Armistice Negotiations, Part Two
Santos's idea was simple: the most important thing about coming to the Faith Order Headquarters to eliminate this entity, because only in this way could he take whatever he wanted from the Faith Order.
But more importantly, it preserved the books and technical materials of the Faith Order Headquarters, as well as those magical items, such as the apologetic Sacred Artifact, the 'Judgment'.
Sir Keledu also revealed to Victor that the Faith Order was also skilled in crop cultivation.
Within this Hot Spring Valley, the apostles and priests of the Faith Order cultivated many kinds of cold-resistant and high-yield crops, which were very suitable for promotion and cultivation in the Northlands.
When Victor found out, he naturally wanted these things, as they would greatly help the territory's agriculture and save a lot of time in cultivating high-quality crops.
Another group consists of the Faith Order's artisans and some of the priests who possess technical skills. From the moment he began recruiting followers under Keledu's command, Victor knew that the Faith Order had a large number of talented individuals, and the Faith Order Headquarters certainly had no shortage of talent. These were even more valuable to the Golden Sunflower Family, and these were the things that His Excellency the Duke wanted to obtain.
Victor also emphasized to Santos that the 'Enlightened Sanctuary' must be preserved when the Faith Order is destroyed, as Santos knew that the Duke was very interested in the Faith Order's 'holy sites'.
Before the battle with the Faith Order began, Santos genuinely believed that with the Expeditionary Army's weapons and fighting strength, eliminating the Faith Order would not be difficult.
When the time comes, as long as we achieve victory with overwhelming force, we will naturally obtain those things.
But after several battles, Santos realized that the Faith Order was indeed difficult to deal with, and given the 'Judgment' Sacred Artifact Faith Order possessed, Santos did not want his army to suffer such a terrible attack.
In this situation, choosing to negotiate might not be a bad thing. Santos still had great confidence in the Expeditionary Army's victory, but Santos wouldn't mind if it were easier to achieve results.
Soon, the envoy from the Faith Order arrived at Santos's command post. As he was led into a room by Santos's Personal Guard, Mizhene suddenly stood up, bowed to the visitor, and said, "Third Apostle, it's been a long time."
The newcomer was none other than the Third Apostle. When he saw Mizhene stood up and was bowing to him, his eyelids twitched, and his expression became very tense. He was clearly trying to control his emotions, and it took him a while to calm down.
Then the Third Apostle Mizhene. He then saw Santos still seated and gave Santos a brief bow. "I am the Third Apostle of the Faith Order. It is a pleasure to meet you, great General Santos."
"It's nice to meet you," Santos replied unenthusiastically.
Santos didn't want to appear too enthusiastic; he didn't want the other side to think that the Expeditionary Army also wanted to negotiate.
Seeing Santos's indifference, the Third Apostle didn't take it to heart, after all, he also understood that his side was the weaker party.
He chose to negotiate for the sake of the Faith Order's survival, and was prepared to be humiliated.
Fortunately, there was Mizhene in the room, so the other party probably wouldn't go too far with him.
The Third Apostle calmed himself down and spoke to Santos, "General, we have a request: we hope to cease hostilities with your side and treat the wounded who are still on the battlefield."
"Of course, casualties in war are inevitable, but lives that can be saved should not be lost easily. You can send people to treat the wounded at any time, and we will not interfere."
"Thank you for your magnanimity, but we have another request. If your army withdraws, the Faith Order is willing to offer all the wealth it has accumulated over the years."
This is definitely not a small sum; it will absolutely satisfy you and the important people behind you.
Upon hearing the Third Apostle's words, Santos immediately sat up straight. He didn't care what conditions the Faith Order could offer, but he was indeed curious about how much money the Faith Order could actually provide.
Seeing Santos's performance, the Third Apostle thought there was hope and continued, "If you can withdraw your troops, the Faith Order can provide 50,000 gold Silver Coins of various kinds."
Santos was very disappointed when he heard this number. He knew that when the Golden Sunflower Family's army participated in the war against the East Sea Alliance, they had already amassed hundreds of thousands of gold coins just from the East Sea Nobility they defeated, not to mention the land they had acquired.
In comparison, the conditions offered by the Faith Order were indeed far too stingy.
Santos made no attempt to hide Santos disappointment in order to put pressure on his opponent.
The Third Apostle immediately sensed the other party's dissatisfaction with the figures he had presented and quickly continued, "We don't have that much cash on hand, after all, the Faith Order doesn't really need money circulating within its ranks."
"But after so many years of operation in the snowfields, our Faith Order has discovered several gold and silver mines, and we've mined some ourselves. We can also provide a large quantity of gold and silver ingots, worth about 160,000 to 170,000 gold."
Santos was slightly more satisfied with the second figure after hearing it; it added up to 200,000 gold, a considerable sum that would greatly benefit the territory.
But Santos knew that these conditions alone wouldn't be enough to sway him for this mission.
The Third Apostle continued, "We can also provide a considerable number of fine horses and cattle."
These are all breeds cultivated by our Faith Order itself, and are definitely better than the fine horses and cattle owned by the Barbarians on the grasslands.
We can provide you with over 3,000 warhorses, 1,000 cattle, and sheep in one go.
Furthermore, the Faith Order will henceforth submit to the power behind you, and will provide half of this number of livestock every year, along with at least 30,000 gold and silver ingots. What do you think of these terms?"
Santos was indeed tempted by these terms.
The livestock, gold, and silver mentioned by the Third Apostle alone were almost equivalent to the annual income of a very wealthy Count. Santos had never imagined that a Faith Order could be so rich.
However, Santos did not agree to the terms of the ceasefire. He knew what his lord wanted most: not these so-called riches, but things that could enhance the strength of the territory.
Santos spoke directly, "The things you have provided are indeed very valuable, but it is impossible for us to let the Faith Order go."
"If we destroy the Faith Order, won't these things still belong to us?"
The Third Apostle was somewhat angry upon hearing this, but he managed to control his emotions well and continued, "General, please don't say that. The Faith Order is not a lump of clay to be kneaded at will. If the Faith Order is truly defeated, you and your troops will suffer considerable losses."
"If you have any requests, the Faith Order will certainly fulfill them. As long as a ceasefire can be reached, the Faith Order is willing to show its sincerity."
Santos was silent for a moment, then said, "Hand over all your 'Judgment' Sacred Artifacts, surrender your Enlightened Sanctuary intact, and your army shall lay down its arms. The Expeditionary Army shall take control of the key points and supplies in this valley."
Once everything is confirmed to be alright, all the high-ranking members of the Faith Order must leave with me and return to my territory to meet my lord, who will then conduct the Judgment and determine whether you survive!