Then, the envoy turned to look at Lu Yan.
The respect and humility he had shown just moments before vanished without a trace.
Instead, it was replaced by haughty arrogance:
"Prefect Lu, our king is very dissatisfied with the situation in the barbarian lands!"
"You must return the barbarian lands to my Northern Xiang Kingdom!"
"Barbarian lands? That's already part of our Great Tong Dynasty! You want me to return it? Dream on!"
Lu Yan retaliated without backing down, but in his mind he was rapidly calculating a countermeasure.
The Northern Xiang Kingdom is coming on strong, and it seems that war is inevitable.
"Lu Yan, don't be stubborn and ask for trouble!"
The envoy flew into a rage, his gruff voice echoing throughout the county government office.
"Our king has already dispatched troops to assemble at the border. If you know what's good for you, you'd better hand over the barbarian lands obediently!"
"Otherwise, just wait for our Beixiang Kingdom's iron cavalry to raze your Shannan Prefecture to the ground!"
"To flatten Shannan Prefecture? You've got quite the nerve!"
Lu Yan scoffed.
"You bunch of scrawny soldiers? I don't even consider you a threat!"
Seeing that the two sides were on the verge of a major battle, Princess Mingyue quickly spoke up to stop them:
"Please calm down, gentlemen! Let's talk this out. Why resort to knives and guns?"
She turned to look at Lu Yan, her tone softening slightly.
"Lord Lu, the lands of the barbarians originally belonged to my Northern Xiang Kingdom,"
"Now that they have submitted to Datong, I beg you, sir, for my sake, return the barbarian lands to us."
Lu Yan cursed inwardly, "This little brat!"
He replied with a forced smile:
"Your Highness, this barbarian land is now part of Da Tong's territory. How can it be returned so easily?"
"Besides, these barbarian people are willing to submit to my Great Tong. I can't force them to return to the Northern Xiang Kingdom, can I?"
"Doesn't this go against their wishes?"
“You…” Princess Mingyue stomped her feet in anger, but there was nothing she could do.
Seeing this, the envoy added fuel to the fire:
"Lu Yan, stop with your sweet talk! You'll have to pay today, whether you like it or not! Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"
"You're welcome? I'd like to see just how you're going to be impolite!"
Lu Yan also lost his temper. He waved his hand and shouted towards the door.
"Men! Throw these people out!"
The guards of the county government office had long been unable to contain themselves.
Upon hearing Lu Yan's order, they immediately swarmed forward.
They surrounded the envoys from the Northern Xiang Kingdom.
"You dare!"
The envoy roared, drew his sword from his waist, and brandished it at the guards.
"Try touching me!"
Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, Princess Mingyue was so anxious that she paced around in circles.
She rushed to Lu Yan's side, grabbed his sleeve, and pleaded in a low voice:
"Lord Lu, I'm begging you, please return the barbarian lands to us!"
"My Northern Xiang Kingdom and the Great Tong Dynasty have been on good terms for generations. Why should we damage our harmony over such a trivial matter?"
Lu Yan didn't even lift his eyelids. Princess Mingyue's fragrant breeze brushed past his nose, but he seemed not to smell it.
This girl is quite pretty, but unfortunately, she's not very bright.
What kind of time is this to be playing the appeasement game?
Do you really think I'm a vegetarian?
"Your Highness, the scent of your perfume is a bit too strong; it's giving me a headache."
Lu Yan rubbed his temples and moved to the side with a look of disgust.
He dodged Princess Mingyue's delicate hand that was tugging at his sleeve.
Seeing this, the envoy became even more arrogant, his nostrils flaring upwards, and he snorted coldly:
"Lu Yan! You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Do you really think that my Northern Xiang Kingdom is afraid of a mere prefect like you?"
"Fear? That word doesn't even exist in my dictionary!"
Lu Yan suddenly stood up, a wicked smile curving his lips.
"I hate being threatened more than anything in my life! Especially you hairy thing, you look like a bear."
"You dare to act wildly in my Shannan Prefecture? Don't you know what kind of temper I have?"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Yan pulled a delicate and small musket out of his boot with a "whoosh".
The dark muzzle of the gun was pointed directly at the dumbfounded envoy.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out, and the county government office fell silent instantly.
The envoy stared wide-eyed, looking down incredulously at the bloody hole in his chest, which was emitting a bluish smoke.
Then it fell straight down, twitched a few times, and then became still.
A faint smell of blood and gunpowder filled the air, and Princess Mingyue turned pale with fright.
He stood frozen in place, trembling all over, as if struck by lightning.
The rest of the Northern Xiang Kingdom's followers were so terrified they ran away in a panic.
They all ran away with their heads in their hands, wishing their parents had two more legs.
Lu Yan blew on the non-existent gunpowder smoke from the muzzle of the gun.
He calmly put the musket back into his boot.
It was as casual as if he had just swatted a fly.
"You...you...you're insane!"
Princess Mingyue pointed at Lu Yan with trembling hands, her words stammering.
Lu Yan blew away the non-existent gunpowder smoke from the muzzle of his gun and replied calmly:
"Crazy? I'm perfectly sober! How dare they run wild in my Shannan Prefecture? Do they really think I'm a pushover?"
He glanced sideways at Princess Mingyue, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"What? Feeling sorry for them? If you do, then take your people and get back here right now!"
"Tell your king that I am waiting for him in Shannan County. I want to see what he's capable of!"
Princess Mingyue finally came to her senses and realized how formidable Lu Yan was.
I also know that nothing I say will make a difference.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and curtsied to Lu Yan:
"Lord Lu, I have taken note of what happened today. Farewell!"
After saying this, she hurriedly left the county government office with the remaining envoys.
Watching Princess Mingyue and her entourage leave, Lu Yan curled up a cold smile.
He turned to Li Kui beside him and gave the order:
"Xiao Kui, go, drag that dead ghost out and feed him to the dogs!"
Okay!
Li Kui grinned, revealing two rows of big white teeth, and scurried off to deal with the corpse.
After dealing with the body of the envoy from Beixiang, Lu Yan sat in a chair and fell into deep thought.
The Northern Xiang Kingdom is coming on strong, and it seems that a major battle is inevitable.
However, he was not afraid; on the contrary, he was somewhat excited.
"Someone come here!" Lu Yan called out to the door.
"What are your orders, sir?"
Lu Fei, Zhang Xun, and Han Sheng walked in.
"Pass down the order: the entire army is on high alert! Also, summon Night Owl to see me!"
Lu Yan said in a deep voice.
"Yes!" The three men accepted the order and left.
Before long, Night Owl arrived in front of Lu Yan.
"Night Owl, take men to the border immediately to scout out their location and find out where the Northern Xiang Kingdom's army is."
"How many men and what weapons and equipment do they have?"
Lu Yan gave the instructions.
"Yes, sir!"
The owl obeyed and left.
Lu Yan rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
War is no child's play; a slight misstep can result in countless deaths and injuries.
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