The sky-high asking price, landing to pay back. This kind of bargaining can happen at any time, and this time the negotiations between the princes of the Three Roads and the imperial court, Zhuge Liang, Gu Yong, and the judges, as envoys, put forward non-dividing demands to the imperial court. However, Guo Jia, as a representative of the imperial court, was not moved, you offer your price, I don't agree, there is no need to be angry about it.

However, Liu Xie did not have Guo Jia's good cultivation, and after seeing the conditions offered by the three princes, Liu Xie was angry. If it weren't for his insistence on putting the people first, Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and Yuan Xi wouldn't know what they were like to be beaten by themselves at this time, but now it's good that they dare to come to their own place to look at the conditions they offer, as if they were already victors.

"Bonghyo, what do you think?" Liu Xie casually threw away the report in his hand and asked Guo Jiadao.

"Why should the saint be angry, this is just a strategy of Zhuge Liang and others, and the court will not agree." Guo Jia replied unhurriedly.

"Of course I know that, and I'm asking you what you think about the conditions?"

"I'm afraid this kind of condition is that Zhuge Liang himself doesn't think that it will be accepted by the imperial court, so why should the saint be concerned about it. In the opinion of the ministers, there is no need to pay attention to it. ”

“…… Well, since you don't want to say it, then I won't force you. ”

"Thank you to the saint, and ask the saint to inform the bottom line of the court, so that the minister can negotiate with Zhuge Liang and others."

“…… As long as you don't suffer, it's your business how to talk about it. Liu Xie thought about it and gave Guo Jia a vague answer. Guo Jia is quite satisfied with this.

……

The words were divided into two ends, and Zhuge Liang and others, who returned to the post house, were also gathering together at this time to discuss today's first meeting with Guo Jia. Today is the first day of formal negotiations between the two sides, and there will certainly be no results to be achieved. The reason why Zhuge Liang and others put forward unrealistic demands was just to test the details of the imperial court, and it was inevitable that the imperial court would not agree, and if they agreed, it would make people suspicious and doubt the true intention of the imperial court to agree to this negotiation.

It is said that it is a discussion, but in fact it does not lead to any results. Zhuge Liang, Gu Yong, and Juan Pei respectively represent the three forces, if it weren't for the fact that the imperial court was powerful at this time, the three would have started fighting a long time ago, how could they still sit together and discuss ways to deal with the imperial court. And even if the opponents are the same at this time, their goals are different.

The purpose of the trial is to maintain the status quo, with Huguan as the boundary, the east of Huguan belongs to Yuan Xi, and Gu Yong's purpose is to ensure the integrity of Jiangdong. Sun Quan is very self-aware, not like Hebei who only thinks about good things, Sun Quan knows that this time without bleeding may be difficult to make the imperial court quit. However, at present, the Hebei represented by the trial is obviously attracting the hatred of the imperial court, and Gu Yong, as an envoy, naturally has no need to inform others of Jiangdong's bottom line too early. Without comparison, Jiangdong's sincerity cannot be reflected, and with Hebei, a hard-line element, as a comparison, the imperial court can more easily accept Jiangdong's conditions.

And Zhuge Liang was thinking at this time not only about the temporary suspension of war with the imperial court, the purpose of his trip to Chang'an was to make the imperial court recognize Liu Bei's legal status in Jingnan, as long as the imperial court recognized it, Liu Bei's encroachment on the south would be famous. In order to make the imperial court admit it, before Zhuge Liang left Jingnan, Liu Bei even expressed his willingness to Yongzhen southern for the imperial court. However, Zhuge Liang did not have much hope for this.

No one is stupid! Even if Liu Xie was confused for a while, it was impossible for those people around him to let Liu Bei recuperate in the south to grow bigger. Therefore, Zhuge Liang's purpose of this trip is only one, that is, to let the imperial court recognize Liu Bei's legal possession of Jingnan, as for the future, it can only be said later.

The three princes, each with different purposes, can negotiate a result. However, due to the existence of the imperial court, the biggest enemy at present, the three families did not tear their faces, just like three hedgehogs with spikes all over their bodies, approaching cautiously for warmth, and worried that they would be stabbed by their "companions".

Zhuge Liang and the others' every move in the post house naturally couldn't escape the surveillance of the imperial court. This is Chang'an, the base camp of Tianyan, for the foreign population, especially the surveillance with obvious signs like Zhuge Liang and others, it is natural to do not leak, even if it is a thatched house, there will be a few pairs of eyes staring in secret.

The first day of negotiations passed without any results, and in the second round, the two sides began to engage in real exchange. The first time it was Zhuge Liang and others who made a move, and this time it was naturally Guo Jia's turn.

Compared with the unrealistic conditions put forward by Zhuge Liang and others, the conditions put forward by Guo Jia seem to be more in line with reality. But the purpose of Zhuge Liang and the others was not to turn the war with the imperial court, because they knew that it was impossible for the imperial court to tolerate the Han Dynasty being divided by one side, and the compromise at this time was just to delay time. In that case, why should we give up our own interests, unless it is to achieve the goal, no interest can be allowed to be easily abandoned.

Zhuge Liang and others put forward the condition for the first time to ask the imperial court to recognize the separation of the three of them from the Han Dynasty and recognize the suzerainty status of the Han Dynasty, but the Han Dynasty has no right to interfere under its rule, and the three princes belong to the special existence of listening to the tune and not listening to the announcement. How could a big man agree to such conditions!

The condition that Guo Jia put forward was to put aside the link of clarifying the relationship between the two sides, and directly explained in more detail the trade and personnel exchanges between the two sides. It's just that the court is powerful, and no one of the three princes can compete independently. Especially now, the life of the people under the rule of the imperial court is obviously better than that under the rule of the three princes, and once the restrictions on personnel exchanges are lifted, it is very likely that the three princes will face the embarrassing situation of no one available under their rule.

It is human nature to seek good fortune and avoid evil, and the people who are so conscious that they would rather suffer hardships and suffer crimes are a small number after all, and they are all people of the Han Dynasty, and there is no question of who is a traitor at all. I don't have a good life with you, and I am not allowed to go somewhere else to beg for a living? !

Guo Jia's conditions seem harmless, but in fact they harbor evil intentions, and the strengthening of trade between the two sides can indeed bring benefits to the three princes, and the proposal to let go of personnel exchanges is to dig the corners of the three princes.

The second negotiation broke up unhappily, followed by the third, and this negotiation was only a continuation of the previous two, and still did not come to fruition. In order to leave time for the two sides to reconsider, Guo Jia proposed to postpone for a few days before starting the fourth negotiation, which Zhuge Liang and others had no objection to.

The negotiations were temporarily suspended, and Zhuge Liang and the others were not idle, and they each visited the magnates in Chang'an City who spoke with some weight, hoping to know some useful news from the mouths of these magnates. It's just a pity that a lot of gifts are given, but the really useful news is not heard at all. Especially the request made by Zhuge Liang and others, those who were visited shook their heads directly and refused on the spot. However, the refusal is refusal, and the gift that should be received is very happy. Zhuge Liang and the others didn't know that the reason why these powerful people dared to accept gifts without any worries was because Liu Xie had already greeted them in advance, and when the time came, two and one would add five, and one person would be half the result.

On this day, Zhuge Liang came out of Yang Biao's mansion, Zhuge Liang did not return to the post house immediately, but wandered around Chang'an City with his entourage, wanting to take advantage of this to distract himself and look at this negotiation as a bystander.

Walking and walking, it was noon, and seeing that it was time for dinner, Zhuge Liang had no intention of returning to the post house, so he took his entourage to find a nearby restaurant, planning to return after the meal.

casually ordered some wine and food, Zhuge Liang sat at a table by the window and waited for the wine and food to come up, and overheard a message in his ear. This is an ordinary restaurant, there are all kinds of people from three religions and nine streams, and there are two craftsmen at the table next to Zhuge Liang. Nowadays in Dahan, the definition between Shinong and industry has become blurred, not that you can only be a businessman for the rest of your life, if you want to change your career to become a farmer, you only need to report to the government, and you can change your career after getting permission.

The two people at the table next to Zhuge Liang should have been farmers before, but later changed their careers to become craftsmen, so they stayed in the city to live. Of course, what the two of them talked about could not be a major national event, but only about the family's shortcomings, and they talked about the recent rise in food prices in the city. Although this increase does not affect their daily needs, it also delays the time for one of them to save up for a luxury item or two.

Zhuge Liang didn't take this matter to heart at first, there was a locust plague in Liangzhou some time ago, and the price of food rose reasonably, but the conversation between the two people at the adjacent table made Zhuge Liang take it to heart.

"Brother, in my opinion, the increase in grain prices can only mean one thing."

"Brother, do you know the inside story?"

"Hmph, my brother, my third uncle's second cousin's eldest brother's neighbor's six boys are on an errand in the yamen, according to him, the imperial court is raising grain and grass to transport to Yanzhou recently."

"Yanzhou? It seems to be next to Hebei, so it can't be another war, right? Impossible, right? Didn't you hear that Hebei also sent people to sue for peace with the imperial court this time? ”

"Huh? Sue for peace? They deserve it too! I heard Xiaoliu say that the negotiation is just a slowdown, a slowdown. As long as the grain and grass arrive, the imperial army will kill Hebei and take that Yuan Xi from Hebei back to Beijing to behead him. ”

"Really? It's okay like this, sooner or later, you have to fight, and the sooner you fight, the more peaceful days you can have. ”

"But it's not, you said that Yuan Xi of Hebei is also stupid, knowing that he is not the opponent of the imperial court or is still dead, isn't this looking for death."

"Yes, yes, my brother said yes. By the way, brother, there seems to be someone recruiting in the south of the city for a while, why don't we try it together? ”

"I advise you not to go, it's in vain to go, I heard Xiaoliu say, the south of the city is recruiting grain people, we are all old and young, the whole family points to us, if you leave, it will be a few months or even years, how do you let those people in the family live?"

After that, the discussion between the brothers was not worthy of Zhuge Liang's attention, but the delaying tactics mentioned by the brothers just now made Zhuge Liang a little concerned. The biggest advantage of a smart person is that he thinks a lot, and the biggest disadvantage is that he thinks a lot. Sometimes something that is obviously simple is complicated when a smart person thinks about it. And sometimes a thing that is already complicated becomes more complicated when a smart person thinks about it.

The imperial court is paralyzing the princes from all walks of life with a delaying tactic, which is just the idle talk of two small people, and it is not worth paying attention to at all. Just because the news came from that crooked relative, you can understand how unreliable this news is. But he was afraid to think about everything, thinking of the imperial court's attitude towards this negotiation, the more Zhuge Liang thought about it, the more he felt like that.

After a hurried lunch, Zhuge Liang took his entourage to the south of the city. Didn't the two people at the next table say that Chengnan was gathering people? See for yourself if it's true or not. When they arrived in the south of the city, because it was still a meal at this time, there were not many people gathered here, but Zhuge Liang did see a notice to summon the people, and there were people sitting there next to him who were responsible for registration.

Zhuge Liang naturally couldn't run to apply for the draft by himself, but a person with a mouth should be used not only for eating, but also for talking. The person sitting there in charge of registration was also idle, and there was no hidden danger to Zhuge Liang's inquiry, admitting that he was indeed summoning the people to go to Xuzhou to deliver grain.

Although the destination of the food delivery is different, Zhuge Liang has no intention of thinking about it. Regarding the imperial court's delaying strategy, the more Zhuge Liang thought about it, the more he felt that it was true. Hebei Yuan Xi, can be said to be an important bargaining chip in this negotiation, judging from the current situation, only Hebei still has the strength to make the imperial court jealous, once the imperial court first solves Hebei, then only Jiangdong and Jingnan, it is difficult to resist the southward movement of the imperial army, to ensure the existence of Hebei, is to ensure the safety of their own family.

Zhuge Liang, who returned to the post house, immediately invited Gu Yong and the trial to the west courtyard where he lived, and informed the two of them of the situation he had just discovered in the city. After hearing this, Gu Yong's faces changed slightly, and the two of them got along with Zhuge Liang for a while, and they had a certain understanding of Zhuge Liang's temperament, and knew that Zhuge Liang was not a person who liked to talk nonsense without a purpose. Since he said that it is possible that the imperial court is delaying the army, it is very likely that this is the case.

"I will immediately write to inform my lord to take precautions." The judge threw down a sentence and left in a hurry.

Gu Yong didn't leave, and asked Zhuge Liang: "Kong Ming, do you think there is still room for turning around in this matter?" ”

"Yuan Si doesn't have to be too nervous, the imperial court did this delaying the army, in order to catch Hebei off guard, now that Hebei has taken precautions, this delaying strategy can only be useless. It's just that since the imperial court intends to continue the war, it may not be able to negotiate anything in the end. ”

"If you can't talk about it, you can't talk about it, it's better than being plotted by the imperial court. By the way, since the imperial court intends to take Hebei by surprise, it is very likely that it will change its goal after discovering that Hebei has taken precautions, and I will also write to my lord and ask him to deal with it carefully. Gu Yong said this and left.

After sending Gu Yong away, Zhuge Liang sat in the room and thought about it, took out a pen and paper and began to write a letter to Liu Bei. There is no big mistake in being careful, since the imperial court intends to go to war again, then I naturally have to make more preparations, so as not to even have time to cry when the matter comes.

And just when Zhuge Liang, Gu Yong, and the three of them were suspicious, Liu Xie, the son of the Han Dynasty, was praising the two who successfully completed the task. If Zhuge Liang was here, he would definitely be able to recognize these two people at a glance as the two people at the table next to him in the restaurant.

Hitting children on a cloudy day is also idle. Liu Xie was deliberate, he was very dissatisfied with the progress of this negotiation, and talked three times, but there was no useful talk at all. Although he didn't have much hope at first, the result of not talking about anything still made Liu Xie feel unhappy.

Whoever makes Liu Xie unhappy, then no one should think about it. With this purpose in mind, Liu Xie arranged for two people with superb acting skills to act in a play with Zhuge Liang. And Zhuge Liang then went to the south of the city to verify, and the person who talked to Zhuge Liang was also specially arranged by Liu Xie.

The grain was transported, but the destination was not Xuzhou, but Liangzhou. There is grain in his hands, and he is not panicked, there is a locust plague in Liangzhou, and there is no harvest in the fields this year. Although there was enough grain in the official warehouse to ensure that the people of Liangzhou could tide over the difficulties, in order to avoid the people being instigated by well-intentioned people, Liu Xie still decided to open the warehouse first and release the grain according to the records of the official government. And this time the grain was transported to Liangzhou, mainly to supplement the official warehouse and stabilize the hearts of the people in Liangzhou.

Zhuge Liang didn't know these inside information, so he fell for the trick, mistakenly thinking that the imperial court was delaying the army, he felt that he had seen through the court's tricks, but he didn't know that Liu Xie, the main messenger behind the scenes, was watching his jokes at this time. can play the famous Mr. Wolong, Liu Xie has a sense of accomplishment.

However, there are also people who are dissatisfied with Liu Xie because of this matter, and that is Guo Jia. As the main person in charge of this negotiation, Guo Jia was very unhappy with Liu Xie's behavior of not taking him to play this time.

"Fengxiao, don't be angry, it's a big deal that I'll call you next time." Liu Xie didn't care about this.

"Holy Lord, how can national affairs be child's play? If Zhuge Liang and the others know the inside story......"

"What if they knew? Who makes them stupid themselves. And Fengxiao, only with strength can I have the right to speak, now that my Han is strong, even if they know that they have been tricked by us, do they dare to tear their faces with us for the sake of a momentary anger? No, they won't have any choice but to swallow their anger. ”

“…… Is this what the Holy Father said about weak countries without diplomacy? Guo Jia asked thoughtfully when he heard this.

"That's right, my big man is too honest to the outside world, which makes many small countries kick their noses in the face. In the future, you should remember that although the Han Dynasty is a country of etiquette, it does not mean that it will tolerate rude provocations. Anyone who dares to provoke the big man must pay the price of blood. ”

“…… Holy Lord, are you still angry with those barbarians who came from Samhan a few days ago? Guo Jia understood after a little thought, and asked Liu Xiedao with a smile.

"What do you say? These shameless things! I have seen a lot of robbers, but I have never seen people robbing their ancestors. ”

"It's just a group of barbarians who don't know the height of the sky, why should the saint care. When Hebei is pacified in the future, they will be destroyed easily. ”