The Demon Lords-Chapter 784 - 172: Into My Trap_1

"The Fourth Prince of the Chu State is serving as regent without ascending the throne?"

"Yes, Your Royal Highness. According to intelligence from Chu State, that is indeed the case. The signatory title on the imperial edict from Chu State, used by their envoy, is 'Regent of Chu,' not 'Emperor of Chu'."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince chuckled, turned to Ning Fangsheng, the Minister of Rites, beside him, and asked, "Elder Ning, what do you think this Fourth Prince of Chu truly intends?"

He had defeated the other princes vying for the throne and also secured the support of several great noble families in Chu State, those with Zhuguai. Yet, he surprisingly did not ascend the throne as expected, instead having himself declared regent.

Indeed, the adage 'tactically respect your opponent, strategically despise them' has existed since ancient times.

Especially at the state-to-state level, viewing the other party as mere 'seekers of fame and fortune' was also a politically correct stance.

Not to mention the current state of Yan. Although defeated once at the beginning of the Battle of Wang River, Yan had ultimately achieved victory. For years, Yan had won successive victories against external foes. Consequently, not only the common Yan people, with their burgeoning national pride, but even these true power brokers in the imperial court were brimming with confidence.

When commenting on the officials, imperial relatives, or ministers of other countries, they naturally carried an air of superiority, an ingrained habit of looking down from a higher position.

Of course, analysis still needed to be conducted properly. Confidence was one thing, but they were not so naive as to believe their opponents were truly fools.

"Your Highness," Elder Ning began, "in this old servant's opinion, perhaps it is because after Chu State's Blue Luan Army was trapped in Jade Plate City, our Yan Army successfully drove out the wild people and unified the lands of the Three Jin. This caused the Fourth Prince of Chu to lose the opportune moment for careful planning after his successful bid for power. By not ascending the throne and instead declaring himself regent, he likely intends to first unite and consolidate the various major factions within his country to cope with the pressure from our Yan."

The Crown Prince nodded; he thought so as well.

He didn't rush to sit on that throne. Was it because he didn't want to? Certainly not. As the Crown Prince of a nation, no one knew better than him just how terrifyingly attractive that Dragon Throne was.

At this moment, Hsu Guanghuai, the Minister of Revenue, spoke up: "Actually, his hesitation to ascend the throne might also be because the speed of our Yan Army's advance and the scale of its victories surpassed his original estimations. Your Highness, Elder Ning, we should prioritize finalizing the details of these state credentials and treaties as soon as possible."

The state credentials had been sent by Chu State.

Regardless of whether the Fourth Prince was the Chu Emperor or the regent, he could not possibly stand by and watch the forty thousand strong Blue Luan Army starve to death in Jade Plate City.

However, it was clear he did not intend to dispatch a large army for another distant expedition. Instead, he hoped to achieve a more dignified conclusion through peace talks.

The terms offered by Chu State could not be described as anything but generous. Firstly, Town South Pass, originally in the hands of the Situ Family, would be returned to Yan State.

Secondly, Chu State would recognize Yan's legitimate rule over the lands of the Three Jin.

These were the first two articles, serving as an accounting for the previous war.

Next, there were two more articles.

One: Yan and Chu would sign an alliance treaty.

In the state credentials, the Regent of Chu State reminisced about how the Ji Family and the Xiong Family, as the Marquis of Yan and the Duke of Chu respectively, were once fellow soldiers who expanded their territories under the decree of the Xia emperor; they were originally one family.

Therefore, henceforth, both sides shall support each other. When Yan State faces threats from the barbarians, Chu State will provide aid; when Chu State faces threats from the Shanyue, Yan State will provide aid.

This was utter nonsense.

Let alone the fact that Great Yan had been beating the barbarians into submission for a hundred years, completely breaking their spirit; as for the Shanyue tribes on Chu State's side, they had already been driven by the Chu people into truly desolate and inhospitable lands, likely on the verge of extinction.

With neither side having any significant enemies left, what was the point of this 'mutual assistance'? Even if, hypothetically, the Shanyue suddenly re-emerged and the barbarians also re-emerged, one was in the far west of Yan, and the other in the far south of Chu State. Could they even reach each other in time to help?

Of course, the Yan people knew this was nonsense, and the Chu people certainly knew it too. Therefore, according to diplomatic custom, such nonsense would inevitably be followed by something genuinely substantive.

That was the second part of this article: Yan and Chu would become 'Brotherly States.'

Since the Chu State Regent had not yet ascended the throne, he proposed to posthumously honor the late Chu Emperor and the current Yan Emperor as 'brothers.' The question of who was senior or junior, whether by age or national strength, was irrelevant; this point of contention was sidestepped entirely. In any case, the Chu State Regent could address the Yan Emperor as 'Imperial Uncle.'

These were the four main articles. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Below these, there was a host of trivial details.

For example, Chu State would compensate Yan State with grain, silks, and other valuables to appease Yan State's anger and was willing to pay an annual tribute to Yan State, just as the Qian State had done before.

The envoy from Chu State, named Jingyang of the Jing Family—a great noble family in Chu State—was a confidant of the Chu State Regent. This treaty was to be negotiated entirely according to the will of the Chu State Regent, whom he represented.

In the spirit of reciprocity, an envoy sent by this 'nephew-figure' should naturally be handled by the next generation. Hence, the Yan Emperor entrusted this matter to the Crown Prince.

It was the Crown Prince's responsibility to lead the relevant officials in these negotiations, aiming to secure the best possible outcome for Yan State.

Hsu Guanghuai, as the Minister of Revenue, attached great importance to these negotiations. Yan State needed time to recuperate and allow its people to recover. If they could reach an agreement with Chu State, regardless of whether this alliance treaty was truly effective or not, they could at least maintain about five years of peace, right?

If no wars were fought for five years, the Yan region could further develop, the Jin land could also regain some vitality, and finances and grain supplies would become more stable.

The Crown Prince set down the documents in his hands and rubbed his temples.