Chapter 354: Treaty

"Mule Hongzhen."

The mountain wind blowing from Yin Mountain stirred the pasture grass on the Grassland, emitting rustling sounds.

Within the Northern Di army, one man stood at the very front, surrounded by hundreds of cavalry.

Although he could not see the man's face clearly, from the bearing of the person sitting on the horse, he judged it must be Mule Hongzhen.

"Father Emperor." Tuobawen looked toward his father, his palms covered in cold sweat.

Although Western Liang also had its own Hetao horse-breeding grounds.

Western Liang was not a nomadic tribe and was not as skilled at raising horses or as proficient in horsemanship as the Northern Di people.

Moreover, since the founding of Western Liang, its population had relied primarily on plundering from surrounding areas, making its composition complex.

Under such circumstances, Western Liang had never been able to assemble a large-scale cavalry like the Northern Di.

The army was primarily composed of infantry.

In terms of cavalry, they were only slightly stronger than Dayan.

This time, for the sake of the alliance, the remaining sixty thousand cavalry of Western Liang had all been dispatched.

But now, compared to the Northern Di Iron Cavalry, he still felt uncertain, and thus cold sweat poured down.

If the Northern Di were to launch an attack on them now, he feared they would not return from this trip.

Tuoba Hao glanced at Tuobawen, took a deep breath, leaped off his horse, and walked forward.

At this moment, the Northern Di soldiers placed a low table between the two armies.

Surrounded by his generals, Mule Hongzhen arrived at the low table and sat down.

Seeing this scene, he naturally dared not delay, and likewise strode over with more than ten generals.

"Please sit, Emperor of Western Liang." On the north side of the low table, Mule Hongzhen examined Tuoba Hao with interest and extended his hand to signal him to sit.

"Thank you, respected Khan." Seeing the sincere smile on Mule Hongzhen's face, Tuoba Hao felt slightly more relaxed.

As he sat down, he glanced at the wine pot and wine bowls on top.

"Pour the wine," Mule Hongzhen said.

Upon receiving the order,

Tiemuta picked up the wine pot and filled the wine bowls in front of the two men.

Picking up his wine bowl, Mule Hongzhen gestured, drank the wine in one gulp, and let out an "Ah" of admiration.

Seeing this, Tuoba Hao likewise drank his in one gulp.

"Emperor of Western Liang, can you taste what is different about this wine?" Mule Hongzhen stared into Tuoba Hao's eyes.

"If I am not mistaken, this should be the wine brewed by the Dayan Wang of Dayan," Tuoba Hao said.

Mule Hongzhen nodded, "Indeed. Our Grassland winters are bitterly cold, so everyone likes Alcohol. In the past, there was never wine this potent, so even though I have repeatedly forbidden merchants on the Grassland from buying the Dayan Wang's wine, I still cannot stop it; even the kings of the royal tents drink it in secret."

"To tell you the truth, it is the same in Western Liang." Tuoba Hao shook his head.

Hearing this, Mule Hongzhen could not help but chuckle.

Then he let Tiemuta continue pouring the wine, "It is just that while the Dayan Wang's wine is good, his blades are equally sharp. Not only have many of our Northern Di warriors died at his hands, but in Jinzhou, your Western Liang has also lost quite a few people, has it not?"

Tuoba Hao looked toward the direction of Jinzhou, his eyes revealing deep-seated hatred, "The Khan's words are absolutely correct. My one hundred and fifty thousand men of Western Liang..."

Saying this, he picked up his wine cup and finished it again.

"Refreshing!" Mule Hongzhen also drank another cup.

Tiemuta poured wine for the two again.

Looking toward the direction of Dayan, he said, "Dayan is our common enemy, and the Dayan Wang is also our common enemy. If you and I wish to enjoy this Fine Wine to our hearts' content, there is only one way at present: destroy the Dayan Wang, destroy Dayan. When that time comes, everything the Dayan Wang has will be ours, and all the wealth of Dayan will also be ours."

After drinking two bowls of Alcohol in a row, Tuoba Hao's face quickly flushed red.

Mule Hongzhen's words were nothing if not his own heart's desire.

It was just that he was still trying to remain sober and not let himself make a slip of the tongue, so he said, "The Khan is absolutely right. After the alliance, Western Liang is willing to follow the Khan's lead and assist the Khan in destroying the Dayan Wang and Dayan."

Mule Hongzhen stared fixedly into Tuoba Hao's eyes.

Seeing that Tuoba Hao's gaze did not waver, he laughed again.

At this moment, he extended his hand, palm upward.

Tiemuta understood and immediately placed a Dagger into Mule Hongzhen's hand.

"Since we are talking about an alliance, I have three conditions." Mule Hongzhen stuck the Dagger into the middle of the table.

"Please instruct me, Khan." Tuoba Hao felt anxious.

This time, it was Western Liang begging the Northern Di for an alliance; to put it bluntly, it was equivalent to becoming a vassal.

The Northern Di would naturally set conditions.

"First, to ensure the sincerity of Western Liang, you must hand over the Crown Prince to us. But rest assured, we will serve him beef, mutton, and Fine Wine every day," Mule Hongzhen said.

"Great Khan!"

Hearing this, Tiemuta was suddenly startled.

Their original plan was not like this.

It was to kill Tuoba Hao on the spot, take advantage of the situation to destroy the arriving Western Liang army, and subsequently seize all of Western Liang.

Mule Hongzhen merely raised his hand, signaling him not to speak.

Then he continued, "The second condition is that Western Liang must pay a one-time tribute of three million taels of silver to the Northern Di, and thereafter pay five hundred thousand taels of silver annually."

"The third condition is that if the Northern Di has military campaigns, Western Liang must send troops to assist, and the Northern Di army may pass through the territory of Western Liang."

After speaking, Mule Hongzhen just looked at Tuoba Hao, waiting for his reply.

The wine-induced warmth that had surged up in Tuoba Hao instantly dissipated into nothingness under these three conditions.

His hands trembled slightly; these three conditions were each extremely vicious.

Holding the Crown Prince hostage would cause Western Liang to lose all face.

And once he dies, I fear the Crown Prince will have already been assimilated by the Northern Di people upon his return.

Paying Silver is effectively an annual tribute, which will hollow out the tax revenue of Xiliang; afterward, Xiliang will grow poorer while the Northern Di grow richer.

The third point: the tentacles of the Northern Di will cross over Xiliang and even reach Gaochang.

"Please pour another bowl of Wine." Tuoba Hao forced himself to remain calm.

Tiemuta furrowed his brows and poured another bowl.

Lifting the wine bowl, the liquid inside trembled incessantly, but in the end, he drank it dry.

"Khan, is there no room for negotiation?" Tuoba Hao met Mule Hongzhen's gaze.

Mule Hongzhen shook his head, "Today was supposed to be the day of your death, but my second son Wulanba is right; conquering and destroying Xiliang is not something that can be done in a day, a month, or a year, and doing so would only make us a laughingstock to Great Song. We should give you Xiliang one last chance. If you truly submit, we shall be brother nations from this day forward; if you betray us again, I guarantee that there will never be another Xiliang person in this world."

Tiemuta gripped the hand holding the wine pot tightly.

He wondered why the Great Khan had suddenly changed his mind.

So it was him whispering in his ear; thinking of this, his stomach suddenly ached with anger.

Tuoba Hao, meanwhile, was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

Mule Hongzhen's meaning was very clear: the Northern Di intended to kill him this time, and there was no such thing as an alliance.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he hesitated, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, Mule Hongzhen said one more thing, dispelling all of his fantasies.

"There is something you should perhaps know: our Northern Di Artillery will soon be unveiled."

Tuoba Hao opened his mouth, sighed dejectedly, and said, "I agree."

"Good, hahaha..." Mule Hongzhen burst into laughter.

He had someone fetch the parchment inscribed with the alliance agreement, then used a Dagger to slice his thumb and pressed his bloody print onto the parchment scroll.

Then, he handed the Dagger to Tuoba Hao.

Tuoba Hao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately pressed his own thumbprint as well.