Chapter 1033: I think "Mo Zhou" sounds better (Part 2) [Requesting monthly votes]

Shen Tang's rhetorical question made Tu Dege blush with embarrassment.

It wasn't shyness or embarrassment, but rather shame and indignation.

As the defeated party proactively mentions tribute, eagerly offering money and people, it inevitably gives the impression of ceding territory to sue for peace and begging for mercy. Even though Tudege was somewhat prepared, having been a hostage for many years, he still felt humiliated, as if he had been slapped in the face. However, circumstances were beyond his control, and he had no right to talk about self-respect.

She secretly took several deep breaths to suppress her feelings of shame and indignation.

He strived to be neither humble nor arrogant: "The victor is king, the loser is a bandit. Our people admire strength and are only willing to serve the strongest in the world. We were defeated by Kang in this battle, and we are willing to pay tribute and submit to them every year."

Shen Tang smiled but remained silent upon hearing this.

She looked at Tudego with a playful gaze.

His gaze took in every subtle expression on Chen Tang's face, and Tude felt as if he were being watched by a wild beast, like a rabbit running in the wilderness with nowhere to hide. He knew Chen Tang's eyes all too well; they were full of unwavering ambition.

A bizarre speculation suddenly arose in Tudege's mind.

Shocked and filled with resentment.

If, if the man surnamed Shen truly harbored such intentions, intending to humiliate him and the Northern Desert through force and robbery, he truly wouldn't be able to refuse. In the past, the Xin Kingdom, and even the Geng Kingdom, had demanded the women and daughters of various tribal leaders in order to humiliate and harass the Northern Desert…

If you like their appearance, then keep them for your own use.

If you don't like it, you can give it away as a gift to your subordinates at will.

Although Shen Tang was a woman, rumors circulated that she was indiscriminate in her affections towards men and women. Given his outstanding looks, it was indeed possible that she might take a liking to him. Furthermore, considering his sensitive position—the de facto ruler of the Northern Desert—Nah could indeed humiliate the various tribes of the Northern Desert, and those brothers he suppressed might even be happy to see it happen. Tudege's lips moved, his eyes conflicted, his heart filled with resentment.

Shen Tang paid no attention to what Yi Dege was thinking. She simply smiled with a barely perceptible sneer: "Paying tribute every year and submitting to the emperor every year? How much tribute does the Northern Desert plan to offer each year?"

When Tudege heard this, he thought there was hope.

The annual tribute consisted mostly of gold, silver, cattle, sheep, and people. The previous year's standard tribute was: 2,000 taels of gold, 10,000 taels of silver, 1,000 cattle and sheep each, 300 warhorses, 200 beautiful women, and, depending on the circumstances, 10 hostages. This time, with the heavy defeat and a food crisis, more could be provided.

Tudego specifically pointed out that in addition to beautiful women, strong and handsome men from within the tribe could also be offered as tribute, and the number could be matched accordingly.

Shen Tang mentally calculated the numbers: "That's not much."

She spoke frankly, which embarrassed Tudege.

This tribute list is indeed not much compared to the size of the Northern Desert; even doubling it would be within their means. He thought Shen Tang was trying to make an exorbitant demand, but unexpectedly, she changed the subject and asked about the annual output of the various tribes within the Northern Desert. This information was entirely confidential, and Tudege naturally couldn't disclose it casually. He couldn't reveal it, but that didn't mean Shen Tang couldn't obtain the approximate data.

In summary—

Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?

Shen Tang did not show her dissatisfaction on her face, but smiled.

"...Although Kangguo is newly established, it is a very humane country that values ​​reciprocity. If Beimo were to become a vassal state of Kangguo, wouldn't the annual tribute be like relatives visiting each other to exchange New Year's greetings and maintain good relations? Guests come to visit with generous gifts, so how can the host let them leave empty-handed? As the ruler of a country, I cannot be ignorant of such basic social etiquette. I must have the Court of State Ceremonies and the Ministry of Rites arrange some return gifts. Don't you think so? If the return gifts are meager, it will make Kangguo seem greedy and unseemly. But—if the return gifts are generous, after adding and subtracting Beimo's annual tribute, what will be left? This is inappropriate, very inappropriate!"

She looked perplexed.

Upon hearing this, Tudege desperately suppressed the urge to curse her inwardly as shameless and despicable. Shen Youli's sudden mention of "reciprocity" was actually a veiled indication that the annual tribute from the Northern Desert was too little for her to "return the favor." If the Northern Desert actually listened to her nonsense and increased the annual tribute, who knew if Shen would truly return a "generous gift" or simply take advantage of the increased tribute?

After all, no one stipulated that tribute must be reciprocated!

At that time, the Northern Desert will suffer in silence.

Tudege instantly understood this.

His face was so dark that he didn't even need soy sauce for coloring.

However, circumstances forced him to act against his will. Even though he knew in his heart that the woman surnamed Shen was trying to take advantage of him, he couldn't refuse directly. Offending her would only give her leverage. Tudege was about to change the subject and laugh it off when Shen Tang's next words stunned him. She said, "I've thought about it over and over but can't come up with a good solution. How about this: cut out the middleman, and the Northern Desert won't have to pay tribute. They can just pay taxes directly."

This makes the accounts clearer.

Tudege suddenly looked at Shen Tang in disbelief.

He tried to find evidence that he was hallucinating.

Shen Tang's smile remained unchanged, cunning, shrewd, and malicious: "What do you think of my suggestion? Aren't you overjoyed?"

Tudego gave a stiff, forced smile.

He said dryly, "Your Majesty, please don't joke."

"A joke? Do I look like someone who likes to joke? Even a common man knows that 'a word spoken cannot be taken back,' how could I, as the ruler of a country, change my mind so easily? I don't like the name 'Northern Desert,' it doesn't suit the various prefectures and counties of Kang Kingdom." Shen Tang's smile vanished completely, she put her hand on Tudege's shoulder, leaned closer and whispered, "I think 'Desert Prefecture' sounds better."

Tudego was almost stung by the ambition in her eyes.

Shen Tang asked again, "What do you think?"

Tudege secretly pinched himself, wincing in pain to regain his senses—there was no need to continue feigning compliance and acting subservient if negotiations failed. He sneered, "Is the King of Shen joking?"

Does she mean she wants to annex the Northern Desert?

With such a huge appetite, aren't they afraid of being stuffed to death? For hundreds and thousands of years, countless powerful nations have appeared on this stage, one after another, but no nation has ever dared to annex the Northern Desert, because they know very well that the Northern Desert is poisonous!

Shen Tang said, "I am not a humorous person."

The countdown to the end of the world is twelve years.

How could she care about so much anymore?

If Yun Da hadn't gone mad and pulled this stunt, Shen Tang really hadn't planned to annex Bei Mo right now. Bei Mo, still reeling from their defeat, still had some fighting spirit. What she needed to do was break their teeth and pull out their claws! She planned to wear down the eagle! Weaken the eagle of Bei Mo until it was completely afraid of her, then subdue it, just like she did with the Ten Crows back then. But she didn't have that much energy right now.

Tudege said, "The tribes of the Northern Desert will not agree to this."

Although surrendering to Kangguo would grant them the right to participate in the game, and once Kangguo fell, Beimo might be able to seize Kangguo's legitimacy and rightfully establish its own state in the Northwest Continent, these were merely the thoughts of Beimo's high-ranking officials. The lower and middle ranks of the various Beimo tribes mostly resisted.

After all, the idea that the Northern Desert possesses a destiny is deeply ingrained in people's minds.

They could endure temporary humiliation, becoming a vassal state of another country, paying tribute and submitting to its authority, comforting themselves that this was a temporary expedient, and that one day they would rise from obscurity and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to the Northern Desert. But they absolutely could not allow themselves to be swallowed up!

Shen Tang said, "If they don't agree, beat them until they do."

Her answer was crisp and decisive.

"If they refuse to surrender, we'll fight them until they do." Tudege said in a shocked gaze, "Since the Northern Desert doesn't care for sentimental methods, I also know a bit about martial arts. If they don't agree, we can just give up. I'm determined to get this land in the Northern Desert."

Unification cannot be achieved within twelve years.

What Northern Desert, what Northwest Continent...

Let them all sink into the sea!

Who would tolerate these clueless idiots!

Tudege gritted his teeth and said, "King Shen is very confident."

"With a strong army and ample troops, is it not normal for me to be confident?" She now has power, influence, and troops; what daydream can't she make come true? "This battle has already come to this point. Rather than turning back and starting over, it's better to fight it all in one go and not bother two masters with one matter."

Tudego was his own prisoner.

What room for bargaining do prisoners have?

Tudege: "..."

He suppressed his emotions and went back to think about it all night, but he still couldn't understand why the man surnamed Shen wanted to annex Beimo. Did he think Beimo was as useless as Shiwu? Did Shiwu's example give her hope? Tudege tossed and turned, filled with questions.

Su Shiyilu, who was in the wounded soldiers' camp, kept sneezing.

However, he dared not speak too loudly.

Gong Xichou hates patients who whine and groan the most.

Su Shiyi Lu had just witnessed Gong Xichou's martial arts soldier deliver a swift chop to the wounded soldier, effectively numbing him with physical force. Su Shiyi Lu, lying in her hospital bed, was amused by the spectacle, but her laughter was quickly silenced by a glare from the martial arts soldier. Su Shiyi Lu felt aggrieved.

The lieutenant lay dead on the bed next to his. Martial arts practitioners recover quickly, and with the added aid of a skilled physician, his cleaned wounds felt hot and itchy, as if countless ants were crawling on them. Su Shiyi remained expressionless, while the lieutenant, less composed, tried to distract him with conversation: "General, is this military achievement sufficient?"

Su Shiyi Lu lay on his side, munching on fruit.

There was a small table next to the hospital bed with gifts placed on it.

These fruits were all gifts from his servants.

Su Shiyilu said, "Hmph."

The lieutenant looked up and said, "That's enough."

Su Shiyilu: "Hmph."

The lieutenant sighed repeatedly: "General, it's time for you to come out of this. Look at Chu Jie who came to see you just now. I felt like he was mocking you. You two used to be evenly matched. If it weren't for Chu Jie's martial spirit and his shamelessness, he would have been dead long ago."

I'm not going to steam buns, I'm just trying to save face!

His cultivation level was so far surpassed by Chu Jie's that it was practically invisible.

Su Shiyi paused for a moment: "Hmph."

The lieutenant turned to look at him: "This humble general knows that you disdain to compete with General Chu Jie, but, but—our Wuzhou troops will be rotating to the Seven Guards and Four Divisions of Fengluo in two years. If our brothers are then transferred to the Tian Shu Guard, how embarrassing would that be? Don't you think so?"

The soldiers of Wuzhou Prefecture and the troops under Chu Jie of Tian Shu Guard have old grudges. Even though they are now on the same side, the hatred cannot be erased.

Even when we meet, we still have to be sarcastic and sarcastic.

The lieutenant said hesitantly, "Being suppressed by the Tian Shu Guards is even more disgusting and uncomfortable than being suppressed by a man, don't you think?"

Su Shiyilu: "Hmph."

The lieutenant nodded, then lowered his head helplessly, sighing repeatedly: "Alas, General, what you say makes sense. General Chu Jie is now the top military general in Kang State, and his military fortune will only continue to rise... This gap is indeed difficult to catch up with."

Su Shiyilu: "Hmph."

The vice president continued, blah blah blah.

Chu Jie, who was at the center of the conversation, had a strange expression and asked, "You only have one 'humph,' how can he interpret so much content?"

The deputy general looked at Chu Jie, who had returned at some unknown time, as if he had seen a ghost.

Su Shiyilu said, "This is called telepathy."

His deputy was his confidant.

A confidant who doesn't even know what he's thinking is incompetent.

Su Shiyilu lifted his eyelids to look at Chu Jie, who had returned, and said something that was just asking for a beating: "Hey Chu, why are you back again? Did you know I was holding my pee and came to help me out?"

Chu Jie: "..."

He came, and then he left.

Su Shiyilu was completely bewildered: "You're sick."

After a while, he stood up and kicked the deputy general.

Lieutenant: "What's wrong, General?"

Su Shiyilu: "I need to pee urgently, help me up."

Lieutenant General: "..."

Su Shiyi Lu didn't want to either, but both his hands were broken and hanging around his neck. He could still move his wrists and palms a little, so how could he go to the toilet by himself? He was surrounded by a bunch of big, rough men. They wouldn't even help him. In extremely cold weather, people would huddle together for warmth if they didn't have enough warm clothes. Why was he pretending to be shy?

"Damn it, we've lost a lot of money."

Su Shiyi Lu lost both hands while saving someone.

He hated opponents like Chu Jie who grew stronger with each battle, not only because they were stronger but also because they possessed superhuman strength. He wanted to curse them whenever he saw them.

After draining the water, on the way back I saw a pink skull emitting a pink glow, the flames in its eye sockets were sinister and eerie.

A pink fluorescent bone was floating nearby.

Ah, it's not floating.

The bone was being held and shaken.

"When did General Gongshu return?"

The pink skull turned its head and looked over, but did not answer.

Su Shiyi stared at the little girl next to him. The bone in the little girl's hand looked like one of Gong Shuwu's ribs: "When did the army have such a young child?"

They're still playing with Gong Shuwu's bones?

Gong Shuwu said, "A junior member of the clan."

Su Shiyilu: "..."

He fell silent.

I've heard about the grudges between Gong Shuwu and Bei Mo. The little girl, though still chubby and childlike, clearly has Bei Mo features. Which junior is so brave as to dare to cause a death with their enemy?

The little girl was timid.

Helpless, he tried to hide behind Gong Shuwu.

Su Shiyilu said, "He seems quite clever."

He had his lieutenant feel around on his person, pulling out an exquisite bone carving, which he gave to the little girl as a gift. Gong Shuwu was the Grand General of the Tianxuan Guard; cultivating a good relationship with him would give him a chance to be selected for future rotations of soldiers from Wuzhou Prefecture. The Tianshu Guard? Even a dog wouldn't go there!

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the little girl was wearing mourning clothes.

Just as I lay down, the lieutenant returned with news.

They vividly described the gossip they had heard, using gestures and vivid descriptions.

Su Shiyilu awkwardly gnawed on the fruit.

This gossip story dates back to two or three days ago.

Gong Shuwu rushed to Tuocheng overnight to reunite with Gong's relatives.

When the two met, they naturally embraced and wept bitterly.

Su Shiyilu recalled Gong Shuwu's current appearance.

"Gong is old and frail, yet she has a big heart; how could she possibly cry like this?"

You weren't scared to tears?

Lieutenant: "At first, it was chaotic."

Regardless of what Gong Shuwu looks like, at least he's still alive, isn't he? Compared to the pain of separation and death, becoming a skeleton is nothing; families of military generals have always been very resilient. Gong Shuwu's mother, however, cried so hard she fainted several times and couldn't stand up without support.

My son, my son...

＿|￣|●

The other day, during the humid season, I forgot to close the windows, and as a result, the house was soaked with moisture. The books on the bookshelf were all wilted, and the dehumidifier had to run non-stop to help.

(End of this chapter)