Chapter 325

「Hmm…」

Fang La toyed with the blue-and-white porcelain wine cup in his hand, then spoke slowly after a moment's thought:

「Your Excellency's words hold merit. Even in war between nations, envoys are not executed. 」

「Our Holy Public State has not yet gone to war with Great Qian—why drive away their envoys? 」

Though he harbored deep apprehension toward Great Qian, Fang La ultimately decided to receive the Qian envoy.

He wanted to see what trick this Great Qian was truly playing.

Besides, to expel the envoy without even meeting him would imply Fang La feared Emperor Zhang Zhang Jie of Qian.

「Could it be that Great Qian has been defeated and now seeks peace and alliance with our Holy Public State to fully counter Liao's southern invasion? 」

Recalling Liao's terrifying past incursions into the Central Plains, Fang La speculated.

Though lately he had been busy conquering cities and seizing territory in Jiangnan, striving to take the region in the shortest time possible,

his attention toward Great Qian—the future greatest enemy—had not waned in the slightest.

If all of our Holy Public State's intelligence capacity were measured as ten parts,

then no more than three parts were devoted to the remnants of Great Song in the south,

while the remaining seven full parts were focused on Great Qian, which now controlled the entire northern former Song territory.

Xiangyang, the gateway to Jiangnan, and Bianjing, the capital of Great Qian, were the utmost priorities.

Just as the news of General Song Wan of Great Qian capturing Xiangyang had reached him,

so too had the report of Liao's Emperor Tianzuo Emperor, taking advantage of southern Song's internal chaos, mobilizing his entire army

and claiming a massive force of seven hundred thousand troops marching south—long already laid upon his desk.

Seven hundred thousand troops—that was seven hundred thousand troops!

Just thinking of the number sent a shiver through Fang La's heart.

Even if all these troops were as incompetent as the former imperial guards of Great Song,

sheer numbers alone could overwhelm and crush our Holy Public State under their weight!

Moreover, Liao had dominated the Central Plains for over a century; its depth of resources was unfathomable.

Even if internal decay and decline were inevitable,

its once invincible armies no longer shone with past glory,

their combat power and morale steadily diminishing, far inferior to the reigns of the founding Emperor Yelu Abaoji

and Emperor Taizong Yelu De, who once brought the Central Plains under Liao's dominion;

yet even a rotten boat still has three inches of nails—could Liao possibly lack even one,

let alone several elite border armies comparable to Great Song's Western Army? He could not possibly believe it.

If that were true, how could Emperor Tianzuo Emperor Yelu Yelu Yanxi have sat securely on the throne of steppe overlord for decades?

Could the wolves of the steppes truly have turned vegetarian and devout Buddhists under Liao's teachings?

「I hope Great Qian does not suffer too great a defeat. 」

With this thought, Fang La even found himself praying for his greatest rival, Emperor Zhang Zhang Jie of Qian.

Great Qian had been founded for only a few months and had already implemented "evil policies" such as "scholar-gentry equally liable for corvée and grain taxes,"

which had long stirred discontent among northern scholar-gentry and even most officials, kept in check only by overwhelming military force.

If they suffered a crushing defeat and lost the army that suppressed the realm,

within moments, rebellion would erupt across the land and the whole country would rise against them!

Then, if Liao took control of the Central Plains, Jiangnan would surely not escape their iron hooves!

In his mind, he preferred Liao and Qian to remain locked in stalemate indefinitely,

Liao unable to enter the Central Plains, Qian unable to turn southward, both exhausted and stretched thin,

while he secured Jiangnan, restored his strength, and then launched a northern campaign to reclaim the old lands,

achieving the unprecedented feat of unifying the north from the south!

He knew this idea was absurd, naive, unrealistic,

but what difference was there between a man without dreams and a century-old salted fish that could never turn over?

whose eyes only glowed with strange light?

As Fang La pondered, the servant who received his order had already brought in the visiting Qian envoy.

「Envoy Qin Hui of Great Qian pays his respects to Your Excellency. 」

Dressed in the official robe of a fifth-rank Lecturer of Great Qian, Qin Gui bowed respectfully to Fang La, seated on the main seat, neither humble nor arrogant, composed and dignified.

Indeed, just as Zhang Zhang Jie had sent Qin Gui to Liao to persuade Emperor Tianzuo Emperor,

believing Qin Gui was utterly despicable yet useful, and since he was expendable, he had again assigned him as envoy to Fang La.

Having tasted the sweetness of diplomacy—rising four ranks in a single mission—Qin Gui was unaware of Zhang Zhang Jie's true thoughts,

convinced instead that his success in Liao had greatly pleased Zhang Zhang Jie,

earning him imperial favor, and thus gladly accepted this southern mission.

As always: the rougher the storm, the rarer the fish!

Among the chancellors who ruled the Great Qian Secretariat,

perhaps one day his name, Qin Hui, might not be absent!

Thinking of this brilliantly bright future, Qin Gui's heart burned hot,

silently vowing to handle this mission to persuade Fang La flawlessly,

leaving not a single loose end, and etching a lasting impression in the Emperor's mind.

Even his gaze toward Fang La grew hotter: this was his ladder to advancement!

Done without a single trace, firmly noted in His Majesty's mind.

「You envoy are audacious indeed! 」

「Though our Holy Public State is currently inferior to your Great Qian,

our Lord is still a sovereign ruler—how dare you address him merely as 'Your Excellency'? 」

Hearing Qin Gui's address to Fang La, Deng Deng Yuanjue—whose temper was already blunt and fiery—exploded in rage, leaping to his feet and slamming his fist on the table.

The force shattered the ancient wooden table with deep cracks.

Had the table not been crafted from superior century-old timber,

and had the artisan not been exceptionally skilled in mortise-and-tenon joinery with perfect load distribution,

that single blow would have reduced it to splinters!

「The envoy must address our Lord as 'Holy Public'! 」

Zheng Biao, Pang Pang Wanchun, and others glared furiously at Qin Gui.

Fang La was the absolute leader of their Holy Public State and deserved due reverence.

Moreover, if this envoy disrespected the Holy Public,

he disrespected all of them, his subordinates.

When the master is humiliated, the servant must die!

Is Qin Hui striking Fang La's buttocks?

No—he is striking the faces of every minister of the Holy Public State!

Had Fang La spoken, they would have already rushed forward and sliced this arrogant envoy into minced meat to feed to the dogs at the gate!

Yet Fang La, seated on the main seat, showed no reaction,

his face still calm as a still well, revealing not a trace of emotion.

A mere title—it was nothing. In his past, when he was a laborer in Muzhou's Qingxi County (modern-day Chun'an, Zhejiang),

what humiliations, what indignities had he not endured?

If he had angered himself over such things, he would have died long ago from rage.

Yet not being angry did not mean he did not care.

This title clearly signaled that northern Great Qian held their Holy Public State in utter contempt.

Was this arrogance born of ignorance—or of genuine confidence?

If he got angry at this, he would have been furious to death long ago.

Not being very angry doesn't mean he doesn't care.

This title clearly shows that the Great Gan of the north holds their Holy Kingdom in no regard.

Is this sheer arrogance, or does he truly have grounds for confidence?