Chapter 211 Negotiation Points
Undercurrents were surging in Shunyuan Mansion.
Not long after Xu Zhenying's meeting ended, Chief Demao secretly met with the chieftains of Gelao and Dongmiao the next day.
"Zhai Fang's actions are truly unethical. He actually went behind our backs to look for the Mountain King. I heard rumors in the city that he and the Mountain King were planning to join forces to divide up Qianzhou Prefecture. They'd give the territory near Jinzhou to the Mountain King, and all of Qianzhou to Zhai Fang and his men! This is simply too much!"
Dong Miao objected, "If that's the case, how did we get to know such a secret?"
"But this story has been spread with such credence that it seems to be more than just hearsay. Furthermore, the village is powerful, and its elders are strong-willed, so it's not surprising they would do something like this. But what should we do? Did you hear the hidden meaning in the mountain king's words at the meeting yesterday?"
"He simply said that the village has ambitions, and if we have internal conflicts, it will be our small villages that will be swallowed up."
"That's right. Although there's a deep blood feud between the Han and the natives, we also have a sworn enemy with the village's people. Last year, they killed more than a dozen of our men while fighting for water, and we haven't settled the score yet! I think instead of letting the village's people become powerful on their own, it's better to surrender to the mountain king. At least she said she'll exempt us from all grain taxes and even teach us how to farm!"
"This is a good thing, but the Han people are cunning. Can you trust what she says?"
Demao immediately said, "I think... it's more trustworthy than what those corrupt officials of the Great Zhou say. Yesterday, I sent people out to inquire. Some people in Shunyuan City have been to Lan County. They say the people there don't pay taxes, and there are teachers who teach how to farm and compost. Not only that, the children can even go to free schools!"
Dong Miao continued, "Yes, the Lanxiang pig is real. Many people in Jinzhou Prefecture are trying to do business with them. It's said that the piglet only took six months to grow to over 100 pounds and is incredibly fat!"
It turned out that not only Demao's family sent people to inquire, but even Dongmiao went to inquire about the news. Everyone in the room looked at each other tacitly, and they knew in their hearts that at least these three families agreed to give up Qianzhou Prefecture.
Qianzhou Prefecture is nothing but chicken ribs to them.
There are few natives and many Han people. They are used to the slash-and-burn farming and forestry life. They are not used to moving to the city to live.
But if I just handed it over to Xu Zhenying, I would feel like I had suffered a great loss.
Dong Miao also shared some shocking news with everyone, "I've also heard that the mountain king seems to be quite capable, possessing countless recipes. The villagers follow her methods to make compost, and the newly cleared land can now grow crops the very first year! The people of Lan County secretly call her the Fairy Child. It's said that she also possesses magical powers, and can rescue a drowning person with just a breath of air!"
There was a gasp in the room.
"Isn't that even more powerful than our high priest?"
"Our priests can only diagnose illnesses and prescribe medicine, but that mountain king knows magic!"
Xu Zhenying would never have thought that what scared several small chieftains in Qianzhou was not her talent in governing the country, but her cardiopulmonary resuscitation when she bravely jumped into the water to rescue Qian Zhenniang!
"No wonder she spoke so confidently about development, trade routes, and promotion." The Dongmiao elder was quite old, and he tried hard to recall the unfamiliar words Xu Zhenying had said yesterday. "When I heard what she said yesterday, I always felt that there really were good days ahead. If she can really fulfill her promise and make sure that we mountain people can have enough food to eat, I will recognize her as the reincarnation of a god!"
"Right! Taking Qianzhou Prefecture won't do us any good anyway, so why not trust her for now? And there's another benefit to this matter. If she takes Qianzhou Prefecture, it will have nothing to do with us. If the court wants to collect exorbitant taxes again, they will have to take Jinzhou Prefecture first. They will always stand in the way of everything, and our people also need time to breathe. In any case, giving up Qianzhou Prefecture will bring more benefits than disadvantages."
"That's what I thought, too. Besides, we have to give young people a way out. If his trade route can really be built, the young people in our mountains will always be able to get out of the mountains and see the world. But... will the people in the village agree?"
"You have to agree even if you don't agree!" Chief Demao seemed to have made up his mind, "He can't drag us all into this. Let's just go all out..."
He made a gesture of wiping his neck.
A man inside the house said, "Agou, who is with the village chieftain, is very brave. He can beat ten of them alone. We have no way to get close to him."
For a moment, everyone in the room was silent.
Then he saw a figure flash outside the window. It was a man with a green scarf. He stood at the door and did not knock. He just said, "Elders, our village elder Fang invites you to come downstairs for a chat."
The people in the room looked at each other in shock.
People from the village?
But how did he know the location of their secret meeting?
Suddenly, everyone was facing a great enemy, "Should we go or not?"
Chief Demao's face was solemn. "There's no way to hide. Let's get our men armed and go meet him."
A moment later, four chieftains and dozens of strong men gathered in the lobby on the first floor.
The boss saw that things were not going well, so he took the waiter and hid in the backyard.
Shunyuan City is in great chaos now. There are rebels and natives. The common people can hardly protect themselves and can only hide in their homes.
A square table that can accommodate four people.
The village chieftain glanced at the remaining three people with heavy eyelids and couldn't help but let out a hint of ridicule. These three people came together, and it was obvious that they were in collusion.
But what the three of them didn't expect was that the village chieftain's first words shocked everyone.
"We, the people of our village, have agreed to give Shunyuan City to that mountain king."
Everyone was stunned.
The village chieftain sneered, "Why, do you think I'd seize Shunyuan City? We can't even manage the hundreds of thousands of people ourselves, and how can we manage the Han people? That mountain king is right. If the natives don't have enough to eat, they'll cause chaos. If the Han people don't have enough to eat, they'll cause even more chaos. It would be great to seize Shunyuan City and become the local king, but where are we going to get food for hundreds of thousands of people? Then Qianzhou Prefecture will be in chaos again, and there will be war!"
Several small chieftains were unsure of what the Fang family meant, so they remained silent.
On the other hand, Chief Demao showed a hint of joy on his face, "Then why did you pretend to disagree before?"
The chieftain of the village looked around at the few people with contempt in his heart, and just wanted to call them idiots. No wonder they couldn't defeat the Han people, and they didn't even understand the Han people's principle of being reluctant to refuse but also to welcome.
"If I had agreed at yesterday's meeting, how could we have bargained with him later? He only promised us not to pay the grain tax, but why should we pay him the commercial tax? Let me tell you, the grain grown here is from our fields, and the things we sell are the result of our hard work. Even if we have to pay, it can't be in the form of taxes. Once we pay the tax, it means we are willing to submit to him, Xu Zhenying."
Everyone seemed to have not expected this and was stunned for a moment.
"We natives have had enough of being treated as inferiors. We absolutely cannot allow the Han people to dominate us again. Next time we bring up these matters, the three of you will say that the Fang family in our village is strongly opposed. Take this opportunity to put forward some conditions, and I will pretend to agree reluctantly. Otherwise, we will allow ourselves to be manipulated by a brat!"
"Well said!" the Dong Miao chieftain said excitedly, "Big Brother, you're absolutely right. He talked for a long time yesterday, all about wanting to take over Qianzhou and offering us some benefits so we wouldn't cause trouble. But think about it, Qianzhou is backed by Jinzhou. If the imperial court attacks, we can seize the opportunity to attack, and Jinzhou Prefecture will be attacked from all sides. I predict Xu Zhenying will definitely make concessions. We can take this opportunity to propose not paying this commercial tax! Including those things about planting that he mentioned, we can also make her sign a written agreement. The Han people are cunning and we have to guard against them. We also have to make her send hostages, otherwise what if he refuses to fulfill his promise in the future? Wouldn't we have given up Shunyuan City for nothing?"
Chieftain Nademao immediately said, "I've already sent people to investigate. This great king has a brother and a sister. His brother is not in Lan County. Why don't we ask him to send his mother and sister over here as hostages? That way, we can control his relatives and we won't have to worry about him playing tricks on us!"
These words made the chieftains feel excited.
The elders of the village are so smart, no wonder the people of the village are so powerful.
"And the most important thing." The village elder knocked on the table, and everyone leaned over to listen carefully, "We have to make him hand over Bai Ci'en."
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Xu Zhenying spent two or three days strolling around Shunyuan City.
It has to be said that the poverty of the people in the Zhou Dynasty was beyond her imagination.
Especially in such multi-ethnic areas, there are many ethnic conflicts, and the parties often fight for resources, and almost all of them have blood feuds that last for generations.
Such frequent wars affected economic prosperity. Shunyuan City was already the most prosperous place in Qianzhou Prefecture, but in Xu Zhenying's view, Shunyuan City was still devastated.
Due to its terrain, the agriculture in Qianzhou Prefecture was not well developed. Apart from the grain handed over to the court, the people had very little left for themselves. In addition, people in ancient times had many children and grandchildren, so there was not enough food to eat. Most people survived by digging wild vegetables, gnawing on tree bark, and eating tree leaves.
The people in the mountains probably don't even eat oil, water or salt. They are all skinny. Even in Shunyuan City, it is not uncommon to see people suffering from goiter.
Walking on the street, it feels a bit bleak.
It was as if the entire picture had turned grayish white, without a trace of life.
All these things made Xu Zhenying feel mixed emotions and very uncomfortable.
Soon someone came to report that several chieftains wanted to discuss something with her. Xu Zhenying estimated that the result of today's meeting would come out. Whether Qianzhou Prefecture could be taken down depended on this time.
Wang Sanniang quickly followed her, "City Lord, do you think they will agree to our terms?"
"I can't say for sure. Maybe the village is just waiting for a good price, or maybe they really have ambitions. After all, Qianzhou is a remote place, and everyone wants to be the local tyrant."
Mo Jinchun knew this was a serious matter, so he carefully selected the guards and repeatedly confirmed the security. Finally, he reported to Xu Zhenying, "City Lord, we have people at these city gates. We have also deployed people near the government office, and archers are stationed on the high ground opposite the government office. If the locals dare to attack, I will make sure they never return!"
"I trust you to do your job." Xu Zhenying praised Mo Jinchun, but also instructed, "Tell Liu Pan'er to send a few people to monitor the chieftains' subordinates to see if they have any unusual movements. Also, drive away the nearby residents to avoid harming any innocent people."
Mo Jinchun was touched.
The city lord always keeps the safety of the people in mind.
How could one not want to follow such a monarch?
Mo Jinchun was responsible for security on the periphery, while Liu Dazhuang and the personal guards followed her closely.
Xu Zhenying then brought Ming Xiaoshuang, Wang Sanniang and others inside to narrate the story.
This time, a seat was reserved for her, and the main seat was reserved for her.
Xu Zhenying was well aware of the changes. It seemed that they had reached a consensus within the chieftain group, and now it was time to compete with each other.
"Little King Xu..."
"No, why don't you just call me Young Master Xu?" Xu Zhenying waved his hand to stop them, seizing the initiative with a single sentence. "From the looks of you all, it seems like you've already reached a consensus. Let's discuss your conditions."
The village chieftains didn't move. Instead, the weakest chieftain, Demao, stood up and said, "We are willing to withdraw from Shunyuan City and let it belong to you. However, we will not pay the taxes you mentioned. And the food aid you mentioned must still be provided as usual."
Wang Sanniang's face changed, but Xu Zhenying smiled upon hearing this: "According to what you all mean, you should enjoy your rights, but not fulfill your obligations at all?"
Chief Demao's eyes sparkled. "That's wrong. We can guarantee that as long as you keep your promise, we will never attack Shunyuan City."
Xu Zhenying cursed in his heart: What a big old fox!
What's wrong with these people? They were obviously interested a few days ago, but after going back to discuss it, they seem to have become smarter?
It seems that there is an expert who can give me some advice.
"Everyone... I see you're older than my father, so I'll just call you uncles for now. Do you mean you won't pay a penny, but need my help for free?" Xu Zhenying curled his lips in a sneer, "It seems you're treating me like a pushover."
"I, Xu Zhenying, was willing to help you because I saw how miserable you were and wanted to give you a helping hand. But you, ungrateful and ungrateful, are taking this opportunity to blackmail and manipulate me. I can only say, you chose the wrong person!"
"You just think I'm afraid you'll join forces with the imperial court and pincer attack Jinzhou from both sides. Well, I could just submit my allegiance to the imperial court right away, and then use the money to pave the way for my position as the lord of Jinzhou Prefecture. Then, when the imperial court sends troops to wipe out the natives, I'll have people lead the way and provide food and fodder. Within six months, I'll have you driven back into the woods!"
Xu Zhenying's words shocked the whole audience!
Even the village chieftain's eyelids twitched slightly.
This young man has such a strong aura!
Could it be that they really had misjudged him before?
The chieftain of the village suddenly wondered if his tricks could be hidden from this man's eyes. After all, a man with a general like Jiang Yongkang under his command should not be underestimated!
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