Mu Junxian looked at Mu Zian with slight shock, not expecting the slap in the face to come so quickly.
Just as Mu Junxian was about to get up to meet the Xiongnu envoy, Mu Zian remained seated.
Seeing this, Mu Junxian was somewhat puzzled.
Since the imperial court wants to negotiate peace and the Xiongnu are also interested, why not just get things done?
But why does Mu Zian seem completely unconcerned right now?
Mu Zi'an, who was holding a teacup, seemed to see the doubt in Mu Junxian's eyes and smiled.
"Peace talks, peace talks, the key is the word 'talk'."
"A war of words between two countries is a negotiation, and the battle at the negotiating table is no less intense than the battle on the battlefield."
"We have the advantage right now, so there's no rush."
"The Xiongnu were isolated and trapped in Liangzhou without supplies."
"The heavy snow has already fallen on the grasslands this year, so the longer it drags on, the more disadvantaged the Xiongnu will become, and the greater their disadvantage will be, the greater our advantage will be."
Mu Junxian seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this; he was a pure military general.
He was unaware of the intricacies of the civil officials' schemes, but seeing Mu Zian's confident demeanor, he felt somewhat at ease.
Mu Junxian sat down again, picked up his teacup, and asked.
"Aren't you afraid of pushing them too far?"
Mu Zian smiled slightly upon hearing this.
"The Xiongnu are like a taut string right now; when it will snap depends on how much pressure I can put on them."
After saying that, Mu Zian turned to look at the soldiers in the hall.
“Go and tell the Xiongnu envoy that if you want to talk, you must show sincerity.”
"The cities of Liangzhou are part of the Great Li territory, so they are not welcome!"
"If you want to talk, get out of Liangzhou first."
"Yes, sir!"
Mu Junxian looked at Mu Zian with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Such shrewd methods are not at all like those of someone who has just turned twenty.
As this soldier relayed Mu Zian's words to the arriving Xiongnu envoy.
The Xiongnu envoy was dumbfounded, and one of the Xiongnu nobles who came immediately slammed his fist on the table and shouted.
"It's snowing heavily now! If you make me leave the city, where will we live?!"
The soldier delivering the message sneered upon hearing this.
"That's beyond my control. This is what my Duke Zhenguo means. If we want to talk, then we should follow my Duke Zhenguo's rules."
"Besides, you all usually live in tents on the grasslands, so why do you insist on living in the city now that you've moved to a different place?"
"Have you all forgotten your roots so quickly, having only been in Liangzhou for a few days?"
The messenger's mouth was like it was coated with poison; his words struck the hearts of these Xiongnu envoys.
These Xiongnu people had never suffered such humiliation! Upon hearing this, several people immediately wanted to take action.
The messenger soldier sneered.
"Come on, come on, chop at Grandpa! Anyone who dodges is a stepmother!"
As he spoke, the messenger tilted his head and leaned toward the Hun who had spoken the most aggressively earlier.
Seeing that they were about to be attacked by the Xiongnu envoys, a thin man immediately stepped in front of them.
He immediately revealed a fawning expression on his face.
Then he secretly took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it to the man, and then smiled.
"Brother, don't bother with us barbarians from the grasslands."
“Since it is the Duke of Zhenguo’s rule, we must naturally abide by it. However, we are of low status and have no say in the matter of withdrawing from the city.”
"Please grant me two more days so that I may report this matter to the authorities."
The messenger soldier discreetly slipped the silver into his pocket and then spoke.
"You do have a few words to say, so what if we give you two more days?"
Having said that, the messenger stepped forward, stepping over the thin Xiongnu man, and stared directly at the man who had shouted the loudest.
"I thought it would be anything serious? I gave you a chance, but you still couldn't handle it."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became extremely oppressive.
The Hun man, who had just been humiliated, roared at the thin man in front of him.
"Luan Ti, why are you stopping me! I'm going to kill that Han man!"
Upon hearing this, the man called Luan Ti's expression immediately turned stern.
"This is Liangzhou City! Why don't you take your head off your heel and use it? If we kill him, do you think we can leave?"
"Don't forget the Right Wise King's instructions before you left! Peace talks are the most important thing!"
"If your foolishness leads to the failure of these peace talks, your tribe will bear the wrath of the Success Plains!"
"I will personally pluck your head off and make it into a lantern!"
Upon hearing this, the Xiongnu man fell silent.
Because he knew that Luan Ti in front of him was definitely not joking.
After all, this person was not only the leader of this delegation, but also a nobleman from the grasslands and one of the few merchants among the Xiongnu.
The reason he was sent as an envoy was because the Right Wise King valued Luan Ti's identity as a merchant.
Just like bribing the messenger soldier earlier.
Only those Xiongnu people who had traded with the Han people understood the meaning of human relationships and social customs, which made it possible for them to facilitate this peace talks.
Luan Ti took a deep breath; the conditions Mu Zian was proposing were beyond his capabilities.
Only Agobhutan could make the decision at this moment, so Luanti gave the order without the slightest hesitation.
"Gudan, you must immediately deliver this message to the Right Wise King and tell him to lead his army to set up camp outside the city."
"And from this moment on, we must strictly discipline our troops and absolutely forbid them from slaughtering Han Chinese civilians again!"
Mu Zian never expects anyone to have a change of heart.
It's even less likely that a jackal would so easily spit out the meat it has eaten.
Only when you completely subdue a beast will it understand that some meat is not to be eaten.
Having a tough attitude isn't enough to build up enough chips at the poker table.
Mu Zian needs to be prepared for both possibilities.
When the news from Luan Ti arrived in Chaocheng, Liangzhou, the generals of Qiubi City were immediately thrown into chaos.
This Xiongnu man, who valued honor above all else, simply could not accept Mu Zian's almost humiliating request.
While Agobhutan was still arguing fiercely about whether or not to agree to Mu Zi'an's request.
Mu Zian, along with Zhao Yun, Luo Cheng, and a thousand nights of uncrowd, have returned to Wuwei City.
Xu Hui and the more than 10,000 Beggars Army, who had been resting here for almost a month, had also recovered a lot of their strength.
During this period, Jia Xu used the formula left by Mu Zi'an to produce a lot of improved gunpowder.
Now, Mu Zian is about to give the Xiongnu, a camel on the verge of death, the final straw.
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