Chapter 665: First Volume_Chapter 665: The Tragedy of Small Nations

First Volume_Chapter 665: The Tragedy of Small Nations

Han Yuming's brow furrowed tightly. He suddenly stood up, his emotions becoming unusually agitated.

"Impossible!"

"Young Master Qin, in the past when the Northern Di repeatedly threatened our nation with the pretext of extermination, demanding we hand over hostages and Highland Horse breeds, we never once compromised."

"Today, such an unreasonable demand will naturally not succeed either."

"Young Master Qin, on a personal level, I am grateful for your support all along."

"But from the standpoint of my family and nation, I absolutely will not agree to such humiliating terms that surrender our sovereignty!"

Qin Feng could not help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly upward.

He found it secretly amusing.

Already getting anxious?

It seems this Prince who traveled all the way from Gaoshan Country is still too green.

"Your Highness Han, between nations, there has never been a so-called perfect plan, nor any such thing as a win-win."

"The so-called win-win, put bluntly, means the great nation wins twice."

"The relationship between a small nation and a great nation is inherently unequal. You came to negotiate with Shedynasty from a national standpoint — you were wrong from the very start."

"To put it bluntly, don't get angry."

"I can speak with you from a national standpoint, because Shedynasty's National Strength is formidable."

"But you cannot negotiate with me as an equal from a national standpoint, because your Gaoshan Country is nothing but a tiny, insignificant, land-locked small nation."

"You can only consider yourself a subject."

"The way a small nation negotiates is through constant compromise, constant concession, seeking solutions favorable to itself."

"This point, you will slowly come to understand, and you can only learn to adapt."

"What seems to you like terms that surrender sovereignty can actually guarantee Gaoshan Country decades of peace."

"Reducing casualties, maintaining the stability of People's Livelihood."

"If you insist on clinging to a shred of pride, then you can only face the risk of national ruin and family destruction."

"How to choose, that is up to you."

"I am merely drawing you a clear path."

Han Yuming hesitated.

Qin Feng's words were not false — small nations have never had any qualification to negotiate.

Even a great celestial Shangbang like Shedynasty must constantly face the danger of the Northern Di breaching its gates.

And only by enduring a great war of blood and fire can the Northern Di be forced to the Negotiation Table.

Shedynasty still has to pay such a tremendous price.

A mere Gaoshan Country, wanting only to reap benefits without paying any price — that is clearly a pipe dream.

To put it even more bluntly.

For a small nation to achieve Survival, it is essentially an endless exchange of sovereignty for tangible benefits.

The only question is, just how great a price can Gaoshan Country afford to pay?

Han Yuming racked his brains, thought long and hard, and finally made up his mind, his voice ringing firm and resolute.

"Submitting hostages — absolutely impossible!"

"This concerns the dignity of our Gaoshan Country, and even more so the legitimacy of my Han Family's rule over Gaoshan Country."

"The moment my Han Family dares to hand over hostages, our authority will be swept away instantly. Without the Northern Di even needing to send troops, the various factions within the nation could wipe out my Han Family first."

"As for sending a Diplomatic Envoy delegation to visit — that is negotiable, but absolutely must not be used as an opportunity to spy on our Gaoshan Country's military deployment!"

"The matter of Highland Horse breeding is also negotiable."

"Ten percent mares is too many. Each delivery of Highland Horses can only be ten mares."

"Furthermore, these ten mares cannot be traded at the standard price — they must be purchased individually at triple the price."

Facing Han Yuming's Counterattack, Qin Feng agreed readily without a second thought.

Little did he know, Qin Feng had never intended to make Han Yuming accept all the terms in the first place.

This is the Broken Window Effect.

First offer an unacceptable condition, then let the other party reveal their own bottom line.

Moreover...

Even if the Diplomatic Envoy delegation visiting Gaoshan Country cannot gather military intelligence, as long as it thoroughly investigates People's Livelihood, commerce, culture,

and the situation of all factions, as well as the Terrain,

controlling Gaoshan Country would be utterly easy!

As for the Highland Horse breeding matter, that was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

At first, Qin Feng did not even harbor any expectations, thinking Gaoshan Country would not yield an inch.

After all, the Highland Horse is Gaoshan Country's most important asset.

Ten mares per year is already enough for Qin Feng to breed on his own; it would only extend the time needed to reach scale, that's all.

No matter!

Qin Feng swept aside the composure he had maintained during negotiations, his face breaking into a smile.

He rose and proactively cupped his fist in a bow to Han Yuming: "Your Highness Han, I hope we have pleasant cooperation in the future."

Although Han Yuming also returned the bow, his brow remained tightly furrowed.

"Young Master Qin, shall we sign a contract?"

Qin Feng shrugged nonchalantly: "No rush."

"We can just sign it before His Highness Han returns to his country. If anything unexpected happens in the meantime, it'll be easier to adapt on the fly."

"Besides, the Northern Border is so close to Gaoshan Country. We can make contact at any time, so surely no one would break the agreement over this."

Qin Feng's words carried two layers of meaning.

The first was to intimidate Han Yuming, making him strive to maintain the current stage of negotiations and avoid giving Qin Feng any chance to press further for more.

The second, naturally, was a naked threat.

If Gaoshan Country dares to break the agreement, the Northern Border Troops will immediately march and attack.

Han Yuming sighed inwardly.

He never dreamed that negotiating with Qin Feng would be so difficult.

But for the sake of Gaoshan Country's development, he could only brace himself and accept.

Although the drawbacks were great, there was still profit to be gained.

This was what Qin Feng had spoken of: seeking benefit within compromise.

"Qin Xiaofu! Xiaofu! Damn it, where the hell did you run off to?!"

Qin Feng shouted a few times before Qin Xiaofu came scampering over.

"Young Master, what's wrong with you? What's the rush!"

Heh!

This brat actually dared to talk back.

Qin Feng glared at him and said irritably, "Go find Zhao Yulong and Ning Hu."

"Have our Longhu Army lads and the Little Marquis accompany His Highness Han on a tour around."

"Since he's made the long trip to our Liang Jingdu, naturally he should take in the splendor and prosperity of the Central Plains, the Heavenly Kingdom."

"Oh, right."

"Have Liu Ming send some men to protect His Highness Han at all times."

"Those Night Owls the Di have Secret Infiltrated in can never be wiped out completely. The other side must already know His Highness Han has arrived and will certainly find a way to make a move against him."

Qin Xiaofu acknowledged and hurriedly made an inviting gesture to Han Yuming.

"Hehe, Your Highness Han, do you have any preferences, or any particular tastes?"

"Now that you've come to the Jingdu, whatever you wish to do, we can arrange it."

At these words, Qin Feng kicked Qin Xiaofu right on the backside.

He said irritably, "You little brat, learning all the wrong things!"

"Those tricks used to deal with corrupt officials—don't you dare use them on His Highness Han."

"His Highness Han is a dignified Prince of Gaoshan Country!"

Seeing Qin Feng recover his easygoing manner so quickly, Han Yuming felt another wave of emotion in his heart.

Still, Qin Xiaofu's words had stirred his interest.

He flushed at once and said awkwardly, "Young Master Qin, I have a presumptuous request."

"When I return to my country this time, could you send some… beauties of Shedynasty to travel with me?"

Just as expected!

All men are the same!

Qin Feng immediately said it was a hard one to arrange, and simply had Qin Xiaofu take Han Yuming for a spin around the pleasure quarters.