The more they read, the more frightened they became. When they saw the loan terms at the end, they were already half scared. Although they knew that this negotiation would be very tough, deeper than they could have imagined, after reading these terms, they still couldn't believe it. It seemed that the mental preparation they had made before was not complete.
"General Li, we cannot agree to these terms. If we agree to them, we will be buried in ruins when we return. Please give us some time to report these terms to the capital."
Prince Beigong Bai stood up from his seat. Li Jingren did not expect the other party to agree so easily. It seemed that the things he had tried to save troubles with before were no longer possible.
These terms are extremely harsh in the eyes of anyone, and even the British and French coalition forces in later generations could not have done it. But the situation is different now. Fuso is the meat on our lips. If Your Highness was not afraid of heavy casualties, we would definitely have launched a forceful attack. There is no need to talk about these useless things.
"If that's the case, then let's just consider this negotiation unsuccessful. Let's each do our own thing and wait until the next negotiation. I think... No, there won't be a next negotiation. We can't just negotiate with ourselves."
Li Jingren patted his head and pretended to be wrong, but in the eyes of Prince Beigong Bai and others, this was already the most serious threat of war. You can disagree with this negotiation, then we don’t need to negotiate next time, because the entire Fuso belongs to us, and no one, including you, will have any say.
The last time Lord Suzuki came to negotiate, he only wanted an island. If an agreement had been signed, perhaps none of these things would have happened. We took great pains to capture Fukuoka, proving our strength once again. So this one island alone is no longer enough, we want more.
"General Li, you're joking. We really can't make the decision. Why don't you give us some time, General Li? We'll send someone back with the agreement right away. Fuso isn't that big, so it'll only take a few days at most."
In desperation, Lord Suzuki came up with this idea. If he took a boat back from here, it would take at most three days for a round trip.
"I heard that it takes at most three days to go back and forth from the capital. I'll give you four days, but in order to put some pressure on you, I've decided to send our fleet to deliver the letter."
After Li Jingren finished speaking, he left immediately. He had to put the necessary pressure on others, otherwise the negotiations would be a distant dream. This was the first task that His Highness had given him, and it was also the foundation for his future success. He had to do this job beautifully.
Prince Beigong Bai and Lord Suzuki still had something to say. They didn't want the Tang Dynasty warships to enter the Fuso capital, as that would bring panic to the entire Fuso. However, Li Jingren did not give them a chance to speak. If the two of them wanted to chase after them, the Tang Dynasty guards at the door would not be pushovers.
"You two can't just stand here and watch. No foreign warships have arrived in the capital for a hundred years. If the Tang navy warships were to arrive, it would cause great chaos in all of Fusang. If the country is in chaos, it would be of no benefit to you."
Prince Beigong Bai had no way to communicate with Li Jingren, so he could only urge the two guys in front of him. If the country was in chaos, the daimyos from all over the country might rise up, and anything they did would be brainless.
"Your Highness, we two don't have much power. We are just here as translators. We have no say in the rest of the matter. We should quickly write a letter to the capital and ask them to agree to the above terms. This way, we can preserve the court and your high position and generous salary. If they don't agree, next time you go to the capital, you don't know who will make the decision."
Things have come to this point, and Lord Watanabe would not even try to cover it up. After he finished speaking, he left happily. As for Jiro Fujii next to him, he did not leave, but he did not say a word. His task was to escort the two men back to the guild hall with a knife, write a letter to the court as soon as possible, and then hand it over to the Tang Dynasty navy personnel for delivery.
Jiro Fujii still remembered what his teacher had said: if the Tang Dynasty could take over Kyushu Island this time and set up Tang Dynasty Guild Halls in major cities in Fuso, then Jiro Fujii would be responsible for much more things than before, and he might even reach the peak of his life.
The Tang Dynasty doesn't have many people it can use in Fuso, and at present there are only the two of them. Although he can't catch up with Watanabe, for Fujii Jiro, the area he controls is larger than before, isn't that a huge improvement?
Jiro Fujii has never touched such a peak of power, so now he hopes that Fuso can agree to these terms, so that he can better build what the peak of power will look like?
When Prince Beigong Bai returned to his residence, a major general of the Tang Dynasty, Ding Jiayong, was already at the door.
This is Ding Tu's nephew, and he is a naval officer for generations. He is the main person in charge of delivering the letter to the capital of Fuso this time, and he will bring twelve naval warships with him.
"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, Suzuki-sama is accompanying me."
After the navy warships arrive in the capital, they will not start fighting immediately. The most important thing is to use both kindness and force. If Lord Suzuki is not brought with them, who knows what these people will do.
As for Prince Beigong Bai, he can only stay here temporarily. Although he also wants to return to the capital, but thinking of these special terms, it is better to stay here. If he returns to the capital, he will have to bear the wrath of His Majesty the Emperor, and who knows what will happen then.
Lord Suzuki also knew that one of the two would definitely go back, and there was more than a 90% chance that it would be him. Prince Beigong Bai's status was noble, so it would be best for him to stay here as a hostage.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the two were almost ready. Under the watchful eyes of the Tang soldiers, they had no way to say anything else and could only hastily follow the Tang soldiers onto the ship.
Prince Beigong Bai's face was filled with gloom. He wondered how much turmoil this negotiation agreement would bring to the capital after it was passed back to the capital. He also wondered how much shock this fleet would bring to Fusang after its arrival. It was as if Fusang was on the edge of a cliff, and all it needed was a slight push to calm it down.
