Chapter 566: Redemption in Batches
Xianbei Royal Court
Tuoba Khan had been vexed lately because the Xianbei army had been unable to attack Dai County due to the hanging of Fuyu captives on the walls of Pingzhou. Actually, it wasn't just Dai County, it also included the cities of Pingzhou, unless they truly disregarded the lives of their subordinates.
The other tribes were not concerned and wanted to attack the city in front of them at all costs.
Tuoba Khan knew that this precedent could not be set. If he really ignored the life and death of the subordinate tribes, the people's hearts would be dispersed.
Tuoba Khan was an ambitious man and naturally would not do this.
Another reason why he was so upset was that Axe came to him crying every day, all because his eldest son was hanged on the city wall.
Akesi insisted that he save people, and Tuoba Khan was completely irritated by him.
Tuoba Khan was puzzled. In the past, they had always driven the Han people like sheep and horses, and hadn't the Han people always boasted of being a great country and a nation of etiquette? Why was Pingzhou so different? It was like a mutant.
At this time, Tuoba Khan thought that he must not let Lu Songli of Pingzhou become the ruler of the thirteen states in the Central Plains.
He had a premonition that if Pingzhou became the final winner, the Xianbei would never be able to gain any advantage again.
Tuoba Khan was still thinking about how to deal with Pingzhou when Akesi came again.
Seeing that he was about to scream at the top of his lungs again, Tuoba Khan raised his hand and said, "Alright, you don't have to cry anymore. This Khan has decided to send people to Pingzhou to negotiate the release of the Buyeo prisoners."
These captives still have to be redeemed, otherwise Pingzhou will always hold this weak point in our hands and hinder everything we do.
Axe paused and said, "That's great, Khan. Send someone quickly. I won't cry and won't delay you any longer."
Then, Tuoba Khan really sent an envoy to Pingzhou to ask them to discuss the issue of the Fuyu captives. They wanted to redeem the people and asked Pingzhou what conditions they wanted.
This matter was quickly reported to Lu Songli.
The Xianbei royal court wanted to redeem these Fuyu captives? Lu Songli's instructions were: Yes, let them redeem them in batches.
After receiving the instructions, Xue Xu sent someone to notify He Ziqi, who was in charge of the Fuyu captives, and told him that the higher-ups might want to take a group of captives away.
When he received the notice, He Ziqi was still unhappy. These captives were so useful. All the dirty and tiring work could be thrown to them. They ate little and were really good at work.
Later, when he heard that the governor was planning to exchange the elderly and children among the captives for ransom, he became very enthusiastic and cooperated with the young general to rescue them. Although these elderly and children were not a burden to Pingzhou, it was true that they did little work and created little value.
Next, they in Pingzhou would negotiate terms with the Xianbei regarding the Fuyu captives.
This happened to be known by Lu Desheng, who rushed to Shanggu County at the speed of light.
He went to his daughter and asked, "Let me do this." He knew how to do it, and he loved it. Life had been so boring lately, and as a sensible father, he needed to learn how to entertain himself.
For Lu Songli, it would be best if her father was willing to communicate with the Xianbei.
After receiving the order, Lu Desheng took his men and hurried to tell the Xianbei people about their decision to take Pingzhou.
The person in charge of negotiations on the Xianbei side was still Yuchi Xun.
In addition, this matter concerns the entire Buyeo clan, and Axe has also come.
Lü Desheng was disappointed when he saw that the Xianbei envoy was the small-time envoy who had been sent to Pingzhou the previous time. Looking at Akesi, although he was the chief of the Fuyu tribe, they had wiped out the entire Fuyu tribe in Pingzhou, and Akesi, the chief, was nothing but a pauper.
So Lu Desheng withdrew his gaze. Tuoba Lian didn't come, what an unfilial son! His uncle was here, and he didn't come.
After hearing Pingzhou's decision, Yuchi Xun and Axe never expected such an answer. In their opinion, the other party would either refuse or agree, but they had no idea that there was a third answer.
"What do you mean by Pingzhou?"
Lu Desheng raised his eyelids and said, "Anyway, if you Xianbei want to redeem the captives of the Fuyu tribe, you can. We in Pingzhou are willing to let you redeem the elderly and children, but the young and strong cannot be redeemed for the time being."
"Why?"
Lu Desheng said unhappily, "Do you think we're stupid? If we redeem our young men, won't that just increase your manpower? So you can come back and fight us again?"
"Then what conditions do you Pingzhou require and when are you willing to let us redeem the young and strong?" Yuchi Xun asked while holding back his anger.
"Once their transformation is complete, you can redeem them. As for the conditions, we'll discuss them then."
"What did you say?"
"Don't you Xianbei people know how to farm, build houses, construct roads, etc.? We will teach you for free! Once they have learned everything, you can redeem the people." Lu Desheng said righteously.
Xianbei Envoys: Do they need to learn these things?
Lu Desheng said earnestly, "You are just too lazy. You don't want to learn anything. That's why you don't have enough to eat or wear warm clothes, and that's why you always want to steal from others. This is wrong."
"Although we all know that getting something for nothing is the fastest way to gain wealth. Everyone wants to get something for nothing, but being a robber doesn't always mean you get to eat meat. For example, this time, you got beaten, didn't you? So, you should be down-to-earth."
Xianbei Envoys: This is what it means to kill someone and destroy their heart. What sins have they committed to deserve such torture?
Lu Desheng knocked on the table. "Alright. Now the question is, are you going to redeem the person or not?"
Seeing these guys being as quiet as chickens, Lu Desheng knew that they still wanted to listen, but his classes were very expensive, and by saying these two words, he was letting these Xianbei envoys take advantage.
Xianbei Envoys: Are you sure we are not so angry that we can’t speak?
Seeing that Lu Desheng's expression was becoming increasingly impatient, Axe quickly stated, "Redemption is necessary."
Hearing this, Lu Desheng's expression softened a bit. "If you want to ransom her, then let's calculate the ransom."
The entire Fuyu tribe had a total of about 200,000 people, of which 40,000 young and strong followed Tuoba Khan to fight. Among the remaining 160,000 people, about 100,000 were elderly and children, and 60,000 were young men and women.
"...these 100,000 elderly people and children, the package price is one million taels of silver."
Yuchi Xun said angrily, "One million taels of silver, why don't you go and rob it?" Needless to say, it will be even more expensive to redeem the young and strong people of the Fuyu tribe in the future.
Hearing this, Lu Desheng's face darkened. "I don't like what you're saying. Six taels of silver per elderly person isn't too much, right? Children are our hope, twelve taels per person isn't too much, right? There are a total of 100,000 elderly people and children now, and charging you one million taels is too much, right? This is a fair price, okay?"
After saying this, he turned to Akesi and said, "Chief Akesi, I believe you can come up with the one million taels of silver. This person in front of you is not from your Buyeo tribe, right? Look, is he the one who negotiates like this? Does he want to exterminate your tribe?"
He also tried to sow discord, and Yuchi Xun was furious. "You Pingzhou people are so arrogant. Have you forgotten that the northern border and Liangzhou are in our Xianbei hands? Aren't you afraid that we will torture the Han people under our jurisdiction?"
"You're talking as if you're not torturing the Han people anymore." Lu Desheng curled his lips. "By the way, aren't you Xianbei threatening the wrong person? You should be saying this to the Emperor of Dali."
"Chief Akesi, think about what I just said. Don't you think it makes sense? You have to take care of your own affairs and don't expect outsiders to worry about them for you. Go back and think about it carefully. When you're done, bring the ransom. Of course, it's okay if you don't want to redeem them. We will take care of the Fuyu elders and children anyway."
After Lu Desheng finished speaking, he brought tea to see the guest off.
Lü Desheng seemed to be hesitant to redeem her, which made Akesi even more worried. Yuchi Xun was about to say something when he was dragged away. He wanted to go back to Tuoba Khan to get the silver!
It’s too late to update twice, so I’ll just update once today. My comments won’t be displayed, so I can only put them in the main text because I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.
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