"Prime Minister, I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon." In mid-December, ten miles outside Shangwenzhou City, I learned that Zheng Wei was bringing the Zheng family envoy to the Xinghua Army. Gao Heng specially brought Cheng Zilong with him. General He Yiqian went to greet them outside the city. This was certainly not everyone's original intention. After all, the two sides were now in a hostile state. However, Gao Heng and Cheng Zilong felt that the surface work still needed to be done, and they had another purpose, so they came to greet them specially.
The number of the mission was not particularly large. Apart from the 200 escorting soldiers, there were only a dozen people including Zheng Wei and other officials and entourage. The entire mission did not exceed 300 people. The main reason was that this negotiation was not a glorious thing. , Zheng Wei originally planned to go on a secret mission, so he naturally had to keep a low profile in terms of specifications. Otherwise, public opinion would be formed across the country, the court would be more passive, and it would also be a blow to the morale of the frontline troops.
Zheng Wei did not ride a horse this time, but came in a carriage. When he saw Gao Heng leading people and horses to greet him on the official road, Zheng Wei also knew that he could not show off his official airs. Who would have thought that he would take the initiative to seek peace. He immediately got off the carriage and followed his entourage to the front to see Gao Heng.
As soon as Gao Heng saw Zheng Wei, he immediately got off his horse and gave Zheng Wei some face. He stepped forward to greet him with some enthusiasm.
Zheng Wei immediately held up his hands and said: "General Gao, you are well. I didn't expect that we would meet again in just a few dozen days. The situation is changing. The situation is changing. It has only been a few months, but I have It feels like a world away.”
Gao Heng responded: "Yes, as the saying goes, the lake is calm. The lake was originally quite calm, but there were naughty children who wanted to throw stones. The stones are not small, but like big bricks."
"Hahaha, General Gao is joking, you're joking." Zheng Wei used laughter to cover up his embarrassment. He didn't expect Gao Heng to be so sharp and embarrass him as soon as he came up. Doesn't it make it clear that the Annan court is constantly stirring up trouble? ? He also didn't want to think about what happened if Gao Heng and his men occupied Annan's land and refused to leave.
Gao Heng said to Zheng Wei: "Prime Minister, this is not the place to talk. How about we go into the city and talk? I can't wait to communicate with the Prime Minister. Let's do this. I see that there is only one carriage for you in the team. In order to go faster Let's talk to the adults and let's ride horses." After saying that, he waved his hand, and a soldier immediately brought a war horse, which was captured from the Annan Army.
Now that he's on the other side's territory, Zheng Wei also knows that he doesn't have many reasons to refuse. Anyway, he can't ride a horse. It's expected that Gao Heng will not be disadvantageous to him. The court has put down his position and actively sued for peace. Gao Heng's There is no need to start a dispute.
Zheng Wei touched his nose and agreed happily: "That's very good, very good."
The group of people rode horses towards Shangwenzhou. The road conditions on the official road in Shangwenzhou were pretty good. With the horses galloping, they could reach the ten-mile distance in less than half an hour. After two or three miles, they turned a corner and saw the city wall of Wenzhou from a distance.
It stands to reason that Zheng Wei and his entourage are no strangers to Shangwenzhou. Zheng Wei did not become prime minister overnight. When he was young, Zheng Wei also served as a local official. The total area of Annan itself is not large, so Shangwenzhou He often passes by, including the last time he went to Tuo County, he also passed by Shangwen Prefecture, but today, the Shangwen Prefecture he saw was different from before.
It's not that the city wall has undergone any major changes. When Gao Heng and others attacked the city, they attacked the east wall. Now they faced Zheng Wei from the west wall, which was basically intact. What Zheng Wei and his followers saw was that the open space outside the city gate was filled with people in a dark place.
Gao Heng turned his head and glanced at the expression on Zheng Wei's face. Apparently, the expressions of Zheng Wei and his officials changed, and they were shocked by the scene outside the city. Gao Heng smiled slightly, this was what he was going to prepare for Zheng Wei, an appetizer before the negotiation.
As they got closer, Zheng Wei and the others finally saw clearly that the dark, neatly arranged crowds were actually fully armed soldiers. They wore armor similar to the Annan army, but it could be seen that they had modified it themselves. The style was slightly different, and all the signs with the word Annan were erased, and the soldiers' inner linings also became Red, instead of the blue-grey commonly used by Annan's army.
In order to give Zheng Wei a warning before the negotiation and let him know the difficulty of the negotiation, Gao Heng specially mobilized 3,000 troops to form an array outside the city today, which already accounted for half of the total number of Xinghua troops. Including a gun battalion, a spearman battalion and a cavalry battalion, especially the cavalry battalion, this is an armed force that can directly bring pressure to the Annamites.
Zheng Wei's face suddenly turned from red to white, and then from white to green. When he saw the battle report, Zheng Wei was very surprised as to what method Gao Heng used to capture the city. Although his population had increased, these people were just expatriates. How did Gao Heng train him?
The moment he saw this army, Zheng Wei suddenly realized that Gao Heng's current strength may have been far underestimated. If there may be some luck involved in the battle at Laohu Valley, then what appeared in front of him now This army has well proved that the loss of Yuan County and Shangwen State is definitely not a coincidence.
The three thousand soldiers were divided into three groups. The cavalry battalion was arrayed on the left side of the official road, and the spearmen and gunmen were arrayed on the right side. Seeing Gao Heng and the others approaching, the cavalrymen got off their horses one after another, and the three thousand soldiers stood up straight with a cheer. The cavalrymen raised their bodies, and the cavalrymen drew their sabers with a clang and stood upright in front of them. The musketeers and spearmen also raised their weapons upright. The whole army roared: "See you, general!" For a moment, the color of the world changed. This army that came out of the war is no longer the civilian husband that Zheng Wei originally thought.
"This." Zheng Wei and his entourage were stunned for a moment. He couldn't believe his eyes. How could this be possible? This was clearly the momentum of the tiger and wolf divisions. Even if Annan's border troops came, it would be almost like this, or even In comparison, this army does not seem to be more energetic. How did Gao Heng train such an army in a short period of time?
Gao Heng made an invitation gesture and said, "Sir, the soldiers have come out of the city specially to greet you and your party, so please invite me."
Zheng Wei nodded mechanically and urged the horses to move forward. When passing by the official road surrounded by the army, Zheng Wei could clearly see that the followers behind him were trembling. Obviously, the momentum of this army scared them. .
And when Zheng Wei crossed the front of the cavalry camp and saw fifty war elephants standing behind the team, his cheeks twitched a few times unconsciously. Damn it, these war elephants were originally allocated to Zheng Fu by himself, but now they are better. , I made wedding clothes for others in vain. Not only that, but their armors and weapons were all captured. With their current level, they couldn't make so many guns and armors. Damn it, Annan's wealth was stolen just like that.
In addition, among these thousand armored cavalry, not only the soldiers themselves were fully armed, but even the horses under their crotches were equipped with front armor. This makes Zheng Weiqing feel embarrassed. In a sense, Zheng Zuo is right. Giving Gaoheng a population is tantamount to raising tigers for trouble. Now that it's better, the tigers have become stronger and have begun to turn around and ask for more benefits. He suddenly realized that this was probably Gao Heng's threat to him. It seemed that the next negotiation would not be easy.
Arriving at the gate of the city, Gao Heng said: "Soldiers are not allowed to enter, so please come in with me. We will ensure your safety."
Zheng Wei didn't care about this. As he said before, he was here for peace talks. If the two armies were fighting, they would not kill the envoys. If Gao Heng wanted to get more from him, it would be impossible for Gao Heng to fall out. He turned back and whispered a few words to his entourage, and two hundred Annan soldiers were stationed outside the city. Zheng Wei entered the city with Gao Heng with a gloomy face.
When they arrived at the Yamen, everyone was seated. Gao Heng immediately ordered the guards to watch the tea. He smiled and said: "Master Prime Minister, I feel sorry for you. We don't have any better tea here, only Annan green tea. You must be drinking it." Got used to it.”
Zheng Wei was not in the mood to taste the tea, so he nodded quickly and said: "I'm used to drinking it, I'm used to it. Speaking of which, this green tea is our specialty. General Gao's preparation is enough to show that he is serious about it."
Zheng Wei took a symbolic sip, and then said to Gao Heng and others: "General Gao, I believe you are also busy with military affairs, so I won't beat around the bush. Since I'm here, I certainly come with the utmost sincerity of the king and the court." , so we also want to hear the general’s opinion. A truce between the two sides will not only be good for the soldiers, but also good for the people, don’t you think so?”
Gao Heng also put down his teacup and glanced at Cheng Zilong, who nodded secretly. Gao Heng cleared his throat and said: "Well, since the Prime Minister is honest and honest, I will be more happy. This time our army has captured two cities in a row and increased the number of cities in hand to three. It is really a last resort. Your army I tried to sneak attack Tuo County when the hostages were handed over, but I didn't expect to be completely wiped out by our army. Capturing these two cities is a natural retaliation for our army. Please understand this."
Zheng Wei stared at Gao Heng without saying a word, with an ugly expression on his face. This guy was obviously making excuses. When he entered the city, Zheng Wei clearly saw that the streets were full of people, but they were not his Annan people, but expatriates. This is enough to show that a small Tuo County cannot accommodate more than 50,000 people, so regardless of whether there is Laohu Valley or not, it is imperative to capture more cities.
Zheng Wei said: "Then I understand what General Gao means. It is true that the sneak attack from Laohu Valley was the decision of the king and the superiors. After all, we were still in a state of war and hostility at that time. Anything can happen on the battlefield. The general is the leader. People like me should understand that this kind of thing happened. But now that the general has captured two cities, his anger has dissipated, and he has taken revenge, can we stop here and let the two sides live in peace?"
"I think I'm afraid you won't agree. And looking at the map, we are surrounded by you and are in danger of destruction at all times. The ants can still survive, not to mention the tens of thousands of living people here." Gao Heng said .
Zheng Wei knew that this was all Gao Heng's foreshadowing, and he immediately asked: "General Gao, what are your current conditions?"
Gao Heng said: "Of course we want territory."
"What?" Zheng Wei said in surprise. Unexpectedly, Gao Heng continued to speak loudly. He had already occupied three cities. Logically speaking, he only had more than 50,000 people. Three cities was definitely enough and more than enough. Unexpectedly, he was not satisfied yet.
Zheng Wei said slowly: "Before coming out, the king also summoned me and had a discussion. I believe General Gao has also heard this saying. Serving Qin with the land is like putting out firewood. Annan's land is not big in the first place. You have already heard it." Aren’t you satisfied after occupying three cities?”
Gao Heng said: "Then what can you provide us? The war has already progressed to this point, and we need a wider living space. Otherwise, tens of thousands of people and thousands of soldiers will definitely not agree."
Zheng Wei said: "Can both sides take a step back? We are willing to exchange food and money for peace. As long as you promise not to continue the offensive, the price is negotiable."
Gao Heng said: "Okay, let's judge by the standards of the Ming Dynasty. The Liaodong frontier army is a small 200,000 taels, and the Liao's salary is 10 million taels of silver a year. Our army and civilians are 50,000. At least one or two million taels of silver are needed. This It’s only a year’s worth, two million taels of silver, can you afford it?”
Zheng Wei said: "This is too much. It's not enough to empty Annan's treasury. Can it be less?"
"Ahem." Jackie Chan interrupted the conversation with a timely cough, and he said: "Sir, two forces are negotiating now. This is not a bargaining in the market. Our intention is not to ask for money. Since you are willing to give it, then we will say It’s a price, but you think it’s too much, so there’s no need to continue the negotiation.”
Zheng Wei was filled with hatred. When had he ever had such a frustrating negotiation? But there was nothing he could do. The situation was stronger than the people. People were now barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes. They only had tens of thousands of lives, and they were all dead. It's okay, but if they go crazy and attack everywhere, the Zheng family's court will be doomed. Could it be that they really mobilized frontline troops to come back to suppress them? Then Ruan would stand aside and watch in vain?
There are also Mo Chao and Beihe Kingdom in the north. The separatist forces in these places will also surround them like a pack of wolves. If one person bites them, they will be finished.
Zheng Wei cupped his hands and said, "Master Cheng, General Gao, what are your conditions?"
Cheng Zilong stood up and said: "Sir, the general has made it very clear just now. Please take a look at what we want." Cheng Zilong walked to the map, drew a circle on the map with a pen, and then said: "This piece, We just want this piece.”
Zheng Wei came up and took a closer look, and his expression changed drastically. Good guy, they really dare to ask for it. I saw Cheng Zilong drawing the entire Lang Son Province on the map, starting from Tuo County and ending at Xin'an Port on the seaside, a whole narrow area.
