"Cut!"
Zhang Fei glanced at him disdainfully, his eyes filled with almost tangible contempt, and said with a sneer, "You're the one who dares to do this. I come here representing the Emperor of Great Liang Great Liang, holding the Emperor's decree. The only person who can speak to me is your Emperor."
Who do you think you are, daring to act so presumptuously?
"You..."
The head of the palace guards' expression changed drastically. Although the reasoning was somewhat far-fetched, upon closer examination, it actually made some sense, leaving him completely baffled.
He looked to his king for help; he needed the king's permission to act, otherwise he dared not interfere in this matter.
hey-hey!
Unexpectedly, Zhang Fei also set his sights on Nan Ke, cupping his hands and smiling, "You must be the king. I come representing the emperor of my Great Liang. How dare you treat me like this? Could it be that you are dissatisfied with my Great Liang?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall couldn't help but frown. The words were practically laced with malice, utterly malicious.
snort!
Nan Ke snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency is already being aggressive from the moment you arrive. Even if you are from Great Liang, this is going too far!"
He is wary of Great Liang, but that's no excuse for your recklessness.
As a king, he still needed to save face.
"Is this going too far?"
Zhang Fei curled his lip, not intimidated at all; there were even more bullying things to come.
He had a few iron lumps tucked in his arms, and there was nearly a million soldiers from the Great Liang army outside. "You dare to be arrogant? Try it, I'm not afraid of you."
He sneered, "Your Majesty is too kind. Everyone knows that our Great Liang has always won people over with Win People Over with Virtue and has never bullied anyone."
I've come here to proclaim the decree of the Emperor of Great Liang, to resolve the conflict in the southwest. Is Your Majesty sure you want to say something aggressive to me?"
"Resolve conflict?"
Upon hearing this, Nan Ke was slightly taken aback and fell silent.
He didn't understand this so-called conflict, and naturally didn't know that Great Liang had become the father of several small countries. He thought they had come to negotiate the situation in the southwest.
He said in a deep voice, "Tell me what you mean, I want to see what your emperor thinks!"
Zhang Fei smiled, then became solemn and respectfully presented the imperial edict.
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees!"
"As the ruler of the East, the Great Liang takes it upon itself to maintain peace All Under Heaven. However, the Zhennan Dynasty has wreaked havoc in the southwest, not only indiscriminately killing innocent people but also plundering extensively within the territory of the Great Liang. This is a provocation against the Great Liang."
"Given that the Zhennan Dynasty is a neighbor of the Great Liang, we hope that you will prioritize peace, voluntarily return the territory belonging to our Great Liang, and compensate our Great Liang for its losses."
"Otherwise, a large army will inevitably march south to protect the interests of Great Liang and stabilize peace in the southwest."
"Although the Great Liang cherishes peace, it is never stingy with its military might. Please do not fail to warn us!"
So be it!
After the imperial edict was read, the palace fell silent; everyone was utterly stunned by it.
"You bastard!"
Nan Yiming was furious. He had worked hard for half a month and finally conquered several countries, and now Great Liang just wanted to take them away.
They even said that it was the territory of the Great Liang, but they're thousands of miles away. How could the Great Liang territory be disconnected?
Damn it, this is really going too far.
Nan Ke, his face dark with rage, practically gritted his teeth as he said, "So you love peace, so you're not afraid to use force! You're threatening my Zhennan Dynasty!"
I've already been quite tolerant, yet you still insist on being so aggressive. Do you really think my Zhennan Dynasty is just a decoration?
If you want to fight, then fight. I'm not one to be trifled with.
"How could it be a threat? It's just that those countries voluntarily submitted to our Great Liang. You seized our territory, so it wouldn't be right not to give us some compensation!"
Zhang Fei looked at the furious king and sneered.
These territories may have had nothing to do with Great Liang before, but now they're all our territory, so asking for some compensation is perfectly reasonable.
Grass!
Even Nan Ke, who was over fifty years old, couldn't help but feel angry at this moment. This was simply outright robbery.
What territory belongs to the Great Liang? It's likely that these are all newly surrendered territories, and they're just here to cause trouble.
He was just about to speak when Zan Rihong hurriedly walked in.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
"There are many more people on the border of Great Liang, probably more than 500,000 troops. Another 300,000 have just arrived!" Zan Rihong said in a deep voice.
Hiss!
Upon hearing this, Nan Ke gasped, his face instantly turning grim. The other side had managed to send so many people here so quietly.
This could easily turn into a million-strong army; that's a real problem.
No wonder Zhang Fei dared to be so reckless; this was probably his confidence—he was facing an enemy army at the gates.
Our border forces number only 200,000, which is no match for the enemy's million-strong army. Therefore, we cannot fight now, or we will be in serious trouble.
Damn it, how come I only just realized it!
"A million-strong army?"
Nan Yiming's face also turned deathly pale instantly!
Thinking back to his previous stroke of luck, if he had followed his own plans, he probably could have directly attacked Daliang's Great Liang.
No, we must quickly withdraw our troops, otherwise the front lines won't be able to hold out.
Zan Rihong also looked worried. The Zhennan Dynasty was now in crisis and might follow in the footsteps of the Yamata Nation.
The three exchanged a glance, all feeling immense pressure.
In the end, Nan Ke was the first to recover. He forced a smile and said awkwardly, "This is all a misunderstanding. We are on good terms with Great Liang. How could we possibly occupy Great Liang's territory?"
I didn't know before, but I immediately had someone hand over the territory to Great Liang for safekeeping.
Although unwilling, concessions were necessary at this moment; the Zhennan Dynasty needed time.
"Hey-hey!"
A glint of a smile flashed in Zhang Fei's eyes. This king was indeed flexible and adaptable. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "Territory is a minor matter, but we have stored a large amount of wealth in these places, nearly thirty million strings of cash. As for the compensation issue..."
"We'll pay!"
Nan Ke's expression froze for a moment, but he immediately recovered and agreed to Zhang Fei's request.
If they can weather this storm, the Zhennan Dynasty will have a chance to turn the tide. But if the Great Liang launch a direct attack, then the dynasty will be utterly doomed.
"Haha, Your Majesty is indeed a man of great wisdom and understanding. It seems we really misunderstood you. You are a peace lover too!" Zhang Fei laughed heartily, his expression meaningful.
Nan Ke chuckled dryly. "If you guys hadn't all come over here, I would never have agreed."
However, a problem arose: thirty million strings of cash was no small sum, and he couldn't come up with it all at once.
He smiled wryly and said, "Thirty million strings of cash is too much. Could your country give me some time? Once we collect our taxes in six months, we can compensate you."
"Six months is too long, absolutely impossible. It seems you're not sincere!" Zhang Fei frowned slightly and rejected the idea outright.