The ten clauses, the Inn Negotiations.
Word of this affair had spread far and wide, leaving the people of Great Wei thrilled and excited.
Every one of these ten clauses was exceptionally harsh, especially the last: the treaty was provisional, with further terms to be negotiated gradually according to each country's circumstances.
The meaning was simple: if one day you rubbed me the wrong way, I would slap another clause on you, and then I would feel better. Whether you felt better was none of Great Wei's concern.
Xu Qingxiao's Inn Negotiations had practically left every citizen of Great Wei beaming with springtime radiance.
Since the Northern Expedition, when had Great Wei ever stood so firm? When had it ever felt this good?
At first, nobody had wanted to fight this war. Yet through Xu Qingxiao's miraculous ability to turn rot into wonder, they had achieved complete victory in less than a month.
Such a result was rare indeed.
Great Wei had won this time. Not only had it won, it had collected the money without bowing its head.
Of course, Xu Qingxiao had treated different countries differently when setting the terms.
For Foreign-Race Kingdoms that had never participated in the war, or that had actively answered Great Wei's calls even while participating, Xu Qingxiao had not been excessively harsh and had granted them certain benefits.
Those benefits were not silver, however, but opportunities for national development. Certain territories, for example, were allocated to these countries to expand their lands while curbing the strength of hostile nations.
The aim was to establish a balance.
But on three points, Xu Qingxiao treated everyone alike.
Resident merchants, stationed troops, and preferential privileges.
These three requirements applied equally to every foreign nation.
The benefits of stationed troops needed no explanation. It was equivalent