Chapter 955: 956 Speaker of Shu Kingdom
Chapter 955 Chapter 956 Speaker of the Shu Kingdom
Kangrao, the capital of Shu, is a prosperous city. There have been few wars here for thousands of years, and it has always enjoyed rare peace.
As technology advances in this world, new developments have begun here. As the national power of Shu increased, it became a more modern city.
First of all, railways have been connected here, and roads are connected to other cities. Many high-rise buildings have gradually appeared in the city center, and some factory facilities have also been established in the suburbs.
In the past two years, most areas in the city have been connected to running water, and almost 100% of the places have electricity.
People's lives have become more and more comfortable, and many people have begun to praise their leader, Liu Jing, the Speaker of the Shu Kingdom's Parliament.
Speaking of Liu Jing, this man was a rich man in the Shu Kingdom. His business spread all over the Shu Kingdom. He was later elected as the city manager of Kangrao.
Because he did very well in this city, he was elected as a member of the country's parliament, and finally reached the position of speaker.
In terms of personal ability, he is still very good. He is almost 70 years old this year, but he is still in good spirits, walks steadily and has a certain sense of nobility.
After washing his face and dusting the water on his hands, the old man Liu Jing looked at himself in the mirror, and then said to the secretary standing next to him: "Is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ready?"
“Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, the preparations have been made over there.” The secretary replied cautiously: “I would like to advise Mr. Speaker to think twice. This has not been done in the past hundred years...”
"That's why I have to go this way." Liu Jing sighed, walked back to his desk, looked at the pile of documents on it, and felt full of anxiety.
It has been able to stand for so many years under the protection of the three powerful countries of Qin, Chu and the Great China Empire. How could the Shu Kingdom not have a few brushes?
To say that Qin is preparing to attack Shu but Shu knows nothing about it is to underestimate Shu, the only country in the world without a monarch.
"Qin is watching with eager eyes, and Dahua no longer has the ability to look south... Now the balance has been broken. If we don't find another way out, our Shu country will be in doom." Liu Jing was silent for a few seconds and said this.
His desk is filled with messages and reports from border generals and intelligence agencies. All of these documents emphasize Qin's wolf ambitions.
There are secret reports that the Qin State is gathering troops at the border, transporting grain and grass, and hoarding ammunition, and there are also reminders that Qin State envoys are frequently active in the Tang Empire.
∣Based on the current situation, how could Liu Jing not understand what the Qin State meant? He had previously reminded those congressmen who supported the border trade monopoly and the forces behind them that if Qin's interests were harmed, the situation would become dangerous.
How can those who have obtained the benefits easily stop? Although the other party gave him a bit of a thumbs-down as the speaker, he only restrained himself a little.
At the national level, the tax exploitation of Qin is intensifying, so the risk of Qin attacking Shu is also increasing exponentially.
The sorrow and resentment are over, and it is too late to say anything now. What's more, the food and clothing of millions of water workers depends on it. Now if we consider reducing trade taxation and exploitation, so many people in Shu who are eating this bowl of rice are not willing to spit out their own interests.
That’s why Liu Jing ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit an application to the Tang Empire for him to visit Tang Dynasty as the Speaker of the Shu Kingdom.
This may be the first time in a century that a leader of one country visits another country. For a long time in the past, there were no examples of monarchs leaving their own countries.
If there had not been a civil war in the Dahua Empire, this news might have been the biggest news of the year. Moreover, this time Liu Jing, the Speaker of Shu State, went to Tang State, and the content of the negotiations was not simple.
Liu Jing was actually preparing to let the Shu Kingdom change its tributary - before the Great China Empire was at war with the Datang Empire, after the war, the Chu Kingdom broke away from the vassalage of the Great China Empire and became a vassal of the Datang Empire.
Shu and Qin are still nominally vassal states of the Great China Empire, and this fact has not changed at all. But after such a long time, everyone has seen the progress of Chu State. If you say that some officials and businessmen of Shu State are not moved, you are deceiving yourself and others.
In fact, the Kingdom of Shu hopes to break away from the control of the Great China Empire and become a vassal of the Great Tang Empire. This wish has been present for some time. Everyone is talking about this topic and thinking about when they can embrace the Great Tang Empire. .
Now I’m fine, I have the will and the pressure. With the decline of the Great China Empire, there was no time to look south. The strong Qin Dynasty planned to attack Shu, and the Shu Kingdom was in danger.
In this case, wouldn’t it be the right time to embrace the Tang Empire? As long as it becomes a vassal of the Tang Empire, the Tang Empire can't just watch Shu being beaten, right?
It has been discussed internally, and with the support of many members of the parliament, there is not much opposition within the Shu Kingdom to the matter of changing the status of the Kingdom of Shu to becoming a vassal state of the Tang Empire.
That's why Liu Jing hoped to visit the Tang Empire this time. Everyone in the Shu Kingdom was looking forward to relying on this visit to completely make the Qin Kingdom in the northwest be honest.
Who dares to fight against the younger brother of the Tang Empire? ah? The Shu Kingdom has taken great pains to prepare for this visit. Not only did they form a huge visiting group, they also carefully selected many tribute gifts.
Even the Shu Kingdom prepared 20 beauties to go to the Tang Empire with the Speaker. What if the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who already had three imperial concubines... was interested in the weak and charming lady from Shu?
"In addition to being prepared on the Tang side, we must also be prepared on the other side! The border defense line cannot be slacked off! Does the Qin State really think that the Shu State is a soft persimmon? Can it be manipulated as it pleases?" When Liu Jing said this, his aura suddenly increased. He has been in a high position for so many years, and he is somewhat majestic.
In order to fight against Qin, Shu also made corresponding actions on the border. One hundred thousand troops were reinforced on the border defense line. The troops built trench defense lines and even deployed their own armored units on the second line.
This is actually a clear message to Qin: I know everything you think, so you'd better not act rashly.
But who knew that the Qin State actually used this as an excuse to publicize that the Shu State had evil intentions and tried to provoke border disputes, so it once again sent 100,000 troops to the border.
For a time, the two sides were at war with each other, and there was even the danger of a misfire at any time. Under this circumstance, Shu once again had no choice but to send an additional 50,000 troops to the border.
Not to be outdone, the Qin State immediately announced an additional 100,000 troops to the border, completely ignoring the appeasement of the Great China Empire.
In fact, the Great China Empire really hopes that a conflict will break out between Qin and Shu. The Dahua Empire has always been worried that it will be attacked from both sides by the Qin State and the Tang Empire. Now that the Qin State has focused its attention on the Shu State, the pressure on the Dahua Empire has dropped sharply.
In this case, it is definitely not possible to expect the Dahua Empire to sincerely resolve the conflict. Everything can only be looked at from the side of the Tang Empire.
It is precisely because of the inaction of the Great China Empire on this matter that neither Qin nor Shu took the attitude of the Great China Empire to heart.
Similarly, it is precisely because the situation has developed to this point that Liu Jing, the chairman of the Shu Kingdom, insists on visiting the Tang Empire, hoping that the fox will fake the power of the tiger and the Shu Kingdom will avoid this war.
…
Nangong Hong has been busy these days. The Qin State is already very anxious. They urgently hope to get the support of the Tang Empire. For this support, the Qin State even expressed its willingness to pay any price.
Yingduo not only guaranteed that the Qin State would donate huge wealth after the war, but was also willing to add content to the peace treaty to force Shu to become a slave state of the Tang Empire.
In addition, if the Tang Empire is willing, Qin can even mortgage the tariffs for another two years, and also promises to ensure that the slave trade needed by the Tang Empire will not be affected in any way.
While he was thinking of ways to hold back the envoys of Qin, he received another application from the diplomatic department of Shu.
He was a little shocked after seeing the content of the application. He even admired the decisiveness and courage of Shu State Speaker Liu Jing for a moment.
Application to visit the Tang Empire at this time? Moreover, the Shu Kingdom privately revealed that the Shu Kingdom intends to get rid of the Great China Empire and hopes to become a vassal state of the Great Tang Empire.
This is interesting: it seems that Shu has smelled the danger of Qin preparing to attack Shu, and then placed most of its hopes on the choice of joining the Tang Empire.
Shu's decision undoubtedly added uncertainty to the matter. Tang Mo himself was undecided and was not prepared to support Qin in conquering Shu.
Now, if the Shu Kingdom makes some more compromises, then the Tang Empire seems to have more reasons to ensure the security of the Shu Kingdom.
After all, whether it is Shu or Qin, they are just trading partners of the Tang Empire. The Tang Empire doesn't care much about who lives or dies.
"We are sincere here, Mr. Minister. The Shu Kingdom is weak and cannot fight against the powerful Qin alone. We hope that the Tang Empire can uphold justice and serve as the common ruler of the world." The ambassador of the Shu Kingdom to the Tang Dynasty maintained a very low attitude. I know that I actually have no capital.
To put it mildly, even if the situation develops according to the expectations of the Shu Kingdom, the Shu Kingdom will also be a subordinate of the Tang Empire. How high can his status as the ambassador of the Shu Kingdom to the Tang Dynasty be?
Those who engage in diplomacy know that if this country is strong, even if you pretend to be an X, someone will still give you three points. But if the country of Qi is poor and weak, who will show it to others?
"I already know what your country means. This matter is very important. I must meet with His Majesty and discuss it clearly before I can give you a reply. Ambassador, please be patient and wait for a few more days." Nangong Hong said. He spoke in an official tone and looked businesslike.
(End of this chapter)