The words fell, and Xiao Chi Zhan smiled, a chilling smile.
"Who told you this King needed it? It's just a medicinal herb. Is it comparable to over a dozen cities in the Northern Di's Taixing Mountain?"
The moment the threat left his lips, Karu Tu dared not use it as a pretense any longer.
He stroked his beard and chuckled, "Your Highness and the General agreeing to negotiate this time, I presume, means you no longer wish to fight. With hundreds of thousands of troops marching into Yancheng, if supplies run short, being trapped here would also be a problem."
Tantai Ye, too lazy to listen to their back-and-forth, stated directly.
"Karu Tu, let's be frank. How about the nine cities in the foothills of Taixing Mountain in Northern Di?"
Karu Tu's entourage consisted of seven or eight envoys, who were positioned on the right. Upon hearing Tantai Ye's words, they began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Hundreds of thousands of our Great Liang troops have crossed the Tianshan Mountains and fought for so long. To return empty-handed would be a mockery! For me, Tantai Ye, to take the Northern Di royal court is merely a matter of time. Karu Tu, you should understand the fate of a defeated nation. Think carefully."
Upon hearing this, Karu Tu's expression remained calm, and he took a sip of tea with a smile.
Northern Di was currently fractured, with widespread warlordism and constant infighting within the royal court.
Northern Qi was also watching covetously, wanting a piece of the pie. They were in a precarious situation and needed to send the Great Liang away quickly, as they could no longer afford such turmoil.
However, the appetite of the Great Liang was truly immense, equivalent to handing over nine cities in the eastern foothills, along with an indemnity of one hundred thousand taels of gold and over one hundred thousand taels of silver, a substantial sum.
As an envoy of Northern Di, he naturally wished to secure the greatest benefit for his own country.
But in the Battle of Shanguan, Northern Di had been defeated, putting them at a disadvantage.
"I heard Northern Di has a man-eating beast, with fierce fangs and a fondness for blood. Years ago, when Xichuan was massacred, this King regrettably could not employ it."
The man's sinister voice, imbued with a chilling malevolence, reached the Northern Di envoys, startling them.
Karu Tu's hand, holding the teacup, trembled. He looked up at the man who had descended from the main seat. Although the man was smiling, it inexplicably made him feel strangely cold and sinister.
The massacre of Xichuan seven years ago still caused a sensation throughout the Western Regions.
He still remembered that when the news broke, the King himself issued a decree of self-reproach, shocking all the tribes.
In those days, Northern Di was a powerful nation, frequently launching southern campaigns, plundering countless treasures from the Central Plains, and often harassing the borders. However, ever since Xiao Chi Zhan ascended to power, before he even reached adulthood, he personally led an expedition to Xichuan and became famous in a single battle.
Xichuan was defeated, and its people were successively captured, beaten to the point of having no power to retaliate. After Xiao Chi Zhan led his army into the city, he not only massacred the city but also buried alive all thirty thousand surrendered troops. Xichuan became a sea of corpses and blood.
This battle made Xiao Chi Zhan famous throughout the Western Regions, and all the tribes harbored a deep hatred for him.
Hearing him mention the events of that year, Karu Tu was inwardly shocked. He knew that this Prince of Dingbei was warning him; if he did not agree, Northern Di would suffer the same fate as it did that year.
The man's deep and dark aura suddenly enveloped him, and his icy pale hands gently patted his shoulder.
Despite the lightness of the touch, he felt a cold, aching pain in his shoulder bones.
"This King hasn't killed anyone in many years. Being able to establish protectorates in the various tribes of the Western Regions is a blessing for the Great Liang."
The man's low, terrifying voice reached his ears. The person stood behind him, his aura pressing down on him so hard that he could barely breathe.
This scoundrel had emerged from a sea of corpses and blood. After becoming famous in battle, the King had personally sent people to the Central Plains to inquire about his deeds.
The conclusion reached was: do not provoke him.
He had murdered his father and brother at a young age, burned down his ancestral home, and massacred ten thousand people in Youzhou. His past experiences were buried like yellow sand, his schemes and methods truly appalling.
After ascending to the throne, he became even more ambitious, launching numerous northern campaigns and expanding his territory. The Great Liang's borders pressed close to Northern Qi, rivaling them.
The oppressive aura behind him grew stronger, suffocating.
Karu Tu came back to his senses and gave a wry smile. "Your Highness, everything can be discussed. Your request to station troops and build fortifications in the nine cities of Northern Di, the King will surely agree to."
Xiao Chi Zhan raised an eyebrow, his crimson lips curving slightly, and his gaze flickered towards the jade box on the table.
Karu Tu naturally noticed it and cursed him inwardly for being insidious and cunning. Just as he had conceded, the other man signaled him again.
This Han Dan Zhu was a rare treasure, one that the King had repeatedly sent troops to the snow mountains to search for, obtaining it with great difficulty.
Despite his thoughts, he smiled and handed over the jade box.
"Your Highness, a small token of my esteem. May our cooperation be pleasant."
Xiao Chi Zhan took the jade box and lazily reached out to open it. Inside lay a flower as white and pure as jade.
The petals were pure and translucent, shaped like pearls, dazzlingly bright. However, the stamen, resembling pearls and jade, exuded an eerie glow, intensely red like blood, completely enclosed.
"This thing is a medicinal herb?"
"Your Highness may not know, but this medicine is a sacred product of the snow. Its stamen can be used as a medicinal ingredient and an引子, capable of curing all ailments."
After Karu Tu finished speaking, he saw the man's expression turn sinister, his pair of dark red eyes narrowing slightly. He couldn't tell what the man was thinking, but he sensed something uncanny about him.
He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Does Your Highness have a patient at home?" The other man remained silent, and he continued, "This medicinal herb has extraordinary effects, it will surely be able to cure them."
As he spoke, he noticed the man's expression worsen.
He fell silent and closed his mouth.
"What, do you really plan to give it to her?" Tantai Ye smirked, his eagle-like eyes glinting with amusement.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chi Zhan lazily sat down, a barely perceptible, excited, and eerie smile on his lips.
"She has been longing for the Han Dan Zhu for so long, how could I not give it to her?"
As he spoke, he tossed the medicinal herb aside and beckoned to Karu Tu, "Come here."
A sharp blade suddenly descended from the sky, piercing the desk with a cold gleam.
The Northern Di envoys were startled. Since ancient times, in times of war between nations, envoys were not to be harmed. What was the Prince of Dingbei intending to do?
But thinking of this man's brutal and inhuman nature, they trembled. In the eyes of this madman, there was no such thing as justice.
Did they perhaps not agree with the terms and intended to silence them to vent their anger?
They all stood up abruptly, warily watching the man in the white robe.
A trace of mockery flashed in Xiao Chi Zhan's eyes, and he sneered, "Take the knife over here," pointing to his own shoulder, "and stab me here."
Ah—
The crowd was astonished.
What was this about?
They did not want to be branded with the crime of assassinating the Prince of Dingbei. If Great Liang used this as an excuse to retaliate and attack, all their efforts would be in vain.
"Your Highness wants me to stab you?"
Karu Tu could not fathom why anyone would make such a perverse request.
Tantai Ye, however, immediately guessed Xiao Chi Zhan's intention.
He walked over with the knife, his interest piqued, and clicked his tongue, "Just call me, and I'll reward you with a shower of red blossoms."
Xiao Chi Zhan got up, pushed him aside, and picked up the curved saber from the table.
"Use this."