Chapter 1086: Chapter 1077: Peace Negotiations

As Su Jin had expected, after no more than four or five days, Marquis Dongxiang went out on horseback for a round and came back, then issued the final ultimatum to Nanliang.

This war is one you Nanliang insisted on fighting. Now you say you don’t want to fight, hang up a truce plaque and think you can pretend nothing ever happened?

There’s no such bargain.

If you want to fight, then keep fighting. If you don’t, then surrender and sue for peace.

If you keep staying silent and fobbing us off with a truce plaque, Daqi will attack the city tomorrow.

The truce plaque had been hanging for over a month and Daqi hadn’t reacted. Now that an ultimatum came out of nowhere, the Nanliang Military Camp was thrown into complete panic.

Duke Huguo was dead, General Shi had rebelled; although the Prince of Nanliang was sitting in command, everyone felt he was too young and not enough to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

Without a good General, you’re just playing games with the lives of the soldiers, not to mention that even when Duke Huguo and General Shi were both present, they were no match for Daqi.

None of the Nanliang soldiers were willing to keep fighting, and the Prince of Nanliang didn’t want to either; he needed to free his hand to exterminate the Zhao Family.

Pressed by Daqi, Nanliang finally sent someone to discuss terms of peace.

The peace talks were set for three days later.

The Nanliang Envoy handed over the visiting card, and Prince NanAn looked at the Nanliang Envoy and said, "It’s been more than a month; Nanliang still hasn’t figured out how to sue for peace?"

"Picking three days from now—could it be that day is some auspicious date in the almanac?"

The Nanliang Envoy’s face flushed with shame and anger.

Nanliang had indeed hung the truce plaque for a month, but Nanliang had never once really thought of suing for peace!

It had taken great effort to persuade the Crown Prince; he had to be given some time to think, right?

And Daqi—no reaction for over a month before this; how is it that a delay of three days now is suddenly unacceptable?

From Daqi’s point of view those are two different things: choosing to wait and being forced to wait—how could they be the same?

Still, Marquis Dongxiang was very easy to talk to. Waiting three days was nothing; at worst he’d just tack another ten percent onto the peace terms.

That one sentence choked the Nanliang Envoy so hard he couldn’t recover for half the day.

Was this "easy to talk to"?!

This was stabbing people with a smile!

How would the Nanliang Envoy dare to delay? He rushed back to Nanliang at once.

Only, contrary to expectations, though the Nanliang Envoy was anxious, the Prince of Nanliang was not cowed by Marquis Dongxiang’s threats.

Only after three days had passed did he send an envoy to negotiate the specific terms of peace.

Negotiation was what Marquis Dongxiang was best at.

This matter was handled personally by Marquis Dongxiang.

Su Jin wanted to go join the fun, but didn’t. Peace talks weren’t that easy; taking ten days to half a month was the most normal thing in the world.

Not even the Prince of Nanliang could agree to Daqi’s terms in one breath; if necessary, he would still have to get the Emperor of Nangang’s nod.

From the border to the Nanliang Capital, a round trip would take at least half a month at the fastest.

However, that was just the normal case; once Marquis Dongxiang stuck his oar into things, all bets were off.

Marquis Dongxiang had discussed it with the Prince and the others: if Nanliang wanted peace, then for five years, every year it must give Daqi two million taels of Silver, plus three hundred thousand dan of grain and grass, thirty cartloads of Brocade, and three thousand head of cattle and sheep, and so on.

This was the bottom line; not one step back.

Daqi was magnanimous and let Nanliang make the first offer, and Nanliang really did present a prepared schedule of peace terms.

For five years, every year they would give Daqi three million taels, plus five hundred thousand dan of grain and grass, fifty cartloads of Brocade, and five thousand head of cattle and sheep.

Seeing this list of tributes, Daqi’s soldiers were overjoyed—good thing they hadn’t spoken first, or they would have taken a big loss.

Marquis Dongxiang’s brows drew together as he looked at the Nanliang Envoy.

The Nanliang Envoy didn’t even dare meet Marquis Dongxiang’s gaze, and said, "This schedule of peace terms is Nanliang’s sincerity in shaking hands and making peace with Daqi."

"And then?" Marquis Dongxiang said.

"Only, Nanliang is in the midst of internal turmoil and cannot bring out so much money all at once. We hope Daqi can allow Nanliang to delay half a year before delivering this year’s money and grain," the Nanliang Envoy replied.

Hearing this, Marquis Dongxiang understood at once why Nanliang had been so generous.

"Is Nanliang suing for peace, or trying to draw a big pie for Daqi?" Marquis Dongxiang said coldly.

With Nanliang’s wolfish ambition, would it really obediently pay that much every year to Daqi?

Half a year—so they planned to quell their internal chaos within six months, then free their hand to continue fighting Daqi!

How old was the Prince of Nanliang, and he already dared play these tricks with him?

The Nanliang Envoy hastily declared that they were sincerely suing for peace.

Marquis Dongxiang stretched out his hand, and Uncle Lin passed Nanliang’s peace schedule into Marquis Dongxiang’s hand.

Marquis Dongxiang glanced at it twice, then directly flung it into the Nanliang Envoy’s face. "Go back and tell your Prince of Nanliang that my patience is limited."

"I’ll give you one month. Have this year’s share delivered to the border, or one month from today will be the day Daqi and Nanliang go to war!"

Throwing down those words, Marquis Dongxiang rose to leave.

The Nanliang Envoy hurriedly left his seat to block Marquis Dongxiang.

The term they’d proposed was a six-month delay; if payment had to be made now, the court simply couldn’t bring out so much money, and wouldn’t either.

If he failed in his mission, he’d lose his life.

Marquis Dongxiang grabbed the Nanliang Envoy by the neck and said, "Go back and tell your Prince of Nanliang that if he wants to play tricks with me, he’s still too green!"

Cold sweat broke out all over the Nanliang Envoy’s forehead.

He hadn’t agreed with the Crown Prince’s plan in the first place.

Now he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off.

The Nanliang Envoy tried to persuade Marquis Dongxiang to calm his anger, even crying poverty: "But the court really can’t come up with that much money."

Marquis Dongxiang actually laughed from anger. "No money?"

"You Nanliang’s appetite is so big you even dream of swallowing Daqi whole, and now you’re telling me you have no money?"

"Do you think I’ll believe that?"

The icy voice lashed his face like wind driving sleet.

The Nanliang Envoy was almost scared to tears.

As the one who had stirred up the war and was now beaten into suing for peace, they were already disgraced.

But disgraced or not, they still had to maneuver as best they could.

Not one among the money, grain, Brocade, cattle, and sheep on that list would the Emperor approve.

But since Nanliang had opened its mouth with those terms, it was impossible to scale them back now.

They’d lifted a rock just to smash their own foot.

The Crown Prince had taken Daqi for a bunch of idiots.

In the end, the fools were themselves.

Marquis Dongxiang was about to leave, and the Nanliang Envoy tried desperately to block him, but with that thin, frail frame of his, there was no way he could withstand a single punch from Marquis Dongxiang.

Marquis Dongxiang looked at the Nanliang Envoy and said, "I will allow you to substitute one item on this list with Jade, antiquities, or paintings and calligraphy of equivalent value."

"That is my bottom line."

"If you still don’t step aside, then leave your life here today!"

Marquis Dongxiang’s face was dark as ink; how would the Nanliang Envoy dare block him any longer? He hurriedly stepped back.

Marquis Dongxiang strode away.

When Nanliang’s peace terms were relayed back to camp, Su Jin’s brows knitted tight.

Nanliang truly lived up to its reputation as a petty villain.

They thought Daqi wouldn’t strike at someone with a smiling face, that with Nanliang showing such sincerity, Daqi wouldn’t bear to be too hard, and would surely grant their request for a six‑month grace period.

Even if not six months, they’d definitely grant at least three.

Once the three months were up, Nanliang would turn its face and deny everything.

If Nanliang couldn’t quell its internal chaos within half a year, then the odds of Zhao Xu overthrowing the court would be eighty to ninety percent.

Once Nanliang was destroyed, the mess would naturally be thrown into Zhao Xu’s lap.

Zhao Xu originally had fairly good relations with Daqi, but faced with this legacy of debts—

If he refused to acknowledge them, Daqi would be displeased.

If he acknowledged them, the officials of the New Dynasty in Nanliang would be displeased. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Prince of Nanliang’s move was actually quite clever.

If he won, he would have bought himself half a year.

If he lost, he could sow discord between Zhao Xu and Daqi.

But in the end, ginger only gets spicier with age; did Marquis Dongxiang really fail to see through those petty tricks of the Prince of Nanliang?

Marquis Dongxiang was not someone who yielded ground.

Allowing Nanliang to substitute one item with Jade or paintings and calligraphy of equal value—

Those words were the method of dissolving the scheme.

A pit for Nanliang.

A solution for Zhao Xu.

After all, the value of paintings and calligraphy is hard to measure. For the same piece, you could call it worth one thousand taels, or ten thousand taels, and it would still be reasonable.