193: Chapter 193 Ceding Territory and Paying Reparations? I Breathed On

Ceding territory?

Paying indemnities?

When the Wolf Clan envoy uttered those words, the air in front of the entire Zichen Hall seemed to freeze.

Everyone looked at him with the gaze one would reserve for an idiot.

Had this wolf gone mad?

It is only natural for a defeated nation to cede territory and pay indemnities to the victor.

But who has ever heard of a victor ceding territory and paying indemnities to the one they defeated?

And to start with, they demanded the three northern provinces!

That was one of the Great Xia Dynasty's most fertile grain-producing regions!

And they also wanted an annual tribute of one million catties of grain and one hundred thousand catties of refined iron?

This is robbery! They are treating the Great Xia Dynasty like a piece of fat meat to be carved up at will!

"Scoundrel!"

A hot-tempered martial general could not hold back, pointing at the Wolf Clan envoy and roaring, "What kind of thing are you! How dare you bark wildly here! Do you believe I will twist off your dog head right now?"

"Presumptuous! I am the envoy of His Majesty the Wolf Emperor. Do you dare to be rude to me?" the Wolf Clan envoy cried out, his voice harsh but his spirit weak.

"An envoy? A beast that does not even understand basic etiquette is worthy of being called an envoy?"

"My Great Xia Dynasty soldiers fought valiantly in the north, repelling the Peng Clan's invasion to protect our homes and country. What wrong did they commit? On the contrary, you Wolf Clan members, unable to distinguish right from wrong, twist the truth, and dare to spout such nonsense here, demanding compensation? It is the height of absurdity!"

For a moment, the crowd was incensed. The civil and military officials all shouted their rebukes, wishing they could tear this reckless wolf-man to pieces on the spot.

However, amidst this clamor, the expressions of some deep-thinking civil officials became grave.

In particular, the peace-faction officials led by Minister of Revenue Sun Wen exchanged glances, seeing a trace of worry in each other's eyes.

The Wolf Clan's attitude was even tougher than they had imagined.

Furthermore, their choice to cause trouble at this moment was timed with lethal precision.

The Great Xia Dynasty had just decided to launch a war of extermination against the Peng Clan; the arrow was already on the bowstring, and it had to be fired.

If the Wolf Clan really stationed a million troops in the west at this time, the Great Xia Dynasty would immediately fall into the predicament of fighting on two fronts.

For the Great Xia Dynasty, which was already suffering from an empty treasury and stretched military forces, this was undoubtedly adding frost to snow.

Perhaps...

A thought arose in Minister of Revenue Sun Wen's heart.

Perhaps, agreeing to some of the Wolf Clan's conditions temporarily to stabilize them and focusing strength on eliminating the Peng Clan first was the best strategy.

As for ceding territory, that was naturally impossible.

But compensation... perhaps that could be negotiated. Using some money and grain to exchange for temporary peace in the west seemed... not entirely unacceptable.

After all, compared to a two-front war that could exhaust the national strength, losing some wealth was nothing.

Just as Minister of Revenue Sun Wen was preparing to step forward to propose this compromise to Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan.

"Haa—"

A sound of exhaling, as if from the depths of Hell, echoed through the hall.

The sound was not loud, but it carried an indescribable, terrifying pressure that instantly drowned out all the arguing and rebukes.

Everyone, including the furious martial generals and the worried civil officials, subconsciously closed their mouths and looked toward the source of the sound.

They saw the mountain-like giant beast standing behind Xia Youchu, Ling Tian, slowly lowering his ferocious Dragon head.

His vertical pupils, like molten gold, locked onto the Wolf Clan envoy.

A terrifying aura, mixed with the violence of an ancient Vicious Beast and the Law of destruction, swept toward the Wolf Clan envoy like a tangible tsunami.

The arrogance and greed on the Wolf Clan envoy's face froze instantly.

Replacing it was a fear that originated from the depths of his Soul!

He felt as if he had been targeted by a peerless Vicious Beast from the primordial era; that pure killing intent, containing no Impurities, made the blood in his entire body feel as if it were about to freeze.

His legs shook uncontrollably, his teeth chattered, and a foul-smelling liquid flowed down his pant leg.

He had wet himself in fear.

"Ceding territory and paying indemnities?"

Ling Tian's mental fluctuation, sounding like metal grinding against metal, rang directly in everyone's minds.

They could clearly feel the fury about to erupt within Ling Tian's mental fluctuation.

Ling Tian was truly enraged.

Even in this otherworld Great Xia Dynasty, he had a stress response to those four words: ceding territory and paying indemnities!

Unbearable! Absolutely unbearable!

"Do you want to die?"

Ling Tian's massive maw slowly opened, revealing sharp fangs like swords, and strands of dark golden light flickered in the depths of his throat.

He truly had the intent to kill.

He wanted to swallow this reckless, stupid wolf before him in one gulp!

"Guardian Divine Dragon, do not be rude!"

Just as Ling Tian was about to take action, Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan on the Dragon Throne finally spoke.

His voice carried a hint of reprimand, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that his tone lacked any real reproach; instead, it carried a trace of subtle satisfaction.

Good! Well scolded!

Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan felt extremely satisfied.

As the ruler of a nation, he had to consider his face and observe diplomatic etiquette; there were many things he could not say and many things he could not do.

But Ling Tian was different.

He was a War Beast!

He did not need to reason; he only needed to display power!

He had not acted out just now because he was waiting, waiting for the right moment.

And Ling Tian's reaction perfectly expressed all the anger in his heart for him.

The Wolf Clan envoy was awakened by Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan's reprimand. He scrambled backward, collapsed onto the ground, and gasped for breath, his eyes filled with the fear of having survived a brush with death as he looked at Ling Tian.

Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan stood up from the Dragon Throne, looking down at the disheveled Wolf Clan envoy, his voice as cold as iron.

"Go back and tell the Howling Moon Wolf Emperor."

"My words will only be spoken once."

"The war between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Peng Clan is an internal affair of the Human Race. Any alien race that dares to interfere will be considered an enemy of the Great Xia Dynasty and an enemy of the Human Race!"

"As for ceding territory and paying indemnities? Tell him to come to the imperial capital in person and ask my Guardian Divine Dragon if it agrees!"

"Guards, take this thing that has soiled the floor of my Zichen Hall and throw it out!"

"Yes!"

Two fierce imperial guards immediately stepped forward, hoisted up the Wolf Clan envoy, who was so scared his body had gone limp, and dragged him out like a dead dog.

A diplomatic incident thus came to a close in such a dramatic fashion.

The civil and military officials before the hall, seeing Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan's extremely tough attitude and looking at the terrifying giant beast slowly closing its eyes, felt their hearts surge with excitement. They felt as if all their pent-up frustration had been vented, and they felt completely refreshed!

Satisfying! Extremely satisfying!

This is what the Great Xia Dynasty should look like! This is the domineering spirit that the Human Emperor should have!

However, at this moment, an official responsible for delivering intelligence ran in hurriedly and knelt to report.

"Reporting to Your Majesty! The Snake Clan of the Southern Border and the Flood Dragon Clan of the East Sea have just simultaneously sent envoys to express... serious concern regarding our dynasty's campaign against the Peng Clan!"

"They demand that our dynasty maintain restraint, resolve the dispute through peaceful means, and not resort to force, so as not to disrupt the peace among all races!"

As soon as these words fell, the atmosphere in the entire hall became grave once again.

The Wolf Clan, the Snake Clan, the Flood Dragon Clan...

The three great alien races surrounding the Great Xia Dynasty were actually exerting pressure together at the same time!

This was no longer a coincidence.

This was a coordinated strangulation meticulously planned against the Great Xia Dynasty!

Human Emperor Li Xuanyuan's expression instantly became extremely ugly. He walked to the huge map hanging in front of the hall, looking at the Great Xia Dynasty territory on the map being tightly besieged by three huge red arrows, his fists clenching quietly beneath his dragon robe.

The pressure, like a mountain, bore down on him.

He slowly turned around, his gaze passing over all the ministers and landing on the young girl who had remained calm from beginning to end.

"Princess of the Northern Suppression, Grand Marshal of the Northern Expedition."

His voice was extremely heavy.

"What is your brilliant strategy?"