wealthy lord

Chapter 795: Garrison and compensation, half a million troops?
Qi Rui happened to be sitting opposite Chu Xiang.

It was also the first time that the two met, and they smiled and nodded at the same time.

Qi Rui smiled and said, "This must be Chu Xiang, the eldest son of the Chu family, right?"

Chu Xiang nodded and smiled: "That's right! But I really didn't expect that Commander Qi would negotiate on behalf of the regent!"

Qi Rui raised an eyebrow: "Master Chu, do you know your subordinates?"

"Of course... Commander Qi was once a confidant of the late Emperor Li Jing and the commander of the inner bodyguard! It's hard for me not to know this! I just didn't expect that your Qi family would betray the Li family and choose to join Lin Yun..."

Qi Rui joked: "Why would Mr. Chu speak so harshly? This negotiation is related to the future of your Chu family. If the negotiation fails, will King Chu Jiang destroy such a big boy like you?"

Chu Xiang suddenly stood up, slapped the table with his hand, narrowed his eyes and said: "Presumptuous! Who do you think you are? How dare you speak rudely to my lord, the Chu family?"

The senior officers of the Chu family sitting next to him stared at Qi Rui, Xiang Chong and other officers with indifferent expressions.

The two sides have just begun negotiations, and the smell of gunpowder is already so strong.

Faced with the pressure from the Chu family, Qi Rui still sat firmly on the Diaoyutai. Although he was not talented, he could not lose the face of the court at the critical moment. He said with a yin and yang: "It seems that His Highness is still young! You have to be angry when you lose your temper." Are you confident? Although your Chu family is strong, you can still bully the previous imperial court, but now the regent Lin Yun is in charge, don’t you think the Chu family is just a joke? "

The senior officers of the Chu family were furious. They all stood up and pulled out the bamboo guns at their waists.

All the officers in the Shenji Battalion also drew their guns at the same time.

Xiang Chong has been a counselor for so many years, and this is the first time he has participated in such an intense negotiation. What can I say?
Both sides refused to give in, and tended to open fire whenever they disagreed.

At this time, Qi Rui slowly stood up, raised his hand to press down the gun of the officer beside him, and said with a smile: "Put down your guns! In the words of the regent, the Chu family is just bluffing!"

When the officers of the Shenji Battalion heard what he said, they could only put down their bamboo guns obediently.

Qi Rui then looked at Chu Xiang opposite him and said, "As far as I know, the regent only sold you tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition from the Chu family. Therefore, you'd better be sparing when using it. Don't wait until In the end, even the life-saving ammunition was used up!”

The top brass of the Chu family were all pale, especially Chu Xiang. He was the heir apparent of the Chu family and the eldest son of King Chu Jiang, with a very high status.

But the imperial court only sent Qi Rui, the commander of the imperial guards, which showed how bad the Chu family's attitude towards him was. This was naked contempt.

Chu Xiang could only put away the bamboo gun and said in a deep voice: "Qi Rui, this time we meet, we are just preparing for the next negotiation between the regent and my father! Therefore, there is no need for us to be so deadlocked! In one sentence , the imperial court must hand over my second brother and the queen mother unconditionally, and my Chu family is willing to continue to submit to the imperial court! In exchange, the Chu family can increase the annual tax payment by 30%!"

Qi Rui sneered: "Are you kidding me? When has His Highness the Crown Prince ever seen meat eaten in his mouth and spit it out? The regent is talented and resourceful, but he is not as weak and incompetent as the Li family at the beginning. He detained Chu Yin this time , it’s just the beginning!”

"From now on, if all the vassal kings with different surnames don't want to be eliminated, there is only one way to go, and that is to send their sons to the capital as hostages! Then show their loyalty to the court! If you don't agree, then we don't need to talk at all. I will Return to the capital immediately and resume your duties. The first person to sacrifice the flag will be Chu Yin, and then an all-out war will begin!"

At the end of his words, Qi Rui looked domineering, holding his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly, looking at the senior members of the Chu family with a half-smile.

This rhetoric was the result of discussions between him and Xiang Chong in the past few days.

It was also Xiang Chong who sorted out the negotiation conditions according to Lin Yun's wishes. The most important thing is that they know very well that the Chu family does not dare to go to war, otherwise they will not accept negotiations.

With the previous victory in the battle of Laocheng and the huge threat from Panda Royal Court as a foreshadowing, King Chujiang would never dare to take that step easily even if he was fully prepared.

Therefore, negotiation is the inevitable result.

That's why Qi Rui suppressed the Chu family so confidently.

Chu Xiang stared at him, as if hoping to catch timidity or guilt in Qi Rui's eyes, so that he could at least see the court's true thoughts.

But he was disappointed in the end.

And when Chu Xiang was ordered to come this time, he had no intention of taking action at all, it was just a show.

It would be best not to start a war, and let the second brother Chu Yin stay in the capital as a hostage. He, Chu Xiang, is the biggest winner in this battle.

"Okay! No wonder the regent will arrange for you, the commander of the imperial guards, to negotiate. It is indeed not easy! It seems that I have indeed underestimated the officials of the court before! Tell me about the conditions of the court!"

Qi Rui shrugged and said playfully: "The next negotiations must be aimed at reconciliation between the two parties! However, what the regent means is that the Chu family has done something wrong and if they want to settle the matter, they must pay compensation! And allow the court to send troops to station In Chujiang County!”

As soon as these words came out, all the senior executives of the Chu family were shocked.

Chu Xiang's expression was even more gloomy and ugly. Wasn't this just trying to force the Chu family to sign an unequal treaty?
It was enough to let his second brother stay in the capital as a hostage.

To actually ask the Chu family to pay compensation and allow the imperial court to station troops in Chujiang County is equivalent to putting a sharp dagger directly at the Chu family's throat.

On the side, Xiang Chong and several generals from the Shenji Battalion also looked at Qi Rui in shock.

Qi Rui had not discussed these unreasonable conditions put forward by the regent, especially Xiang Chong. As the counselor appointed by Lin Yun to deal with the Chu family, he was not aware of it.

"Ha ha!!"

Suddenly, Chu Xun, who had been listening silently, raised his head and laughed wildly, attracting everyone's attention to fall on him.

Qi Rui frowned and said, "You must be Chu Xun, the 30,000 elite general of the Chu family, right? Why are you laughing?"

Chu Xun sarcastically said: "Of course I am laughing at the regent's ignorance and arrogance! Do you really think that my Chu family is a soft persimmon? Can I be manipulated by him at will? Yes, the Chu family is indeed a little wary of the weapons in the regent's hands, but on the battlefield It is people, not weapons, that determine success or failure!"

"General, I might as well say it bluntly. After more than ten years of training and development, the Chu family army has grown to 500,000 people! Commander Qi is also a general who has led troops in war. He should know what it means, right? Once a full-scale war begins, Is the ammunition produced by his regent enough? Even if the Chu family's 500,000 troops stand still, the imperial court will not be able to kill them all!"

When several generals from Shenji Camp heard what he said, their faces turned pale and they were faintly afraid.

They were all frightened by these five hundred thousand people.

(End of this chapter)