The prince is more stable

Chapter 142 Negotiation Success
In Zhao Xiaoqian's impression, Qian Zhongshen is not only an old fox, but also a seasoned official.

An old man in his sixties, who never caused trouble, rose to the position of Minister of Rites. He had almost no ups and downs in his official career, which shows that this man is not mediocre, but actually has something.

This old-fashioned way of dealing with things is to push things away if possible, to avoid things if possible, never offend anyone, and never take any responsibility. Of course, he will always be the first to rush in to receive awards for his achievements.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't expect that before he, the chief negotiator, had expressed his opinion, this old fox had already become angry.

Who gave him the courage?

Perhaps Zhao Xiaoqian himself did not realize that the Western Suburbs Autumn Hunt was not only a deterrent to the Liao delegation, but also a shot in the arm for the Song Dynasty court, which had been weak for many years.

The Song Dynasty had been weak for too long. It was like a foolish son of a landlord. He had thousands of acres of fertile land but no one to guard his house. He was coveted and envied by others. He watched his neighbors steal or seize his property, but he dared not say a word.

Since the autumn hunt in the western suburbs, the flintlock rifle is no longer a secret. Everyone in the court knows about it, and the emperor and his ministers have unknowingly straightened their backs.

In the present Song Dynasty, a peerless martial arts master was invited to guard the house. The landlord's foolish son finally felt safe and could hold his head high among his neighbors without fear.

Some things change silently.

The flintlock rifle was a drastic measure that Zhao Xiaoqian gave to this weak dynasty, and this drastic measure has quietly begun to take effect.

Qian Zhongshen is a typical epitome of the Song Dynasty court.

This old fox who is afraid of causing trouble and taking responsibility dares to slam the table in front of the Liao people and clamor for sending troops to fight. It can be seen that... this old guy took the wrong medicine today?

The Firearms Bureau is still working day and night to make guns, and you are provoking them?

Patting Qian Zhongshen on the shoulder, Zhao Xiaoqian motioned him to sit down.

"Minister Qian, calm down. If a fight really breaks out, the emperor will first kill a minister as a sacrifice. Whoever started the fight will be hung on the flagpole and fly in the wind..."

Qian Zhongshen was shocked and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Although his words were a bit exaggerated, if Song and Liao countries really went to war because of his provocation, his head would be in danger.

"The Marquis of County is the official envoy. Please come, please come." Qian Zhongshen hurriedly declined.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him. Yes, it was still the familiar old stick.

Snapped!
Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly slammed the table and looked around at the Liao delegation with a ferocious look.

"It's impossible to increase the annual bonus, just give up! Our Minister Qian is right, are you not convinced? Send troops to fight!" Zhao Xiaoqian spitted out angrily.

Qian Zhongshen was horrified and shocked. You, you, you...why are you putting me in a trap again?

Two people in succession clamored for the Liao Kingdom to send troops to fight. No matter how fearful the Liao Kingdom delegation was, they could no longer tolerate it.

"Fight!" A member of the delegation stood up and shouted angrily, "Since we can't reach an agreement, we will return to the court and inform our lord to muster all the troops to test the power of your Song Dynasty's firearms to see how powerful they are!"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked left and right, then grabbed an inkstone on the table and threw it at the man's head.

The attendant was startled and quickly shrank his body, narrowly avoiding the life-threatening inkstone.

Zhao Xiaoqian's face darkened and he said coldly, "This is a barbarian country, uneducated and without respect for superiors and inferiors. Who's the boss among you? Why are you barking like a dog when the boss hasn't spoken?"

The attendant was furious and subconsciously pressed the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered: "Oh, you want to draw your swords? Draw them quickly, let me see the courage of you Liao warriors."

Outside the main hall of the Honglu Temple, a burst of hurried footsteps came, and teams of armored imperial guards appeared outside the hall. Although the imperial guards did not enter the hall, their eyes were all focused on the attendant, especially the hand holding the hilt of the knife.

The attendant trembled uncontrollably all over, and the hand holding the knife handle no longer had the strength to pull it out.

He knew that if he really drew his sword, he would never be able to walk out of the Honglu Temple alive today.

Moreover, the Liao Kingdom had no excuse to cause trouble for the Song Kingdom because he was the one who drew his sword first.

The atmosphere around them became inexplicably cold and solemn, and the hall was dead silent.

Seeing that the attendant didn't dare to move for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't bother to pay attention to him anymore, and then looked at Xiao Guangjing with a cold gaze. Xiao Guangjing, who had been silent, finally spoke at this time, glanced at the attendant, and said slowly: "How about you come to talk?"

The attendant hurriedly bowed his head and said he didn't dare, then retreated.

Xiao Guangjing forced a smile at Zhao Xiaoqian and said, "Marquis, we had some unpleasantness just now. How about we forget about it? Or should we get down to business?"

Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled: "Okay, let's get down to business."

They are swearing, yelling, and now laughing. The negotiators from both countries are like crazy and their mental state is very unstable.

But this is the norm in negotiations. In order to fight for interests, the negotiating table is actually a stage.

Whether it is intimidation, threats, cursing, or smiling with a dagger in one's heart, they are all means to gain benefits and are chips accumulated for bargaining.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked very relaxed. He knew very well that there would be no accidents in today's negotiations.

The other party's negotiating envoys have secretly become our own people, so what accidents can happen?
The biggest difficulty was how to make Xiao Guangjing make compromises on behalf of the Liao Kingdom within a reasonable range.

This is actually very simple. In the Liao Kingdom today, whether it is the envoys or the emperor and his ministers who came to the capital to attend the court, their attention is probably all on the flintlock rifles that inexplicably appeared in the Song Dynasty. As for how the negotiations would turn out, it is no longer the focus of the Liao Kingdom's emperor and his ministers.

So Zhao Xiaoqian handed the next negotiation matters to Qian Zhongshen, and he leaned back in his chair, thinking about life and... what to eat tonight.

From now on, the envoy Zhao Xiaoqian is just a decoration. Of course, it is not entirely a decoration, as he is also responsible for maintaining order.

After the accidental shooting just now, the members of the Liao delegation were much more friendly at this time, and the volume of their speech was controlled below the decibel level of noise.

There is no way. The situation has changed. Who would have thought that a powerful weapon would appear inexplicably in the Song Dynasty? If this problem is not resolved, the Liao Dynasty will not have the capital to continue to be strong.

Even many members of the Liao delegation were not thinking about the negotiations at this time. All they had in their minds were flintlock rifles.

The negotiations went smoothly. The Minister of Rites was indeed quite capable. As long as the other party did not threaten or intimidate, Qian Zhongshen would argue with reason and evidence, and use a lot of diplomatic rhetoric.

In just one morning, a consensus was reached in the negotiations.

The Song Dynasty will maintain the annual gift unchanged from previous years. Don’t even think about increasing it by 100,000 strings of cash. You don’t have that luck.

The talks on deepening trade between the two countries went even more smoothly. This is a normal trade issue between the two countries. Everyone shares what they have and achieves mutual benefit and win-win results. No one will object.

After discussing the details, both parties stood up, saluted each other, and finally signed the alliance.

Before saying goodbye, Zhao Xiaoqian quickly exchanged glances with Xiao Guangjing, and they understood each other.

Negotiations are not important, just don't sign countless traitorous treaties like Li Hongzhang did.

The biggest gain for Zhao Xiaoqian during this visit to the Liao Kingdom was winning over Xiao Guangjing. This person was far more important than the so-called negotiations; he was a crucial chess piece.

Both parties are satisfied with the agreement reached now.

The Song Dynasty still needs to give annual gifts this year because the flintlock rifles have not yet been equipped in the imperial guards and the musketeers' training is not enough.

Both Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to confront the Liao Kingdom on the battlefield immediately, but the conditions did not allow it.

If we survive another year, and the Liao Kingdom still wants annual tribute next year, it may not be so easy.

"Marquis, after we go to the court to meet the Emperor of Song tomorrow, we will return to the capital of Liao. Thank you very much for the hospitality of everyone in Song and Marquis." Xiao Guangjing bowed deeply.

Zhao Xiaoqian pretended to try to persuade him to stay: "Are you leaving now? Now that you've finished your business, why don't you have two more days to play?"

Xiao Guangjing hesitated for a moment, turned around to check the reactions of the other members of the delegation, and then said cautiously, "The Marquis is so hospitable. Really... stay for two more days?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's face suddenly turned dark.

Does this barbarian even know what polite words are?
Pulling Xiao Guangjing over, the two walked to a corner. Zhao Xiaoqian looked around at the attendants from both countries not far away, and squeezed out a word through his teeth with a smile: "Hurry up and go back. Don't you know whether you are welcome in the Song Dynasty or not?"

(End of this chapter)