The entire banquet hall was deathly quiet. The envoys from the three northern kingdoms, battered and bruised, lay sprawled on the ground, gasping like oxen. Their mouths were filled with blood, their front teeth knocked out, and their disheveled hair made them look utterly pathetic.
Xiao Yunlong looked down at them from his elevated position and asked, "Do the three representatives of the envoy missions have anything further to say?"
The three of them could only shake their heads repeatedly. They were clearly thoroughly beaten and terrified. Not only did they not dare to act arrogant, but they didn't even dare to utter another word.
"Very well, since you have nothing to say, it's my turn to speak!"
As Xiao Yunlong spoke, he slowly stood up and walked to the three of them. He said, "You want me to release those prisoners of war? That's no problem, but I have two conditions!"
"Firstly, the three northern kingdoms must pay ten thousand kilograms of gold as compensation; secondly, you must present at least eight ginseng roots that are five hundred years or older!"
The Snow Wolf Kingdom envoy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "Eight ginseng roots over five hundred years old, that should be fine. Our northern kingdoms have always been rich in ginseng. But ten thousand kilograms of gold... isn't that a bit too much?"
The Stan Kingdom envoy also chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness the King of Zhenbei. Our small kingdoms like ours don't have much gold reserves. If we have to produce so much at once, it might cause instability in our domestic market. Could you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yunlong coldly interrupted, "Listen carefully. I am not negotiating or discussing with you. These are my demands. I will give you only five days. If you do not agree by then, I will personally behead all the prisoners of war on the battlements of Jiacheng Pass!"
The Snow Wolf Kingdom envoy angrily retorted, "King Xiao Bei, if you truly do this, aren't you afraid of provoking a war between nations?"
"Provoke a war between nations?"
Xiao Yunlong smiled mockingly and said coldly, "I have defended the northern border with my own strength. When have I ever feared the three northern kingdoms? If you don't want your nations to be annihilated, then go ahead and start a war. Especially you small countries, Stan and Wumeng. If you truly enrage me, my northern army can flatten you overnight!"
The envoys from the Stan and Wumeng Kingdoms trembled with anger upon hearing this, but they dared not speak out. They knew very well that the person before them was not bluffing. If they truly angered him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"This matter is too significant. We cannot make a decision ourselves and need to report back," the two envoys from the Stan and Wumeng Kingdoms finally bowed their heads in submission.
Seeing this, the Snow Wolf Kingdom envoy couldn't say much more, only stating, "I may also need to return and report before making a decision!"
"Remember, I will only give you five days. When the time is up, I will begin the executions, and it will be broadcast live globally, so that the whole world knows what happens to those who dare to invade our Dragon Country without reason!"
Xiao Yunlong snorted coldly and turned to walk back to his throne, too lazy to pay any more attention to the three envoys.
The envoys from the three kingdoms looked at each other, then finally shook their heads and slunk away to report back.
The many northern dignitaries watching Xiao Bei Wang's domineering response felt their blood boil. They thought that it was indeed good that the northern border was guarded by Xiao Bei Wang.
The envoys from the three northern kingdoms were just a minor interlude. As they departed, the celebration banquet continued. The five great generals soon began a drinking contest. Even Tang Bowen, who was usually stoic, was laughing frequently and drinking heartily with Jun Bufan and the others.
Before the banquet ended, late at night, Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan left the hall and returned to the backyard. After all, they had spent little time together over the past year, especially their time alone.
For the next few days, Xiao Yunlong chose to put aside all affairs of the northern border and not cultivate, dedicating himself entirely to accompanying Liu Ruyan.
For these few days, the two of them acted like an ordinary couple, traveling and enjoying the scenery. They went to the northern grasslands to herd horses and sheep, or danced and sang with nomadic people around a bonfire at night, or drove for thousands of miles just to see an ice sculpture festival.
During these days, Liu Ruyan's face was almost always beaming with smiles. It was clear that she was genuinely happy. For Xiao Yunlong, this was also one of the rare times he could truly relax wholeheartedly since taking on the mantle of the King of the North.
Compared to Xiao Yunlong's ease and contentment, the supreme commanders of the three northern kingdoms had not been so relaxed during these days. In fact, they had been almost overwhelmed.
Because of the two conditions proposed by Xiao Yunlong, there were two different voices within the three northern kingdoms. One faction believed that agreeing to the compensation was a great humiliation, so they advocated for war and proposed to immediately launch a national war.
The other faction chose to compromise and accept Xiao Yunlong's conditions. In addition, many people suggested abandoning Bruzage Brownie and others who had been captured. However, the two opinions of advocating for war and compromise held the majority.
"Today is the last day. A decision must be made before sunset. Everyone, tell me, how should we choose? War or compromise?"
In the highest-level conference room, Medvedev, the current supreme military commander of the Snow Wolf Kingdom, spoke.
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy. Besides the top leaders from the Snow Wolf Kingdom, there were also several top figures from the Stan and Wumeng Kingdoms present.
A Stan Kingdom leader spoke, "Everyone, before we make a decision, I would like to talk about the current situation of the Dragon Country's northern border!"
"You may speak!" Medvedev, the host and the one with the highest decision-making power, nodded.
The Stan Kingdom leader then said, "Everyone should be well aware that the main reason we decided to send troops to the Dragon Country's northern border previously was the internal strife in the northern border. The northern border camp was leaderless and fragmented, which is why we thought we could take advantage of the situation. However, we never expected that King Xiao Bei would return and, in a very short period, forcefully rally and organize an army of 270,000 men!"
A Wumeng Kingdom leader snorted, "I say, we are all aware of this. What's the point of you mentioning this? Let's not waste time."
The Stan Kingdom leader chuckled and said, "No point? What I just said is to help everyone make a comparison. Not only has the morale of the northern border greatly increased after the victory, but according to our intelligence, King Xiao Bei has been vigorously rectifying military affairs during this period and has now completely regained military control of the five great banners of the northern border!"
He paused, then slowly raised a finger, and continued in an extremely solemn and serious tone, "According to statistics, the northern border camp, where King Xiao Bei is stationed, has reached a total of 700,000 regular troops after comprehensive rectification. Including its local legions, the number has reached one million!"
"One million regular troops and soldiers, what kind of concept is this? We previously attacked with an army of 550,000 men when we took advantage of the weakness and still couldn't defeat his army of over 200,000. So, I ask everyone present, if we were to launch a war this time, do you have the confidence to win against him?"
As this sentence fell, the entire conference room fell silent. All the leaders present unconsciously lowered their heads, their faces filled with dejection.
Even Medvedev, who had the highest decision-making power, although he was very angry and unconvinced, also looked quite helpless. Even he, known as the peerless God of War of the Snow Wolf Kingdom, had no confidence in defeating the guardian of the Dragon Country!
The conference room remained silent for a full two minutes. Finally, Medvedev broke the silence. He said with a wry smile, "It seems that everyone present already has the answer. Bobia is right. The northern border of the Dragon Country, after King Xiao Bei's return and rectification, is now an ironclad entity. We have no chance anymore!"
"Since that's the case, if no one objects, then let's choose to accept his two conditions. Although I also feel indignant and angry about this, when I think about it carefully, don't we still have our comrades in their hands? Let's just consider it as redeeming them. What do you think?"
"I agree!"
"Seconded!"
Many leaders present raised their hands in agreement.
The Stan Kingdom leader named Bobia said, "Mr. Medvedev, although I also agree to accept the other party's conditions, I have a small suggestion!"
"You may speak!" Medvedev waved his hand.
Bobia smiled slightly and said, "To be honest, I have been studying the military books of the Dragon Country recently. It has truly opened my eyes and enlightened me. I finally understand and comprehend the strategies that King Xiao Bei laid out in the last campaign, such as 'the cicada sheds its shell,' 'besiege Wei to save Zhao,' 'luring the snake out of its hole,' and a series of other stratagems, as well as their origins and true meanings!"
A Wumeng Kingdom leader said, "Mr. Bobia, please get to the point. We already know all of this!"
"Alright, it seems your patience is not very good. Then I'll make a long story short. What I want to say is, since that King Xiao Bei can use cunning schemes, why can't we?" Bobia smiled.
"Explain your thoughts in detail!" Medvedev said.
"My idea is, why don't we play along with the plan? On one hand, we pretend to compromise and accept their conditions, and on the other hand, we set up an ambush in advance to carry out a decapitation strike!"
After Bobia finished speaking, he looked up and smiled at everyone present.
A Wumeng Kingdom leader pondered, "Playing along with the plan, that's a good stratagem, but there's a key point. King Xiao Bei is the God of War of the Dragon Country, the belief of the Dragon Country. If we design to kill him, I'm afraid it will provoke the Dragon Country's wrath and even lead to a war between nations."
"Don't worry, that's absolutely impossible!" Bobia immediately waved his hand. "Everyone may not know, but I have specifically investigated. King Xiao Bei's current situation in the Dragon Country is very awkward and sensitive. Especially the four great aristocratic families in the Dragon Country's capital, they are very hostile and suppressive towards him, even wishing him dead. Therefore, even if we ambush King Xiao Bei, as long as we send secret envoys to the Dragon Country's capital to operate, this matter will surely be resolved!"
"This... I'm afraid it's not as simple as you think?" A Wumeng Kingdom leader still expressed concern.
"It's not that I think it's simple, but you are overthinking. You should know very well that the four great aristocratic families in the Dragon Country's capital control almost two-thirds of the power of the Dragon Country's Tian Ce Fu. Therefore, as long as we deal with these four great aristocratic families, the Dragon Country will not be able to wage war against us!"
Bobia said with great confidence. This fellow was indeed well-versed in Dragon Country's military strategy. His insights and analysis were very insightful.
Many leaders present finally nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Medvedev looked at everyone and said solemnly, "It seems everyone agrees with Mr. Bobia's proposal. Then let's play along with the plan, gather the super powerhouses of the three nations, and set up an ambush that day to annihilate the Dragon Country's King Xiao Bei. The code name for this operation will be 'Dragon Slaying'!"