Hengdao Sixteen Kingdoms

Chapter 601 Bargaining
Liang Jun could not capture Xiangyang, and no matter how good the situation was, it was all in vain. The three brothers Huan and Wen did not dare to fight decisively, and they could not drive away Liang Jun.

Both sides have an urgent need to cease the war as soon as possible.

Li Yue tried to anger Huan Wen but failed. Within two days, the envoy came again. This time it was not Chang Can but Yuan Hong.

Huan Wen went straight and made nine points of reciprocity. First, the Liang State needed to recognize the Jin Dynasty as the orthodoxy of the world. Second, the Liang army should retreat. Third, return the troops to Jiangling. Fourth, release the captured Jin troops and captive people. Fifth, , Liang Jun was not allowed to go south within ten years, six of them were returned to Fancheng, seven of them...

"Isn't this reasonable? Could it be that Sima Huan thinks that I am really helpless?" Li Yue looked sullen.

But there was actually no anger in his heart.

When doing business, if you quote your own price, you must also allow others to quote, right?

What's more, Li Yue's price is ten times more harsh than Huan Wen. If he agrees, it will mean that the Jin Dynasty will die directly.

Both sides put orthodoxy first, but in fact the bottom line of this negotiation has been clearly stated.

"Of course your Majesty has countermeasures. However, if the overwhelming army goes south and consumes tens of thousands of food and fodder, it will make things worse for Your Majesty. The city of Xiangyang is strong, with sufficient food and fodder, and the army and the people are united. It will take at least a year for Your Majesty to capture it. By then, Fu Jian will purge Guanzhong. The strength has skyrocketed, and there is a severe drought in Guandong. Hehe, I dare to ask how your majesty can resist the revenge of Qin and Jin."

Yuan Hong is different from Chang Gu. He has a clear stance and looks like he is ready to die.

Li Yue was shocked. Jiangdong actually knew about the severe drought in Liang next year, which meant he knew his trump card.

Then I thought about it, there was not a single snowfall this winter and rumors were spreading among the people. It was impossible for Jiangdong not to know about it.

Liang Guo has Taishi Cao, and there must be people in Jiangdong who are good at astronomical phenomena.

But it doesn't matter if they know that the impact of the drought is not as big as they thought.

There have been several snowfalls in Qingzhou, Huaibei, Yanzhou, and Cangzhou. As long as there is no drought in Huaibei, Liang will be able to survive. This place has almost become the granary of Liang.

Besides, there is still a lot of grain in the treasury.

It is still unclear what kind of drought this year will be. It is impossible for everyone in Guandong to suffer from drought.

"Huh, if that's the case, why bother talking about it anymore? Please invite Da Sima to come and show off!" Li Yue's tone became more forceful.

Jiang Ling held it in his hand without panic.

"The soldiers are unknown. The saint has no choice but to use them for the sake of the people of the two countries. I hope that your majesty will calm down the wrath of the thunder..."

One side is tough, the other side is soft.

Now Huan Wen's only support is Xiangyang, which is surrounded by [-] to [-] Liang troops, which means that his life is in Li Yue's hands.

Once Li Yue becomes ruthless and attacks the city regardless of the cost of casualties, it will be equivalent to cutting off Huan Wen's lifeline. Can he not panic?

Now that Yuan Hong has taken a step back, Li Yue has also taken a step back and put Huan Wen's list on the desk. "Jiangdong's betrayal came first, so I have to call an army to hold him accountable. Now that Grand Sima is sincere about peace talks, we might as well be honest and honest, so that both parties can save themselves." Mouth."

"Your Majesty is indeed very pleased. Da Sima is willing to offer 100 million shi of corn to resolve the misunderstanding between the two families. All he needs to do is withdraw his troops and return Jiangling and Fancheng!" Yuan Hong stared at Li Yue nervously.

"A Jiangling is only worth 100 million dan? Your Sima is really good at doing business. I can harvest 300 million dan of grain in Jiangling for one year."

Jiangling had been the capital of Chu for more than [-] years. If it could be chosen as the capital, most of the land would be fertile, otherwise it would be difficult to support the capital's population.

The reason why Jingxiang was able to suppress Jiangdong was not only because it was located upstream, but also because it was self-sufficient and the power of money and food was not controlled by Jiangdong.

Li Yue spent a year and a half in Jiangling, and Huan Wen couldn't stand it.

One million grains, or corn, is just to send a beggar.

"If you are not sincere, please go back. It's just a drought, it can't shake my head!" Cui Hong said from the side.

Yuan Hong's face turned blue and white. It would be difficult to explain to Huan Wen if he went back like this, "Your Majesty, please tell me!"

Speaking of this, Li Yue stopped being polite and said, "Three million stones of rice will be exchanged for a Jiangling city. The grain will be transported by water and delivered to Chaohu. When the delivery is completed, when will it be returned to Jiangling." Three million stones was not what Li Yue just said. Come.

In the past few years, the weather in Jiangdong has been good, the Gengxu civil war has been in full swing, and the taxes of the Jin Dynasty have increased greatly. Three million shi is only a drop in the bucket of Jiangdong.

"This..." Yuan Hong saw Li Yue's resolute look and could not continue to bargain, "I will report back to Da Sima next time."

"Come here, prepare a fast boat for Mr. Yuan." Li Yue nodded.

Such a big matter cannot be decided by one staff member.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yuan Hong bowed his hands and retreated.

"Three million stones of rice, I'm afraid Huan Wen is willing to take it, but Jiangdong is not willing to give it." Cui Hong said.

"That is their business. If they are not willing to give 300 million stones, then I will besiege Xiangyang for a long time and colonize Jianghan!" Li Yue has actually made a lot of concessions and is no longer obsessed with fighting for orthodoxy.

If Huan Wen still doesn't understand, then he can only fight again.

Xiangyang is indeed strong, but there is only one Xiangyang City in Jingxiang, and other cities may not be able to stop the elite black clouds.

It's just that Li Yue doesn't want to spend his energy on Jingxiang.

Everything has priorities and cost-effectiveness.

As he was talking to Cui Hong, he suddenly heard bursts of crying coming from outside. It was miserable and sad.

Li Yue frowned. Before the first month of the year was over, he started to cry and mourn. It sounded unlucky, "Why are we crying in the city?"

The bodyguard left in a hurry and came back after a while to report: "Today is the Lantern Festival. The prisoners of war and the people in the city missed their families, so they cried and disturbed Your Majesty. I will take them with you now..."

Li Yue almost forgot about it, "No need, I'll go take a look."

Fancheng was not a big city, and more than [-] civilian prisoners of war were crowded into a few temporary fences, like livestock.

Jiangdong is extremely rich, but the people and soldiers are in rags. In the winter, many people are barefoot and unkempt. Some people are huddled together and howling, some are expressionless and their eyes are numb, like a walking corpse...

Li Yue recalled the scene when he met the Jie Zhao cavalry in Heiyun Mountain and robbed young men and women.

"The people were all plundered from Jiangling, and there were many more that followed." Dou Feng explained.

Li Yue stared at the people and prisoners for a long time, "No one gave them three days of food, so let them all go."

"Let... let go?" Dou Feng was stunned.

Cui Hong also glanced at Li Yue in surprise, but he quickly came to his senses.

"Let them go. You lead two thousand cavalry to escort them back to Jiangling. Send an order to Qin Biao that there is no need to escort the people again." Li Yue was not merciful.

First, a severe drought is imminent in Kanto, and it is not an easy task with so many mouths to feed.

Secondly, the reason why Jingxiang is difficult to conquer is not only the strong city but also the people's hearts.

Letting them go back is equivalent to promoting Liang Guo's benevolence and righteousness, and they can cooperate with Honglusi's propaganda in the future.

It will be much easier next time.

Back then, Yang Hu relied on this hand to disintegrate Jing Xiang's people, allowing Du Yu and Wang Jun to easily go down the river.

The siege is the bottom, and the heart is the top.

One practical action is more effective than ten thousand slogans.

(End of this chapter)