Chapter 429: The Reasonable Treaty

"Treaty?"

Xiahou Fuyun's knuckles, pressed hard, made his palm turn a bluish‑white; his tightened jawline formed a cold, hard curve, and his gaze, like a hawk's, locked onto Gao Jiong's face.

His Adam's apple rolled for a moment, his voice carrying lingering anger yet deliberately restrained and steady, and he asked, each word measured: "What does General Chen want to discuss?"

As the words fell, his fingertips unconsciously pressed harder.

The sting in his palm forced him to barely maintain a monarch's dignity, but his eyes could not hide the dread of losing the initiative…

After all, Gao Jiong's composure now unsettled Xiahou Fuyun more than any drawn sword or drawn bow.

"Great Khan, don't be so nervous…"

Gao Jiong's gaze swept over Xiahou Fuyun, taking in his reaction; a low chuckle escaped his throat, the corner of his mouth curled in a casual arc, his body leaned slightly forward, and in a deliberately relaxed tone he said, "Relax!"

He paused, the sharpness in his eyes softening a bit, and with a light, breezy smile said, "Our General is a man of reason!"

"It will never be a lion's big demand!"

Xiahou Fuyun's fingertip pressure eased by half, the pallor of his knuckles faded a bit, and his tense shoulder line sank slightly.

Clearly he was quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

He lifted his eyes to lock onto Gao Jiong again, raised his hand and gave a feigned press, as if steadying the hall's atmosphere and setting his own tone, then in a deep voice said, "Since that's the case, Envoy Gao, why not open the skylight and speak plainly!"

Xiahou Fuyun knew clearly that he and Tu Yu Hun had no room for choice…

A peace talk might still further safeguard the Xiahou family's interests and reduce losses!

Politics, after all, is the art of compromise…

Gao Jiong, seeing this, let a barely perceptible smile flash in his eyes, then nodded with satisfaction, his tone a few degrees warmer than before: "I, the envoy, enjoy dealing with straightforward people!"

Speaking, he lifted his hand, took from his bosom a neatly folded Bamboo Silk Scroll, his fingertips lightly brushed the dark pattern along its edge, and continued: "Great Khan, these are the treaty clauses drafted by our General; please review them!"

A palace attendant stepped forward lightly, his fingertips holding the edge of the Bamboo Silk Scroll, and carefully handed it to Xiahou Fuyun.

Xiahou Fuyun raised his hand to receive it; the pad of his finger touched the scroll's slightly cool texture, and his eyes quickly scanned the opening clauses about tribute and submission.

Though his heart was unwilling, he had long anticipated it; he merely furrowed his brow and said little.

But when his gaze fell on the line concerning ceding land, his pupils suddenly contracted, the fingers gripping the scroll tightened abruptly, and the scroll's corners instantly crumpled.

The next second, he snapped his eyes up, staring hard at Gao Jiong; his previously calm face trembled violently with suppressed anger, his jawline stretched as if about to snap, his teeth chattered, and his voice, full of incredulous shock and fury, shouted, "General Chen truly has a huge appetite, demanding to cede so much of my Tu Yu Hun!"

Having said that, he slammed the Bamboo Silk Scroll onto the table, shaking the tea cup on the desk.

The standard items of tribute and submission are mere face‑saving projects, done countless times, and are not hard to accept…

But that land cession is too harsh, isn't it?!

Every cut is aimed at the main artery…

"Is it large?"

Gao Jiong, watching the Great Khan slam the table in fury, showed no sign of panic on his face; instead he shrugged casually and said nonchalantly, "Not big at all!"

He paused, a half‑smile curling his mouth, and continued: "Take the two cities of Taoyang and Honghe, whose walls now bear the banners of Great Zhou; they are already under our army's control!"

"The 'ceding' written in this clause is merely a procedural formal handover…"

The words "formal handover" were enunciated with heavy emphasis.

As if reminding something…

Taoyang and Honghe, situated in the upper reaches of the Tao River, form a crucial defensive line against Tu Yu Hun's eastward advance along the river.

According to Chen Yan's plan, a Taoyang Prefecture could be established here!

Xiahou Fuyun's chest rose and fell violently, his knuckles again gripping the table edge, the wood grain under his fingertips seeming to embed into his flesh.

He stared fixedly at Gao Jiong, the fire in his eyes like a spark forced into water—still unextinguished, but temporarily subdued.

His complexion flickered between light and shadow, full of unsettled moods.

"Heh!"

A moment later, a cold snort escaped his throat, his voice wrapped in suppressed resentment and anger, each word biting: "All this land has been given to your Zhou State; doesn't that mean the heartland of my Tu Yu Hun now lies under the blade of your Zhou State?"

Not only is the upper Tao River gone, but also the upstream counties of Hechuan, Lexuan, Diechuan along the White Dragon River, and the Guangchuan Defense are lost…

It directly connects that entire region together.

Previously that was Tu Yu Hun's bridgehead for attacking Zhou State, now it has become a sword hanging over its own head!

Gao Jiong, hearing this, let out a light laugh, his tone bearing a certain "as expected" calm; he spread his hands slightly, his posture seemingly casual, his gaze sharp as a blade, and loudly declared, "There's no choice. Given that Great Khan repeatedly infringes, your Tu Yu Hun must remain under the deterrence of our great army at all times!"

He stepped forward half a pace, his tone suddenly deepening, each word clear yet bearing unparalleled firmness: "To prevent the two nations from taking up arms again…"

Xiahou Fuyun stared at Gao Jiong's punch‑worthy face, the suppressed anger instantly overwhelming his reason, the veins on his temples throbbing, his lips trembling as he was about to unleash a curse: "You f—"

The word "mother" was still stuck in his throat, and beside him, Xiahou Da stepped forward sharply, lowering his voice to urgently remind: "Father Khan!"

At the same time, his fingertip darted to poke Xiahou Fuyun's waist, his eyes full of a scorching hint—

A small impatience can ruin a grand scheme!

Xiahou Fuyun's speech abruptly halted; the sensation at his waist brought his chaotic fury back to awareness.

He glared fiercely at Xiahou Da, yet understood the point of the reminder; the fire in his chest could only turn into heavy panting, his complexion growing ever more sallow.

Gao Jiong, as if oblivious, stood there with a bright smile, saying nothing.

"And also the compensation of ten million taels of silver!"

Xiahou Fuyun closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, the raging fire in his chest seemingly doused by cold water; when he opened his eyes again, only suppressed coldness and resentment remained.

He raised his hand, heavily pointing at the Silk Scroll on the table, and in a deep voice demanded, "Even if we mobilize all of Tu Yu Hun's national strength, we still can't produce that much, can we?"

Gao Jiong, hearing this, lifted his eyebrow slightly, and unhurriedly made a concession: "Great Khan finds ten million too much, then six million it is!"

He paused, then thoughtfully asked, "Is the envoy being sincere enough now?"

Negotiations, after all, are about inflating offers to leave oneself enough leeway…

In any case, the leadership's bottom line is five million taels!

Moreover, his family's General said that whatever extra is negotiated belongs to him…

Xiahou Fuyun's tightly clenched jawline relaxed a little, his complexion lost some of the furious crimson, gaining a barely perceptible calm, yet his brows remained tightly knit, the difficulty in his eyes clearly visible: "Even if it's six million taels, the Great Khan cannot produce it outright at this moment!"

You should know that the treasury's ceiling is only three million taels......

"Our Grand General says we can pay in installments....."

Gao Jiong blinked, making a remarkably humane concession, and laughed: "If it can't be settled now, we can spread it over ten years!"

Chen has also taken the Tu Gu Hun's finances into consideration......

If the full payment can't be made, then we'll do installments—never force anyone beyond their ability!

Then we'll just have to swallow the interest through tears.....

Xiahou Fuyun twisted his mouth, let out a hum from his throat, his tone wrapped in a thick, unmelting sarcasm, each word squeezing out between his teeth: "General Chen, you really are thorough in your thinking!"

"Our Grand General has always been like that!"

Gao Jiong, as if he hadn't heard the nuance, gladly accepted, lifted his head and laughed.

"How shameless!" Xiahou Da, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Indeed, wherever there is a certain general, there are subordinates of that sort......

"Heh!"

Xiahou Fuyun's gaze returned to the Silk Scroll on the desk; after his fingertip brushed several lines of text, it suddenly halted at a spot, his fingertip pressing firmly as he snorted coldly: "These twenty thousand warhorses, the Great Khan cannot produce....."

These clauses are all harsh cuts.

Twenty thousand warhorses is truly bold to demand!

If Tu Gu Hun could still muster that many now, it wouldn't be just an invasion of Hezhou alone......

"No problem!"

Gao Jiong's mouth curved slightly upward, and in an even, unhurried tone he said: "Great Khan, you may first hand over ten thousand, and the remainder can be settled in installments!"

He paused briefly, then continued: "Ten thousand should not be difficult, right?"

As he spoke, a hint of profound meaning flashed in his eyes.

With these ten thousand warhorses, Great Zhou can field an additional five thousand cavalry......

Xiahou Fuyun's Adam's apple rolled up and down several times, as if a thousand‑jin weight blocked his chest; after a while he forced out, squeezed between his teeth, two very strained words: "Not difficult!"