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Chapter 1028: The Conclusion
Chapter 1028: The Conclusion
September 25, 2017
Upon hearing the news of Yu Jin's defeat, Baron Yuan's heart shattered. He once again deeply realized that Lu HaiKong was nothing but a fraud!
The appearance of the Holy Beast, the Scarlet Phoenix, was the best proof of Yu Jin's defeat!
It was clear that Lu HaiKong's defeat was certain, and Baron Yuan was ready to witness his humiliation. He was even preparing to use this opportunity to negotiate with Lu HaiKong.
However, just as he began his preparations, Lu HaiKong directly unleashed the power of the Scarlet Phoenix, crushing Baron Yuan's hopes.
Along with his hopes, Dong Zhuo and Zhang Yan's expectations were also shattered.
After receiving this rollercoaster of battle reports, the three of them fell silent and resigned themselves to their fate, no longer wishing to struggle.
They had no choice but to admit that they couldn't withstand the strength Lu HaiKong had displayed.
For them, the most crucial aspect of this battle was not that Changshan's defense line had fallen to Lu HaiKong, but the presence of the Scarlet Phoenix.
The appearance of this creature brought immense deterrence to Dong Zhuo's forces. No one could ignore the threat of such a powerful creature flying freely in the sky.
With the Scarlet Phoenix, Lu HaiKong could launch long-distance attacks even without declaring war, and these attacks were incredibly devastating, capable of destroying a city in just a few minutes.
No one wanted to face such a creature that could appear out of nowhere and deliver a devastating blow at any moment.
However, what they didn't know was that although the Scarlet Phoenix was powerful, it wasn't easy to control. The previous display had nearly exhausted its endurance, and it would take about a year for it to recover.
Even if they were aware of this, they would still be cautious at this point, as all three parties had been humiliated by Lu HaiKong. None of them had the strength to fight back, and Lu HaiKong's ability to casually summon the Scarlet Phoenix left them wondering if he could also summon the White Tiger.
In this battle, Lu HaiKong vividly demonstrated the meaning of 'unfathomable strength.' His endless tactics and bottomless power left them feeling utterly hopeless!
In this situation, the three of them completely surrendered. Baron Yuan took the lead in formally negotiating war reparations with Lu HaiKong, or rather, these three guys finally accepted Lu HaiKong's exploitation.
As the three of them conceded, Lu HaiKong's intentions turned dark.
Due to his luck and some personal issues, Lu HaiKong couldn't expand his territory in a short time, so he had to focus on exploiting these three individuals.
Although all three parties had surrendered and were willing to pay to settle the matter, they didn't want to be the scapegoats, allowing Lu HaiKong to take advantage of them. However, they couldn't confront him directly, so they had to haggle and negotiate with Lu HaiKong.
This process was inherently tedious and time-consuming. From the moment the four parties sat at the negotiation table, or rather, from the moment the three of them stood before Lu HaiKong's chopping block, his knife began to cut.
It took Lu HaiKong over half a month of continuous negotiations to complete the exploitation of the three parties.
All three parties had to pay war reparations to Lu HaiKong and sign certain treaties, but the terms he set for each were different. He demanded more from some and less from others, and the items he requested from each party varied.
As the instigator, Baron Yuan bore the brunt of Lu HaiKong's demands. He was forced to pay 800 million gold coins, hand over an artifact, three thousand Data NPC Scholars, and grant tax exemption to the Bingzhou Merchant Caravan.
After lengthy haggling with Lu HaiKong, Dong Zhuo eventually agreed to pay 300 million gold coins, two national treasures, and also grant tax exemption to the Bingzhou Merchant Caravan.
Additionally, Dong Zhuo hoped to exchange national treasures to retrieve Hua Xiong, Zhang Xiu, and Jia Xu, who were captured by Lu HaiKong. However, this request was immediately rejected without hesitation.
Lu HaiKong would never agree to such a request. While there might be a slight chance for Hua Xiong and Zhang Xiu, including Jia Xu was out of the question. Lu HaiKong would never release that man.
As for Zhang Yan, she still refused to meet with Lu HaiKong. Instead, Ye Junru came to see him again.
This time, Lu HaiKong didn't bother to show up himself. He simply conveyed his demands to the third princess and let her handle the matter.
Princess Zhang Yan did not disappoint Lu Hai Kong, as she requested a thousand Data NPC Scholars, one Senior Scribe, fifty Intermediate Scribes, three hundred Junior Scribes, and a complete set of Runic Data.
Lu Hai Kong had always coveted their Dao Symbol Industry, and this time, he seized the opportunity without hesitation.
After this decisive blow, Lu Hai Kong, who was already wealthy, became even richer. However, the war reparations they received were not his greatest gain from this battle!
While Lu Hai Kong was negotiating war compensation with Dong Zhuo, Zhang He also took action.
After Lu Hai Kong forcefully broke through the blockade and reopened the trade routes, the once-depressed Bingzhou economy thrived once more.
No, this time, it was not just a revival; for Bingzhou, it was an economic boom.
After the Three Heroes surrounded the Overlord, Lu Hai Kong demonstrated his strength, further proving his ability to protect his territory. This was a deadly attraction for merchants.
Although merchants are profit-driven and adventurous, it is merely a business gamble. In their daily lives, they still desire a relatively stable environment.
In the current chaotic world, where warlords rise and battles rage, it is difficult for anyone to feel secure, let alone merchants.
Despite their wealth and vast fortunes, merchants lack a sense of security more than ordinary people.
In this chaotic world, wealth may not be a good thing. The richer one is, the more likely they become a target. No one wants their hard-earned money to become a death sentence.
Under these circumstances, many people turned their attention to Bingzhou.
In Bingzhou, Zhang He and his group had been developing the commerce, focusing on protecting the private property of merchants.
After the rebellions in southern Bingzhou ended, Zhang He and his team led the implementation of numerous laws to protect private property.
During those months, they indeed achieved significant results in this aspect.
If not for these efforts, how could there have been a large influx of merchants into Bingzhou, and why would Yuan Hong and his group have had to blockade Bingzhou? Their initial move was not only to curb Lu Hai Kong's development but also to prevent assets from flowing out to Bingzhou.
The blockade by the three parties had initially halted the migration of merchants to Bingzhou.
However, with the end of the war and Lu Hai Kong's establishment as the Northern Overlord, the situation changed again. A large number of merchants began to flock to Bingzhou once more.
The influx of merchants into Bingzhou brought not only assets but also a wealth of technology and commercial talents.
These, coupled with the revival of Bingzhou's economy, were Lu Hai Kong's greatest gains from this battle.
While Lu Hai Kong rejoiced, Yuan Hong and his group faced a headache.
No one wanted to see the wealth of their territory flow into Lu Hai Kong's hands, so they paid war reparations to Lu Hai Kong while also taking action against the merchants in their territory. They used all means to prevent the loss of assets from their land.
This became another layer of the ongoing contest between Lu Hai Kong and Yuan Shao's forces after the battlefield.
To many, the outcome of this contest seemed predetermined.
After Lu Hai Kong's dominant 1v3 victory, the power structure in the Northern Central Continent was essentially settled.
Although Youzhou, Liangzhou, and Jizhou were still in the hands of others, everyone knew that the North would eventually belong to Lu Hai Kong. Once he was ready, he would sweep across the North with lightning speed and might even unify the entire realm.
This view was the mainstream opinion at the time, and gradually, some officials began to lean towards Lu Hai Kong.
However, while outsiders had full confidence in Lu Hai Kong, he himself seemed less optimistic, sensing that the situation was not as simple as it appeared.
Nevertheless, these concerns were not as crucial at the moment. For Lu Hai Kong, the priority was to open the treasure chest he had acquired and take inventory of the national treasures and items obtained.
(End of Chapter)
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