OBS Chapter 644: Qingyang Lake Talks
Chapter 644: Qingyang Lake Talks
On Qingyang Lake.
Lin Xiaofan sat in front of the lake and closed his eyes to rest.
Behind him, five hundred soldiers were on full alert, each of them wearing heavy armor, with weapons in their hands emitting cold light.
"Click."
Noisy footsteps and the sound of fallen leaves being crushed came from the front and became louder and louder.
"Twenty thousand people."
Lin Xiaofan listened to the footsteps and made a rough estimate.
Sure enough, the generals of Nanlong and Jiashan were afraid of being ambushed, so they brought all their soldiers here.
In ten days, he had already investigated the secrets of the two countries. The leader from Nanlong Country was named Zhong Chen, the second prince, who was first-rate in both martial arts and intelligence. He should be the one who planned this.
The general from Jiashan State was named Shi Ning. In Lin Xiaofan's opinion, he was a reckless man who only knew how to fight but had no brains.
The two countries sent half of their troops - 50,000 people - to occupy the four counties, and about half of them were left to maintain order in the four counties.
The reason is very simple. Firstly, the people of the four counties do not submit to these two small countries at all. After their armies entered the city, they disregarded the law, committed all kinds of crimes, and forced people to die. Naturally, they would resist.
Secondly, they were also afraid that Daliang would leave some people in the four counties and suddenly attack them.
Lin Xiaofan had not yet found out exactly how many people were left behind. Because the gates of the four counties were strictly controlled, only a very small number of merchants could enter and exit. Although there were many people from the Tianchao Chamber of Commerce in the four counties, they had not yet fully grasped them.
But it will be clear in less than ten days.
The army in front was getting closer and closer, and the rows of soldiers stopped as a whole. Although there were a large number of people, only the first two rows of soldiers had iron armor, and the soldiers behind were all leather armor. Although they tried hard to stand in line, it was not possible to do so with so many people.
The army of 20,000 men was not even as good as the 500-man Army in terms of temperament.
Lin Xiaofan walked out alone and came to the pavilion in the lake. Not long after, a road was separated from the center of the two armies, and Zhong Chen, who was drunk, walked out of it and came to the pavilion in the lake alone.
"General Zhong, please."
Lin Xiaofan saluted.
"Mr. Lin, please."
Zhong Chen smiled back. He still had to give Lin Xiaofan face. Otherwise, if they became enemies, he might take revenge on him someday.
The two of them pulled each other for a while, and finally sat down together.
"Our two countries have always had a close relationship, like relatives. I can represent both countries, so I came here alone. Brother Lin, please don't mind."
Lin Xiaofan personally brewed tea:
"Brother Zhong has achieved the position of general at such a young age. What a talent! I admire him."
Zhong Chen glanced at the tea, then looked at Lin Xiaofan, but did not drink it:
"Haha, I'm still far behind Brother Lin."
The two of them praised each other for a few words, and Zhong Chen was not in a hurry to get into the topic.
It seemed as if he was waiting for Lin Xiaofan to speak first so that he could take the initiative.
Lin Xiaofan hesitated for a long time before he said, somewhat impatiently:
"Brother Zhong, I want to ask you something."
"Brother Lin, please speak."
"That day, our scout was patrolling nearby. Why did you kill him without asking why?"
Lin Xiaofan spoke, but there was no anger on his face, but more confusion.
The smile on Zhong Chen's face suddenly disappeared, and he was replaced by more confusion. He stood up:
"Is that Daqian's scout?"
After waiting for a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind, and then said:
"Oh, this is a big misunderstanding. At that time, I saw a few soldiers walking around my camp stealthily, and I thought they were going to attack us. My deputy general was suspicious and reckless by nature, so he shot an arrow at them."
"I didn't think about it that way at the time. This is a huge misunderstanding. Brother Lin, I want to apologize to you. No, I want to apologize to Daqian."
Zhong Chen bowed deeply and then said:
"Just an apology is definitely not enough. A life for a life. Brother Lin, wait a moment. I will kill the captain of the patrol that day."
Having said that, Zhong Chen stood up and was about to go back to give orders.
"Brother Zhong, forget it. It was just a misunderstanding. There's no need to cause any more deaths."
Lin Xiaofan stopped him. The other party had obviously prepared a statement long ago, and if he still insisted on asking for an explanation after saying so much, he would be considered petty.
"One more thing, Brother Zhong."
Lin Xiaofan took a sip of tea.
"Brother Lin, just go ahead."
Zhong Chen made a gesture of invitation.
"Daliang and Daqian have been at war for hundreds of years, with countless casualties. We are enemies for generations. Now in Daqian, the monarch is wise, the soldiers are skilled and the generals are brave, and they are coming to attack Daliang. Now we are about to succeed, but that day, why did you people from Nanlong say that you wanted to form an alliance with Daliang? Could it be that you wanted to stop us?"
As Lin Xiaofan spoke, his expression turned cold.
Zhong Chen shrugged, but his temperament was not inferior at all:
"Brother Lin, our Nanlong country is just a small country, and it can't be compared with Daqian. For a small country like us, if we don't form an alliance in troubled times, we will have no way to survive."
"Daliang, our rival, has suppressed us for decades. If it weren't for the countless martyrs who fought for their lives over the past few decades, Nanlong would have become the territory of another country long ago."
"But Daliang was solved in a snap by Brother Lin. I really admire him."
"But after Daliang was destroyed, who knows if Daqian will target my Nanlong Kingdom? Nanlong Kingdom is far inferior to Daqian, but as the prince of Nanlong Kingdom, I can't just hand over the country that countless martyrs have defended with their lives, right?"
Zhong Chen shrugged, looking embarrassed.
"So, you guys have to intervene when we attack Daliang's capital this time?"
Lin Xiaofan's tone became increasingly cold, and it seemed as if he was about to get angry at any moment.
Zhong Chen's expression was not panic at all, he spread his hands and said:
"Brother Lin, we are all smart people."
The two looked at each other for a moment, and the coldness on Lin Xiaofan's face gradually dissipated:
"Okay, as long as your two countries don't interfere in this matter and withdraw from the four counties. After the matter is done, we can sign an alliance treaty. If you don't do anything illegal, we won't target you."
"Your trip will not be in vain. After the mission is accomplished, I can give you one country and four counties."
The four counties were of no importance to Daqian, but for the two small countries, they were a considerable piece of land.
But Lin Xiaofan was just talking and had no intention of giving it. Zhong Chen's ambitions were not limited to these four counties, so he had no intention of taking it.
"Brother Lin, a treaty on paper is not valid in troubled times."
Zhong Chen shook his head slightly. Fists are the hard truth. If the fists are not strong enough and the strength of the two sides is not equal, who would care about the treaty?
"Then what do you think we should do?"
Lin Xiaofan asked.
"We need 5,000 sets of armor, 10,000 crossbows, and 500,000 shi of grain."
Zhong Chen said directly, obviously he was well prepared.
"Haha, weapons are the most important tools of our country, how can we give them away casually? The crossbow is unique to Daqian, and it is a sharp weapon to defeat the enemy. How can we give it to you for no reason?"
"As for food and fodder, 500,000 dan is not a small amount. The annual tax revenue of the four counties of Daqian is probably only this amount. Why should I give it to you?"
After he finished speaking, Lin Xiaofan turned and left.