Seeing that Zhou Shuyuan didn't speak, the court messenger's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously struck while the iron was hot and said......

"Lord Zhou, the emperor said that as long as you can return to the imperial court, under the condition that your existing position remains unchanged, the emperor will also crown you as a cabinet minister, and the military department will write a book...... At the same time, he will reward Lord Zhou with 100,000 taels of gold......"

"Not only that, but the imperial court also assured Lord Zhou that as long as Lord Zhou lives for one day, the position of the governor of Ganning will always be yours, and the imperial court will never interfere in the military and political affairs of Ganning and Ningxia provinces......"

Although Zhou Shuyuan was a little confused about the future situation, Zhou Shuyuan was not confused......

The benefits of Chongzhen's prescription seem to be many and tempting...... However, for Zhou Shuyuan at this moment, except for the reward of one million taels of silver, everything else is empty, and there is no meaning to him at all......

Therefore, as soon as the words of the imperial court messenger were finished, Zhou Shuyuan opened his mouth to refuse......

"Cabinet Minister, Secretary of the Ministry of War...... Your emperor is really generous, and you dare to give me such a high-powered official position...... However, I would like to tell you that these titles of yours have no meaning to me, the commander of the Fifth Army and the governor of Ganning, appointed by the Haw Par Army......"

Zhou Shuyuan clearly saw that after the words he refused, the other party's face suddenly turned pale......

Just as Zhou Shuyuan was about to send off the guests, the pale-faced imperial envoy immediately regained his composure, and then continued......

"Lord Zhou, General Mo understands your current situation very well...... With your character, no matter how many benefits the imperial court offers, no matter how much the Northern King Wei Zheng treats you. There's no way you're going to betray the King of the North. Betrayal of the Haw Par Army...... After all. Without the Northern King Wei Zheng, you wouldn't be where you are today......"

"So, your rejection won't be too surprising......"

"However, what I am going to say at the end is that since you have been demoted to the governor of Ganning by the Northern King, it means that the Northern King no longer believes in you, reuses you, and has even begun to suspect you......"

"As far as the Admiral knows. Lord Zhou, since you were Cong Zunhua, you followed the king of the north and fought the world for the king of the north, which can be described as a veritable henchman of the king of the north. ”

"And what about Lord Zhou Changjun...... It was after the Northern King Wei Zheng became the governor of Shanxi that he followed the Northern King. Now, the king of the north has demoted you, a former confidant, and made this outsider, Zhou Changjun, the prime minister, the prime minister, and also promoted your former subordinates to make them your bosses, and divided the forces you worked so hard to manage......"

"That's what happened. If it weren't for the fact that the King of the North had already begun to suspect Lord Zhou, the last general wouldn't believe it......"

Talking and talking. Zhou Shuyuan's face slowly became gloomy.

After seeing the changes in Zhou Shuyuan's facial expression clearly, the envoy of the court, who felt that there was drama in his heart, did not let go of this opportunity and continued to analyze: "We all know that once the king becomes suspicious of his courtiers, no matter how hard the courtiers try, it is impossible to regain the king's trust. Not only that, but this king will continue to suppress this courtier who has been suspicious. ”

"Because, only by completely suppressing this courtier who is suspicious of himself, will the king feel at ease......"

"And now Lord Zhou, you are the one who is suspicious......"

"If the general's inference is correct, demoting you to the governor of Ganning is only the first suppression of you by the Northern King...... After a period of time, the King of the North will definitely continue to suppress you and demote your position until you have no threat to him at all......

"In this case, Lord Zhou, don't you want to think about your future, and are willing to be a piece of meat on the chopping board and let others slaughter ......?"

"The last general knows that betraying the Tiger and Leopard Army and joining the imperial court is a difficult decision for Lord Zhou to make...... The emperor is very clear about this...... Therefore, the emperor has proposed a better way out for you, Lord Zhou......"

"That is, to remain neutral, once a battle breaks out between the Haw Par Army and the new army of the imperial court in the future, the Haw Par Army and the two provinces of Ganning under your command, Lord Zhou, cannot join either side! As long as Lord Zhou can agree, the imperial court will give you a lot of benefits that you can't think of......"

Although the words and intimidation of the imperial court envoy are exaggerated, for Zhou Shuyuan, at least half of them are true......

And the reason why he hurried to the two provinces of Ganning after being disappointed with Wei Zheng was to completely master the two provinces of Ganning and the Fifth Army of the Tiger and Leopard Army in a short period of time.

Because, only in this way, can I continue to gain a foothold in the Haw Par Army, and even the capital to save my life.

Therefore, the words of the imperial court envoy went directly to Zhou Shuyuan's heart......

At the same time, Zhou Shuyuan's words also aroused a trace of ambition in Zhou Shuyuan's heart on a certain basis......

Why should your fate be in your own hands, why should you be a subordinate for a lifetime, can't you rise for a while, learn from the original Wei Zheng, and develop a strength that is completely your own......

As this thought slowly appeared in Zhou Shuyuan's heart, the solemn expression on Zhou Shuyuan's face slowly became fanatical.

After some contemplation, he directly asked the imperial envoy in front of him, "What benefits can the imperial court give me......

"Secretly support Lord Zhou, you expand your army, and increase your military strength against Wei Zheng......"

After following Wei Zheng for a few years, Zhou Shuyuan understood a truth from Wei Zheng.

No matter what time it is, as long as you hold the army in your hands, you can take it back, no matter what you lose.

And if you want to have the capital for self-protection and even development and growth in the two provinces of Gansu and Ningxia, the first thing you have to do is to hold the Fifth Army in your hands and let the Fifth Army become your own private army step by step......

However, there were so many people in the Fifth Army...... According to the military regulations and military law of the Fifth Army, it is almost impossible for him to expand his army in the two provinces of Gansu and Ningbo. Therefore, when Zhou Shuyuan heard the request that the imperial court could help him secretly expand the army, Zhou Shuyuan was directly moved......

Facing the imperial envoy, he asked expectantly: "How to secretly expand the army......

At this time, the imperial envoy had clearly felt that Zhou Shuyuan was tempted.

As long as he can come up with the facts, he will definitely be able to reach some secret agreements between the two people.

Because, Wei Zheng's continuous suppression and suspicion of him have made him lose confidence in Wei Zheng......

In this case, only increasing strength for self-protection is the best choice for Zhou Shuyuan at this moment. And the idea he put forward was not biased or unfortunate, and it was in Zhou Shuyuan's heart......

Thinking of this, the face of the imperial envoy began to be covered with a smile...... Facing Zhou Shuyuan, he analyzed it as much as he could......

"The secret expansion of the army requires a total of several conditions: personnel, equipment, food, and salary, and one of them is a cover......

"I won't say much about people, there are young and strong people in Gansu and Ningbo provinces who want to be soldiers......"

"As for the other conditions, one thing can be completely resolved, and that is the ...... of war" (to be continued......