Chapter 801: Surrender in vain (VI)
This simple answer seemed to have exhausted all of Su He's energy. A man as upright as him had never shown such entanglement and anxiety in his life. He was even more exhausted than fighting a big battle.

He knew what his answer meant to Hu Lie and what it meant to Liu Xunyi.
At the same time, Su He's answer was like a sorrowful death knell, ringing in Liu Xunyi's ears, making him disheartened and as quiet as a clay statue.

At this moment, everyone's very different reactions and expressions can only be described as brilliant.

Hu Lie was thoughtful, Wang Dechen was relieved, Zhao Xin was distraught, Pan Yuyin was worried, Feng Tianba, Li Haitang, Wu Chan were dejected, Yin Zhan and the warriors of Wanggu tribe were incredulous...

All kinds of thoughts and expressions unexpectedly meet in the vast grassland with bright sky and gentle breeze, which really makes people feel mixed emotions and at a loss as to what to feel.

As expected, Su He and Liu Xunyi are the same kind of people at heart. In the face of the righteousness of the country, personal feelings can never cover up the grace of the country.

This was Su He's answer. He knew Liu Xunyi's intentions very well, but when answering Hu Lie's question, he not only did not help him cover up, but instead intentionally or unintentionally praised him a little.

The words "not much less than" instantly shattered Liu Xunyi's hard-earned hope.

"Your Majesty!"

Wang Dechen once again broke everyone's contemplation and suggested to Hu Lie, who was frowning, "Hu Lan is indeed very skilled, but he is nothing compared to Su He. Therefore, I hope that Your Majesty will reject Liu Xunyi's proposal and not pin your hopes for the military and national affairs on a small competition."

Faced with Wang Dechen's strong persuasion, even the arrogant Hu Lan did not dare to say anything more at this moment.

The famous "fastest sword in northern Mobei", who once defeated the Huma Gang and Su He of the Twenty-Four Cities single-handedly, and was a grassland hero that the Khan and Hu Lie competed to praise, was not just a reputation for nothing?

At this moment, hearing Su He say the four words "not much inferior" in person, Hu Lan had to put aside his prejudice and have a new understanding of this drunk and listless Han man in front of him.

"How can you always win in a martial arts competition? How can you always win in a gambling game?" Feng Tianba retorted indignantly, regardless of the pain all over his body. "If Hulan is sure to win against Liu Xunyi, how dare we bet the land of the Song Dynasty? It is precisely because the outcome of Hulan and Liu Xunyi is still uncertain that this gambling game can be established. Su He has never fought with Liu Xunyi, nor has he sparred with Hulan. He concluded that we are sure to win based on his speculation, and scared us so much that we dare not even compete. You Mongolians are... too timid."

"What did you say?"

"How dare a Han Chinese laugh at us Mongols in Mobei? Are you looking for death?"

"You were beaten to a pulp by Hu Lan just now, have you forgotten?"

"The Han Chinese are only good at talking tough, but their fists are as soft as dough!"

……

Feng Tianba's provocation and sarcasm immediately aroused the indignation of the Mongolian warriors, and they launched a series of attacks.

"enough!"

Facing the noisy crowd, Hu Lie, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, instantly quieting the noisy scene, and everyone cast expectant glances at him.

"After careful consideration, I have decided that today's competition... will end here."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Xin, Liu Xunyi and the others' eyes darkened and their hearts were filled with disappointment.

"but!"

Just as the frustrated Liu Xunyi was about to turn around and leave, Hu Lie's voice sounded again: "This king really can't bear to see his beloved concubine sad, so for her sake... I can give you one chance."

"Hiss!" Liu Xunyi was shocked and asked cautiously, "What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to participate in the 'Nadam'." Hu Lie said with a smile, "This king allows you Han people to participate in this year's 'Nadam' conference. On July 15th, this king will send warriors to fight you three times in a row. According to the rules of 'Nadam', the competition is divided into horse racing, archery and wrestling. This king knows that most people in the Central Plains are not good at riding, so in order to be fair, I decided to change the three competitions to fists, weapons and bows and arrows. As for the contest between Lord Liu and Hu Lan, the winner will be decided at the 'Nadam'. By then, as long as you can win two games..."

At this point, Hu Lie's tone suddenly paused, causing Liu Xunyi's heart to almost jump out of his throat, and he felt extremely nervous.

"How about winning two games?" Feng Tianba asked impatiently.

"As long as you can win two games, I will agree to your request, give up taking over the territory of the Song Dynasty, and only accept 100,000 dan of rice as compensation for Yunya Town."

"This……"

Hu Lie's "extraordinary mercy" was like a stone that caused a thousand waves. Everyone was shocked and looked at each other in bewilderment. "But there is one condition." Hu Lie changed the subject and said, "If you are lucky enough to save a prefecture for the Song Dynasty, the remaining 100,000 dan of rice... I can't wait for you to return to Lin'an before reporting to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. I don't know how much time it will take to go back and forth."

Liu Xunyi frowned and said hesitantly: "Your Highness means..."

"The ten carts of dowry can wait, but the 100,000 dan of rice... I will send someone to get it myself." General Hu Lie had already memorized the words by heart, and he spoke them slowly and calmly, "After the autumn harvest this year, I will send the 'King of Hexi' to lead 2,000 soldiers to Xingyuan in the south to retrieve the 100,000 dan of rice nearby. What do you think, Lord Liu?"

"This……"

"Lord Liu, since you know why I am in such a hurry to take over the territory of the Song Dynasty, you should also know that I am equally hungry for 100,000 dan of rice." Hu Lie said cryptically, "If you can't even agree to this request, I really have to doubt whether the '100,000 dan of rice' you mentioned is just empty talk?"

"Okay!" Liu Xunyi considered it again and again, and thought that two thousand soldiers would not pose a threat to the Song Dynasty's defenses, so he made up his mind and nodded in agreement.

"Good!" Hu Lie smiled with satisfaction, "If you can win two games at the 'Nadam' conference, I will write you an 'IOU' as an envoy of the Song Dynasty, so that you can go south to get food according to the plan."

"If that's the case, I will send pigeons to Lin'an and Xingyuan, asking them to prepare 100,000 shi of rice in advance and wait at the southern foot of Qinhuai River for the King of Hexi to use."

"So good!"

After a series of calculations and bargaining, Liu Xunyi and Hu Lie finally reached an agreement and compromised with each other.

However, compared to the "surprise" of Wang Dechen and others, and the "joy" of Liu Xunyi and others, the one with the most complicated and tangled emotions at this moment was Zhao Xin, who was overwhelmed with surprise and joy.

Everyone has witnessed what happened today. Hu Lie was able to make such a huge concession only because of his love and care for Zhao Xin.

"Your Majesty, I am so grateful to you. Zhao Xin...I have no way to repay you!"

Zhao Xin had been well-educated since she was young. At this critical moment, although she was very upset, she still did not dare to lose her manners. So she stood up and kowtowed to Hu Lie.

"My beloved, please get up quickly!"

Seeing Zhao Xin kowtow, Hu Lie no longer cared about other people's reactions. He hurried forward to help Zhao Xin up and said softly, "This king is as good as his word. I will never go back on my promise to you. My beloved, this time I even disregarded the Khan's feelings for you. This should be considered... the utmost kindness, right?"

"Your Highness, I..." Zhao Xin didn't know whether it was out of gratitude or excitement, but she was incoherent and didn't know what to say.

"As for whether the result can be as we wish, it depends on the ability of Lord Liu and the others." Hu Lie gently held Zhao Xin's slender waist, turned around and looked around at everyone, and said loudly, "Besides that, this king has another happy event to announce."

"Please give instructions, Your Majesty!"

"The day when the Nadam Festival is held is the day when this king and my beloved concubine will hold a grand ceremony." Hu Lie was refreshed and righteous. "Since it is a marriage between two countries, we must show enough sincerity. Now, the princess has come all the way to the grassland, how can this king delay it again and again?"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Princess!"

Before Zhao Xin could show any surprise, Wang Dechen and other Mongolians had already gathered around them, each of them full of enthusiasm and smiles, vying with each other to congratulate the two.

Although they knew the result would be like this, Pan Yuyin, Feng Tianba, Li Haitang and Wu Chan still couldn't hide their bitterness when they suddenly heard the news.

Their bitterness was due to the fact that Zhao Xin's fate was settled and that Liu Xunyi's feelings were gone.

Looking at Liu Xunyi again, he had just been immersed in joy and had not yet sorted out his thoughts. The sudden "bad news" made his heart tremble, and all his joy disappeared in an instant.

He was so overwhelmed with joy and sorrow that he suddenly had an illusion that he was in another world, perhaps because he was drunk.

Liu Xunyi stared blankly at Zhao Xin, who was held in Hu Lie's arms, and who was accepting everyone's congratulations with a forced smile despite her dead heart. Her broken heart seemed to turn into dust in an instant, drifting with the wind on the vast grassland, melting in the clear sky and blue sun, and disappearing into the endless emptiness.

In an instant, there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

To him, what is the righteousness of the country and the blood and ink? What is fame, wealth and glory? Everything is like a dream, illusory and vain. Once a person loses the most precious thing, everything else... seems to no longer matter.

……

(End of this chapter)