"With terms so generous, it would seem even Heaven would not tolerate my refusal." Yang Qing smiled.
"But now you people of Northern Liang come and go through our Western Chu as though it were deserted territory. Do you truly think Western Chu has no one left?"
Yang Qing's voice abruptly shifted from gentle and measured to sharp and cutting, giving his visitor quite a fright.
"Lord Yang, to be frank, if our Northern Liang army wished to take Yan Pass, it would require no more than lifting a hand. The only reason our armies remain locked in a stalemate is that we do not wish to subject the soldiers of Yan Pass and the people of Yan Prefecture to the suffering of war."
"So the people of Western Chu ought to be grateful for Northern Liang's compassion?" Yang Qing said. "Such words are arrogance taken to the extreme! Bu Er!"
At Yang Qing's call, Bu Er immediately stepped forward. "What are your orders, young master?"
"Take this uninvited guest to the dark room. I have more questions for him."
"Yes, young master!" With that, Bu Er shot forward, darting from in front of Yang Qing to behind the visitor in an instant.
The man was horrified to discover that this young man behind him, not yet twenty, had completely cut off his retreat.
He hastily turned toward Yang Qing. "Lord Yang, surely this is improper?"
"When two states are at war, their envoys are not slain. That is the rule."
"The rule?" Yang Qing paused. "First, this is not Yan Pass, much less a battlefield where men fight to the death."
"Second, if you are an envoy, you have neither shown an envoy's courtesy nor presented any credentials sufficient to prove your identity."
"Bu Er, take him away."
Bu