Chapter 366 Pu Jing Buying Times (1/2)
Chapter 366 – Pu Jing Buying Times
”Alliance? Huh, do you understand your position right now? I'm now an emperor while you are still a subject of the Han Dynasty. You can't tell me that I can't mobilize my men to enter your region since the entire country belongs to me.”
Tong took an aggressive stance against Cao Cao and Pu Jing. If pushes came to shove, he would fight to the death.
'I'm not afraid of your bluff. You're the one that should bow to me, pushovers!'
The emperor's killing intent engulfed the throne room. An oppressing aura of an elite general petrified Cao Cao and Pu Jing's legs. As for Tong's subjects, their mind was affected by the stray bullets even though they were not Tong's targets.
All officers kowtowed and trembled in fear. Aside from Xun Yu, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci, no one dared to look at Tong's face.
Cao Cao stared at Tong in awe and astonishment. In his mind, he reevaluated Tong from a capable general to a dominating champion like Lu Bu.
However, Pu Jing snapped out of his trance first. As a former KGB elite agent, a little pressure like this was a joke.
Pu Jing walked in front of Cao Cao, protecting him from the direct mental attack. He raised both hands above his head, gesturing that he came in peace.
”My apologies for the lack of explanation. My boss picked the wrong words. Also, please do not use that shotgun behind you. As you can see, I'm unarmed.”
”…”
Tong was surprised that Pu Jing had noticed his hidden shotgun from afar even though he only touched it. His frown deepened as he focused his killing intent on Pu Jing.
Instead of getting intimidated, Pu Jing raised his eyebrows and sighed.
”Stop that. All hostile intent is bad for negotiation, especially when you're dealing with an elite politician. They won't flinch because of something like this.”Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Seeing the indifferent Pu Jing, Tong dispersed his aura.
”State your business, comrade premier.”
”Hmm. I see that you're still green in the politician world. First lesson for a newbie, be civil even if you're standing before your nemesis. I lost count how many times I had the urge to punch Clinton, Trump, or Obama in the face when I met them, but I always held back.”
”…”
”Second lesson, you should not flaunt your authority. I know why you did that, and I admit that it's Mengde's fault. Still, you shouldn't declare your hostility in the open. If you want someone dead, do it behind their back and don't get caught. Don't assassinate Mengde and me though. As I said before, we've come in peace.”
”…”
Tong's face twitched as he could not read Pu Jing. This former premier was too relaxed!
”And the last lesson for today, your security and your intelligence agency still have a lot of rooms for improvement. Not detecting me until we have strolled into the palace is bad.”
Pu Jing pulled out a scroll and passed it to Xun Yu. It was a detail about their proposal.
”My point is, we're here to request your protection at the cost of our territories and our services.”
Xun Yu's eyes brightened. From Pu Jing's brief words, it sounded like they were surrendering to Tong.
Cao Cao's eyes fluctuated when Pu Jing finished his words. Although he did not like it, he managed to hide his dissatisfaction.
Tong doubted if he was not dreaming. It was too easy for Cao Cao and Pu Jing to surrender when they were expanding their influence in frantic this year.
Tong probed, ”What will I get, and what do you want in return?”
”We will tribute you taxes, harvests, and workers. However, we hope that you can issue a royal decree for us. The details are in the scroll I have given to your retainer.”
Xun Yu passed the scroll to Tong.
In the scroll, Cao Cao demanded an official title as a Marquis of Wei. In exchange, all of their territories would pay taxes and submit their authorities to Tong. All of their borders would open to his forces, and Cao Cao's subordinates would follow Tong's command without a condition.
However, Cao Cao did not state the ratio about his tribute, tax shares, or a delivery schedule.
Tong gazed at Pu Jing while the scroll was still in his hands, ”The offer is vague. I can't find a clear tax rate, delivery dates, military details, or even any detail about your territories. Are you sure this is how you deal with other countries, comrade premier?”
”I'll be frank. We are in the middle of stabilizing our region. We do not have the right estimation for the income taxes or the likes until the central plain is under our control. However, I can guarantee 1,000,000 tons of provision and 50,000 gold as a minimum annual tribute from our seven commanderies.”
”Aren't that too few? Don't you know that my Julu alone can produce fifteen times the amount of that in a year?”
”I'm sorry. My previous offer is 20% of our total income. We need to rest for our expenses and maintenance.”
Tong leaned back to his chair, pondering if this was a good deal.
Bestowing Cao Cao with a marquis title equaled giving a ferocious tiger a pair of wings. Cao Cao would use this authority to recruit soldiers, reinforcing his economy, and gathering talented officers.
However, if Tong looked at this deal from a different point of view, he lost nothing. Giving a title to other warlords would ease the tension between their borders. Trade routes would open, and their cities would get the boon from the peaceful policy. Moreover, Tong would get taxes from Cao Cao every year without having to spend a dime or manpower.
Still, Cao Cao and Pu Jing could break free from Tong's control at any time once they grew strong enough.