During this period, Right Chancellor Zhang Debang was not having a good time. In the court, he was a proponent of peace, but the Great Northern Dynasty was already at war with several neighboring countries, and it was too late to propose peace now.

Before the war even began, he worried that the Northern Dynasty was no match for the three kingdoms and that if it were defeated, its country would be destroyed and its people would perish.

However, in the imperial court, the pro-war faction, represented by the Fourth Prince and the Left Prime Minister Wu Gang, gradually gained the upper hand. The emperor had made up his mind to go to war with the three kingdoms, and anyone who tried to negotiate peace would be beheaded immediately.

The pro-peace faction, led by Right Chancellor Zhang Debang, dared not say anything more; they seemed to have been sidelined by the Emperor.

Although Narcissus Village achieved a major victory in the battle against the foreign kingdom, the capital's garrison suffered a crushing defeat in several battles, losing many soldiers and generals, and now dares not even leave the city to meet the enemy.

Zhang Debang was very worried. At this time, they could neither win the war nor negotiate, and he did not know what the next step of the Great Northern Dynasty would be.

He was pondering this problem in his study when a servant came in to report.

"Your Excellency, a guest has arrived. He claims to be an old friend of yours. Shall we grant him an audience?"

“An old friend of mine.”

Zhang Debang was taken aback. At this time, many people wanted to flee the capital, yet a guest had come to visit. Who was this?

What is this person's name?

"He didn't say it, but judging from his clothes, he was a businessman."

Zhang Debang has many old friends, but none of them are businessmen. Who is this person?

This person must have something important to discuss with me. I should meet him. With that thought, I asked my servant to take the visitor to my study.

Upon receiving the reply, the servant immediately went to the reception room and told Hamodi that the Prime Minister requested his presence.

Hamodi smiled slightly and followed the servant into the study.

In the study, Zhang Debang carefully examined Hamodi, finding him somewhat familiar but unable to recall where he had seen him before. He then asked:

"I've heard you're an old friend of mine, but I can't quite place you. Could you tell me who you are?"

Seeing that no one else was in the study, Hamodi began to speak:

"My name is Hamodi. Does the Prime Minister remember me?"

"Hamodi." Zhang Debang was taken aback.

This is clearly not a name from the Northern Dynasty; it sounds more like a foreign name. I don't think I know this person.

“I am not familiar with your name, and you are probably not an old friend of mine. Can you tell me who you are and what important matter you have to discuss with me?”

"Although the Prime Minister does not know my name, he must have seen me before. Does the Prime Minister have no recollection of me at all?"

As Hamodi spoke, he took a small box from his bag and placed it in front of Zhang Debang.

"What is this?" Zhang Debang asked, looking at the small box with some confusion.

"The Prime Minister will know once he opens it and takes a look."

This small box is exquisitely crafted, and you can tell at a glance that the contents inside are quite valuable. It seems that this man named Hamodi has come to ask me for a favor.

"You say we've met before, but I really can't remember where we met."

"Prime Minister, please open the box and take a look first. After you have seen it, I will tell you what happened."

Zhang Debang was very interested in what was in the small box, so he decided to open it and take a look.

Thinking of this, Zhang Debang took the small box to his face, gently opened it, and the study was immediately lit up.

Inside the box was a luminous pearl, about the size of a person's fist, extremely bright, and a top-quality luminous pearl.

Such a large luminous pearl is a rare treasure. He knew that the Empress also had a luminous pearl, only the size of an egg, which was estimated to be worth 100,000 taels of silver.

These luminous pearls in front of me are about the size of a person's fist; how many taels of silver would they be worth?

This person wants to give me a rare treasure, so it seems that what he wants me to do is definitely not a small matter.

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?"

“To be honest, I am from a foreign country. Several years ago, the Prime Minister frequently visited foreign countries to sign agreements between the two countries in order to maintain friendly relations. I was present at all of those times,” Hamodi said.

Indeed, that was true. Zhang Debang remembered that for many years, the two countries had been fighting and making peace, and the imperial court had sent him to the foreign country to discuss peace negotiations.

At the time, Hamodi was just a clerk, responsible for drafting documents, so he had met him.

But the two countries are at war right now. What does he want with me at this time? This is a very sensitive time. If I am found out that I am meeting with a foreigner in secret, I will be labeled a traitor.

Thinking of this, Zhang Debang couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Hamodi, we are now enemies. What are you doing contacting me at this time? Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you?"

“The Prime Minister is a wise man. I have come to visit you on the orders of King Saliwen of the Nanyuan Kingdom.”

Zhang Debang knew that Sullivan's request for Hamady to bring him lavish gifts was surely a betrayal of the country and a humiliation, but when he saw the priceless luminous pearl, he lost his nerve to speak.

"King Nanyuan of the foreign kingdom, he sent you to see me. What is it you want? Tell me quickly."

Seeing that Zhang Debang's tone had softened somewhat, he spoke up:

"Does the Prime Minister still remember the matter of the First Prince Li Hui fleeing the capital and heading to Xinzhou Prefecture?"

Zhang Debang was taken aback. How did even the people of the Fan Kingdom know that the First Prince had gone to Xinzhou Prefecture? It seemed that there was no information they didn't know.

"Since you already know that the First Prince went to Xinzhou Prefecture, why are you still asking about this?"

"It seems that the Prime Minister still does not want to cooperate with the King of Nanyuan. To tell the truth, the First Prince has been captured by us and is currently being held in the military camp."

Your eldest prince is a spineless coward. We haven't even done anything to him yet, and he's already begging for mercy and willing to surrender to our vassal state.

Your eldest prince said that as long as he becomes the emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty, he will hand over the Great Northern Dynasty's territory and pay tribute every year and come to court every year.

However, our King of Nanyuan does not trust Li Hui at all. After all, he is a member of the royal family and has a deep hostility towards our foreign country.

King Nanyuan wanted to find someone to replace Li Hui, hoping that the two countries would remain friendly forever and never go to war again.

King Nanyuan then thought of the Prime Minister, since the Prime Minister had sincerely hoped that the two countries could live in harmony over the years.

The King of Nanyuan said that as long as the Prime Minister is willing, the King of Nanyuan will help the Prime Minister become the Emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty.

However, it is not so easy for the prime minister to become the emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty; there are still some things that the prime minister needs to do.

We will soon attack the capital, and the eldest prince, Li Hui, will appear on the battlefield. Of course, to prevent him from escaping, we will tie him up.

Another purpose of this is to get your soldiers to fight and rescue Li Hui, so that we will have a chance to attack the capital.