It's midsummer again.
Liu Yu led 10,000 Zhou "mercenaries" to the Xiliang Royal City.
He held a cordial and friendly talk with Pei Meng, the second King of Anxi.
One is a veteran, and the other is the eldest prince personally trained by the emperor and empress.
The two met and the atmosphere was harmonious.
At the banquet, the two sides were clearly divided.
Drink in big bowls and eat big pieces of meat.
They are all a group of generous and good men.
The atmosphere was getting exciting when it suddenly changed.
Putting affection aside, even brothers have to settle accounts clearly, let alone they are not blood brothers.
"The loan from the Shaofu Bank has arrived. The Empress is truly trustworthy and keeps her word. However, I have some concerns about the cost of the 'mercenaries' that the Empress has set."
Pei Meng spoke first.
He never mentioned Emperor Liu Zhao, and deep down he must have been dissatisfied with Liu Zhao.
The two cousins have always been wary of and disliked each other.
Liu Zhao looked down on him, but how could he look down on Liu Zhao?
In Pei Meng's heart, he only recognized one opponent, that was Queen Gu Jiu.
As for Liu Yu, Pei Meng must have wanted to weigh the other party's weight first.
It is said that King Liu Yu of Qi was taught by the Empress herself. Pei Meng was very curious about how much Liu Yu had learned from the Empress.
Liu Yu put down his wine glass, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Your Highness, are you planning to go back on your word?"
Pei Meng laughed heartily. "I don't like to hear you go back on your word. Sending troops to the Western Regions is a serious matter. According to the Empress's arrangement, the court will benefit the most. Yet, I am asked to pay you to fight. The benefits are yours, the money is yours, but I have to bear all the consequences. What benefit have I gained?"
Apart from attracting a bunch of enemies, it seems there is no benefit at all! According to the Queen, wars are fought for money, and a war without benefits is better not fought. I have been thinking about it, where will the benefits be to me if I fight this war?
King Liu Yu of Qi smiled, "King Anxi thinks this war is boring and unprofitable. How about this: you cede Xiliang to me, and you lead the Northwest Army to find another territory. I will lead the troops to fight this battle, and I will bear any consequences. How do you do that?"
"Hahaha... Your Highness the Prince of Qi really knows how to joke." Pei Meng laughed out loud.
King Liu Yu of Qi also laughed out loud. "Prince Anxi, please seriously consider this 'joke' of mine. Your Majesty despises this land of Xiliang, but I do not. Your Majesty despises the war in the Western Regions, but I do not despise it either. I share your concerns. Are you satisfied?"
Pei Meng narrowed his eyes slightly and laughed heartily, "Heroes emerge from youth, and newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Not bad, not bad. You have the demeanor of the Queen, who is fearless and willing to take on responsibilities. But can your small shoulders bear such a heavy burden?"
King Liu Yu of Qi lowered his eyes and smiled, his gaze cold. "Whether we can bear it or not, we must try to know. Xiliang is a battleground for military strategists. My father and mother have attached great importance to Xiliang and have made arrangements for it over the years. It can be said that they have good intentions. Now, with tigers and wolves all around us, we should cooperate sincerely to drive them away together.
However, Your Highness has gone back on his word, reneging on what was agreed upon. This is not the attitude one should have when undertaking great undertakings. If Your Highness misses the opportunity to establish strategic plans in the Western Regions and win the hearts and minds of the people for a mere sum of silver, I can only say: Your Highness is getting old!
Bang!
A general of the Northwest Army smashed the wine pot, jumped up and pointed at Liu Yu, "What are you talking about? My son, before you were born, we followed the prince through life and death. What qualifications do you have to speak nonsense?"
"How dare you!" Pei Meng gently scolded his generals, and then said to King Liu Yu of Qi: "They are all a bunch of rough people. Your Highness, don't bother with them."
King Liu Yu of Qi chuckled, "General, everything you just said is correct, and I agree with it all. When you were fighting on the battlefield, I was not even born yet. Now that I'm grown up, you've grown old. It's truly a pity."
Furthermore, I also want to warn the General that this world ultimately belongs to us young people. The General is old, unable to wield a sword, unable to kill for three days and three nights. It would be better for him to step back and not make such a fuss that people would mistakenly believe that the Anxi Palace can't even find a rising star capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility.
This is truly worrying. As you grow older, who will guard the Anxi Palace? Are we going to rely on a bunch of old men with gray beards to charge into battle? Twenty years from now, will the Anxi Palace still be called Pei?
"You shameless boy, stop talking nonsense!" The generals of the Anxi Palace were all filled with righteous indignation.
What you said was so fucking rude!
If it weren't for the fact that he was the eldest prince, I would have rolled up my sleeves and beat him up long ago.
Pei Meng was not angry, but full of worry.
Because what Liu Yu said touched the soft spot of Anxi Palace.
The young generation of talents is fading away, or are still studying in school, and the situation is entirely supported by a group of old guys.
The old guys can still hold on for another five to ten years.
If the younger generation fails to grow up within ten years, the Anxi Palace will be in danger, and Xiliang will be in danger.
Especially in the current situation, with enemies lurking all around and foreign races potentially attacking Xiliang at any time, the Anxi Palace urgently needs to seize the time to transition from the old to the new.
War is the best training ground.
Whether the young people can stand up and be pulled onto the battlefield will soon lead to a conclusion.
Should we attack the Western Regions?
You deserve a beating!
It is also beneficial to the Anxi Palace.
However, Pei Meng did not want to give in easily.
He wants more benefits.
The two sides were arguing fiercely.
Pei Meng closed his eyes and rested, not in a hurry at all.
Liu Yu was even less anxious.
Mr. Dou was anxious.
By facilitating the cooperation between the two parties, he will have a place in the first volume of "Biographies of Famous People" and his name will be recorded in history.
The Dou family will gain glory because of him and be passed down through the ages.
But looking at Pei Meng's attitude, Mr. Dou knew very well that now was not a good time to speak.
So he set his sights on Mr. Lu.
Last year, Mr. Lu was deceived by the Empress Dowager and went to Xiliang in the capacity of the former Minister of the Central Secretariat to persuade Pei Meng to agree to send troops to the Western Regions, accept the help of the court's "mercenaries", and accept the loan from the Shaofu Bank.
The mission was completed and I should have set off back to Beijing.
Pei Meng refused to let him go and insisted on waiting until Liu Yu led his troops to Xiliang before allowing Mr. Lu to leave.
There was no other choice, so Mr. Lu had to stay in Xiliang.
Naturally, he was also at the banquet today.
Mr. Dou called his name. "Mr. Lu, please say something! This cooperation was facilitated by Mr. Lu. We all want to hear Mr. Lu's opinion."
Everyone nodded.
Mr. Lu snorted, put down his wine glass, and said with a smile, "The two princes have a disagreement on the cost of the 'mercenaries'. We can discuss it. Prince Anxi is short of money, so how about this: after the troops are dispatched, the 'mercenaries' captured after the battle will be given priority for selection. How do you think?"
"Well, hahaha..." Mr. Dou laughed. "Mr. Lu might not be familiar with the situation in the Western Regions. Most of the spoils seized after the war are gold, silver and jewelry. Giving priority to 'mercenaries' is not fair to our Anxi Palace!"
"Then half on each side."
"No, no!"
"Then we'll select them in batches. Each time will take half an hour, with both sides taking turns."
"This method is feasible."
The generals of both sides agreed to take turns selecting the spoils of war.
Half an hour limits the number of people and time, so not much can be moved away.
Both parties have the opportunity to make a fortune.
Mr. Dou asked Pei Meng cautiously, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Pei Meng opened his eyes. "If you don't let me pay, I naturally have no objection. Your Highness, what do you want to say?"
Liu Yu didn't hesitate and directly took out the list of supplies he had prepared long ago, "Your Highness, please make sure to prepare the supplies on the list."
Pei Meng took the list of supplies and looked at it, then sneered, "Your Highness the Prince of Qi has truly mastered the Queen's essence. He's quite good at asking for exorbitant prices."
"Your Majesty can return the money upon landing."
Pei Meng was very straightforward, "All supplies, the quantity will be halved"
“At least 80%”
“Fifty percent!”
“Eighty percent!”
The two sides bargained, and a new round of tension began.
In this way, a banquet was transformed into a large-scale bargaining scene.
They couldn't agree on the price and a fight broke out.
These days, bargaining has come up with new tricks.
Late at night, the banquet ended.
Everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Liu Zheng complained to Liu Yu, "The King of Anxi is so stingy, he's haggling over a few pieces of armor. He doesn't even consider that we're here to help him fight. Besides a little money, all the benefits belong to him. I don't think he's sincere. Your Highness, be careful he's plotting against us. When we go out, be careful not to be sold out by him."
Liu Yu said "hmm" without commenting.
"And the generals of the Anxi Palace are all very old. I'm really worried whether these old guys can still wield swords on the battlefield."
"The foundation of the Anxi Palace is the Northwest Army, and its combat effectiveness is still there. In recent years, they have also added nearly 10,000 troops, so they should not be underestimated."
Liu Yu's attitude is very objective. He does not look down on anyone, and of course he does not overestimate anyone.
Liu Zheng asked, "Your Majesty, are you confident about this expedition to the Western Regions?"
Liu Yu looked at him, "Are you scared?"
"Who would be afraid? I'm worried that King Anxi is plotting against us, using us as cannon fodder while he reaps the benefits."
"Don't worry! He dares not to work hard."
"Why does your Majesty say that?"
Liu Yu smiled and said, "Because the Anxi Palace cannot do without the support of the court, he dare not let anything happen to me. So he will definitely try his best."
Liu Zheng seemed to understand but not quite.
Liu Yu did not explain much, but took this opportunity to go and have a chat with Mr. Lu.
Mr. Lu opened the door to greet him, "I expected the prince to come, and I have prepared a cup of tea."
"Mr. is in a good mood."
The two of them sat on the ground, drinking tea and chatting.
"I've been in Xiliang for over half a year, and what I've felt most deeply is that Pei Meng is very good at civil affairs. Walking down the streets of Xiliang Royal City, you can hear Xiliang people everywhere speaking Chinese and using Chinese characters. Large inns and businesses can even settle accounts with silver bills issued by the Shaofu Bank. It feels like you're in a city in the inland of the Great Zhou."
Liu Yu said "Oh", "I wonder what the situation is like outside of Hope City?"
Mr. Lu said carefully, "Outside the royal city, the situation is not very good. The farthest place I have been is a village 300 miles away from the Xiliang royal city. The people there still maintain their language and living habits. What happens in the royal city has no effect on them. They are also indifferent to everything Pei Meng promotes in the royal city.
The people of these villages know that the royal city has been replaced by a prince from the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they speak well of the King of Anxi. But I am certain that if someone truly dares to speak out, these people will turn into rebels. Even more terrifying is that they are skilled in archery and horsemanship, familiar with the terrain, and will pose a huge threat to the Western Liang royal city. Regarding this expedition to the Western Regions, I believe the greatest danger lies not in the foreign tribes outside, but in the people of Western Liang who have not yet assimilated.
"Sir, you're worried that those rebels will take advantage of the empty Xiliang Royal City to launch an attack, leaving us vulnerable from both sides."
“We have to be on guard!”
"Then let's catch the turtle in the jar!"
"Your Majesty already has a plan?"
"I have a little plan! Why not take this opportunity to eradicate all opposition forces in Xiliang and put an end to future troubles?"
"Can you do that?"
"As long as Pei Meng is willing to cooperate, the chances of winning are very high."
Mr. Lu considered it for a moment. "I'll go talk to Pei Meng. Deep down, he still hopes that the Pei family can successfully establish themselves in Xiliang. If we can capture a piece of territory during this expedition to the Western Regions, Pei Meng's momentum will be unstoppable. With good management, the Pei family has great hope of maintaining its roots in this land for generations to come. I have to say, the strategy the Empress formulated for conquering the Western Regions was very far-sighted."
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