Traveling through Tianlong: Starting from the Zhenlong chess game

Chapter 179 Bottom Line Negotiation

Zhao Mu looked at Ah Zi. Although Ah Zi looked quite cute, this girl was a troublemaker.

Zhao Mu thought for a while and then said: "Okay. But I also have a prerequisite, that is, A'Zi must listen to me in the future. Before doing anything, you must ask me, or ask A'Zhu. Otherwise, Just follow your mother and brother back to Dali."

After hearing this, Ah Zi happily ran all the way to Zhao Mu's side. She held Zhao Mu's arm and said, "Whatever brother-in-law says, Ah Zi will listen to whatever he says!"

Zhao Mu touched Ah Zi's forehead and said, "You kid. Okay, you go and play first. I, Marquis Gao, and Brother You have some serious business to talk about."

Azi nodded obediently after hearing this, then took her mother's hand and left.

Duan Yu looked at the backs of mother and daughter and said, "It's really not easy for Brother Zhao to capture this little devil like A Zi."

Zhao Mu also looked at Ah Zi and said, "This child is wild-tempered and cruel. Otherwise, she would be a good girl." Then Zhao Mu looked at the two of them and said, "Okay, let's not talk about them anymore, let's talk about us. Let’s do it.”

Zhao Mu looked at Gao Shengtai and said, "Mr. Gao, although it is a bit inappropriate to say this, I still want to put the ugly words first."

Gao Shengtai replied: "Master Zhao has something to say, but there is no harm in saying it."

Zhao Mu nodded and said: "I can try to persuade the emperor about the canonization of Dali Kingdom. However, I am not very sure whether it will succeed or not. If this matter fails, please don't blame Dali Kingdom."

Gao Shengtai chuckled and replied: "This is natural. If this is the case, Mr. Zhao, you can't do it. I guess no one else can do it either."

Zhao Mu continued: "The second thing is that the emperor has not yet taken charge. This matter cannot be done overnight. I also ask Dali to give me some time. And this time, you must obey my arrangements and never act like this again." This time, I acted without permission."

Zhao Mu was not afraid of Dali's unauthorized actions. What he was afraid of was that if they showed their trump card directly, they would no longer need him as an intermediary.

Emperor Zhezong had the ambition to conquer Liao and swallow Xia. Now that Dali has become a minister, it is a good thing to help him avoid worries. He has no reason to disagree.

Taking advantage of the marriage with Dali, appearing in Zhezong's sight and returning to the court was just his first move. The most critical back-up was to use Dali's declaration of vassalship to win Zhezong's trust and importance. Therefore, Zhao Mu would not give the people of Dali a chance to contact Zhe Zong.

As a qualified "intermediary", private meetings between "buyers" and "sellers" must be strictly restricted. Otherwise, it would be easy to "jump the order".

Gao Shengtai replied: "No problem. When I return, I will report to the emperor that this matter has been fully entrusted to you, Mr. Zhao. Then we will wait for news from Mr. Zhao. This time we will never act without authorization again. . Mr. Zhao, please rest assured about this."

Zhao Mu nodded and said, "Yes! But I have one last thing to ask. Where is the bottom line of Dali Country?"

After hearing Zhao Mu's words, Gao Shengtai, Duan Yu, and Zhu Danchen all looked at each other. Gao Shengtai asked: "Master Zhao, what does this mean?"

Zhao Mu replied seriously: "This is the literal meaning. Although I am a little sure of persuading the emperor to agree to the canonization of Dali. But for such a big matter, the emperor must discuss it with the ministers in the court."

"The Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties shared the world with the nobles, while the Song Dynasty shared the world with the nobles. If the ministers objected, even the emperor would be embarrassed. Therefore, if Dali Kingdom wants to be canonized, it must pay something to convince the emperor to persuade the ministers. It’s my price.”

"If this matter is not profitable for the Song Dynasty, I don't think the ministers will agree easily. Therefore, I would like to ask where the bottom line of Dali is, or in other words, the bottom line of the price Dali can pay in order to achieve this matter. What is it? After all, I always need to know Dali’s bottom line so that I can better persuade the emperor to arrange this matter. Otherwise, if I negotiate it later, and then Dali does not accept Da Song’s conditions, wouldn’t my work be in vain? "

After hearing what Zhao Mudu said so clearly, Gao Shengtai thought about it again and again, and then looked at Duan Yu.

Duan Yu nodded silently when he saw his father-in-law looking at him.

Then Gao Shengtai coughed lightly, cleared his voice, and then said: "Young Master Zhao is our son-in-law in Dali, and he is not an outsider in terms of status. In this case, I will be on the same page with Young Master Zhao."

Listening to Gao Shengtai's tone, Zhao Mu also heard his subtext. This old guy was saying, "In addition to being the prince of Song Dynasty, you are also my consort of Dali. The palms and backs of your hands are full of flesh. You can't be too biased." Song."

Zhao Mu then smiled.

Seeing that Zhao Mu understood what he meant, Gao Shengtai said: "That's it. Before we left, the emperor once said that as long as we can complete this matter, I, Dali, can go to Dali and change my title to king, and pay tribute every year." If the Emperor of the Song Dynasty needs it, he can also send his daughter-in-law to make peace with the Song Dynasty. In order to express our sincerity in Dali, the Song Dynasty can station troops in several areas within the territory of Dali. We are also willing to transfer some of the land under our rule to the Song Dynasty. Ceded to the Song Dynasty."

After hearing what Gao Shengtai said, Zhao Mu was stunned.

When Gao Shengtai saw Zhao Mu's stunned look, he said: "Master Zhao, this is the bottom line of our Dali Kingdom. If the Song Dynasty is not satisfied yet, then" Gao Shengtai originally wanted to say a few harsh words, However, the Song Dynasty far surpassed Dali in terms of population size, military strength, and even economy. Although the Song Dynasty could not defeat countries on horseback such as Xixia and Liao, it did not mean that it could not defeat the small Dali. Even if Gao Shengtai wanted to say something harsh, he didn't have the confidence to say it.

Duan Yu said at this time: "Brother Zhao, if this can be facilitated, then I can persuade my father and uncle to make more concessions."

Zhao Mu came back to his senses at this time, looking at the two people in front of him, he really didn't know what to say. Zhao Mu originally thought they were here to negotiate, but it was obvious that they were here to betray the country. Now Zhao Mu himself doesn't even know which side he is from. He felt that the conditions offered by Dali were quite excessive.

Zhao Mu was stunned for a while and then said: "Okay, so Dali has paid such a high price, so what does it need from the Song Dynasty?"

When Gao Shengtai heard this, he immediately said happily: "Actually, our Dali country's request is just a piece of cake for your country. First, we need the Song Dynasty to open several trade gateways to allow our Dali country's goods to be transported We also allow our merchants to purchase grain, salt, silk, and cloth from the Central Plains and return to Dali. As for the tariffs for trade, this matter is easy to discuss. We in Dali are willing to take 40% and give 60% to your country. The rest That is, the Song Dynasty must admit that we, Dali, are the only orthodox regime in Nanchui. They will not recognize other small tribes. As for the others, they are nothing."

(End of this chapter)