Chapter 1258: Winning over F

After pondering for a while, Wang Xuecheng made a decision in his heart, and immediately called his trusted centurion Hu Kaiwen into his office.

"Sir, are you looking for me?"

"What's the situation over at Zhang Kaishan now?"

Hu Kevin said without hesitation:
"Zhang Kaishan met Zhang Dapeng's messenger last night!"

Upon hearing this news, Wang Xuecheng's eyes flashed with a cold light and he immediately asked:
"Where is Zhang Kaishan now?"

"According to the agreement, the negotiations will continue the day after tomorrow, so Zhang Kaishan is still at his residence!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuecheng stood up and said:

"Take me to find him!"

"You are going to his residence, sir?"

"That's right! You lead the way!"

Hu Kevin was also very surprised at Wang Xuecheng's order, but feeling Wang Xuecheng's unquestionable tone, he did not dare to ask more questions and just obeyed the order.

Half an incense stick later, Wang Xuecheng arrived at Zhang Dapeng's residence. Zhang Kaishan, who was preparing for the negotiations two days later, was also very surprised to see Wang Xuecheng's sudden visit.

However, before Zhang Kaishan could say anything, Wang Xuecheng dismissed his attendants and had a private conversation with Zhang Dapeng. Naturally, the spies from the General Coordination Office all retreated according to Wang Xuecheng's order, but the guards around Zhang Kaishan did not retreat immediately, but looked at their boss Zhang Kaishan.

Zhang Kaishan hesitated for a moment under the gaze of his men but finally nodded. Just like that, his men filed out, and only he and Wang Xuecheng were left in the room...
Zhang Kaishan looked at Wang Xuecheng with some confusion. He didn't know why Wang Xuecheng was so abnormal. However, the first sentence Wang Xuecheng said stunned him!

"Brother Zhang! We must reach a negotiation agreement today. I will leave for Lin'an today to report to the Marshal!"

Zhang Kaishan was stunned for a few seconds and looked at Wang Xuecheng's serious expression. He knew that Wang Xuecheng didn't look like he was joking, but he couldn't help but ask:
"Lord Wang, are you serious?"

Wang Xuecheng did not answer directly upon hearing this, but said in a deep voice:
"I know you received a letter from Nanyang last night! You now have enough power to make a decision!"

Zhang Kaishan was not surprised that Wang Xuecheng knew that he had received a letter from Nanyang last night. He knew that the people from the Coordination Office were watching him, but after hesitating for a moment, he asked Wang Xuecheng again:

"Sir Wang, can you tell me what happened?"

Wang Xuecheng did not answer, but just shook his head in the face of Zhang Kaishan's gaze.

Seeing that Wang Xuecheng was unwilling to speak, Zhang Kaishan did not continue to ask, but directly put forward the conditions:

"Sir Wang, my foster father believes that the conditions given by the court lack sincerity. My foster father hopes that the court can offer more sincere conditions!"

Wang Xuecheng heard this and said in a deep voice:

"Five hundred Weiyuan guns, three hundred Polu guns, thirty Tiger squat cannons, and one hundred experienced firearms instructors. We can take a ship from Jingmen County to Nanyang within three days!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Kaishan's eyes became hot. If the conditions put forward by Wang Xuecheng could be implemented, then their Jinghai Army would soon form a musket team of a thousand people, which would greatly improve the combat effectiveness of their Jinghai Army...
In the letter he received yesterday, Zhang Dapeng also made important instructions. In the letter, Zhang Dapeng stated that the Bazhe tribe was eyeing Bagang covetously, and the current defense pressure in Bagang was very great, so it was most important to obtain firearms and instructors from the Yijing court to improve their own combat effectiveness. As for other aspects, certain compromises and concessions could be made depending on the situation.

Zhang Kaishan hesitated for a moment, looked at Wang Xuecheng and said:
"Sir Wang, my foster father is very interested in the imperial court's cannons. I wonder if the court is willing to reward us with a few?"

Wang Xuecheng said without hesitation:
"This is beyond my authority, but I can help you apply to the Marshal!"

Zhang Kaishan's expression flickered when he heard this. In the past few rounds of negotiations, Ji Xian's attitude towards the cannon had always been tough. Although Wang Xuecheng did not agree directly, he showed concession in his words. And for Wang Xuecheng to make such a concession, it was obvious that great changes had taken place in the Yijing court that he was unaware of!
But what is this huge change?

Just as Zhang Kaishan was thinking secretly, Wang Xuecheng took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket and put them on the table and said in a deep voice:
"Brother Zhang, here is a Dadongsheng banknote worth twenty thousand taels of silver. It will be redeemed at Dadongsheng Bank upon sight!"

Looking at the stack of banknotes on the table, Zhang Kaishan frowned and said:
"Master Wang, what do you mean by this?"

Under Zhang Kaishan's gaze, Wang Xuecheng said in a deep voice:
"Brother Zhang, I have also learned about your situation in the Jinghai Army. I think you are a man with great ambitions!"

“I believe that if we can succeed in recruiting them this time, it will be beneficial to the court, your Jinghai Army, and you, Brother Zhang…”

Although Wang Xuecheng's words were a little obscure, Zhang Kaishan still understood the subtext of Wang Xuecheng's words, and his expression became a little hesitant.

Seeing this, Wang Xuecheng added more chips and said:

"When the surrender is successful, Brother Zhang, your adoptive father will be the Governor-General of Nanyang, Marquis of Jinghai. I can recommend you to the Marshal as the Deputy Governor-General, Marquis of Zhenhai. In addition, I can also grant you one hundred Weiyuan guns and one hundred Polu guns!"

Zhang Kaishan's eyes became hot when he heard this. He glanced at the banknotes on the table and said to Wang Xuecheng:
"Sir Wang, if I don't want the 20,000 taels of silver, how many extra muskets can you give me?"

Listening to Zhang Kaishan's words, Wang Xuecheng smiled and said:
"Three hundred Weiyuan guns, two hundred Polu guns!"

"But it will take some time. I can only give you 200 of them first. I will give you the remaining 300 within half a year!"

Zhang Kaishan said in a deep voice:
"I want an additional thirty instructors to train my men in the use of firearms!"

"no problem!"

After getting Wang Xuecheng's promise, Zhang Kaishan also revealed everything:

"My adoptive father has given up his request to be King of Jinghai, but he wants to be Duke of Jinghai. This is his bottom line!"

Wang Xuecheng also felt a little tricky after hearing this. He hesitated for a moment and said:

“The Marshal has a strict control over the conferring of titles. Even after the establishment of the new dynasty, I’m afraid only Yuan Song, He Jingyun, Cui Shao and others can be conferred the title of duke. If your adoptive father is conferred the title of duke, those generals will not accept it…”

"Brother Zhang, how about this? First confer the title of Marquis of Jinghai on your adoptive father. After three to five years, if your adoptive father protects the merchant ships, it will be considered as his meritorious service. Then, you can confer the title of Duke of Jinghai on your adoptive father!" Zhang Kaishan said after a pause:
"It can be considered, but the number of firearms will need to be increased!"

"I can only approve so much, but I will try my best to get it for you!"

Zhang Kaishan continued:
"My adoptive father is very satisfied that the court agreed to appoint him as the Governor-General of Nanyang, but he is not satisfied that the court wants to arrange for someone to enter the Governor-General's Office!"

"Brother Zhang, there is no way around this. This is our Marshal's request. If you want to serve as the Governor-General of Nanyang, someone from the imperial court must be stationed in the Governor's Office! There is no room for bargaining!"

Seeing Wang Xuecheng's determination, Zhang Kaishan hesitated for a moment, nodded slightly, and then continued:
"My adoptive father hopes that the firearms factory in Bar Harbor will be built as soon as possible, and it would be best if it could start construction and production within this year! We are willing to send 200 instructors to help the court train the navy."

"Very good! As long as an agreement is reached, the court can send craftsmen to Bar Harbor to build a firearms factory!"

With the cooperation of Zhang Kaishan, the two parties reached an agreement very quickly and soon came to the most critical issue of sharing trade profits.

“Sir Wang, I’m going to tell you the truth. 20% of the trade profit is the bottom line. If it’s lower than 20%, even if my adoptive father agrees to you, we in the Jinghai Army will never agree to it…”

Wang Xuecheng frowned when he heard this. He knew that Zhang Kaishan was telling the truth. The tolls and protection fees collected by the Jinghai Army under Zhang Dapeng in Ba Port now make at least 30% profit. Now only 20% is already a compromise and concession made in view of the court's willingness to support firearms!
On the way here, Wang Xuecheng had been thinking about this problem, wondering how to solve it without violating the requirements set by Ye Mingsheng!
After careful consideration, Wang Xuecheng also had some ideas.

"Brother Zhang, how about this? I'll give you 10% profit, and the remaining 10% profit. I'll ask the Marshal to give you the remaining 10% profit at a discount based on firearms, food, cloth and other supplies!"

"I heard that although Ba Port occupies the Golden Waterway, the area around Ba Port does not produce food. You need to import food from Siam!"

Listening to Wang Xuecheng's words, Zhang Kaishan pondered for a while and said:
"Director Wang, your idea is very interesting, but I am not sure if I can persuade my adoptive father to accept it!"

After these words were spoken, Wang Xuecheng also preached directly:
"Brother Zhang, just tell me how to increase the chances of success?"

Seeing Wang Xuecheng speak directly to the point, Zhang Kaishan did not hide anything and said seriously:
"The First Red Cannon is going to be sold to us!"

"Second, I need one hundred thousand taels of silver for the event!"

"Third, I want five baron titles!"

Listening to Zhang Kaishan's conditions, Wang Xuecheng also fell into deep thought. After pondering for a whole cup of tea, Wang Xuecheng finally finished his thoughts and looked at Zhang Kaishan and said in a deep voice:
"Brother Zhang, if I agree to all three of these conditions, can you get the job done for me?"

Feeling Wang Xuecheng's gaze, Zhang Kaishan took a deep breath and bowed his hands and said:

“If this matter cannot be accomplished, Zhang will come to me with his head…”

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While Wang Xuecheng and Zhang Kaishan were negotiating, in the residence of Li Jian, the Minister of Justice, Li Jianzheng and Zhuang Shanhe, the Censor of Youyan, were drinking and having a secret conversation.

Li Jian picked up the cup and took a sip of wine, then thought of Zhuang Shanhe and asked:

"Shanhe, how is your cooperation with Zhang Zhiwen?"

Zhuang Shanhe said without hesitation:
"Sir, although Zhang Zhiwen and I have some problems getting used to each other, they are all minor issues. Overall, we each do our job well and complement each other, so there are no major problems!"

Li Jian nodded and said:

"That's good! Zhang Zhiwen had been marginalized in Hebei and Henan, but he turned things around unexpectedly. It seems that the Marshal still values ​​him very much, so it is important to maintain a good relationship with him!"

Zhuang Shanhe nodded and said:
"My Lord, I understand what you mean!"

After saying this, Zhuang Shanhe hesitated for a moment and asked Li Jian:
"Sir, have you heard about some of the news that has been circulating recently?"

Li Jian did not say anything after hearing this, but continued to pick up the wine glass and took a sip. Seeing this, Zhuang Shanhe continued to ask:
"Are the news about limiting punishment, reducing the number of G members, and the public disclosure system all true?"

In response to Zhuang Shanhe's question, Li Jian hesitated for a while and finally nodded.

Seeing Li Jian nod, Zhuang Shanhe said nervously:
"My Lord, what do you think?"

Li Jian snorted and said helplessly:

“What ideas can I have? Of course it depends on how the Marshal arranges it and what I do…”

In response to Li Jian's answer, Zhuang Shanhe hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively:

"Sir, will Minister Cui still take action?"

Li Jian shook his head and said:

"Old Cui is very smart! He has already made a move on the tiered tax rate issue. He knows that if he makes a move again, he will become the target of public criticism, and the Marshal will be even more wary of him, so he must have pretended to be dead in this matter. However, he hopes that Gu Sansi will make a move!"

"Although Gu Sansi wanted to persuade the Marshal, he was already overwhelmed by his own family affairs. In addition, his nominal position as Minister of Personnel had already been taken away. He was now in the stage of redeeming himself for meritorious service, so he was powerless!"

After listening to Li Jian's analysis, Zhuang Shanhe hesitated and said:
"Sir, does this mean that no one can stop the Marshal's five measures?"

Li Jian's sermon without comment:
"If Xiao Lingyu was here before, he might have spoken out directly, but he has decided to retreat now, so he is now just a coward!"

When Zhuang Shanhe heard Li Jian mention Xiao Lingyu, his mind immediately moved and he asked:
"Sir, do you think the Marshal will let Xiao Lingyu go?"

Listening to Zhuang Shanhe's question, Li Jian glanced at him and said with a smile:

"Why do you have ideas about the position of Zuodu Yushi?"

Seeing that Li Jian saw through his thoughts, Zhuang Shanhe smiled awkwardly and acquiesced. Li Jian shook his head and said:
“Shanhe! Don’t even think about getting the position of Zuodu Yushi. You don’t have any chance…”

f
(End of this chapter)