Chapter 529: Turning Hostile, Wishful Thinking, Cai Qianshan Arrives in Person |
"How exactly do you plan to protect Jinshan and Wuchuan Towns? Let's hear it!"
Xia Hong's blunt and direct words caused Cai Qiuhu's face to stiffen slightly.
He dared to take the initiative to visit and boldly stride into the main tent of the Xia army with his entourage because he had something to rely on. In his view, the brief interaction he had with Xia Hong last night at Beishuo City did not count as their formal meeting.
Although he brought so many Sun Manifestation Level experts today, he did not barge into the Xia army camp or presumptuously call Xia Hong out. Instead, he properly found people at the outer perimeter of the military tents, had them announce his arrival first, and only then entered.
The reason for adopting such a posture was that he elevated this second negotiation with Xia Hong to the status of the first official meeting between the Caiqiu Feudal Town and Great Xia.
But Xia Hong did not seem willing to accept this gesture!
From the moment they entered the tent, Xia Hong had done three things: he did not offer them seats, he did not greet them with courtesy, and he did not even stand up from his seat the entire time.
Cai Qiuhu's earlier brazen and unrestrained visual inspection was actually a counterattack against Xia Hong's rudeness. Subsequently, Xia Hong's question about why he was visiting again today after just meeting last night was a form of sarcasm directed at him.
Cai Qiuhu understood very well that Xia Hong must know what he was here for. He had just pleaded for Yangju Town's sake with Xia Hong last night, and now he was here today to speak for Jinshan and Wuchuan. This was clearly rather inappropriate.
Cai Shiqi's hatred for Great Xia was too intense, and he directly opened his mouth to accuse the other party. Although this regained a bit of face for him, it also set an unpleasant tone for the hypocritical pleasantries between the two sides during this conversation.
Logically, during a meeting between two parties, the side that bares its fangs and shows its claws is inevitably the weaker one. Therefore, Cai Shiqi's acting on his own initiative displeased Cai Qiuhu somewhat internally. However, considering that Cai Shiqi's starting point was to defend his dignity, he naturally wouldn't say much more about it.
But Xia Hong did not address Cai Shiqi's accusation. Instead, he directly got straight to the point, asking how Cai Qiuhu planned to protect Jinshan and Wuchuan. This caused a surge of anger to rise within Cai Qiuhu.
Because the posture Xia Hong was currently adopting gave off the feeling that Great Xia was the feudal town, while Caiqiu had instead become a town-level camp.
What gave Xia Hong the right? Just relying on those two Five Luminaries Realm Beast Emperor puppets?
Anger gradually rose in Cai Qiuhu's heart, but he did not show it on his face. With a calm expression, he slowly began to speak, "Lord Leader Xia, although I pleaded for Lord Leader Cao's sake last night, I also indirectly enabled the Xia army to capture Yangju Town City without shedding blood. With Caiqiu showing such goodwill, Lord Leader Xia, do you truly not appreciate it?"
"So, according to you, it wasn't that I gave Young Fang Bo Cai face yesterday, but rather that Caiqiu gave me face? Then should this Lord Leader prepare a generous gift and go to Caiqiu to pay my respects and give thanks to Lord Fang Bo?"
There was some logic to Cai Qiuhu's words.
Xia Hong's agreement to release Cao Qianyang and his people was indeed motivated by the desire to capture Yangju Town City without bloodshed.
But this underlying meaning was something only he himself should think about; it shouldn't be said aloud by Cai Qiuhu, let alone used as a pretext to claim that Caiqiu had shown goodwill to Great Xia.
Whether Cao Qianyang was released or not, the outcome for Yangju Town City would not change. The only difference would be a more tortuous process. But thinking about it the other way, if the process became too tortuous, the fate of Cao Qianyang and the Cao clan would undoubtedly be much more tragic.
Both sides got what they wanted. Therefore, this should be considered a fair transaction, not, as Cai Qiuhu said, Caiqiu showing goodwill to Great Xia.
However, this was under the condition that the two sides were equal in strength.
In Xia Hong's perception, Great Xia and Caiqiu were certainly equals.
But Cai Qiuhu clearly did not think so!
"Lord Leader Xia, do you truly believe we couldn't protect Yangju Town City?"
Hearing the strong confidence in Cai Qiuhu's tone, Xia Hong's eyebrows raised slightly.
The strength of a feudal town was certainly not limited to what was visible before his eyes; he had an idea about that. But was Great Xia's strength limited to only what Cai Qiuhu could see?
Xia Hong suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation. He directly waved his hand and said, "Young Fang Bo Cai, I won't waste more words with you. If you have something to say, say it directly!"
"Release Wuchuan's fifty-thousand-strong army back to their town city. Have Great Xia withdraw its troops immediately, allowing Jinshan and Wuchuan Towns to continue existing in the Southern Foothills. My Caiqiu is willing to establish friendly relations through correspondence with Great Xia and jointly deal with Chencang."
"What's the reason?"
Upon hearing this, Cai Qiuhu was taken aback. He looked up at Xia Hong, puzzled.
Xia Hong shook his head. "Young Fang Bo Cai, there are Four Feudatories in Mo'ao Chuan. As far as this Lord Leader knows, your Caiqiu's situation is not good. Let's not even mention the trouble with Chencang for now; Great Xia has the ability to handle it ourselves. In any interaction between two parties, the convention is that whoever takes the initiative must first show some sincerity. Your Caiqiu verbally claims it wants to establish friendly relations with Great Xia, yet not only offers no tangible benefits, but first asks my Great Xia to suffer such a great loss. Do you think this Lord Leader can agree to that?"
"What else?"
Xia Hong's counter-question, delivered without the slightest hesitation, caused Cai Qiuhu's expression to freeze instantly. His face stiffened momentarily, then his anger rapidly climbed. Finally, he took a deep breath and actually couldn't help but let out a laugh.
Cai Qiuhu, likely due to his excessive anger, didn't wait for Xia Hong to answer and continued directly, "The Pass City likely won't see battle for a short while. I, Cai, have already heard about the events at Donggu City. Presumably, Lord Leader Xia currently believes that Wuchuan Town City is already within easy reach..."
He paused here, a smile appearing on his face as he continued, "It seems I was too impulsive today, coming to talk to Lord Leader Xia before being fully prepared. Lord Leader Xia might as well first take a look, see if the Xia army can capture Wuchuan Town City. I, Cai, will come another day. I hope Lord Leader Xia will still be this confident then."
He was openly threatening him.
The meaning was that Caiqiu would not abandon Wuchuan, so there was definitely more to come regarding Qin Feng's fifty-thousand-strong army that had left the city.
"Lord Leader Xia, I shall take my leave for now!"
"Wait..."
Xia Hong frowned, seeing Cai Qiuhu cupping his hands in farewell, and directly interrupted him. Then he raised his hand and pointed at Cai Shiqi behind him.
When Cai Qiuhu was stopped, his face was already dark. Seeing Xia Hong point at Cai Shiqi, his expression became even more unpleasant.
"Everyone else can leave. His life belongs to Great Xia!"
Being singled out by Xia Hong, Cai Shiqi showed not a trace of fear on his face. Instead, his face flushed red from rising anger. Clearly, he had no worries about his own safety whatsoever, only feeling the humiliation of being pointed out by Xia Hong in front of so many people.
"Lord Leader Xia, are you truly determined to tear up all pretense of cordiality with me, Cai?"
Cai Qiuhu's tone was already extremely low and filled with anger.
Not to mention that Cai Shiqi was a descendant of the Fang Bo lineage, a junior from his own clan. Even if Xia Hong had pointed out an ordinary Sun Manifestation Level expert today, he could not possibly leave that person behind in front of so many people.
Xia Hong was essentially making an impossible demand of him, so he directly asked Xia Hong if he intended to break off relations with Caiqiu.
"Tear up all pretense?"
Xia Hong first asked in a low voice, then sneered twice before his tone suddenly turned severe. "Young Fang Bo Cai, you cannot be unaware of the direct reason my Great Xia launched this major campaign, can you?"
The core reason Great Xia launched this northern expedition was, of course, expansion. But the direct reason was that on the night of the 26th, Yang Jian led over twenty Sun Manifestation Level experts from two feudal towns in an attempt to abduct Xia Yusheng outside Xia City.
Everyone in the tent knew the reason. Their gazes immediately turned toward Li Xuanling and her two children beside Xia Hong, finally settling on Xia Yusheng.
Being stared at by so many people, Xia Yusheng felt nervous inside, but his facial expression did not change in the slightest. For someone so young to possess such composure made Xia Hong view this youngest son with newfound respect.
Seeing that Cai Qiuhu remained silent for a long while, Xia Hong pointed at Cai Shiqi and continued, "As far as I know, six people who participated in the abduction that night managed to escape. Among them was this Cai Shiqi..."
Xia Hong paused here, then sneered. "Targeting a child under ten years old. So the illustrious name of the Caiqiu Feudal Town is also associated with such despicable acts. I originally intended to capture this person after breaching the Pass City and personally flay him alive. Since Young Fang Bo Cai brought him here, this Lord Leader will be magnanimous. I'll consider the foolish things he did as merely personal actions, unrelated to the Caiqiu Feudal Town."
Cai Qiuhu's face instantly became extremely unpleasant.
Not just him; the expressions of most of the fifty Sun Manifestation Level experts from Caiqiu were also rather unsightly.
Due to the harsh environment of the Ice Abyss, early humans basically had to cooperate to survive. This gave rise to one camp after another. And because of this cooperative survival, the group identity of all camp humans became extremely strong.
In any organization, once it grows large, the individuals within it place greater importance on face. When it rises to the level of the organization's reputation, everyone spontaneously defends it, allowing no room for negligence.
Taking action against a child—such a shady, despicable act—it's not that Caiqiu wouldn't do it. In a world like the Ice Abyss where civilization has collapsed, acts of stopping at nothing to achieve one's goals are far too common.
The key point was that Yang Jian and his group failed to accomplish it, and a large number of them were killed instead. This kind of act of trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice was inherently unpleasant, let alone leaving others with a handle to use against them.
Caiqiu's Sun Manifestation Level experts taking action against a child under ten—if this were to spread in the future, what would become of Caiqiu's reputation? In the future, could those who become hostile with Caiqiu also take action against the offspring of key figures?
Thus, Cai Qiuhu also had to treat this matter with caution.
Of course, handing over Cai Shiqi was absolutely impossible!
Cai Qiuhu first shot a glare at Cai Shiqi, then turned his head to look at Xia Hong and said softly, "Abducting a child was Cai Shiqi's wrongdoing. I, Cai, am willing to apologize and make amends to Lord Leader Xia on his behalf. However..."
"No need for lengthy explanations. Leave him behind, and you can go. If you don't leave him, then I'm afraid you'll have to leave behind more than just him."
Interrupted, Cai Qiuhu looked up at Xia Hong, his expression freezing slightly.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
As soon as silence fell in the main tent, faint footsteps could be heard from outside.
Although Cai Qiuhu and the others did not speak, their expressions changed slightly.
They knew perfectly well what that commotion was.
It was clearly the sound of a large number of soldiers noisily crowding toward the main tent.
So Xia Hong's meaning was clear: if they didn't hand over Cai Shiqi, he intended to have tens of thousands of Xia army soldiers detain their entire group here.
"Lord Leader Xia, you cannot detain me!"
"I didn't plan to detain you. But detaining the people behind you seems like a good idea. They are all supposed to help Jinshan Town defend the Pass City, right? Catching them all in one net would also save my Xia army some trouble during the subsequent siege!"
Xia Hong did not answer Cai Qiuhu's question. Instead, he directly stood up from his chair. While activating the power within his bones, he slowly walked forward.
As the three Sacred Marks slowly emerged between his eyebrows, the temperature within the entire main tent and the surrounding area of three li suddenly rose sharply.
"It is not that this Lord Leader wishes to turn hostile with Caiqiu. Rather, it is your Caiqiu that first colluded with Chencang and Beishuo, repeatedly showing disrespect to my Great Xia. My hundred thousand-plus soldiers made the arduous journey north without complaint. So many lives were lost beneath the walls of Baimu City and Beishuo City. You come to my Great Xia military tent with fifty Sun Manifestation Level experts, expecting me to withdraw my troops with mere empty words? Showing such contempt for this Lord Leader, such contempt for my Great Xia? Do you truly believe that feudal towns are heaven, that feudal towns can do whatever they want, looking down on everyone?"
Xia Hong deliberately raised his voice during this speech, almost reaching the ears of all soldiers throughout the entire military camp. The emotions of the soldiers outside the main tent obviously rose, their Blood Energy surging abruptly. Above the military camp, air currents instantly churned, and Blood Energy gathered into dense clouds.
"Want my Great Xia to withdraw its troops? Wishful thinking, idle talk of a fool! Not to mention a mere minor Fang Bo like you, even if your Caiqiu Fang Bo, Cai Qianshan, were to personally arrive here today, my Xia army would still inevitably breach the Pass and seize Jinshan Town City..."
After finishing this statement, Xia Hong paused briefly. Completely ignoring the extremely unpleasant expressions on Cai Qiuhu and the others' faces, he continued angrily, "Great Xia has military discipline. When two armies are at war, envoys are not to be killed. Considering you entered after being announced and somewhat followed the rules, this Lord Leader will not stoop to your level. Leave Cai Shiqi behind. The rest of you... get out!"
For the final word, "out," Xia Hong first paused, then deliberately emphasized it. The main tent's door curtain was instantly blown open violently. As the surrounding cold air rushed in, the Blood Energy of the soldiers outside the main tent also surged in fiercely.
"The Lord Leader lives for ten thousand years, Great Xia lives for ten thousand years..."
The emotions of tens of thousands of Xia soldiers were instantly stirred up. They roared in unison toward the direction of the main tent, unsparingly declaring their fervor to Xia Hong while continuously intimidating Cai Qiuhu and the group of Caiqiu Sun Manifestation Level experts.
Cai Qiuhu's expression froze. Sensing the tens of thousands of Xia army soldiers surrounding them on all sides, his face sank to the extreme.
"Even if I myself were to arrive in person, you still have no intention of withdrawing your troops? Lord Leader Xia Hong, you have quite the temper!"
A slightly angry, aged voice suddenly came from the sky. The Blood Energy that had gathered into clouds in mid-air was actually dispersed by this single sentence.
The faces of the Caiqiu group instantly lit up with excitement. They all looked up at the sky, their pupils instantly filled with fanaticism.
Xia Hong looked up at the sky. Although his face showed no change whatsoever, he was extremely surprised internally.
Caiqiu Fang Bo, Cai Qianshan, had actually come personally!
He only pondered for a brief moment before immediately understanding something, a slow smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
It seemed that Caiqiu's situation in Mo'ao Chuan was even more dire than he had previously imagined!