I really don't want to be a traitor

Chapter 556 Zhang Juzheng's Mood
"Ugh!"

Zhang Juzheng sighed and actually felt a sense of sympathy with his retired teacher Xu Jie.

It was finally his turn to sit on the throne of the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty.

But the first task after taking office is to seek peace in a humiliating manner.

His pair of almond-shaped eyes were filled with worry and fatigue, and his beautiful beard, which was usually neatly combed, now hung in front of his chest in a slightly messy manner.

Emperor Fan Li of Jin?

That noble figure, like a banished immortal, appeared before Zhang Juzheng's eyes.

More than ten years ago, I first met Fan Li in Chengming Hall of the Chu Imperial Palace.

After a heated debate, Zhang Juzheng admitted that he lost to Fan Li in terms of talent and temperament.

He once secretly vowed that as a fellow minister, he must catch up with Fan Li in his achievements in this life.

even!

Surpass him!
But things are unpredictable. When Zhang Juzheng finally earned great merit and became a cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty at the cost of overdrawing his life span, Fan Li had already secretly founded a country in the mountains of Nanling.

Today, he dominates the world and has reached the same heights as Emperor Jiajing did back then.

Do not!
Perhaps, Fan Li stood higher than Emperor Jiajing and went further!

On the other hand, he himself finally became the prime minister at a time when the Ming Dynasty was short of talented people, which was no different from Yan Song in the past.

"I'm afraid this negotiation will be extremely difficult."

"During the reign of the previous emperor, we often bullied and humiliated our neighboring countries."

"Now the enemy is strong and we are weak, and the situation has reversed. Even if I, as the Prime Minister, personally represent the negotiation, I will inevitably be harassed and humiliated by the Emperor of Jin."

"Ugh!"

"Thirty years east of Hedong and thirty years west of Hexi."

"For the sake of the Ming Dynasty and His Majesty, no matter how the Jin Emperor humiliates me later, I must endure it!"

The Ming Dynasty delegation has arrived outside the city.

Looking at the city wall with bloodstains still lingering, Zhang Juzheng was filled with emotion again.

Not long ago, this city belonged to the Ming Dynasty and was an important town on the western border.

Now, it has been incorporated into the territory of Jin State.

In this war, the Ming Dynasty lost vast tracts of land. Zhang Juzheng had no idea how much he could get back from the negotiation table except for a ceasefire.

"Announce the Ming Dynasty's envoys seeking peace to meet you!"

"Announce... the Ming Dynasty's... envoys seeking peace... to meet you!"

Suddenly the city gate opened.

On the city wall, the gatekeepers shouted loudly.

The Ming envoys outside the city were all in anger and commotion when they heard the words of the "peace envoy".

"Master, how can I endure such a great humiliation?!" a young official said angrily.

Today, Zhang Juzheng has trained many disciples, which is his influence.

Just like when Xu Jie trained him back then.

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly, but shook his head and said, "A gentleman should know himself. Gentlemen, aren't we here to seek peace?"

"But……"

The young official was still unconvinced, but Zhang Juzheng stopped him with his eyes.

When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

What's more, the arrogance of our Majesty back then was far more than that.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng also understood it. After all, the Ming Dynasty had been strong for more than a hundred years.
The defeat of Emperor Jiajing happened not long ago, and many people in the Ming Dynasty are still not used to the fact that their dynasty has gone from prosperity to decline.

"Announce the Ming Dynasty's envoys seeking peace to meet you!"

A burly general strode up to Zhang Juzheng and shouted.

Zhang Juzheng immediately realized that the man's military rank was not high and his skills were mediocre, so he could never be a senior general of the Jin army.

Use middle and lower-level military generals to welcome the Prime Minister and important ministers?

Zhang Juzheng's students were so angry that they almost had another outburst.

"Alas!" Zhang Juzheng sighed.

"Back then, I was the director of the Imperial Academy, just a low-ranking official of the fourth rank, but I represented the Ming Dynasty as an envoy to the State of Chu. Wasn't it because the previous emperor was arrogant and looked down on other countries?"

"I heard that the Emperor of Jin once said: If you mess around, you will have to pay for it."

"Today's humiliation is all retribution from the Ming Dynasty."

He said this half to himself, and the other half to completely dispel the arrogance of the students, so as to prevent them from doing anything out of line and ruining this diplomatic mission.

really.

After hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, several young officials behind him blushed, but their anger subsided to a large extent.

"May I ask your name, General?" Zhang Juzheng smiled and said to the burly general in front of him, "Thank you for leading the way for me, General."

"My name is Zhao Tieniu!"

The burly man slapped his chest, and the heavy fish-scale armor began to crackle.

"It's no trouble to show you the way."

"I just transferred from the Garrison Army to the Dragon Scale Army, and I haven't had a chance to fight in a single battle. Today, at least I got a job from the Lord... no, His Majesty. I have to thank you for that."

"Speaking of which, how long will the negotiations take? After we are done, shall we continue the war? I am anxious to gain military merit!"

Although Zhang Juzheng was very good at cultivating his qi, he was so depressed by Zhao Tieniu's words that he almost died!
But after he finally adjusted his mood and carefully savored Zhao Tieniu's words, he gained something else!
"Negotiations between the two countries are a big deal, and Fan Li is a man with deep thoughts and many schemes."

"Did he send this person to welcome my delegation on purpose?"

"This person's words and actions may seem vulgar on the surface, but every word he says seems to have a deep meaning?"

"From what he said, the Jin army is eager to fight and doesn't even bother to negotiate?"

"If this is true, this negotiation will be extremely disadvantageous to our Ming Dynasty!"

"If we want to facilitate peace talks, I'm afraid we need to make greater concessions?"

"Or maybe this is all a trick by Fan Li, trying to gain the upper hand and put us at a disadvantage during the negotiations?"

"horrible!"

"Fan Li is so dedicated, no wonder he has achieved what he has today, he is so terrifying!!!"

Before he even saw Fan Li, Zhang Juzheng was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

The delegation moved slowly through the streets of the city, and Zhang Juzheng took the opportunity to observe the situation in the city.

Shops were closed and doors were locked.

Occasionally, when passing through several intersections, we saw Jin troops distributing food to the people.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the people queuing up to receive food. They were dressed neatly and did not look pale or skinny.

It seems that Fan Li's policy of pacifying the people was implemented very well.

But if the lives of the people are not affected, it will be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to recover the lost territory.

After walking for a while, Zhang Juzheng arrived at the former provincial government office, now Fan Li's palace.

The palace guards came forward and Zhao Tieniu immediately held up a token.

"According to your order, I am leading the Ming envoys seeking peace to meet your majesty."

After checking, the guards said, "The delegation should go to the other hall to rest, and the envoy Zhang Juzheng can go alone to see the emperor."

The Ming Dynasty's diplomatic mission originally consisted of one chief envoy and three deputy envoys.

When the three deputy envoys heard that they didn't even have the chance to show up, they immediately protested.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head: "Let it be. The Jin emperor is at least willing to see me. He is very tolerant."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieniu and the palace guards looked at Zhang Juzheng with admiration.

Little did they know that Zhang Juzheng had other plans in mind.

"It seems that Fan Li is sincere in his peace talks."

"This guy called Zhao Tieniu, it turns out he had prepared a trick for me, but unfortunately I saw through it."

"The Great Jin is willing to negotiate, perhaps because the alliance has broken down and the armies of Wei, Han, and Wu are making him feel uneasy?"

"God bless the Ming Dynasty! The country and the sun and the moon are still here!"

There will be another chapter later~