Chapter 1341: The Treaty That Can No Longer Be Changed

"Baifeng, let us not waste any more time coming back like this. Just state a definitive solution, and I will see if it is suitable. If it is, we shall settle it, and this time, we will also set the duration so that it will not be changed like this again.

If what you say does not meet our requirements, then we will just forget it, and the content of the trade agreements we signed with you Huaxia will be considered void and no longer executed. How about that?"

Baifeng held up eight fingers: "Eight days. We Huaxia can exchange eight days of distance for a territory equivalent to one day's journey for your Xuanyuan Tribe. Everything else can remain as it is.

If you feel that is still not enough, then we will exchange ten days for one day, but correspondingly, the number of Soldiers we send will decrease. The grain does not have to decrease; I will use Bombs to replace our Soldiers.

In any case, what is most effective on the battlefield is our Huaxia's Bombs, so let us use Bombs as our reliance to trade with your Xuanyuan Tribe. This way, our Huaxia can lose fewer Soldiers. You see, which one do you want to choose? Aside from these two options, I will not offer any other way. If you do not agree, our Huaxia will completely withdraw from this war.

Our alliance will still be maintained, it is just that the relevant treaties signed last year will be voided, that is all. Good, this is my final stance; you choose for yourselves."

Xuanyuan's expression finally turned serious. Now, these words from Baifeng were indeed his bottom line and would not change again. This condition was basically something Xuanyuan could agree to. Xuanyuan definitely wanted Huaxia to join, because no matter what, he was the one taking advantage.

Xuanyuan looked at the expressions of the others, then whispered and discussed it with Dahong, Changxian, and the others. Baifeng waited quietly for the final result.

"Good, Baifeng, we can agree to the second option, but you must first explain exactly how many more Bombs you are talking about, and how many fewer Soldiers will there be? After all, there must be a fixed number."

Baifeng held up his fingers again: "One thousand! I will only send one thousand Soldiers, not a single one more. I will also double the Bombs; however many were given last year, I will give another double this year. The power of those Bombs will ultimately replace my Soldiers. The deterrent power of the Bombs alone is enough to make your tactics effective; the effect is even better than my Soldiers. How about it?"

Xuanyuan was still hesitant: "This year, it might be enough, because those people of the Shennong Clan are still near Changyang Mountain. But a year later, or several years later, when it comes to the final decisive battle, will Huaxia still only send such a small number of Soldiers? And your demands for Slaves—with so many people and so much land, you Huaxia are actually starting to take advantage. This will not do; our Xuanyuan Tribe is not willing."

"Oh, I misspoke on one point, and that is regarding the matter of population. From now on, we will split the population fifty-fifty. Whether they are those you persuade to surrender or those you defeat, it must be split fifty-fifty.

Those who are willing to join your Xuanyuan Tribe and unwilling to join our Huaxia, then they are your Xuanyuan Tribe's, but you must compensate us with a corresponding number of Slaves or other wealth. What do you think? Otherwise, your Xuanyuan Tribe could do too much in this regard; even defeated Slaves might end up being 'surrendered'."

"Oh, I trust you, Xuanyuan, but after all, we must strictly limit unnecessary trouble, so doing this is, of course, the best way."

"As long as the population can be split equally, then I can also send a different number of Soldiers each year according to the annual progress, ensuring that the force our Huaxia sends is sufficient."

"In this way, I can promise that the number of Soldiers and the quantity of Weaponry our Huaxia sends each year will have an effect at least equal to half of your Xuanyuan Tribe's, and the rest will be made up with grain. How about that?"

"This way, your Xuanyuan Tribe sends troops, and we Huaxia also send troops, but we must avoid unnecessary expenditures—for example, sending troops with the level of importance of a decisive battle when it is not a decisive battle, doing things that are of no benefit to either of our tribes. How about this, Xuanyuan? If we sign the contract like this until our two tribes win the war against the Shennong Clan, are you willing?"

Xuanyuan slapped the table: "Good! Baifeng, let us settle it this way now. From now on, regardless of whether you Huaxia suffer a loss or our Xuanyuan Tribe suffers a loss, this treaty cannot be changed again until the war ends."

"Otherwise, all previous treaties will be completely voided, Huaxia and the Xuanyuan Tribe will no longer be allies, and it will be impossible to sign any contracts in the future, because we will consider Huaxia not to be a moral tribe—oh, state. Do you agree?"

Baifeng nodded: "Yes, I agree. There is no problem at all. This is what I came here to do."

Xuanyuan also immediately slapped the table: "Good! Then let us sign the contract like this, and from now on, it shall not change!"

But what Xuanyuan did not expect was that Baifeng suddenly brought up another matter: "Xuanyuan, you already know about the marriage between Changle and Ayuduo of the Jiuli, right?"

Xuanyuan was stunned for a second: "Yes, I know. Why, are you and the Jiuli going to form an alliance, or?"

"No, it is like this: I want to trade for some things with the Jiuli, some medicinal herbs, but because the distance is too far, we have no way to walk back and forth to trade. Your Xuanyuan Tribe happens to be in the middle and could act as a middleman."

"So, I was thinking, you Xuanyuan Tribe could also have a hand in my trade with the Jiuli. We only want various medicinal herbs from the Jiuli; as for the things we give them, it will not overly affect your Xuanyuan Tribe."

"I would not even mind if you gave them paper and traded Crocodile Skin with us, because this is the essence of trade—exchanging what one has for what one lacks. It does not matter how it is done."

"But we really need their medicinal herbs. If you can act as a middleman, I can also tell you what those medicinal herbs are used for. If you can go to the Jiuli yourself to seek and transport those medicinal herbs, you could earn even more from us in Huaxia."

"If you simply act as a transit point and stop for a while, I can give you some grain, or paper, Silk, and such things as compensation. What do you think?"

So that was the matter. Xuanyuan had been quite startled; he himself had been very concerned about the relationship between Huaxia and the Jiuli. Now that Baifeng had laid it out like this, Xuanyuan instead did not care, because for the Xuanyuan Tribe, there was no threat; it was nothing more than some simple trade.

As for the matter of the transit station, Xuanyuan was also willing to do it, as there was profit to be made after all.