As soon as the negotiation team's carriages entered Jiangling Prefecture, Yang Yihu's blue-armored army greeted them at the mouth of the Gobi Desert.

The topography of Jiangling Prefecture is very special. To the southwest is the Gobi Desert, and almost all of Yanyang Kingdom's trade routes come from the Gobi Desert. To the southeast, there is a long mountain range bordering Qingzhou Prefecture. The border armaments of Yanyang Kingdom's Xiling City and Jiangling Prefecture are almost all stationed in the mountains and Gobi passes.

To the south is the source of the Nujiang River, where the water flows rapidly, like a group of galloping horses, with waves crashing against the shore, majestic and powerful.

The river was full of undercurrents and raging waves, and nine out of ten ships capsized.

The turbulent waters circled outside Xiling City in Yanyang Nation, becoming incredibly gentle after merging with the Yunshitai River, which originates in Beihai Nation. The two rivers merged at the eastern border of Qingzhou Prefecture, widening and flowing eastward into the sea, separating Dongning Prefecture and Dongyi City from each other across the river.

A special body of water formed an island called Tianxin Lake at the junction of three countries. The lake is surrounded by Gobi desert, but in the center of the lake is a towering and lush mountain range. This island is located right at the border of the three countries and was originally an insignificant island.

However, a few years ago, a small group of civilian explorers from three countries accidentally discovered a large amount of gold on the island. This led to a huge dispute over the ownership of the island. The three countries have already held many diplomatic negotiations on this issue, but to no avail.

So everyone tightened their weapons in their hands. Once the other side got hold of any diplomatic evidence, it would surely lead to a war.

On the third day after Xue Yan's negotiation team entered Jiangling Prefecture, they set off for the negotiation location: the Cliff Corridor Bridge, 150 miles away from the Tianxin Lake Gold Mine.

The Cliff Corridor Bridge is a hub of transportation connecting the Yunshi Tribe in the east of Beihai Kingdom, Xiling City in Yanyang Kingdom and Jiangling Prefecture in Haoyue Kingdom. It is about 600 kilometers long and is the only trade route connecting the three countries at the same time.

The road was filled with yellow sand, and the forces were mixed, including horse bandits, sand bandits, green forest gangs, and outlaws. Each force occupied a piece of territory, and they roamed around the three countries to rob, making it difficult for merchants passing by.

Due to diplomatic issues between the three countries, there was a heightened sense of vigilance regarding border conflicts. Merchants from various countries encountered robberies while traveling, but they could only endure the situation. Even if they reported the crime, the authorities were unable to cross the border to arrest the perpetrators, which in turn led to the increasing arrogance of the forces on the Cliff Bridge.

The negotiating team has nothing to worry about.

Because the three parties represent the royal delegation, they must be protected by the country's thousands of troops behind them. The mob would not dare to act rashly in such a situation.

Yang Yihu stationed his troops in a fortress thirty miles outside the Cliff Corridor Bridge. The three countries had cleared the area near the final negotiation site to ensure that no illegal forces on the border would interfere during the negotiations.

The envoys of the three negotiation teams could only bring six guards. In addition to the two soldiers sent by Yang Yihu, Xue Yan only brought Song Lin, Constable Song, Xue Yu and Li Guan, a master under the command of Yuan Hua National Master.

"Uncle." Song Lin, who had just returned from surveying the terrain, rode his horse and caught up with Xue Yan's carriage team entering the heart of the desert. He was about to report the survey results when he heard Captain Song calling him in a low voice.

"Those two guards sent by Jiangling Mansion have been monitoring us and sending signals to the fortress from time to time. I'm afraid the Yang family has ulterior motives."

Song Lin looked at the yellow sand all over the sky, dodged the two soldiers of Yang Yihu's faction, and whispered to Captain Song, "I have surveyed the nearby terrain. If we are attacked and want to retreat, we must pass through that fortress.

If Yang Yihu refuses to let us through, or if he attacks us from both sides, it will be difficult for us to escape."

Captain Song winked at his guard Li Guan, asking him to distract the two soldiers. He rode his horse to Xue Yan's carriage and lifted the curtain. "Master Xue, the wind and sand are getting stronger. We won't be able to reach the negotiation site today anyway. Let's find a place to shelter from the wind and sand first."

Xue Yan immediately understood what he meant and ordered the convoy to stop and find a sheltered place to set up camp.

He struck up a conversation with the guide sent by Jiangling Prefecture and asked about the surrounding terrain. The guide replied, "It's easy to get lost in the yellow sand. This place has a special terrain and a very harsh climate.

If you get lost in a sandstorm, can't find water, or encounter bandits in this area, you'll basically be stuck in the desert."

After listening to the guide's explanation, everyone gathered around the topographic map in the tent and started discussing it.

Song Lin stroked his chin thoughtfully, "The other party chose a place like this to murder the Yanyang Nation's envoy. Perhaps they had the same idea. Negotiations will begin tomorrow. I hope I can meet with the envoy and remind him that uniting to fight the enemy together may be a way to break the deadlock."

Captain Song asked, "Do you have any information about the envoys and guards from the other two countries?"

Xue Yan stared at the scorched earth on the map, pondered for a moment, and replied, "The Yanyang Kingdom's escort is made up of the Lin Clan's Five Tigers from Xiling City, and the Beihai Kingdom's envoys are escorted by the Obsidian Battle Lord Baili Ting from the Yunshi Tribe.

I have met these people several times. Judging from their character, they are all upright and loyal people.

But we are on different sides, and they received different orders from their sovereigns, so it is impossible to confirm whether they are friends or enemies."

Captain Song asked, "Does Master Xue have any information about the negotiating envoy?"

Xue Yan shook his head. "The first two times the negotiations were conducted by Prime Minister Lu and my uncle, and the escort was sent by General Yang. Although the negotiations didn't pan out in the first two years, everything was fine. But now all three of them are dead, and the records of the negotiations were destroyed by Master Hua. The situation is very unfavorable for us."

Song Lin said, "I heard about this from Brother Pei. At the time, State Master Hua wanted to seize the gold mine by force, but was opposed by General Yang of Jiangling Prefecture. In anger, he executed General Yang. I didn't expect that after General Yang's two sons inherited the army of Jiangling Prefecture, their ambitions would swell so much, and their rebellious intentions were obvious."

Xue Yu heard this and said angrily, "Master Hua, this black sheep, has ruined the world into such a mess!"

Xue Yan quickly opened his folding fan, reached out and gently stroked his knees, and said sincerely: "The female prime minister has rid the people of harm, and her achievements are unparalleled. I hope that this time we can also be saved."

"Even though the world was saved by Xiuxiu and the princes saw that the situation was hopeless, the Yang family still refused to give up the opportunity to disrupt the world. This is their last chance, and they will definitely give it their all."

"We can only take it one step at a time." Captain Song looked down at the metallic reflections on Xue Yan's legs and feet and felt that things were getting tricky. Although he could walk, he couldn't walk as fast as a normal person.

If Captain Song were to flee with an adult with mobility problems in this desert filled with yellow sand, he would not be very confident of escaping.

Moreover, the opponent's military strength and the number of troops deployed are unknown.