Chapter 376: A Negotiation That Changed Dynasty History
Chapter 376 A Negotiation That Changed Dynasty History (Part )
On the fifth floor of Dafeng Building, in a spacious and quiet room, the lights were swaying gently.
At the eight-immortals table, after Zhao Duan said this with a smile, the expressions of the father and daughter at the same table became visibly subtle.
"Haha," Prince Huai'an laughed subconsciously, as if he had heard something funny: "Is this what your majesty meant?"
He was trying to find out whether the empress had given Zhao Duan some instructions in private before he left the capital.
For example, what price would the court pay if it wanted to win the support of this wavering prince?
However, Zhao Duan just shook his head calmly: "This is just my own idea."
Did the Empress discuss with him the issue of winning over Prince Huai'an?
There is.
Before leaving Beijing, the emperor and his minister did have a discussion on this matter, and the consensus reached at that time was that it must not be given.
Although giving up a portion of the interests to win over and divide the "Eight Kings" is an attractive proposal and is indeed feasible, in the long run, it is tantamount to "drinking poison to quench thirst."
If they are given once, there will be a second time. Where does the imperial court get such a rich fortune to satisfy the appetites of these princes?
Especially, compromise means weakness. And the impression that the empress cannot leave to outsiders is precisely weakness.
Although a tough stance may lead to greater resistance in the market opening, it will actually have greater benefits in the long run.
"Is that so?" Prince Huai'an was obviously disappointed, and his expression became a little cold:
"Then why do you think that I am willing to offend others and get involved in this mess?"
Zhao Duan did not give a direct answer, but said:
“Among the three factions in the city now, the prince is the largest neutral faction. If the prince nods, it will be much easier to open a market in the Huaishui area. If the prince obstructs, it will be difficult.
I understand this, and so do Prince Jing and the other six princes. That's why we have this dinner tonight.
But I dare to remind you, Your Majesty, that not everything is like business, where you have to calculate weight and sell to whoever offers the highest price and pays the most. Many things in the world are not chosen because they are beneficial, but are done to avoid disadvantages. "
Implication:
The opening of Huting Market is not a bargaining chip that can be used for you to inquire about prices from both sides and reap benefits.
It is a serious question of standing on the right side. Once you stand on the wrong side, even if you can make some money now, you may have no future.
Prince Huai'an seemed to smile, not looking frightened at all:
"Oh? So what you mean is that I have to help either of you? Can't I help neither of you? Or do you think that being neutral will lead to bad consequences, like those pedantic scholars?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Your Majesty can certainly choose not to help either side. In fact, among the eight princes, you are probably the only one who has the confidence to do so.
Because there are too many noble families in the Huai River, these big families have formed the Li Party in the court, and in the local areas, their tentacles are even more pervasive, and have long become a tumor of the Great Yu Dynasty. Your existence itself is a check and balance on this group of noble families...
The nine circuits of Dayu, the Prince of Hejian in Xiping, the Prince of Yanshan in Tieguan, the Prince of Heng in Qingzhou, the Prince of Mu in Yunfu, the Prince of Chen in Binhai, the Prince of Qiong in Lingnan... and the Prince of Jing in Jiancheng, all of them have royal palaces that are more powerful than the local aristocratic families.
However, the Huai River is special. Perhaps because the Huai River is the commercial hub of Dayu, the pond is large enough to accommodate many fish in peace. The Huai'an Palace and these aristocratic families restrain each other, and thus have a foothold.
Especially as far as I know, you have the smallest private army among the eight princes. Even if His Majesty has conflicts with the princes, the one he least wants to touch is you.
Even if someone else becomes the emperor, it is still the same. There needs to be an important member of the royal family sitting here. It is precisely because of this special position that the Huai'an Palace has the confidence to sit firmly on the Diaoyutai. "
This was a very eloquent conversation.
Halfway through the conversation, the little princess' eyes lit up.
At the end, the pot-bellied "big eater" also showed a little surprise.
It seemed that he had not expected that Zhao Duan, a mere military man, could actually reveal the key.
King Huai'an was silent for a moment, then smiled:
"Now I have begun to believe what my daughter said about you being extraordinary."
Zhao Duan smiled and said nothing.
King Huai'an said calmly:
"Since you understand this principle, you should know why I am not interfering in your affairs."
"Really?" Zhao Duan said with a slightly teasing smile: "Your Highness, what you said is not truthful."
"Oh?"
Zhao Duan said lightly:
“If it was before, you might have been able to keep your composure, but things are different after the court opens.
Once the trade market dominated by the imperial court is up and running, the wealth of the entire Huai River will gather towards Hu Ting and flow into the national treasury continuously. Those merchants and small families who become imperial merchants will also rise with the wind, and where some rise, others will fall.
The new policy was essentially about taking wealth from the aristocratic groups back to the imperial court. In this way, the aristocratic families along the Huai River would become weak.
If they become weak, the role of Huai'an Palace in balancing them will be reduced.
In other words, Your Majesty, your importance is not as important as before. With your wisdom, you must be able to see this, so why would you just sit there and wait for death?"
The slightly fat face of Prince Huai'an finally turned serious.
If we look at what was said just now, we can't make anything clear.
But this analysis has opened up his mind and revealed it almost completely:
"Oh, if it is really as you said, then shouldn't I do my best to prevent the market from opening? To prevent the new policies?"
Zhao Duan smiled and shook his head, looking directly at the other party and said:
“But you can’t stop it, because the biggest beneficiary of the new policy is not His Majesty, but the court, or more precisely, the person sitting on the throne.
The current Majesty will do his utmost to promote the new policies if he sits there, but even if anyone else sits there, they will also do their utmost to promote the new policies.
Ordinary people only think that the new policy is set up by His Majesty to make money, but those who are attentive will understand that this thing is like a magic box, once opened, it can never be closed again. "
Magic box!
It's Pandora's box!
Or you can call it an open conspiracy in a sense.
In the final analysis, the empty treasury of the Dayu Dynasty is not a problem that the empress has to face, but a problem that the "emperor" has to face.
The old emperor passed away, leaving a big pit to future generations. Even if Zhenbao did not succeed to the throne, but the crown prince or the second prince succeeded to the throne, this matter would still have to be resolved.
Even if the Eight Princes rebelled, and Prince Jing or any other prince sat on the throne, he would still have to face this problem.
The "New Deal" solution given by Zhao Duan is the best solution at the moment.
This means that from the moment the new policy came into being, it could never be taken back, no matter who was the emperor.
These noble families along the Huai River will inevitably decline, and the role of King Huai'an in controlling them will also inevitably decline!
"Father..."
Xu Junling glanced at his father's fat hands hanging under the table and suddenly clenched them!
The veins on the back of my hands are bulging.
Obviously, Zhao Duan's words touched upon what he cared about most!
Zhao Duan's speech had not yet ended. He continued with a smile:
"Moreover, in my opinion, the implementation of the new policy is actually the most gentle and best outcome for these nobles, and even for you, Your Majesty. Because the worse outcome is war."
“Although I am not a scholar, I have read the history books of the Great Yu Dynasty. During its 600-year reign, it was not all smooth sailing. For example, 300 years ago, there was a banditry that swept across the country.
At that time, war was raging everywhere, and noble families in various places were either wiped out by bandits or became bandits themselves...
In the end, although the imperial court won and failed to change the dynasty, the entire territory was also ravaged by the flames of war. After the war, everything was in ruins, but it was rejuvenated?" "Why? It was because of a fight that wiped out the nobles and officials who originally occupied a large amount of wealth and land, leaving many new positions vacant...
When I read history books, I noticed something interesting: in the smoke of war, behind some of the bandit troops, there was a vague shadow of the emperor of that generation...
Haha, I naturally don’t believe it. I think it must be some malicious slander by some folk historians…”
Zhao Duan put on some armor for himself before continuing:
"And now, another three hundred years have passed. The entire pond of the Dayu Dynasty is now filled with dragons and turtles. The accumulated people are suffocating... What do you think? If a few more rebellious armies erupt at this moment, will they take the opportunity to attack the most prosperous Huaishui River as well?
By then, those who have troops in their hands will not be afraid, but it seems that the Huai'an Palace does not have a strong military force, right?
At that time, facing the bandits' swords and knives, how many lives can money buy?
Well, of course I believe that you will not be troubled by banditry, but what about the other nobles?
They may not be able to protect themselves, and if these people are gone, I think no one sitting on the throne would want to see the Huai River Road still have mountains left, you say...right?"
quiet!
As this long speech was uttered, the entire Dafeng Tower fell into an eerie silence.
Even the fourth floor below seemed to sense the sudden change in atmosphere upstairs and fell silent.
Prince Huai'an could no longer sit still. His fat body leaned forward slightly, his hands clenched tightly on the armrests of the chair, and there was no expression on his fat face.
Princess Xu Junling also turned pale. She didn't expect Zhao Duan to speak so directly and threateningly, and she seemed to be frightened by the picture he described.
Threat?
deterrence?
That’s right, Zhao Duan was just trying to intimidate.
After the father and daughter took the initiative in the conversation, Zhao Duan broke it up.
His series of proactive attacks had quietly reversed the situation in the conversation.
Although there is only one person, he has the upper hand!
It’s not that Zhao Duan’s negotiation skills are so great, but because that’s how things are.
The King of Huai'an, who seemed to be in a very powerful position and whom both sides were trying hard to win over, was actually the weakest in essence.
It is also the most coveted piece of fat.
As early as when the previous emperor was in power, Prince Huai'an had already anticipated that the crown prince would begin to reduce the power of the princes after he ascended the throne.
At that time, he judged that the princes of various places were unable to resist.
Therefore, ten years in advance, he consciously reduced his private army, focused on money, controlled territory and power, and tried to bind himself with the Huai River Dao gentry.
It has a sense of "nurturing the enemy to protect oneself".
The reason why the "Li Party" has become the largest force in the court in recent years is also due to the assistance of King Huai'an.
He deliberately raised such a group of aristocratic families to ensure that he would not be suppressed by the crown prince after he ascended the throne, and to escape from the subsequent reduction of power.
Prince Huai'an had good ideas and far-reaching plans. He did not have much ambition and only wanted to continue the prosperity and wealth for his descendants.
But he had bad luck.
Unexpectedly, when the old emperor passed away, the second prince Jianwen staged a palace coup and directly beheaded the crown prince and his other brothers.
What was even more unexpected was that the Third Princess, who had practiced in the palace for twenty years, wielded the Tai'a Sword and killed her brother to quell the rebellion.
It's not so bad here, as long as the situation remains unchanged, he can still keep the enemy at bay, bet on both sides, and sit back and watch the fight.
But he didn't expect that Zhao Duan's new policy would directly bleed him slowly and make the conflict between the Eighth Prince and the Empress more acute.
And once the war starts, as Zhao Duan said, who wouldn't be greedy for the big piece of fat meat that is Prince of Huai'an?
Even if no one would take action against him at the beginning in order to unite all parties, what would he do after the new emperor ascended the throne?
Does he have the troops to compete for the throne?
No.
Does he have the geographical advantage like King Mu, King Qiong, King Yanshan and others who can retreat to their hometowns to protect themselves?
nor.
So beneath the seemingly powerful appearance of Prince Huai'an, he is actually very nervous and easily broken by a needle.
Zhao Duan saw this clearly, so he pointed it out so directly.
"Your Majesty,"
Zhao Duan sighed softly and took the initiative to break the silent atmosphere. He picked up the wine jug and poured wine for the father and daughter again.
This time, Xu Junling, who drank tea instead of wine, did not stop him.
Zhao Duan put down the wine pot and said seriously:
"In fact, you know very well that the current stalemate is already the best situation, and the worst situation is undoubtedly war.
If you stand with those princes, will the result be better than supporting His Majesty? No. As long as you support His Majesty, even if the new policy is indeed a slow bleeding, it is only bleeding, not killing. "
Zhao Duan said sincerely:
“It will take ten years for the new policy to be successfully implemented, and perhaps twenty years for major changes to occur. If it can be implemented smoothly, the Huaishui gentry will not disappear, but they will not be as powerful as they are now.
You are still useful, so why should Your Majesty move a meritorious official? The wealth of the Huai Palace will last for generations, so why should you be too greedy? "
a long time.
King Huai'an's fat hand slowly picked up the wine cup in front of him and slowly poured the clear wine into his throat.
Then he sat in the chair and closed his eyes.
After a while.
He opened his eyes, regained his composure, looked at Zhao Duan with a hint of appreciation, and said:
"No wonder you can make Mr. Zhengyang respect you as a teacher. Your eloquence is really amazing. I was almost convinced by you."
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows: "Your Majesty, do you think I'm talking nonsense?"
King Huai'an shook his head, then nodded, and said with a self-deprecating smile:
“Boy, you are more extraordinary than Jun Ling described, but I still have to teach you a lesson.”
Zhao Duan said respectfully: "I'm all ears."
A serious look appeared on the fat face of Prince Huai'an:
“No one knows which will come first, the thunderstorm or the bright sunshine. The future can never be inferred on paper, because everything is subject to change.
In the business world, if you want to convince people, you can never rely on just your mouth. "
Zhao Duan seemed to be thinking about something.
King Huai'an said, "Show him away!"
……
The next chapter will be updated before midnight, and I will continue to ask for monthly tickets during the double period~
(End of this chapter)