly occupied the commanding heights, and looked like he would humiliate his ministers to death, even more determined than Gao Qiqian.
They don't want to die in Cangzhou.
"Haha, Mr. Lu, please be patient. As the saying goes, there must be a road to the mountain. Since the Shandong thieves are willing to negotiate, there must be something we can use."
In order to persuade Zhang Yanden, he secretly kept winking at Fu Shuxun, asking him to think of a solution quickly.
Fu Shuxun used all his talents and thought hard, and he really came up with a solution.
"Everyone, let's talk about peace and let's talk about it. Since it's for discussion, we must not just propose Shandong and let us accept it. Didn't Li Meng'an say that he asked me for a conditional document? In my opinion, I'm not as good as me. Put forward many conditions to make things difficult for them. This way, you can bargain."
Everyone's eyes lit up and they all cheered.
"This is a great plan. Ask for high prices and pay back when you get there. I have seen the behavior of thieves in Shandong, but they are exactly the same as those merchants who are full of money."
"Come and discuss, how should we give conditions?"
Poor bunch of civil servants who have only read the books of sages and sages, now they have all put down their airs in order to cope with the pressure from Shandong. They looked more like traders gathering together to discuss and argue.
Half an hour later, it was still the same tent, and the two parties sat together again.
The mentality of Zhang Fengyi and others has changed slightly.
"This is our catalog of conditions."
Zhang Fengyi pushed out...a piece of paper.
Time is limited, and they cannot list and write a thick book like Shandong did.
Although this piece of paper looks very shabby, it is the only solution that comes to mind.
They don't care much anymore.
Shandong didn't have any intention of looking down upon it. After taking it over, Li Banghua and others got together to browse it.
Since there isn't much content, I finished it quickly.
"There is no need to mention the return of all expelled court officials. It is not within the scope of our consideration."
The first condition was rejected outright by Li Banghua.
Zhang Yandeng immediately said: "Then the imperial court cannot recognize the current situation in Shandong."
He was thinking about bargaining, but obviously he still lacked the necessary understanding of what negotiation was.
Guo Wei warned: "The outcome of our negotiations here depends on the battlefield situation. Although a certain amount of back and forth is allowed, we will regard unrealistic demands as provocations. Everyone, I hope you will make decisions based on reality and strength. Don’t make mistakes in your judgment.”
This was almost equivalent to a threat and a lesson, and it made Zhang Fengyi and others feel like they had a knot in their throats.
But it turns out that they are all facts, which makes them lack the confidence to continue to refute.
Seeing that they were silent, Li Banghua laughed secretly in his heart and decided to give them a sweet date.
"As for the return of 700,000 taels of tax money to the imperial court, we agree in principle."
"real?"
Good guy, Fu Shuxun lost his composure and stood up on the spot in surprise.
As one of the envoys, one of his important tasks was to get back the 700,000 taels of silver.
Now that he is about to succeed, it means that he doesn't have to eat too much. How can he not be happy?
"Ahem, Master Fu..."
Zhang Fengyi was very helpless and felt that today's negotiation was simply destroying his mind.
Fu Shuxun's old face turned red, realizing that he had been exposed, and he hurriedly sat down, not even daring to raise his head.
But in the end, he exposed his trump card.
But it's not without its benefits, that is, after this round of testing, the court has gained something.
Although compared with the actual rebellion and separatism in Shandong, the return of 700,000 taels of tax silver seems insignificant. But just such a small victory was enough to change Chongzhen's mind.
Although Chongzhen was a headstrong man who would rather bend than bend, since he agreed to send an envoy, it is enough to show that he also knew that the situation was dangerous.
Although the face of the dynasty is very important, on top of that, there is also the survival of the dynasty.
Now, according to Shandong's idea, they took the initiative to propose peace talks, did not raise a flag of rebellion, and also returned the tax money.
All kinds of actions are enough to show that Shandong has no idea of taking the capital and replacing the Ming Dynasty for the time being.
This is the rarest opportunity in the cracks.
Zhang Fengyi's ability to do things may not be good, but his ability to assess the situation is definitely top-notch.
He made a prompt decision and directly abandoned the few remaining conditions on his side.
"Thank you for your kindness. In this case, can you please base our terms on what we have discussed so far?"
Zhang Yandeng, Lu Xiangsheng, Gao Qiqian, and Fu Shuxun were all shocked because Zhang Fengyi did not discuss it with them.
But then I thought about it, Zhang Fengyi took the initiative to take responsibility, and the conditions negotiated so far are indeed the best for the court.
So they all sat silently, acquiescing to Zhang Fengyi's attitude.
