"But luckily, we all pursue peace, and everything can be discussed. Search: \(、Complete、Book、God、Station、) to read excellent literature for free."

In the room, as he spoke these words, Ning Yi's gaze turned serious, the ice-cold indifference in his eyes even a little unsettling. Lin Houxuan, stared at by him, remained silent for a moment.

"The right or wrong of this war is still debatable, but... Mr. Ning, how do you want to negotiate? Please speak frankly. Houxuan is just a messenger, but will certainly convey Mr. Ning's words."

His words were soft yet firm, and could be considered neither obsequious nor arrogant. Opposite him, Ning Yi revealed a hint of a smile again, perhaps as a sign of approval, or perhaps a slight sarcasm.

"That's right, I understand what Brother Lin is saying. Since it's about relaying a message, I hope Brother Lin remembers what I'm about to say clearly, so that when you see your Majesty in the future, you won't forget or misrepresent it. It's a matter of great importance, so please forgive me for clarifying these things first."

"Mr. Ning is right, Houxuan will certainly be cautious."

"Good." Ning Yi smiled and stood up, pacing slowly in the room. After a moment, he finally spoke, "When Brother Lin entered the city, you must have seen the scenery outside, right?"

"I wonder what Mr. Ning is referring to?"

"We're also in a lot of trouble, not at all easy." Ning Yi said, "The Northwest is already barren, not a prosperous place. You attacked, killed people, and ruined the land. This time, you harvested the wheat but also wasted a lot, and the total amount simply cannot support so many people. Now that July is almost over, and winter is coming, there will be famine again, and people will die. I took a portion of this wheat, and distributed the rest to them as rations according to the number of people, but they still won't be able to survive this year. Some families still have surplus grain, and some can get some food from the wilderness, and might be able to make it through—but the large households don't want to, they feel that the land was originally theirs, and the grain was also theirs, and now that we have recovered Yanzhou, the grain should be distributed according to the previous farmland. Now they are causing trouble outside. If we really distribute it according to their way, even more people will starve to death. Brother Li must have seen these difficulties, right?"

"Mr. Ning is benevolent." Lin Houxuan cupped his hands, feeling somewhat puzzled, but also a little gleeful, "But please forgive Houxuan for speaking frankly. Since the Huaxia Army has recovered Yanzhou, distributing grain according to land deeds is the right way, with fewer people speaking out and less trouble. Our Western Xia army killed many people, and many land deeds have become ownerless. By appeasing the large clans, the Huaxia Army can legitimately put these lands into their pockets. Mr. Ning's distribution of grain according to the number of people is indeed somewhat inappropriate, but Houxuan admires the benevolence in it."

As an envoy, he naturally dared not offend Ning Yi too much. At this time, these words were also reasonable. Ning Yi leaned against the desk, noncommittally, and smiled slightly.

"Brother Lin may be wondering in his heart, that generally, when people want to negotiate, they always try to hide their weaknesses, why would I speak so frankly. But actually, what I think is different, this world belongs to everyone, I hope everyone can benefit, my difficulties may not necessarily become your difficulties in the future." He paused, and then remembered, "Oh, right, recently, the Zhe family has also been probing and watching the situation in Yanzhou. To be honest, the Zhe family is cunning, and they definitely have bad intentions. These things also give me a headache."

"The Zhe family is not easy to deal with." Lin Houxuan nodded in agreement.

"So frankly speaking, I can only get ideas from you." Ning Yi pointed two fingers in the air, his tone turning cold again, and he spoke directly, "After the Battle of Dongzhiyuan, Li Qianshun's situation was not good after returning home, I know..."

"Ning..." A moment ago, he still seemed gentle and amiable, but at this moment, hearing Ning Yi directly call his emperor's name without any politeness, Lin Houxuan wanted to speak, but Ning Yi's eyes were simply devoid of emotion, looking at him as if he were looking at a dead man. With a wave of his hand, the words continued.

"In your Western Xia, the Emperor's faction, the Empress's faction, the Li-Liang conflict has not been a matter of a day or two, and the power of the Meme and several major tribes cannot be underestimated. When the Iron Harriers and the hostage army were around, it was still alright, but after the two battles of Dongzhiyuan, the Iron Harriers were gone, and the hostage army was scattered. It's hard to say how many died. We captured more than two hundred later. When Li Qianshun returns this time, it is right and proper to cause an uproar, but fortunately, he still has some background. Western Xia hasn't changed in a month, and the next step is to slowly figure it out and consolidate the Li clan's authority. This process, whether it can be done in three or five years, I think it will be difficult to say."

Ning Yi tapped the table with his finger, "Now, on my side, there are two hundred and seventeen original members of the hostage army, and five hundred and three Iron Harriers. In Western Xia, they all have families, large and small. These seven hundred and twenty Western Xia brothers are what you want. As for the other four hundred or so unlucky guys without backgrounds, I don't want to use them to do business with you either. I'll just throw them into the mountains to mine coal. It doesn't matter if they die of exhaustion, it will save you trouble... Brother Lin, this time you came mainly for these seven hundred and twenty people, right?"

Lin Houxuan's expression was solemn, and he did not speak.

"Seven hundred and twenty people is a big business. Brother Lin, you came for Li Qianshun, but to tell you the truth, I have been hesitating whether to sell these people to the Li family, or the Liang family, or others who need them."

"Mr. Ning." Lin Houxuan said, "Is this a threat to me?" His eyes were cold, showing a righteous and awe-inspiring attitude, as if he would never be threatened by anyone.

"Of course it is. If I don't threaten you, what business am I doing? Do you think I'm giving porridge and doing good deeds?" Ning Yi glanced at him, his tone calm, and then continued to return to the topic, "As I said before, I took Yanzhou, but you didn't kill all the people. Now, on the territory near here, there are more than thirty thousand, nearly forty thousand people, to put it in a more vivid way: these are forty thousand mouths that eat people, and if I can't feed them, they will come and eat me!"

Ning Yi smiled coldly, "Do you think I give grain to the poor, not to the rich? Adding flowers to the brocade is not as good as giving charcoal in the snow—if I give grain to the rich, they think it's their due, but if I give it to the poor, it saves their lives. Brother Lin, do you think the poor will fight desperately on the battlefield, or the rich? If the shortage of food in the Northwest is not resolved by the end of this autumn, I will unite with the Zhe family and the Zhong family, and lead them across Hengshan to Yinchuan to eat you!"

Lin Houxuan frowned, and suddenly stood up, "Mr. Ning, that battle you fought at Dongzhiyuan was remarkable. However, after the war, how many people do you still have? If you think that Western Xia is afraid of you because of this, then try to cross Hengshan!"

"Whether we're afraid or not, whether we can win or not, is one thing, and whether we can bring them across Hengshan is another. Not counting the Huaxia Army, I have a寨子 (zhai zi) of more than 20,000 people in Lüliang, and I can pull out another 10,000 men." Ning Yi's expression was equally cold, "I'm a businessman, I hope for peace, but if there is no way to go, I can only fight my way out. This path is a lose-lose situation, but when winter comes, I will definitely take it. You can see how I train soldiers by looking at the Huaxia Army. I guarantee that I have enough knives for these 30,000 to 50,000 people. The Zhe family and the Zhong family will also be very willing to kick us when we're down."

The room fell silent, and after a moment.

"The situation is so troublesome, this is one path, but of course, I have another path to take." Ning Yi said calmly, and then paused.

"I can give you the seven hundred and twenty people, so you can use them to quell the domestic situation, and I can also sell them to others, so that others can overthrow you. Of course, if, as you said, you are not threatened, and you don't want these seven hundred people, and others take these seven hundred people, and will definitely not make things difficult for you, then I will immediately chop off their heads. Let your united Western Xia live a happy life, and then, we'll have a big fight in the winter! As long as enough people die, all our food problems can be solved."

Lin Houxuan was silent for a long time, "I'm just a messenger, I have no right to agree, you..."

"—I’ll pass on your mother's words!!!"

Suddenly, a roar like thunder, carrying an aura of majesty, exploded in the room. Lin Houxuan could be considered to be playing tai chi, foreshadowing a plot, opening his mouth word by word. But even before he could finish his words, he saw the scholar opposite him with a stern gaze, and an ice-cold murderous aura rushed towards him. In the roar, Ning Yi picked up something and swung it out. In that instant, Lin Houxuan only felt a chill beside his ear. The heavy bronze incense burner flew past his left cheek, and with a loud bang, smashed the cabinet in the corner of the back wall.

In an instant, paper scraps, dust, and sawdust flew everywhere. Lin Houxuan shrank his head in a daze. He had never expected that such a simple sentence would lead to such a consequence. People had already rushed in from outside the door, but then heard Ning Yi's words: "Get out!" In this moment, what Lin Houxuan felt was almost a greater sense of majesty and oppression than when he met Li Qianshun in the Golden Palace.

"A matter of tens of thousands of people dying back and forth, and you're treating it like a child's play. You're so long-winded and mumbling, saying you're just a messenger, how many times do you have to say it in front of me! If Li Qianshun sent you here just to relay a message, what's the difference between sending you and sending a dog! I'll write a letter and let it carry it back! How does your Western Xia compare to the Wu Dynasty?! The first time I saw Zhou Zhe, I slaughtered him like a dog! If Li Qianshun ran a little slower at Dongzhiyuan, his head would be kicked around by me like a ball now! Lord Lin, you are the envoy of Western Xia, shouldering the important task of the rise and fall of a country, so Li Qianshun sent you here. If you pretend to be a dead dog in front of me again, disregarding the lives and deaths of the people on both sides, I will immediately order people to chop you into pieces."

In these words, Ning Yi slowly sat down behind the desk. Lin Houxuan's face was as pale as paper, then he took two deep breaths, and slowly cupped his hands, "Yes, yes, Houxuan was hasty, but..." He composed himself, but dared not look into the other's eyes again, "But, our country's dispatch of a large army this time is also a waste of manpower and money, and now the food is not abundant either. To redeem these seven hundred and twenty people, Mr. Ning wouldn't want us to bear the burden of the food and drink of everyone in Yanzhou and even the Northwest, right?"

"Since I'm willing to call you over, there must be a place to talk about. I've already prepared a copy of the specific conditions, item by item." Ning Yi opened the desk and took out a thick stack of documents, "If you want to redeem people, according to your tribal rules, you will definitely have to give things, that's the first batch, grain, gold and silver, I want what I should get. I'll let you get through the current hurdle, and you have to let me get through this hurdle first. And then there are your benefits..."

Ning Yi's words continued, "Both sides hand over people and goods at the same time, and then I will naturally have to find a way to solve the food problem for both sides. Why do the various tribes of your Tanguts fight? It's nothing more than wanting all kinds of good things. Now there's no fighting in the Northwest. Your emperor's foundation is unstable. Can you stabilize it by redeeming these seven hundred and twenty people? Isn't it just a drop in the bucket? It doesn't matter, I have a way to go, if you cooperate with us in business, we can open up the markets of Tibet, Dali, Jin and even the Wu Dynasty. What do you want? Books? Technology? Silk and porcelain? Tea? Whatever the South has, it was embargoed at first, but now I'll get it for you."

"What does Western Xia have? Your Qing Salt is of good quality and cheap price. The Wu Dynasty didn't do salt business with you at first, but now I'll sell it for you. How much you sell each year, and at what price, can be discussed. Not enough to eat? There's always enough, buy it from Tibet, Dali, and Jin. To be honest, you don't understand business, and you're always being bullied. How was the Liao Kingdom back then? Forcing the Wu Dynasty to pay tribute every year, and then, the Wu Dynasty could earn back all the money."

"You can't fight now. We'll join forces. Which people in your country have good relations with, we'll give them priority in transporting back good things. What things do they have that can be sold, we'll help sell. As long as you do it, won't you be stable? I can guarantee you that the people who have good relations with you will have silk and satin and countless treasures in every household. I'll make the troublemakers sleep without quilts... I've written down these general matters and how to do them, you can take a look, don't worry that I'm just talking empty words."

"...And then, you can take it back and give it to Li Qianshun."

Ning Yi threw the things to him. Hearing this, Lin Houxuan's eyes gradually lit up. He looked down at the bound manuscript. He heard Ning Yi's voice ring out again, "But first of all, you have to show your sincerity."

Lin Houxuan raised his head, his eyes puzzled. Ning Yi came out from behind the desk, "When you hand over the people, return Qingzhou to me first."

Lin Houxuan frowned and wanted to speak. Ning Yi waved his hand and went out of the room.

"There's no negotiating about this. Qingzhou is now a chicken rib, tasteless to eat, but a pity to discard. What are you holding it for? Go back and talk to Li Qianshun, and then choose whether to fight or make peace—"

Outside the room, Ning Yi's footsteps faded away.

"—I'll accept everything."

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