Chapter 416: Peace negotiation envoy

Outside the city.

Central command camp.

A huge map was spread out on the desk in the center of the tent. Chen Yan was wearing black military uniform, one hand pressed on the map, his fingertips sliding slowly along the marked river course, as if calculating something.

The sound of steady footsteps came from outside the tent. Yuwen Ze was also wearing military uniform, his waist tied with a jade belt, walking quickly into the tent, his military boots stepping almost silently.

He stood before the desk, cupped his hands, and reported in a deep voice: "A Xiong, the detailed list of property looted by the Tuyuhun previously in Hezhou has been completely counted and is on the way back!"

"The details are here!"

After saying this, he took out a booklet from his bosom and held it up with both hands to the desk. The cover of the booklet was written with a cinnabar brush: "Tuyuhun Property Inventory."

Chen Yan reached out to take the detailed booklet, his fingertips brushing over the cinnabar handwriting, and then opened it to read carefully.

Although the light in the tent was soft, the handwriting on the booklet could be clearly seen as neat. The number of gold and silver, the number of bolts of silk, were all registered clearly, and even small jade and copper wares were marked in detail.

He quickly flipped to the end, seeing that the signatures of the verifiers and the escorting generals were complete. When he closed the booklet, the smile on the corner of his mouth deepened, and he raised his eyes to look: "A Ze, you handled it very well! The items are clear, with no errors or omissions!"

It had to be said that the growth of his younger brother was visible to the naked eye...

The reason he sent A Ze to handle this matter was because some days ago, Chen Yan suddenly remembered that the things looted by the Tuyuhun during their sudden pursuit in Hezhou definitely couldn't have been taken away in time.

They could only be at the final station!

Therefore, he let A Ze and Dou Luling go to handle it...

"Thank you for the praise, A Xiong!" Yuwen Ze nodded slightly and smiled.

Chen Yan gently closed the detailed booklet, his fingertips tapping twice on the cover, his gaze sweeping over the outline of the camp vaguely visible outside the tent, his tone steady and decisive: "Distribute thirty percent of it to reward the whole army after the battle!"

After a pause, he continued: "Use the remaining seventy percent for the post-war reconstruction of Hezhou..."

"Whoever dares to have crooked thoughts and wants to covet or taint it, will be severely punished without leniency!"

This property was the fat and blood of the people.

Since it was taken from Hezhou, it should be used for Hezhou!

"Obey the order!"

Yuwen Ze nodded heavily, knowing the importance, and said in a deep voice: "Brother will keep a close eye on it!"

The sunlight outside the tent cast a long, narrow shadow on the ground through the gaps in the tent curtain.

The tent door was lifted, and You Xian walked in quickly in black military uniform, cupping his hands and standing in the tent, his voice loud: "Lord, there is an envoy from Fouhan City..."

"He says he is ordered by the Tuyuhun Crown Prince to come for peace talks!"

"Peace talks?"

Yuwen Ze was amused upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth unable to stop rising, mocking with a smile, disdainfully: "He, Xiahou Shun, a turtle in a jar, what confidence does he have to negotiate peace with our army?"

Chen Yan smiled indifferently, his knuckles tapping on the desk, playfully: "It seems the food in the city is about to run out, and they can't hold on anymore..."

What peace talks represented was clear enough.

After waiting for so long, the final moment to harvest the fruits of victory had finally arrived!

"Lord, should we see that envoy?" You Xian stepped forward half a step to ask for instructions.

"Bring him in!" Chen Yan waved his hand and said.

Seeing this, You Xian replied "Yes," bowed and retreated half a step, turned around, and walked quickly out of the tent.

Inside the central command tent, the beast-patterned brocade flags hanging on the tent walls hung quietly. Wang Xiong, Dou Luling, Helian Shi, He Ba Le, Gu Yuci, and several other generals were all wearing black military uniforms, neatly lined up on Chen Yan's left and right.

Everyone's gaze was solemn, revealing majesty in silence, and the atmosphere in the tent was solemn to the point of stagnation.

The tent door was lifted, and You Xian led the Tuyuhun envoy Li Yifu in.

Li Yifu was wearing a brown robe and a leather belt inlaid with jade. Although he had deliberately tidied up his clothes, he couldn't hide the anxiety between his brows.

What a young general... He swept his gaze over the formation in the tent, and when his gaze finally landed on Chen Yan in the main seat, his pupils shrank slightly, his heart secretly surprised.

Collecting his mind, Li Yifu stepped forward two steps, following Tuyuhun etiquette, his hands crossed over his chest, his voice slightly dry but still calm: "Tuyuhun envoy Li Yifu, see General Chen Yan!"

"My Crown Prince ordered me to come..."

But before he could finish speaking, a stern shout came from the left formation, shaking the air in the tent slightly: "You barbarian!"

People followed the sound and looked, only to see Helian Shi's tiger eyes wide open, his hands pressed against the sword at his waist, his body in black military uniform leaning forward slightly, his whole body exuding terrifying power, "How dare you not kneel when meeting the Grand General!"

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the tent tightened instantly.

Wang, Gu, Dou, and the other generals all withdrew their usual expressions, and pairs of sharp, knife-like gazes fell squarely on Li Yifu.

Those gazes were filled with coldness and pressure, as if they could pierce through a person.

Cold sweat broke out on Li Yifu's forehead, and his voice couldn't stop trembling, but he still braced himself and raised his head, arguing against the cold gazes in the tent: "I am an envoy..."

He deliberately raised his volume slightly, trying to hide the panic in his tone, but his knees were trembling under the terrifying power in the tent: "There is no reason to kneel..."

Hearing this, Helian Shi's mouth curled into a cold sneer, his eyes filled with disdain, saying in a deep voice: "Since you have come to our Great Zhou's military camp, you must follow our Great Zhou's rules!"

Before the words had faded, his figure moved violently, his black military uniform drawing a residual shadow in the tent, so fast it was impossible to defend against.

He saw him step forward, his right leg gathering strength, and he kicked Li Yifu's back knee hard.

With a muffled "clatter," accompanied by that heart-rending scream, Li Yifu's center of gravity lost balance instantly, and he staggered forward.

With a "thump," he knelt heavily on the ground, his knees colliding with the hard ground, hurting him until his eyes went black.

"You..." Li Yifu, caught off guard and in pain, raised his head angrily to look at Helian Shi.

"What about me?"

Helian Shi gripped the sword at his waist, glanced at Li Yifu, and asked coldly: "You barbarian, are you not convinced?"

"No... no..."

"This general misunderstood..."

At that moment, Li Yifu forced a smile, because he smelled the scent of death.

Fearing that if he were a second slow, this Zhou army general would hack him down...

That aura was truly going to kill him.

Yuwen Ze stepped forward, the silver patterns on his black military uniform shining coldly in the dim light of the tent, his gaze like a sharp blade carving into Li Yifu: "Remember, our Great Zhou is not a place where you can be presumptuous!"

Yuwen Ze raised his hand and pointed straight at Li Yifu, his tone fierce: "If you are a dragon, you must coil; if you are a tiger, you must lie down!"

The gazes of the generals in the tent grew colder and more solemn. Li Yifu knelt on the ground, his back feeling cold from Yuwen Ze's aura.

The sharp pain in his knees and the fear in his heart intertwined, making him never dare to have any thought of arguing again.

He could only keep his head down tightly, trembling uncontrollably.

Just as the atmosphere in the tent was tense, Chen Yan in the main seat remained calm and composed.

His fingertips pinched a blue porcelain teacup, lifting the tea lid to gently skim off the foam. The warm tea fragrance curled up, diluting the murderous atmosphere in the tent.

Letting them make trouble, he remained indifferent, only lowering his eyes to sip the tea, as if the disturbance in the tent had nothing to do with him.

Until Li Yifu was scared out of his wits, Chen Yan slowly put down the teacup, the porcelain lid touching the cup body with a crisp sound, instantly suppressing the silence in the tent, "That's enough!"

After a pause, he asked: "This envoy, tell me your purpose?"

"Returning to Grand General Chen, I am ordered by my Crown Prince to come for peace talks!"

Li Yifu knelt on the ground, surprised and afraid, carefully replying: "To turn swords into silk, to make the two countries return to old friendship!"

"A turtle in a jar, a fish in a pot, also worthy of mentioning the two words peace talks?"

Yuwen Ze curled his lips upon hearing this, snorted coldly, and scolded: "Do you really think this war is something Xiahou Shun can fight if he wants, and stop if he wants, and that our Great Zhou's land is something your Tuyuhun can come to if you want, and leave if you want!"

"Grand General Chen, everything is negotiable..."

Li Yifu shuddered, braced himself, and smiled apologetically: "Whatever requirements you have, just mention them, the Crown Prince will definitely try his best to satisfy them!"

Chen Yan gently placed the blue porcelain tea bowl on the desk, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful arc, but his eyes were as cold as ice, saying: "Go back and tell Xiahou Shun, I do not negotiate peace, I only accept unconditional surrender!"

"Tell him if he wants to survive, then strip to the waist, bind his hands, lead a sheep, and hold jade in his mouth!" ===== CHAPTER 417 =====