Chapter 6: Negotiation This girl is not stupid, she will not do business that will lose money. ...
After Zhou Tinglan went to the forging class in the morning to check on the students forging swords, she rubbed her eyebrows. She had been feeling uneasy since she got up.
Yesterday, when she heard Qin Sinian say in the tent that the Great Prince of Beidi was coming outside the city, she wanted to go out with Xie Zechuan to meet him, but was stopped by him.
"Miss Zhou, I'm just going to inquire about the situation today and won't talk to him. You just wait here for news."
Zhou Tinglan was so angry that she stomped her feet. How could she be so fragile? No one would let her leave the city. She was really angry!
Soon, Xie Zechuan brought back a message for Zhou Tinglan.
"We have agreed to hold peace talks at the border between our two countries at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow."
Afterwards, Xie Zechuan summoned the generals of the branch camps to a meeting. During the meeting, the generals kept repeating one sentence over and over again: "General, the Northern Di must be deceiving us this time. We need to be more careful."
Zhou Tinglan felt a little annoyed. He wondered if these generals could change their words. They were like tape recorders.
Seeing that Xie Zechuan was tired of listening, she saw him nominate a few generals to accompany him at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, and then he dismissed the other generals.
Zhou Tinglan followed Xie Zechuan back to the tent and told him about the latest situation of the forging class.
"Although the forging department is functioning better and better, I believe the current storage of weapons in the city is not enough to support a major war."
If there is a conflict with the Northern Di people tomorrow and a war is directly triggered, it will be very bad.
"Thank you, General. How about I go with you to the negotiation site tomorrow?" Zhou Tinglan suggested.
She couldn't even imagine how wonderful the scene would be when a group of generals were scolding each other.
Unexpectedly, Xie Zechuan rejected him directly again: "The people of Beidi are belligerent by nature. It might be dangerous for you to go."
Zhou Tinglan thought angrily, who would help these generals to negotiate? It’s not her anyway, so whoever wants to go can go!
However, she was still worried, so she asked the manager to look after the forging class for her, and then she went back to the barracks alone to look for someone.
Forget it, I am a generous girl, so I will just spoil them a little.
Zhou Tinglan couldn't ride a horse, so she found a famous soldier to ride a horse and take her to find Xie Zechuan.
**
Huyan Xu had a gloomy face as he brought the Northern Di soldiers to the border between the two countries.
Last night, his father called him into the study and scolded him for several hours. His father told him that he must bring the imprisoned Beidi soldiers back to the royal city today.
He was so angry that he must have been complaining to his father because of that hypocritical guy Hu Yanlin.
It was almost 9:00 a.m. when Xie Zechuan arrived slowly with several generals.
Xu Cheng said, "The eldest prince is so concerned about the peace talks that he has been waiting for a long time before the agreed time."
Hu Yanxu forced a smile: "Of course it should be so."
The two parties sat down at the border, and Hu Yanxu said, "I wonder if General Xie remembers that someone from Da Zhao sneaked into our Bei Di Kingdom at night a few days ago."
"Of course I remember that the person who sneaked in at night was me."
"General Dugu returned to the city to report that the soldiers of the Great Zhao Kingdom had captured several of our soldiers. This time, we intend to enter the city and take the soldiers away."
Xie Zechuan refused directly: "Your Highness, we will never let the Northern Di people set foot in Beijiang City."
"If this is all the eldest prince wants to talk about today, then we have nothing to discuss."
"Hey—" Hu Yanxu hurriedly called out to Xie Zechuan, "General Xie, this matter can be discussed."
What a joke! If he let Xie Zechuan leave like this, Hu Yanlin would definitely tease him.
"As a token of our sincerity, Northern Di soldiers will not set foot in Dazhao territory for the next two months."
Xie Zechuan's eyes grew colder. "If the prince believes that the Northern Di soldiers setting foot on the territory of Dazhao is an act of inappropriate conduct, then I, Xie, have nothing to say."
The peace talks were not very pleasant, with both sides arguing fiercely and neither side refusing to give in.
"General Xie, it's not a good idea to continue arguing like this. Why don't we each take a step back?" Huyan Xu looked at Xie Zechuan and said.
While Xie Zechuan was still thinking, a female voice suddenly came from behind him.
"I wonder how the eldest prince wants to make a concession?" Zhou Tinglan walked up from behind Xie Zechuan.
She glanced at the generals around her and sighed inwardly. She had just listened for a while from behind and it was just as she expected. They kept repeating the same few sentences over and over again, just like a parrot mimicking a human voice.
Others could argue with a group of scholars when scolding one person, but every word these generals said was like: "Hey, you little trash!"
When Xie Zechuan heard the voice, he looked at her in surprise. He unconsciously blocked Hu Yanxu's view of Zhou Tinglan.
Why is Miss Zhou here too?
"We will not enter the city. You must return all Beidi soldiers safely. They will also guarantee not to set foot on the territory of Dazhao for a month."
Xie Zechuan frowned and was about to open his mouth to refute, but unexpectedly a hand was placed on his arm.
He looked back and Zhou Tinglan smiled at him, indicating that he had a plan.
"Don't you think this plan is inappropriate, Prince?"
This girl is not stupid and will not do a business that will lose money if it is not an equal exchange!
"Really? Then in your opinion, what is missing from consideration?" Hu Yanxu asked.
Zhou Tinglan was not afraid of Hu Yanxu either. He walked up to him and said, "My prince, don't you realize that your Beidi Kingdom brought back all the Beidi soldiers as before, while the people of Dazhao Kingdom lost a full month of peace."
Huyan Xu secretly pondered Zhou Tinglan's identity. This woman was able to come here, she must be no ordinary person, and Xie Zechuan actually protected her so much.
Who exactly is this woman in Beijiang City?
"Does the eldest prince say anything different to me?"
"Since the girl said it, there must be something wrong. I just don't know who she is."
Zhou Tinglan rolled her eyes and said with a sly smile, "This lady's name will never change, and her surname will never change. My name is Ma Sili."
If you dare to lie to me, I will scold you to death!
Xie Zechuan was stunned at first when he heard the surname Zhou Tinglan reported, but he quickly reacted and laughed in his heart.
Hu Yanxu's smile faltered slightly, and he said, "Then I wonder what plan Miss Ma thinks would be feasible?"
"It will be winter in a few months. Doesn't the eldest prince have any ideas?"
Hu Yanxu's expression froze for a moment, and he said calmly, "Miss Ma, I don't quite understand what you said."
Zhou Tinglan felt contempt in her heart. He was pretending to be stupid and confused in front of her, but it was not so easy to pretend to be confused in front of her.
"It doesn't matter if the eldest prince doesn't understand." Zhou Tinglan said to himself, "I wonder if the Beidi people are doing well after the cold winter?"
These words hit Hu Yanxu's sore spot. Due to the geographical location of Beidi, food and supplies were scarce, and the people often found it difficult to survive the cold winter.
"What do you want to say?" Hu Yanxu said seriously, with admiration on his face. He never thought that the woman in front of him actually knew about this.
"If the Northern Frontier can provide the Northern Di Kingdom with food and supplies for the winter, can we in exchange for the Northern Di soldiers not setting foot in the Da Zhao Kingdom before winter?"
Everyone present was surprised to hear this. Hu Yanxu asked, "Could you please allow us a moment to discuss this?"
Hu Yanxu called his confidants to discuss the matter in the distance. Xu Cheng came over and asked worriedly, "Will they agree?"
Zhou Tinglan's eyes were deep. She looked in the direction of Hu Yanxu and the others and said firmly, "They will definitely agree."
If Huyan Xu disagrees, then he shouldn't be a prince, as taking the throne will mean the destruction of the country.
It was a good opportunity for her to forge more knives.
Great, everything is going well, except for Hu Yanxu's consent.
As expected, Hu Yanlie agreed to Zhou Tinglan's proposal.
The two countries signed the peace agreement on the spot, and the notice was posted on the bulletin board in the city of Northern Xinjiang that day.
Although some people were still dissatisfied with the need to supply food and supplies to the Northern Di, the people were even happier that they would not be invaded by the Northern Di throughout the cold winter.
Xie Zechuan ordered his men to bring the Beidi soldiers held in prison to the border between the two countries, released them in public and promised to send a large amount of food and supplies to the border.
At that time, the Beidi soldiers can move back to the city on their own.
The war situation was temporarily stabilized, and Zhou Tinglan led the forging team to work harder to forge various knives.
As the number of knives in the city gradually increased, Xie Zechuan strengthened the defenses in various places in the city and asked the commanders of each camp to strengthen the daily training of their soldiers.
When Zhou Tinglan came to see Xie Zechuan, he often saw him training with the soldiers. Xie Zechuan would ask him to go to his tent and wait for him first.
After winter, there will inevitably be a war between the two countries.
As autumn turns to winter and snow covers the world, the people of Beijiang City stay at home and burn charcoal for warmth.
Zhou Tinglan sat in Xie Zechuan's tent, tea leaves floating up and down in the teacup, and the light from the charcoal fire shone on Zhou Tinglan's face, bringing warmth.
Xie Zechuan put down the newly delivered patrol documents, walked to Zhou Tinglan's side and said, "How come you have time to come and sit with me today?"
"Weapon forging reserves are sufficient. Most of the students in the forging class asked for leave due to the cold weather, so I simply gave them a day off. When they have nothing to do, they can come sit with you for a while."
Well, if she went home early, her mother would ask her to come and see how Xie Zechuan was doing. After all, the daughter she raised in front of her was no longer attractive. The sons of other people's families, well, were really attractive.
She gazed out of the tent window with a melancholic air, "It's winter already. I'm afraid the Northern Di will make a move soon. The deadline for the war is drawing near."
The days of peace may be coming to an end.
Xie Zechuan comforted Zhou Tinglan, "Don't think too much. I see the charcoal fire is burning brightly. Qin Sinian told me yesterday that the barracks warehouse had just bought a batch of sweet potatoes. How about we roast them here?"
Zhou Tinglan's eyes lit up and he readily agreed.
Xie Zechuan soon brought a few sweet potatoes. Each of them was plump and had some fresh soil on the outside.
Zhou Tinglan took it and buried the sweet potato in the charcoal fire with a stick. Xie Zechuan watched from the side. Seeing that she was no longer as sad as before, he also smiled and helped Zhou Tinglan bury it.
The air was soon filled with the sweet aroma of sweet potatoes, which made Zhou Tinglan's mood even better.
The sweet potatoes she ate in modern times were all baked in the oven, and she had never eaten one roasted over charcoal like the one in front of her.
It must be delicious.
As soon as the sweet potatoes were ripe, Zhou Tinglan used a stick to pull out the roasted sweet potatoes. Just as he was about to reach out to take them, he was burned by the sweet potatoes.
Si——
When Xie Zechuan heard Zhou Tinglan's voice, he anxiously stepped forward and held her hand: "Where did you burn?"
Seeing that his palm was slightly red, Xie Zechuan blew on it and said distressedly: "Be careful, I will blow it for you before you eat it."
Zhou Tinglan withdrew his hand, his face becoming even redder, not sure if it was from the heat of the fire or from embarrassment.
She took the roasted sweet potato, which was soft and sticky, and Zhou Tinglan was very satisfied after eating it.
It’s so delicious!
The sweet potato in her hand was finished in just a few bites. Seeing that Xie Zechuan wanted to give her some, Zhou Tinglan shook her head and said, "General Xie, the sweet potato is delicious. You should try some too."
"good."
Looking at Xie Zechuan who was eating sweet potatoes, Zhou Tinglan suddenly had an idea: "General Xie, why haven't you worn the clothes my mother made for you before winter?"
"Of course the clothes Auntie makes are good, I like them very much, but the weather is cold recently, so the clothes Auntie makes are a little thin."
Zhou Tinglan became interested when he heard this: "I see you only have a few sets of clothes all day long. Since we have some free time today, let's go pick out some clothes for you."
Xie Zechuan hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Zhou Tinglan's delighted expression, he agreed.
The two walked on the street, and passers-by greeted Xie Zechuan one after another.
Zhou Tinglan looked at him and said jokingly, "General Xie is indeed deeply loved by the people of Beijiang City."
Sure enough, first she was ordered by her mother to punch in at boss Xie Zechuan's tent, and then she accompanied leader Xie Zechuan in a parade.
"Miss Zhou, you're joking. Xie is just doing what he should do."
The two came to the clothing store, and Zhou Tinglan dived directly into the pile of clothes. The woman's desire to buy came up, and she kept picking up clothes and trying them on Xie Zechuan.
"Xie General, what do you think of this cloak?"
"Thank you, General. Look at that..."
Xie Zechuan was helpless, and Zhou Tinglan said any one of them was fine. In the end, Zhou Tinglan picked out a bunch of clothes, and Xie Zechuan bought them all.
When I walked out of the clothing store, it was already dark and night had fallen, but the night in Beijiang City was still extremely lively.
As the two walked out onto the street, Zhou Tinglan could hear the sounds of children playing. Thinking of the upcoming war, he asked, "Will this place be as lively as it is today after the war?"
Xie Zechuan looked down at her, brushed away a strand of hair from her forehead, and said, "I will, trust me."
Fireworks exploded in the sky, and the light shone on the two of them, leaving a final aftertaste.
Zhou Tinglan looked up at the brilliant fireworks and made a silent wish, hoping that Beijiang City would remain stable year after year, his old friends would still be there, the mountains and rivers would be safe, and the world would be peaceful.
The clouds are surging behind the fireworks, and the battle is about to begin.
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