Chapter 573 Bargaining, discussion among four families!

Chapter 573 Bargaining, discussion among four families!

"Haha, isn't King Hengshan's appetite a little too big? Three hundred thousand shi of grain and grass, this is not a small number! Even if several of us work together, I'm afraid it will be difficult to gather so much grain and grass!" Wei Bao's words revealed a hint of helplessness and dissatisfaction.

He knew very well that if he did not speak up, the situation might become even more difficult to handle. After all, this was his territory, and he had the responsibility and obligation to ease the tense atmosphere.

Wei Bao took a deep breath and continued, "However, we can discuss the issue of war horses. After all, war horses are also crucial to war."

His eyes swept through the crowd and finally landed on Wang Li and Xiang Tuo. The dissatisfaction of the two men was almost written on their faces. Wei Bao secretly groaned in his heart, and he knew that he had to find a way to calm them down.

"I am the meat and they are the butchers!" Wei Bao sighed, "My father was the first to bear the brunt of the fight against the Southern Border Army! Even if he used up all his troops, I'm afraid it would not be a bad thing in your eyes, right? In that case, why should my father resist? Why not just join Gao Yao directly?"

Wu Yan spoke again, and although his words were somewhat helpless, they did describe the current situation. After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

"The situation is now very clear. If we really go to war with Gao Yao, my father will definitely be the first to be destroyed, but can you all protect yourselves, or do you really want to cooperate sincerely?"

Wu Yan's words were concise and clear, and he directly pointed out the crux of the problem. After hearing this, everyone's hearts tightened, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

The meaning of Wu Yan's words is very simple. If Wu Rui wants to resist Gao, then the other three families must bleed. Otherwise, if they surrender directly, it will be bad for everyone.

"Haha, could it be that King Hengshan is really willing to give up the kingdom he has acquired and join Gao Yao's army?"

Wang Li sneered, and his words did not conceal his mockery of Wu Rui. Wu Rui had the confidence to propose this condition, because he thought that after surrendering, the other three families would be annexed by Gao Yao in a matter of days. After all, this was related to the most fundamental interests of each prince.

"Haha, everyone should know who Gao Yao is. My father, the king, is known as the Fan Jun. He is deeply loved by the people in his territory and is well governed. Gao Yao is an ambitious person whose goal is to unify the world, but he will use people with virtue."

Facing Wang Li's somewhat sarcastic words, Wu Yan did not show any sign of fear. Instead, he spoke confidently.

At this point, Wu Yan's voice rose slightly: "If my father really wants to surrender and lead an army of 100,000, how can Gao Yao not treat my father with courtesy? Even if he can't be crowned king or prime minister, he can definitely keep a high position, a high salary, and no worries about food and clothing. My father can even gain a reputation for not wanting to go to war to protect his people. Why not?"

Wu Yan's rebuttal directly made Wang Li, Xiang Tuo and Wei Bao's faces change slightly. They looked at each other, and for a moment they didn't know how to respond to Wu Yan's words.

After all, what Wu Yan said was indeed an irrefutable fact - there was no obvious contradiction or conflict between Wu Rui and Gao Yao. In contrast, the possibility Wu Yan mentioned did exist, which was completely different from the situation of the other three families present.

As for Wang Ben, if they really wanted to surrender, they would have done so long ago. Why delay until now? The reason they persisted until now was nothing more than to maintain the existence of Daqin.

On Xiang Yu's side, the situation was more complicated. Gao Yao not only killed Xiang Liang, but this alone was enough to make the hatred between the two sides irreconcilable. More importantly, Xiang Yu's hometown of Kuaiji was taken away by Gao Yao, which was undoubtedly a stab in Xiang Yu's heart. Therefore, there was absolutely no day for the two sides to reconcile.

As for Wei Bao, he was a person with a strong desire for power and pleasure. After a lot of hard struggle, he finally got the power and status he has now. How could he give it up easily? In addition, he now occupies the relatively rich counties in the world, has hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, and is very powerful. Naturally, he also has the idea of ​​​​taking over the mountains and rivers.

"Okay, everyone, since we are gathered here today to discuss this matter, then everyone should show their sincerity. The Southern Border Army is our common enemy, and I believe you all know the truth that the lips and teeth are cold. Therefore, our current priority should be to work together to find a way to deal with Gao Yao, rather than being suspicious of each other and wasting time. Otherwise, wouldn't Gao Yao be the one who reaps the benefits?"

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, Wei Bao quickly stood up again and spoke loudly.

Wei Bao's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing everyone's anger and easing the tense atmosphere. Wei Bao was quite prestigious in this area, so his words naturally had a great influence. Seeing this, everyone fell silent and stopped speaking easily.

On the one hand, this was Wei Bao's territory after all, and his influence in the local area could not be underestimated; on the other hand, from the surface, Wei Bao's strength was indeed the strongest among the several families. Even Wu Yan, who had always been strong, did not speak easily at this time.

The reason why he acted so tough was actually because of Wu Rui's request. Wu Rui hoped that he could try to gain more benefits in the negotiations and increase his bargaining chips when dealing with Gao Yao.

Wu Yan knew very well that this did not mean that they really wanted to surrender to Gao Yao. So, when he saw Wei Bao come forward to mediate, he stopped being aggressive, so as not to cause resentment and targeting from the other three families, which would be counterproductive and disadvantageous to his side.

"War horses shouldn't be a problem. How about this? We can pool together 20,000 war horses and 100,000 dan of grain. If we really give all 300,000 dan of grain to King Hengshan, we will probably starve to death. We don't even need to fight. We can just surrender. Master Wu Yan, how about this? Do you accept this suggestion of mine?"

When they sat together to discuss this matter, the first thing to be solved must be how to form an alliance against Gao Yao. The basis for the establishment of this alliance is that someone must first stand in the front to attract Gao Yao's main force. Wu Rui cannot escape, but how to make Wu Rui take the initiative to attract them is a question of how much the three parties can bargain for. After confirming this, the discussion on military action in the true sense can come later.