Chapter 699: First Volume, Chapter 699: This Move Is in the Stratosphere!

First Volume, Chapter 699: This Move Is in the Stratosphere!

As the saying goes, each profession has its specialists.

Chen Si's expertise in military affairs is unquestionable, but his political intuition is not as sharp as Han Yu's.

Conversely, although Han Yu excels in politics, he lacks the temperament control needed in commerce.

Of the three conditions Qin Feng proposed, the first two were open strategies; only the third concealed a massive trap.

As for when the Northern Di would realize it, that was no longer Qin Feng's concern.

After all, once one is entangled in commerce, even if one understands the complications, one can only drink poison to quench thirst.

Chen Si relayed all three conditions to Han Yu.

Han Yu rubbed his chin, lost in thought; knowing Qin Feng as he did, this man wished nothing more than to drive the entire Northern Di to destruction—how could he possibly offer them any real benefit?

But…

Even though he knew something was amiss, he had no evidence to substantiate his suspicion.

And undeniably, Qin Feng's three conditions were undoubtedly the best possible outcome for these State Peace Talks.

After an emergency consultation, the Northern Di Envoy Group unanimously agreed to accept Qin Feng's terms.

Qin Tianhu, however, grew suspicious and pulled Qin Feng aside, frowning deeply as he demanded an explanation.

"Feng'er, why did your negotiation fizzle out like this? It leaves your father deeply confused."

"From start to finish, you've crushed the Northern Di Envoy Group with iron-fisted pressure, and now you hold the advantage of controlling an entire province."

"At this point, no matter what conditions you demand, the Northern Di must accept."

"Even…"

Qin Tianhu gritted his teeth: "Demand two hundred million taels of war reparations—they'd still have to grit their teeth and pay!"

Qin Tianhu, having witnessed the entire negotiation, was certain the Northern Di had no cards left to play.

Now, the Northern Di was entirely at the mercy of Shedynasty.

Even if forced to pay a sky-high sum in war reparations, the Northern Di could only swallow their rage and endure it.

Two hundred million taels of war reparations would not only offset Shedynasty's losses and pacify the Common People, but also cripple the Northern Di, plunging them into internal strife and rendering them incapable of threatening Shedynasty in the short term.

Just as victory in the negotiation seemed assured, Qin Feng abandoned his advantage and waived nine hundred million taels of war reparations outright.

Even if calculated at two hundred million, Shedynasty would receive only one hundred and ten million taels of silver.

If calculated against the original target of one hundred and fifty million taels of silver, they would now receive only sixty million taels.

For Shedynasty, this was undoubtedly a massive loss.

Facing Qin Tianhu's accusation, Qin Feng merely shrugged, unconcerned: "Father, if I'm only demanding sixty million taels, it's because I've thought it through thoroughly."

"Father, there's a point you may have overlooked."

"Although the Northern Di is ruled by the Northern Di King, there is a distinction between the two."

"For the Common People and ministers, the world is the family; a strong nation brings wealth to its people, so national interest comes first."

"But for the Beixi County War Hero, it is a family realm—they prioritize their own rule, and only then strive to govern diligently."

"If we truly wish to use war reparations to destroy the Northern Di, we would inevitably shake the Northern Di King's authority."

"At that point, to preserve his power, the Northern Di King would be forced to go all-in, even at the cost of total ruin."

Hearing Qin Feng's explanation, Qin Tianhu suddenly saw the light.

Two hundred million taels of war reparations would undoubtedly be a humiliating loss of sovereignty for the Northern Di—but whether it was national sovereignty or royal sovereignty being stripped away was unclear.

If national sovereignty were threatened, the Northern Di King might endure it; but if royal sovereignty were attacked, he would surely risk everything!

Qin Tianhu felt a chill of dread, then a wave of relief—thankfully Qin Feng had realized this, or relentless pressure might have backfired.

Seeing the sly grin on Qin Feng's face, Qin Tianhu immediately sensed there was more to it.

He snapped: "You've got another plan, don't you?"

No one knows a son better than his father.

Qin Feng grinned: "I won't dwell on the first two open strategies—they're just distractions, meant to draw everyone's attention away."

"The third condition is the real core."

"Strip away the disguise and examine the interests: the first layer is maximizing Shedynasty's advantage."

"Even if Shedynasty fully develops its military, any war with the Northern Di would inevitably cause massive damage."

"But if we wield commerce as a sword, we can subdue this unruly steed without shedding a single drop of blood."

"Once the Northern Di tastes the sweetness of trade, they'll never be able to do without Shedynasty—this commercial exchange becomes a chain wrapped around the Northern Di's neck, with one end firmly in our hands: we tighten it when we wish, loosen it when we wish."

Upon understanding Qin Feng's deeper intent, Qin Tianhu's mouth hung slightly open, his eyes filled with astonishment.

This boy's mind had reached such a depth.

Had Qin Feng not revealed the underlying stakes, Qin Tianhu would never have seen the trap—he'd have mistaken Qin Feng's move for granting concessions to the Northern Di.

Qin Feng's tactic was ruthless!

He was boiling the frog slowly, gradually controlling the Northern Di—by the time they realized it, it would be far too late!

Qin Tianhu drew a deep breath and asked gravely: "You just said… this is only the first layer?"

"What's the second layer?"

Qin Feng still wore a calm smile, but his eyes grew increasingly cunning.

"Money isn't everything—but without money, nothing is possible!"

"Even if we demanded one hundred and fifty million taels of silver, it would be enough to resolve most of Shedynasty's internal problems."

"This money, on the surface, appears as an achievement—but in truth, it's… a death warrant!"

"Once the Emperor gets the money and has no further worries, won't he turn his attention squarely toward us?"

"When the rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked; when the birds are gone, the bow is put away—for an Emperor, this is merely basic procedure. To consolidate imperial power, any sovereign is utterly heartless."

Under the premise of maximizing Liang's profits, Qin Feng still deliberately left just the right amount of "small tails."

These small tails were enough to distract the Liang Emperor.

The first layer was for outsiders; the second was for insiders.

Qin Tianhu involuntarily drew a deep breath, his gaze at Qin Feng filled with awe.

"Feng'er, even I, your father, possess none of these tactics of yours."

"Though I don't know where you learned them, I am certain that as long as you are here, the Qin Family will flourish forever."

"These sixty million taels of silver are barely enough for military expenditure and repairing and reinforcing the frontier fortresses and cities."

"At least twenty million taels of silver will ultimately flow to the Northern Border."

"As for political and people's livelihood matters, vast sums are still needed, inevitably drawn from the National Treasury—these problems will give even the sage a headache for a while."

At this, Qin Tianhu suddenly realized something, his eyes widening in utter disbelief: "Could there be a third layer?!"