Pang Jing flew into a rage. He sprang to his feet so abruptly that he nearly hit the tent roof, overturning his chair to one side. Pointing at Zhang Ji, he shouted, "You—you said what? A hundred thousand cavalry? War?"
Zhang Ji cast Dragon King a helpless glance, as though the two of them shared an understanding while the Central Plains people were naughty children who did not know the rules. Then he waved downward. "Lord Pang, don't be anxious. Sit down and talk. Things have come to this, so it would be best if we discussed a solution."
Pang Jing had just thought the changes in the Western Regions would not affect him. He had never expected Golden Peng Fortress to stab him in the back. Those hundred thousand cavalry had naturally not sprung from the earth—they had come from the Northern Court.
Pang Jing immediately realized that he had overreacted. This was a negotiation among three parties; revealing his bottom line too early would be foolish. It would make Dragon King fearless of consequences. Thus, he laughed a few times and shook his head. "Ha-ha, Jade City really does change with the wind. I can hardly keep up. Actually, there's nothing to discuss. Tomorrow, I'll lead twenty thousand Central Plains troops and flee for my life. Once you've finished making a mess of things, I'll come back."
Pang Jing lowered his head and stared at the overturned chair, feeling deeply troubled. It was even more troublesome than the hundred thousand approaching cavalry. In all his life, he had never personally righted anything that had fallen over. Whenever such a thing happened, a close attendant would have already dealt with it—often without letting his master realize the chair had ever toppled.
Zhang Ji and Dragon King were both looking