novelraw Chapter 824 - 802: Humiliation
Chapter 824 - 802: Humiliation
The next day, at the peace talks, Xie Jue presented the national letter to the King of Sannan, and formally engaged in discussions with the King of Sannan, Han Ziqi, the Third Prince, the High Priest, and others. Xie Jue acted as the chief negotiator, assisted by Fang Chuning and Mr. Gu.
The High Priest gazed at Xie Jue, who stood elegantly on the opposite side, with an extremely complex expression. The negotiation hall in the palace was arranged similarly to that of Beining, with both sides sitting face-to-face at the negotiation table, separated by over ten feet. The atmosphere was not relaxed. The High Priest said, "Before the peace talks, I want to confirm something with Prince Yan and the King: Is Prince Yan the son of the Long Princess? I have verified the letters; indeed, it’s the Princess’s handwriting, and also bears her seal. All the elders of the Priest Court recognize His Highness’s identity. His Highness is indeed the son of the Long Princess. I wonder how the two of you feel about this?"
The King of Sannan laughed heartily, "I have always acknowledged Prince Yan’s identity. It’s just that I’m concerned the Priest Court might have doubts, since those who knew the truth have all passed away—getting a living witness is really difficult."
"Even inanimate objects can be evidence. Our Priest Court acknowledges His Highness’s identity," the High Priest said leisurely. What he wouldn’t admit at the banquet, he conceded before the negotiations.
The King of Sannan was naturally pleased. Although he didn’t know why the High Priest had changed his mind, their interests were aligned, saving him quite some trouble. The King of Sannan looked at Xie Jue, "And what about Prince Yan?"
"I am the son of Marquis Zhenbei, registered under my mother from the Lin Family, and the biological brother of the Emperor of Beining. Whether my birth mother is the Princess of Sannan or not is not important to me, nor will it affect these negotiations. Rest assured, everyone," Xie Jue’s gaze swept over the High Priest and the King of Sannan, and his tone was quite calm.
His identity was not something the High Priest and the King of Sannan could decide.
Fang Chuning said, "This is not the right time for a family reunion, let’s get down to serious business."
"General Fang is right, let’s begin!"
The High Priest hesitated to speak, but didn’t interrupt. Xie Jue said, "Sannan initiated an invasion of the Twelve States of Beining, causing significant economic loss and casualties on our side. Therefore, Beining will seek reparations from Sannan in silver, medicinal materials, and grain, among other things. Here is the list for the King of Sannan and the High Priest to review."
An official came over to hand the list to the King of Sannan and the High Priest. The King of Sannan, prepared for large compensations, still gasped when he saw Xie Jue’s list. This was beyond what one would describe as opening a lion’s mouth. It was outright robbery, intending to make them compensate with everything they had. According to the amount claimed by Beining, the Sannan Royal Family simply couldn’t afford it.
The King of Sannan’s voice lowered as he began his best strategy of playing the victim, "This... this... Prince, the amount of compensation is way too much. It equals three years of our national treasury’s expenses. As a Prince, you should know that our treasury surplus only covers one year’s expenses, supplemented by the following year’s taxes. Such a huge figure is really beyond our capabilities to bear."
While playing the victim, he cursed inwardly. Back in the Yuwen Dynasty, even the reparations demanded from the Beiman were not as high as this. Why was there so much silver demanded for just a few months of conflict?
Xie Jue said lightly, "From Shuilan City to Mudan City, I traveled slowly all the way. Firstly, to appreciate the magnificent landscapes of Sannan, and secondly, to experience its prosperity and wealth. The people of Sannan live luxurious and prosperous lives, ten times more than those in the Capital City of Beining. Is this amount really that large? I don’t think so. After the war, Beining needs to rebuild and repair, and the injured soldiers on the battlefield need Sannan’s lifelong responsibility. They cannot farm or make a living due to their disabilities. How do we account for such losses, or the bedridden recovery from serious injuries? With Sannan’s richness, such a small compensation shouldn’t be a problem."
Han Ziqi also saw the list and was stunned, "Prince, a million in gold and tens of millions in silver is really too much. Our treasury doesn’t have this much surplus in five years. Can we renegotiate? We’re willing to offer Sannan’s five-year treasury income."
That was already the maximum compensation Sannan could afford!
This was no different from robbery. The terms were so harsh, knowing that Sannan’s gold and silver were exchanged with Beining. The whole of Sannan didn’t have a million taels of gold. This was absolutely ludicrous. Was Xie Xun forcing them to surrender?
Mr. Gu originally wanted to say that the people of Sannan weren’t showing any sincerity and were unwilling to compensate with just that bit of gold and silver. But after Han Ziqi announced the amount, his words got stuck in his throat!
What?
When did Prince secretly add a million taels of gold?
And as if that wasn’t enough, he increased the amount of silver tenfold—it really seemed like robbery.
"Peace talks are not about haggling. We don’t even know your annual treasury income. This amount is already the minimum set by the Emperor and the cabinet. If we negotiate lower, I won’t be able to account for it," Xie Jue replied coolly, speaking blatant lies with his eyes wide open.
Han Ziqi really wanted to curse!
To meet Xie Jue’s demands for gold and silver compensation, it would take Sannan’s national strength for ten years.
"Of course, you can also pay in installments. Beining will allow you to pay it off within five years at most," Xie Jue gave the King of Sannan and Han Ziqi a breather.
The High Priest, unaware of the prices of tea, rice, oil, and salt, could tell from the King of Sannan and Han Ziqi’s expressions that the terms were certainly harsh. He didn’t understand political affairs and didn’t open his mouth due to this lack of understanding. Fang Chuning and others were merely watching the drama unfold, while Mr. Gu didn’t know what Xie Jue planned, so he too kept silent.
"Paying within five years is also harsh... how about ten years?" The King of Sannan asked tentatively.
"No!" Xie Jue flatly refused. The King of Sannan felt utterly desperate, convinced that Xie Jue was making things difficult for them and forcing them to surrender.
Xie Jue didn’t bring up the issue of surrendering either, "There seems to be no problem with food and medicinal materials. Beining roughly knows Sannan’s production capacity. We are not asking for much. In five years, just half of what you have will suffice."
The King of Sannan almost spat old blood, what did he mean by just half was enough? This was equivalent to forcing them to pass the burden of war reparations onto the people.
The only way to pass the burden onto the people was to increase taxes.
People of Sannan had been accustomed to good lives in recent years, with light taxes and prosperous harvests, leading to a continuous increase in population and flourishing prosperity. If taxes were raised, the people would surely lament day and night, eventually causing various disturbances and conflicts, exacerbating tensions. Peace in Sannan would become a distant dream. But increasing taxes was the only way to meet Beining’s compensation demands.
Han Ziqi and the King of Sannan exchanged a glance, "Are there any other conditions besides gold and silver compensation?"
"Of course, there are!" Xie Jue’s lips curled into a smile. Peace talks were mainly about money, and besides money, it was about resources, "In addition to gold and silver compensation, Beining also wants six cities on the Sannan border!"
Ceding territory and paying indemnities is the humiliation of a defeated nation.
The first two conditions of the peace talks were a slap in the face for the King of Sannan and Han Ziqi.