Yan Huisheng, who was closest to Yuan Zhao, quickly received Yuan Zhao’s letter, and he laughed immediately, handing the letter to the old Duke.
The old Duke took the letter, read it, and then said to Yan Huisheng, "Three days later then. I wonder what conditions Nanchu will offer, and on what day he agreed with them?" He sighed, "Being so far apart, it’s inconvenient to exchange information."
"Regardless of what day he agreed with Nanchu, let’s meet him in three days, and then postpone signing the peace treaty until we hear from Nanchu," Yan Huisheng said. "The current situation is favorable to us, we can afford to wait."
"Indeed." The old Duke nodded.
Yan Huisheng didn’t press anyone this time. He wrote a reply agreeing to meet on Half Moon Peak in three days as Yuan Zhao proposed.
Three days later, at Half Moon Peak, Yan Huisheng brought Xie Lin, Jiang Xing, and a man from Jiangzhou, along with a group of guards. The old Duke held back.
Yuan Zhao, the crown prince of Dawei, brought Luo Yan, his prospective princess, a few trusted men, and a group of guards. A seasoned general also held a position at the back.
Halfway up Half Moon Peak, there was a pavilion. By the time Yan Huisheng arrived, Yuan Zhao was waiting inside.
Seeing Yan Huisheng coming, Yuan Zhao squinted his eyes, stood up, and saluted, "Prince Yan."
"Prince Yuan." Yan Huisheng squinted his eyes in return and returned the salute.
After they both sat down, Yuan Zhao said directly, "Seventeen years ago, Princess Liang Zhenmin was supposed to marry Dawei, but she faked her death and escaped. Daliang cheated Dawei. At that time, Dawei negotiated a treaty with Daliang, which benefited Daliang greatly. This year, after the incident with Princess Zhenmin, Daliang has not given Dawei an explanation. Now, it has torn up the peace treaty and attacked Dawei. I dare ask Prince Yan, what is Daliang’s justification?"
Yan Huisheng responded calmly, "I only learned this year about my aunt’s faked death. When it happened in Dawei’s Capital City, Dawei didn’t investigate it, and Daliang had no way of knowing from thousands of miles away. Therefore, Daliang is not to be blamed for it. It’s pointless for Yuan Zhao to bring up the past. Let’s talk about the present. Were it not for Dawei’s sneak attack on the border, Daliang would not have sent troops to Dawei. The crisis today is Dawei’s own making."
Yuan Zhao sneered, "Prince Yan has a way with words. He knows well how to absolve himself of responsibility."
Yan Huisheng responded coldly, "Prince Yuan is no less eloquent. He stirred unrest in Daliang with the help of Zhang Ping and failed. Then he colluded with the Nangong family and seized Nanchu. After all that, it is as if he lifted a stone only to drop it on his own foot. Don’t forget, Prince Yuan, until now Nanchu has remained a subordinate state of Daliang and has not broken free. Your bullying of Nanchu is equally inexcusable."
Yuan Zhao was frustrated, "A worthy daughter of Princess Zhenmin indeed, and the Nanchu princess, Su Rong. I underestimated her today."
"It’s good that Prince Yuan understands," Yan Huisheng said without any courtesy.
Yuan Zhao looked at Yan Huisheng and finally broached the main subject, "Prince Yan looks so calm and carefree, is that because of your conviction that I am under Nanchu’s control and dare not lay a hand on you? You currently have not more than 400,000 soldiers, you are no match for me. I propose a treaty because I don’t want to overtax the people and feel the strain on resources. Aren’t your terms a bit too harsh?"
Yan Huisheng responded with a slight smile, "To know whether we are a match or not, we’ll have to fight. Although Prince Yuan has a larger force, he couldn’t conquer my cousin at Heiya Pass in Nanchu even after several days of fighting. At that time, Prince Yuan had 800,000 soldiers, while my cousin had only 500,000. As for the terms, I don’t think they are harsh. It’s better to exchange a couple of cities than losing half of Dawei’s territory."
Yuan Zhao was somewhat angry, "Prince Yan, you have a big appetite. You won’t be able to swallow half of Dawei’s territory."
"Whether or not I can digest it depends on the fight," Yan Huisheng said. "Although my position here cannot be advanced due to your personal intervention, it’s different for my cousin. I’ve received a letter from her. She took over your Dawei’s Dingnan City in just ten days. And her supplies can last for another half month. Prince Yuan should understand that in half a month, at this speed, she can seize twenty or thirty cities in Dawei. During this half a month, she can also seize countless supplies from Dawei. If it goes on for half a year, how much of Dawei’s 180 cities across seven provinces can be left? It’s better that you Prince Yuan figure this out."
Yuan Zhao looked solemn, "But you in Daliang will be driven back a thousand miles by me."
"That’s not necessarily the case. At most I would return these twelve cities to Dawei. In the end, who stands to lose more, Prince Yuan ought to know better than me." Yan Huisheng tapped her finger on the table. "I know that Prince Yuan has some hidden forces in the court. This time you only brought out the Poison Doctor Sect. Not all the factions from Jianghu loyal to you have been deployed. But in Daliang, I also have some Jianghu factions helping me. If Prince Yuan thinks the terms are too harsh, he can refuse to negotiate."
"Then we won’t negotiate." Luo Yan was furious. "Who cares about your treaty with Daliang anyway."
Yan Huisheng turned to Luo Yan, "I presume this is Dawei’s prospective princess. She’s skilled but impulsive, lacking in patience. Prince Yuan, this is not a good choice for a princess."
Luo Yan immediately threw a dart at Yan Huisheng’s face. Yan Huisheng caught it with a flick of her sleeves and threw it back at Luo Yan.
Luo Yan didn’t expect Yan Huisheng to be so skilled. Although she managed to dodge her own dart, she staggered and looked flustered.
She was completely enraged and was about to draw her sword when Yuan Zhao grabbed her, "Stand down."
Luo Yan was indignant, "Prince, I’m going to kill him."
Yuan Zhao frowned slightly, "Back off!"
Although Luo Yan was hot-headed, she still listened to Yuan Zhao. She didn’t dare to go too far in front of him. She knew when it was time to give in. She looked at Yan Huisheng resentfully, put her sword away and went back.
Yuan Zhao turned to Yan Huisheng and said, "For a prince to make such judgments about a woman, it’s hardly gentlemanly."
Yan Huisheng responded, "The one I was judging is Dawei’s prospective princess."
Yuan Zhao scoffed, "Prince Yan doesn’t have a princess yet. Is it because no woman likes you? Or is it because the emperor of Daliang isn’t pleased with you and you are not even allowed to decide on your own princess?"
Yan Huisheng shot back, "I haven’t met the right woman yet. If I’m as indiscriminate as you in choosing a princess, I’d rather not have one. After all, it’s better to be lacking than indulging."
"I’m going to kill you!" Luo Yan was about to draw her sword again.
Someone next to her held her back.
Yuan Zhao stared at Yan Huisheng, "I have a younger sister, Yuan Xi, who is praised for her beauty. I can introduce her to Prince Yan. Compared to my second brother, my father loves my fourth sister more. He cherishes her as if she were precious gem. If Prince Yan agrees, besides the diagrams for building the city bombardment apparatus, everything else can be discussed."
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