Chapter 1043 Unacceptable Conditions!
Yijing, Ye Mansion

In the study, Ye Mingsheng was flipping through official documents. During the months since he left Yijing, he had handed over the military and political affairs of the Fengwu Army to three important officials, Cui Shao, Gu Sansi, and Zhao Han. Now that he was back, he wanted to have a more specific understanding of what had happened in the past few months...

In fact, although Ye Mingsheng was not in Yijing during this period, memorials from Yijing had never stopped being sent to him. However, due to the long distance, some of the messages were not delivered very promptly or very specifically!
Therefore, Ye Mingsheng now needs to have a more specific and detailed understanding of the major events that have occurred in the past few months, and make some correct decisions and judgments based on this!
Just as Ye Mingsheng was carefully checking the files, there was a knock on the door. Ye Mingsheng said without looking up:

"Enter!"

As Ye Mingsheng finished speaking, Ye Cheng walked into the most central study room of the Fengwu Army and reminded Ye Mingsheng:

"Sir, the Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, Su Yi, wants to see you for something important!"

Ye Cheng paused for a moment and added:

"It may be related to the envoys from Sichuan and Jiangnan!"

Ye Mingsheng did not say anything after hearing this, but just nodded slightly. Seeing this, Ye Cheng turned around and left without saying anything more. However, at this moment, Ye Mingsheng seemed to have thought of something and asked:
"How is Jiang Cong doing in the mansion?"

Ye Cheng said without hesitation:
"According to your instructions, my lord, I arranged him in the guest room in the East Courtyard. He is fine and there is no problem, but..."

Seeing Ye Cheng speaking hesitantly, Ye Mingsheng also said in a deep voice:

"But it doesn't matter!"

After getting Ye Mingsheng's permission, Ye Cheng continued:

"Jiang Cong seems to be very interested in Yi Jing. He has wanted to go out for fun many times, but I always put him off!"

"Also, when Jiang Cong was playing in the back garden yesterday, he happened to run into Master Jingren. The two of them seemed to get along very well and played together for a while. Master Jingren even gave Jiang Cong some toys. Today, the two of them have made an appointment to play together!"

Ye Mingsheng was a little surprised when he heard this, but then he thought that although Jiang Cong was two years older than Jingren, they were of the same age and it was normal for them to play together!
Jingren doesn’t have many playmates in the mansion on weekdays, so it’s a good thing to have one more playmate to play with!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng didn't think much and ordered:
"Jiang Cong can't leave the house for now, but you can find him some delicious and fun things. Children like these things!"

Ye Cheng nodded and said:

"Sir, I understand, but should Jiang Cong and Master Jingren still be allowed to contact each other?"

Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:
“It’s just kids playing around, it’s no big deal! There’s no need to make a big deal out of it…”

"Yes!"

With permission, Ye Cheng walked out of the study, and soon Su Yi, the deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, also walked into the study.

After greeting Ye Mingsheng, Su Yi also introduced:

"Marshal, I have already met with Song Weikai, the representative from Sichuan, and Zhu Chen, the representative from Jiangnan!"

"Currently, Song Weikai and Zhu Chen have both expressed their willingness to surrender, but they have some differences in their specific demands!"

"Zhu Chen said that Lu Jianchao is willing to support you in becoming emperor, but he hopes to be granted the title of Duke of Wu and rule Jiangnan forever. If you agree to this condition, he is willing to pay one million taels of silver, 200,000 pieces of cloth, 10,000 pieces of silk, and 300,000 shi of rice to the central government every year!"

"The above is Lu Jianchao's price, but according to what Zhu Chen and I revealed privately, Lu Jianchao's bottom line is that the Duke of Wu will be hereditary, but he doesn't have much hope for being able to rule Jiangnan forever!"

"If he cannot rule Jiangnan forever, then Lu Jianchao hopes to hand over the governorship of Jiangnan, but be able to keep the army of Jiangnan, and guarantee that the Lu family will be rewarded by the central government on the basis of their existing property in Jiangnan!"

Hearing this price, a hint of mockery flashed in Ye Mingsheng's eyes. Lu Jianchao was more or less sober and knew that it was impossible to permanently control Jiangnan. However, he still wanted to keep the Jiangnan army, which was still a wild thought...

It seems that Lu Jianchao still holds unrealistic fantasies. He wants to keep the army and wait for opportunities. If he really gets the chance, he will definitely rebel again!
Although he was very disdainful of Lu Jianchao's conditions, Ye Mingsheng did not rush to answer, but continued to ask in a deep voice:

"What are the conditions for this Song Weijie?"

Facing Ye Mingsheng's question, Su Yi's expression became serious. He gave Ye Mingsheng a shot of prevention and said:

"Sir, Song Weijie's conditions are very high!"

Ye Mingsheng was also a little curious when he heard this, and nodded slightly to indicate that it was okay to say it. Seeing this, Su Yi said in a deep voice:

"According to Song Weikai, Song Weijie is willing to support you in becoming emperor, but he hopes that you can make him the hereditary King of Shu and rule Sichuan and Shu forever!"

Hearing that Song Weijie actually wanted to be crowned king, Ye Mingsheng's expression became playful, and Su Yi continued at this time:
"In addition to wanting to be crowned king and rule Sichuan forever, according to Song Weikai, Sichuan has been through wars for more than a decade, and the people are living in poverty. Coupled with some natural disasters, many places are deserted, and the people are starving!"

“So Song Weijie hopes that after you ascend the throne, you will reduce Sichuan’s taxes for fifty years, and provide Sichuan with economic assistance of no less than 100,000 taels of silver, 300,000 dan of grain, and 100,000 pieces of cloth every year…”

"As for the businesses in Sichuan and Shu, we hope that you, Marshal, can grant tax exemptions to those doing business in various places, so that they can bring their profits back to Sichuan and Shu!"

After saying this, Su Yi raised his head carefully and checked Ye Mingsheng's face. He thought Ye Mingsheng would regret and be furious after hearing this condition. However, to Su Yi's surprise, Ye Mingsheng was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said to him:

"This Song Weijie is quite interesting!"

After hearing this, Su Yi didn't know what Ye Mingsheng meant. Although he wanted to respond, he gave up this option after thinking about it. He stood there without saying a word to avoid misunderstanding Ye Mingsheng's meaning.

Although Su Yi was very cautious and didn't speak, Ye Mingsheng asked him again:

"Su Yi, you are the director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, and you are in charge of all foreign affairs work, so what do you think Song Weijie meant by this condition?"

Su Yi did not rush to answer after hearing this, but thought carefully before organizing his words and answering:
"Marshal, I think Song Weijie is different from Lu Jianchao. Lu Jianchao knows that Huainan has fallen into the hands of our army. He no longer has the natural barrier of Nanjiang. As long as our army is willing to conquer Jiangnan, it will not be difficult!"

“So compared to Song Weijie, Lu Jianchao’s attitude is softer. I believe that as long as our army takes some action militarily, Lu Jianchao will be more compromising. It will not be difficult for our army to take over Jiangnan peacefully…”

"But Song Weijie is confident that Sichuan and Shu have natural defenses, and he is not as afraid of our army as Lu Jianchao, so his attitude is even tougher!"

"Therefore, I believe that whether he wants to reduce or exempt taxes for 50 years, ask for financial assistance, or even want the tax exemption for Sichuan and Shu companies, his purpose is just to cry poor to you, Marshal, to prevent the central government from asking him for things!"

"At the same time, the conditions he proposed are also waiting for you, Marshal, to bargain with him. The core of his request is still the first one!"

Su Yi, with a serious expression, looked at Ye Mingsheng and spoke word by word:

"You will be crowned the King of Shu, and your family will inherit the throne forever, ruling Sichuan and Shu forever!"

Ye Mingsheng still agreed with Su Yi's idea, which also made him feel a little melancholy. He thought that after killing Xu Zhaojie's Zhennan Army, both Jiangnan and Sichuan would take care of themselves and would not cause him any more trouble!

But it seems that no matter what the situation is, there are still people who think that he is stubborn and want to test how powerful the Fengwu Army’s guns and artillery are!

This is really a pity!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng ordered:

"You should delay Sichuan as much as possible. As for Jiangnan, you can talk to Zhao Han and see how the army can cooperate with you!"

“Our bottom line is very simple. There is no problem with the hereditary title of Duke Wu, but the Lu family needs to move out of Jiangnan. As for where to move to, in principle the Lu family can choose freely! ····························"

"We can have a good discussion about the Lu family's assets in Jiangnan and see which ones can be kept and which ones need to be handed over!"

"Yes!"

After discussing some details, Su Yi withdrew from Ye Mingsheng's study. Ye Mingsheng rubbed his Qingming acupoint and fell into deep thought.

From the current perspective, it would not be a big problem to take over Jiangnan, but Song Weijie felt that he was safe with the natural barriers of Sichuan and Shu, so he asked for a huge amount of money from me!
However, there was no way he could agree to his conditions, so if they couldn't come to an agreement, they could only talk on the battlefield!

According to the intelligence previously sent by the Coordination Office, Song Weijie took advantage of the opportunity of fighting with Xu Zhaojie to wipe out several hilltops within Sichuan!

At present, Song Weijie has at least 50,000 soldiers and horses under his command, not counting the young and strong men recruited from Sichuan and Shu. If this guy recruits young and strong men on a large scale, then according to the judgment of the Coordination Office, the soldiers and horses under Song Weijie's command will exceed 80,000, and it is not impossible that they will even exceed 100,000!
In addition, the natural advantages of Sichuan and Shu that Song Weijie relies on the most are indeed not exaggerated. After all, the road to Shu is harder than climbing to the sky!

That's why Song Weijie is so arrogant and asks for such a high price, but he does have the capital!

However, no matter what kind of capital he has, Ye Mingsheng cannot tolerate a country within a country that is not under his control in his own territory!

This is the basic choice. There is no room for compromise for Ye Mingsheng!
The Second Army stationed in Guanzhong can participate in the battle, and the Third Army also needs to be transferred there after rest and replenishment. In addition, several divisions may need to be deployed!

It seems that in order to capture Sichuan and Shu, an army of 100,000 or even 150,000 will be needed. However, Ye Mingsheng has made up his mind and he is determined to conquer Sichuan and Shu...

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Hanyang, Anchasi Prison
In a cell deep in the prison, Xu Zhaojie, the Marquis of Zhenyuan of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was sitting on a pile of straw with shackles on his feet and shackles around his neck!
Not far from Xu Zhaojie, there was a bowl with something that looked similar to slop in it. That was Xu Zhaojie's food for the day!

Less than three feet away from the rice bowl, there is a toilet bucket, and Xu Zhaojie needs to take care of his needs in this bucket!
At this moment, in such a dark, damp environment without sunlight, Xu Zhaojie could no longer maintain his former dignity. He had lost a lot of weight, had an untidy beard, and messy hair. He looked no different from other prisoners!

At this moment, even Xu Zhaojie's closest people may not be able to recognize Xu Zhaojie's current appearance!

Ever since he was defeated and captured, Xu Zhaojie knew that once the news got back to Shouchun, the city of Shouchun would surely fall. And with the fall of Shouchun, the Zhennan Army business that he had fought hard to create would surely vanish into thin air!
Thinking of this, Xu Zhaojie lost hope in his heart. Besides, he knew clearly that even though Ma Zhongjun didn't treat him well now, it was just that these Fengwu soldiers wanted to present themselves completely to Ye Mingsheng to seek credit...
When he really arrives in Yijing, that would probably be the beginning of Xu Zhaojie's nightmare. Given the hatred between him and Ye Mingsheng, Ye Mingsheng would never let him off easily. By then, being cut into pieces or torn apart by five horses would be nothing but commonplace!
Although Xu Zhaojie was not afraid of death, he also did not want to die in too much pain. So in order to avoid living a life worse than death, he refused the Fengwu Army's treatment for his wounds and went on a hunger strike. In short, he was determined to die!
Ma Zhongjun felt a bit troubled by this, but he could only order Xu Zhaojie to be tied up, and then force Xu Zhaojie to be treated and fed!

Days like this have continued until now. Now Xu Zhaojie no longer has the grand ambitions he once had, because he knows that once the city is breached, his family will surely meet with misfortune!

Therefore, the former Marquis Zhenyuan of the Great Zhou no longer has any attachments in this world. His idea now is very simple, which is to kill himself as soon as possible!

This might be the best ending for him. As for other things, Xu Zhaojie no longer had any illusions at this time...

(End of this chapter)