"Yan'er, this time Jin Yue joined forces to attack my Cangqiong. Their forces alone are far from enough. But by doing this, you are essentially handing over half of my Cangqiong to them. Do you know what the consequences will be?"
Chi Yan's attitude was resolute, and his eyes were firm as he said, "Mother, please calm down. I have thought this through carefully. Although my Cangqiong has a million-strong army, it has long been outside the jurisdiction of the six kingdoms. The rulers of the six kingdoms have long been eyeing us covetously, and it is only a matter of time before they join forces to attack. This time, we only have Jin Yue's 350,000-strong army. What about next time?"
"If the six kingdoms unite to attack, I fear that Cangqiong will only suffer a crushing defeat."
"Besides, since I know that Ning'er is leading the troops, I naturally do not want to fight her. This is something I owe her, and I must do my best to make it up to her. If she wants it, then I will give it to her."
Mother Chi was furious: "Yan'er, if the six kingdoms could join forces, there wouldn't only be Jin Yue and the other two kingdoms coming. The six kingdoms are not as united as you think."
“My son is determined. He is willing to give anything as long as she can forgive me.”
"You...sigh..."
…
The next day, 100,000 Yue troops surrounded Cangshan and easily opened the gates of Cangshan without losing a single soldier.
Yuejun quickly occupied Cangshan and guarded the granary. Jin Yue's generals held an emergency secret meeting.
The discussion undoubtedly revolved around how to treat the prisoners of war from Cangshan and whether to continue the attack on Yushan.
Leng Qingning solemnly pointed out: "Everyone, although we have pried open the gates of Cangshan, it does not mean that the more than 200,000 soldiers guarding Cangshan will be at our disposal, especially since they are asked to attack their own city. How could they be willing to do so? I'm afraid this token cannot command them."
The generals nodded in agreement. Although the Crimson Flame Token could command the Sky Army, it was only useful against external forces. It was unrealistic to expect them to fight each other.
Under the command of the token, the Cangshan army had no choice but to open the mountain gate, and it was already the best outcome that they did not launch a riot.
There is an even more serious matter: after several battles, Jin Yue has lost nearly 80,000 men, and now only 260,000 to 270,000 men remain. The generals can roughly guess that the Cang Qiong army is large in number, and the remaining 200,000 soldiers are probably no match for it.
The dilemma facing everyone now is that if they continue to attack Yushan and the main city, there is obviously little chance of victory; if they ask for reinforcements, the journey is long and there is a risk that the garrison and prisoners of Cangshan might rebel; if they withdraw now, they will have to abandon Cangshan, which they have just captured.
The generals were at a loss.
Just then, a soldier reported that the Lord of the Azure Sky had brought people to negotiate peace.
This surprised the generals. Leng Qingning pondered for a moment. At this moment, it seemed that there was no better way than to negotiate, as their forces were simply insufficient to fight against them.
After a moment's hesitation, he ordered someone to invite Chi Yan in.
Chi Yan hadn't seen Leng Qingning for many days. His expression was intense, his gaze fixed on her, as if a thousand words were about to burst forth from his eyes.
Chi Yan's eyes were burning with passion, leaving all the generals completely baffled.
With just one glance, Jin Yan knew that this man deeply loved Leng Qingning. Combining this with what the envoy had said, he vaguely guessed that the two had a deeply unforgettable past.
Jin Yan subconsciously regarded Chi Yan as a formidable rival in love.
Upon seeing Chi Yan again, Leng Qingning subconsciously glanced at him a few more times. He was just as before, his face still so elegant, noble, and handsome, but the arrogance between his brows had diminished, replaced by a hint of melancholy and shame.
Withdrawing her gaze, Leng Qingning spoke calmly, "Lord Cangqiong, how have you been? I wonder what kind of peace talks you wish to make? What are your conditions?"
Chi Yan was initially overjoyed, but upon hearing such a distant tone, he felt a pang of sadness.
"Ning'er, are you still blaming me? Did you read that letter?"
Seeing this, a general questioned, "Why does Your Majesty address our Highness in such a way?"
Xie and Meng remained silent, though they knew a little about some of the things.
Leng Qingning didn't want to reminisce in this setting, and ignoring Chi Yan's injured expression, she asked again, "What brings you here, Your Excellency? Please speak frankly."
Chi Yan's face showed distress. "Ning'er, please don't be so cold. I..."
“My Lord, please be mindful of the occasion and don’t forget why you’ve come here,” Leng Qingning interrupted him.
Everyone looked at Chi Yan with speculative expressions.
Chi Yan wanted to say something more, but the Left Protector whispered a reminder from the side: "Lord, it's more important to deal with important matters first. There are too many people talking, so let's talk about it later."
Chi Yan glanced at everyone and had no choice but to swallow the myriad thoughts in his heart.
After adjusting their mood and taking their seats, the Left Protector presented the contract.
"What is this?" asked the Jin Dynasty's deputy general.
Facing the generals, Chi Yan said casually, "I am willing to negotiate with you all. You have probably already seen the Crimson Flame Token. Holding this token allows one to summon 500,000 Sky Army soldiers. This is my sincerity."
"On the condition that you release the prisoners, immediately withdraw your troops, and never commit another offense. In exchange, I, Cangqiong, am willing to provide one million dan of military rations."
Then he looked at Leng Qingning and said seriously, "This token is given to the young king of Dayue. Half of the army of Cangqiong will be at your command, and I will obey your orders from now on. Whenever you need me, I am willing to devote all the power of Cangqiong to conquer the world for you."
When Chi Yan said his last sentence, there was a deep meaning in his eyes, and Leng Qingning immediately understood.
Some generals, however, did not understand. "Lord of the Azure Sky, please explain more clearly."
They only partially understood what they heard.
The Left Protector of the Azure Sky stepped forward and explained, “Our Lord’s intention is for you all to withdraw your troops. We will offer one million dan of military rations in exchange for the captured soldiers; the Crimson Flame Token, which commands an army of 500,000, will be placed under the control of the Young King of Dayue; and at the same time, our Lord is willing to obey the Young King’s orders.”
"You can understand this as us, Cangqiong, now coming under the jurisdiction of Yue Kingdom, provided that the future ruler of Yue Kingdom is His Highness the Young King, and then we will be loyal forever."
After he said that, everyone understood.
Leng Qingning's gaze softened considerably as she looked at Chi Yan. Chi Yan was indeed a smart man; he knew how to make her feel comfortable.
Regardless of what he says about making amends, Leng Qingning had already sown the seeds of resentment in her heart last night, and now she only wants to gain benefits from him.
"So you mean that your Azure Sky Kingdom is temporarily under the control of Yue Kingdom and will only obey the orders of the young king of Yue Kingdom?" the Jin Kingdom's deputy general asked the Left Protector.
"Indeed, if the generals have no objections, then please affix your fingerprints to the contract."
The Left Protector picked up the contract and waved it in front of everyone so they could see it clearly, then handed it to Chi Yan.
Chi Yan was the first to sign the contract, and the Left Protector then gave it to Leng Qingning and Jin Yan, the representatives of Yuejin, to sign.
The generals on Dayue's side naturally agreed, as this was an enormous benefit.
The generals of the Jin Kingdom were extremely unwilling. The two countries joined forces to besiege Cang Qiong, intending to destroy Cang Qiong and share the spoils of war.
But now they not only have to withdraw their troops, but also promise never to commit the same offense again, while Cangqiong only obeys Yue Kingdom?
For Yue Kingdom, this would be like adding wings to a tiger, but for them, it was the opposite; instead of benefiting, it made Yue Kingdom even stronger.
The Jin generals immediately objected and refused to sign.
"No, I disagree."
"I, the commander, also disagree. Wouldn't our Jin soldiers have sacrificed themselves in vain?"
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