jdhmnovel Chapter 373 Assassination
Chapter 373 Assassination
Chapter 373 Assassination
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Grain is easy to discuss. As long as you pay tribute of 10,000 fine horses every year, my Great Ming will sell grain to you at a fair price. One shi of grain will cost one tael of silver, and we will supply it freely."
Grain is cheaper in the south and more expensive in the north. In Liaodong, for example, a shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain costs about three or four taels of silver. The price Wang Wenzhou quoted was very cheap.
“Lord Wang! Ten thousand fine horses every year is far too many! I wonder if Lord Wang could reduce the number?” Fan Wencheng asked.
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "If you send 20,000 elite troops to help our Ming Dynasty army quell the rebellion, then you only need to pay tribute of 5,000 fine horses every year."
Fan Wencheng frowned deeply. He feared this was a trap. With 20,000 elite troops in Ming territory, their logistics and supplies would all be provided by the Ming. If it was truly a conspiracy, these 20,000 elite troops could be wiped out by the Ming in no time.
Fan Wencheng looked at Hauge, who was equally unable to make a decision.
Fan Wencheng spoke up, saying, "Lord Wang, this matter is of great importance. We must return and report. Lord Wang, do you have any further conditions?"
Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "Besides producing fine horses, Liaodong also has girls as wild as wild horses!"
At this point, Wang Wenzhou hugged and kissed Dayuer.
Hauge was furious, but he didn't dare to openly confront Wang Wenzhou. After all, Dayuer's current identity was that of a Taoist nun, not his mother.
Wang Wenzhou reached inside Da Yu'er's clothes and said with a smile, "Every year you also have to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty with 10,000 girls aged 16 to 26."
"Pfft..." Everyone present was stunned. Wang Wenzhou was such a lecher!
Kong Zhenyun smiled awkwardly, secretly tugged at Wang Wenzhou's clothes, and whispered, "Lord Wang, isn't this inappropriate?"
Wang Wenzhou said disdainfully, "What's wrong with that? The rules of the Tartars and Mongols are similar. Women and children are private property. If the Tartars offer ten thousand girls as tribute, Lord Kong, don't worry, you'll definitely get a share!"
"Lord Wang! This is against propriety. Our Great Ming is a land of etiquette. How could we do such a thing?" Kong Zhenyun earnestly advised.
"Old Kong, stop nagging! I'll make the decision on the peace talks!" Wang Wenzhou was too lazy to explain to Kong Zhenyun.
In fact, Wang Wenzhou's actions were aimed at weakening the Tartars' war potential. In the era of cold weapons, population size was the most important indicator of war potential. Sending eligible young women as tribute to the Ming Dynasty meant that eligible men would struggle to find wives, leading to a rapid decrease in population. Furthermore, too many bachelors were also a factor of social instability.
Fan Wencheng looked at Hauge questioningly, and Hauge nodded. Wang Wenzhou, that lecher, really does think about sleeping with girls wherever he goes.
Fan Wencheng spoke up, saying, "Lord Wang, I can agree to this matter. However, it's not enough for only our Qing Dynasty to pay tribute; how will the Ming Dynasty reward us?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Our Great Ming is a vast and resource-rich land, a land of etiquette, and of course we would not cheat you. Here's what we'll do: for every fine horse you offer as tribute, the Great Ming will reward you with 20 taels of silver, and for every girl you offer as tribute, you'll be rewarded with 10 taels of silver."
Wang Wenzhou's offer was fair. However, trade between two countries isn't simply a matter of having money. For example, the Ming Dynasty imposed various embargoes on the Qing Dynasty, resulting in Qing grain prices being several times higher than those in the Ming. This is why so many merchants smuggled goods to the Qing Dynasty for profit.
Hauge stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Wang, there are some things we need to discuss back home. We'll talk about them another day."
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Xiao Ge, go back and tell your father that you are still young. If the peace talks fail, you will lose your life in vain, which would be such a pity!"
Hauge rolled his eyes. "Crazy! If your Ming Dynasty truly had the military strength to kill me, would you need to negotiate peace with my Qing Dynasty? Bullshit!"
Hauge, of course, did not know that Wang Wenzhou said this because Wang Wenzhou knew that an assassin would come to kill Hauge soon, and Hauge would most likely die on the spot.
"Xiao Ge, I'm leaving now!" Wang Wenzhou, with one arm around Da Yu'er and the other around Sun Rurui, swaggered out.
Da Yu'er turned and glanced at Hauge. Hauge nodded and gestured with his eyes, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will definitely report to Father that Dorgon, that ingrate, is colluding with Wang Wenzhou."
During the negotiations just now, Da Yu'er secretly passed on information to Hauge again.
Whether in ancient times or now, the rules are similar: the person of the highest status goes first, and the others respectfully see them off.
Wang Wenzhou walked out of the Honglu Temple gate and was about to get into the sedan chair when Sun Rurui suddenly shouted, "Husband! Be careful!"
The three arrows came from three different directions, all aimed at Wang Wenzhou.
Sun Rurui noticed it early and quickly stood in front of Wang Wenzhou.
"Pfft..." An arrow shot into Sun Rurui, piercing through her body and pinning her to Wang Wenzhou.
The other two bullets hit Wang Wenzhou's buttocks and left arm, respectively.
These three arrows were specially made ultra-long-range arrows with very long shafts. At this moment, Sun Rurui and Wang Wenzhou were strung together by the arrows like candied hawthorns.
"Assassins!" Jian Fengyu shouted, and quickly led his men to surround Wang Wen. The sedan chair carriers used their bodies as human shields, while the others chased after the arrows from the direction they came from.
"Quickly, save him!" Jian Fengyu slashed with his sword, severing the arrow between Wang Wenzhou and Sun Rurui. This arrow that pierced Sun Rurui was the most deadly; if Sun Rurui hadn't stood in front of Wang Wenzhou, he would have been pierced through like her.
"Rui Rui!" Wang Wenzhou disregarded his own injuries and hurriedly checked on Sun Ru Rui's injuries.
Sun Rurui's face turned pale; the arrow had struck her squarely in the chest.
"My husband! I am not fortunate enough to be by your side any longer!" Sun Rurui said softly.
"Rui Rui, don't worry! I will definitely save you!" Wang Wenzhou pressed hard on the wound.
"Sir! Please don't move, we'll bandage your wounds!" Jian Fengyu said anxiously, looking at the wounds on Wang Wenzhou's body.
"Don't bother me!" Wang Wenzhou looked at Sun Rurui, who was very sad. If things went wrong, another baby might die today.
"Husband, you..." Sun Rurui said intermittently, her injuries too severe.
“Rui Rui, don’t ask! I really love you!” Wang Wenzhou said quickly.
"Sigh..." Sun Rurui sighed. Her husband was about to die, couldn't you be serious for once?
"Husband! I'm so sorry! We can't save our child! I always dreamed of giving you a son named Sun Xiaohua, but I'm not blessed with that..." Sun Rurui lay dead before she could finish speaking.
"Rui Rui, don't worry, I will definitely have a son named Sun Xiaohua!" Wang Wenzhou put Sun Ru Rui down and angrily ordered, "Immediately send men to capture Mu Yiyun alive, interrogate her, and make her reveal the whereabouts of the assassin!"
Dorgon! Damn it! Wang Wenzhou cursed inwardly. That bastard Dorgon told him to lower his guard, saying he was assassinating Hauge, but his real target was him! Wang Wenzhou was filled with regret; he had been careless! He had been tricked by Dorgon!
Wang Wenzhou lost too much blood and fainted.
"My lord!" Jian Fengyu shouted anxiously, "Quickly, escort the lord back to the manor!"