Chapter 784: Mongolian Prince (Part )

Before Zhao Xin even had time to figure out the situation, Hu Lie kept her out of the matter with just a few words.

As a woman, Pan Yuyin could not stay in the central army tent, so she left with Zhao Xin. Having a familiar friend by her side was a little comfort to Zhao Xin, who had just arrived.

When Zhao Xin and Pan Yuyin left the central military tent, the originally peaceful atmosphere in the tent suddenly became weird. The kind smile lingering on Hu Lie's face disappeared without a trace the moment Zhao Xin turned and left.

Liu Xunyi gradually became aware of the change in Hu Lie and Wang Dechen's attitude, and a hint of caution flashed in his eyes.

"You just said your name is Liu Xunyi?"

Suddenly, Wang Dechen, who had been staring at Liu Xunyi, slowly opened his mouth and asked with interest: "Are you really from the Song Dynasty court?"

"Yes." Liu Xunyi didn't know what Wang Dechen was thinking, so she carefully tested him, "Why did Commander Wang say that?"

"If you are Liu Xunyi, do you know a man named Luo Tianjin?" Wang Dechen ignored Liu Xunyi's confusion and asked, "That man calls himself the 'King of the North' and is quite famous in your Central Plains."

Liu Xunyi's heart sank and his brows furrowed slightly. He quickly pondered the possible relationship between the two of them. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind and a look of deep horror emerged between his brows.

Seeing Liu Xunyi's expression changing again and again, Wang Dechen understood and smiled: "Did you remember it?"

"I……"

"The former Luoyang general Wang Xutong is my brother from the same clan." The smile in Wang Dechen's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a faint cold light. "Wang Xutong and his son died tragically in Luoyang City. You should be very clear about this, right?"

"This……"

"Don't tell me about the folk righteous army of the Song Dynasty. Luo Tianjin is just a charlatan. He is cunning, dishonest, and his words... can't be trusted."

Having said this, Wang Dechen suddenly stood up, holding a bowl of fragrant milk wine in his right hand, and walked closer to Liu Xunyi.

The nine-foot-tall man looked down at the thoughtful Liu Xunyi, and his tone became stronger and stronger: "Luo Tianjin is dead, and I am not interested in pursuing the sins of a dead person. But you are different. Since you are standing in front of me alive, I can no longer pretend to be confused. No matter what, I should ask on behalf of my dead brother, when Luo Tianjin murdered them, did you, Lord Liu... participate?"

Wang Dechen's words pierced Liu Xunyi's heart, making her even more uneasy.

Seeing this, Feng Tianba, Li Haitang and Wu Chan all looked worried, while Ding Qinghong looked as if he was gloating.

"I don't understand what Commander Wang said." Liu Xunyi's thoughts raced, and he said perfunctorily, "Back then, I was ordered by the court to sneak into the Xianwang Mansion, and I did stay with Luo Tianjin for a while. As for Wang Xutong's matter, everyone in Luoyang City knew about it. If I say that I knew nothing about it, I'm afraid Commander Wang will definitely not believe it."

"So, you admit that you were involved in the death of Wang Xutong and his son?"

Liu Xunyi was calm and his answer was flawless: "I can only say that I never killed Wang Xutong and his son. As for the cause of their death, Luo Tianjin has his own explanation, and General Wang has his own inference. As for me... I didn't see it with my own eyes, so I dare not speak without thinking."

Wang Dechen narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was dissatisfied with Liu Xunyi's cautiousness, and asked: "I heard that you were once deeply trusted by Luo Tianjin, how could you not know about such a big thing?"

"General Wang also claims to be the brother of Wang Xutong and the uncle of Wang Qingshu. Doesn't he also know nothing?" Liu Xunyi used the same method against him, not willing to be outdone in his words.

"The more you hide, the more guilty you feel..."

"As far as I know, Wang Xutong and Wang Qingshu are running rampant in Luoyang City, bullying men and women. Their enemies are more than just the Xianwang Mansion." Seeing that Wang Dechen was pressing hard, but Hu Lie was pretending to be deaf and dumb, Liu Xunyi gradually understood the situation. The Mongols had a high opinion of themselves and had been holding a condescending and arrogant attitude from beginning to end. It was clear that they did not take the Song Dynasty envoys seriously.

With this in mind, Liu Xunyi simply threw away all his concerns and said sarcastically, "We have an old saying in the Central Plains, 'If you do too much evil, you will eventually perish.' The fate of Wang Xutong and his son was not accidental. It can even be said that... they brought it upon themselves."

"I don't understand what Master Liu said..."

"General Wang, please don't misunderstand me. I am just a rough man, so my words are bound to be inconsiderate. If I have offended you, please forgive me!"

Faced with Liu Xunyi's eloquence, Wang Dechen seemed to have no intention of continuing the argument. He just looked at Liu Xunyi, who was not surprised by the fame or disgrace, with a mysterious look, and said nothing for a long time.

Wang Dechen didn't speak, Hu Lie didn't speak either, and the others didn't dare to speak easily.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the central military tent was extremely depressing.

"Lord Liu has come from afar, I... offer you a bowl of wine."

After saying that, Wang Dechen slowly handed the wine bowl in his hand to Liu Xunyi, but before Liu Xunyi stretched out her hand to receive it, he suddenly raised the wine bowl high. Under the astonished gaze of others, Wang Dechen slowly turned his wrist, and a full bowl of milk wine poured out and fell directly on Liu Xunyi's head.

"hiss!"

This scene alone caused an uproar in the entire audience.

Feeling the chill falling on his head, Liu Xunyi's pupils suddenly shrank, his hands suspended in the air clenched slightly, and a cold murderous intent gradually dissipated.

For a moment, the soldiers of both the Song and Mongolia sides were all nervous, staring at each other with eager eyes, and subconsciously reaching for their weapons. The air froze instantly, and the will to fight quickly burned. The people present had different thoughts and were on guard against each other. It seemed that a war was about to break out.

"What the hell..."

Feng Tianba could no longer bear it and wanted to step forward, but was unexpectedly blocked by Liu Xunyi's arm. Although he did not say a word, Feng Tianba could feel Liu Xunyi's inner anger and his efforts to suppress his murderous intent through the iron-tight muscles on his arms.

Amidst the uneasy gazes, Liu Xunyi waved his hand and randomly wiped his face covered with milk wine. Then he swung his arm and shook his five fingers. Countless drops of wine mixed with energy suddenly fell down, immediately creating shocking pits on the ground.

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief Wang, for the wine!" Liu Xunyi suppressed his anger, and his words were as sharp as a knife. "It is impolite not to reciprocate! Since Commander-in-Chief Wang toasted me first, I should also return the toast..."

"No need!" Wang Dechen's answer was simple and direct, surprising everyone. "Today, I can 'respect' you, but you... can't 'respect' me."

"Why?"

"The marriage between the two countries, to put it nicely, is a peace negotiation, to put it bluntly... it's basically a treaty under siege." Facing Liu Xunyi's murderous aura, Wang Dechen was calm and fearless, and said in a neutral tone, "How can a treaty under siege be equal? ​​I 'respect' you, if you dare not accept it, the millions of Mongolian cavalry will flatten the Song Dynasty like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. On the contrary, you have a foolish king, incompetent ministers, cowardly generals and weak soldiers. Why should I accept your 'respect'?"

Wang Dechen was born in the military and had survived hundreds of battles. His philosophy was always based on iron hooves and scimitars. He never understood or cared about those diplomatic rhetoric that was used to please the occasion. Therefore, he spoke without restraint and his attitude was even more rebellious.

However, Wang Dechen's outspokenness was harsh, but it was an indisputable fact. How could a weak country, a declining nation, stand up to the world's most powerful country?

If the Song Dynasty had made great progress in both culture and military preparation, and had become rich and powerful, how could Wang Dechen dare to humiliate the Song Dynasty's envoys?

At present, it is the Song Dynasty that is seeking peace with Mongolia, not Mongolia seeking peace with the Song Dynasty. In other words, if this marriage is broken, it may not matter to Mongolia, but it will be a disaster for the Song Dynasty...

This is also the fundamental reason why Liu Xunyi, although humiliated and furious, still gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger.

Consider the overall situation and endure humiliation.

It’s just eight short words. It sounds easy to say, but how easy is it to actually do it?

There is no need to resent Wang Dechen's difficulties, nor to blame Hu Lie's indifference, nor to blame the Mongol Khan's arrogance and rudeness.

If we want to hate, we can only hate the incompetence of the imperial court. If we want to blame, we can only blame the decline of our country. There is a huge disparity between the strong and the weak, between prosperity and decline. Treating each other with courtesy is tolerance and kindness, while arrogance and rudeness are the true colors. If the status of the two countries were reversed, I am afraid the situation would not be too different.

What's more, Wang Dechen's making things difficult was not unreasonable. It was caused by the irreconcilable hatred between Wang Xutong and Luo Tianjin.

It would be strange if the commander-in-chief of the Mongolian army, a general who was so powerful at a young age and a rare talent in a century did not even have the courage and temper to avenge his brothers.

Because of the personal grudge between Luo Tianjin and Wang Xutong, Wang Dechen actually gave Da Song a loud slap in the face.

Such reckless and overbearing behavior, but Hu Lie, as a prince, not only did not come out to smooth things over, but instead just stood by and watched. This shows how arrogant the Mongols were in front of the Song Dynasty? How confident were they? How tyrannical were they? How confident were they in their fighting power?

On the other hand, Liu Xunyi, who represented the Song Dynasty, had a lack of confidence and a weak backing, which made him seem even more insignificant, insignificant and miserable in front of the Mongols.

Today, Liu Xunyi can endure it if he can, and he has to endure it if he can't.

After all, Hu Lie had solemnly refuted Long Yu's rumors and imposed severe punishment on him, which was considered to be a way to clear the name of the Mongolian Khan.

As for Wang Dechen's reluctance to give in, it was due to the old grudge between Luo Tianjin and Wang Xutong. Liu Xunyi could not use personal grudges to seek justice from the Mongolian Khan, and he could not let personal grudges affect national affairs.

However, the truth is often more cruel than Liu Xunyi imagined.

In fact, Hu Lie is extremely smart, and Wang Dechen is equally wise. The two of them have reached their current transcendent positions, and everything they do and say is not impulsive or aimless. Instead, they have hidden strategies and other intentions.

At this moment, one of them remained silent while the other showed off their power. It was not because they were arrogant or looked down on others, but it was a tacit understanding that they had already reached in their hearts.

In other words, it was a good show in which Hu Lie and Wang Dechen sang the same tune and conspired on the spot, with two purposes.

First, to take advantage of the opportunity to dampen the spirit of Liu Xunyi and other Song Dynasty envoys. Just now, Liu Xunyi and others attacked Long Yu as soon as they saw Hu Lie, and even blamed the Mongolian Khan for being rude. Hu Lie did not say anything about this, but he was actually very dissatisfied.

Second, to warn Liu Xunyi and others that although the Song and Mongolia were in peace talks in name, in reality, the two countries were not equal in this marriage. Liu Xunyi wanted to put himself on an equal footing with the Mongolian prince for the sake of the dignity of the Song Dynasty, but Hu Lie wanted to tell them indirectly through Wang Dechen's difficulties that the Song and Mongolia were not equal in establishing diplomatic relations, and no matter when, where, or what, Mongolia would always be the master and the Song Dynasty would be the follower.

In this way, Hu Lie will firmly occupy a dominant position in the subsequent negotiations between the two sides.

As the saying goes: Old ginger is still spicy!
Compared to the deep scheming of Hu Lie and Wang Dechen who governed the country and brought peace to the world, Liu Xunyi's underworld scheming... is still too immature.

……

(End of this chapter)