The Ming Dynasty has always claimed to be a country of etiquette and a great country, but it has never been weak. It does not cede territory, pay indemnities, make vassals, make peace, or pay tribute. If the other side treats each other with courtesy, the Ming Dynasty will definitely be respected by everyone.

, I respect people, but if the other party is arrogant, the Ming Dynasty will never put down its weapons.

Anmin Bank was robbed of more than 5.3 million yuan, and the accounts are all traceable. However, you only said that 300,000 yuan was robbed. You are not going too far. Let alone Yue Su, even those cabinet ministers did not do it.

I will agree. Even if this matter is spread, all the scholar-bureaucrats will not agree.

Zhang Yan, after all, is a woman's heart. She believes that one thing is worse than one thing less. It's almost enough to be too peaceful. There is no need to completely intensify the conflict between the two countries. After all, r is not a Jurchen and has not occupied my territory. But she soon found out , the cabinet did not accept the terms of Japan at all, and believed that Japan was bullying others too much. So, she called Liu Mingguo, Cao Huachun, and Zhao Zhi to ask for their opinions. These three gentlemen knew that the matter at hand was not an internal matter. This is a major external matter, and you cannot get involved randomly. Once you show too much weakness, if the news spreads, your own life may be at risk.

Therefore, the three of them did not say nice things, but stood in front of "justice" and expressed that they had gone too far to bully Fan Bang. How could I, the Ming Dynasty, let others bully me? This condition was absolutely unacceptable to me, even though the Ming Dynasty was not bad at this point.

Silver, but one code equals one code, and cannot be confused. The silver that is stolen from us must be returned. If they are in trouble and need help, they can ask me, the Ming Dynasty, but they cannot rob us.

Liu Mingguo also said that this kind of diplomatic matter should be handled by the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites. In fact, the inner palace does not need to be involved. I believe Lord Yue will definitely come up with the best way to solve this matter.

Zhang Yan was actually worried that Yue Su was too impulsive and radical. Don't discuss it improperly. If he really attacks Japan r, the Jurchens have not been solved yet, and if he attacks Japan r again, how can the Ming Dynasty tolerate it and have the heart to compromise? This matter is still

It is really not up to her, the Queen Mother, to decide on major diplomatic matters. If the royal family dares to be weak, the scholar-bureaucrats in Bejng City will probably have to kneel outside the Forbidden City and let the cabinet take care of it.

The next day, Liu Ce went on to negotiate with Sasaki Koichi. On the surface, Sasaki said something nice, but he was just exaggerating that the Ming Dynasty was a holy country of heaven, saying that he was Maru Xiaobang. What he meant in his words was that you, a huge country, cannot use this as a powerful force.

The big bullies the small. We should let our small country talk about it. Ultimately, no matter what, we won’t give in even a step. We only have so much money, and we can’t get even one more cent.

In fact, Sasaki also has someone to rely on in this negotiation. If nothing else, he has been at war with the Jurchens for years and has not yet resolved the issue at home. How can he have the energy to attack them again? Moreover, the Tokugawa shogunate now has a strong army, so come and make peace.

Your Ming Dynasty negotiations have given you face. If we really want to fight, we may not be afraid of you. You have to attack far away and cross the ocean. Do you have the fighting ability? Do you really dare to start a war?

When Liu Ce saw that Sasaki could only say nice things, but refused to give in, there was nothing he could do. After today's negotiation, he went back to the cabinet to see Yue Su and handed the negotiation record to Lord Yue to watch. After Yue Su read it, he didn't give it to him.

The other cabinet ministers watched, threw it directly on the coffee table, and said: "Well, since Sasaki is not sincere about compensation, there is nothing to talk about. You go and tell him tomorrow that my Ming Dynasty means to compensate ten million in silver."

Two, even one penny less won’t do. If he doesn’t accept it, go back and we’ll see.”

"Sir... is this... too... do you want to discuss it again..." Liu Ce said cautiously

"There is nothing to discuss anymore." Yue Su stood up directly and said, "We're done today. I'm a little tired and will go home first."

After saying that, Yue Su walked out of the cabinet hall and headed back home.

The cabinet ministers looked at each other, and Qi Shijiao said: "Master Liu, what did Sasaki say today, why is Master Yue so angry?"

"Alas..." Liu Ce sighed and said, "That Sasaki, what you say is nice, but you just won't give in, and you don't want to give an extra copper."

"If this is the case, there is really no way to negotiate. If we agree to the current conditions, once word spreads, we will all be drowned in spitting. I think Mr. Yue seems to have other ideas, so I will do what Mr. Yue says. No matter what,

On external matters, I, the Ming Dynasty, cannot give in half a step." Although Qi Shijiao is unwilling to start a war, r Japan will not give in, and he cannot take the lead in agreeing to r's own conditions. If anyone dares to nod, Qian Qian will be waiting for him.

Qi Shijiao, who is salivated by thousands of people, thinks that he cannot compare with Lord Yue in this regard. Lord Yue has been sprayed with saliva several times, but he still stands tall. His ability to resist saliva is very strong. But what about Lord Qi? After a lot of saliva, he will probably

If you can push yourself off the stage, forget it, even if the sky falls, there will be someone high up to support you. Mr. Yue is the chief assistant, so you should let him make the decision. It is best for you not to say anything and act randomly on this matter.

The Junzuo Party had his approval, so naturally he wouldn't say anything. Lu Weiqi of the Yiluo Party was cautious. Like Qi Shijiao, it was certain that he was unwilling to start a war. However, it was impossible for him to agree to the conditions offered by R.

Now that we are here, we can only listen to Yue Su.

Furthermore, the person in charge of the negotiations is not one of our own. Liu Ce, the Minister of Rites, belongs to the Junyi Party. It is your Junyi Party who are responsible for how the negotiations go. It is also your own business to be scolded in the end.

Liu Ce is really in a dilemma. The next negotiation cannot proceed at all. Sasaki does not agree to the conditions proposed by Mr. Yue. After several days of grinding, the negotiation is about to break down.

During the past few days of negotiations, almost all the eyes of the people in the world were focused on Bejng City. Not to mention the officials and scholars, even the common people were extremely concerned, especially those who had business in Rzhao Hong Kong.

, and the property of the martyrs’ families must not be lost in vain, and the deceased must also give an explanation. Only the imperial court can do this.

On this day, nearly a thousand people gathered on the streets of Bejng City, heading straight from Zhengyang Gate to the Forbidden City. Among the group of people, the first ones were some scholars, and those in the back were all businessmen wearing Li's clothes.

Wen Zhang and his son were also among them

It is definitely not a simple matter for so many people to gather together and walk to the Forbidden City, but when the people of Bejng City saw this scene, they didn't seem to find it strange. This was a gathering of people to petition, and later it was regarded as a procession and petition. It was celebrated during the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Come on, it's not a rare thing to happen in many meetings, but the petitioners are basically students. But this time, there are businessmen among them, which is really puzzling.

But if you think about it carefully, you can actually understand that most of the petitions this time are about the negotiation with Japan. Businessmen have suffered the most. After this battle, many businessmen have been severely damaged, and some have even lost their fortunes and even lost their lives.

There are not a few who originally thought that the losses could not be recovered. Whether they were robbed by pirates or Japanese pirates, the most they could do was kill them. What else could they do?

But they did not expect that the imperial court would actually negotiate with r's own country to study the issue of compensation. The dialogue between countries would escalate the conflict. Everyone agreed that pirates and Japanese pirates could not afford to compensate, but r's own country could definitely afford to compensate everyone's losses, or

There was a chance to get compensation, but the result of the negotiation was soon spread. Japan would not give in, and it would only give 500,000 yuan, not even a cent more. Where is this?

The businessmen got together. Anyway, now that there is a chamber of commerce, everyone will study together and prepare to unite and gather together to petition, asking the court to put pressure on r Japan, get an explanation from everyone, and the loss of the five major companies headed by Li Wenzhang.

Members of the business community think this is a good idea. With the help of this petition, the status of the Chamber of Commerce may be improved. However, there is one thing. It can be said that it has never happened before businessmen come forward to gather people to petition. Businessmen have the lowest status. It is easy for them to petition.

If you are suppressed by other parties, you may be regarded as a rebel and be imprisoned directly.

Li Yuanchen has now arrived at bejng. This guy has many ideas. After thinking about it for a while, he came up with a way. He believes that businessmen cannot just come forward, but should find ways to mobilize all students. In the past, those who petitioned in the Ming Dynasty were all students of the Imperial College.

If they come in, they are no longer making trouble. Students who can study in the Imperial College must study well on the one hand, and on the other hand, their families must have money. Therefore, among the students of the Imperial College, some of them are doing business at home, which happens to be good for them.

Li Wenzhang, who had business in Rzhao Hong Kong, sent someone to communicate with the businessman. He immediately went to find his own child and asked him to spread the news in the Imperial College. We can't say that we are just recovering losses for the businessman, but we are doing it for the businessman.

The Ming Dynasty was fighting for face and could not allow the small Japanese countries to bully young people. Young people were all bloody. After a little publicity, many people agreed and immediately formed a force.

With the support of the Imperial College, the Chamber of Commerce came forward to negotiate again and reached an agreement twice to go to the Forbidden City to petition. Under the leadership of the students, they gathered at Zhengyangmen today and marched to the *** together, where they knelt down.

There were all the Imperial Guards standing guard in front of the palace. When they saw so many people kneeling here, they knew that they were petitioning. Although this kind of thing happened often in the Ming Dynasty, it was not a trivial matter. The emperor needed to be notified as soon as possible and received.

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*****

"To report to the Queen Mother, many students from the Imperial College and some businessmen are kneeling in front of the palace to petition the Emperor."

Liu Mingguo hurried to Cining Palace and reported to Zhang Yan the petitions from students and businessmen.

After hearing this, Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment and said, "Businessmen? Why are businessmen here to petition?" As the Queen Mother, she naturally knew about the petitions by the Imperial College students, but she had never heard of any businessmen participating in it.

"My servant doesn't know. I just heard from Xiao Huangmen's report. He said that the first ones to petition were students from the Imperial College, and the ones behind were all businessmen, and there were quite a few of them," Liu Minguo said with a bow.

"What's going on? Even businessmen come out to join in the fun?" Zhang Yan said with some displeasure.

"During the last parliament, Li Wenzhang and five other businessmen members established a chamber of commerce. I thought that these businessmen who came to petition should be businessmen from their chamber of commerce," Liu Mingguo said carefully.

"The Ai family has also heard about the establishment of a chamber of commerce. They have established a chamber of commerce to do their own business. What wishes do they have to ask for?" Zhang Yan added.

"I think it is because of this negotiation that R Zhao Port suffered losses, mainly from these merchants. Now the imperial court and r Japan are negotiating, mainly to seek losses from the imperial court and merchants who are involved. At the moment, Sasaki is not allowing them to do anything.

It’s because they are worried about the court compromising..." Liu Minggao analyzed carefully.

"Haha..." Zhang Yan chuckled lightly and said, "These people really can't do anything for me. Now that I'm here, I have to see you. But the emperor is still young. What do you think we should do?"

"I think Lord Yue is Minister Tuogu, and he basically has the final say in negotiations. Why not just let Lord Yue deal with it," Liu Minguo said.

"The Ai family thinks so too. Yue Su should be in the cabinet now. He should have heard about this matter at this moment. Go and convey the Ai family's will and ask him to represent the emperor and meet the petitioning students and businessmen to see if they are

What do you mean?" Zhang Yan finished speaking and waved her hand.

"This slave obeys your order, and I will resign now..."

After receiving the decree, Liu Mingguo bowed down and went directly to the cabinet to petition the students and businessmen. Yue Su already knew about it and could imagine that the Queen Mother would definitely let him meet those businessmen and students. When Liu Mingguo arrived, he conveyed the decree to Yue Su.

Immediately, he received the order and sent people outside the ** to invite the leading students and businessmen in.

Students and businessmen each sent several representatives in, and among them was naturally Shilin Councilor Zhuge Xiang. Zhuge Xiang's family was not very rich, but he was talented. No one in his family was doing business, and it could even be said that there was no one in his family for eight generations.

There is a businessman, but this guy is indeed a typical passionate young man. He thinks that Japan is really bullying people too much. How can the Ming Dynasty compromise easily? This time, we must argue hard and cannot let the court accept Japan's conditions. Others may

It is for these certain interests, but he is just for the country's honor and disgrace. Business representatives, of course, have to be less than big businessmen, and there is another Li Yuanchen.

Together, more than a dozen people entered the cabinet meeting hall together. Yue Su sat in the middle, and a group of cabinet ministers sat in the office of Zhuge Xiang. After the Li family, father and son, and others came in, everyone except Li Wenzhang bowed and saluted.

"Common people have seen you sir" "Students have seen you sir"...

"You will be repaid for your exemption. You will wait outside the palace to see the emperor to petition. The emperor has decreed that I will receive you on your behalf. If you have anything to do, please feel free to say it," Yue Su said with a smile.

In the current Ming Dynasty, Mr. Yue basically always speaks on behalf of the emperor, so everyone knows that talking to Mr. Yue is equivalent to talking to the emperor.

Zhuge Xiang took a step forward, rushed forward and held his hands, saying: "Student Zhuge Xiang, I have come to petition today for no other reason than to hope that the imperial court will not accept the conditions of the Japanese state. The Japanese invaded our country and killed our soldiers and civilians, causing blood to flow.

Chenghe, burn the place to the ground. The compensation they proposed is just a drop in the bucket of my losses. It is really too much to bully my Ming Dynasty. My Ming Dynasty has never compromised with the outside world. This time it is the case. I must let the Japanese country give me justice."

After he finished speaking, other representatives all agreed, "Yes, but we must let the Japanese country return justice to me. I, the Ming Dynasty, will never compromise"...

Yue Su smiled again, glanced at the ministers in the hall, and said: "Masters, you have heard what they said. Everyone in our Ming Dynasty is a hot-blooded man. We are in high positions, so naturally we cannot lag behind Liu Ce. Now, we should still

Negotiating in the Ministry of Rites, I don’t think we can discuss anything today. That Sasaki really doesn’t take Ming Dynasty seriously, but it’s not an option to keep dragging it out like this.” At this point, Yue Su turned his attention to Zhuge Xiang.

, said: "Xiang Zhuge, I wonder if you have heard of my proposal. If not, I might as well tell you here. My proposal is to let the Japanese country compensate me 10 million taels of Dabai silver as a reward.

The compensation for the Ming Dynasty's losses, and the money that will never be compromised half-step compensation, will not only be used as the cost of rebuilding Rzhao Port, but also be compensated for those businesses that suffered losses, and as compensation for the martyrs."

"Your Majesty, what you said is true. This time our Ming Dynasty suffered more than tens of millions of losses in Rizhao. The Japanese country should compensate for your actions. I greatly admire and agree with your Majesty's actions." This time, it was Li Yuanchen who rushed to say

"The students also support the suggestion, but I feel that 10,000 taels seems a bit too much, and it is a bit overwhelming. After all, our Ming Dynasty is a big country, and we should not be too harsh on small countries," Zhuge Xiang said.

"Then how much compensation do you think the Japanese country should be asked to compensate?" Yue Su asked

"Naturally, we will compensate you for the loss," Zhuge Xiang said.

"The Anmin Bank alone was robbed of 5.3 million yuan in silver, and the private losses were countless. It is hard to estimate, at least it would cost about 30 million yuan to rebuild, which is not a small number," Yue Su said.

"The student thinks that fifty million taels is enough. But considering the small country, it is difficult to come up with this number. Let them give them a few points and give them a little color. It will be enough to claim twenty million taels. I wonder what do you think, sir?" Zhuge

Xiang said
To be continued...