Chapter 228: The Sovereign is Willing to Submit to Beijiang

The Ambassador of the Kokand Kingdom prostrated himself on the ground, his tone extremely sincere.

"Prince of Northern Suppression, our sovereign has heard that you are benevolent, invincible in battle, and have even driven away the Rakshasa bandits."

"That is why we have come to seek your help; with your heroism, you will surely be able to drive back the Rakshasa troops."

After this round of flattery, Xiao Moting did not even blink, remaining calm.

What use were these empty, flowery words?

Sending the Northern Frontier Army to battle would not only consume a vast amount of silver but also risk the predicament of heavy casualties among the soldiers.

No matter how miserably the Kokand Kingdom was being beaten, what did that have to do with his Beijiang?

Facing the urgent Ambassador of the Kokand Kingdom, Xiao Moting remained unhurried, picking up the clear tea on the desk and slowly blowing the tea leaves away from the surface.

"Ambassadors, the Kokand Kingdom and my Daliang have not had much interaction in the past."

"The Rakshasa are attacking your own country; why should I send troops?"

Seeing that the flattery was not working, the several ambassadors of the Kokand Kingdom knelt on the ground and looked at each other.

Xiao Moting could not be bothered to look at them.

At this moment, one ambassador gritted his teeth.

"Prince of Northern Suppression, as long as you are willing to help us drive away the Rakshasa dogs, the Kokand Kingdom is willing to establish diplomatic relations with Beijiang, sign a friendship treaty, and become a friendly nation."

"A friendly nation?" Xiao Moting sneered slightly, "My Beijiang is now strong in both troops and horses, with great power; we are not lacking in friendly nations."

Having said this, he took a calm sip of tea and set the tea bowl down.

"Someone, escort the ambassadors to rest, and send people to escort them back to their country early tomorrow morning."

Just for a mere "friendly nation," he was expected to suffer losses in troops and generals? No way.

Upon hearing they were to be sent away, the several ambassadors were immediately panicked.

Seeing that Xiao Moting was unmoved, they knew he was not a man easily fooled.

Originally, these ambassadors had discussed using flattery to make Xiao Moting act on impulse and send a detachment of the Northern Frontier Army to their deaths.

But they had not expected this man to be so difficult to fool, and so sharp.

One ambassador steeled his heart and looked up at Xiao Moting.

"Prince of Northern Suppression, if you are willing to help Kokand drive away the Rakshasa troops, the Kokand Kingdom will henceforth become a vassal state of Beijiang, submit to you, and obey your commands."

This was their final step.

Rather than being annihilated by the Rakshasa Kingdom, they might as well submit to Xiao Moting and find themselves a powerful backer.

Xiao Moting's sharp brows tightened, and his heart stirred slightly.

Currently, he was wary of the Emperor only because his strength was insufficient; no matter how strong the Beijiang troops were, there were only 180,000 of them, which could not withstand the vast, hundreds of thousands-strong army of the entire Daliang Kingdom.

If he could subdue a vassal state, it would undoubtedly increase his own strength.

From now on, his capital for confronting the Imperial Court would increase by another layer.

However, Xiao Moting did not show it, merely standing up.

"Ambassadors, go down and rest first; I will consider it tonight and give you an answer tomorrow morning."

After speaking, he summoned Qin Zhan to escort the ambassadors to rest, then immediately went to find Bai Wei.

……

Bai Wei was in the tent, chatting with Xiao Lujing.

Xiao Moting had just left, and Xiao Lujing had snuck over, even picking a bag of wild fruits for her.

"Mother, do you like eating these fruits? They are called thorn berries; if you like them, I will go pick more for you."

"No need." Bai Wei hurriedly stopped him and grabbed his hands.

The young man's two palms were not at all like the long, fair, and clean hands of a youth; instead, they were covered in calluses, the marks of practicing martial arts and the Long Sword.

Moreover, there were several bloody scratches on Xiao Lujing's hands.

Seeing this, Bai Wei felt a sudden pang of heartache.

In the modern countryside, there were also thorn berries.

Although they were delicious, the leaves grew many sharp thorns, and one had to be careful not to get scratched when picking them.

Xiao Lujing had run off to pick a pile of thorn berries for her, and his hands had been scratched in several places.

"Don't move, I'll apply some medicine for you."

Bai Wei took the Iodine, dipped a cotton swab in it, and applied it to Xiao Lujing's hands.

Xiao Lujing stood obediently, not moving at all.

At this moment, Xiao Moting lifted the tent flap and strode in.

"Bai..."

He looked up, saw Bai Wei holding Xiao Lujing's hand, and his gaze flickered slightly.

"All done." Bai Wei finished applying the medicine to Xiao Lujing and instructed, "Don't let them touch water today."

"Understood." Xiao Lujing nodded earnestly, "I won't."

Xiao Moting coughed, "Lujing, you go out first; I have something to discuss with Bai."

Xiao Lujing could only rise reluctantly and walk toward the outside of the tent.

"Mother, I will come to see you again in a while."

"Go on." Bai Wei smiled and waved at him.

After Xiao Lujing left, Xiao Moting walked over.

Bai Wei asked, "You finished talking with the Kokand ambassadors so quickly? What do they want?"

"They want Beijiang to send troops to attack the Rakshasa Kingdom." Xiao Moting's sharp eyes flashed with cold light, "I did not agree immediately."

Having said this, he looked at Bai Wei's face.

"However, the envoy from Kokand says that if the Northern Frontier can make the Rakshasa retreat, they are willing to sign an agreement to become a vassal state of the Northern Frontier. Bai, do you have any suggestions? I would like to hear your opinion."

Bai Wei held her breath, realizing that Xiao Moting was consulting her on top-secret military matters.

She felt somewhat troubled; she had never led troops into battle, let alone understood military formations.

"Xiao Moting, I have never fought a war, so I might not be able to offer any good advice."

"Not at all." Xiao Moting smiled, his eyes sparkling. "The ideas you gave me before were all excellent. Although you have never led troops in battle, the things you understand are no less than mine."

"Furthermore, the Northern Frontier Army was raised by you, so I will prioritize your opinions. If there are any discrepancies, we can discuss them further."

After being showered with such praise, Bai Wei felt embarrassed.

It was clear that Xiao Moting was the Chief Commander of the Northern Frontier Army, and the entire army followed his orders, yet he insisted on listening to her.

However, since he had already deferred to her, she naturally could not refuse to consider it.

Bai Wei thought for a moment. "They are willing to submit to the Northern Frontier? That is certainly good, but going to war with the Rakshasa will deplete much of the Northern Frontier's military strength and financial resources. By that calculation, they are the ones profiting."

"That is exactly what I am considering." Xiao Moting nodded in agreement. "The Rakshasa military is too strong, and they have a troublesome Matchlock Team; I do not want to send my own men to their deaths. Therefore, I intend to send him away tomorrow. Establishing diplomatic relations with the Yuezhi Kingdom is enough for the Northern Frontier for now."

"Don't do that," Bai Wei hurriedly stopped him.

She had seen the prophecy on the murals; if the Kokand Kingdom were destroyed, the Yuezhi Kingdom would be next. Once the Rakshasa destroyed these two countries, they would unite with the armies of other nations to attack the Daliang Kingdom.

"Xiao Moting, what if we don't provide men, but only provide equipment?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Moting was taken aback, his sword-like brows slightly raised. "You mean..."

Bai Wei had figured it out by then, her eyes rolling as she thought.

"We now have the Snow Mountain Iron Mine and the Coal Mine in Shiya City. With coal and iron, we can build a High-furnace Iron Smelting Plant and mass-produce equipment!"