Chapter 25 The breeze passes through the deer gate
In the line of sight that only Xiao Cheng could see, the huge turntable continued to rotate, and various colors of light flashed one by one.
The last ray of blue light burst out, jumped out, and landed in front of Xiao Cheng's eyes.
【Blue Cerka, breeze blows through Lumen
Card effect: After using it, you will have Sima Hui and Pang De Gong.
Card description: The rivers and seas are extinguished, the mountains and forests are long gone. The wind is far away, and the love is in the clouds. The road is empty and complete, and the things that go against the world are in vain.
Sima Hui, courtesy name Decao and Mr. Shuijing, was a famous scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was proficient in Taoism, Qimen, art of war, and Confucian classics. He was an elegant man, knowledgeable, and knowledgeable about people and the world.
Martial power 22, Literature 90, Wisdom 87, Morality 86, Age 41, Dominance 17, Politics 80, Charisma 75, Loyalty 100, Ambition 12
Pang Degong, whose courtesy name was Shangchang, was a famous scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was engaged in farming and reading. He was indifferent to fame and fortune, was friendly and hospitable, and was very good at understanding people.
Force 33, Literature 87, Wisdom 85, Morality 89, Age 44, Dominance 14, Politics 75, Charisma 72, Loyalty 100, Ambition 23】
Xiao Cheng smacked his mouth, looking at the two people, he couldn't help but think of the training card [Star Has Shuhan] that he almost drew.
I don’t know if these two people can teach me a Zhuge Liang. Even if he replaces the weakened version, he will still be able to accept it!
With a thought, the blue ceka suddenly turned into dots of blue light and dissipated.
Just at this time, a young eunuch came in to report, saying that Zhang Zhao, the prime minister of Zuo, and the guest Cao Shangshu came to see him.
Xiao Cheng asked someone to bring them in, chuckled, and spoke first:
"The two Qing family members are asking for a meeting. What is the reason for this?"
The guest on the side, Cao Shangshu, heard this and said quickly:
"Your Majesty, the envoy of the Xia Kingdom is still asking for an audience every day as usual these days. After all, it is a matter of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Please let your Majesty make it clear whether he should meet or not!"
Xiao Cheng heard this, thought for a moment, then nodded and said:
"It's almost done! Let's just wait for another two or three days and then you can see him!"
Guest Cao Shangshu responded quickly, then took out the memorial in his arms, offered it with both hands, and said respectfully:
"Well, Your Majesty, since you accept the peace talks, my guest Cao has drawn up a set of conditions for your Majesty's review."
Xiao Cheng motioned to Feng Bao to take it and read it carefully.
The border troops of the Yun Kingdom still occupy Sanping Pass, the southwest gateway of the Xia Kingdom, and often send Yun Army cavalry to raid the hinterland of the Xia Kingdom. This naturally gives them the upper hand in peace talks.
The terms of the peace talks listed by Ke Cao proposed a compensation of more than 1.2 million taels of silver, which is almost one-fifth of the annual tax revenue of the Yun Kingdom. Even if it is placed on the Xia Kingdom, it should be the same as the Xia Kingdom's court.
All silver balance in the year.
Of course, this money is a lot of money, but considering that the Yun State border army will return Sanping Pass to the Xia State in the future, this deal should be a dream for the Xia State.
As for why Sanpingguan should be handed over?
Sanping Pass is the strategic gateway to the southwest of the Xia Kingdom. If this pass is lost, the Xia Kingdom's hinterland will be exposed to the Yun army. Returning Sanping Pass is the bottom line that the Xia Kingdom cannot give in to.
Xiao Cheng's next energy will inevitably be focused on cleaning up domestic forces and developing national strength with peace of mind. He will have little energy to take care of the border between the two countries. Using Sanpingguan to exchange money is definitely the best choice!
Xiao Cheng pondered for a moment, then stretched out two fingers and said decisively:
"My bottom line is two million taels!"
When Ke Cao Shangshu heard this, he was slightly stunned and couldn't help but said:
"Your Majesty, the Xia Kingdom has a vast territory, rich resources, and a large population. But two million taels of silver is probably too much!"
Don't look at the tens of millions of taels of silver that Xiao Cheng currently has in the treasury, but these two million taels are just a small amount.
Ganye Temple is full of incense, supported by believers, and often given gifts by the royal family. After hundreds of years of continuous accumulation, the average annual amount is only tens of thousands of taels of silver.
Two million taels of silver, even with the rich heritage of Yixia Kingdom, I'm afraid it would take a lot of effort to get it out.
Xiao Cheng heard this and said firmly:
"Only two million taels, this is the bottom line, it must not be less!"
Guest Cao Shangshu always felt that the money was too much. But when Xiao Cheng insisted, he had no choice but to agree.
Xiao Cheng turned to look at Zhang Zhao and couldn't help but ask:
"Zhang Qing, are there regulations for the imperial examination?"
Zhang Zhao raised his head with a tired look on his face, cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, I have something interesting here, and I came here specifically to ask your Majesty to take a look."
After saying that, Zhang Zhao handed over a memorial.
Different social backgrounds and hundreds of active schools of thought in the world meant that the imperial examination system established by Xiao Cheng was not exactly the same as that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
If I have to compare, it is a bit like the imperial examination during the Tang Dynasty.
After registering for the imperial examination, scholars need to take examinations in different subjects. Based on what they have learned, they can choose to take examinations in subjects such as Xiucai, Mingshu, Mingfa, Military, Agriculture, Mohism, and Debate.
The Xiucai subject is the first of all subjects. Candidates are tested on the strategies of governing the country and respond with policy discussions.
For the remaining mathematics subjects, professional and technical officials are selected.
The knowledge related to mathematics and calendar in the Mingshu Science Examination corresponds to the Yin Yang School and Taoism. The knowledge related to law in the Ming Fa Examination corresponds to the Legalism. The other subjects do not need to be explained one by one.
Since this is the first imperial examination, the examination qualifications cannot be determined quickly. Before the formal examination, their qualifications need to be assessed through the examination. Only those who pass the examination can take the formal examination.
When the imperial examination was first held, with the help of Xiao Cheng, such regulations were no longer rudimentary. The rest of the regulations would be filled in if loopholes were discovered during the imperial examination.
Xiao Cheng nodded and said:
"Yes, thank you for your hard work!"
Zhang Zhao had a dull face, with two big dark circles under his eyes, and he cupped his hands and said:
"Serving His Majesty is my duty."
Xiao Cheng looked at Zhang Zhao who looked like he was about to die from overwork, and couldn't help but feel a little weak. He coughed lightly and said:
"Ahem, Zhang Qing has worked hard during this time! Now that the schedule has been decided, the preliminary matters can be left to others to handle. I will grant you a few days of leave, so that you can have a good rest before coming back to do your business."
Zhang Zhao also knew that he was really tired now, so he did not refuse and immediately bowed and said:
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After the two of them resigned, Feng Bao, who had been staying by Xiao Cheng's side, couldn't help but speak, saying:
"Your Majesty, I am brave, I have some doubts about something, I don't know whether I should ask..."
Hearing this, Xiao Cheng shook his head and said:
"You have said so, if you have anything to ask, just ask!"
When Feng Bao heard this, he immediately said:
"Why didn't Your Majesty inform Ke Cao about the unrest in the southwest of Xia Kingdom?"
In diplomatic negotiations, if we can understand the current dilemma faced by the other party, we can often obtain greater benefits through this.
If the Kecao officials knew that there was looming unrest in the southwest of Xia State and that Xia State must immediately withdraw its troops to suppress it, Xiao Cheng would probably raise the price even more than two million taels of silver without Xiao Cheng having to say anything.
compensation!
Xiao Cheng heard this and said in a deep voice:
"I'm of great use to Zhong Zizuo, but I don't want to cause any accident just to get hundreds of thousands more taels of silver."
When Feng Bao heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned and said:
"Accident?"
Xiao Cheng sneered and said:
"It cannot be ruled out that someone in the Xia Kingdom suspected Zhong Zizuo, so he was stuffed into the Xia Kingdom's mission as a test! Otherwise, he was a Fengzhou governor, even if he was dismissed, he should not be stuffed into the mission
Come to the group!"
Although Zhong Zizuo had previously found Xia Jun with Xiao Cheng's whereabouts, and Xiao Cheng was almost surrounded by Xia Jun. But in the end, nothing happened to Xiao Cheng.
And as Xiao Cheng's arrogant performance on the battlefield became more and more known to the world, Zhong Zizuo's escape from Xiao Cheng became increasingly suspicious.
The most important thing is that in order to connect with Guo Xie, Zhong Zizuo made suggestions for everyone in the envoy. During this period, it was a coincidence that he briefly disappeared from the sight of Xia Guozhi's envoy Xiu Yi.
If the Yun State immediately knew the details of Xia State's situation, then the Xia State would definitely be sure of Zhong Zizuo's betrayal.
Hearing this, Feng Bao pondered for a moment, but then asked in confusion:
"Since Xia Guo was suspicious, why didn't he catch Zhong Zizuo immediately? With his character, he would have confessed immediately without waiting for Xia Guo to use any means!"
"An enemy spy who knows the inside story is more effective if used properly than killed directly!"
Xiao Cheng paused and said again:
"I have left this matter to the Sticky Rod Office, so you don't need to worry about it!"
When Feng Bao heard this, his heart immediately shivered and he quickly shut his mouth, not daring to ask any more questions.