Book 15: Chapter 48: Negotiation
Book 15: Chapter 48: Negotiation
Ancient Witch Forest and Green Field City were true peaceful lands, secluded from this world. When one remained in this type of place, it was easy to even forget the flow of time, as if the entire world was as calm, peaceful and natural as they were.
However, in Yunqin and Great Mang, many things were currently happening, or were about to happen.
A solemn negotiation was currently being carried out in Thousand Sunset Mountain’s Thousand Leaf Pass.
This was already the twelfth negotiation between Yunqin and Great Mang for the sake of a cease fire and negotiating peace. This type of negotiation was related to the futures and the countless lives of two empires, also like the most difficult tug-of-war. Those participating all expended a great deal of effort, which was why Great Mang’s several high officials, despite all being powerful cultivators, their eyes also carried indescribable fretfulness and fatigue.
After Wenren Cangyue was killed by Lin Xi, the one who took over as the great Commander-In-Chief of Great Mang’s seven armies, was Great Mang military’s highest level military officer Situ Yanding. He had an extremely overcast expression as he looked at the Yunqin Statesman Liu Xueqing on the other side of the long black table. He didn’t know what it was that supported this civil official who wasn’t even a cultivator, nor did he know exactly what kind of conditions this Yunqin high official who was already extremely weary from traveling for a long time and negotiating day after day, yet he still had a radiance of resoluteness flickering in his eyes would bring up today.
During the past twelve times of negotiation, the conditions for armistice proposed by Liu Xueqing who had already obtained the endorsement of most Yunqin royal court officials already couldn’t be called ‘humiliating’, it could already be described as a ‘joke’.
The conditions Yunqin’s side proposed didn’t seem like something a side whose Thousand Sunset Border Pass was still occupied by the enemy would propose, but rather conditions that would be proposed if their armies had already reached Great Mang King City.
“Devil Altar City cannot be given to Yunqin. The final conditions my Great Mang can accept is precisely to draw a line fifty li behind Thousand Sunset Mountain as the boundary to show our friendship for generations to come.”
The one who spoke at this time was a Great Mang teacher of the state, Great Scholar Che Weihai. This dark faced old scholar, regardless of whether it was in terms of scholarly knowledge or his time spent as an official, he was Liu Xueqing’s senior. However, while looking at that expressionless junior surrounded by many Yunqin black-armored high ranking officers, he was inwardly completely filled with helplessness and nervousness.
He was worried that Liu Xueqing wouldn’t be willing to back down, once again proposing excessive conditions. What he was even more scared of was that as this battle continued… none of them knew what would happen if they continued on like this, what kind of changes would be produced. Moreover, in the end, he didn’t believe that Great Mang’s national power could wear down Yunqin.
If Great Mang’s side could obtain victory in the end, then the true victors would only be those few residing in those dignified volcanoes, and not the entirety of Great Mang Dynasty.
“Devil Altar City is an important fortress of your Great Mang’s north. You all believe that the reason that you cannot concede it to my Yunqin is because it will affect the defense and transferring of troops in the north. Since that is the case, my Yunqin can decide not to take Devil Altar City, but as a condition in exchange, we can build a city to the south of Devil Altar City.”
“Great Mang’s civilians can continue residing in this region, but they must obey Yunqin Law and they must pay their taxes to Yunqin.”
“The three million silvers cannot be decreased. If it is according to what you have said, that Great Mang’s people are weary from war, their livelihoods difficult, truly unable to pay within a year, then we can adopt an annual tribute method, to have all of it returned within three years.”
Liu Xueqing gave Che Weihai a calm look, his face expressionless as he said this, clearly and slowly saying these words
When these words were spoken, Che Weihai’s complexion immediately darkened a bit. The Great Mang high officials behind him also immediately felt like this room became even colder.
How could this even be called a serious negotiation?
When compared to the last negotiation, the conditions Liu Xueqing listed out didn’t back up much at all.
This was still asking Great Mang to concede a large amount of their northern land. Even if they don’t directly take Devil Altar City, they will build a city that is even taller and even grander on the other side of Devil Altar City, in it many powerful military equipment that can directly cover Devil Altar City; what strategic meaning would Devil Altar City have left?
Not willing to make any concessions, his mouth widened like a lion while negotiating, there was no way they could complete these negotiations.
That was why Che Weihai’s hands were both shaking slightly, even finding it a bit hard to control his anger.
However, right at this time, Great Mang’s newly appointed Seven Armies Great Commander-In-Chief Situ Yanding suddenly spoke up. He gave the expressionless Liu Xueqing a look and calmly said, “Since your Yunqin persists with these conditions, this battle shouldn’t be continued, so our Great Mang agrees to your conditions.”
Everyone entered a great state of shock.
Liu Xueqing suddenly raised his head, looking at Situ Yanding with disbelief, not daring to believe Situ Yanding would speak these words.
Che Weihai also turned around in incomparable shock, his dark face suddenly becoming deathly pale. His eyes stared rigidly at Situ Yanding’s body, wishing to find some answers from him.
Situ Yanding released a light inward sigh, and then looked at this great scholar with an apologetic look. Then, he sorted out his own clothes.
Che Weihai saw a trace of bright red color, a blood like red stain under Situ Yanding’s official uniform.
Then, he suddenly thought through many things, understanding why Situ Yanding could sit in the position of Seven Armies Great Commander-in-Chief, as well as why Situ Yanding dared agree with Yunqin’s conditions just like that.
Regardless of which Great Mang high official it was, agreeing to these types of severe Yunqin conditions would inevitably make them Great Mang sinners. The wrath of Great Mang’s people would definitely be directed at him.
That was why Situ Yanding’s role in sitting on this seat of Seven Armies Great Commander-in-Chief was merely so he could step down from it again.
Situ Yanding gave Che Weihai a reply, and then he calmly looked towards Liu Xueqing.
While looking at Liu Xueqing whose expression also began to turn pale, he was inwardly even filled with sympathy.
He obviously knew why Liu Xueqing was deliberately stalling for time. Only, it was a pity that for Purgatory Mountain’s true great figure, regardless of how Liu Xueqing struggled, he was still a small fish that couldn’t stir up too many splashes.
“This cease fire agreement must be like what our Yunqin previously proposed, Great Mang’s emperor must personally arrive and sign it.”
Liu Xueqing subconsciously said this with a bit of difficulty.
“Alright.” Situ Yanding gave him an indifferent look, and then said this.
Liu Xueqing was momentarily speechless, his hands shaking slightly in his sleeves.
Great Mang agreed to such harsh conditions… this not only allowed Yunqin to recover Thousand Sunset Border Pass in one go, it also cut out a large amount of Great Mang’s north… This type of achievement would inevitably bring him even greater prestige in Yunqin, make him an even greater hero in the eyes of Yunqin’s people.
However, he understood extremely clearly that regardless of how much prestige he accumulated from now on, how much glory, how much praise from Yunqin’s common people, all of this was actually gifted to him by Lin Xi.
It was because it was Lin Xi who told him that Great Mang would definitely bring this war to a cease fire.
Only, he never expected that the other party, for the sake of not giving him and Green Luan Academy time, they actually directly agreed to even these types of harsh conditions.
“I have already done all I could.”
In that instant, this Yunqin statesmen whose views in many areas were entirely different from Lin Xi felt an unprecedented weariness. He didn’t know if Lin Xi and Green Luan Academy obtained enough time, didn’t know if Green Luan Academy could still continue to exist in Yunqin.