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Doukai 5200 Text Chapter 342 Negotiation (Part 2)

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    "The imperial court wants to ask the lord to change his banner as soon as possible, show the world that he belongs to the Tang Dynasty, and then make a statement to feint attack on Luojing to help attract Xianbei troops. Yesterday, the Southern Dynasty sent another envoy,  He brought several letters from His Majesty and the Ministry of War, and asked the lord to review them."

    "Humph, they had a good idea." Meng Ju sat down, picked it up and flipped through it for a while, then raised his head: "Now, the imperial court has sent an envoy here again? Is it still Shi Kang, the Minister of War?"

    "They have changed people. The new envoy is Mr. Su Mo Yusu, the minister of Chongming Palace. He just arrived in Anping the day before yesterday."

    Since March this year, the negotiations between the Dongping Army and the Southern Tang Dynasty have been going on for nine months. Mr. Yi only played a role of introduction in the beginning. He really can't make the final decision in such high-level negotiations.  After Mr. Yi, the imperial court's envoys had changed several times, including Zhao Junyan, the senior counselor of the Beifu, Shi Kang, the Minister of War, and Xu Changxing, the commander-in-chief of the Jiangdu Forbidden Army. During this period, Meng Ju received a personal letter from Emperor Renxing.  After receiving four or five letters, the attitude of the Southern Dynasty can be said to be insincere, and Meng Ju is also very sincere in surrendering, but the Dongping Army's surrender to the Southern Dynasty is still far away.

    The obstacle to the negotiations is mainly that the two sides cannot agree on a key issue: What is the status of the Dongping Army in the future military and political system of the Tang Dynasty?  Meng Ju and his subordinates all hope that the Dongping Army can exist as a large vassal under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty. Their request is:

    1. The Dongping Army is willing to serve the Tang Dynasty as its leader, abide by the laws and orders of the imperial court, and obey the imperial court's will.  The Dongping Army is willing to serve as the northern barrier for the imperial court and defend the Central Plains from the demonic attacks from the northern grasslands;

    2. The imperial court established the General's Office for the Northern Expedition, which was presided over by Meng Jukaifu and was fully responsible for the military and political affairs of the six towns, five states, and three counties in northern Xinjiang. The taxes levied by the states, counties, and towns within the jurisdiction of Dongping Town were not paid to Jiangdu.  It was handed over to the Zhengbei General's Mansion for military use;

    3. The imperial court promised that the existing jurisdiction of Dongping Town will not be reduced, and the number of soldiers and horses will not be reduced.  For example, during the Northern Expedition, the territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty conquered by the Dongping Army was also included in the jurisdiction of Dongping Town and was managed by the Zhengbei General Mansion;

    4. The imperial court cannot reorganize the generals and officers of the Dongping Army without authorization.  Local officials within the jurisdiction of Dongping Town shall not be appointed or dismissed.  Military and political officials within the jurisdiction of Dongping Town can only be appointed by the Dongping Army themselves, and they only need to report to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel of the imperial court afterwards;

    5. The Dongping Army has a designated number of 100,000 soldiers and 30 brigades. The imperial court provides food, supplies, weapons and equipment to the Dongping officers and soldiers according to the treatment of the Jiangdu Forbidden Army.  For example, the Dongping officers and soldiers were disabled or died in battle, and all kinds of pensions and subsidies should be treated the same as those of the Jiangdu Forbidden Army.

    6. The imperial court provides 2,000 battle armors to the Dongping Army every year to replace obsolescence and wear and tear. For example, if the battle armor is lost due to the Dongping Army¡¯s battle with the invading demons, the imperial court must replenish it.  No deduction will be made from the annual fixed supply;

    Seeing the dozen or so conditions offered by the Dongping Army, Meng Ju himself felt blushing - Tang Dynasty was not planning to find a father to support him. He couldn't help but said to Mr. Wen: "Sir, are these conditions too much?  ?¡±

    Mr. Wen was calm and composed: "My lord, since we are talking, we can't be too polite. We have raised the price, and the Tang Dynasty court can pay back the money on the spot!"

    Regarding the Dongping Army¡¯s request, Datang¡¯s response conditions were:

    1. Agree that the Dongping Army joins the Tang Dynasty and serves as a border army to guard the border for the Tang Dynasty.

    2. The Dongping Army has a quota of 20,000 soldiers.  There are eight hundred battle armors, and the treatment and remuneration are equal to those of the Tang Dynasty border troops;

    3. The Dongping Army is stationed in the six towns of Northern Xinjiang.  The above border areas are subject to military control.  Except for the six towns in northern Xinjiang, the generals who conquered the north were not allowed to interfere in local affairs outside their jurisdiction. Shuozhou, Dingzhou, Zhongshan County and other places must be returned to the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Officials in various places were dispatched and appointed by the Tang Dynasty, and the Dongping Army was not allowed to interfere;

    4. The Dongping Army¡¯s appointment of officers above the battalion level must be reported to the Tang Dynasty War Ministry and the Privy Council, and can only take effect after approval by the two ministries;

    5. Datang will dispatch supervisory troops to each battalion of the Dongping Army.  Responsible for the food, money, military rewards, military punishments and other matters for the troops and horses of each unit. The same will be done for each brigade and town.

    6. The Dongping Army¡¯s battle armor equipment is damaged and will be attached after verification by the Supervisory Army.  It can be reported to the Ministry of War of the Tang Dynasty for approval;

    7. The imperial court has the right to mobilize various troops and horses of the Dongping Army to execute orders, and has the right to directly dispatch and appoint generals at all levels of the Dongping Army.  The General's Mansion in Zhengbei must not disobey orders.

    8. The general who conquered the north must return to Beijing to see the Holy Father twice a year;

    A while ago, the envoy sent by the Southern Tang Dynasty court to preside over the negotiations was Shi Kang, the minister of the Ministry of War. He was a burly man. If you didn't know better, you would think of him as a military attache rather than a civilian official.  The temperament of the Minister of War was as rough as his appearance. He told Meng Ju with a smile: Is there anything in the world that is not the land of the king??Wang Chen, the reason why the imperial court can give such generous treatment to the Dongping Army and allocate six towns to the Dongping Army is because Meng Zhengbei has served as Yinghou in Beifu for many years.

    Even though Meng Ju was mentally prepared for the difficulty of negotiating with the Tang Dynasty court, the fierceness of the other party's counteroffer still made him gasp - this was no longer repaying the money on the spot, this was simply returning the price to the basement, or  In the basement on the 18th floor, Shi Lang was still buzzing in Meng Ju's ears like a fly all day long:

    "General Zhengbei, you are one of our own. Your Majesty has such great grace. You can set up a town and open a government, lead an army, and have your own military jurisdiction. Looking through the history books, this kind of treatment  , even the meritorious ministers of our dynasty have never enjoyed it, let alone a general like you from the Northern Kingdom. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, General Zhengbei, you must not miss it!"

    They were forced to give up all the territory outside the six towns, reduce the troops to only 20,000 people, and spit out all the territory they had worked hard to gain. The wars in the past few years were in vain. This is still called the emperor's grace.  , but Shi Kang spoke so sincerely, Meng Ju held this breath in his chest, almost causing internal injuries.

    In this way, the price difference between the two parties is really too far, and the matter cannot be negotiated, so it can only be postponed.  Jiangdu had changed its envoys several times, and the negotiations still made little progress. Therefore, Meng Ju did not have much hope for the new negotiators from the Southern Tang Dynasty.  But since the other party had come all the way, it would be rude not to receive them, so Meng Ju held a banquet in honor of the Southern Dynasty envoys at noon that day.

    The image of Su Shidu fits well with Meng Ju¡¯s image of a Southern Dynasty scholar. He is young, has a rather elegant appearance, bright and gentle eyes, and a calm demeanor.  Seems very dignified.  During the banquet, the two parties exchanged glasses of wine and only talked about romantic affairs, not serious matters. The atmosphere was quite pleasant.

    After dinner and wine, Meng Ju invited Su Shidu to move to the reception room. After chatting for a while, Meng Ju said with a smile: "Master Su, you must also know that although our army is in the northern country, the whole army is  As a pure son of China, I have always sincerely admired the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty. The general himself is a registered Yinghou officer in the Northern Palace of the Tang Dynasty. The loyalty of all our troops to His Majesty and the imperial court can be learned from heaven and earth.

    Since March this year, our army has been begging the imperial court for surrender. A few days ago, Shi Shilang from the Ministry of War and Xu Governor from the Forbidden Army both came to our place.  Everyone also had a good conversation and reached an agreement on the major matter of surrender.  It¡¯s just that there are always little details that get in the way.  As a result, the two sides could not reach an agreement, and the general was very worried about this.

    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Su Shidu, you are His Majesty¡¯s closest minister, you have received His Majesty¡¯s teachings on weekdays, and your knowledge must be better than that of us frontier warriors.  You traveled thousands of miles to come here in person, I guess you must have gained some new insights, right?  Finally, I would like to listen to your advice sir.  "

    Knowing that the topic was coming, Su Moyu¡¯s expression became serious.  He stroked a few strands of long beard on his chin and said with a faint smile: "General Zhengbei, thank you for your praise. If you talk about great insights, students will not dare to accept them. They are just shallow opinions. I would like to discuss it with the general."

    The previous discussions failed, and the student also roughly understood the process. The imperial court has its rules and precepts. Your Majesty naturally appreciates you, the general, but there are many things that even your Majesty cannot freely make the decision; and General Zhengbei, you  It is indeed not easy to appease so many soldiers and horses under his command.  Therefore, students feel that as long as everyone is sincere and understands each other's difficulties, some differences may be left to be resolved slowly, and a result can always be reached.  "

    Meng Ju smiled and said: "Master Su is worthy of being your Majesty's sidekick. He is indeed very knowledgeable. I need you to give me some advice, and finally I will be able to enlighten you."

    He was confused - this Scholar Su looked like he had a smart face, but why did he speak so poorly?  Did he come all the way from Jiangdu just to say a few nonsense words to himself about "we are all sincere and considerate of each other"?

    Sure enough, Su Moyu went on to say: "But there is one thing that students think cannot be delayed. General, you once reported to the court that the Dongping Army was short of food, silver, and supplies, and the soldiers were living a very difficult life.  , had to endure hunger for it. Your Majesty cares about the soldiers. Hearing this news, he was moved to tears!

    Before the students went north, His Majesty repeatedly asked the students to find ways to reinforce the soldiers of the Dongping Army and not to let the soldiers suffer from cold and hunger anymore.  "

    Meng Ju stood up solemnly, knelt down and saluted to the south. He said movedly: "Holy King, we are so grateful for your kindness! On behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the Dongping Army, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your concern. Your kindness is profound, and we can't repay it. I am willing to be a Holy King."  Die!"

    Su Moyu also stood up and saluted, and then he said: "General Meng, your majesty and the imperial court want to do their best to reinforce you, but because Xianbei soldiers and horses are cut off from north-south transportation, large-scale reinforcements are really impossible. Therefore,  The students feel that the top priority now is to solve the transportation problem between Dongping Army and Datang. As long as Dongping soldiers and horses and our army¡¯s Wang Division work together to open aWith this road, the imperial court's reinforcements can be transported up, which solves the Dongping Army's logistical problems and everything else can be easily solved.  "

    "Master Su, what do you mean by opening a passage?"

    "There are two roads to choose from. The first road is for the governor to send his troops westward, go down to Tongguan, enter Guanzhong, occupy Hanzhong, and contact the Western Shu military town of our dynasty;

    The second way is for the Governor to directly send his troops south to attack Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Gaoping and Xuzhou. They will attack front and back with our Jianghuai Northern Expeditionary Army and jointly attack Pu Liying of the puppet Dynasty. After defeating him, General Zhengbei will  You can also contact the imperial court's Jiangdu Forbidden Army directly.  "

    Su Moyu said categorically, with strong self-confidence in his words: "Now the heavy troops of the Xianbei Tartars are hoarded between Luojing and Jianghuai, and the remaining states and counties in the rear are empty of troops.  Due to the bravery of the horses, both routes are easy. However, the Hanzhong Road is rugged and difficult to travel, and large-scale supply is not easy. The students do not recommend that the general take this road. It is better to open the Jianghuai line.

    By that time, general, with the imperial court as your backing, you can advance and retreat freely, and your situation will definitely be much better than now alone in the north!  "

    Meng Ju was stunned for a moment. He looked at Mr. Wen, but saw that Mr. Wen was also looking at him. Both sides saw the bitter smile in the other's eyes.

    Meng Ju knew very well that although he was a powerful soldier, in terms of strength, he was still slightly inferior to the two behemoths of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Southern Tang Dynasty who had hundreds of thousands of soldiers.  His greatest advantage lies not in his troops and territory, but in his transcendent status: if Meng Ju helps the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Wei army will have no worries and they will have Dongping's powerful army to help them, and they can easily repel the Southern Tang's attack; if Meng Ju helps the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Wei army will  In the Southern Tang Dynasty, it was easy for the Tang army to destroy the Northern Wei Dynasty;

    ?? If Meng Juruo did not help each other and sat on the mountain watching the tiger fight, then both the Northern Wei and the Southern Tang would have to ask for help from him.  Therefore, the Dongping Army's aloof status of staying out of the matter but being able to intervene at any time, and being able to influence the situation of the battle at any time, was Meng Ju's biggest bargaining chip in negotiating with Southern Tang.  With this confidence, Meng Ju could adopt a tough attitude towards the Southern Dynasty that he liked to talk but not talk about. He was not afraid of protracted negotiations - anyway, the Southern Army was bleeding every day and spending money like water. The only person who was afraid of prolonging the war was  them instead of themselves.

    But the Su Shidu sent by the Southern Dynasty was also smart. He used the large-scale assistance from the Southern Dynasty as bait to lure Meng Ju to join the war - whether Meng Ju wanted to open up the Hanzhong line or the Jianghuai line, as long as the war continued  , the Dongping Army had to clarify its stance of helping the Southern Dynasty, and lost its aloof status of staying out of the matter.

    As long as Meng Ju is dragged into the water and sided with the Southern Dynasty and loses his right to choose, he will be very passive in the subsequent negotiations with the Southern Dynasty.  Even if the Dongping Army does not actually participate in the war, it is enough to make a gesture. This will cause a series of chain reactions. The half-hearted local officials and soldiers everywhere will change sides after hearing the news, and the Wei Army's already precarious defense line will be  Total collapse.

    Su Shidu put forward the condition of "putting aside disputes and seeking common ground while reserving differences" that seemed to be beneficial to Meng Ju, but it was actually an insidious delaying tactic.  Meng Ju knew very well that a third-party force like himself was most valuable only when the Northern Wei and Southern Tang were at loggerheads. Once the Northern Wei collapsed, his worth would immediately plummet in the eyes of the Southern Tang monarchs, and he would never hesitate to  "Reinforcements that need to be brought in at a high price" became "the next Jieao Zhenfan that needs to be eliminated" - the recruitment conditions that cannot be negotiated now will be even less necessary then.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    (Two updates of 8,000 words I'm sorry everyone, Pig has been in poor health recently, and his condition is extremely poor. I'm sorry for being late, and I couldn't finish the 9,000 words. Although it is insufficient and late, Pig still has the audacity to ask everyone to vote for it.  Regarding the 100 novels that have influenced me the most, the link is here/ploy/20130510/.]
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