Chapter 312: A True Envoy Should Be Thus

Wang Yang, having pressed them sufficiently, changed tone:

"But our Great Qi has always prevailed through reason; under normal circumstances, we do not favor or favor one side due to closeness, exacerbating disputes. I am here not to aid the Wenyang tribe against the Yongning tribe, but to turn spears and shields into jade and silk, seeking peace for the barbarian lands..."

Ang Ta did not believe Wang Yang's words at all, savoring the phrase "under normal circumstances," his expression dark.

Xiao Baoyue watched Wang Yang, calm and composed, speaking fluently, her eyes complex.

Only to hear Wang Yang continue:

"... Since we're going to talk, let's talk properly. Don't throw brocade at each other, competing to give money to the Wu Ning barbarians—it's laughable. Haven't you heard the saying: when the clam and the sandpiper fight, the fisherman benefits? Since this is a matter between our two tribes, let's shut the door and settle it ourselves—why let the Wu Ning barbarians profit?"

Ang Ta suddenly said: "The Wenyang barbarians have no brocade at all, so of course they're willing to agree."

Le Luo Luo was about to argue, but Wang Yang held his folding fan horizontally, and Le Luo Luo fell silent. Xiao Baoyue, seeing this, narrowed her almond eyes.

Wang Yang fanned himself and smiled:

"Don't say they already have brocade—take it a step further: even if they don't, doesn't our Great Qi have any? Aren't the brocades you now possess originally from our Great Qi? If we were to compete in throwing brocade, even ten Yongning tribes couldn't outdo our Great Qi? Not to mention our Great Qi—even I alone, you couldn't outdo..."

Ang Ta was furious and resentful, but lacked the ground to press the issue further, remaining silent. Le Luo Luo had long harbored doubts about the origin of the Yongning tribe's brocade and had repeatedly probed Wang Yang indirectly before, but Wang Yang always spoke vaguely. Hearing Wang Yang bring it up now, he glanced at him. Xiao Baoyue nearly burst out laughing—this poor man dared to boast so boldly that even he alone could outdo the Yongning tribe in throwing brocade? Didn't he even feel ashamed?

"Wang Young Master doesn't have that much brocade, does he?" Xiao Baoyue asked, half-smiling.

Wang Yang looked at Xiao Baoyue:

"As long as there's enough money, isn't brocade everywhere? If I wanted brocade, I could buy it anytime. In Jingzhou, I can buy directly from the Prince of Badong—high quality, colorfast, and convenient."

Xiao Baoyue's heart leapt; she dared not speak further.

Having silenced Xiao Baoyue, Wang Yang turned to Le Luo Luo and Ang Ta:

"Let's now speak openly and honestly: what is the real reason our two tribes cannot live in harmony?"

Le Luo Luo responded first:

"Han Envoy, your wisdom sees clearly—we never intended to fight the Yongning barbarians again, but they have pushed us too far! They demand we retreat beyond Lu'er Gang—"

Ang Ta, though unwilling for Wang Yang to intervene, had no recourse; at this point, he immediately glared and said:

"The Sanshan have always been our Yongning tribe's land! Your father seized it through treacherous means!"

"Bullshit! That land was always ours, the Wenyang tribe's! Your Yongning barbarians seized it by force—my father merely reclaimed our land! Accuse my father of treachery? Wasn't your father's sending of women to carry out assassinations even more treacherous?"

"Go to hell with your Da Ju Yu! The Sanshan have always been ours! We let you stay there when you were in distress! Who knew you'd be heartless and ungrateful, trying to claim it as your own? Your predecessor Haya bribed our traitorous ministers, incited rebellion, and burned our village! Compared to your petty, vile acts, what's assassination?"

"You're making up fairy tales! What 'letting you stay when you were in distress'? You begged us to send troops to fight the Xi people, offering the Sanshan as payment! The Sanshan were ours to begin with—why should you give them as payment? Utterly shameless! We were fools to believe your Yongning barbarians! You ambushed and killed thirty-three of our envoys at Qingshi Ridge—this grudge, even a hundred years from now, we will never forget!"

"What stealing? Don't slander us! You were greedy for the mineral ores and killed them to keep it secret—yet you blame us for stealing? Of course you do—you're used to turning black into white! My great-great-grandfather married the daughter of the Tuhai tribe's chieftain, yet you led troops to seize her and then falsely accused us of raiding the wedding party! Only you could commit such filth!"

"What theft of property? Don't you dare slander us! You greedy for the ore, afraid someone would leak it, so you came to silence us—and now you frame us for theft?! Of course you would; you're used to turning black into white. My great-great-grandfather married the daughter of the chieftain of the Tu Hai tribe, yet you led troops to seize her—and then accused us of raiding the wedding party! Only you could do such filthy things!"

Xin Ben had been thinking about the Arcane Finger technique, but grew annoyed by their bickering, disrupting his "thought process," and wished Wang Yang would secretly poison them both into unconsciousness—but feared poisoning himself, so he hummed a quiet tune inside his mind. Chen Chen Chen Qingshan, meanwhile, was pondering the true nature of Wang Yang and Xiao Baoyue's relationship.

Wang Yang tapped his folding fan against the table, interrupting:

"Enough. Let's not dwell on the past—"

Le Luo Luo accepted Wang Yang's words, but Ang Ta did not; he glared and said:

"Why not? The Sanshan were originally ours, the Yongning tribe's! Every past act of theirs was soaked in our Yongning tribe's blood! What do you mean 'the past'? It's not past!!!"

Xiao Baoyue watched coldly, waiting to see how Wang Yang would respond.

Le Luo Luo, hearing Ang Ta mention the Sanshan again, also grew agitated:

"What do you mean 'originally yours'? Since our ancestor Adugu crossed Wenyang Pass, we've—"

Wang Yang spoke calmly:

"If we go by 'originally,' then neither the Wenyang tribe nor the Yongning tribe existed—these lands were carved out by Emperor and shaped by Dayu. During Emperor Zhuanxu's reign, the northern boundary reached Youling, the southern reached Jiao Zhi, the western reached Liusha, the eastern reached Panmu. All living things, great and small deities, under the sun and moon, all submitted. If we push it that far, not just the Sanshan, but the entire barbarian region belongs to us—"

"If we go by the earliest claims, the Wenyang tribe, the Yongning tribe—all those lands were carved out by Huang Di and shaped by Da Yu's river channels. During the reign of Emperor Zhuanxu, the realm stretched north to Youling, south to Jiao Zhi, west to Liusha, east to Panmu. All living things, great and small deities, beneath the sun and moon, all submitted in obedience. If we truly follow this logic, not just the Sanshan, but the entire barbarian region belongs to us—"

Wang Yang tapped his fan's bone against his palm, his gaze like washed cold stars:

"You, Pan Wang, were originally under Emperor Gaoxin's court; you earned your wife by presenting the head of the Wu General of the Quan Rong. You fathered twelve children—six sons, six daughters. Your sons loved the mountains and gorges, disliking open plains. The Emperor, honoring their wishes, granted them famed mountains and vast marshes. In truth, this land was bestowed by the grace of our Five Emperors. If you rebel and defy, our imperial army will reclaim it, returning it to the Yu Gong. If you submit and embrace civilization, the Son of Heaven will embrace you, still listing you as vassals. Whether to reclaim or embrace rests solely in our dynasty's will—why do you fight among yourselves?"

"You!" Ang Ta's fury and resentment burned inside him like swallowing hot charcoal, yet he could find no words to answer.

At that moment, Xiao Baoyue suddenly thought:

A true envoy should be like this.

Le Luo Luo also felt unease, but recalling his father's words, he grew somewhat reconciled. Moreover, he knew Wang Yang, though publicly humiliating both Yongning and Wenyang, was in truth favoring the Wenyang tribe. Even from his words, one could sense the implication: "embracing civilization" clearly referred to the Wenyang tribe—and who was the "rebel and defiant" meant to intimidate? It was obvious. Still, hearing it left him uncomfortable.

Just as the two chieftains seethed with unresolved hatred and simmering resentment, Wang Yang's stern expression softened into clear moonlight and gentle breeze; his voice fell like moonlight through forest gaps. The oppressive pressure faded, replaced by warmth and a faint smile, as if his earlier harshness had merely been a means to reveal truth:

"You see, if we argue by 'originally,' you'll only feel aggrieved. So let's not speak of 'who came first.' As for past grievances, it's not just you who harbor grudges—we have them too! Nine generations back, whose family didn't raid Han lands? Whose family didn't kill Han civilians? But when has our dynasty ever brought up old grudges to demand revenge?"

"You think you can't bring up the past? Fine, then let's stop talking about 'who came first.' As for old grudges, it's not just you who holds them—we hold them too! Go back nine generations: which of your families didn't raid Han lands? Which didn't kill Han civilians? But look—when did our dynasty ever dig up those old grudges to demand revenge?"

"Nine generations back? Why dredge up such ancient grudges?"

Wang Yang wore an expression of mild astonishment and deep sincerity:

"Why not? The Spring and Autumn Annals speak of avenging nine generations; the Gongyang Commentary says: 'Can one still seek revenge after nine generations? Even after a hundred generations, one may.' If we cling to every ancient grudge, all under heaven will be filled with hatred, the world turned into a sea of blood. 'I realize the past cannot be recalled; I know the future can still be pursued.' Rather than wasting time on unresolvable old grudges, let's speak of something practical."

"Why can't we bring it up? The Spring and Autumn Annals speak of vengeance across nine generations; the Gongyang Commentary says: 'Can one still seek revenge after nine generations? Even after a hundred generations, one may.' If we cling to every ancient grudge, the whole world becomes a land of bitter hatred, the heavens and earth turned into blood-soaked ground. 'I realize the past cannot be undone, but the future can still be pursued.' Rather than dredging up these unresolvable old grievances here, let's speak of something practical."

Wang Yang smiled:

"You want the Sanshan to weaken the Wenyang tribe. If I'm not mistaken, this is a strategy of gradual erosion. Even if you seize the Sanshan, you'll find another excuse to provoke again, continuing to trade brocade for Wu Ning's military threats until the Wenyang tribe is exhausted and powerless—then you won't need to give brocade at all; you'll simply march in. After swallowing Wenyang, your next target will be Wu Ning—"

Le Luo Luo suddenly understood, a chill crawling up his neck! No wonder his father said Ang Ta "has a boastful face and boundless ambition"—he meant to unify the entire northeastern barbarian region of Jingzhou! But if he had such ambition, why hesitate to give away brocade?

Xiao Baoyue instantly grasped: Ang Ta wasn't hoarding brocade out of stinginess—he was hoarding strength, unwilling to waste it. He waited for his wings to grow full before striking with thunderous force to decide the fate of the region! He judged the Wenyang tribe too hard to chew—even with Wu Ning's aid, his forces would suffer heavy losses. And Wu Ning would never fight to the death; the Yongning tribe would bear the brunt, letting Wu Ning profit. When Wenyang and Yongning were both weakened, Wu Ning would gain brocade—how could one know what schemes they'd hatch then?

So brocade need not be truly given—only enough to frighten the Wenyang barbarians. Without Wang Yang, perhaps the Wenyang tribe would have truly yielded. But once he unified the three tribes, the Yongning Commandery could no longer contain him. Then he'd either advance west or south—west offered little gain and slow progress; south was far more likely! If he moved south, Linju and Dangyang might no longer belong to the state. With this as a base, he could shake the three commanderies—perhaps even achieve great things. He was indeed a shrewd planner—but how could such tricks fool Wang Yang? Ha, he thought—

So the brocade didn't need to be truly given—just enough to frighten the Wenyang barbarians. If Wang Yang weren't here, the Wenyang might truly have been forced to yield. But once he unites the three barbarian tribes, Yongning Commandery will no longer be able to hold him back. Then he'll either advance west or south—west offers little gain and is slow; south is far more likely! If he moves south, Linju and Dangyang may no longer belong to the state. From this base, he could shake all three commanderies—and if he succeeds, real gains are possible. He's a shrewd planner indeed—but how could such tricks possibly fool Wang Yang? Ha, he still thinks—

What am I so proud of???

This is utterly ridiculous!!!!

Xiao Baoyue felt she'd lost her mind and hurriedly had her inner little person stab Wang Yang several more times.

Xiao Baoyue felt she'd lost her mind, and hurriedly made her inner figure stab Wang Yang several more times.

"No wonder everyone says Han people are cunning—I've finally seen it. Han Envoy, you think so much. I don't have your Han people's twisted, convoluted mind. If I reclaim the Sanshan, as long as the Wenyang tribe doesn't provoke me, I will never raise arms again! As for Wu Ning, we have no grudge or feud—I even intend to befriend them. Why would I create enemies for myself..."

"No wonder everyone says the Han are cunning—I've finally seen it for myself. Han envoys think so many convoluted thoughts. I don't have your Han people's twisted, circuitous minds. If I reclaim the Sanshan, as long as the Wenyang tribe doesn't provoke me, I'll never raise arms again! As for the Wu Ning tribe, we have no feud or grudge with them—I even intend to befriend them. Why would I create enemies for myself..."

This man is terrifying—he saw through my plan at a glance! How did he connect with the Wenyang tribe? All my painstaking efforts, my careful planning—was this opportunity truly about to be snatched from me by this man?

This man is terrifying—he saw through my plan at a glance. How did he even connect with the Wenyang tribe? All my painstaking efforts, all the careful planning, the hard-won opportunity—am I really going to let it slip away into his hands...