At that moment, General Cui not only remained calm but also revealed a mocking expression, saying disdainfully:
"I originally thought Lord Qi was someone important, but now I see that he is just a short-sighted person."
I don't know if you've always been like this, or if you've been blinded by lust and instigated by someone, to the point that you can't even see the most basic situation clearly.
Everyone present knew who General Cui was referring to, and Jiang Xinrui naturally understood as well.
She was so angry that her originally pale face miraculously regained a blush.
She was about to reprimand him when Qi Chengfeng spoke first:
"You people from Jiangbei City are really interesting. You've colluded with the Miao people, which is tantamount to making enemies of the world. Now that you're about to die, instead of begging for mercy, you're still so stubborn."
"Ha~, I don't know if you're brave enough to face death, or just stupid enough not to realize your time is up. I also don't know if your general will come to collect your corpses."
As Qi Chengfeng spoke, the guards of Yanyun City drew their weapons, ready to take down the people of Jiangbei City at Qi Chengfeng's command.
Throughout history, it has been customary for two countries to refrain from harming envoys during wartime, but Qi Chengfeng's actions at this moment clearly indicate that he has no intention of adhering to these rules.
Seeing this scene, the other delegation members had no intention of speaking up for the people of Jiangbei. Instead, they all began to distance themselves from the people of Jiangbei City as much as possible, and the situation became tense for a moment.
General Cui, however, remained as composed as a mountain, completely ignoring Qi Chengfeng's words. Instead, he looked at the other members of the delegation and calmly said:
"Gentlemen, the King of Qi is incompetent and tyrannical, and the barbarian bandits are eyeing us covetously. Now, the State of Qi can be said to be beset by internal and external troubles, and the people are living in misery."
Although we each act independently, we are all determined to defend against external enemies. Why then do these petty barbarians dare to be so arrogant? Isn't it because they have the assistance of the Miao people? Isn't our biggest problem our inability to combat Gu poison?
As General Cui spoke, his chin involuntarily rose slightly, his tone revealing undisguised pride and certainty:
"But things are different now. Our general's wife has found a way to cure the Gu poison, and she has even subdued the former 'Holy Maiden' who has a blood feud with the Miao King and made her work for her."
"Then what will Jiangbei City have to fear when facing the Miao people again? The Miao problem will no longer be a problem. How long can that little barbarian thief keep causing trouble?"
After General Cui finished speaking, the expressions of the several heads of the delegations present became somewhat subtle.
The Miao people are their biggest threat, and they have yet to find a way to deal with them. Every battle they have fought has been fought with human lives lost. Now that Jiangbei has a solution, it is unknown how likely they are to be able to use it.
Hearing General Cui's praise of Yan Xiao, Jiang Xinrui felt a surge of resentment, but she was also worried that these people might be considering cooperating with Jiangbei. If that happened, she would be shooting herself in the foot.
Thinking this, she quickly said loudly:
"Don't be fooled by the clever words of the people from Jiangbei City. Jiangbei is already powerful, and now that they have mastered the Gu technique, they will be even more difficult to deal with."
Once he tricks you into cooperating to destroy the barbarian bandits, all he wants is to seize the world. How can he tolerate you each going your own way?
Instead of this, why don't you all form an alliance with my Yanyun City, take Jiangbei together, and force that vixen Yanxiao to hand over the Gu technique? Once we have the Gu technique, we can fight the barbarian enemies together. What will we have to fear then?
Jiang Xinrui had completely dropped the pretense and directly stated her current purpose, and her words undoubtedly hit the nail on the head regarding the stakes involved.
If only the people of Jiangbei City mastered the Gu technique and wiped out the barbarian bandits, then the other cities would either have to submit to the barbarian bandits or follow in their footsteps.
However, if we force the people of Jiangbei City to hand over their Gu techniques, then sharing them with everyone will be a completely different story.
Thinking about all this, people in several cities were tempted, but no one stepped forward to be the first to do so.
Their every move now represents the forces behind them, and a single misstep could lead to utter ruin. The best course of action is to wait and see how things develop before making a decision.
"Did you teach General Cui to say these things? What exactly are you trying to do? If this continues, Jiangbei might become the target of everyone's attacks. Even if you have three heads and six arms, you won't be able to handle it!"
Yan Xiao frowned as she watched the situation unfold, her tone tinged with worry.
Shen Muzhi nodded slightly, acknowledging it, and replied:
"Don't worry, it was just a risky move, we should see results soon."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiao immediately became interested. Just as she was about to ask another question, she saw that General Cui remained completely calm, with a mocking expression on his face.
He didn't even glance at Jiang Xinrui, and instead stared at Qi Chengfeng mockingly:
"Now, is this short-sighted woman from the inner quarters running the Yan Yun City? How naive! If we in Jiangbei dare to keep the Miao people here, we are not afraid of your troubles."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the heads of the other missions, his eyes filled with the imposing aura of someone seasoned in battle.
"If you know what's good for you, you should think about how to sincerely cooperate with Jiangbei to achieve a win-win situation, instead of fantasizing about swallowing up Jiangbei."
It's not that I look down on you all, but now that we in Jiangbei have a general's wife who understands Gu poison assisting us, even if you have the will, can you really swallow it?
"Don't tell me you're all preoccupied with your own agendas and can't work together. Even if you could unite and conquer Jiangbei, what would your losses be? If those barbarians were to join forces with the Miao people and launch an attack at this time, could you withstand it?"
Qi Chengfeng's original expression was starting to crumble. He couldn't help but let out a cold snort and said in a deep voice:
"Shen Muzhi has truly mastered the art of manipulation, putting the people of our cities on the fire. Who wouldn't want such an opportunity? Given this chance, who would willingly remain subservient to others?"
Now that he has mastered the art of Gu poison, even if we cooperate with him to destroy the barbarian bandits, the best outcome for us is to submit to him.
Since that's the case, why should we do all this for him? We might as well give it our all.
Everyone present could understand the conversation between General Cui and Qi Chengfeng, and based on their understanding, their master's ambition would not allow him to be content to be subordinate to others.
They dared not turn against Jiangbei City or choose to cooperate with Qi Chengfeng.
Qi Chengfeng is a smiling tiger. Cooperating with him is like asking a tiger for its skin. In the end, you might just be doing him a favor. Therefore, no one expressed their opinion.
Just as the atmosphere was about to reach freezing point, some noise suddenly came from outside, and then two people ran towards Qi Chengfeng with unsteady steps.
As soon as they reached Qi Chengfeng, the two knelt down in a panic and reported in trembling voices:
"No, Lord, something terrible has happened! Several of our outposts have suddenly collapsed without warning, injuring many people. Then, just like after the main hall collapsed, countless ants appeared."
After the first person finished speaking, the other person quickly followed up with a report:
"Lord, I am incompetent. For some unknown reason, snakes, insects, and rats have suddenly appeared in the military camp overnight. They are everywhere, in the water and food. Many soldiers have already shown signs of poisoning, and we dare not even eat or drink now."
No, not only that, our warhorses have been frightened for some reason, and half of them have gone mad and are completely out of control.
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