Chapter 385 Goodwill

In the evening, at King Doma's camp.

The candles in the tall and thick cowhide tent were burning brightly, making it as bright as day.

The banquet tables were already set, each with a red-hot charcoal brazier beside it. On top of the tables were fruit platters and milquetoast jugs of seasonal fruit. Next to the milquetoast jugs lay gold-inlaid butcher knives, white jade wine cups, and ivory chopsticks neatly arranged.

Outside the tent, the sergeant was turning two roasted sheep, a roasted pig, and half a beef rib over the campfire.

King Thomas stood outside the tent, surrounded by his generals, gazing at the twinkling lights on the distant mountain. He asked, "Have all the supplies been delivered?"

A Xirong general stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, as you commanded. The firewood, mutton, tents, and other supplies have all been delivered."

Another one didn't understand and said, "Why is Your Majesty so soft-hearted? Even though they hold a strategic position, they only have a few hundred men. We have an army of 70,000, and we can easily overwhelm them even if we just pile up our men. If we can capture the Emperor of Great Yan alive, we can force the Great Yan Dynasty to cede the city."

King Thomas glanced at the general and said, "Short-sighted."

Seeing King Doma say this, the other generals also stood up to praise the king. Although these generals did not know what King Doma was up to, they believed that since the king did this, he must have his reasons, so they just supported him without thinking.

King Thomas, that must be a man of foresight and foresight. As for the general who questioned him, whoever questioned him was a frog in a well, a rat with shortsightedness. The man was so embarrassed by the barrage of criticism that he had to change the subject:

"Your Majesty, will the Emperor of Dayan really come to the banquet? Will he dare not come?"

King Thomas sneered, "Where else can he go if he doesn't come? I have already shown my goodwill, so he has to come even if he doesn't want to."

Just as he finished speaking, a soldier came to report that the Emperor of Dayan had arrived.

King Doma led his generals to the camp gate and saw Xiao Beiheng striding towards them, wearing golden armor and a dragon robe, with a sword at his waist. He had no followers with him.

A general recognized Xiao Beiheng's sword and whispered in King Doma's ear, "Your Majesty, the Yanque Sword."

King Doma's eyes fell on the scabbard swaying at Xiao Beiheng's waist, and he subconsciously took a step back.

Ever since being kidnapped by Xiao Zhuo, King Doma has been frightened and has always been protected by fifty warriors wearing heavy armor and skilled in martial arts.

Although he also knew that these soldiers would be useless in front of Yanque Sword, even if Xiao Beiheng was a god, he would not be able to deal with the overwhelming number of soldiers. He would only need to be on guard if he was determined to die.

He observed Xiao Beiheng's eyes again and saw no sign of seeking death. He mustered up his courage and stepped forward to greet him, laughing loudly, "Emperor Yan, I have been waiting for you for a long time. Please enter the camp."

Xiao Beiheng bowed slightly and walked into the tent without saying a word.

Arriving at the entrance to the tent, the two guards in charge tilted their spears and blocked Xiao Beiheng's way, saying, "This is the king's tent. Visitors are not allowed to bring weapons in."

Xiao Beiheng stopped, gripped the hilt of the Yanque Sword, turned back to look at King Duoma, and said, "How dare a mere soldier shout at the emperor?"

King Thomas was furious. He stepped forward and slapped the guard so hard that he spun around in circles. He shouted, "Get out, you ignorant fellow!"

After the guards fled in panic, King Duoma personally lifted the curtain for Xiao Beiheng and said, "Emperor Yan, these soldiers are rude and ungrateful. I will punish them severely. Please."

Xiao Beiheng glanced at him, entered the tent, and the host and guest sat down.

King Thomas raised his cup, filled with wine, stood up, and said with a smile, "The Emperor of Yan has been engaged in military campaigns for days, and I'm sure he must be very tired. Please drink this cup first."

Xiao Beiheng didn't even take the wine cup. He said, "King Duoma, since I'm already here, let's get straight to the point. I once killed your brother, yet you're inviting me to a banquet. What's your intention?"

King Duoma held up his wine cup for a long time, but when he saw Xiao Beiheng was uncooperative, he had no choice but to put it down and said with a smile, "The Emperor of Yan is really a man of few words, so I'll just speak the truth. We are both straightforward people, haha."

He sat down and said, "You did kill my brother, but that was in the past. We should look forward to the future. Past grudges are in the past. Don't you have a saying in Dayan, 'Times have changed.' I invited you here because I have a request... Well, it can't be called a request, it's a suggestion that will benefit both sides."

Xiao Beiheng sneered and said, "King Doma, your army is surrounding me. Do you have any good suggestions?"

King Thomas said, "So the Emperor of Yan was worried about this. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He stood up and called his generals, "Immediately withdraw all the troops surrounding the mountain. Leave no one behind."

The general was ignorant and asked, "My lord, is it appropriate to withdraw?" He meant, what if the enemy escapes if they withdraw?

King Thomas simply waved his hand and said, "Do as I command. Withdraw all the cavalry, leaving no one behind."

Xiao Beiheng was skeptical of King Duoma's orders and wanted to get up to see what was happening. King Duoma saw him and laughed, saying, "Emperor Yan, you and I are both monarchs, and a monarch's word must be kept. If you don't believe me, wait until we return and see. If there's even a single Western Rong soldier left at the foot of the mountain, I'll have spoken my mind wrongly."

King Doma's move to send food and withdraw troops was a confusing one for even Xiao Beiheng, a brilliant man. But since they had already shown goodwill, it would be embarrassing for him to refuse to back down.

He asked, "King Thomas, what is the suggestion you just made?"

Seeing Xiao Beiheng finally asking, King Duoma picked up the wine cup and said, "Emperor Yan, please drink this cup first."

Xiao Beiheng still refused to touch it. He had poisoned Xiao Kai's wine before. Now that it was his turn, he considered the possibility of poison in the wine and still didn't touch it. He made an excuse, saying, "I don't like Xirong's milk wine."

King Thomas held the wine cup for a long time until his arms were sore, but Xiao Beiheng still refused to take the cup, so he had to put it down again.

Xiao Beiheng had embarrassed others twice in a row, and King Duo Ma was somewhat irritated and angry. His face darkened as he said, "Emperor Yan, you probably don't understand your situation. I feel sorry for you and want to help you. Don't be ungrateful."

Xiao Beiheng placed his hand on the hilt of the Yanque Sword, sat upright, and said, "I will take care of my situation."

In the past, if King Dorma had dared to say this, he would have been killed with a single blow. But now, he was in the enemy camp, with King Dorma surrounded by numerous guards watching closely. Even if he could kill King Dorma, his own life would be in jeopardy. He didn't want to die, so he could only fight back with words.

King Thomas sneered and said, "Then please go back and see the guest off."

Seeing King Duoma angry, Xiao Beiheng thought he would do something bad, but he actually let him go. He didn't want to stay here anyway, so he stood up and started to leave.

King Duoma muttered to himself, "King Qianglin is one of the best trackers in our tribe. No prey he sets his sights on has ever escaped."

Xiao Beiheng paused and beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

It turned out that King Thomas continued to show goodwill simply because he was not worried that they would escape.

Qiang Lin was watching him from the shadows. As soon as they left King Doma's camp, Qiang Lin would surely pursue them. He only had a few hundred men left, and there was no way they could withstand the Qiang Lin cavalry's attack.

The choice he now faced was to either listen to King Doma's advice or take the risk of leaving here and dying at the hands of Qianglin's pursuers.

Obviously, the wisest choice is to listen to advice.

Xiao Beiheng thought it through and sat back down at the table. He picked up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth. "King Duoma, tell me your suggestion. Should I cede the city or pay the land?"

Seeing him return, King Thomas smiled and said, "That's right. A true man can bend and stretch. I'm not interested in cities and lands. Not only do I want them, I can also give you an army to help you turn defeat into victory. What do you think?"

Xiao Beiheng was startled and looked up and asked, "Send me an army?"

King Duoma said, "The Emperor of Yan probably doesn't know, but Mei Dai of Xiliang is leading her army to fight me. They're less than two days away... Originally, Mei Dai couldn't defeat me, but later... she found a military advisor named Chen Lan."

Xiao Beiheng finally understood what King Dorma meant and asked, "You want me to help you fight?"

King Doma asked, "Doesn't the Emperor of Yan want soldiers again? I know you have a hundred thousand troops from Anzhou and Yuzhou, but Qianglin won't let you join his army, as you saw today. He still has thousands of cavalry. Do you think your few hundred men can escape?"

Xiao Beiheng remained silent. King Doma was right. Between him and the Anzhou army lay a chasm he couldn't cross.

"I just said that Qianglin is the best tracker in our tribe," King Duoma reminded him again. "Unless he doesn't want to pursue you, you will never escape. But my army can protect you. I have an army of 70,000 men."

After a pause, King Duoma smiled and said, "The Yan Emperor excels at warfare, and I have an army. The only ones standing in your way are Mei Dai and Qiang Lin. Now the only thing you can rely on is my army."

Xiao Beiheng asked, "You want me to be your general?"

He had always looked down on the Xirong people. How could he possibly be inferior to them? He was the Emperor of Great Yan.

King Duoma smiled and said, "Emperor Yan, from the moment you entered the camp, I have always treated you with the courtesy of a monarch. And I also said that I am lending you my troops, just like I did with the Xiao Zhuo coalition. As long as you promise to help me capture Mei Dai alive."

Xiao Beiheng asked: "Mei Dai...how many troops does she have?"

King Doma's words had already tempted him. This was indeed a good idea. Without the help of the Western Rong army, he would have been unable to escape the Qiang Lin's pursuit with only a few hundred men. With the help of the Western Rong army, he could clear the obstacles on his way.

"Mei Dai originally had an army of 10,000, and with reinforcements from the four counties of Xiliang, her force should be close to 20,000," King Doma said. "But I heard her army includes heavily armored cavalry and cannons."

Xiao Beiheng said: "It doesn't matter, I know how to deal with her."

In his eyes, the only opponent he needed to worry about was Xiao Zhuo. He didn't even consider the combination of Mei Dai and Chen Lan. Even if there were black cavalry and artillery, he would have ways to deal with them.

King Thomas was delighted and raised his cup, saying, "Very well, we will cooperate perfectly and each will benefit from what he needs. Come and drink from this cup."

Xiao Beiheng also smiled and picked up his wine cup. This time, he wasn't worried about King Dorma poisoning him. Since they needed him to lead the troops, they naturally wouldn't harm him.

The two drank it all in one gulp. King Duoma put down his wine cup and laughed heartily. He ordered the soldiers, "Quickly bring in the barbecue. The king and the Emperor of Yan will share it."

The soldiers carried the roasted beef, mutton and pork outside the tent into the big tent. Xiao Beiheng and King Duoma drank wine and ate meat, and the atmosphere became harmonious for a while.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, King Duo Ma was a little tipsy. He burped and said, "Emperor Yan, is my kindness enough?"

Xiao Beiheng nodded.

"Then the Emperor of Yan should also show some goodwill, in accordance with the proper etiquette."

"I helped you defeat the Xiliang army and capture Mei Dai alive. Isn't that enough?"

"That's a matter for later," King Doma shook his head, a malicious grin on his face. "You shouldn't bring your family with you while you're leading your troops on the campaign. The Queen is frail, so I'll take care of her."

Xiao Beiheng's face changed drastically and he stood up.

King Thomas said disapprovingly, "Why, Emperor Yan, do you think my army is a gift for nothing?"

Xiao Beiheng's chest heaved violently, and the back of his hand gripping the Yanque Sword trembled, bloodless. The Xirong soldiers in the tent grew nervous, staring at his sword-gripping hand.

Xiao Beiheng paused for a while, then suddenly turned around and strode out of the tent.

King Thomas laughed heartily and reminded:

"Early tomorrow morning, I will lead my troops back to Nanping. If the Emperor of Yan wants to make a decision tonight, I will not see him off."