The masked man in black, who was also a key figure in the Qing Dynasty, remained silent for a long time after hearing Giroud's question.
Just as Giroud was getting impatient, the masked man in black spoke up: "I think there are other, better ways."
There are two sides to this story.
Far from the outsiders, on the vast mountainous frontier, troops were stationed at some unknown time. Parts of the troops from the four banners of Bordered Yellow, Bordered White, Bordered Red, and Bordered Blue were stationed here.
This part of the army was temporarily led by the Fourth Prince. The snow was heavy and the weather was freezing cold.
The environment around Fourth Master and his companions on an autumn night was not as mild as during the day. Because they were located on high ground, the area was warm during the day but cold at night.
The crescent moon hung quietly in the night sky, and soldiers on the ground lit bonfires in twos and threes. Fourth Master sat in front of the fire, discussing with his men how to proceed.
"According to the soldiers who escaped, Seventeen... was captured and taken to the foreign tribes." Fourth Master's face was serious.
Niman, as the main general leading the troops, immediately expressed his opinion upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, I believe you need not worry too much about the Seventeenth Prince's safety. We have also captured their main generals."
After a pause, Niman said with absolute certainty, "This humble general is certain that the bearded man we captured is a relatively important general in the enemy army. In that case, the situation is still in our favor."
Niman's unspoken message was that the captured bearded man was more important than the Seventeenth Prince. The Fourth Prince frowned slightly upon hearing this, but remained silent.
“Brother, I think that although General Niman’s words make sense, they are not comprehensive.” At this moment, Thirteen suddenly spoke up.
"Oh? Thirteen, tell me, what do you think of the current situation between the enemy and ourselves?" Fourth Master looked at Thirteen.
Thirteen nodded and then said, "If the bearded man is important to the enemy, just as General Niman thinks, I also think that the bearded man is important to the enemy army. At that time, the other side will definitely propose to exchange hostages."
A general chimed in, "Yes, I heard that this bearded general is the brother of the Khan over there. I don't know the specifics, but the information is reliable."
Fourth Master closed his eyes slightly.
No one spoke to disturb Fourth Master's contemplation.
After waiting for a while, Fourth Master opened his eyes, looked around, and said, "Seventeenth must also be saved. As for the hostages... we'll see."
Thirteen nodded and told someone to keep a close eye on the bearded man.
A day later, the enemy indeed sent someone to negotiate. The Fourth Prince personally invited him into the imperial tent.
"The Emperor of the Great Qing, our Khan has sent me with his letter. If you can agree to our Khan's request, your seventeenth prince will be safe," the foreigner said, bowing.
The Fourth Prince read the letter and, as expected, it was a request to exchange hostages! The Thirteenth Prince took it and looked at it, and Hongli also went to take a look, and found that it was indeed as they had imagined.
Fourth Master remained calm and replied indifferently, "I will reply after I have read it. Men, take him away first."
After the man was taken away, the Fourth Prince carefully read the contents of the letter.
"Your Majesty, what should we do next?" Thirteen asked Hongli.
After reading the letter, the three of them looked at the Fourth Master together.
The Fourth Prince had someone bring him pen and ink and began writing a reply to the other party.
As he wrote, he replied, "I will reply to them and have them agree on a time and place for the hostage exchange. However... it seems unnecessary."
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