As Wan Lei expected, the Zhu family's ancestral tomb was indeed the Achilles' heel of Emperor Jianwen. As soon as he heard that the Peking Army was going to dig up his ancestral tomb, Emperor Jianwen immediately panicked and immediately called for Fang Huangqi and other close ministers to discuss countermeasures. , but the only way to negotiate is to seek peace.

After all, Zhongdu has fallen. Both the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum and the Ming Zu's Mausoleum have fallen into the control of the Peking Army and cannot be recaptured. If the Peking Army wants to dig up their graves, they can do so at any time. There is only one way to protect the ancestral graves. Then Just to beg the Peking Army for mercy.

To be honest, Wan Lei really didn't want to dig into the Zhu family's ancestral graves. Even if he knew that there were many precious burial objects in these graves, he would not treat him as a gold captain. The reason why Wan Lei took advantage of the Zhu family's ancestral graves was that I want to have more leverage and gain more benefits at the negotiation table.

Wan Lei waited for the Ming Dynasty's envoys for six days, and waited until the Peking Army's various armies had controlled the entire Jiangbei area before he was willing to meet them. The Ming Dynasty's envoys had already been replaced by the fourth group. The ranking of Bo was higher than that of Bo. This time, Fang Xiaoru was appointed as the minister with full power to negotiate peace, and he brought more than ten senior ministers here. This shows that the Ming Dynasty was very sincere in negotiating peace this time.

The location of this peace negotiation was not set in Yangzhou City, but on the Xia-01 battleship parked on the river. As soon as Fang Xiaoru and others approached the Xia-01 battleship, they were frightened by the dense cannon muzzles on the battleship. Trembling, they finally climbed up the ladder to the battleship, and saw dozens of cannons about ten feet long on the deck. The blue gun barrels shone coldly under the sun, which made people feel uncomfortable. I can't help but feel cold.

"Welcome aboard the Xia-01 battleship. This is the flagship of our Peking Army's First Fleet. Mr. Wan and Commander Liu are having a meeting. Please come to the living room and sit down first." The person in charge of the reception was only a political commissar, and he There were only a few elite guards with him, and there was not even a welcoming ceremony.

The Peking Army was so negligent, which made Fang Xiaoru and his party very unhappy, but they did not dare to have any objections. After all, the situation was always better than others, and now they were asking for help from the Peking Army. Therefore, Fang Xiaoru suppressed the anger in his heart and did not remain cold. He said nonchalantly: "Please, Juntai, please lead the way."

"This way please."

The so-called living room is actually a command room of the battleship. There is a long table in the room of more than 40 square meters. There is also a large sand table on the long table and a huge globe next to it. The envoys were led After entering, I waited for a full hour, almost getting tired of waiting, before Wan Lei showed up with a group of generals.

At this time, Wan Lei's face was a little pale, and his chest was still wrapped with gauze. He was supported by two elite guards and walked into the living room step by step. He was coughing slightly as he walked. He looked like he was seriously injured, and he was still injured. He only had a few days to live. When the Ming envoys saw this, they were secretly happy in their hearts: It is good to be seriously injured, but the sooner he dies, the better. Once this boy from the Wan family dies, the Peiping army will be in disarray.

Although they were gloating in their hearts, the envoys still had serious and concerned expressions on their faces. After all, this was the territory of the Peiping Army, and one inappropriate word could cause a serious diplomatic disaster.

"Everyone, Mr. Wan was assassinated by an assassin. We have investigated and found that he was sent by you. The assassin was sent to assassinate you, and now you dare to come here shamelessly. You are really becoming more and more courageous." It was Liu who asked sternly. Wenxiu, because Wan Lei was sick and sat on the Taishi chair, unable to speak.

"Misunderstanding, this must be a misunderstanding, someone wants to blame our court." Fang Xiaoru said hurriedly.

"Misunderstanding? Not necessarily. We have already found out that the assassin is clearly the Jin Yiwei you sent." Liu Wenxiu rolled her eyes at Fang Xiaoru and said: "Whether this is a misunderstanding or not, the Ming Dynasty is the enemy of our Peking Army. , If it weren’t for Mr. Wan’s health, our army would have taken Jinling directly.”

"I, I will soon die in this world. No, I don't want to think about my body. Ahem, I should think about the heaven and all the people in the world. Send troops to Jinling as soon as possible to save, save all the people in this world. , in water and fire, I, I will die without regrets." Wan Lei said with difficulty, as if he was exhaling too much and not taking in enough.

"Sir, don't be anxious, be careful. Your health is in danger. Sir, with the blessing of the gods, you will be able to survive this disaster." Liu Wenxiu hurriedly stepped forward to persuade Wan Lei in a low voice, and finally calmed Wan Lei, then stood up and said to Xiaoru and others: "You guys too I see, Mr. Wan is seriously injured and will not recover. If you have anything to say, please tell me immediately. I will send Mr. Wan back to Beiping City to recuperate as soon as possible."

When Fang Xiaoru saw that Wan Lei really looked like he was about to die, he was even more happy, but he said apologetically: "Master Wan is seriously injured, we shouldn't bother you, but the Ming army and the Gui army have been at war for a long time. , there were so many killings, how could the people deserve it? The Holy One couldn’t bear to see the lives of people in ruins, so he sent us here to negotiate peace.”

"Negotiating peace?" Liu Wenxiu said with an angry face, "You started the war. Now that we have lost, we want to negotiate for peace. It's a beautiful idea. Go back and tell your master to stop daydreaming. Our Peking Army Hundreds of thousands of troops have been assembled in Jiangbei, and they can go south at any time. If you have the sense to surrender quickly, we may still spare his life."

Liu Wenxiu's attitude was so arrogant, Fang Xiaoru's expression suddenly changed. He knew that what Liu Wenxiu said was not a big lie. The Peking Army plus the surrender army really had hundreds of thousands of troops in the north of the Yangtze River. If they really moved south in a large scale, the southern half of the Yangtze River would definitely not be safe. So he hurriedly said: "We are born from the same roots, so there is no need to rush into mutual conflict."

"Now I think about why Xiang Jian was so impatient. Why didn't he think of it when he sent troops to attack our northern province? When he sent people to assassinate Mr. Wan, why didn't he remember that we were from the same family?" Liu Wenxiu became even more angry. , the surrounding generals of the Peiping Army all looked angry, scolding the Ming Dynasty for being unfaithful and unjust, and vowed to conquer the south of the Yangtze River.

The people on the Peking Army side were very excited and wanted to kill people with knives. The Ming envoys were too frightened to say a word. This was not a peace talk at all. It was more like a denouncement meeting. Not only did the Ming envoys not have the upper hand in terms of momentum, , and it was unreasonable, so I couldn't even say anything in defense, I could only endure the scolding silently.

"Everyone, please allow me to say something." Zhao Xueer, who was beside Wan Lei, finally spoke.

"Madam, please speak." As soon as Zhao Xueer spoke, the generals immediately fell silent. After all, she was not only Wan Lei's second wife, but also accompanied the soldiers on expeditions. The soldiers respected her very much. Although what she said could not be regarded as a military order, It's also quite substantial.

"Everyone, please don't be carried away by anger. Now that my brother is seriously injured, it is of course important to treat his injuries. Since he intends to negotiate peace tomorrow, why not talk about it first. If we can reach an agreement, my brother will be able to rest in peace and recover from his injuries."

"What Madam said is, I, we agree to peace talks." The generals immediately changed their words and agreed, but Wan Lei, who was sitting aside, struggled painfully and shouted vaguely. The generals could even hear clearly "Crossing the river" With these words, "cross the river", it seems that Wan Lei is still a full-fledged militant and does not agree to negotiate peace.

"Brother, it's important to treat your injuries with peace of mind, don't worry about anything else. Do you have the heart to leave me and Sister Wei'er? Do you have the heart to leave Xiaohai without a father?" Zhao Xueer persuaded with a hint of tears, Wan Lei's lips moved a few times Next, he finally closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Come here, please help Mr. Wan return to the Nuan Pavilion to rest in peace. No one can disturb him." Liu Wenxiu gave the order, and a dozen elite guards lifted up the imperial chair and carried Wan Lei away. Zhao Xueer was also anxious. He chased after him. After Wan Lei left, Liu Wenxiu said: "You have all seen that our Mr. Wan is really seriously injured and urgently needs to go back to Peking for treatment. If you want to negotiate peace, do it now."

"Okay, let's talk now." Fang Xiaoru secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked his subordinates to present an imperial edict written on yellow paper and said: "This is my truce and peace treaty. Please take a look at it, General Liu."

Liu Wenxiu opened the edict, glanced at it, and threw it back. He laughed angrily and said: "Using Dashan Pass on the Huaihe River as the boundary, the north belongs to the Peking Army, and the south belongs to the Ming Dynasty? Haha, you really dare to think and do it. Ah, here comes someone, let’s see the guest off.”

Liu Wenxiu immediately turned against him, and Fang Xiaoru hurriedly said: "This is just a draft peace agreement. If there is anything inappropriate, we can discuss it separately."

"What's there to discuss? Now everything north of the Yangtze River is occupied by our Peking Army. You are the defeated party, so you can just ask for peace without ceding territory. You also want to use a peace treaty to take back the territory that our army fought to the death. You Do you think we are fools?" Liu Wenxiu's anger escalated again.

"They all say that this is just a straw peace agreement, and any issues that are inappropriate can be discussed. If General Liu wants anything, just ask for it."

"It's very simple, with the Yangtze River as the boundary, the north of the Yangtze River belongs to our Peking Army, and the south belongs to the Ming Dynasty; the coastal islands, including Chongming Island, Zhoushan Island, Penghu Island and Qiongzhou Island, all belong to our Peking Army All; the Ming Dynasty opened the coasts of Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces as free trade zones and allowed our merchant ships to dock freely for trade. The Ming Dynasty was not allowed to station troops within ten kilometers of the coast." Liu Wenxiu put forward three requirements.

"This, these terms are too, too harsh, I cannot accept it." Fang Xiaoru was a little dumbfounded. He knew that the Peking Army was not easy to deal with, but he did not expect that he would put forward such harsh requirements. It is easy to say that the Yangtze River is used as the boundary. After all, these The place has been occupied by the Peiping Army, and it is impossible to spit it out again. Now it is necessary to cut off the islands, especially Qiongzhou Island, which is unacceptable.

Qiongzhou Island, also known as Hainan Island, is a big island. If it is ceded to the Peking Army, it would be no different from betraying the country. In addition, it would be a loss of power and humiliation to the country if the coast is opened to the Peking Army as a trade area. Although Fang Xiaoru is the emperor's master, but If you agree to these items, you will definitely not be able to make a deal when you go back.

"Oh, by the way, let me add another one. The Ming Dynasty will pay 10 million taels of silver as war compensation." Liu Wenxiu seemed not to have heard Fang Xiaoru's bargaining, and said: "These four items are not allowed to be discussed. If you don't agree, , that is a bloody fight to the end.”

Liu Wenxiu was resolute and had no intention of giving in. Fang Xiaoru frowned and said: "These four are too harsh. We can't make a decision, so we can only report it to the court."

"Then please go back. Mr. Wan will take a boat back to Peiping immediately. He is the only one in our Peking Army who can keep his word. As soon as he leaves, we will wait to cross the river and fight according to his orders. If you want to negotiate peace again in the future, I'm afraid we have to wait until he recovers from his injuries, and then I don't know if you will have a chance." Liu Wenxiu made a gesture to see the guests off, and ordered to the soldiers: "Send the order, weigh the anchor, and prepare to sail."

Liu Wenxiu looked like he was urging someone to kill him. Fang Xiaoru was really anxious now. He whispered to the accompanying officials for a while, then gritted his teeth and said: "I agree to those four terms. However, you have to guarantee that the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum and the Zu Mausoleum To ensure its safety, it must not be robbed or excavated, and at the same time, we promise not to hunt down the Ming Dynasty clan members again."

The reason why Fang Xiaoru put forward these two items was mainly to save some "merit". He was Emperor Jianwen's imperial disciple, so he naturally understood this student. Perhaps this peace negotiation and compromise would make the court scold him as a traitor like Qin Hui, but As long as the royal ancestral tombs and clan houses were preserved, it would be a great service to the emperor, and Emperor Jianwen would still protect him.

"Our Peking Army is not as stingy as you. As long as you don't openly violate the peace treaty, we will naturally not touch the Zhu family's ancestral tombs. As for the Zhu family's clan, all of them will be brought to Zhongdu to be nurtured and let them guard their ancestral tombs. As long as we understand clearly If the government doesn't play tricks, we won't treat them badly." Liu Wenxiu said very boldly.

Of course, the so-called favor is actually being imprisoned and used as hostages. Liu Wenxiu's intention is very obvious. He used the Zhu family's ancestral graves and the Zhu family clan as bargaining chips to prevent the Ming Dynasty from unilaterally breaching the contract. After all, the Ming Dynasty was famous for Without integrity, anyone who trusts gullibly is a fool.

"It's not a favor, it's a release. You must release the members of the clan." Fang Xiaoru said again.

"Release?" Liu Wenxiu shook his head and said: "This is not impossible. As long as the Ming Dynasty pays the war compensation of 10 million taels of silver, we will naturally release the clan. If the Ming Dynasty still fails to pay the compensation , then we cannot guarantee the safety of the clan. There are too many natural and man-made disasters these days, and life is not easy."

"Ten million taels of silver is too much, and we can't collect it all at once."

"When you start a war, you can afford food and wages. After the war is defeated, you say you have no money to pay war indemnities. You are also true." Liu Wenxiu rolled her eyes at Fang Xiaoru, "We are not unreasonable people. We have ten million taels. The silver can be exchanged for grain, and one stone of white grain is worth one tael of silver. Remember, it is white grain, and it must be paid within six months, otherwise we will not be able to guarantee the safety of the clan members."

"The time limit of half a year is too tight, can we extend the time limit?" Fang Xiaoru asked again. He knew that in the past, the Ming court's annual tax budget was only about 40 million dan, but now that Jiangbei is missing, it will be less. Half of the tax, plus the tax-heavy Jiangnan area was affected by the shadow of the war, and the tax revenue was reduced by several percent. These ten million shibailiang were probably the annual income of the Ming Dynasty this year. If they were all given to Peking The army, the officials and the soldiers in the capital camp will have to drink the northwest wind.
Chapter completed!