nucmednet Chapter 647 "3 Against 1" Negotiation
Chapter 647 "3 Against 1" Negotiation
Luo Yangxing narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you sure?"
When asked this question, the commander was not sure and replied, "Commander Wei once went south to capture this fellow, so he will definitely recognize him."
Luo Yangxing said calmly, "Have Wei Zhong go over and take a look, make sure he's clear about it. If it's confirmed to be true, make arrangements, and after they've finished talking, find a way to bring them in!"
The people around responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Yang Sichang and Liu Ye were led to a small hall and seated. They glared at each other for a few moments, neither speaking first. With the two leaders silent, it was even more difficult for their entourage to speak, and the hall fell into silence.
After a moment, footsteps sounded, and two people walked in from outside. The one in the lead was Grand Secretary Wen Tiren.
He smiled and said, "His Majesty ordered me to come and participate in the discussions. I am very sorry for being late."
Yang Sichang roused himself, cupped his hands, and said, "I am willing to follow your lead, Your Excellency."
“Not at all, I was just involved. His Majesty instructed that you were in charge.” Wen Tiren waved his hands repeatedly.
Another person emerged from behind Wen Tiren, grinning, and said, "Fang Zhenghua from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs greets Minister Yang and Earl Pingnan."
Seeing Yang Sichang's puzzled expression, Wen Tiren explained, "Wenruo, this is what His Majesty instructed, to arrange for an imperial envoy to listen in. Fang Zhenghua is a eunuch serving in the Directorate of Ceremonial, young and quick-witted, and given time, he will surely achieve great things."
Yang Sichang dared not be negligent and cupped his hands, saying, "So it is Eunuch Fang. My apologies for not being respectful enough."
Fang Zhenghua replied with a grin, "I'm just here to listen and observe, I won't say a word, please make yourselves at home." After saying that, he winked at Liu Ye when Yang Sichang wasn't looking.
Liu Ye's face remained expressionless, but he was secretly overjoyed. Of the three influential figures in the opposing team, besides Yang Sichang's entourage from the Ministry of War, two were his allies. With their combined efforts, he wasn't finished until he had thoroughly humiliated that Yang fellow.
With Wen Tiren's mediation, the deadlock was broken and negotiations officially began.
Liu Ye spoke first: "Minister Yang, regarding the matter of Panda and Wang Hong..."
Yang Sichang quickly interrupted, "Stop! No need for that. His Majesty and I both know. Just tell me what you want in order to shut up and hand these two over to me?" No one else knew about the peace negotiations, and he didn't want anyone else to find out before the time was right, not even the Grand Secretary or the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Since the plan to silence Liu Ye by force had failed, they could only resort to appeasement.
"Hehe, since you're so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush..."
Outside the hall, Luo Yangxing, accompanied by a tall, fierce-looking Imperial Guard, peered through a small hole in the window paper.
"So, Wei Zhong, is it him?"
The man called Wei Zhong was the same commander who had met Liu Ye at the Guangdong governor's office. After carefully examining Li Fei, he replied, "It's him. I chased him all the way from the capital to Guangzhou. I'd recognize him even if he were ashes!"
Luo Yangxing nodded: "In that case, let's make our move as soon as they come out! You're in charge of this major case, so you'll be in charge of making the arrests."
Wei Zhong hesitated and asked, "But he's with that Guangdong general right now. I heard that this guy surnamed Liu is even more arrogant and domineering than our Embroidered Uniform Guard. If we offend him, won't we be in trouble?"
Luo Yangxing advised him, "Arresting someone in person is tantamount to slapping them in the face, which is obviously inappropriate. What if we wait until they leave the Northern Garrison Office and arrest them while they are masked? If they don't reveal their identities, this will just be a case of street assault, and the authorities won't investigate unless the people report it..."
Wei Zhong nodded repeatedly: "What you say is true, sir. This way, no one can say that it was done by our Embroidered Uniform Guard. No matter how arrogant that Liu is, he can't trace it back to us..."
As Wei Zhong withdrew to make the arrangements, Luo Yangxing's faint smile vanished instantly. Since when did the Embroidered Uniform Guard stop being able to arrest people openly and have to resort to such covert methods?
He sighed. The power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in this dynasty had plummeted compared to its peak. Now it was the domain of military generals who held real power, and even the emperor had to tolerate them. Naturally, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whose power originated from the imperial authority, had lost its former glory. Take this Earl of Pingnan, for example. He had a powerful army under his command and could do whatever he wanted wherever he went. Even the Imperial Guard and the secret police dared not offend him easily.
The loud bang startled Luo Yangxing, who was reminiscing about the former glory of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He quickly looked through the small hole and saw Yang Sichang angrily slamming his fist on the table.
"It's one thing to control the troops in Guangdong and Guangxi, but you, as the general of Guangdong, also want to control the troops in Shandong, and expand your army without any restrictions on troop quotas. What are you trying to do, rebel?"
"Tsk tsk, Minister, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want." Liu Ye said leisurely, "I just want to share the Emperor's burdens and do my part to quell the current chaos in the world. Qionghai Town has a navy, and with Shandong as a base, we can advance eastward and contain the Tartars through Lushun. Those useless troops in Dongjiang Town can be withdrawn, and the saved grain and salary can be given to us. In addition, if the bandits move north, we can send troops from Shandong to cut off their routes and prevent the capital from being harassed by the bandits. Tell me, which army in the world can fight bandits as easily as our Qionghai Town cuts through melons and vegetables?"
Yang Sichang was speechless for a moment. Putting aside whether Liu Ye's request was malicious, the Qionghai Army's fighting strength was indeed worthy of such boasting. Neither bandits nor Tartars were their match. Their glorious achievements, such as capturing Gao Yingxiang alive, defeating Abatai, and severely damaging Ajige, were unmatched by anyone else in the Ming Dynasty.
Wen Tiren spoke up at the opportune moment: "I think what the Earl of Pingnan said makes sense. Although there is no precedent for this in the Ming Dynasty, the capable should be given more responsibility. The Qionghai Army is undoubtedly the strongest army in the Ming Dynasty. It would be a waste for them to stay in Guangdong. It would be acceptable for the Qionghai Commander to concurrently serve as the Dengzhou-Laizhou Commander. What do you think, Eunuch Fang?"
Fang Zhenghua replied with a grin, "I've said I'd only listen and not speak, but if Your Excellency asks, I'll offer my humble opinion. As long as we're wholeheartedly serving His Majesty and sharing his burdens, why be bound by formalities? If you ask me, not only Guangdong and Shandong, but we could follow the example of the Governor-General of Five Provinces and put the entire southern army under the command of the Earl of Pingnan, setting a deadline to either annihilate the Tartars or recover Liaodong. But I'm just saying this casually; in the end, it all depends on His Majesty's decision."
Yang Sichang was surprised that both of them favored Liu Ye, and he felt a tightness in his chest, but he couldn't refute them.
Wen Tiren suggested, "Since this matter is of great importance, why don't we go back and report today's events to His Majesty, and let His Majesty make the decision?
Yang Sichang replied helplessly, "Then I will listen to the Grand Secretary..."
Outside the hall, Luo Yangxing said to Wei Zhong, "Is everything ready? It looks like they're going to part on bad terms. Later, you take some men and follow Liu Ye, and act accordingly!"