Fu Xie seemed prepared for Duan Jiong's question and respectfully replied:

"Although I am the governor of Jincheng, those slaves have now escaped into the territory of Dongqiang. Neither I nor the soldiers of Jincheng have the right to go and arrest them."

The various tribes of Dongqiang are under the command of General Duan, so I have come today hoping that General Duan will order them to return those slaves!

"So that's how it is!"

Duan Jiong nodded indifferently, "Alright then, I'll write a letter and have them bring the person back!"

Seeing Duan Jiong's perfunctory attitude, Fu Xie said with some displeasure:

"I hope General Duan can issue orders to the Eastern Qiang as soon as possible. This group of people are wantonly setting fires and injuring people within the territory of our Great Han. They clearly do not respect our Great Han. If they cannot be captured and brought back as soon as possible, where will the dignity of our Great Han be?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Jiong immediately stood up, slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang," then glared at Fu Xie and said angrily:

"With me here, who among the mere Eastern Qiang dares to defy the might of my Great Han? I will personally lead troops to demand their return. If they refuse, I will annihilate them!"

Seeing Duan Jiong's anger and even his threat to send troops, Fu Xie frowned once again.

However, upon closer reflection, Duan Jiong's words were not wrong. If the Eastern Qiang insisted on refusing to hand over the people or made excuses, it would undoubtedly embarrass the Han Dynasty and cause it to lose face.

Once you lose face, it's hard to get it back. Although Fu Xie pursues a policy of appeasement, it's based on your willingness to submit. Fu Xie will naturally not tolerate those tribes that dare to openly provoke the Han Dynasty.

Having considered this, Fu Xie's gaze towards Duan Jiong now carried a different kind of emotion.

Although he disapproved of Duan Jiong's massacre of prisoners, it was undeniable that people like Duan Jiong upheld the dignity of the Han Dynasty, making them worthy of respect.

"In that case, we'll leave everything to General Duan!"

Having figured everything out, Fu Xie's mindset had changed, and he did not object to Duan Jiong's decision to send troops.

"Huh? What did you say...?"

Duan Jiong looked at Fu Xie in disbelief, wondering if he had misheard.

Fu Xie said in a deep voice, "As I just said, everything is up to the General to decide!"

After confirming that he hadn't misheard, Duan Jiong looked at Fu Xie with surprise. He had originally thought that Fu Xie would definitely oppose his military expedition, but to his surprise, Fu Xie not only did not object, but even said that he could make the decision himself.

"Whether it's sending troops without authorization or the potential friction, these are no small matters. If the emperor is displeased and blames us, you and I will be the first to bear the brunt. Aren't you afraid?"

Meeting Duan Jiong's questioning gaze, Fu Xie couldn't help but laugh and say, "Heh~ General, your position is higher than mine. Even if someone is blamed, you'll be the one to take the fall first, won't you?"

"Haha~ What a great idea, 'the higher-ranking officials should take the blame first'! I never thought that Fu Nanrong, who is usually so composed, would say something like that! Haha~ Haha~"

Hearing Fu Xie's joking remark, Duan Jiong was amused and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Fu Xie simply smiled and remained silent. At this moment, he and Duan Jiong had truly reconciled.