Chapter 318 Kneel down and welcome
"Bang--"
Duan Wei slammed his hand on the table, and all the generals fell silent.
In everyone's eyes, General Duan's eyes were wide open in anger, his black hair standing on end, like a raging lion:
"Those Jiaozhi brats are going too far! They planted spies to sow discord among the troops, and when they failed to poison the supplies, they still expect us to kneel and welcome them!"
"Who does Xuanyuan Ze think he is! He's eaten less rice than I've eaten salt! How dare he act so arrogantly? If our two countries hadn't already made peace, I would have personally gone and chopped off his dog's head!"
Later today, the Qi wedding procession will arrive in Kuncheng, and the Yue people have just sent a messenger with a message—
They demanded that General Duan and General Xiahou escort Princess Chang Le out of the city the next day, all the way to the border between the two countries, and that the Qi state's wedding procession kneel to welcome King Xiaoyao.
The generals of Qi were in an uproar upon hearing the news.
They were already furious about sending the princess away for a political marriage, and now this arrogant Jiaozhi brat was demanding that the two generals kneel to welcome her?!
This is no longer a provocation, this is an insult, this is courting death.
Almost none of the generals could remain calm after hearing this, and they all clamored to teach the Jiaozhi people a lesson when they escorted the bride the next day.
Even so, some people still came to their senses, suppressed their anger, and tried to persuade everyone not to act rashly. The people of Yue were not stupid; if they could send such a message, how could they not have foreseen the outcome? The fear was that if they acted impulsively, they would be led by the nose by Yue, and then turn the tables on them, resulting in more harm than good.
The words of admonition were met with rebuttal from most of the hot-tempered generals. Some even bluntly stated that these men were reasonable, but in reality, their hearts were with the Han and they already harbored rebellious intentions.
The group argued incessantly, and if General Duan hadn't slammed his fist on the table, they would have almost come to blows on the spot.
Xiahou Zhong was the first to come to his senses and remind everyone to calm down.
In front of him, Nie Qin, who was also a deputy general, snorted coldly, released his grip on his collar, and took two steps back, panting.
Nie Qin: "General Duan, the marriage procession will arrive today. If we send the bride as ordered by the court, our army's morale will be severely damaged! Moreover, those Jiaozhi people are arrogant and ignorant. If we do not kneel to welcome them as they demand, who knows how many troubles they will cause! In my opinion, it would be better to pretend to send the bride, but actually set up an ambush and catch them off guard!"
Xiahou Zhong shook his head in denial: "The marriage alliance is a done deal. If what you say is true, then going back on your word against the imperial court's orders would put our entire family in danger of treason!"
He wanted nothing more than to kill that Jiaozhi boy, but he wasn't so irrational as to lose his mind.
At that moment, Xiahou Yin suddenly lifted the curtain and led Qi Yuxuan in.
The young man was full of vigor, his eyes blazing with anger.
"General Duan, I believe General Nie is right! Since the Jiaozhi people acted unjustly first, we have a legitimate reason to launch our attack and have every right to break off the marriage alliance!"
The soldier and Lady Li are still imprisoned. With these two spies as witnesses, the Yue people are already in the wrong. Why can't they go back on their word?
Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Duan Wei remembered that he had previously mentioned his intention to meet Princess Chang Le. However, since it concerned her marriage proposal, it was somewhat awkward for a young woman to come and listen in person…
Duan Wei's thick eyebrows shot up: "Why did you bring the princess in without announcing your arrival! We are here to discuss important matters concerning peace talks between our two countries. You should take the princess out first!"
Xiahou Yin took a step forward, about to speak, when a soft, fair hand reached out and blocked his way.
Amidst the gaze of a group of tall, imposing generals, an exceptionally beautiful young girl calmly stepped forward.
Except for Xiahou Yin, all the generals here were married with children. When they saw this princess, who was much younger than their own children, and thought about how she would soon be sent to Yue for a political marriage, they couldn't help but feel complicated.
Speaking of which, Princess Chang Le is only sixteen years old. Even though she has reached the age of marriage, she is still a little girl two years younger than Xiahou Yin.
She was kidnapped alone and disappeared for two months in the Yue Kingdom. No one knows what she went through. Now that she has returned, she has learned that she has been sent to the Yue Kingdom as a candidate for marriage alliance. If it were any other girl, she would have cried and made a fuss. But she is quiet and does not fight or compete.
Moreover, even when facing these seasoned soldiers with countless drops of blood on their hands and an aura of fierceness, she remained calm and confident. Other noble ladies, even those who had witnessed great battles, would at least not be able to remain so calm and composed in front of these burly and imposing warriors, let alone tremble and hide behind them.
As everyone looked her over, the young girl spoke slowly and deliberately: "General Duan, although this matter concerns the marriage between our two countries, it is ultimately my marriage as well. I overheard your debate outside the tent just now. Now that things have come to this, I have some thoughts. I wonder if General Duan, with your magnanimous spirit, would allow me to take a moment of your time to hear my views on this marriage?"
In her short speech, her tone was gentle and melodious, like a spring breeze. She described the solemn and serious marriage alliance between the two countries as if it were her own little girl's wedding, which made the generals relax a little, intentionally or unintentionally.
Their anger stemmed from the fact that everyone had been on edge for some time now, determined not to embarrass Daqi.
At this moment, any sensitive news could snap the string, causing everything to deteriorate rapidly and the situation to spiral out of control.
After suffering two months of defeats, the court agreed to a marriage alliance, spies appeared in the camp, and now the Yue Kingdom humiliated the commander-in-chief... One thing after another, they were all tug-of-war on the same string, causing the Qi army to lose its composure, which allowed the Yue Kingdom to take advantage of the situation and break through in one fell swoop.
Qi Yuxuan never believed that Xuanyuan Ze would give up the idea of attacking the Qi Kingdom.
All the schemes are just delaying tactics, and even the so-called marriage alliance is just a smokescreen. Once she enters Yue under a legitimate marriage alliance, he will have no more scruples and will wipe out Qi in one fell swoop.
Duan Wei hesitated. This little princess wasn't particularly good at flattering people, but what made him hesitate wasn't her impressive boasting skills, but rather her tone and attitude.
Several years ago, when he went to the capital to report on his work, he met the Crown Prince, who was known for his integrity and virtue.
For some reason, Princess Chang Le now gives him a feeling that is too similar to that of the Crown Prince back then.
It gave him the illusion that if Princess Chang Le were also a prince, she would definitely be able to compete with the Crown Prince for the position of heir apparent...
Banishing the jumbled thoughts that popped into his head, Duan Wei fixed his hawk-like eyes on the little girl in front of him, who was barely taller than his chest. He deliberately tightened his voice, adding a menacing tone of anger:
"The princess is so young, yet she dares to be so audacious as to interfere in her own marriage? This is a peace treaty between two countries. The princess has been confined to her chambers for so long. How could she possibly be as familiar with peace negotiations as we soldiers who have personally fought on the battlefield?"
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