The Envoy Knew No Fear

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Pang."

A quarter of an hour later, from another tent, Pang Qianru brought over Di Ai's letter and handed it to Meng Qingbin. The Great Rui of Rui did not show any surprise after reading it.

After reading it, he tore the letter to shreds, soaked it in water, thanked Pang Qianru, straightened his clothes, and said, "However, there is something else I need to trouble you with, Miss."

"Envoy Meng, just say what you want to say." Pang Qianru was secretly amazed by Meng Qingbin's calm expression. When she told Di Ai and the others the news, the three of them were also calm, but they were still inevitably flustered at first.

In contrast, Meng Qingbin, the chief envoy, showed no fear whatsoever from beginning to end, and his eyes remained completely calm.

"Please take me to the main tent of the Three Rivers Kingdom, young lady. I have matters to discuss with the King of the Three Waters Kingdom; this is my final ultimatum."

Pang Qianru was taken aback, but she keenly noticed a change in the other person's words.

"A final... ultimatum?" Pang Qianru pondered the word, nodded, and turned to leave, but finally couldn't help asking, "Is the envoy planning to use the method proposed by Di Ai?"

Pang Qianru had already read what Di Ai on the way here. The methods mentioned in the letter were quite extreme, resorting to direct coercion to thwart the Three Rivers people's plans, which had a do-or-die feel to it.

However, through Sukai interactions with Prince Sugai of the Three Rivers tribe, Pang Qianru clearly understood that although the Three Waters Tribe was located in a remote area, it had accumulated considerable strength over many years and possessed skilled warriors. Given the military strength of the envoy's group, they had no chance of victory in a real fight.

To demonstrate a degree of sincerity, the Great Rui did not arrange for any officials from the Governor-General's Residence's Office to accompany the mission, in order to reduce the resistance from the Three-River Hu.

"Given the abilities of those two experts from the Three Rivers Tribe, even if the cultivators secretly protecting me were to attack, they might not fare well. We can't let Di Ai and the others actually make a move. Otherwise, there would be no turning back. We might as well retreat for now, feign weakness, and then act according to the situation."

After thinking for a moment, Pang Qianru organized her thoughts and said, "The Three-River Hu are willing to take action this time because they fear Rouluo, but the strength of the Great Rui Kingdom is undeniable. They may not really dare to harm a few lives..."

"Miss Pang, are you afraid that if you take action, you won't be morally justified, and even if you are killed, the court won't be able to hold you accountable?" Meng Qingbin glanced at Pang Qianru. "Di Ai's plan is indeed ill-considered."

Pang Qianru breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, "It's good that Envoy Meng understands this..."

But before she could finish speaking, Meng Qingbin changed the subject. "However, as envoys of the Divine Rank Kingdom, we bear a mission and cannot easily back down. There are some things in this world that can be assessed and judged, but as envoys of the Divine Kingdom, we represent the dignity of the Great Rui Kingdom and are facing the Northern Hu with the dignity of the Celestial Dynasty. We are not facing the Hu people as individuals. How can we act like beggars?"

Pang Qianru's expression suddenly changed. "But..."

"I appreciate your kindness, young lady," Meng Qingbin shook his head. "The Hu people are like wolves and tigers. The more we retreat, the more they will take advantage of us. Since Three Rivers is prepared to take action, our compromise and retreat will only bring us humiliation and won't change anything. Instead, it will make us look bad! Do you expect me, the chief envoy of the Celestial Dynasty Empire and the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister of Rites, to wag my tail and beg for mercy from barbarians? If I did, not only would history record it, but I myself would also be unable to get past my own conscience!"

His words were casual, but Pang Qianru could detect a sense of superiority in them.

"What's going on? Isn't Meng Qingbin only concerned with the interests of the Three Jin Meng Clan? I've heard he's always been a manipulator of power. Why is he suddenly acting so righteous? However, his words don't seem fake. There's no need for him to put on airs like this, the daughter of a military family."

Although Pang Qianru was from a noble family, her noble status was not valued by most civil officials. At this moment, she found it difficult to understand the thoughts of these civil officials, and thus difficult to grasp their intentions.

"If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? Miss Pang, don't overthink it, just clear the way. My bones haven't been tempered, I can't withstand the Hu soldiers' spears and clubs." Meng Qingbin said, stepping out of the tent.

The guard's shouts immediately rang out from outside the door. Although they weren't in the language of the Central Plains, their meaning was self-evident.

Pang Qianru cast aside her distracting thoughts, pushed off with her feet, and sped forward like an arrow. With a light flick of her hands, she released her strength, and with two muffled groans, the Three Rivers Tribe guarding the gate collapsed.

"Huh?"

This was like stirring up a hornet's nest; all the Three Rivers Tribe around looked over and then surrounded them.

The Three Waters Tribe's settlement was vast, covering a considerable area, with tents scattered sparsely, along with a few wooden fences and huts. Once the operation began, the Three Rivers Tribe within a radius of thirty feet could be clearly seen without even looking.

"This is a bit troublesome, but since we've already started, there's no other way. Lord Meng, stay close! We need to get into the main tent before the experts from the Three Rivers Tribe can react!"

With a shout, Pang Qianru unleashed her full power, her True Qi spreading out Soul Shadow Spiral, unleashing the unique characteristics of her Cultivation Method. For a time, the people from Three Rivers found it difficult to get close to her.

Meng Qingbin was quite decisive and followed without saying a word.

Ahead, Pang Qianru's momentum was overwhelming, and one by one, the people of Three Rivers were either knocked away or swept back, their figures overlapping!

This commotion quickly attracted the attention of many more people.

In the chaos, the Three Rivers Tribe guarding the other members of the delegation were also alarmed by the situation. They grabbed their weapons and surrounded the area. Three Rivers was located in a harsh and cold region with scarce resources and no craftsmen. Iron weapons were rare, but these guards each had one. When trouble broke out, they naturally rushed forward!

But this gave those guards an opportunity. Some of them took advantage of the chaos to escape, while others, being timid and afraid of trouble, stayed in their tents, ignoring the situation outside.

The people who escaped split into two groups. One group scattered and fled without any destination, while a few others saw Pang Qianru and Meng Qingbin and slowly approached them, seizing the opportunity. Among them were Di Ai, Zhao Can, and Zhong Yan.

Pang Qianru sped along, punching and kicking, using her True Qi and Qi and Blood as weapons. Despite the obstruction of the Three Rivers Tribe, she carved a path through them. Although it seemed chaotic, every move was carefully controlled and executed with her mind. When Di Ai and the others approached, she moved her mind, and the scattered energy waves created an opening, absorbing them and placing them behind her.

And so, in a short time, the group continued their journey, and just as they were about to approach the Three Rivers tent, a strong wind swept through the air, and the experts of the Three Rivers Tribe finally made their move.

In an instant, the Soul Shadows shifted, and waves of energy surged!

"Great Khan, rest assured, the Great Rui cannot do anything to us. On the contrary, the Rouluo are nearby and we must not offend them easily, or it would be a disaster to exterminate our entire race! Compared to that, killing one or two envoys from the Central Plains is a trivial matter."

Inside the Khan's tent, the Central Plains slave Heluolü spoke eloquently in front of many nobles from the Three Rivers, appearing as if he were in charge of the country.

He was quite proud of this. He recalled that when he was captured, many of his companions would rather die than submit. The more stubborn they were, the worse their fate was. Only he seized the opportunity and is now a servant of the Great Khan. Although he is not as good as the ordinary Three Rivers Tribe, he is a big shot among the slaves and feels that he has a lot of face.

A few years ago, with the expansion of the Three Waters Tribe, conflicts arose with Rouluo and connections were established with Great Rui. Heluolü once again seized the opportunity to demonstrate his limited knowledge. Although he did not understand the general situation of the world, nor was he clear about who was stronger between Rouluo and Great Rui, he still managed to show a certain "big picture" with his words.

Ultimately, it boils down to eight words:

To please people, one should praise the gentle and criticize the auspicious.

The reason is quite simple: Great Rui is far to the south, separated from the Three Waters Tribe by most of the Great Desert. No matter how powerful Da Rui is, the Three Rivers Tribe would hardly know about it. In contrast, Rouluo, which is right next door, is different. Even if they send only a cavalry unit, it can make the entire Three Waters Tribe tremble with fear.

As long as the people of Three Rivers understand and exploit their fear of Rouluo, Heluolü will have no trouble making mistakes.

This time is no different; Great Rui sent an envoy, but so what?

With this in mind, Heluolü looked at the eloquent Duolu Baduowa with disdain, thinking that this man couldn't see the situation clearly and didn't know that the old Khan no longer wanted to fight.

"Father Khan, Great Rui is a vast and resource-rich land with many talented individuals. The current emperor is determined to govern well and has Grand Confucian scholar like Wang Fu to assist him. Now that they have decided to attack Rouluo, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if we, Three Rivers, do not send troops, we only need to wave our flags and shout to let Great Rui and Rouluo fight! When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. No matter how strong Rouluo is, it will be greatly weakened. That will be our Three Rivers!"

Duolu naturally had no idea what Heluolü was thinking. As soon as the other party finished speaking, he said that he was the one who facilitated the Central Plains delegation's journey north. He did not expect that when he returned to his tribe, he found that the old Khan of the Three Rivers was getting worse and worse, and for some reason, he was almost completely obedient to Heluolü and Sukai. Originally, they agreed to use the power of the Great Rui, but now they were not even willing to talk about it.

How can this be allowed?

"Second brother, you're being too presumptuous. Whether Great Rui is a tiger or not is still up for debate. I've heard Heluolü mention that the people of the Central Plains ..." the eldest prince, Su Gai, Sukai, "Are not brave enough. They die easily and are no match for the Rouluo tigers and wolves!"

"That's just one side of the story..." Duolu shook his head upon hearing this, and was about to continue persuading them when suddenly a chaotic sound arose outside the tent, and another tribesman rushed in!

At the same time, on a mountain five miles away from the Three Rivers Tribe's settlement, Qiu Yan and Qiu An were standing on the mountaintop, looking down below.

In the field of vision, a forked river runs through the land, with forests along its banks. Tents and wooden houses dot the corners where the forests meet the water, which is where the people of Three Rivers gather. Looking further into the distance, there is an Ice Plains, which glistens faintly under the sunlight.

"Deep within that Ice Plains, a rich, lingering Literary Thought remained, filled with a sense of longing..." As he gazed at it, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.

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