Chapter 796: Seeking Strength through Submission (I)
Zhao Xin's heartfelt words made Liu Xunyi feel more and more uncomfortable.

After weighing the pros and cons again and again, Liu Xunyi decided to give it a try. He no longer passively waited for Hu Lie's decision, but took the initiative to express his position to him and tried to work out a win-win solution to bring the matter to a successful conclusion.

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi felt like he had something stuck in his throat and couldn't get it out until he spoke it out. So, accompanied by Feng Tianba, Li Haitang and Wuchan, he rushed to the central army tent in a hurry, determined to get straight to the point with Hu Lie.

"The prince just left and is not in the camp at the moment."

However, the guard's words outside the tent were like a bucket of cold water poured over Liu Xunyi's head, catching him off guard and instantly extinguishing half of his enthusiasm.

"Where did he go?"

"This……"

The guards looked at each other, as if they were hesitating whether to tell Liu Xunyi and others about Hu Lie's whereabouts.

Feng Tianba frowned and threatened: "We are envoys from the Song Dynasty. We have something to discuss with your prince. If we delay, you will not be able to bear the consequences..."

"This……"

"Commander Feng, don't embarrass them. I'll tell you where the prince is going." With a hearty laugh, Yin Zhan slowly walked out of the tent. "The prince was invited by General Wang to drink with the warriors of the Wanggu tribe. The earliest he can come back is... noon."

"Wanggu tribe?" Liu Xunyi was not unfamiliar with the "Wanggu tribe". He thought that Wang Xutong and his son, who had opposed the Xianwang Mansion, were from the Wanggu tribe.

"The warriors of the Wanggu tribe arrived in Helin today. The prince drank with them to show his respect for them." Yin Zhan explained, "The annual 'Nadam' meeting is about to begin, and warriors from various tribes have arrived one after another. Since General Wang is from the Wanggu tribe, the prince treats their warriors with special kindness."

"I wonder if General Yin can take us to see the prince? I have an important matter to discuss with the prince."

Yin Zhan was stunned and said hesitantly, "What's the hurry? Why don't we wait for the prince to come back and discuss it?"

"If this matter is resolved as soon as possible, it may be a good thing for the Song Dynasty, Mongolia, me, and the prince."

"Well... okay!" Looking at Liu Xunyi who was making a strong argument, Yin Zhan hesitated for a moment and reluctantly agreed, "The prince said that you are Mongolia's distinguished guests and must not be neglected. Right now, the princess, Su He, and Miss Pan who came with you are all there, so I think it would be okay to take you there, maybe we can have some fun together."

"The princess is here too?"

"Of course! Summoning warriors on the grassland is a very important etiquette in Mongolia. How can the princess not go?" Yin Zhan said with a smile, "They are setting up a banquet on the grassland. Lord Liu, please follow me."

There is a saying that goes, "The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and you can see cattle and sheep."

It was a sunny day with clear sky and fresh air. Being in the boundless grassland made one feel relaxed and refreshed.

Less than a hundred meters away from the camp, a dozen low tables were arranged in a fan shape on the grassland, filled with delicacies from land and sea, delicious food and fine wine. Hu Lie and others sat in the rows, most of whom were warriors from the Wanggu tribe, each of them with a face full of flesh and a sturdy body.

A few feet away, several shirtless Mongolian men roasted a fat sheep on a bonfire. They cut a few slices of meat with a knife from time to time, and after tasting the flavor, they smeared layers of spices on the mutton. With the sound of "crackling", a strong aroma of barbecue diffused in the air with the wind, making people salivate and unable to help swallowing saliva.

"Liu Xunyi?"

Seeing Liu Xunyi and his group from afar, Wang Dechen couldn't help but frowned, his face showing a thoughtful expression. Zhao Xin had a complicated expression, her heart was obviously surging, but she didn't dare to glance in Liu Xunyi's direction, for fear of arousing Hu Lie's suspicion.

On the other hand, Hu Lie was still eating meat and drinking wine with big mouthfuls, as if he was unaware of Liu Xunyi's arrival.

Seeing this, everyone else present looked at each other in confusion. Out of fear of Hu Lie and Wang Dechen, they looked around in confusion and no one dared to stand up rashly.

"Brother Liu?"

Only Su He stepped forward without hesitation. Under the curious and suspicious gazes of others, he put his arm around Liu Xunyi's shoulders and brought him to Hu Lie and Wang Dechen in a very intimate manner.

"So it's Lord Liu." Wang Dechen pretended to be enlightened and asked with a half-smile, "Have you figured it out? Have you decided to sign the cession deed?"

"I have thought it through, but the result is completely opposite to what Commander Wang expected." Liu Xunyi bowed to Hu Lie and Wang Dechen first, and then answered in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "The three prefectures of Xingyuan are the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, and the people of the three prefectures are also the people of the Great Song Dynasty. Although the Great Song Dynasty was in the wrong about the matter of Yunya Town, it is a bit unreasonable to ask us for the land of the three prefectures as compensation on this basis."

"Master Liu, did you come all the way here just to reject my proposal?"

Hu Lie's tone was indifferent, and one could not tell whether he was happy or angry. He casually threw the knife he used to cut meat on the table, and with a crisp "clang" sound, the others were immediately frightened and stopped eating and drinking at the same time, looking at Hu Lie and Liu Xunyi anxiously, as if waiting to see what would happen.

Seeing this, Zhao Xin and Pan Yuyin's expressions instantly became complicated, and they looked at Liu Xunyi with urgency and worry in their eyes. "I came here not to argue with the prince, but to discuss a proper solution with the prince calmly." Liu Xunyi glanced at Zhao Xin lightly, and his heart twitched violently, and then he bowed to Hu Lie, his tone as sincere as possible, and his attitude as humble as possible.

"Ugh!"

After a moment of silence, the expressionless Hu Lie suddenly sighed helplessly and said with a wry smile: "Forget it! For the sake of my beloved concubine, I will listen to you continue."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin's faces changed at the same time. The difference was that Zhao Xin's face gradually relaxed from being nervous, while Liu Xunyi's face became more solemn.

As a man, Zhao Xin might not know Hu Lie's intention, but Liu Xunyi knew it clearly. Hu Lie's action was nothing more than to show his generosity in front of Zhao Xin and win her favor.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Liu Xunyi suppressed his inner shame and anger, and said with a hint of meaning, "I know what Your Highness really wants...exactly? Therefore, in addition to paying ten carts of dowry as compensation, I am willing to issue another 'IOU' on behalf of the Song Dynasty court...as compensation for the disaster in Yunya Town."

"IOU?" Wang Dechen raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, "What IOU? Could it be another dozen or twenty taels of money for settling down?"

"It's not the resettlement fee, but... 100,000 dan of rice!" Liu Xunyi gritted his teeth and squeezed out every word.

Little did he know that sending out 100,000 shi of rice in the name of the Song Dynasty court without authorization was an equally unforgivable crime, enough to punish Liu Xunyi with death a thousand or ten thousand times.

If Liu Xunyi had not been deeply moved by Zhao Xin's "kindness and charity", he would not have given even a grain of rice to Mongolia as military rations. Because the more Mongolian soldiers and horses he fed, the more disadvantageous it would be for the future of the Song Dynasty.

This time, Liu Xunyi had to make a necessary choice between "living suffering" and "ceding three prefectures", which was considered to be giving up everything.

"One hundred thousand dan of rice?" However, Wang Dechen was very disdainful of Liu Xunyi's "painful sacrifice" and sneered, "Lord Liu is really good at calculating. He only said 'paddy' but not 'rice'. Oh, how many grams of rice can be obtained from one hundred thousand dan of rice? Fifty thousand? Or sixty thousand? According to the rice price in the Central Plains, one dan of rice is about three taels of silver. Sixty thousand dan is only 180,000 taels. Lord Liu, are you sending away beggars?"

"General Wang should know that rice is in short supply nowadays, especially during wartime...it's even more valuable than real gold and silver." Liu Xunyi retorted, "It may be easy for you to buy three or five catties on the street, but if you buy one stone, most rice shops will not dare to sell it to you. If you buy ten stones at once, I can guarantee that unless General Wang offers a price far higher than the market price, it will be impossible to buy it. Tens of thousands of stones of rice are enough to affect people's livelihood and military losses. From the court to the government, everyone is cautious and closely supervises it. The slightest mistake will lead to the extermination of the entire clan. Let alone 180,000, even if you take out 1.8 million, I'm afraid you can't buy half a grain of rice."

"In that case, we should thank you?" Wang Dechen sneered, "Liu Xunyi, I just took your words as a joke and won't bother with you. If you continue to flatter and flatter, but fail to show enough sincerity, I can only find a way myself."

"Isn't 100,000 dan of rice enough?" Feng Tianba could no longer bear it and said angrily, "In recent years, there have been floods and droughts in the south of the Yangtze River. The annual harvest cost is not much. Do you want every household to empty their rice jars before you are satisfied?"

"you……"

"Forget it!" Before the two sides could start a verbal battle, the silent Hu Lie suddenly spoke up, "For the sake of my beloved concubine, I will take a step back and change the three prefectures to two. What do you think, Lord Liu?"

"No, not even in one prefecture!"

Liu Xunyi flatly refused with a very tough attitude, which was in sharp contrast to Hu Lie who "compromised" and "gave in again and again".

"Liu Xunyi, if you won't budge, how can we discuss this? Even if I agree, I'm afraid the Khan won't agree."

Faced with Hu Lie's dissatisfaction, Liu Xunyi hesitated again and again, and finally compromised with gritted teeth: "One hundred thousand dan of 'rice', this is my bottom line."

"One hundred thousand dan of rice, plus... a prefecture." Hu Lie said with a serious expression, and his tone left no room for doubt. "This is my bottom line."

"impossible……"

"Lord Liu..." Before Liu Xunyi could finish his words, Zhao Xin, who was full of worry, suddenly spoke up, "The prince understands your difficulties, and you should also understand the prince's difficulties..."

After saying that, the worried Zhao Xin shook her head slightly at the indignant Liu Xunyi, signaling him to soften his attitude and not to confront Hu Lie.

"Liu Xunyi, the prince has given you enough face, you must not refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit." Wang Dechen judged the situation and threatened, "If you agree, sign the contract immediately, and you can return to the Central Plains tomorrow. If you don't agree... you can get out now, tomorrow the commander will personally lead the army to attack Jiangnan."

"You..." Faced with Wang Dechen's sudden change of hostility, Liu Xunyi was shocked and angry, but helpless.

"You Han people are troublesome. You always haggle over trivial matters and keep dragging your feet. I've had enough of you."

Without waiting for Liu Xunyi to reply, Wang Dechen suddenly stood up and shouted impatiently to Yin Zhan who was waiting beside him: "Take them back to pack their things and drive them out of Helin immediately. Get out of here as soon as possible before I change my mind. Otherwise, I don't care whether you are an envoy of the 'Great Song' or the 'Small Song', none of you will survive!"

……

(End of this chapter)