"Wu Zhao, the chieftain of the Xi Rong Zong Han tribe, has come to pay homage with his envoy!"
Upon hearing the name, many of the envoys and officials attending the banquet were stunned.
As everyone knows, Yuanqi and Xirong are two countries, one in the south and one in the north, and have been at odds with each other for many years. In recent years, although Xirong has split into several tribes and there have been many conflicts between them, they are united in their hostility towards Yuanqi.
It's quite unexpected that Xi Rong's people would come.
Just as everyone was whispering among themselves, Wu Zhao had already entered with his men. He strode forward, his black robe adorned with a majestic tiger, exuding an arrogant aura just like himself.
Lu Ziying was somewhat displeased. Half a month ago, he received a letter from Wu Zhao seeking peace, something he was more than happy to accept. After all, the two sides had been fighting for so many years, and Lu Ziying didn't want to clean up the mess on the border now.
He had assumed that seeking peace meant the other party was lowering their stance, but Wu Zhao's actions seemed to be a provocation.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, but fortunately, after a short while, Wu Zhao bowed to Lu Ziying in the manners of their tribe.
"To celebrate the ascension of the new Emperor Yuanqi, I have brought a special gift."
He waved his hand, and the people behind him carried in something wrapped in red cloth.
The thing was quite large, and many people were curious about what it was.
When the red cloth was lifted, a huge object was revealed—a giant map.
The map shows the border between Yuanqi and Xirong. Lu Ziying asked, "What does this mean?"
Wu Zhao walked to the map, picked up a marker on it, and drew a line at the border: "My Zonghan tribe is willing to offer three cities as a gift to Yuan Qi to negotiate peace, and from now on, we will be his subjects for generations."
These words instantly ignited the passion of the guests present.
Is the sun rising in the west? Even the Xi Rong (a local militia) would back down?
Everyone looked incredulous, but Wu Zhao didn't seem to be joking. Could it be that he had been defeated by Lu Ziyuan last time and was exhausted, which was why he admitted defeat?
Perhaps that's how it is.
The guests already knew the answer in their hearts. Lu Ziying narrowed his eyes slightly: "The Zonghan Tribe is really generous."
Wu Zhao said, "I have come here sincerely to seek peace. Does Emperor Yuanqi have any other complaints?"
"If you sincerely seek peace, I will certainly be very satisfied. However, the matter is sudden, and the details still need to be discussed carefully. Please take a seat, Your Highness."
"It's alright, I believe you will understand our sincerity."
Wu Zhao sat back down, completely ignoring the probing glances from those around him. This time, he was truly prepared to negotiate peace, and Lu Ziying would never refuse the conditions he offered.
And indeed, it turned out just as he had thought.
...
After the New Year holidays, everything returned to normal. However, news came from the capital that the Xi Rong were negotiating peace with Yuan Qi.
Zhong Muyu, who was helping with official duties in the study, thought she had misheard: "Xi Rong? Peace talks? Really?"
"Your Highness, it is absolutely true. This news came from the capital."
The messenger handed the letter to Lu Ziyuan, and Zhong Muyu immediately peeked out to read it.
The letter clearly states the facts, and the official seals at the bottom are genuine; there are no forgeries.
To demonstrate their sincerity, the capital requested that Lu Ziyuan withdraw some of the border guards to facilitate trade between the two countries.
After letting the messenger leave, Lu Ziyuan did not show any joy.
Zhong Muyu silently sat back down: "Although it seems outrageous, it's true. I wonder what kind of mischief Wu Zhao is up to now."
Lu Ziyuan also agreed: "It's true, but I don't believe he would give up so easily. Would he abandon so many years of planning just because of the last failure? That would be too unbelievable."
"What can we do? The key is that the Emperor has agreed, and now everything seems to be moving in a positive direction."
"I will have others keep an eye on the three cities that were brought in during this peace negotiation. The Emperor has instructed me to handle them, so perhaps this will be an opportunity to see what they are really up to."
...
After Wu Zhao finished doing all this, he returned to the Zonghan tribe and met the other chieftains of the Xirong tribes who were waiting for him there.
Those people all wore obvious anger on their faces. Upon seeing Wu Zhao emerge, one of them angrily stepped forward and questioned, "Wu Zhao! What do you mean by this?"
"They actually made peace with Yuan Qi so casually and even ceded cities. Were they scared of Lu Ziyuan after being beaten last time?"
"If that's the case, we Xirong don't want a coward like you!"
"..."
Everyone started criticizing him, some of them saying very harsh things.
These tribal leaders were all from branches of the royal family. The people who came were all members of the royal family who had previously been on good terms with Wu Zhao, and some of them were even Wu Zhao's elders. As free-spirited nomadic people, they were mostly unconventional and had short tempers.
After Wu Zhao went in, he sat down and let them talk until they had all finished speaking before he asked, "Have you all finished?"
One of them was so angry at his attitude that he said, "You! We came here today to ask you what you want."
"If you no longer want to be the master of this tribe, then let's settle this once and for all!"
"Another man with a large beard called out."
Wu Zhao said slowly, "I know you're angry right now, but some things can't be dealt with by force; you can only outsmart them. If we keep fighting every day like before, can you win? Can you beat Lu Ziyuan?"
After he said that, someone retorted, "So you have a plan?"
"Of course, everyone please be patient. I, Wu Zhao, swear on my life that as a member of the Xi Rong, I will never do anything to harm the Xi Rong."
In the Xirong culture, the head is an extremely revered part of the body. If someone dares to swear an oath with their own head, and then breaks that oath, anyone can cut off their head and offer it to the gods.
Since Wu Zhao had sworn a solemn oath, they could no longer cause trouble and returned dejectedly.
After they had all left, Wu Zhao's subordinate, Di Long, asked, "Master, aren't you going to explain things to them? In case they cause trouble and ruin your plans."
"Don't worry about them. They fight amongst themselves every day. Even if they wanted to do something, they couldn't make a fuss. Maybe I can use this opportunity to strengthen my power and gain Emperor Yuanqi's trust."
Wu Zhao tilted his head back and drank a mouthful of strong liquor. As the liquor went down his throat, he seemed to see Lu Ziyuan being beheaded on the execution platform.
That's right, what he's plotting this time is to take Lu Ziyuan's head.
The Xi Rong had finally outlived the old general Yuan Qi, only to be replaced by the Prince of Ling. But fate is fair; the new emperor disliked his brother and was eager to eliminate him. However, the new emperor wasn't stupid; with Lu Ziyuan around, the Xi Rong dared not act rashly.
Since that's the case, then Wu Zhao will give the new Emperor Yuan Qi this opportunity.
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