Seeing that Tulichen was speechless, Count Savoyura only smiled contemptuously, but began to counterattack again, "As long as it is beneficial to the Russian Empire, then you will all become friends of the Russians, and Lord Tulichen seems to have forgotten that with the current situation of the Qing Dynasty, you need to be friends with the Russians even more." ”

"Friends?"

Tu Lichen had a sneer on his face, "Are there any friends in this world who occupy the territory of other countries?" Do you have such aggressive friends? Or do you have to offer the territory of the Qing Dynasty with both hands if you want to be a friend of the Russians? ”

Count Savagla shook his head, "Lord Tulichen, maybe your emotions will only affect your judgment, but your superiors, your emperor, will understand this truth better, as long as the Qing Dynasty can survive, this is the most important thing, isn't it?" And if you want to live, you need to beg us. ”

When Tu Lichen heard this, his heart suddenly tightened, of course he understood what the other party meant, I am afraid that this time the negotiation of border demarcation will completely evolve into a negotiation of asking Russia for assistance, as for how much the Qing Dynasty will pay for this negotiation, I am afraid that only the emperor himself knows.

As soon as he thought of this, Tu Lichen suddenly felt that he had become a joke here, with a miserable smile on his face, and snorted coldly: "Since your envoy is so sure, then you still need the lower officials to do something here, I will not accompany you and take your leave." ”

After saying that, Tulichen pulled his legs and walked out, but Count Savadulla stirred the porcelain cup with a silver spoon and said with a smile: "This temper of Lord Tulichen may be more suitable for a commander on the battlefield than a diplomat. You know, compromise is not a mistake in many cases, but something it should be when it needs to be. ”

"It took a long time for the Russian Empire to understand this truth, no matter how wise and great Emperor Peter was, there were times when he had to execute his crown prince, however, no one will say that Peter the Great was not a great monarch."

Tu Lichen's heart moved, he was not unfamiliar with the history of the Russian Empire, of course he knew this allusion, but he was still a little unwilling in his heart, and said coldly: "What good is it for your envoy to tell this official so much?" I believe that your envoy also understands that this matter has never been in the hands of my officials. ”

"Tut-tut...... Unexpectedly, Tu Lichen did not understand the Western philosophy of survival, but he also did not understand China's unique officialdom culture. ”

A smile flowed from Count Savaviera's face, "The greatness of politics lies not in how many dirty things it does, but in the fact that no matter how much filth is hidden underneath, it is always spotless on its face, and I believe that the emperor of your country will not tolerate this, so it needs a lining, lining, if your envoy does not make this lining, who will do it?" ”

Tu Lichen's face was gloomy, and he lifted his leg with difficulty, but no longer walked towards the door, but moved step by step towards his original position, which was perhaps a great humiliation for him.

Count Savoyura didn't care at all, he said softly: "Actually, many things will be better than you think, there is a community of interests between the Qing Dynasty and the Russian Empire, such as fur, and then for example, the 'Chu' in the south, maybe we shouldn't be enemies, friends are the real best choice." ”

Tu Lichen understood the meaning of Sarah's words, since the war between China and Russia, the relationship has not really weakened, but the economic exchanges between the two sides have become more intensive, just like the fur trade between China and Russia, which is the bulk of Sino-Russian trade.

As we all know, after conquering the fur-rich Siberia in the 16th century, Russia then expanded to Kamchatka, the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands, albeit at great cost, but finally included Alaska, the "fur kingdom", into its sphere of influence, becoming the world's largest fur exporter and the leader of the fur trade with China in modern times.

It was not uncommon for a large number of merchants to import furs from Russia from Kyakhta and sell them to the interior for huge profits, such as those who sold furs on the streets, and there were also many people who liked furs, and they bought furs to replace collars or cuffs, which was not uncommon at that time.

Of course, because the Qing court had always followed the tradition of the Yi Wu policy, Russia at that time, although it had reached peace with the Qing court, was still not allowed to trade in any port along the Chinese coast - it was not until the opening of the Kyakhta Mutual Market that the fur into China surged, and it became the bulk of the trade between the two sides.

However, the good times did not last long, and when it came to the 58th year of Kangxi, the Kangxi Emperor became deeply vigilant about the trade between China and Russia, and even sent a special message to Tsarist Russia, informing Russia to suspend caravan trade, claiming that "I am very rich in all kinds of leather goods." In addition, in Guangdong, Fujian and other coastal places, there are merchant ships from Western and other countries coming to trade every year, and all kinds of goods are very sufficient, and no one buys the commercial goods. ”

At this time, the Russians were dizzy, and they did not expect that the Qing court would limit it when it said that it would be restricted, so among the conditions for the negotiation of Count Savoyura this time, there was a purpose to reopen the Kyakhta mutual market.

Tu Lichen could understand what Count Savoyura meant, but he shook his head lightly and said directly: "Maybe the fur business can still be discussed, but the matter of Ning Chu is not as easy as your envoy thinks—just relying on the 1,500 guards brought by your envoy, I am afraid that it will be difficult for even the capital to get out, let alone compete with Ning Chu's hundreds of thousands of troops." ”

Count Savadulla sneered and said: "The Siberian Khanate also thought so back then, but they were still completely destroyed, war is an art, it is never just about numbers, if my fifteen hundred men are used properly, even your capital will not be able to resist our army." ”

"Hmph, your envoy is so big-hearted, but in Yaksa back then, didn't your army lose to us?" Tu Lichen deliberately pretended to be disdainful on his face, but he also knew that the price paid by the Qing army in order to defeat Yaksa was far greater than that of the Russians.

Count Savailla shook his head, "Lord Tulichen, I want to remind you that it was a war that broke out in 1685, but now it is 1724, that is, the third year of your Yongzheng, nearly forty years, which can bring about many changes, such as the Russian Empire. ”

After saying this, Count Savoyra put down the porcelain cup in his hand and said very solemnly: "In these great forty years, the changes in Russia are by no means only territorial, but from top to bottom, our economy, culture, military, religion, etc., are not the same as forty years ago, if your country still looks at the Russian Empire with the eyes of the past, I believe this is not a rational judgment." ”

Tu Lichen was already a little impatient, he didn't want to continue to discuss everything about the Russians with this envoy, and said coldly: "If your envoy only wants to say this, then this official thinks that our conversation can be over." ”

"No, Master Tulichen, I hope you understand your responsibility now."

There was a sneer on Count Savoyura's face, "This negotiation is not a negotiation to define the land of the Ergun River, but a negotiation on how to save the Qing Dynasty, you Great Qing Kingdom need to think about it, what price to pay for this?" ”

...........

Tu Lichen recorded the entire process of this conversation and presented it to the two of them, Wang Celeng of Doro County and Bo Sige, the minister of scattered ranks, and did not say a word more, and Wang Celeng of Doro County and Bo Sige, the minister of scattered ranks, also fell into a deep silence after reading the record of this conversation.

Looking at these two officials who deliberately evaded their negotiation duties, Tu Lichen no longer had any anger, he no longer hoped for these two people, this time it was just a routine duty, and after they finished reading, Tu Li would be presented to the emperor, and the emperor would decide the future negotiation process.

King Celeng of Doluo County let out a long sigh, "Tu Lichen, this time I really worked hard for you. ”

Tu Lichen didn't have any joy on his face, but replied a little tiredly, "The Qing Dynasty has fallen to this point, and it hurts like a knife in my heart, how dare I talk about hard work?" ”

The Minister of Scattered Rank, Bo Sige, seemed to be very dissatisfied with Tu Lichen's current attitude, and snorted coldly: "Tu Lichen, don't think that you are the only one here who is the greatest, when it comes to the Eight Banners and the Qing Dynasty, no one can question our loyalty." ”

"Lord Wang, Lord Bo Sige, I never like to talk empty words, but you also see the current situation, this time the Russians have a great appetite, they are no longer satisfied with the negotiation boundaries of the year, and even this time the negotiations will no longer be bounded by the Ergun River, don't you still understand their appetite?"

Tulichen's face was pale, he had endured enough of the current situation, and perhaps, as Count Savoyura had said, he should have fought on the battlefield rather than at the negotiating table.

Ce Ling let out a long sigh, he decided to have a showdown with Tu Lichen directly, "Tu Lichen, your mood can be understood by the old man, but you also have to understand the situation of the imperial court, the current situation is even more dangerous than you imagined!" ”

Tu Lichen shook his head, he has been an official so far, and it is not that he does not understand the situation in the Qing Dynasty, but in his opinion, it is this kind of mentality that makes the imperial court become like this.

"The kindness of the two adults is in the heart, but the gentleman has something to do and something not to do, you don't have to persuade anymore."

Tu Lichen's expression was resolute, and after bidding farewell to the two adults, he wrote a letter to Russia overnight, "The Russian wolf is ambitious, and this time I came to make a contract, which is really my northern territory of the Qing Dynasty. But even though the northern frontier is a desolate place, it is also the painstaking maintenance of the ancestors, and it must not cede an inch ........"

In this letter of thousands of words, most of them are Tulichen's summaries of the words of the Russians, including him and the Count of Savoailla, and all of them are written in it, and the words are conclusive and sorrowful.

When Yongzheng saw this secret fold, it was already the next day, he went over and read it several times, and then called the ministers of the Military Aircraft Department to show them all the folds.

"If it weren't for this letter, I really wouldn't know that I already have such loyal ministers in the Qing Dynasty now!" The sarcasm in his tone was overflowing, but it made everyone's hearts tremble.

Xu Yuanmeng sighed softly and said softly: "If you go back to the emperor, the slave thinks that Tu Lichen is just eager to serve the country....... It should not be too harsh. ”

Yongzheng snorted coldly, Xu Yuanmeng's words were really unpleasant, as if they were the only loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty in the world, and he, the emperor, had become a national thief who took the lead in betraying the country? The truth of the world, how can there be such a simple thing!

Zhang Tingyu had to stand up, after all, the notoriety could not be attributed to the monarch's father, as a courtier, he had to come out from time to time to take the blame, so he explained in a low voice: "Tu Lichen and they are the right envoys, so they are naturally the all-ennipotentiary to negotiate the matter, but this matter is very important, and naturally it cannot be decided only by Tu Lichen and others, and the imperial court also has a certain right to intervene." ”

Jiang Tingxi stood up, as the latest minister to enter the military aircraft department, he rarely expressed his views on weekdays, but on this matter, he chose to intercede with Tu Lichen.

"Your Majesty, Tu Lichen's fault is not in his heart, but in his ability. The court can punish its ability, but not its heart. ”

Yongzheng nodded slightly, he also thought that Jiang Tingxi's words were reasonable, after all, Tu Lichen's loyalty to the emperor was obvious to all, but the key was that this person behaved too inappropriately.

"Tu Lichen's nature is not bad, so I don't blame much, I order Tu Lichen to be busy with state affairs, don't do any more things, as for this responsibility, temporarily hand over to the Ministry of Affairs."

When this matter was completed, a trace of hesitation flashed on Yongzheng's face, "The Russians came to this trip, and they kept saying that they wanted to help me in the Qing Dynasty and resist Chu rebellion. ”

When they heard this, everyone was in high spirits, and it was obvious that this was what Yongzheng really cared about!

Although there was a war between the Qing court and the Russians, there was no real grudge between the two sides that could not be resolved, so there would be no obvious obstacles to the cooperation between the two sides, and both sides had enemies in the northwest - Jungar, so there was a certain space for cooperation.

Prince Zhuang Yunlu hesitated: "It's just that now the Russians have seen the reality of our army, what if they open their mouths?" ”

"If you really want the lion to open his mouth, you might as well give him more."

Zhang Tingyu took over the conversation softly, but his face did not change at all, "Even if you don't give it, if you can't resist Ning Chu in the future, these are also things that the Qing Dynasty can't keep....... If it can be given to the Russians, in exchange for their support for the Qing Dynasty, it will be given. ”

"It's just that how to give it is also a science, since you have decided to give, you might as well give more, not only the territory of the Ergun River can be given to them, like the land south of the Outer Khing'an Mountains, it is not impossible to talk about it, as for trade, these can also be discussed...... If you want to sell, you might as well sell it at a good price! ”

Hearing Zhang Tingyu talk about betraying the country, but it caused the ministers to look at him angrily, Jiang Tingxi said coldly: "Lord Zhang's high opinion is unheard of below, if all these ancestral lands are cut off, what if the other party still falls into the ground?" If they collude with Ning Chu, what should they do to carve up my Qing Dynasty? ”

Zhang Tingyu smiled slightly, "Then it's better to sell the country better than anyone else, compared to my Qing Dynasty, what price can Chu Wei offer?" I believe that Russians, as long as they are smart enough, should know how to make trade-offs. ”