Yelü Hachi's expression changed, and he almost immediately drew his sword and slashed at Xue Shen, intending to give the Wei people a warning: "How dare a mere prisoner disrespect His Majesty!"
Seeing him make a move, Xue Shen narrowed his eyes, squeezed his legs and spurred his horse to the side to avoid it. At the same time, he spurred his horse forward and struck Yelü Hachi's elbow with his palm. Yelü Hachi's arm went numb, and before he could react, his sword had been snatched away by Xue Shen with his bare hands.
Xue Shen, carrying his sword, rode backward, contemptuously toying with Yelü Hachi's sword. Then, he raised his hand and threw it, and the sword instantly pierced into the flagpole in front of the Northern Rong army camp. The blade was embedded in the pole, and the hilt was still trembling. The Northern Rong military flag, hanging high in front of the camp, was shaken by the enormous force and was about to fall.
Xue Shen glanced at it dismissively and said, "The Northern Rong general is nothing special."
Yelü Hachi's face flushed red, and he was about to make a move when he heard a deep male voice say, "No wonder Nanxian is so fond of you. The King of Qin is indeed worthy of his reputation."
Xue Shen looked up into the Northern Rong army camp and saw a man of short stature but very strong riding out. Judging from his clothes and the expressions of the people around him, he must be the King of Northern Rong.
Xue Shen remained unmoved, showing no sign of the fear or trepidation one might expect before becoming a prisoner: "King of the Northern Rong."
The Northern Rong King originally did not want to show his face, after all, they had been taming the Wei people step by step in this way. But now, a Qin King suddenly appeared and dampened the prestige of his general. If he could not turn the tide and defeat the Wei people, he was afraid that they would not behave themselves.
The King of Beirong cracked his whip and galloped out of the military camp. As he passed the military flag in front of the camp, he pulled out the broadsword that Xue Shen had thrown into the flagpole. Without slowing down, he charged straight at Xue Shen with the sword in hand.
When the Northern Rong people saw their king take action, they all cheered.
Meanwhile, on the Wei side, the women forced into marriage alliances were so frightened that they huddled together in fear. Even Wang Yuanguang and the others gasped and took notice.
As staunch royalists, Wang Yuanguang and Emperor Cheng'an were of one mind, and naturally hoped that the Prince of Qin would never return, but not now.
If the King of Qin angers the Northern Rong people, they might still be able to vent their anger. However, if he is killed by the Northern Rong king, the peace talks will likely not go smoothly. If the talks drag on, it is hard to guarantee that the Northern Rong will not attack the city or make other demands.
Just as everyone was holding their breath, Xue Shen also moved—
He spurred his horse and suddenly pulled back, drawing a sword from the waist of one of the imperial guards accompanying him. Then, with a powerful thrust of his waist and a forceful swing of his arm, he met the Northern Rong King's blade head-on.
The two knives clashed, sparks flew from the blades, and a piercing metallic clang pierced the ears, causing many to cover their ears.
Although the Northern Rong King was short, he was very strong and muscular. Since he first came out of retirement, he had been the strongest man in the Northern Rong army. None of his generals were his match. Even Yelü Hachi, who was most valued by him, could only withstand a few blows in a direct confrontation.
Although Xue Shen was tall, he had a refined and slender physique, which made him seem utterly vulnerable to the Northern Rong people, who revered burly strength.
Yet this very person, whom the Northern Rong people considered utterly vulnerable, calmly withstood the Northern Rong king's all-out attack.
The blades clashed, and the two men were immediately very close.
Xue Shen stared intently at the Northern Rong King, giving him a provocative smile. The next instant, his arm muscles bulged, and he forcefully pushed the Northern Rong King away.
The warhorse beneath the Northern Rong King was startled and reared up, neighing loudly.
The Northern Rong King reacted swiftly, immediately stabilizing his horse, throwing away his sword, grabbing a heavy halberd from a nearby soldier, and attacking Xue Shen with a whip in one hand and the halberd in the other.
Seeing that he had changed his weapon and abandoned his sword, Xue Shen actually snatched a long spear from the imperial guard next to him and went to meet him.
The heavy halberd and the long spear clashed rapidly, making a series of loud thuds. In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged several blows. Xue Shen not only did not fall behind, but even gained a slight advantage, injuring the right arm of the Northern Rong King.
The King of the Northern Rong was so engrossed in the battle that he did not call a halt.
But Yelü Nanxian, who came out to watch the battle after hearing the news, vaguely felt something was wrong. She looked coldly at the Wei delegation and asked, "Is this your Wei's sincerity in the peace talks?"
Wang Yuanguang wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a forced smile, "The King of Qin has always had this temper..."
Yelü Nanxian scrutinized him but found nothing amiss, so she turned her gaze to Xuan Ci, who was watching the fight. She raised her hand and instructed the Northern Rong soldiers, "Since Your Majesty is enjoying the battle, there's no need to wait any longer. First, welcome the concubine into the camp."
As soon as he finished speaking, Northern Rong soldiers came out of the camp, intending to take Xuan Ci's carriage inside.
Upon seeing this, Xue Shen frowned slightly and glanced towards the east.
Just as he looked over there, suddenly firecrackers rose in the eastern sky, making a deafening explosion.
Xue Shen's lips curled slightly, and when he looked back at the Northern Rong King, his eyes were filled with genuine killing intent. The Northern Rong King realized something was wrong and was about to retreat, but Xue Shen had anticipated this and threw his spear directly.
The Northern Rong King had already witnessed his strength and dared not take it head-on, so he could only dodge to the side.
But just as he dodged to the side, he suddenly heard several whooshing sounds beside him—
Nine hidden arrows shot out from different angles, blocking all his escape routes.
Neither the Great Wei nor the Northern Rong expected that Xue Shen would launch a sudden sneak attack and kill them.
The Northern Rong general cried out in alarm. At the critical moment, the Northern Rong king reacted extremely quickly, protecting his vitals and taking the full force of three arrows.
Despite his injuries and pain, he rode back to camp, whereupon the Northern Rong soldiers immediately surrounded and protected him.
Yelü Hachi glared at Xue Shen: "What do you mean?"
Wang Yuanguang was completely bewildered by this turn of events, and only looked at Xue Shen with a vague sense of unease.
Xue Shen sat on his horse, his expression nonchalant: "We cede the three towns of Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian, with the Mo'er River as the boundary; all land south of the Mo'er River is to be designated as Northern Rong territory; we shall pay tribute of ten million taels of gold, eighty million taels of silver, twenty thousand cattle and horses, and three million bolts of silk and cloth; we shall send Princess Xuanci to marry the Northern Rong king as his concubine, with ten noble ladies from the royal family as her dowry; we shall send the Prince of Qin and the Prime Minister as hostages; five thousand young girls, one thousand young girls, and three thousand entertainers and dancers..."
He slowly repeated the demands made by the Northern Rong, his expression suddenly turning stern: "The Great Wei can afford it, but the mere Northern Rong have the right to accept it?"
The King of Beirong, despite his pain, did not leave. Upon hearing this, he said resentfully, "Is this all the Great Wei people can do besides groveling and begging for mercy?!"
Xue Shen scoffed: "The King of Beirong should understand the principle of 'all's fair in war' better than I do. Do you really think you have a chance of winning if we fight fair and square?"
His gaze swept over Yelü Nanxian, whose expression was solemn, and he said with an arrogant tone: "I only need two moves to kill Yelü Nanxian. You are a little stronger than her, so ten moves will be enough."
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