Pei Ju and Wen Yanbo welcomed Prince Li Jiancheng into the inner hall, and the guests and guests of both sides sat down. Li Jiancheng sincerely said to Pei Ju: "My father has always been grateful to Mr. Pei for his care, so I asked me to come and see if there is anything that can help Mr. Pei."

Li Jiancheng was wearing a regular dress and came to visit him as a private person, so of course the matters he talked to Pei Ju can only be a private matter. Pei Ju smiled and said, "Thank you for your father's concern. If you need it, I will definitely ask him for help."

"If there is any difficulty, Mr. Pei will raise it. As long as we can do it, it will definitely not be postponed."

Li Jiancheng smiled and asked Wen Yanbo again, "Did Minister Wen visit his brother?"

Wen Yanbo bowed and said, "I just came back from my brother's house."

Li Jiancheng nodded, "Our two countries have too deep relationships with each other, and there will always be family members serving as officials in the two countries. My father always believed that official affairs are all about business and family affection. As long as private affairs are not abandoned, there will be no problem. I also believe that most officials can distinguish between public and private affairs."

"Both countries are wise monarchs, which is the blessing of us ministers!"

At this time, Li Jiancheng pondered for a while and asked again: "I heard that your country is evacuating the people of Mayi County, Loufan County and Yanmen County on a large scale. Is it because of the Turks?"

Pei Ju and Wen Yanbo looked at each other, and it seemed that the other party was already very clear about the reason why they came to negotiate. Pei Ju nodded, "We have received the exact news from Princess Yicheng that the Turks will launch a large-scale attack on Bingzhou next spring. His Highness, King Qi, hopes that our two countries can work together to fight the invasion of foreign races and prevent the people of Bingzhou from being damaged by life."

Wen Yanbo next to him secretly praised Jiang Fei's old man. Pei Ju first used great righteousness to frame the other party, "Working together to fight against the alien race." Under great righteousness, how should the other party answer?

Li Jiancheng's expression was a little awkward, but he quickly calmed down and said lightly: "It is the unshirkable responsibility of every Central Plains dynasty to fight the invasion of foreign races, and the Tang Dynasty is no exception. We will firmly resist the Turkish invasion of Bingzhou. However, before joining hands with your country, I think some conflicts between the two sides need to be eliminated and some unpleasant grudges are resolved. What do you think?"

Pei Ju smiled and said, "This is the purpose of our mission, to join hands to fight against the Turks."

Both of them were implicitly testing each other, but neither of them was willing to show any slightest expression. Li Jiancheng wanted to talk about the matter between Shangdang County and Changping County, but Pei Ju refused to take the initiative and only talked about justice. Li Jiancheng had no choice but to remain silent.

At this time, Wen Yanbo said on the side: "I believe that only if the two sides continue to negotiate sincerely will gain, but we are worried that some external forces want to disrupt the negotiations between the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and hope that your country can pay attention to it."

Li Jiancheng was stunned, "What did Mr. Wen say this?"

"Our guards just now found that some people from unknown origins were monitoring VIP hotels. Could it be that they were secretly guards sent by your country?"

Li Jiancheng's face changed. The guards they sent were troops, and there was no other hidden person. Could it be that anyone wanted to assassinate the Sui envoy?

He hurriedly said, "We did not send anyone to monitor us. This time, the father treated him sincerely. He had no arrangements for others except for the military guards. This must be some people with ulterior motives. I want to go back to report to my father and must strengthen safety vigilance."

Wen Yanbo handed a note to Li Jiancheng, "This is Wang Shichong's intelligence point in Chang'an. Recently, they have added 20 martial arts warriors, which are likely to be targeted at us. Both of us hope that the negotiations will be successful, but others may not want to see them. I hope your highness will take measures as soon as possible! Don't let Dugu Huaien's misfortune repeat itself."

Li Jiancheng was furious. Wang Shichong actually wanted to disrupt the negotiations. If Pei Ju was killed in Chang'an, a war between the Sui and Tang Dynasties would surely break out, and Wang Shichong could enjoy the benefits of a fisherman, a vicious means.

However, if there is no conclusive evidence, Li Jiancheng would not fully believe Wen Yanbo's one-sided words. He restrained his anger, took the note and said slowly: "Please rest assured Mr. Pei and Mr. Wen, we will never let anyone disrupt this negotiation."

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The next morning, Li Yuan held a grand ceremony at Chengtian Gate to welcome the arrival of the Northern Sui envoys. Pei Ju handed over the handwritten letter from the Northern Sui regent Zhang Xuan to Li Yuan. Li Yuan made a clear statement that once the Turks invade Bingzhou south, the Tang army would never retreat and would do their best to protect the lives and property of the people in Bingzhou.

The meeting at Chengtian Gate is just a kind of courteous reception. The statements of both parties are only empty and not implemented, and will not involve specific negotiation details.

However, although it is just a kind of polite reception, some clues can be seen from it. For example, from the grandeur of the ceremony, we can see how much expectations the Tang Dynasty had for this negotiation. For example, Li Yuan's statement also proves from one aspect the Tang Dynasty's concerns about the Turkic invasion.

If the Turks really chose to attack Bingzhou, the Tang Dynasty would not have avoided a war. Once the Sui army withdrew from Mayi County and Loufan County, Taiyuan would be the first to be affected.

It was precisely because of this that Li Yuan warmly welcomed the arrival of the Sui envoy.

But what Li Yuan was even more obsessed with was Shangdang County and Changping County. He hoped to take advantage of the opportunity of this negotiation to recover Shangdang County and Changping County, so during the official negotiations in the afternoon, Chen Shuda officially made this request.

The negotiations were held in the Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's Secretariat's

"This morning, my pilgrimage made a clear statement that I am willing to work with your country to fight against the Turkic invasion in the south, and will not attack the Northern Sui Dynasty in danger. This is our sincerity, but I also hope that your country can show the same sincerity."

Pei Ju smiled and said, "We took the initiative to come to Chang'an to negotiate. Isn't sincerity enough?"

Chen Shuda shook his head, "In the past year, we have fought many times, and soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. It has formed a hostile relationship. Whether the army, the court or the people, hatred will not be easily eliminated. We believe that the premise of cooperation is to eliminate hatred. If the hatred fails and the grudges are unresolved, the cooperation between the two sides will have no foundation. Even if the agreement is signed, it will become waste paper. There is no meaning. Mr. Pei should be able to understand what I mean."

"Since it's a negotiation, then both sides should make it open and not speculate with each other. Even if the negotiation fails, it doesn't matter. Why didn't Chen Xiangguo say it clearly, how can he eliminate the hatred of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Mr. Pei said it well. Both sides need to make a frank statement. We believe that the premise of reconciliation between the two sides is to hand over Shangdang County and Changping County back to us. If you cannot do this, it will be impossible for both sides to sign an armistice agreement."

Pei Ju responded very calmly, "I think this is a misunderstanding of your understanding. The Turkic invasion is not just a threat to the Northern Sui Dynasty, but a threat to the entire Central Plains. To be honest, if our army withdraws back to Hebei and defends Feihu Road, then the first thing that faces the Turkic invasion is Taiyuan. If the Turkic continues to move south in large numbers, Xihe County, Linfen County and Longquan County will be inevitable, and even the entire Bingzhou will face a catastrophe. At that time, it will not be us coming to Chang'an, but you are here in Zhongdu. My lord does not want the Central Plains to be slaughtered, and resolutely shoulders the heavy responsibility of fighting against the invasion of foreign races. He comes to negotiate with you with sincerity, but faces your bargaining. Isn't it a chill?"

Pei Ju said something that made Chen Shuda speechless, but Li Wenhe next to him snorted, "It sounds better than singing. Liu Wuzhou has been rampant in Bingzhou for many years, but you have not sent troops to wipe out. When we wiped out Liu Wuzhou, you came to pick the fruits of victory, and finally angered the Turks, and then came to the so-called reconciliation. Isn't it just that we are afraid that we will take the opportunity to attack? Everyone knows in their hearts that you don't need to pretend to be a saint here. If you don't want to resist, then withdraw your troops and leave. Our army will go north to resist the Turks."

Wen Yanbo also seized the other party's slip of the tongue and said tit-for-tat: "Li Shangshu's words are very wrong. What does it mean to provoke the Turks? Is Mayi County the territory of the Central Plains dynasty? Is Dingxiang County our territory? The Turkic army is stationed in Mayi County. Shouldn't we drive them away? Shouldn't we take back the territory belonging to the Central Plains dynasty? It turns out that in Li Shangshu's view, regaining the occupied territory is to provoke powerful enemies. No wonder he has never seen Li Shangshu lead his army north for so many years!"

Li Wenhe was furious and stared at Wen Yanbo viciously. Wen Yanbo was not showing any weakness, and looked at him coldly. Both sides were tense and the atmosphere in the lobby was very tense.

At this time, Chen Shuda waved his hand and said, "It seems that everyone is in a bad mood. I suggest you take a break first, wait until everyone calms down, and then continue talking. What do you think Pei Gong thinks?"

Pei Ju smiled and nodded, "What Chen Xiangguo said is extremely true!"

On the first day of negotiations, the two sides parted unhappily.

...
Chapter completed!