Jiao Tai looked Zhou Leng up and down, his gaze icy. "I wonder what business the Daqing Prefecture has sending you here?"
Jin Feng stood behind Zhou Leng, his entire body tense and his face full of vigilance.
Zhou Leng seemed not to notice the tension in the room, his tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Naturally, I've come to discuss cooperation."
Yu He sneered coldly: "Cooperation? What cooperation could we possibly have with a defeated foe like you?"
Zhou Leng glanced at him and remarked, "Judging by your appearance, you have too much white in your eyes—stupid without knowing it. Your nostrils point to the sky—you love to lead but are always led by others. Your teeth are sparse, like a vicious dog that delights in biting."
The hall fell silent. After a moment, everyone turned their gaze to Yu He.
Looking at his features, it took them a while to understand.
Zhou Leng had insulted Yu He, attacking from his appearance all the way to his very core!
When it came to verbal sparring, the Han people were indeed professionals!
Yu He slammed to his feet: "What do you mean by that?"
Zhou Leng glanced at him sideways: "What, do you want me to continue? Unfortunately, looking at your face, there's not a single good thing about you. You are humiliating yourself!"
"You!" Yu He was so furious he reached for his blade.
A military officer beside him stopped him: "Why bother wrangling with a Han traitor?"
"Traitor?" Zhou Leng sneered. "Are you talking about yourself? Indeed, with those shifty eyes and rat-like features, you're no good."
He turned his head to look at Jiao Tai: "You've invaded so much of our Han territory like thieves. Your Jiao people's ugly appearance has at least half a role to play in that."
"After all, we Han are a nation of gentlemen, with upright and proper features. Seeing your faces, we Han can barely keep from vomiting and have no heart for battle."
Bang—another military officer rose to his feet in fury, glaring at Zhou Leng with round, angry eyes. But before he could speak, Zhou Leng's voice had already reached him.
"The way you glare like that, even a pig would castrate itself, afraid you might seek its affections."
Bang—this time a strategist stood, shaking as he pointed a trembling finger at Zhou Leng: "You, you..."
Zhou Leng gave a cold snort: "You, you, you... can't even string a sentence together. Don't speak, lest a toad hang itself out of fear you'd compete with it for ugliness."
The hall was dead silent. Everyone stared at Zhou Leng, utterly dumbfounded.
Yu He sat back down, his lips quivering. After that round, he realized that this Han man had been showing him mercy with his words.
Jiao Tai let out a cold snort: "Hah, sharp-tongued indeed. Let's hear what you have to say."
The few military officers and civil officials who had stood up were unwilling but couldn't think of a retort, so they sat back down, their humiliation silently recorded.
Zhou Leng knew full well what was going through everyone's minds in the hall. He didn't care, and turned to look at Jiao Tai, his words startling: "After the spring thaw, the Daqing Prefecture is willing to cede Changhai County."
Jiao Tai and the others were again stunned, staring at him. Even Yu He couldn't help but dig at his ear: "Say what?"
Zhou Leng continued at his own pace: "Of course, it's not for nothing. After the spring thaw, our Left General plans to expand into Fengzhou. You must not attack our Daqing army when the time comes."
At that moment, the group began to understand what Qu Zhao's real purpose had been when he approached them a few days ago. So that was it.
Mu Qi tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Your Daqing is already a fish in our net. You think one county is enough to keep us from attacking?"
Yu He chimed in: "Right, dream on!"
Zhou Leng remained unhurried: "First, whether or not it's in your net, I won't judge right now. But after this year-plus of fighting, you know full well how many casualties you've suffered."
"Second: When we clash with Qu Zhao, it depletes his forces."
His expression turned into a knowing smile: "Grand Chanyu Qu Zhao sits in Wuzhen, and his ambitions are clear for all to see. From that angle, we share a common interest."
"You should be well aware that once Qu Zhao wipes out the Han forces in Fengzhou, their next target will be Juanzhou."
At that moment, Yu He and the others found it quite reasonable. In fact, it was exactly so.
Jiao Tai kept his expression neutral: "Fighting you Han, or fighting Qu Zhao—to us, there's not much difference."
Zhou Leng shook his head: "That's where you're wrong. As long as there are Han forces in the Fengzhou region, there will be conflict. For him, Qu Zhao, to develop agriculture or transport grain and salt would be extremely difficult."
"Grain and salt are crucial for any army, everyone knows that. Once Fengzhou is fully under Qu Zhao's control, he can develop in earnest, and his forces will no longer number what they do today."
"Furthermore." His gaze carried a hint of sarcasm: "Your Jiao clan doesn't hold a single pass in your own hands. If you want to trade with your own people, you must either pass through Chongzhou or Fengzhou."
"As long as Fengzhou is held back by us Han, then your Jiao clan and Qu Zhao remain allies. But if Fengzhou falls fully under Qu Zhao's control, then you become enemies!"
"At that point, do you think he'll still let you pass through?"
"So, do you still think there's no difference between fighting Qu Zhao or attacking the Han?"
The room was utterly silent, everyone unsettled by his various hypotheticals.
Even Mu Qi had to admit that letting Qu Zhao have 'leisure time' was indeed not a good thing.
Zhou Leng raised his eyes and swept his gaze across everyone in the hall: "The benefit of this matter lies entirely on your side, yet the Daqing Prefecture is willing to pay the price of one city to show our sincerity."
Lu You's intention had been to offer the Jiao clan two cities.
But Zhou Leng was unwilling. If it were possible, he wouldn't want to give up even one.
Mu Qi suddenly asked: "Was it your Daqing that killed our Grand General back then?"
Zhou Leng frowned slightly, a rare look of surprise on his face. It took him a moment before he realized the 'Grand General' referred to Jiao Liang, who had died mysteriously.
He knew about that matter, because many Han who had fled from Liangcheng back then had come to Daqing.
Rumor had it he died by heavenly punishment—at any rate, the stories were shrouded in mystery.
He shook his head, answering matter-of-factly: "No."
Yu He sneered: "How do you prove Daqing didn't kill him?"
Zhou Leng shot him a sideways glance: "Truly stupid without knowing it. Since you claim Daqing killed him, shouldn't you be the ones providing witnesses and evidence?"
Yu He was left speechless. It took him a while to squeeze out: "But someone saw that it was your Daqing who killed him."
Zhou Leng let out a cold snort: "Who? So blind in the eyes and heart!"
"If we had a man capable of calling down heavenly punishment on your Grand General, would you still be sitting here alive? You'd have been struck down by heaven long ago!"
Jiao Tai: "..." He was at a loss for words.
Zhou Leng frowned slightly, then quickly understood—Qu Zhao had probably already approached the Jiao clan before him, trying to pin the blame on Daqing.
Well then. Since that was the case, he wouldn't hold back.
"Was it Qu Zhao who told you this?" He swept his gaze across the hall: "Have you ever considered why Qu Zhao is in such a hurry to shift this blame onto Daqing?"
Mu Qi's brow twitched: "What do you mean?"
Zhou Leng smiled with contempt: "Have you never thought that it could have been Qu Zhao himself who killed your Grand General?"
"Impossible!" Yu He roared in anger.
The Jiao clan might eventually become enemies with Qu Zhao, but they had fought alongside him before, and for now they were still allies.
Zhou Leng glanced at him: "Why impossible? At the time, all the Han forces were too busy looking after themselves. Which one of us had the energy for an assassination?"
"Actually, it's quite simple. The one who stands to gain the most is the most likely to have done it. Though I hate to admit it, there's barely any force among us Han that can truly contend with you barbarian tribes."
"So your barbarians' real enemies are each other. Killing your Grand General weakens your strength and also keeps you from having the energy to meddle in Fenzhou."
Jiao Tai and Mu Qi exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they both saw suspicion.
