Xi Yang shook his head. “Not necessarily. Chongzhou is remote. If I were the Jinyang Army, my next move would definitely be toward Jianzhou.”
He Xin glanced at him and said with a smile, “You may not know how the Jinyang Army operates. They often refuse to act according to common sense.”
“Besides, even if Jianzhou is their next target, what do you think will happen to your Ji army after they take Jianzhou? Do you really think you’ll be able to escape?”
Rong Hei was so enraged that he laughed. “What a joke! If the Jinyang Army were truly that formidable, how did they end up having their entire nation destroyed by us, with only Sizhou left to cling to existence?”
“The Jiao army occupies two provinces of Yan by itself, which proves how brave and powerful it is. If the Jinyang Army goes up against them, chances are they’ll be beaten into a humiliating rout.”
Ji Yuzhu nodded. “Exactly. And taking a step back, even if the Jinyang Army really could fight the Jiao army to a draw, wouldn’t it be even better for us to cooperate with the Jiao army then?”
He Xin was momentarily speechless. They intended to use Quzhao as a sacrificial offering, then sit back and watch the tigers fight. What a fine scheme.
He sneered. “If Quzhao truly reaches the point where our entire tribe must flee, then where we go in our panic will be anyone’s guess.”
Ji Yuzhu tightened his grip on the cup in his hand and narrowed his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
Just as the envoy from the Jinyang Army had said.
He Xin was perfectly frank. “It can’t exactly be called a threat. But you should also understand that even if Quzhao is defeated, it would not be difficult for us to preserve part of our forces and fight for a place to settle somewhere in Han territory.”
“Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Once we have nowhere left to retreat, no one can say what my Quzhao army might do.”
Seeing the ugly expressions on the Ji clan’s faces, he smiled. “Besides, if things truly come to that, Quzhao may even give up Fengzhou outright to preserve our strength.”
“After all, the Jinyang Army is far too powerful. We have no desire to face such a formidable opponent. Choosing a different enemy is not out of the question!”
This was an outright provocation and threat. If they refused to cooperate with Quzhao, Quzhao might abandon Fengzhou entirely and choose either Chongzhou or Jianzhou as its next opponent.
“You!” Rong Hei shot to his feet and pointed at He Xin.
He Xin lifted his eyes to look at him. “That is Quzhao’s position. I hope you will consider the matter of cooperation carefully.”
His expression grew solemn. “Do not underestimate the Jinyang Army. We made the mistake of underestimating them ourselves. We failed to destroy them before they rose to power, and that is what has led to our situation today.”
“Now, with the combined strength of our three clans, we can certainly wipe them out with ease. But if you stand by and do nothing, then once they grow stronger, the predicament we face today will be the predicament you face tomorrow.”
After He Xin left, the council chamber fell into complete silence.
After a long while, Xi Yang sighed. “What does everyone think?”
Rong Hei let out a dismissive “Hmph.” “Alarmist nonsense. He’s merely making excuses for Quzhao’s weakness.”
Qu Lin knitted his brows. “And what about the heavenly punishment?”
Ji Yuzhu said helplessly, “Indeed, no matter how weak Quzhao is, they still have at least two or three hundred thousand troops. The fact that they were beaten into asking us for reinforcements in such a short time proves that their opponent is no ordinary force.”
Rong Hei was puzzled. “Does the general mean that we should cooperate with Quzhao?”
Ji Yuzhu shook his head. “No. If the Jinyang Army can guarantee that Quzhao will not retreat into Chongzhou, and can also guarantee that they will not attack Chongzhou, then how they fight has nothing to do with us, does it?”
Although He Xin had repeatedly emphasized the Jinyang Army’s strength, they had now begun to take it seriously.
Still, he did not believe that the Jinyang Army was powerful enough to stand against the Jiao army.
His Ji army could simply sit back and watch the tigers fight.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Zhou Leng led his men leisurely out of Fan County, preparing to head to Liangcheng and negotiate with the Jiao army once more.
After the Quzhao delegation arrived, the Ji army’s attitude had indeed changed, and the negotiations proceeded much more smoothly.
Though they had not reached a complete agreement, their objective had been achieved.
Yan Ke drew back the carriage curtain and looked outside. Although the road was an official highway, weeds grew thickly along both sides—and even in the middle of the road.
Apart from their own party, not a single person could be seen traveling along it. The place was dilapidated and desolate.
A wave of sorrow passed through her heart, followed by a surge of fighting spirit.
She did not know how much this negotiation would contribute to their lord’s efforts to seize the remaining two commanderies of Fengzhou, but she had clearly felt that she could finally do something for this ruined country and its suffering people.
Jiang Jin made a circuit of Liu Township Commandery. After confirming that there were no problems, she hurried back to Gexiong.
As soon as she arrived at the Gexiong county office, she received a report: the Quzhao envoy had arrived.
As it happened, he was an old acquaintance—the very envoy who had been “split-legged” back then.
Ever since entering Gexiong, he had become completely silent. It had been less than two years since the Jinyang Army seized the city, yet Gexiong had already undergone a total transformation.
Even the most prosperous cities he had seen could not compare to it. They were not even in the same league.
There were also countless strange and novel things here, things he had never seen or even heard of before. His eyes held a complicated mixture of greed, envy, and a trace of fear.
He could not imagine what kind of ability the Jinyang Army possessed to develop a city into such a prosperous place in so short a time.
What did Quzhao have with which to compete against the Jinyang Army?
When he met Jiang Jin again, his attitude was considerably more respectful. “Greetings, Princess Jinyang.”
They had only recently learned Jiang Jin’s true identity: she was actually the sixth daughter of the Yan Emperor.
Jiang Jin nodded. “It has been a long time, Envoy of Quzhao. You look just as spirited as ever.”
The envoy nearly choked. What did she mean, “just as spirited as ever”? Was she referring to the way he walked with his legs spread apart?
Not only did he walk that way now, but he also urinated in a split stream—something even the physicians could not treat. It was truly miserable.
He pulled himself back from his chaotic thoughts and cleared his throat. “I have come to negotiate a cooperation agreement.”
“Now that we each control half of Fengzhou, why don’t we cease hostilities for the sake of peace among the people and to reduce military casualties?”
“Quzhao guarantees that it will not expand into your territory, and the Jinyang Army must likewise agree not to seize any land on our side.”
Dong Si’s face was full of disdain. “Who gave you the right to make demands? Fengzhou has always been Han territory. We are merely reclaiming what belongs to us.”
“And besides, why didn’t you suggest a truce earlier? Now that our lord has beaten you into a humiliating rout, you come asking for peace?”
“Do you have the standing to negotiate a truce? You are the ones begging for peace, so get your attitude straight.”
The Quzhao envoy was rendered speechless. He clenched his teeth and forced down his anger. “May I ask what it would take for Princess Jinyang to agree to a truce?”
Jiang Jin smiled faintly. “If you leave, there will be no need for a war.”
The Quzhao envoy nearly ground his back teeth to pieces, but circumstances were stronger than people. He swallowed his anger. “The princess is joking.”
“My Grand Chanyu’s meaning is that we can hand Shu County and Anzhen County over to you in exchange for peace. From then on, both sides can remain peacefully within their respective territories.”
“We will not take the Han people in the cities with us. We can leave them all to the Jinyang Army. How does that sound?”
Dong Si gave a cold laugh. “Are you dreaming? You want to exchange two tiny counties for a truce? And you call them your territories? Do they belong to you?”
Seeing the envoy’s grim expression, Jiang Jin smiled. “Do you know how long it took me to capture Dancheng and Heichun? One day and one night.”
“Do you really think I would need even half a day to take Shu County and Anzhen County?”
The envoy knew that this would be an extremely difficult negotiation, and he had prepared himself to some extent. “Then what does the princess want?”
Jiang Jin did not bother beating around the bush with him. “If you, Qu Zhao, return the entire Chun’nan Commandery to me, I might consider calling a truce for two months.”
The envoy shot to his feet. “Your Jinyang army is going too far!”
Trading an entire commandery for two months of peace was far beyond even Qu Zhao’s worst-case projections. This was simply outrageous bullying.
Dong Si let out a derisive laugh. “So what if we are?”
