C2012 Unreasonable Conditions
C2012 Unreasonable Conditions
Hearing his words, the Emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty raised his eyebrows. It was obvious that he was somewhat moved. It was the officials below. Previously, they were all criticizing the people of the Fengjue Country, saying that they were barbarians. They did not know how to educate, but now that they heard that the other party had the intention to stop the war, they were also slightly moved.
The performance of the Great Lu Dynasty's group didn't escape the eyes of the Fengjue Country trio. They laughed softly in their hearts, looking down on the Great Lu Dynasty even more. At the same time, they had a greater confidence in this trip to the Great Lu Dynasty.
As for the middle-aged man, although he appeared to be very respectful towards the Great Lu Dynasty, however, this did not mean that he was truly afraid of the Great Lu Dynasty. He truly respected the Great Lu Dynasty. That was just a polite way of saying it. If the Great Lu Dynasty was still the Great Lu Dynasty from a few decades ago, he really wouldn't dare to have any excessive thoughts. However, after these ten years of war, he had long understood the actual situation of the Great Lu Dynasty. His heart had long lost its reverence.
"Stopping the war is indeed beneficial to both of our countries." The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor nodded and said.
"Yes, our Fengjue Country Emperor also thinks so." The middle-aged man said, "But..."
"But what is it?" The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor couldn't help but ask. His anxious look indicated that in his heart, he really wanted to stop the war.
However, his anxious expression had given the three emissaries a signal. They all knew what the Heavenly Khagan was really thinking.
"However, in these ten years, many of our Fengjue Countries's children have died in battle at the border. If we stop the war now, we need to give them and their families an explanation." The middle-aged man said.
"What explanation?"
"Our warriors of the Fengjue Country can't die in vain. Therefore, we need to give some compensation to their families. As for the Emperor of the Fengjue Country, I hope that this compensation will be provided by the Great Lu Dynasty." The middle-aged man said.
The expression of the Emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty and the other ministers immediately sank. The other party's intentions were obvious. They were asking for "war compensation." Normally, after a war ended, the victorious country would request some compensation from the defeated country. As for the reasons, there were all sorts of reasons. The reason that the middle-aged man had said... It was just one of them. In any case, no matter what reason it is... There was only one purpose, and that was to give money and other compensation to the defeated country.
However, their Great Lu Dynasty wasn't a defeated country, even though it had been ten years. They weren't able to defeat the Fengjue Country, but the same couldn't be said for the Fengjue Country. Although they had abducted quite a number of people, food, and some other resources from their place... However, they had to pay a price every time. Quite a number of people had died.
In short, the Great Lu Dynasty was at a disadvantage in the war between both sides. However, if they were to say that they had completely lost, it wouldn't be said. The reason why the emperor and courtiers of the Great Lu Dynasty wanted to end the war was because... This war had cost them a lot of manpower and resources, but they had not achieved any results. There was no need to continue. In terms of spending, the Great Lu Dynasty also surpassed the Fengjue Country.
That was why the ministers and courtiers of the Great Lu Dynasty wanted to end this war. Even if they had to pay some price, it was still possible. Therefore... After hearing the other party's words, although the faces of the people from the Great Lu Dynasty turned ugly... However, they didn't turn hostile. After all, the price they had to pay... They had been mentally prepared for this.
"How much do you want?" The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor asked.
"Five million silver taels!" The middle-aged man said. Obviously, he had already expected that the Emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty would not fall out with him.
"Five million silver taels?" The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor frowned slightly. This number wasn't too big. Although it was not small, the annual tax income of the Great Lu Dynasty was at least above thirty million taels. If they could end this war, they could increase the tax by at least 10 million taels every year. Furthermore, as long as the state affairs were stable, the further they went, the more the tax would increase every year.
Therefore, if he could end this war with just five million taels of silver, it would be worth it.
"Sure!" After thinking it through, the emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty nodded and said.
"The Khagan is wise!" The middle-aged man bowed deeply and said loudly. However, the smile on the face of the Emperor, who had yet to receive the Great Lu Dynasty, appeared. The middle-aged man straightened his back again and said to him, "Also..."
"There's more?!" The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor questioned.
"Don't go too far. It's already good enough to give you five million silver."
"That's right. Your Fengjue Country has died. Could it be that our Great Lu Dynasty didn't die on the battlefield? We haven't asked you for compensation yet."
"Insatiable man!"
When the other ministers saw that the people from the Fengjue Country still wanted to raise conditions, they all cried out in displeasure.
Originally, compensating the other party for the war was already a very shameful matter. After being recorded in the history books, they, the officials of the dynasty, would be shamed for a hundred years. Even if it was spread out, the civilians in the city would look down on them.
It could be said that agreeing to compensate them for the war was already a very bad thing in the eyes of the people in Great Lu Dynasty. If the other party was still not satisfied, then it would be too much.
However, the three special envoys of Fengjue Country who had already sensed the true nature of the Great Lu Dynasty... They didn't take the anger of the crowd to heart. In their point of view, these people of the Great Lu Dynasty, including their emperor... There was nothing to be afraid of. The courage of the people from the Great Lu Dynasty... They were already on the battlefield. They had been defeated by the warriors of the Fengjue Country.
"Please calm your anger, Heavenly Khagan." The middle-aged man said, "Listen to my explanation."
"Go ahead."
"The middle-aged man said, I've already said before that our Fengjue Country is here to snatch things. We were forced to do so. In fact, we didn't want to do so either. It's just that the conditions there are too harsh. We lack food and clothing every winter. That's why we came to snatch it. In order to prevent such a thing from happening again, our Emperor hopes that the Great Lu Dynasty can provide us with some money and food every year. If that's the case, we can eat and wear, so we won't rob them anymore. " The middle-aged man said unhurriedly.
The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor was originally very angry that the other party was insatiably greedy. However, after hearing the other party's words, he actually felt that it made some sense. If the other party really had food and drinks, he wouldn't come and rob them anymore. Naturally, there wouldn't be any more conflicts between the two parties.
Furthermore, if the supply was extended, perhaps the Fengjue Country would develop a desire to rely on their Great Lu Dynasty. In that case, it wouldn't be a bad thing for them.
"What you said makes sense." The Emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty nodded and said.
"The Khagan is wise." The middle-aged man said, "Our Emperor does not ask for much. As long as it is enough for the people of our Fengjue Country to eat and drink, the details are as follows..."
As he spoke, the middle-aged man actually took out a scroll from his bosom. After that, he opened the scroll. The moment he saw the scroll, the Great Lu Dynasty Emperor instinctively felt that something was wrong. Perhaps things were not as simple as he thought. The other party's request wasn't too simple either. If it was simple... Was there a need to write it down on the scroll?
While the Great Lu Dynasty Emperor was lost in his thoughts, the middle-aged man had already opened the scroll and was reading it.
"The Great Lu Dynasty provides five million silver taels of Fengjue Country every year, and a hundred thousand pieces of cloth. Thirty thousand cows and sheep each, and a hundred thousand grains of food..." The middle-aged man in the Fengjue Country followed the contents of the scroll. He read them out one by one.
However, every time he read out the words, the emperor and minister of the Great Lu Dynasty... Their expressions became uglier, especially the emperor who was sitting on top of the Great Lu Dynasty. His face was so gloomy that it seemed like water would drip out of it. The eunuch standing next to him... He could even feel the anger on his body... It was constantly surging, as if it could explode at any moment.
"Enough!"
Just as the middle-aged man was still reading, the emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty... Finally, he could not endure it any longer. He suddenly patted his dragon throne and furiously cried out. His voice was so loud that even the guards standing outside the palace could hear it. They could also hear it clearly from his voice... They could feel the anger in the king's heart.
"Respected Khagan, I haven't finished reading yet. Please let me finish reading." The middle-aged man said. After that, he actually sat down and still wanted to read.
"I've said enough! If you dare to say another word, I'll cut off your head first!" The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor angrily rebuked, his face did not hide the anger in his heart at all.
The middle-aged man did not continue reading. However, he still looked at the Great Lu Dynasty Emperor in a neither servile nor overbearing manner, "Respected Khagan, your attitude is not beneficial to the peace negotiations between our two countries."
At this moment, although the middle-aged man still had a respectful expression on his face, everyone present understood that he did not have much respect for them. He did not even put the Great Lu Dynasty in his eyes.
"Does your Fengjue Country have the sincerity to negotiate with us?" The emperor of the Great Lu Dynasty said, "What's the difference between your conditions and an open robbery?"
"Of course there's a difference. At least, your Great Lu Dynasty doesn't need to die." The middle-aged man said.
"Do you think we're afraid of a dead person?" The Great Lu Dynasty Emperor said, "Your conditions are too much, we can't agree to them!"
Indeed, the conditions that the middle-aged man proposed just now were too much. Even when the Great Lu Dynasty defeated the surrounding countries in the past, they had never asked for so much. This was no longer a simple condition. This was simply an absolute humiliation!