My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 600 Negotiation between the Two Lius
Liu Zhang confirmed that Fa Zheng had absolutely no problem in the previous rumor spreading incident.

The so-called "knowing but not reporting" is only due to other reasons, and at most it can only be regarded as "knowing but not reporting in time, wanting to verify more."

After resolving this doubt in his heart, Liu Zhang's consistent trust in Fa Zheng once again prevailed.

Liu Zhang had always known that Fa Zheng and Huang Quan were relatively friendly and neutral to Liu Bei's forces, while Wang Lei and Zheng Du were too tough.

As for Zhang Song, he was obviously biased towards Liu Bei. After all, Zhang Song had been there when Liu Zhang participated in the anti-rebellion alliance. He had too many contacts with Liu Bei and had too many opportunities to receive various benefits. Liu Zhang was absolutely unwilling to let Zhang Song fight for his own interests again.

Therefore, if Liu Zhang wanted to take back what he wanted without offending anyone too much, he could only choose one of Huang Quan and Fa Zheng to handle this matter. Huang Quan was not good at foreign affairs, so Fa Zheng was the only one left.

After receiving Liu Zhang's order, Huang Quan knew that time was urgent, so he did not go to Fucheng to inform Fa Zheng in person. Instead, he wrote a letter, asked Liu Zhang to review it personally, used the official seal, and then sent a professional courier to Fucheng.

Professional messengers can change horses and gallop day and night, and it is normal to travel three or four hundred miles a day, so they can reach Fucheng in one day.

After receiving the order, Fa Zheng did not dare to delay and spent another two and a half days rushing back to Chengdu to listen to Liu Zhang's negotiation conditions and bottom line in person. He also helped Liu Zhang to discuss what specific conditions should be proposed.

For such a big matter, even if Liu Zhang sent Fa Zheng to negotiate, he would not let Fa Zheng make random offers or promises. He must set a bottom line himself.

In the process of discussing the bottom line with Fa Zheng and Huang Quan, Liu Zhang could also observe how much concessions Fa Zheng and Huang Quan made to Liu Bei and whether they were suspected of "collaborating with the enemy".

However, during the discussion, Fa Zheng always behaved fairly. If Liu Zhang's price was too high, Fa Zheng would gently persuade him, saying that this would easily offend Liu Bei, leading to a falling out between the two sides, which would at least be embarrassing. If Liu Zhang's price was too low, Fa Zheng would also hint that he could get a little more.

The entire internal consultation took only three days, but during these three days, Liu Zhang felt that Fa Zheng was thinking about him as his lord. So he further relaxed his trust in him and delegated power to him.

Coincidentally, on the third day of the closed-door negotiation between Liu Zhang, Fa Zheng, and Huang Quan, Liu Bei's army suddenly sent an envoy from Zitong, who was Dong He, who had previously negotiated with Liu Zhang in person.

Upon hearing that Dong He was an uninvited guest, Liu Zhang hurriedly asked Fa Zheng and Huang Quan to leave first, and then summoned him alone, wanting to see what Liu Bei was up to.

When Dong He was summoned to the court, Liu Zhang asked directly, "Mr. Young Prime Minister, what is your purpose in coming here?"

Dong He did not hide anything. He greeted him politely first, and then directly stated the topic: "My lord is in Wuchang. Recently, I heard that the autumn harvest in the north was good this year, and the military rations of Cao's treasury have been replenished. Maybe he is planning to march south to get food.

However, Cao suffered heavy losses in Hanzhong last year and the year before, and should now know that crossing the Qinling Mountains is no longer possible, so most of his troops are concentrated in Lianghuai, Qingxu.

After discussing with the Minister of Justice, the Grand Commandant believed that there was no need to leave so many troops to guard the Qinling Mountains. Our army is willing to withdraw from Shuzhong again... 40,000 troops will return eastward. However, our army has reached an alliance with your army to assist in the war, and your army should provide food and fodder for our troops stationed in Yizhou for a long time.

Now that we have withdrawn some of our troops ahead of schedule, my Lord hopes that your army can pay us an additional one-time payment for the five-year military rations needed for the withdrawn troops. This is a very cost-effective way to exchange your army for a permanent reduction in the burden of military rations. "

As soon as Dong He said this, Liu Zhang almost jumped up from the couch and interrupted him with a hasty retort:
"Five years of military rations for 40,000 people? Isn't that equivalent to one year of military rations for an army of 200,000? Where can I get so much military rations! There have been three years of continuous fighting in Shu - since the year Cao Cao defeated Zhang Lu, isn't it three years?

Now the food and grass in all the counties have been exhausted. At the beginning of the year, everything was stretched to the limit. It was a rare good harvest in summer and autumn this year, but the taxes have not been collected yet. Even if they were collected, it would be impossible to pay the annual rations for 200,000 soldiers at once!"

Liu Zhang lost his composure because he was really anxious. Brother Xuande was too bold to ask for five years' worth of food for the withdrawn troops! There was no way there was so much food!
During wartime, 200,000 people consume 300,000 dan of grain per month. Even if they eat more frugally in peacetime, they still need more than 200,000 dan per month. That's nearly 3 million dan of grain per year!
The total inventory on hand of Liu Zhang was only over one million shi.

Of course, with more than three million people and six or seven hundred thousand households in Yizhou, and assuming that each household occupies 40 to 50 mu of land, the entire Yizhou can still produce more than 20 million tons of grain a year - but that is the total social production capacity, which includes the people's food rations, not the government's fiscal revenue.

If the lightest taxation and levy in peacetime is followed, Yizhou can only collect 600,000 to 700,000 shi a year, and the tax rate of 15% can only collect 130,000 shi. Liu Zhang did not set up a military farming system, nor could he plunder indiscriminately, and there were still many powerful people and hidden households who resisted paying taxes. For the sake of people's peace, he could not increase the land tax for half a season this year just because of the newly promoted Linyi rice.

No matter how you look at it, the first round of conditions put forward by Liu Bei's army were impossible to meet.

Fortunately, what Dong He said just now was just to take the initiative and lay the groundwork for Liu Zhang's resistance. It was not really for Liu Bei's camp to stir up the conflict. In fact, Dong He didn't know why Pang Tong taught him to say this before he came, and Zhuge Liang didn't object.

But since the higher-ups have already reached a consensus, Dong He is just a mouthpiece and must ensure execution.

After Liu Zhang lost his temper, Dong He gave Liu Zhang a way out at the right time: "Please don't be angry, Master Ji Yu. Our two families have been friends for three or four years. What my lord said was just a hasty analysis based on reason.

When actually implementing it, of course, we will take Ji Yugong's difficulties into consideration. If we can't gather that much grain, we can continue to use equivalent Shu brocade, copper coins, gold and silver to offset it. This year, our army has piloted the method of paying for labor service for the first time, and also allowed the people to pay more grain to offset the tax.

Similarly, we will naturally accept your army paying more money to replace food. Anyway, our army cannot eat so much food in one or two years. If you give money, we can ask the people to buy it when we are short of food. "

As soon as Dong He said that money and Shu brocade could be used as substitutes for food, he immediately blocked Liu Zhang's reason for being angry.

After all, it was unrealistic for Liu Bei to ask for so much food, which was difficult and could easily make him feel guilty. But allowing the other party to pay by any means at least ensured that Liu Zhang could afford to pay and had the possibility of realizing it.

Even if the price is a bit high, the follow-up is at least a question of whether Liu Zhang is willing, not whether he can do it.

Of course, if another vassal were to negotiate in this way, they would also be criticized. But Liu Bei's army did this, and there was no problem, because Liu Bei's army had already implemented a method of mutual exchange of money, food and corvée this year.

So, when others use this rhetoric, it is called "being lenient with oneself and strict with others". However, Liu Beijun's conditions are "being strict with oneself and others at the same time", which at least does not involve double standards.

As for whether the other party was angry because of this shock, it was none of Dong He’s business.

Liu Zhang was choked, but he didn't know how to refute. He just complained in general, "Brother Xuande's price is too high. Shu cannot give so much money and food to outsiders."

Dong He took the opportunity to settle accounts with him: "Mr. Ji Yu! According to the gentleman's agreement reached between our army and your army before, should we always provide enough food for our garrison troops since we have been stationed in Yizhou to help you defend against Cao Cao in the north?

You have to give us the same amount of food as we have been here for! We have to give until the threat of Cao is completely eliminated! Now, we have taken the initiative to withdraw so many people, and we are asking you to give us five years of food rations for those people, and we are also allowing you to give us a discount. Is this too much?

This is just a one-time deal. If Cao is still strong five years later, our army will continue to help your army defend the Hanzhong-Qinling defense line, and the general will have to continue to invest for a long time. It is clear who will win and who will lose! Please don't forget, Lord Ji Yu, that our army is helping your army defend against Cao!"

Liu Zhang was not good at speaking, and he could not refute what had been said. He had originally intended to meet with Dong He in private as a courtesy, but he had not expected the conversation to turn out like this.

So he ordered his attendants to call in Huang Quan and Fa Zheng to help refute the argument. As for Wang Lei and Zheng Du, Liu Zhang was still worried that they were too radical and would offend Liu Bei excessively and intensify the conflict, so he did not dare to call them.

After all, up to this moment, Liu Zhang has not thought about, nor dared to break off relations with Liu Bei. The gap in strength between the enemy and us is too obvious. Liu Zhang still wants to lower the price and leave the matter to chance.

Soon, Huang Quan and Fa Zheng were brought to the hall. Liu Zhang also roughly relayed Dong He's negotiation purpose. After Huang Quan heard it, he couldn't help but feel angry, thinking that Liu Bei's army was bullying honest people now? So he couldn't help but speak out:

"The Grand Commandant's calculations are discouraging our allies. When your army came to Yizhou to help fight Cao, our lord was extremely grateful and never dared to fail to provide you with expenses or rewards for victory.

But now Cao's army has retreated, and everyone in the world knows that he is unable to cross the Qinling Mountains with a large force. Hanzhong does not need so many garrisons to defend it, but your army is using troops that should have been withdrawn, and before leaving, it is unreasonable to ask our army for a huge sum of money and military rations.

According to this statement, doesn't it mean that the original plan was to fight a five-year war, but the war was won in two years, and the military rations and salaries for the remaining three years still had to be paid? Is there any such reason in the world, from ancient times to the present?"

Dong He was not to be outdone and retorted: "We originally planned to fight for five years, but we were able to win in two years. That's the ability of our army! We should not give less to our army just because we fought well. Otherwise, wouldn't that be a disguised encouragement for our army to nurture the enemy and take advantage of it?

It is precisely because my Lord is open and aboveboard, and is not willing to support the enemy and gain power that I gave you the opportunity to bargain today! But you took advantage of my Lord's great benevolence and righteousness, and tried to make a living by cutting military supplies. Who is going too far?"

Huang Quan wanted to refute again, but he was worried that some of his words would damage the relationship between the two parties too much, so he had to endure it a little and reorganize his words in his mind.

Fa Zheng, who was standing by, saw this and hurriedly filled in the gap, changing his angle to help Liu Zhang: "Mr. Young Prime Minister's words are biased. My lord is not encouraging the Taiwei to keep the enemy for himself, but the Taiwei is in charge of five states, and he needs money and food to fight against Cao Cao. He can't just focus on exploiting our Yizhou army.

The troops that are withdrawing now are not our army begging you to withdraw, but your army needs to go to Jingzhou and Qingxu battlefield on the eastern front to provide emergency assistance to Cao Cao. Should the expenses of Qingxu battlefield also be counted on our army? Why do all the states in the world treat the people of Yizhou so harshly?
Moreover, I heard in the summer that Jingzhou Liu Jingsheng was seriously ill and bedridden, but I don't know how he is now? Your army withdrew this time, but did not share military information with our army. Isn't it suspected of deceiving the allies? Your army deceived first and cheated the allies to extort money and food, which is not righteous! "

When Fa Zheng said this, Liu Zhang and Huang Quan's eyes brightened up a little, but at the same time they felt a little worried.

Especially Liu Zhang, who was not very perceptive. At this point in the conversation, he noticed that since Dong He came and met him, he had never mentioned the situation in Jingzhou or Liu Biao's illness.

When he mentioned that Liu Bei was going to withdraw his troops to Guandong, he only mentioned the threat from Cao Cao and that the harvest in the north meant Cao Cao had enough energy to do things on his own.

Liu Zhang was fooled by him at the time, and didn't know how to take the initiative to mention Liu Biao, so he ignored him.

Now that Fa Zheng has made this relationship clear, the situation has immediately undergone subtle changes.

Originally it was "Liu Bei's army wanted to withdraw, and out of goodwill to Liu Zhang, they asked Liu Zhang for more."

Now, it has become "something happened in Jingzhou, Liu Bei faced a situation much more dangerous than they described, and had to withdraw his troops."

In other words, if Liu Biao was really seriously ill and about to die, the counties in northern Jing would be forced into the vortex, and Liu Bei would have to withdraw, regardless of whether Liu Zhang gave him money and food or not.

In fact, in history, when Liu Bei tested Liu Zhang and said he would withdraw to Jingzhou from Jiameng Pass, he also said, "I heard that Jingzhou is in danger, and Cao and Sun are both coveting Jiangling, so I have to return to defend it with all my strength." Then he asked Liu Zhang to "help with 30,000 soldiers and 300,000 stones of food and fodder," but Liu Zhang refused.

In this life, Liu Zhang was so anxious that he forgot to threaten Liu Bei with "changes in Jingzhou", but Fa Zheng pointed it out with his "quick words".

Dong He became very nervous when Fa Zheng mentioned the situation in Jingzhou. Even his voice became a little sharper. He said in panic, "Mr. Xiaozhi! What nonsense are you talking about? Although Jingzhou Jingshenggong had a carbuncle on his back at the beginning of the year, he is recovering well now. Are you going to curse your allies?
"Lord Jingsheng is a member of the imperial clan, and the Grand Commandant treats him like a brother. Lord Jiyu should also treat him like a brother! You are talking nonsense just to fight for petty gains. Aren't you ashamed?"

When Dong He said this, although his voice was a little shrill at first, he became more and more confident as he spoke - because what he said was the truth, Liu Biao's current condition was indeed not that serious.

In history, Liu Biao could delay his death until August of the next year, and he died of worry after hearing that Cao's army was heading south. Now that he has lost that reason for worry, it is possible for him to live longer.

Therefore, if Zhuge Jin, a time traveler, were to make an estimate, he would most likely think that if nothing unexpected happened, Liu Biao could live for at least a full year, or even longer.

However, the more Dong He defended himself, the more Liu Zhang, Huang Quan and Fa Zheng felt that the rumors they had heard before were correct. Dong He said this now because he was guilty and afraid of being forced to lower his price, which made his lies more obvious.

However, when both sides began to expose each other's secrets and reveal what they believed to be the other side's lies, the face of the negotiations became ugly.

Liu Zhang couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, worried that the talks would really break down.

Fortunately, Fa Zheng knew when to stop. After he lifted the lid on the pot, he quickly pretended to be loyal to his master and said to Liu Zhang: "My lord, let me and the envoy of the Grand Commandant slowly negotiate this matter. You are busy with many things and have important things to do. This is not the time to personally calculate money and grain."

Liu Zhang also took a breath and nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, let's discuss it another day, another day! I won't get involved then. Today was originally just a welcome party for Mr. Youzai, so let's not talk about money and grain affairs."

As Liu Zhang said this, he sent someone to escort Dong He back to the posthouse with courtesy.

Fa Zheng naturally stayed and said a few nice words to reassure Liu Zhang: "Don't worry, my lord. When the lord is worried, the minister will be humiliated. I will definitely fulfill my mission. Some words, if said in front of the lord, will hurt the reputation of both families.

I'd better let my subordinates tell Dong Youzai in private, so that they can stop talking and retreat when they know they are in the wrong. I promise to make good use of the crisis in Jingzhou to reduce the money and food that our army needs to pay to the lowest level! And I will never openly tear my face with the other party. "

Liu Zhang smiled bitterly and sighed, "Only Xiaozhi can handle this kind of thing. I feel relieved. Alas."

Fa Zheng put on an expression of "deep gratitude for the favor" and bowed to Liu Zhang solemnly, and asked for a special permission: "My lord, in my opinion, Dong Youzai is just a chess piece. If I really bargain hard, he may not have the right to agree. I guess he will have to submit another petition for permission, otherwise Brother Zhuge and Pang Tong may not let him off.

Therefore, I think it is better to move the negotiation site back to Fucheng. After all, Fucheng is closer to Zitong, only a hundred miles away, and it only takes one day to send letters back and forth. If he stays in Chengdu, he will have to walk four or five hundred miles for each request, which is too slow. I don’t know when this matter can be resolved.

If it drags on for too long, something unexpected may happen to Liu Biao in Jingzhou, or Liu Bei may get irritated by his overeagerness, which could lead to complications. "

After listening to Fa Zheng's analysis, Liu Zhang nodded repeatedly and secretly sweated: "Yes, yes, yes! Xiaozhi is right. When Liu Biao is seriously ill and Cao Cao and Liu Bei are eyeing Jingbei, it is our chance to lower the price. If something unexpected happens over there and everything is settled, we can't raise the price.

Xiaozhi has thought so carefully, why should I worry? You should take Dong Youzai and other deputy envoys back to the front line of Fucheng to discuss and strive for a quick victory! "

Liu Zhang patted Fa Zheng on the shoulder, signaling him to make preparations today so that he could return to Fucheng tomorrow.

After Fa Zheng received the order, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was now like a bird out of the cage, free from all restraints.

He kept a low profile that day and did not show any sign of urgency. The next day, he took Dong He out of the Chengdu city gate early in the morning and headed straight for Fucheng.

Two and a half days later, they arrived in Fucheng. Fa Zheng replaced all the personal guards of the county governor's office with his own people, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterwards, he and Dong He can perform a double act in private. Without outsiders, their acting does not need to be so realistic. They just need to find a good excuse for friction.

(End of this chapter)