After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

Chapter 305 Negotiation

On the second day, Sima Junshi attended the banquet as scheduled, but when he entered the Prince of Liang's Mansion, he found that many of the people who came today were powerful people from the Tangut Empire, which made him laugh in his heart.

After a brief chat, the two sides entered into a more formal conversation.

Wei Ming Langyu directly asked about the relationship between Song and Xia, and stated that as long as the Song Dynasty did not attack Western Xia, Western Xia was willing to provide everything the Song Dynasty needed.

But in Sima Junshi's view, this is nothing more than a plan to delay time.

Anyone who is not a fool can see clearly what the Song Dynasty wants. It wants the 'entire Xixia'!

However, since the other party wanted to play, Sima Junshi naturally had no objection. The subsequent exorbitant price made all the Xixia dignitaries furious.

"The Song Dynasty wants the entire Qingbai Salt Field?!"

"This is impossible, absolutely not--!"

When a Dangxiang noble heard Sima Junshi's offer, he excitedly slammed the table and glared at the other party.

How did the Tanguts of Western Xia become rich and eventually reach the level of founding a country?

Ultimately, it's all about 'trading salt'! After all, Xixia is known as a 'salt trafficking group disguised as a state', and that's not something you say lightly.

Relying on the circulation of blue and white salt, the treasury of Western Xia received a steady stream of wealth from the Liao and Song dynasties.

If it weren't for a major battle led by Han that broke the Song-Xia pattern, this situation would probably have continued until the Song and Liao dynasties were destroyed.

The Song Dynasty has already taken away the Xixia salt fields near Yanzhou, and now it wants to seize all the Qingbai salt ponds near Ningxia. Isn't this digging up the roots of the Xixia?!

"So there's nothing to talk about?!"

Sima Junshi's face darkened and he spoke in a gloomy tone.

"Master Sima, please don't be angry. We can still discuss other things, right?"

Wei Ming Langyu was also feeling very aggrieved, but in order to gain a future and enough time for development, he had to keep the other party stable.

"Anything else? I really can't think of anything else you can offer that can compare to the value of the blue and white salt, Your Highness?"

Sima Junshi's words made the Dangxiang dignitaries shut up. Indeed, the most valuable thing in Western Xia was blue and white salt. Apart from that, there was nothing else that the Song Dynasty didn't have.

"We can cede the land from Yaode City to Mingsha to the Song Dynasty!"

Wei Ming Langyu clenched his fists tightly and spoke word by word, which shocked the whole audience.

You should know that it only takes about ten days to reach Xingqing Prefecture from Weizhou to the north. The previous "Jiayou Peace Agreement" that separated Weizhou put unprecedented pressure on the defense of the Western Xia capital.

Now the area from Yaode City to Mingsha north of Weizhou is to be ceded to the Song Dynasty, and the only barrier left south of Xingqing Prefecture is Xiping Prefecture in Lingzhou.

As for Shunzhou and Jingzhou further back, they are all in the capital area. If the Song army reaches here, they will just surrender directly, just like they did seven years ago. There is no need to continue fighting.

The situation of Shunzhou and Jingzhou is like that of Tianjin to Beijing in later generations. If Tianjin falls, it will only be a matter of time before Beijing is captured.

Therefore, when they heard Wei Minglangyu's words, the Dangxiang dignitaries who were invited were furious and accused the other party of treason.

Sima Junshi also secretly smacked his lips. This Weiming Langyu was indeed a ruthless man. He actually offered to cede land in exchange for blue and white salt and time.

"This thing is not impossible..."

Sima Junshi did not reject it directly, but was prepared to wait and see what happened next.

In addition, he also needs to discuss with Old Man Han Zhang in the rear and the court.

"The minister needs some time to consider."

Upon hearing Sima Junshi's agreement, Wei Minglangyu ignored the angry Dangxiang nobles beside him, but instead felt a huge stone lifted from his heart.

As long as the Song Dynasty can give the Western Xia a break, the situation will change.

By then, by contacting the Liao Kingdom and the Zuosilo regime in Qingtang, it might be possible to turn the tables and force the Song Dynasty to give up the land ceded by the Western Xia.

"Then please, Lord Sima, do your utmost to maintain friendly relations between our two countries."

Wei Ming Langyu personally escorted Sima Junshi out of Prince Liang's Mansion and handed him a sandalwood box.

Sima Junshi: Bribery, naked bribery, right?!

Although I felt contempt in my heart, I still had to give him face.

Otherwise, if I don't take it on, it will cause Wei Minglangyu to have other ideas and the result will be counterproductive.

"Your Highness is too polite. This is the duty of a minister. How could I trouble you?"

He exchanged a few polite words, but took the sandalwood box decisively and placed it on the carriage.

Seeing Sima Junshi's inconsistent words and deeds, Wei Minglangyu laughed and was very satisfied with the other party's actions.

"please."

"please."

The two men bowed to each other, and Sima Junshi got on the carriage and left the "Prince of Liang's Mansion" and returned to the inn.

The Su brothers also returned at the same time, but compared to Sima Junshi's high-spirited expression, the brothers looked much uglier.

After closing the door, they gathered together and briefly talked to each other about what they had gained today.

Sima Junshi's achievement made everyone drop their jaws. They never expected that the King of Liang of Western Xia would be so bold as to give most of the land south of Xingqing Prefecture to the Song Dynasty.

"But this is just a delaying tactic by the other party, exchanging land for time. Wei Ming Lang Yu is much better than Liang Yimai and his gang!"

Su Ziyu now sees the connection between politics and military affairs more and more clearly, and the talent of a future prime minister begins to blossom in him.

"Ziyou is right. 'Trading land for time' is not a decision that ordinary people can make."

Sima Junshi couldn't help but sigh.

"Compared to Wei Minglangyu's decisiveness, Liang Yimai is a bit too calculating."

"Although he also saw the decline of Xixia, he had just seized power, so he still held on to a bit of hope."

When Su Zizhan listened to Sima Junshi's situation, he thought of the scene when he met Liang Yima, the prime minister of Western Xia today. It was really a world of difference.

"lucky?"

"Since the Second Song-Xia War, there has been no such thing as 'luck' in Western Xia."

"Even if Li Liangzuo and Mo Zang Epang work together, it will only pave the way for the third and fourth Song-Xia wars!"

Zhe Kexing's words were very impolite. In his eyes, even during the heyday of Western Xia, they could not defeat Han.

"That's true, but since we can achieve our goal in one battle, the Marquis probably doesn't want to fight a third or fourth time."

Sima Junshi understood Han and knew that although his idol was Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, when it came to marching and fighting, he admired the fighting styles of the famous generals of the early Tang Dynasty.

In particular, they admire the combat methods of Emperor Taizong of Tang and the military god Li Jing: act after careful planning, and decide the outcome in one battle!

While saving time and effort, it maximizes the benefits of war.

The saying "the more you fight, the richer you become" during the Zhenguan period was no joke. This was all thanks to the strategies and tactics of a large number of top generals in the early Tang Dynasty, led by Emperor Taizong of Tang.

At the same time, it was Erfeng's talent in political and economic management that was no less than his talent in military affairs that presented the picture of a peaceful and prosperous early Tang Dynasty.

As for the Song Dynasty, the emperor could find someone who was comparable to Emperor Taizong of Tang, but a slightly wiser Emperor Shenzong could still take on the responsibility.

Taking advantage of the fact that Emperor Shenzong was still young and strong and had great ambitions to make progress, Han decided to establish a true Song Dynasty during this period.

"Liang Yimei is still immersed in the joy of seizing power. It is probably impossible to expect the Liang family to voluntarily surrender and provide assistance."

Su Ziyu shook his head and sighed with some regret.

"Then let's start with Weiming Langyu. Let's spread the news of today's negotiations and see what Li Liangzuo and Liang Yimai do first."

"Who knows, it might be easy to stir up a conflict between these two people next."

Sima Junshi had just decided on the next course of action when Zhe Kerou came in from outside, looking exhausted, and handed him a letter with the word "Anyang" stamped on it.

"A letter from the Marquis?"

Sima Junshi's eyes darkened, and he immediately took it, opened it and took a look.

"It seems we have to hurry up. Li Liangzuo might be a little scared."

Sima Junshi handed the letter to several people for reading, which contained news about Li Liangzuo's secret dealings with the Liao Kingdom and Qingtang Zuosiluo.

"It seems that it is impossible to easily conquer Xixia."

"Next, I want to see what Li Liangzuo will do when he finds out about his uncle's heroic act of ceding territory and paying compensation..."