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墨書 Inktalez
First, if we win, you must return all three cities and three checkpoints that you have occupied!
Second, you also need to exchange the four checkpoints and seven cities that you seized from us in the last war!
Third, you are required to compensate us for this war with treasures worth ten thousand taels of gold!
We demand the Ten Treasures!
Su Qianxue stated her conditions one by one. The entire court was astonished; they never expected the emperor to make such high demands. Five treasures meant fifty thousand taels of gold, equivalent to five hundred thousand taels of silver!
What they did not know was that Su Qianxue intended to give these items to Jiang Han. Such a large number of cities and checkpoints—Da Zhou Emperor, you certainly have grand ambitions! Just for a single war, you actually want to claim seven checkpoints and ten cities!
Jiu Gong sneered and said, “Just capturing your cities has cost our Xia Kingdom army at least a hundred thousand lives!”
Su Qianxue, however, remained equally cold-eyed as she scrutinized Jiu Gong and replied, “My conditions are laid out here! You want us to send only fifty thousand troops while your fifteen thousand crush us! You also wish to annihilate one of our cities and demand ten thousand maidens from us, along with a compensation of one hundred thousand taels of silver! Not to mention releasing Mu Jinkun and capturing Shopkeeper Jiang —why should I not make my demands?”
She stood up, surveying Mu Prime Minister and Jiu Gong defiantly. “You are unwilling to pay a high price to destroy my Great Zhou, yet you wish to gain so much from me. Why should I not make demands of my own? Just as Mu Prime Minister said, if we cannot obtain what we want at the negotiation table, we will take it on the battlefield!”
If fifty thousand Royal Guards truly defeated fifteen Wan Dajun, then combined with Lingnan King's troops and several other tens of Wan Dajun, they would be fully capable of leaving Xia Guoyi and the remaining twenty-five Wan Dajun within Great Zhou's territory. This would also guard against any potential betrayal from Mu Prime Minister.
Although Mu Prime Minister claimed he could shift strategic focus to destroy the Great Zhou Dynasty, it would require an enormous amount of resources! Such a course could only be taken if either Mu Prime Minister or Jiu Gong were to perish in Great Zhou or if Su Qianxue became particularly agitated and provoked. Otherwise, this scenario would not unfold.
It was unnecessary at this moment! Both sides were engaged in a game; since it was a gamble, one must put down chips to sit at the table.
"This matter, we cannot agree to!"
Seven checkpoints and ten cities, along with treasures worth fifty thousand taels of gold! We fought through dozens of wars to seize these cities and checkpoints. You think you can win a war just like that? Impossible!
Jiu Gong had lost many times and was resolute in her refusal; she would not be fooled again. She had once believed she would win, only to be utterly defeated each time. There was no way she would agree to Su Qianxue.
However, Mu Prime Minister nodded slightly. "Yes, we can agree to your terms!"
"Chancellor!"
We cannot gamble against Su Qianxue; that Jiang Han is extremely formidable! What if he produces some kind of weapon? We could very well face another disastrous defeat.
Jiu Gong spoke urgently, looking desperately at Mu Prime Minister. She truly did not want to gamble anymore. Every time she thought victory was within reach, she ended up losing miserably.
Mu Prime Minister sighed and said, "In my Xia Kingdom, with one hundred fifty thousand troops, if we cannot defeat the Great Zhou Dynasty's fifty thousand Royal Guards, then there is no reason for us to continue living! These checkpoints and cities will eventually fall into the hands of the Great Zhou!"
In that case, it would be better to engage in a bet! Moreover, if we could truly annihilate the Royal Guards...
The difference between waging a bet and going into direct battle is immense! In direct combat, we are unaware of the Royal Guards' positioning or their strengths, which increases our chances of defeat. There is even a possibility that several thousand elite troops could be overwhelmed by tens of thousands from the Great Zhou.
However, if we engage in battle centered around a city, even if there are variables within our forces, we can still maintain control. Previously, Mu Prime Minister had considered this: with one hundred fifty thousand seasoned soldiers against fifty thousand Royal Guards, regardless of what weapons those fifty thousand possess, opportunities to strike them down would arise amidst the chaos of battle.
At this moment on the plains, the situation was even more favorable; as long as we could unleash the full power of our one hundred fifty thousand troops without allowing those fifty thousand to find an opportunity to attack us—unlike Jiu Gong and Lin Qingyue's battles—we could win.
Mu Prime Minister! Su Qianxue and Jiang Han win every time they gamble!
Jiu Gong was exasperated. "I've already lost so many times; do you really want to go through this again?"
She truly couldn't understand what Mu Prime Minister meant; was he blinded by greed? Mu Prime Minister maintained his expression, even casting a look of disdain at Jiu Gong. There were some things he wouldn't say in the Da Zhou Court.
In truth, he thought to himself, if you, Su Qianxue, want to gain more benefits through this method, why shouldn't I? If we could annihilate your elite forces in a single battle, then what I could gain would be far more than this!
Both sides understood each other's thoughts. Yes, on paper and in essence, victory was assured for us! Even if you have means to counter the Maple Forest Iron Cavalry, I have fifteen Wan Dajun against your five Wan Dajun, three to one; even in terms of attrition, I could wear you down!
Then let us agree to battle half a month from now! In the plains outside the capital city, three hundred li away! Su Qianxue personally agreed that if I win, all your proposed terms will be nullified! You will also hand over seven checkpoints and ten cities, along with five treasures, all to me and the Great Zhou Dynasty! If you win, I will also honor the agreement! A gentleman's word is his bond! A Promise Is A Promise!
After saying this, Mu Prime Minister turned and left! Once outside the palace, Jiu Gong intercepted him and recounted her numerous gambling losses. She struggled to explain: "We can't afford to gamble, Chancellor! If we lose, our elite forces will suffer greatly!"
"Prince, this is a rare opportunity to draw him out for a decisive battle! Such chances are seldom encountered; don't speak too much about it!"
Mu Prime Minister further stated: "Fifteen Wan Dajun against five thousand men! I still maintain that if we cannot win, then those fifteen thousand will deserve their fate! Not only can we gain benefits, but we can also earn fame across the nations; how could we not pursue such an opportunity?"
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