Several ministers could not help but stand up and try to remind the king.
"My king, be wise! Treae's three cities in my northeast are useless! And Nessos is a famous city in the Great North! This city exchange deal is not worth it for us!"
"Indeed! The Treae have long coveted Nessus, which is why they engaged in a fierce battle with Achilles and his men! The soldiers fought bloody battles to capture this territory, but to see it so easily handed over in the court, wouldn't that be disheartening to the soldiers?"
"Yes! Please ask me, Wang Sansi!"
…
Upon hearing this, the Treae envoy's face turned red and white.
Diplomacy has always been backed by strength.
The Battle of Nessos City had completely annihilated the Treae Legion. Now, when it came to negotiating terms, the Treae really didn't have much of an upper hand.
As for the Greek fire, the ministers of Stobi were right. It was not King Treae's original idea at all.
It was just the messenger himself, and he was on good terms with a foolish man who had fled from Syracuse.
I caught this information once when I was listening to him talking nonsense.
In fact, no one has ever made this thing.
Even the model exists only in the mind of that delusional person.
After being rebuked by the ministers, Envoy Treae felt a little embarrassed.
"Shut up, everyone!"
Seeing that the crowd was very excited, Xia Zhe spoke at the right time and interrupted the ministers.
This deal, which seems to be a three-for-one exchange, is actually a huge loss.
Of course I know!
I wouldn't change it if it wasn't a loss!
And that guy just now, your reminder was so timely!
You said that if I betrayed the results of the soldiers' bloody battle, it would cause dissatisfaction among everyone, right?
Very good!
I want this effect!
This way I can finish class as soon as possible!
Change!
Must change!
"I have carefully considered the pros and cons of exchanging cities! There is no need for you ministers to discuss it anymore, it is settled!" Xia Zhe made the final decision.
After saying this, fearing that everyone would not be able to accept it for a while, Xia Zhe gave orders to the Treae envoy.
"I say, could you please make a model of that Greek fire for everyone to see? Don't let people think you're just talking nonsense in the court. That would be bad."
Upon hearing this, the Treae envoy was stunned. He suppressed his ecstasy and explained solemnly.
"Your Majesty, please be advised! The story of Greek fire is not false. There is a scholar from Syracuse in my delegation who has quite a bit of experience in the production and use of this weapon. I will introduce him to Your Majesty later and have him live in Stobi. His name is Archimedes!" The messenger answered honestly.
Hearing this answer, the officials of Stobi were furious!
It turns out you don’t even have a model, and you just listened to some “scholar” bragging?
How dare you use something as a bargaining chip when there's nothing like this?
Do you think I'm a concentration camp for fools?
"Everyone, please be patient! Everyone, please be patient!"
Seeing that the faces of the ministers changed color, Xia Zhe tried to smooth things over in time.
He hadn't heard the name of the scholar just now, but that didn't stop Xia Zhe from making excuses for the Treae envoy.
"A scholar recommended it to me, and it's quite good! A living person is definitely better than a dead model! So, Prime Minister, you will be in charge of contacting this person. If there are any results, do it as soon as possible! Also, the specific matters of the city exchange will be fully handled by you. Don't procrastinate, and get it done quickly!"
"This? Yes, I obey your command!" The Prime Minister hesitated for a moment and then agreed.
"Okay! Today's business ends here! After Achilles and Odysseus return with their troops, Prime Minister, bring them to see me alone!" Xia Zhe ordered.
Having said this, he stood up gracefully, walked out of the meeting room quickly, and went back to playing games with satisfaction.
All the ministers looked at each other, none of them understood what the king was thinking.
“Stop daydreaming and just execute it first!” the Prime Minister concluded.
Then, he led the Treae envoy out of the conference room and immediately began to make arrangements according to Xia Zhe's request.
A few days later.
Upon hearing that the king had exchanged the city of Nessos for the Thrae, Achilles and Odysseus rode their horses at full speed and rushed back to Stobi.
Not daring to go directly to the palace, the two of them first rushed to the Prime Minister's residence, intending to talk to the Prime Minister first to understand the specific situation.
"That day we received a letter via carrier pigeon saying that the king had exchanged the city of Nessos for the Thrae. Odysseus and I were so frightened that we couldn't sit still for a moment and hurriedly rode back!" Achilles spoke first when he saw the Prime Minister.
"At that time, we both didn't understand the king's actions. But after thinking about it carefully on the road these days, we found that there were quite a few subtle considerations!" Odysseus interjected.
"Oh? Tell me about it!" the Prime Minister said with a smile.
"I'm well-versed in history, and I know that many of the great rulers of the ancient civilized world intended to conquer the barbarian areas. But in the end, no one succeeded! This time, we were able to capture the distant city of Nessus, which is already history!" said Odysseus.
"This is because the barbarian regions are vast and sparsely populated, making them unsuitable for farming. The heavy infantry, so invincible in the civilized world, is not suitable for large-scale deployment there!"
Achilles interjected.
"This time, I led only ten thousand elite troops on a breakthrough. With the assistance of my former subordinates and the support of the people along the way, we were able to maintain our combat effectiveness even when we reached Nessos City. This result was achieved entirely thanks to the king's meticulous planning in the early stages! It is an extreme example of warfare that cannot be replicated!"
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister nodded.
What Odysseus and Achilles said, the Prime Minister also thought about it in the past two days.
There was a power vacuum in the Maitali region, and several people rushed to send troops to seize it. There was nothing wrong with this in itself.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
