After several days of preparation, Qi Yan's formal peace talks finally began.

As almost everyone predicted, the peace talks did not start smoothly, especially given that both Qi and Yan still had the capacity for war.

The Yan army held Luoyue Pass, and its main force remained intact. The Qi army was in the same situation.

Both sides felt confident in their abilities, and thus neither was willing to compromise on issues of mutual concern.

In particular, the Qi delegation included the King of the Southwest, who often managed to escalate even the most minor issues, resulting in several days of talks without any substantial progress.

He Yunxiao was so engrossed in the meetings that everyone was exhausted.

It's always the same old issue. Everyone should just compromise; I don't know what's there to argue about.

Qi Fang: Demands that Yan Fang unconditionally abandon Luoyue Pass and retreat back to Yan territory.

Yan Fang: Yes, but you cannot train military horses in Hexi County.

Qi Fang: It's impossible not to raise horses.

Yan Fang: Then I will not give up on Luoyue Pass.

Qi Fang: If you don't give up, just wait until I flood the pass.

Yan Fang: Go ahead and drown, if you're so capable.

...

On the carriage back to the restaurant, He Yunxiao asked his "brain," "Weak, when will this peace talk ever end?"

Fan Ziruo smiled and said, "This can't be rushed, let's take it slowly."

He Yunxiao said, "It's just a few things, there's no point in arguing about them."

Fan Ziruo said, "We can't just settle things as soon as we meet, can we? If both sides had this view, there wouldn't have been a war before."

"To what extent should the talks be considered over?"

"Yan is weaker than Qi, but the Yan emperor is powerful. So even if Yan fails to attack and retreats to Luoyue Pass, it is still the aggressor. Qi is stronger than Yan, but the eldest princess has little time left. After she goes into seclusion, the new emperor is young and his primary task is to handle domestic affairs and balance the court. Therefore, Qi is the defender at the negotiating table."

Fan Ziruo, He Yunxiao's "personal brain," patiently explained.

"Qi's core demand is very simple: 'maintain the status quo.' Any grand strategies can wait until the young Qi emperor takes control of the government. But Yan is different. They launched an offensive, paid with money and sacrifices, and it would be unreasonable if they didn't achieve some results. Moreover, the Yan emperor also needs to gain something from this negotiation to prepare for the next attack."

He Yunxiao said with some understanding, "So the State of Yan doesn't allow the State of Qi to raise horses?"

Fan Ziruo smiled slightly and said, "Exactly. Imagine, once the Qi state loses its cavalry, how will it possibly contend with the Yan army's iron cavalry in a direct confrontation?"

He Yunxiao wasn't stupid. "These conditions are impossible to agree to, right?"

Fan Ziruo looked at him with a smile in her eyes and said, "My husband is quite clever."

He Yunxiao's face darkened. "I feel like you're mocking me."

Ruobao covered her mouth with her hand, her eyebrows and eyes crinkling, looking quite happy.

He Yunxiao, with a bitter face, simply lay down, taking advantage of the spacious carriage, and rested his head on Ruobao's lap. Let her laugh as she pleases.

If we can't gain an advantage on the main battlefield, can't we at least gain some advantage on the flanks?

Fan Ziruo didn't mind at all. She twirled his hair with her fingers, put her legs together, and quietly let him use her hair as a pillow.

Ruobao's gentle gaze made He Yunxiao's heart itch, but marriage was out of the question until the peace talks were completed.

"So why would the State of Yan make a demand that the State of Qi could not accept?"

Fan Ziruo said softly, "Naturally, it's to get Qi to accept a request that Qi can accept." (cascoo.net)

He Yunxiao realized that to open the window, you had to lift the roof first, right?

Now that we know Qi's bottom line, what is Yan's bottom line?

He Yunxiao thought for a moment and then gave up on asking Li Xiangjun directly. Putting aside whether Li Xiangjun would tell him or not, he felt that if he kept "cheating" like this, he might as well not play the game at all.

P.S.: I can't write anything today, so this is all for now.