Qu Zheng got up very early today and went to Lu Buwei's tent without even having breakfast.
Last night, Handan sent a letter asking him to agree to all of Qin's requests and only ask for Qin to withdraw its troops as soon as possible.
Although he didn't know what exactly happened, he had a general idea in his mind.
After all, this was the only thing that could make Handan send an order overnight, asking him to force the Qin army to retreat at all costs.
But no matter what happened, and no matter how much it had to do with him, Qu Zheng, the most important thing for him now was to think about how to make the Qin army retreat as quickly as possible.
"Why did Envoy Qu come so early today? Has he truly made up his mind to cede Shangjun to Changping to the Qin Empire?"
Lu Buwei had just woken up. Seeing Qu Zheng coming so early, he thought something had happened and was scared to death.
Qu Zheng knew that Lu Buwei was worried. After all, he came too early today, which was indeed a bit abnormal.
As long as Lu Buwei felt a sense of fear in his heart, Qu Zheng would have more initiative in the subsequent negotiations.
"General, you're joking. I just don't want to delay any longer." Qu Zheng took the wine cup from Lu Buwei with a smile. "We've been talking for three days now. It's time to give us a result."
Lu Buwei was extremely wary, always feeling that Qu Zheng had received some kind of news. After all, they were deep behind enemy lines, and most of the territories they captured were unguarded. A lot of news would still fall into the hands of Zhao State.
Now Qu Zheng suddenly became powerful, which unconsciously gave Lu Buwei an illusion that Zhao was in power.
However, as a mere businessman, Lü Buwei had seen all sorts of scenes. When he escorted Ying Zichu out of Handan, the scene was much grander than this.
At that time, Lu Buwei didn't have a single soldier, but he dared to take Ying Zichu and escape from Handan. Now he has countless soldiers under his command, so naturally he dares to pretend to be powerful.
"The results have already been given to the envoy by Buwei, but the envoy has been evading them. How about this: when Buwei enters Handan, we can discuss the results with the King of Zhao. Envoy, what do you think?"
Qu Zheng looked at Lu Buwei who was drinking wine like tasting tea, and wondered if the fear he saw when he first entered the account was a mistake.
However, no matter whether he was mistaken or not, Qu Zheng had no choice but to go ahead with it, otherwise, he would have no chance.
"I'm not going to argue with you, General. It's just that Qin's conditions are too harsh. My Zhao won't agree to them." Qu Zheng stood up and looked at Lü Buwei. "My Zhao can only offer three cities and an additional 50,000 taels of gold. I wonder if Qin is willing to accept them?"
Lü Buwei's eyes moved, but his expression darkened. He shouted, "Five cities, not a single one can be lost. Qin can only take half of the gold, but not a single city can be lost!"
"Four cities, fifty thousand taels of gold. My State of Zhao has shown sincerity, and I hope Qin will not push any further. You know, my General Lian Po is still at Hangu Pass!"
"Then let's not talk about it! You should know that Handan is now surrounded by hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Great Qin!"
The two of them were arguing fiercely, and they chose their harsh words carefully, for fear that if they said something wrong, they would embarrass both of them.
There's no point in always arguing like this. Neither of them wants to give in to the other, and it's impossible for either of them to give in to the other.
"Envoy Qu, if this is the extent of Zhao's sincerity, then there is really no need to continue the discussion. Please return as soon as possible and tell King Zhao that Qin wants his head!"
Lu Buwei was also annoyed by the noise, and threw the wine glass in his hand on the table, angrily.
The meaning of this sentence is to give a direct answer: if you agree to withdraw the troops immediately, if you don't agree, then we will attack the city tomorrow.
Although Qu Zheng knew that Lu Buwei was speaking harshly, who could be sure?
After all, neither side knows whether the other's confidence is real or fake. Both sides have something to hide, so most of them will not be too tough.
Now, being tough seems a bit fake, but who can be sure that this toughness is not real?
"General, my State of Zhao can only offer four cities now, and I can double the gold for you. If Qin still refuses, then my State of Zhao can only wait for your troops in Handan!"
Qu Zheng slammed the table, his hair standing on end and his face flushed red.
"General, you can take these four cities along the way from Shangjun to Changping. Since Zhao is so sincere, Qin should just withdraw while it's good enough!"
Lu Buwei knew that this was the limit, it really was the limit.
He did not dare to press any harder. After all, although Zhao State did not know how many Qin soldiers were in the camp, Lu Buwei did know.
It would be easy to surround Handan with just these soldiers, but if they dare to attack the city, it would be tantamount to seeking death.
"The Great Qin of course sees Zhao's sincerity clearly, but is this city really useless? The Great Qin of course doesn't need the gold, and can even offer an additional 30,000 taels. Would the envoy consider this?"
"If you bring up the matter of adding cities again, General, I will commit suicide right here, to show Zhao's resolve to fight to the death!"
As he spoke, Qu Zheng drew the sword from his waist and held it tightly against his neck.
Lu Buwei was a little panicked. If Qu Zheng really died in his tent, he would always be blamed no matter what the outcome of the Battle of Hangu Pass was. He might not even be able to hold the position of prime minister, let alone the position of general.
"Alright, now that Great Qin understands Zhao's sincerity and determination, it's settled. Four cities and fifty thousand gold."
Lu Buwei could only calm Qu Zheng down first. If he died here, Qin and Zhao would definitely go to war tomorrow.
"I appreciate your understanding, General. This is the geomancy map from Shangjun to Changping. Please take a look at it. Once you're done, I can return and report."
When Qu Zheng saw that Lu Buwei agreed, he put down his sword, took out a feng shui map from his arms and spread it on the table.
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