After hearing Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's words, not a single civil or military official in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace dared to speak.
They all stared at him.
Xue Xing also wore a look of shock.
He truly hadn't expected Xue Qinghe to directly rebuke him. That alone would have been enough, but—
He had acted with such decisiveness.
After hearing his eldest son's words, Xue Ye's gaze slowly sharpened.
The Heaven Dou realm. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
That's right.
He had to put the Heaven Dou realm and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family first.
If the Daming Army razed Heaven Dou City a day from now, it would surely become a living hell.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Family and he himself would be among the main targets. Whether they could even survive was hard to say.
If he cared only about the interests right in front of him, then if he died, there was no telling whether the Heaven Dou Empire would still bear the surname Xue.
How could he be less clear-sighted than a child? How could he be less clear-sighted than his own son?
In that instant, Emperor Xue Ye felt old.
As if waking from a daze, he raised his eyes and looked at Xue Qinghe.
He was young and decisive. He stopped at nothing to achieve his goals, understood the bigger picture, knew what he truly wanted, and put the Heaven Dou Imperial Family at the center of it all.
How like him—how like he had been in his youth...
"Give the order. I am willing to represent the Heaven Dou Empire in signing the treaty of defeat."
Emperor Xue Ye clenched his teeth.
He had decided to do something more.
If Xue Qinghe said it, then the stain would fall on him. But if the words came from Xue Ye himself, if he did it with his own hands, then it would be his responsibility.
If things were handled well, his son wouldn't just avoid being the one who made the Heaven Dou Empire sign a treaty of defeat. He could also become the great ruler who saved the Heaven Dou Empire!
Ten minutes later.
In front of the Daming Empire's military camp.
"Your Majesty, Emperor of Daming, our Heaven Dou Empire is willing to sign a treaty of defeat, just like the Star Luo Empire."
"What do you think?"
When the envoy cautiously approached Xu Nian'an again,
Xu Nian'an looked up, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"You think you can just say you won't fight, and then you won't?"
"You think you can just say you surrender, and then you surrender?"
"Do you think the hundred thousand Dragon Guards who fought to the death and never retreated at Gulei City can simply be written off?"
Thud~!!!!
The Heaven Dou envoy was well practiced. Without saying a word, he dropped to his knees.
"Our Heaven Dou Empire is willing to cede territory and pay reparations. Just like the Star Luo Empire, we'll pay ten billion Gold Soul Coins in compensation for our defeat!"
At those words, Xu Nian'an's expression didn't change.
Ceding territory and paying reparations—that was what a defeated nation was supposed to do, wasn't it?
"Ten billion Gold Soul Coins was the price on the Star Luo Empire's battlefield."
"Did you think my hundred thousand Dragon Guards would die for nothing?"
Extortion.
If you wanted to know what blatant extortion looked like, this was it.
But what could they do about it?
If they refused, they could keep fighting. Xu Nian'an was sure he could beat them into submission.
"Understood. May I ask the Emperor of Daming to name a specific price?"
Tap, tap, tap~!!!
Xu Nian'an lightly drummed his index finger on the Dragon Pattern Chair, almost amused.
If he was the one setting the price, then it would be several times higher than what he'd originally expected.
"Fifty billion."
When Xu Nian'an's price landed, the Heaven Dou envoy's mind went blank.
F-fifty billion.
How many wagons would it take to haul that?
Truth be told, Xu Nian'an didn't want to let them off just like that.
After all, there were a hundred thousand Dragon Guards. If they married and had children in Daming, and their descendants did the same, Daming's population would rapidly expand. It would never lack soldiers or people.
Only then would it truly look like an empire.
But there was no helping it. At least for now, Xu Nian'an couldn't do that. Daming's population was simply too small.
He couldn't kill off everyone from other nations, and he didn't want people without Daming blood in their veins.
Most importantly,
he couldn't trigger the special skill [Awe of Royal Power: Fifty Percent of the Great Ming Kingdom's subjects are loyal ministers!] .
So Xu Nian'an could only ask for money—or take women back with him and give Daming a chance to recover and rebuild.
In a dozen years, its population could soar to ten million.
Only then would it be time to truly unify the continent. Otherwise, Xu Nian'an didn't want Daming to fall apart and meet its end after only two generations, like that great empire from his previous life, not long after he had unified the continent and ascended.
Or for another Daming War God to appear, squander all of Daming's accumulated strength overnight, and send it back to square one.
"F-fifty billion!!!"
"Impossible!"
The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
When they learned the sum Xu Nian'an had announced, everyone was stunned.
Fifty billion Gold Soul Coins! Forget fifty billion—even though the Heaven Dou Empire was wealthier than the Star Luo Empire, it couldn't afford ten billion Gold Soul Coins!
They had only planned to pay the same amount because their old rival, the Star Luo Empire, had been forced to hand over that much.
But now another forty billion had been added. Even if they were willing to pay, they simply didn't have enough.
"Father, since Daming is willing to make concessions, there's still room to negotiate. I volunteer to go and mediate!"
At the critical moment, Xue Qinghe stepped forward. He didn't want the Heaven Dou Empire to fall apart at the crucial hour, with night already approaching.
It was him again. At the critical moment, Xue Qinghe had stepped forward once more.
Emperor Xue Ye couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache.
He had failed his son.
"Good, very good. You're worthy of being my son."
Xue Ye pulled Xue Qinghe into his arms and whispered a few words to him.
"Whatever happens, you must make sure you stay safe."
"Negotiate if you can. If you can't, then beg if you have to. Put the Heaven Dou Imperial Family first. The future of this realm will depend on... you."
At this, Xue Qinghe's pupils contracted slightly.
He had already guessed what his father meant.
So, after making him work this hard for so long, that old bastard had finally decided to make him Crown Prince.
Still, he had to handle this beautifully.
He needed to leave others with no grounds to object and give Xue Ye a chance to reward him.
"Xue Qinghe of the Heaven Dou Empire pays his respects to Your Majesty, Emperor of Daming!"
Hearing that voice and that form of address, Xu Nian'an's lips quirked up slightly, then quickly settled.
Xue Qinghe caught the tiny gesture at once.
It seems their relationship really is closer than I'd expected.
Xue Qinghe bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, Emperor of Daming, fifty billion is too much. Do you think...?"
Xu Nian'an waved a hand.
"Since my cousin is here, I'll lower it a little. Forty billion."
Truthfully, there was no way the Heaven Dou Empire could come up with so much money in the short term. By the time it finished paying, a hundred years would have passed. That was more than enough time for Xu Nian'an to destroy them again and unify the continent.
So Xu Nian'an's plan was to make the two empires supply Daming with money in the short term. Once Daming had developed, he could destroy them and unify the continent.
So whether the Heaven Dou Empire paid more or less was simply a matter of Xu Nian'an's word.
Hearing Xu Nian'an's offer, Xue Qinghe was secretly delighted.
It seemed to have worked.
"Cousin, forty billion is still a little... too much for Heaven Dou, so—"
"Come, let's drink. We can talk it over at the table."
As he spoke, Xue Qinghe swept out a hand, and all kinds of delicacies appeared.
Xu Nian'an shook his head, looking at him with amusement.
"Thirty-five."
Xue Qinghe pressed his lips together. They were getting close.
"Cousin, didn't you say last time that you wanted to bathe in my palace?"
At that, Xu Nian'an glanced at him.
"Thirty."
"If you want to go further, then it depends on whether my cousin has enough sincerity."
Xue Qinghe clenched his teeth and turned to the surrounding Great Snow Dragon Cavalry.
"Everyone, it's cold outside Heaven Dou City. I invite you all inside for a little fun!"
At Xu Nian'an's signal, the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry's commander quickly led his men to the gates of Heaven Dou City.
"We have no orders to open the gates."
The Great Snow Dragon Cavalry's commander curled his lips into a cold smile.
"Orders?"
Whoosh, whoosh~
He casually wrote two characters and flung them into the man's face.
"This is your order!"
Whoosh~!!!
"Welcome the Northern Expedition Ming Army into the city!!!"
Before nightfall, the entire Ming Army had entered Heaven Dou City and taken control of its key locations. They efficiently replaced the flags with the Great Ming Flag.
They had taken over Heaven Dou. At least for now, Xu Nian'an was the one calling the shots in Heaven Dou City.
"Cousin, twenty billion is my bottom line. Any less, and our relationship will be... changed."
"So this deal worth billions ends here."
"Our relationship could have gone further, but you ruined it with your own hands."
As he spoke, Xu Nian'an's expression changed abruptly. He flung aside Xue Qinghe's hand as it reached to wrap around his shoulder.