Upon hearing the word "compensation," Agobhutan is about to erupt in anger once again.
Fortunately, Luan Qi stopped him in time.
Right now, nothing is more important than the words "cease hostilities and make peace".
If we continue this momentary strife out of spite, the entire Xiongnu will be destroyed in Liangzhou.
Agobhutan suppressed his anger and immediately spoke.
“We relinquish all the wealth we plundered in Liangzhou, return the city, and you return our Khan and let us leave Liangzhou.”
“From now on, we will send you another thousand warhorses every year.”
The room fell silent after he finished speaking.
Mu Zian remained unmoved, seemingly waiting for Agobhudan to continue.
For Mu Zian, if he didn't take full advantage of the situation this time, wouldn't he be letting down the half of the province that had fallen?
We are even more sorry for the people who died tragically at the hands of the Xiongnu.
However, after waiting for a long time, Agobhutan seemed to have no intention of continuing to speak.
That's it?
Mu Zian looked at Agobhutan with cold eyes and asked.
"Isn't this enough? How many warhorses have you captured from our grasslands this time! Don't you know the answer to that?"
Agobhutan was somewhat angry.
The Xiongnu cavalry usually consisted of two riders, and this time, the army of over 100,000 brought nearly 200,000 warhorses.
Whether even half of them will be able to return to the grasslands is still uncertain.
These warhorses are not ordinary pack animals; they are the most magnificent warhorses on the grasslands.
Even on the grasslands, a horse is a very precious thing.
Losing even one Agobhutan horse is heartbreaking, let alone losing nearly 100,000 this time.
After deducting losses on the battlefield, Dali should be able to acquire at least 40,000 to 50,000 warhorses this time.
That's enough to build an invincible cavalry that can sweep across the world.
These warhorses would have been a fortune that would make anyone in the world envious, no matter when they were around.
Mu Zian sneered upon hearing this.
"How can spoils captured on the battlefield be included in the compensation? Everyone just relied on their own abilities."
"You came south this time and slaughtered countless people of my Great Li. Are you just going to pack up and leave like this?"
Agobhutan took a deep breath and asked.
What do you want?
Mu Zian spoke casually.
"This massacre of my Dali people has cost us a total of 30 million taels of silver in military expenditures, food supplies, and city damages."
Upon hearing that it was worth thirty million taels of silver, Agobhutan jumped up from the spot.
At this moment, his full head of white hair trembled along with his body!
"You're robbing me!"
Mu Zian sat upright with a calm expression.
"So you're allowed to take from me, but we're not allowed to take from you?"
"How can there be such a logic in this world?"
Agobhutan slammed his fist on the table and roared.
"Even if you sold everyone on the entire grassland, you still couldn't scrape together thirty million taels!"
Mu Zian sneered.
"This is not something I should be thinking about."
Seeing this, Luan Ti also felt a chill run down his spine.
Seeing that the two sides were about to start arguing again, Luan Ti quickly spoke up.
“War inevitably results in casualties, and I understand the Duke of Zhenguo’s compassion for the people.”
"But thirty million taels is far too much. Our grasslands are barren and it is impossible for us to come up with so much silver."
"How about we from the grasslands contribute livestock worth three million taels of silver as compensation for the suffering of the people of Liangzhou?"
Mu Zian sneered upon hearing this.
"A tenfold difference, and you still have the nerve to ask for it."
Upon hearing this, Luan Ti showed a slightly embarrassed expression.
Agobhutan, standing to the side, blushed deeply.
Although he had lived on the grasslands for a long time, he was quite familiar with his old rival, Dali.
It should be noted that the total annual tax revenue of the entire Dali Kingdom is currently only 30 million taels.
Mu Zi'an is completely asking for an exorbitant price!
The grasslands have a total of one million households. If they agree to pay thirty million, each household would have to pay thirty taels of silver.
Even in the prosperous Jiangnan region, an ordinary farmer could only earn a maximum of ten taels of silver a year.
Moreover, what about the barren grasslands?
Even if the entire Xiongnu population of one million households were to work together, it would take at least three years without eating or drinking for thirty million taels of silver.
If he agreed, the tribes on the grasslands would tear him apart alive!
Luan Ti also let out a long sigh.
"The Duke of Zhenguo is trying to force us to our deaths!"
Mu Zian responded calmly upon hearing this.
"We are all adults and we all have to pay the price for our choices."
"If the capital were to fall now, and the emperor were to be captured, it would be our Great Li. Do you think you would let us go so easily?"
Mu Zi'an's voice was deafening.
Admittedly, if Agobhutan and Mu Zi'an switched roles, Agobhutan would not have let Dali off so easily either.
After all, launching a war can cause enormous damage to a country.
If we can't get enough benefits in return, wouldn't we be at a huge loss?
Upon hearing this, Agobhutan took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and slammed his fist on the table, roaring.
"Eight million taels! That's my bottom line!"
"If you still don't agree, we'd rather die fighting than accept such a humiliating demise!"
Veins bulged on Agobhudan's forehead; even eight million taels was a considerable burden for the entire Xiongnu.
This southward expedition not only failed to acquire sufficient wealth, population, and food, but also resulted in the loss of so many warhorses and warriors.
The heavy snowfall on the grasslands this year will inevitably turn into a white disaster.
Countless cattle and sheep will freeze to death, and countless tribes will perish in the snow.
It is foreseeable that the Xiongnu will inevitably enter a period of weakness after this year.
Eight million taels of silver is enough to break their backbone for the next ten years or even longer.
Luan Ti's forehead was covered in cold sweat. Mu Zi'an looked at Agobhutan, who resembled a furious jackal, and calmly spoke.
"Ten million taels..."
Upon hearing this, Luan Ti was utterly despairing! The young man before him was even more greedy than he had imagined!
However, just when Luan Ti thought the negotiations had completely failed, Mu Zi'an's second half of his words slowly came through.
"And a mutually traded market."
"Business?!"
Luan Ti felt as if his brain had gone blank for a moment!
Just as Agobtan was about to overturn the table, Luan Ti pounced on him and forcefully pinned him down!
Then Luan Ti looked at Mu Zi'an with intense and excited eyes and asked.
"Does the Duke of Zhenguo intend to trade with us?"
Mu Zian nodded calmly.
“That’s right, I can set up a trading post on the border between Liangzhou and the grasslands.”
“I allow you to exchange your cattle and sheep from the grasslands for our tea and silk from the Central Plains.”
"Of course, the prerequisite for opening the border market is that the compensation this time must be ten million taels!"
"If you refuse, then I, the Duke, will take back every single city in Liangzhou, one by one!"
"The land of Liangzhou will be your final burial ground."
"This is the bottom line for our country!"
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