Chapter 295 Proposal
The person in charge of the mission to Jinzhou Prefecture this time was the forty-year-old Mr. Pei.
He was originally a juren, but he failed the exams many times. Disheartened, he was recommended to be a staff member. This man was indeed quick-witted and did a good job under the former lord. Later, when the Ming King Champa rebelled, he naturally became the Ming King's subordinate.
This man was well versed in military affairs and was also familiar with common affairs, so he was highly valued by the King within a year.
On this trip, he led a large group of more than one hundred people, starting from Qiongzhou, entering the country through Jiangling Prefecture, then passing Xiangshui Prefecture, Bao'an Prefecture, Qianzhou Prefecture, and finally arriving at Jinzhou Prefecture.
Jiang Yongkang also assigned about a hundred people, claiming to be responsible for their safety, but in fact they were openly monitoring them.
If we talk about the whole journey, Jiangling Prefecture on the border looks not much different from those to the east. The only difference is that the soldiers look more energetic, and most of the people are in a hurry, and no one knows what they are busy with.
It was midsummer, and the further southwest he went, the more frightened Master Pei felt.
The change became more and more obvious, and the envoys felt like they had come from the countryside of Qiongzhou to the city, and everything they saw seemed strange.
Especially as you get closer to Jinzhou Prefecture, and even starting from Xiangshui Prefecture, things called cement roads begin to appear one after another.
The road was smooth and flat, and the carriage did not shake at all. It was as if walking on flat ground, and the speed was at least doubled. If all the cement roads in Jinzhou Prefecture were like this, they would save a lot of time in transportation!
No wonder the people in Jinzhou Prefecture are so efficient!
This is real transportation cost!
At first they were shocked, but as more and more cement roads appeared, even when they reached the territory of Qianzhou, it was all cement roads. Master Pei finally felt that something was wrong.
Finally, disregarding his old pride and the condescending demeanor he had previously displayed, he pulled the nearby young general, surnamed Chen, and asked, "General Chen, since passing Bao'an Prefecture, I've noticed you've been building cement roads here. I'd like to ask, besides paving roads, can cement also be used to build riverbanks and city walls? By the way, was the city wall you built in Jiangling Prefecture previously made of cement?"
General Chen thought to himself that this old fox couldn't help asking questions, but he smiled and said, "Yes, it's cement."
"Where do you get all this cement?"
"Where did you buy it? Of course His Highness gave it to you. We have a cement factory in Jinzhou Prefecture that specializes in producing this stuff. If you want to buy it, you can discuss cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce."
Master Pei's eyes trembled: "This cement... can I buy it?"
"Of course, isn't this thing produced for people to buy? Jinzhou Prefecture has many good things. You can cooperate with us on anything you like. Besides, didn't you come to our Jinzhou Prefecture this time to discuss cooperation with His Highness?"
General Chen smiled innocently.
Buy it, why not? Let those money-obsessed colleagues in the Ministry of Commerce rip you off.
Master Pei was obviously lost in thought.
Good, since he can buy it, he doesn’t have to go through the trouble of sending people to steal it.
Buy some and find the best craftsman in the Zhou Dynasty. I don’t believe that he can’t crack this recipe!
However, when thinking about the firearm, Master Pei still felt a little overwhelmed.
I just don’t know if I can buy this firearm?
Master Pei didn't have the courage to ask.
Their speed along the way was not very fast, but the road was good, and they even arrived several days earlier than the scheduled time of one month.
What made Master Pei spit out a mouthful of blood was that he was received by two female clerks!
As the confidant of King Ming, he naturally knew that the custom in Jinzhou Prefecture was for women to serve as officials, but he imagined that she would at least be a woman from a wealthy family who was well-read in poetry and literature.
At this moment, Master Pei suddenly saw a very young woman and a woman who looked older walking towards him with a dozen people. He felt a little complicated.
"Master Pei! General Ma!" The young woman was warm and attentive, introducing herself as soon as she came up. "I'm Qian Zhenniang, the Minister of Commerce, and this is Minister Feng from the Logistics Department. Your Highness has asked the two of us to receive you. You've all been exhausted from the journey, so I'll take you to the inn to rest first."
The group greeted each other in turn.
The people in Jinzhou Prefecture did not know why they were there, so they tried to be polite to them.
However, the two groups were still facing each other on the eastern battlefield. It was no exaggeration to say that they were both enemies and friends, so both sides were quite cautious in their words and deeds.
Qian Zhenniang took everyone to an inn close to the government office and settled them down.
Master Pei and his group immediately looked around. Normally, the envoys from the two countries should be arranged to stay at the Honglu Temple, but now neither side has proclaimed themselves emperor, so they can only act according to their convenience.
But Master Pei and his group never expected that the Jinzhou government would just throw them into an inn. This inn had not even been requisitioned yet, with civilians coming in and out at any time. There were all kinds of people in the lobby, drinking, eating, and staying. It was a bustling scene, which made the people from Qiongzhou feel really neglected.
But when you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
General Chen couldn't help but complain, "Is this how Jinzhou Prefecture treats guests? This inn has no guards, and anyone can come in and out. What if someone tries to assassinate them?"
The Minister of Commerce looked petite, yet she was well versed in the art of making the most of a small effort. Upon hearing this, she simply smiled and said apologetically, "Alas, I was so focused on making you feel at home that I neglected security. Minister Feng, quickly send someone to the West Camp to transfer two hundred soldiers. Make sure they properly guard our distinguished guests from Qiongzhou and ensure we ensure our foreign affairs security."
Upon hearing this, Master Pei's expression changed immediately and he waved his hands hastily: "No need, no need, no need to trouble so much. We are new to your precious place, how can we trouble you so much?"
Qian Zhenniang naturally decided to stop while she was ahead. She smiled and said, "That's fine. You'll all have some free time. Our Jinzhou Prefecture has beautiful scenery. You can go take a walk and have a look. I'll report to His Highness when I get back, and then we'll discuss important matters together."
The group said goodbye politely again.
Not long after leaving the inn, Qian Zhenniang said to Mo Jinchun in the dark, "Tell those two hundred brothers to be alert and see what tricks these people are up to."
Master Pei and his group went upstairs, settled everything, and then gathered in the room.
Sitting in the main seat was a young woman, but she was wearing men's clothes. Her face was a little childish, and she looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. She was swinging her legs leisurely, holding her chin and listening to the complaints of her subordinates.
"The people in Jinzhou Prefecture really don't take us seriously! They just left us in the inn and left us there without a care. This level of hospitality doesn't look like they're hosting foreign envoys, it's more like they're hosting poor relatives from the countryside!"
"Exactly. Not to mention that they've been treating us like thieves since we entered Jinzhou Prefecture, the Minister of Propaganda just now said he'd send 200 people to us. This is clearly surveillance!"
General Ma also said, "The Jinzhou Prefecture army is made up entirely of women, and they're all incredibly fierce! Did you hear those young ladies arguing when we entered the city just now? Just because a stranger looked at her a second too long, she dragged him around and insisted on seeing the officials. I don't think she's particularly pretty, but she's actually braver than she is!"
These words were a bit harsh, and naturally caused the girl in the main seat to frown slightly.
"Alright, people have to bow their heads under the eaves. These are all trivial matters. Don't forget the real purpose of our trip."
Everyone then calmed down and said, "Yes."
"Come on, now that we're here, let's go see what the legendary Jinzhou Prefecture looks like. This is the rebel's territory, but it's not easy to set foot in it once. We have to take a good look."
When Qian Zhenniang and others met the people from Qiongzhou, they hurried back to the government office and reported all the reception matters to Xu Zhenying.
"From what I've seen, they're led by only a staff member and a general, but no important figures who can control the situation. I don't think they're here to seek peace. But it also shows that they don't have any sincerity."
"That's not the case. Prince Ming isn't even old enough to get married. His mother has long passed away, and the only people close to him are his concubines. It's impossible for him to send someone who can calm the situation down."
"They weren't picky about the inn we arranged, but they seemed to have some complaints about our arrangements. I guess they thought we weren't grand enough."
Xu Zhenying nodded, but turned to General Chen, who had escorted them all the way to Jinzhou Prefecture, and said, "Did you find anything else while you were escorting them all the way?"
General Chen pondered for a moment before saying, "Speaking of which, they haven't been putting on airs along the way and have generally been quite cooperative. I'm a bit puzzled by one thing: a young man dressed as a servant, who I suspect is a woman. Not only is she disguised as a man, but the others seem to be treating her with respect. I've already reported this to Minister Jiang, and he said that as long as they don't point it out, we should just pretend we don't know."
"Woman?" Xu Zhenying frowned slightly. "But is she the Ming King's family member?"
"It doesn't look like that. She's very young and probably hasn't gotten married yet."
On the other hand, Elder Lin at the side asked, "What kind of woman is she? Describe her appearance."
"About the same height as His Highness, with an oval face, very fair skin, and a bit thin. He looks about thirteen or fourteen years old."
Elder Lin stroked his beard and frowned, "Could it be... the Sixth Princess?"
"Ming Wang's biological sister, born of the same mother?"
Elder Lin nodded. "It's said that when the young emperor was burned to death last time, the palace was in chaos and the Sixth Princess's whereabouts were unknown. Now it seems that she might have gone to Qiongzhou to seek refuge with the Ming King. These two siblings are born of the same mother and have had a very good relationship since childhood. Their age and appearance are roughly the same, so it's possible that she really is the Sixth Princess!"
"Sixth Princess?" Xu Zhenying raised an eyebrow. "While these two countries are at war, why would a princess go to the rebels' territory? Isn't she afraid that we might harm her?"
Xu Yinxi immediately said, "Perhaps he followed the delegation secretly for fun?"
General Xiao Chen immediately denied it. "I don't think so. The delegation treated her with great respect, and she's been with the division since the beginning. It seems more likely that she was sent by the Ming King."
"Interesting." Xu Zhenying smiled. "Mr. Lin, what is the temperament of the princess like?"
"She has quite a bit of her brother's style."
Xu Zhenying knew that these words coming from Mr. Lin were a very high evaluation.
Although Zhou Heng was nothing special in her eyes, judging by the standards of this era, that Ming Wang could be considered a rare talent.
If she were not a person from the outside world, the world might really have become Zhou Heng's possession.
"So, there's a princess disguised as a man among them. What's their intention?"
Elder Lin smiled and said, "Didn't Your Highness say last time that what Qiongzhou wants is nothing more than these few things: firearms, an alliance, or a ceasefire. We have plans to deal with all of these, so we're not afraid of any tricks they might play."
Xu Zhenying nodded. "Indeed, we've already taken care of things. The rest is up to them. The day after tomorrow morning, notify the people coming from Qiongzhou. I'll give them the whole morning to do. Also, notify the cadres at the bu level and above to attend the meeting."
However, what no one expected was that the man from Qiongzhou had such a brilliant idea that he did not ask for firearms, nor for peace, nor for an alliance, but rather -
"Are you sure? King Ming wants to marry me?"
The woman sitting in the main seat had a smile on her face, and the astonishment in her eyes was fleeting, followed by a look of amusement.
However, the expressions of everyone else in the conference room changed.
Although Master Pei was not used to this kind of large conference room where everyone was together for meetings, it seemed quite shabby to him.
Yet he remained composed, even condescending. "Your Highness, you have heard correctly. My master is the son of Emperor Xiaokang, the 23rd Emperor of the Great Zhou. He is of noble descent, nearly twenty years old, and unmarried. He is handsome and renowned for his talent. If Your Highness, Prince Zhao, agrees to join forces with my master, my master will marry him as his principal wife and solemnly promise two things: first, I will never marry again in my lifetime. Second, after unifying the world, I will divide it into east and west, with the emperor and empress ruling together. I will never break these promises. Your Highness, think about it. My master has an army of 300,000, and you have firearms. If the two sides fight, only the fisherman will benefit. If the two sides join forces, how can the Great Zhou Dynasty survive?"
Master Pei spoke passionately, and his voice echoed in the conference room for a long time.
"Once you and my lord join forces, and our two armies merge into one, we will be unstoppable. To the east, we can conquer the territories of the two Li kings, while you can advance westward without hesitation. In this way, nearly two-thirds of the Great Zhou Dynasty's territory will be occupied, and it will be left with only a lingering struggle. I predict that if His Royal Highness Prince Zhao agrees to this marriage, within five years, the entire empire will be ours!"
It has to be said that no one seemed to have expected that the man from Qiongzhou would be so whimsical.
Everyone sat there in astonishment, even forgetting to refute for a moment.
Really... this guy is too imaginative!
Still want to marry His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?
Is there any man in this world who is worthy of their Highness?
Divide the whole world into two and rule them separately?
Is there something wrong with Ming Wang's brain?
Xu Zhenying observed his men, each of whom was utterly stunned. He coughed softly, bringing them back to their senses. Seeing some impatient ones preparing to retort, Xu Zhenying quickly said, "I understand what Your Highness intends. However, this matter is of grave importance, and I must carefully consider it. Please return to the inn and rest. We will inform you of the outcome."
Master Pei seemed to know that this was a tug-of-war, so he bowed and retreated naturally.
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