The three accompanying officials who came with Zheng Wei also came up to take a look, wanting to know what made their prime minister so shocked, but everyone only took one look and froze on the spot.
One of the younger officials burst into laughter and said: "This is absolutely impossible! This is obviously to give them the entire Lang Son Province, and also to build a Xin'an Port on Haidong Road. Such a cession of territory to seek peace will become a How decent?"
Another person also nodded and said: "Master Prime Minister, the other party is so insincere. Since it is a negotiation, of course there must be a price that everyone can accept, rather than just asking for it. In this case, why don't you give them Shenglong Mansion?" .”
The last person said: "There has never been such a scene in the history of Annan. They are just a group of civilians. We will be defeated if we are careless. If we make such a compromise today, how will the court deal with itself in the future? What will happen to the people?" Explain?"
"Okay!" Zheng Wei slammed the table and shouted. "From now on, shut your mouths!"
Seeing that the prime minister was angry, everyone fell silent. Zheng Wei raised his hands to Gao Heng with a sullen face and said: "General Gao, my subordinates don't understand etiquette. I hope you can forgive me."
Gao Heng waved his hand, indicating that it was okay.
Zheng Wei said: "However, what they said is not unreasonable. Lang Son Prefecture is the largest prefecture in the northeast of Annan. It is not enough for you to take the entire territory of Lang Son Prefecture. You must also take away the northeastern seaport. Does the general know that this How much damage will it cause to us? Apart from other things, land in so many places has been lost and a large number of people have been displaced. How should we resettle these people?"
"People, it's easy. We are short of coolies. Your thousands of prisoners of war are not enough for us. If you are willing, you can leave the young and strong to work for us. Of course, they will be paid. They and the prisoners of war will be treated the same." It’s still different.” Gao Heng wrote lightly.
The faces of Annan officials were already extremely ugly. Gao Heng was not negotiating, he was simply insulting them.
Zheng Wei said coldly: "General Gao, please respect yourself."
Gao Heng also changed his expression and said: "Prime Minister, please respect yourself. Don't forget that it was your court who came to us to ask for peace? From the time you started abusing the overseas Chinese until now, you owe us too much. The crimes are too numerous to describe. Why, we are asking you for a few cities now and you can’t accept it? We can’t give you the money, and you are unwilling to take it. Tell me, what’s the point of this negotiation?”
Zheng Wei stretched out a finger and said: "I will try my best to get one million taels when I go back. I will give you one million taels. The two parties have reached an agreement. We will forget about the three existing cities and give you another one million taels. You Bring back all the prisoners of war."
Gao Heng clapped his hands and said, "Come, let's see you off."
Several guards came in and made a direct gesture of invitation.
Zheng Wei never expected that Gao Heng would do such a good job and see the guests off directly. Zheng Wei said in a deep voice: "General Gao, what do you mean? Are you telling me that there is no need to continue talking? "
Zheng Wei thought that by asking Gao Heng, he could let Gao Heng feel his increasingly tough attitude. The main reason was that the demands they made were really too much. As long as they gave in a little, everyone could still sit down and talk.
But he didn't expect it. Gao Heng nodded and said: "Yes, Prime Minister, I don't think we need to talk anymore. You are also a person who is familiar with Sinology. I wonder if you have heard of a saying in the Central Plains, called "On the battlefield" What you can't get, you can't get at the negotiation table. The negotiation was initiated by you and it has nothing to do with us. If you don't want to talk, the prime minister can go back, but what I want to tell you is that from the moment you walk out of the city gate , our offensive will be launched immediately."
"You!" Zheng Wei pointed at Gao Heng and said.
Gao Heng smiled and said, "Haha, what, do you have any other advice, Prime Minister? Oh, by the way, according to the intelligence I have, it seems that Lang Son Prefecture only has a thousand defenders. The elite soldiers under my command will force you to do so." I've seen it too, why don't we make a bet, I'm confident that we can capture Lang Son in three days, and you can go back and mobilize your troops now to see if we can make it in three days."
Zheng Wei's teeth are about to be broken. This is a very clear threat. Zheng Wei has seen his thousands of troops just now. To be on the safe side, to destroy this army now, he will need at least three times the strength. That is 20,000 elite troops. Where will Annan mobilize 20,000 troops now? Unless the frontline troops are transferred back, even if the king agrees, it will not be possible to gather here in three days. Then Lang Son Palace may be gone. The four soldiers of Lang Son Prefecture resisted the newly victorious Tiger and Wolf Division, but Zheng Wei did not dare to gamble.
Especially once Lang Son Prefecture is taken, their appetite will be even greater. By then, it may not be a problem that one prefecture can solve.
An order has been issued to expel Zheng Wei. Zheng Wei can neither sit nor leave, let alone leave. He has no doubt that Gao Heng will launch an attack immediately after he leaves. The troops and horses outside the city have been prepared just now, and he cannot see them. There must be soldiers and horses waiting there. The most important thing is that Zheng Fu's entire army was wiped out and all the baggage fell into the hands of Gao Heng. Now how much firepower he had, Zheng Wei knew clearly that taking Lang Son Palace was no joke.
Seeing that Zheng Wei did not move, Gao Heng immediately said: "Why, the prime minister seems to be hesitant. If you want to leave, I will never stop you."
Zheng Wei turned around and said, "Is there really no room for negotiation?"
Gao Heng replied: "Master Prime Minister, our requirements are actually not high. We don't want your people, we just want some small territories. These territories are originally the borders. Giving them to us will not have much impact on you. As long as you agree, We can draw a thirty-mile no-man's land on the border between the two sides as the boundary between the two sides. Let's not cross the river, and each can go his own way, how about that?"
"Let's do this. I'll write a letter and ask my followers to send it back eight hundred miles in a hurry. They can go back and forth to Shenglong Mansion in one day. I'll ask the king for instructions. I'll get a reply before tomorrow evening." Zheng Wei said. .
Gao Heng nodded, "Yes, but I can only wait until tomorrow evening. As soon as the evening passes, my army will set off to prevent you from using the procrastination technique."
"It's a deal!" the two high-fived.
"Bastard! This is impossible, this is absolutely impossible!" At night, Zheng Wei lived in the city. He had no intention of eating or drinking at the dinner party Gao Heng arranged for him. After coping with it hastily, he returned to the room arranged by Gao Heng. Among them, Gao Heng was discussing countermeasures with his followers. Gao Heng also knew that he was not in the mood now, so he let him go without forcing him.
As Zheng Wei said, the letter was sent back to Shenglong Mansion at a speed of eight hundred miles. As soon as Lord Zheng received the letter, his lungs almost exploded. Gao Heng actually made such an excessive request. You know , Lang Son is an important border town, and given Gao Heng, the defense line between himself and the Ming Dynasty was destroyed, let alone an outlet to the sea.
The most important thing is that the city is a small matter, but his own prestige is a big deal. If the whole world knows about the matter of ceding territory and seeking peace, how can he, the king, take it for granted?
Lord Zheng was about to reply, asking Zheng Wei to refuse Gao Heng's request. At worst, everyone would die. At this moment, another guard came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, urgent report from the southern front! The Ruan army launched a large-scale attack from Zhengzhou We achieved a breakthrough in Fu's defense zone and invaded twenty miles into the hinterland of Quang Binh Prefecture."
"What!" Master Zheng felt like the world was spinning and he almost fell to the ground. Several guards quickly helped him.
"Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician!" the guard shouted, and several imperial physicians rushed to diagnose and treat him. It took him a long time to wake up.
Lord Zheng opened his eyes and said to the guards: "Don't worry about me, King. Tell me, what's going on with the Southern Front?"
The captain of the guard looked very ugly and knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, three red military reports have been sent from the front line, asking for reinforcements to seal the gap. Otherwise, once the Ruan army breaks through, Quang Binh Mansion will be destroyed."
"Ruan Fulan! Ruan Fulan! I and you are sworn in!" Lord Zheng shouted out Lord Ruan's name in anger. He already knew in his heart that there must be many spies of the Ruan family in his court. The Zheng family's army is here. The northern part suffered a disastrous defeat. This news must have been grasped by Lord Ruan at the first time. This assault showed strange things in every aspect. Ruan Fulan grasped the opportunity very well. Taking advantage of the emptiness of his front line, he broke through the defense line of Quang Binh Prefecture in one fell swoop. Now I have to make a choice between the two sides.
"Drive! Drive! Hurry up for eight hundred miles to Shenglong Mansion!" the cavalry shouted and rushed into the city gate of Shangwenzhou. It was just past noon. The gatekeepers of the Xinghua Army saw that it was Zheng Wei who sent them. The messenger immediately got out of the way and the cavalry went straight to the state government office. When Zheng Wei heard the news that the messenger had returned, he rushed out of the room without even putting on his shoes. He grabbed the messenger's arm and said, "Letter! Bring it to me!"
The messenger handed over the letter, and Zheng Wei didn't pay much attention to it. He opened it on the spot, glanced at it, and sat down on the ground slumped. The followers behind him stepped forward one after another, "Sir! Sir! What's wrong with you?"
Master Zheng waved the letter feebly, "You can see for yourselves."
When everyone took the letter and looked at it, their expressions changed drastically. They looked at each other and said, "This, how could this happen?"
"Hmph, Ruan Fulan is a great guy. As soon as the news of the detailed work was sent back, he immediately took action. I must say that the timing was very good. This is forcing the king to make a choice. The Zheng family has no way out and the front line is in danger. , requesting reinforcements. If we don’t seal the gap, the country will be in danger. Your Majesty’s intention is very clear. We can’t really give up the entire country to fight Gao Heng, and we can’t lose our lives because of the mustard disease.” Zheng Wei Weak and weak.
"Hahaha, okay, okay, it's rare for Lord Zheng to understand the situation clearly. In this case, I would like to trouble you to thank Lord Zheng for me." In the government office, Gao Heng held the document presented by Zheng Wei and laughed. road. Unexpectedly, Lord Ruan would take action at the critical moment. The Ruan family's army pressed on the border. If the Zheng family continued to fight with them here, their country would be destroyed. Under this situation, it was almost impossible for them to have a second choice.
This negotiation went surprisingly smoothly. Zheng Wei, on behalf of the court, almost fully accepted Gao Heng's demands. The first was that Lang Son Palace and Xin'an Port should be completely controlled by the Xinghua Army. The second was that a safe zone be established within 30 miles of the border between the two sides. Neither of the two families has troops stationed in this area, but the other party's people cannot cross this area without permission, otherwise they will be shot without mercy. The third is that the captured prisoners of war will not be released for the time being. Gao Heng will use them as coolies for a period of five years and release them after five years.
Ten days later, in order to better receive Lang Son Prefecture, Gao Heng made a series of arrangements. Yuan County did not resettle the people for the time being, and only placed one battalion here, using Yuan County as a military city and a storage place for military supplies. . Half of the people in Tuo County went to Shang Van Province, and the people in Shang Van Province had just settled here anyway and had not yet entered into a regular life, so they simply packed up and moved to Lang Son Province.
As a result, more than 50,000 people were formed, including more than 10,000 people in Tuo County, more than 10,000 people in Shangwenzhou, and more than 20,000 people in Lang Son Province. Gao Heng of Xin'an Port also sent cavalry to take over, and the vast land from the northeast coast to Tuo County was officially taken into his possession by Gao Heng.
"General, isn't it a good idea to do this? Look at those Annan people. To be honest, they are quite miserable." Outside the city of Lang Son, the Annan people carrying large and small bags were evacuating the city according to Lord Zheng's order. Gao Heng gave them three days. After three days, the passage will be closed, and those who did not leave will become residents of the area controlled by the Xinghua Army.
Naturally, the Annan court would not allow such a thing to happen, so it mobilized the garrison of Lang Son Palace. If anyone refused to leave, they would be taken away by force. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be killed. No living person could be left to Gao Heng.
After giving the order, the Annan residents in the entire city immediately cried for their fathers and mothers. After all, their houses and land are here. Now if they leave, the land and houses cannot be taken away. Even if they go to other places, how can they make a living? It's like you have struggled all your life and are suddenly back to where you started. Many people couldn't accept it and started quarreling with the soldiers, but the soldiers didn't care about it. If you didn't leave, they would just beat you severely until you evacuated.
Nearly 40,000 residents of Lang Son were forced to leave their homes. Watching them leave, Fan Yu couldn't bear it and said to Gao Heng in front of him.
Gao Heng looked back at Fan Yu and said, "I admit that what you said makes some sense. I would understand if you don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. But now, the most important task is to make our people live a better life. This world is essentially about four words: the weak eat the strong. If you want to survive, if you want to live well, you can only make yourself strong, otherwise, you will be like fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others, do you understand? "
Fan Yu seemed to understand and nodded. No matter what, he understood one thing. Everything Gao Heng is doing now is for the more than 50,000 people under their rule. They are the foundation of the Xinghua Army. The most reliable force in the world.
