Chapter 239 The Robbers
To put her at ease, Wen Zhiming wanted to exchange the Sixth Prince for some benefits and then return the prince, which Meng Lingge naturally refused.
She had heard from General Cao and others that this sixth prince was highly skilled in martial arts and had a dozen or so personal guards forming a formation to protect him. Wen Zhiming was seriously injured in order to capture him.
Having paid such a high price, one must obtain corresponding value.
After this battle, the Blue Feather Kingdom will likely not send any more princes to fight, and it will be almost impossible to capture the Sixth Prince again in the future.
In other words, the opportunity to gain benefits from the prince may only come once, so we must make the most of it.
In fact, Meng Lingge's anxiety just now stemmed from the fact that she had sensed a hint of ambiguity in the conversation between the Sixth Prince and Lushu.
The sixth prince only felt embarrassed about the strange smell on his body after seeing Lu Shui, and Lu Shui's gaze was also intriguing when she insisted on treating the sixth prince.
Perhaps the incident involving Dongqing and Zheng Qingshan left a deep impression on her, so she was particularly sensitive to these subtle clues. Even before the Sixth Prince and Lushui, the two parties involved, realized it, she had already discovered something unusual.
But now that I think about it carefully, maybe she was just overthinking it.
After all, the two people are too far apart in status, and the relationship between the two countries is even more tense. Even if they have some interest in each other, it will probably still not happen.
We cannot let her suspicion cause us to miss a good opportunity to manipulate the Blue Feather Kingdom.
Seeing that Meng Lingge had regained her radiant spirits, Wen Zhiming couldn't help but pat her head affectionately.
"Alright, let's go big!"
Wen Zhiming turned and went to the military council office, immediately summoning the military generals to discuss what conditions they should propose after the arrival of the Lanyu Kingdom's envoy in order to agree to release the sixth prince.
Although the envoy from the Blue Feather Kingdom has not yet arrived, it would be too hasty to discuss things in detail once they arrive.
After understanding Wen Zhiming's meaning, Cao Ran said, "The Emperor of Lanyu Kingdom dotes on this sixth prince the most. In my opinion, he would gladly give away half of the national treasury's wealth."
Although the Hu Xiang Army is currently supported by the Du family's wealth, it will definitely not be able to support the entire army's expenses in the long run if a mere merchant is to do so. If they could exchange it for a large sum of money, that would be ideal.
General Liu shook his head and said, "It is true that the Emperor of Lanyu Kingdom dotes on the Sixth Prince, but he has many children. Even if he were willing to give it up, his other children and ministers would object. It is impossible for him to lose half of the country's wealth just because of one prince."
Everyone nodded in agreement. If they asked for too much and Lanyu Kingdom eventually gave up on the Sixth Prince, they would not only gain nothing, but also incur the resentment of Lanyu Kingdom.
General Liu continued, "Instead of money, we should get a batch of warhorses. The Blue Feather Kingdom is rich in horses. We all saw it in the last battle between the Blue Feather Kingdom and the Crimson Profound Army. Their warhorses are strong and fearless, and much larger and more powerful than ours. The Blue Feather Kingdom was able to defeat the Crimson Profound Army with equal numbers, not only because of their exquisite formations, but also because of their warhorses."
Ren Yang nodded and said, "That's right. This time, our army has picked up 30,000 soldiers on the battlefield. Adding them to the previous 100,000 troops, we now have a total of 130,000 men. However, our cavalry is less than 10,000. If we could get tens of thousands of warhorses, the Tiger Soaring Army's combat strength could be greatly enhanced."
On the battlefield, cavalry is far more lethal than infantry. In other military camps, the ratio of cavalry to infantry can reach about half, but in the Tiger Soaring Army camp, this ratio is now less than one-tenth.
Ren Yang's words were met with agreement from several of the younger officers.
"Commander Ren is absolutely right. It's not just warhorses; the military camp is also lacking a lot of weapons, such as swords and spears for close combat, javelins and bows for long-range attacks, and lances and lances for knights. These are things that are hard to buy even if you have money. They are also the most urgently needed items for the military camp at present."
"Yes, although we won the first battle, we don't have enough weapons, so it will be difficult to win against the Emperor's troops later."
Some people have raised questions.
"But we know this item is valuable, and the Blue Feather Kingdom also cherishes these weapons. They may not agree to this proposal. They are still thinking of occupying our Golden Moon Kingdom. How could they easily exchange these battlefield weapons?"
Meng Lingge said, "How will we know if it will work if we don't try? Everyone should list out what we need and register it so that it will be easier to negotiate with the envoy. If we have spies in Lanyu Kingdom, we should make contact as soon as possible and have them check the quantity of various weapons in Lanyu Kingdom so that we can discuss the specific amount. This way, it will be easier to bargain with the envoy."
After Meng Lingge proposed the plan to gather soldiers last time, which solved everyone's problem, everyone appreciated her more. Now, hearing her reply and seeing that the King of Northern Frontier did not object, they took out paper and pen as instructed and wrote down the required weapons and quantities.
After careful discussion, everyone decided on the approximate quantity of each type of weapon that would be acceptable to the other side while also meeting the needs of the military camp.
After discussing for about an hour, they finally listed all the required items and quantities, and also prepared an alternative plan. They would use the first option if it was feasible, and only use the alternative if the first option failed to be agreed upon.
The specific details still need to be reported by spies from the Blue Feather Kingdom before any minor modifications are made.
After the discussion ended, Meng Lingge helped Wen Zhiming walk towards the central tent where they were resting.
It was midday, and the sun cast long shadows of the two of them.
Both of them seemed to be deep in thought, and Wen Zhiming looked down at Meng Lingge.
"Are you worried?"
Meng Lingge nodded and said, "It's my first time being a robber. I was worried that they wouldn't pay the ransom, and now I've got this hot potato of a hostage stuck with me. I wonder if the Sixth Prince is worth this much in the Blue Feather Kingdom?"
These weapons are a great asset to the Tiger Soaring Army, but they are also priceless treasures to the Blue Feather Kingdom.
If the Emperor of Jin Yue Kingdom were to encounter this situation, he certainly would not agree. He is a ruthless and cold-hearted man; the loss of a mere prince is nothing compared to the weapons protecting his kingdom.
I hope the emperor of Lanyu Kingdom will be different, valuing blood ties and family bonds more than military weapons.
Seeing that she was still worried about this matter, Wen Zhiming's expression softened even more.
His wife had already integrated into the military camp and fought alongside him, giving him a sense of being a devoted wife.
Wen Zhiming said with a firm gaze.
“He can manufacture or buy more weapons, but the emperor of Blue Feather Kingdom only favors the sixth prince. There is a high chance of success in this matter, but if he is unwilling, I will find a way to resolve it. I am determined to have this batch of weapons.”
"You insist on having these weapons, not just because the Tiger Soaring Army needs them, right?" Meng Lingge asked.
Wen Zhiming gave her a look that said, "My wife understands me best."
“Indeed, there is an even more important reason. The border war between the two countries has been going on for more than ten years. My father’s victory could have ended the war immediately, but the dog emperor ignored the people’s suffering and punished my father because of a slight suspicion, which led to the current situation.”
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