Chapter 253: Layer upon layer of escalation
The chief steward sent most of his men to pursue, while he himself took a few warriors back to report.
Faced with this result, Tuoba Khan knew very well that the other party should have left last night and he was afraid that he could not be caught up.
"Southerners, Dali." Tuoba Khan said after a moment's silence, "They should take the shortest route back to Dali, abandon the other two routes, and pursue directly towards Dragon City! Take the Eagle King with them!"
Among all the counties in Pingzhou, the one closest to their Shengle Royal Court is Longcheng in Liaoxi County!
"yes!"
"By the way, let's check who else the group met besides Qiumulingfang."
When the chief steward presented the results of the investigation, Tuoba Khan was surprised even though he was mentally prepared. How could the other party have connections with so many people?
Very good, the eldest son has not made any progress, but has been completely exploited!
Furthermore, it was now clear that it wasn't just the Xianbei who didn't take the contract seriously. Even some people in Dali knew that the contract was hollow and couldn't bind them.
Under these circumstances, the Xianbei no longer held the upper hand, but could he refuse to sign the peace treaty and rescue his youngest son?
What upset him most was that the other party saw through his strategy of keeping a low profile.
Could it be that the other party's move was a warning to him? If he insisted on starting a rebellion at this time, the other party would not mind making his ambition known to the world, and everyone would fight to the death.
Originally, the Xianbei had hoped to use this contract to launch a surprise attack in the future, but now, it was clear that this plan was no longer feasible.
He also has to be on guard. Will the next time he leads his troops south, he end up playing into the enemy's hands?
And the other party had said something that hit home with him: Build high walls, store up food, and slowly become king...
Tuoba Khan looked towards the Dali in the south and sighed. Dali had too many smart people. He needed to be cautious when launching an army next time. Two years, two years of preparation, and never launch an army!
"He Laiqier, take this Khan's seal and go to the border of Houcheng. Tell the eldest prince to agree to sign a peace treaty with Houcheng and to rescue the little prince. If they make any harmless requests, agree to them."
"Yes!" replied the chief steward He Laiqier.
"Go ahead."
The junction of Xianbei grassland and Dali Longcheng
Looking at the Xianbei elite who were searching for something not far away, Zhou Da and others lying in the grass did not move.
"Captain, there really are pursuers following us. It was a close call, a real close call."
"Don't move, don't talk!"
Until the eagle in the sky flew away with a long cry, the people below waited for a while before they started to speak.
"Mr. Xue is as good as a god."
"Let's go and meet up with Master Liu and Mr. Xue!"
"Yes, tell them that the damn Tuoba Khan really sent people to hunt us down."
When heading to Houcheng, Qin's mother decided to raise the generational status of her sons. Now Qin Heng continued to be called "Shizi Ye", while Qin Yan, Qin Zhao, Qin Sheng and others were called "Second Master", "Third Master" and "Sixth Master" respectively. Now everyone below started calling him that.
After receiving feedback from Zhou Da and others, Xue Xu smiled easily. It seemed that the strategy of shocking the enemy from a distance was successful.
"This place is very close to our villa in Longcheng. Master Qin, do you want to go over there and rest for a while?"
Their mission was completed, and they could just go back slowly.
Xue Xu believed that the Sixth Young Master's wife would definitely seize the opportunity.
Qin Sheng tied the bag to his body and felt around to make sure the things he had just collected on the mountain were still there. "You guys go and rest for a while. I won't be going. I need to rush back to Houcheng tonight."
He misses his wife.
He is in good physical condition and is still energetic, not tired.
These people were weak and couldn't compare to him, that was normal. He couldn't expect too much from them.
Xue Xu glanced at him. His waist was his waist, his legs were his legs, and his physical strength was very good. Well, very good.
"I won't rest either. I'll go back to Houcheng with you." He wanted to witness the results with his own eyes.
Zhou Da and the others looked at each other and thought, well, they should just leave. Sixth Master and Mr. Xue are both going back, so what's the point of them staying in Longcheng to rest?
The next day, the Houcheng negotiation team headed by Lu Desheng and the Xianbei negotiation team headed by Tuoba Xun once again took to the platform.
Lu Desheng discovered that the other party's negotiation team had replaced one person, who was standing on the left of Tuoba Xun.
"County Magistrate Lu, we have agreed to sign a three-year ceasefire. I hope you in Dali will keep your word and release my brother once the agreement is signed."
"Okay, Prince Tuoba is quite straightforward! Don't worry, I will release him for you. If we hold him captive, we will have to pay for his food supply in Houcheng, which is not cost-effective."
Tuoba Xun: ...
As soon as Lu Desheng raised his hand, Chen Ping handed over the drafted agreement.
Lu Desheng handed it over and said, "Take a look at it. If you have no objection, just sign it."
Tuoba Xun took it and began to look through the treaty. He had to take a look at it, as he had to act more realistically.
But what did he discover? The agreement contained a supplementary clause, which stated that the Xianbei were not allowed to harass or invade the four counties of Pingzhou, especially Liaodong County, for three years!
Tuoba Xun asked, "Why is this?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" Lü Desheng asked. "You Xianbei have all agreed not to invade Dali for three years. So, of course, that includes not harassing or invading the four counties of Pingzhou, right?"
Members of the Xianbei negotiation team: Now that we hear this, this supplementary clause seems very reasonable.
Tuoba Xun wanted to say something, but He Laiqier next to him pulled him, so he held it in.
Little guys, don’t think we don’t know what you are thinking. We were the ones who came up with that idea.
Lu Desheng will tell him that this supplementary clause is of course a reward for our Houcheng, and it is perfect for winning people's hearts.
The core personnel such as the Xianbei royal court and Lu Songli knew that this treaty was very empty.
This agreement actually cannot bind the other party.
The three-year truce stipulated in the treaty was guaranteed peace in the first year, but not in the second. If the Xianbei had any sense, they might have started fighting in the third year; if they had no sense, they would have likely broken the agreement in the second year.
Anyone who believes in this contract is a fool.
Tuoba Xun continued to read.
Turning to the last page, Tuoba Xun screamed, "What is this?!"
The last clause of the agreement was: the Xianbei royal court must compensate Houcheng with thirty sheep, or fifteen cows, or fifteen horses as food for Tuoba Lian's consumption in Houcheng over the past few days.
Is Tuoba Lian a pig? How can he eat so much?
Lu Desheng gave him a look of disdain. "Is there a problem? We captured your little prince Tuoba Lian alive, yes, but they are your little princes, right? It doesn't make sense for us to support your people, right?"
"Of course not. We in Houcheng will keep him for a few days. You must pay for his food and rations."
"Or are you, the Xianbei royal family, too poor to afford food and want to renege on your debts?"
The Xianbei negotiating team was about to explode. These words were not very hurtful, but extremely insulting. How could this be tolerated?
Tuoba Xun was frustrated, "Giving me rations is no problem, but you guys are asking for too much!"
"Where is it more?!" Lu Desheng asked back, damn, this time it's equivalent to sending Tuoba Lianbai back to you, so what's wrong with charging you a little interest?
"He's not a pig. No matter how much he eats, he can't eat thirty sheep!"
"When we caught him, he had no food with him. If we hadn't given him food in advance, he would have starved to death. Even if you gave him 30 or 100 sheep, he wouldn't have survived."
"Give it to them!" Not wanting to waste time on such trivial details, He Laiqier made the decision.
"Bring fifteen horses over for them." There are no cows or sheep here, and we have to go back and get them for them. What a hassle!
They were stationed at the border of the grassland and didn't have cattle or sheep with them, so they could only use war horses.
After Lu Desheng successfully received the fifteen war horses, he began to sign the peace treaty smoothly.
Chen Ping, Liu Heshan, and the others sat obediently, admiringly watching Lv Desheng's back. The new county magistrate of Houcheng, Lord Lv, had shown them what it meant to increase the stakes layer by layer! He was truly pushing the other party's limits, learning from them.
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