Chapter 1138 Gengzijuan Alliance

The last half is the key. A mere 200,000 taels of silver is not enough to make up for the huge losses caused by the Khalkha and Horqin coalition forces during this expedition. There were over 10,000 casualties. This pension to the tribesmen alone is enough to make up for the loss. Zaisai had a huge headache.

Although it is customary for people from the five tribes of Inner Khalkha to follow the expedition, the loss of tens of thousands of people in a war like this still makes all the people of Inner Khalkha feel heartache and discomfort. If the families of these killed and injured tribesmen cannot be given some due treatment, To make up for it, if they want to recruit them next time, not only themselves, but even the small nobles under Zaisai will resist, and Zaisai's prestige will be greatly affected. This is why Zaisai is impatient to meet Feng Ziying. for the sake of.

Inner Khalkha cannot lose this ransom, otherwise Zasai's status and prestige among the five inner kalkhas will be challenged and hit, and his tendency to cooperate with the Zhou Dynasty will also be questioned, and some people tend to go the other way. The views of the Jianzhou Jurchens will prevail.

“The imperial court cannot accept the request to redeem these generals.” Feng Ziying was also very plain, seeming to be describing a trivial matter.

Zai Sai's heart sank, but he quickly came back to his senses. He had never expected that the Zhou Dynasty would agree so easily. However, the financial situation of the Zhou Dynasty was extremely bad and it was impossible to come up with this money. Lindan Batur had already told himself this in his previous letter. Of course, the other party used this to urge him to lead his troops westward to cooperate with the Chahar people's offensive.

“Then Mr. Feng will always give me an answer, right?” Zaisai smiled, as if he didn’t care.

Of course, Feng Ziying was aware of the other party's nervousness at this time. Although the court's rejection did not mean that there was no room for maneuver, it was undoubtedly a huge blow and might even become a means for the other party to lower the price.

Zai Sai is also mentally prepared for this, but the more indifferent the other party is, the more difficult it means that the subsequent negotiations will be more difficult.

"Of course there is an answer. I personally have some ideas and have even begun to implement them. However, this may need to be combined with the finalization of some subsequent agreements. Otherwise, although I can promote this matter, I am afraid that it will be constrained by some people within the court. and block it." Feng Ziying said solemnly: "After all, the Inner Khalkha and our Great Zhou are still in a state of hostility. It is a fact that you broke in without any reason. Although it is said that the winner is the king and the loser is the enemy, but for the Great Zhou court , for the people of the Zhou Dynasty, this kind of aggression is psychologically unacceptable..."

Zaisai was speechless, not knowing how to answer this question for a while.

The word "invasion" seems to be far away from me and the Inner Khalkha people. Hasn't the relationship between the grassland tribes and the Zhou Dynasty and even the Han Dynasty always been like this?

　　When they are full, they stay safe and live in harmony; when they are hungry, they raise troops to attack the border, burn, kill, and plunder. Haven't the grassland peoples and the Han people maintained this relationship for thousands of years?

Similarly, once the Han people became strong, wouldn't they also march straight into the grasslands, kill all directions, and take pride in conquering the grasslands?

It seems a bit funny to talk about this now, but it seems to be right what the other party said. At least this time the Mongols were the first to attack the border. Well, it seems that there were no disasters on the grassland this time. It was purely Nurhachi and Lindanba. It was formed by some tacit understanding of Tour.

The atmosphere was a little tense for a while. If we were to debate this issue, we might never come to a conclusion.

"Master Feng, this war is not what Zai Sai wanted, but it has come to this, and we can only work together to resolve this disaster." After thinking for a long time, Zai Sai took the initiative to speak: "Just in my current position, I also ask Lord Feng to understand that all the five tribes need enough food, grass and cloth to survive the winter, and our five tribes have suffered huge losses. Without a proper explanation, it will be difficult for Zaisai to convince the crowd."

Of course, Feng Ziying would not force the other party too much. With the Horqin people's tendency to turn to the Jianzhou Jurchens becoming increasingly obvious, the East China Sea Jurchens being increasingly taken over by Nurhaci, and the Chahar people being half-hearted, the Hercynian Jurchens (Yehe tribe and Ula tribe) and Neikha In the future, the Erkha people will increasingly become an important support for Liaodong and even the grassland strategy. At least in the next ten or even twenty years, Feng Ziying is happy to see the growth of the five inner Khalkha tribes.

With the restraints of the five inner Khalkha tribes and the Yehe tribe, the Chahar people cannot invade the south as they wish. They can also suppress the Jurchens in Jianzhou and cannot go all out to deal with Liaodong. As far as the current situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty is concerned, if they want to It is really not enough to solve the two threats of Jianzhou Jurchen and Chahar people at once.

"Lord Zaisai, I understand, that's why I hope that both of us can reach a satisfactory result. It will be difficult for the court to give an answer in a short time, so after returning to Beijing, Feng also talked with all parties After careful consideration, if it drags on for a year and a half, I guess this will be difficult for Lord Zasai to accept..."

Feng Ziying's words made Zai Sai's heart skip a beat, and his face changed slightly. If it were delayed for a year and a half, it would be simply a rejection.

Feng Ziying pondered for a moment and then said: "I don't hide it from Mr. Zai Sai. After all, I was born in Wuxun. After returning to Beijing, many Wuxun families came to me and wanted to redeem their experience in the battle of Santun Camp. The captured children, but I know that this kind of sporadic redemption is difficult for Lord Zasai to accept, and even Lord Zasai has rejected the requests of some businessmen,..."

 Zaisai nodded slightly.

"My idea is that I will use my personal connections to help these generals, because this also involves the court's face. The court cannot afford the money, or the court feels that redeeming military-honored generals in this way is detrimental to the court's face. , I am afraid that I am very dissatisfied with this matter in my heart, and do not want to see these people come back..."

“Master Feng, are you saying that the Zhou court is not willing to see these people go back?” Zaisai was surprised.

"No, Lord Zasai, your understanding is slightly wrong. I mean that the imperial court hopes to let them come back after this matter has been downplayed and the people's anger and resentment have calmed down. This will not cause too much turmoil in the people's morale... "

Zai Sai can understand this, but he cannot accept it. If it really drags on for a year and a half, I'm afraid that his Hongji Labu will be fine, but the other ones will definitely make a fuss.

"Master Feng, what do you mean..." Zaisai was a little confused.

"My idea is this. On the one hand, I will arrange for the transportation of goods worth two hundred thousand taels of silver to the grassland as soon as possible. This can be guaranteed by Ye Hebu. Lord Zasai can rest assured. I also ask Lord Zasai to release the five hundred thousand taels of silver as soon as possible." Thousands of soldiers,..."

Zaisai nodded enthusiastically: "That's no problem. Once the agreement is signed, I can release him today."

"Second, I will first arrange for a group of people in Beijing who have a strong willingness to redeem and are willing to raise funds to redeem the people as soon as possible to reach an agreement as soon as possible. For this part, I hope that Mr. Zaisai can give a larger discount, which can stimulate the subsequent redemption of each family. The enthusiasm, that is to say, can be divided into several batches. For example, the first batch can get a 20% discount, the second batch can get a 15% discount, the third batch has a 10% discount, and so on. The last batch has the least discount, or even no discount, but this It’s just a gesture. If you still can’t collect the money in the end, I will take charge of the redemption, but we will discuss the price in detail, so as to prevent Mr. Zasai from being unable to step down..."

It should be said that Feng Ziying's suggestion is very pertinent and even considers his own side. Originally, Zai Sai thought that as long as he could get a 30% discount on the overall price, he would be satisfied. However, Feng Ziying actually offered such conditions to the two of them. How could he not give up? Is he suspicious?

 He did not believe that Feng Ziying would be so generous. There were often other conditions hidden behind this.

"Mr. Feng, I am very satisfied with this condition. Even for some specific people, if you request, I can give you a higher discount. This is not a problem, but I want to know what your third or even fourth number is. condition,…"

 Zaisai couldn't help but lick his lips. This situation was the most uncomfortable. He knew that it was a piece of fat, but he knew that there was a hook behind the fat.

Feng Ziying couldn't help laughing. It was easy to talk to smart people. Zai Sai could tell at a glance that the meat was not that delicious, so naturally there would be conditions. Of course he would have requirements for working so hard.

“The five Inner Khalkha tribes and the Liaodong and Yehe tribes should have a collaborative cooperation mechanism, or an alliance.” Feng Ziying said calmly.

Zhasai was shocked, but then he realized, wasn't this something that was expected?

Otherwise, why would Feng Ziying be jumping up and down so hard? If his father hadn't been serving as the governor of Jiliao and the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town, and he was just a magistrate of Yongping Prefecture, what business would he have?

 The target of this alliance is naturally the Jurchens in Jianzhou, which is in line with Zasai's intention. It may also include the Chahar people and the Horqin people. It needs to be determined based on the actual situation and changes in the situation.

It should be said that the alliance with the Jianzhou Jurchens is the most urgent for the Yehe tribe, followed by Liaodong, and then the five Inner Khalkha tribes, but this is superficial or short-term. Feng Ziying needs to convince Zai Sai, or it depends on Did Zaisai take a long-term view?

"Master Feng, forming an alliance is not a trivial matter, and for our five inner Khalkha tribes, it is no problem to cooperate with Liaodong, but do you think it is appropriate to form an alliance? Also, it is an alliance with Liaodong, not the Great Zhou Dynasty , is my understanding correct?"

 Zai Sai's expression changed constantly, and it took him a long time to speak calmly.

"The Great Zhou Dynasty does not need to form an alliance with anyone..." Feng Ziying said calmly: "And Liaodong does. I believe that even if my father no longer serves as the governor of Ji Liao, if someone changes his position, he will still see the necessity of it. .”

Of course, the Great Zhou Dynasty would not form an alliance with anyone, let alone the small Inner Khalkha, even Chahar, Japan and Korea, they are just foreign barbarians and vassals. How can they be worthy of an alliance? Of course, in practical affairs , you can just work together to operate.

 (End of this chapter)