Chapter 1208: The Conclusion
Chapter 1208: The Conclusion
Ever since Lu Hai Kong returned to Luoyang City, he had paid no heed to the vassals, leaving them hanging.
The vassal coalition forces were in disarray, as twelve of them had been eliminated, including Liu Biao, Tao Qian, Han Sui, and Kong Qing. With Ma Teng also severely injured, the vassal alliance faced a delicate situation with five of their leaders either dead or incapacitated.
Not long ago, Yuwen Chengdu's dominant arrival confirmed Lu Hai Kong's claims of foreign invasion, prompting Dong Zhuo and his associates to urgently seek an end to this farce.
However, they couldn't simply call it off; they needed Lu Hai Kong's satisfaction.
Lu Hai Kong, however, had immersed himself in Luoyang City, preparing for his coronation, paying no attention to the vassals.
The vassals couldn't afford to be ignored by Lu Hai Kong. In Dong Zhuo's view, Lu Hai Kong should negotiate with them, and regardless of the circumstances, they couldn't be left hanging indefinitely. A resolution was necessary.
Consequently, the vassals repeatedly sent envoys to Luoyang to engage Lu Hai Kong in talks, expressing their readiness for negotiations and even offering themselves up for his judgment.
Initially, Lu Hai Kong ignored their pleas, but the vassals persisted, tirelessly sending representatives to him while also working on their end.
Their efforts involved retracting their previous statements, effectively swallowing their words.
While seeking peace talks with Lu Hai Kong, the vassals publicly proclaimed their support for him, cleaning up the mess they had made earlier.
More significantly, Dong Zhuo, under the guise of the current Han Emperor Liu Xie, directly bestowed upon Lu Hai Kong the title of King!
Dong Zhuo believed, 'Lu Hai Kong, you desire to become a king, but without a legitimate decree, your position is unstable. Here, I offer you what you need most, and now you must negotiate with us.'
However, events took an unexpected turn. When the decree reached Lu Hai Kong, he immediately burned it.
He didn't need a puppet emperor's decree to become a king.
Lu Hai Kong saw this as an insult rather than a symbol of legitimacy. Nonetheless, after burning the decree, he finally responded to the vassals.
The following day, Lu Hai Kong sent an invitation to the vassals, requesting their presence in Luoyang for talks.
The vassals were surprised by Lu Hai Kong's move, and Dong Zhuo's side hesitated, as entering Luoyang at this point was akin to entering a den of dragons and tigers. They were uncertain if they could leave once they went in, causing some hesitation.
Nevertheless, the vassals eventually chose to enter Luoyang, as they had no other choice, and Lu Hai Kong didn't need to deceive them to deal with them.
After Yuwen Chengdu's intrusion, the vassals had ample time to contemplate the situation.
Among the remaining vassals, most had capable strategists skilled in analyzing the overall situation.
With the assistance of those top strategists, they now had a good grasp of Lu Hai Kong's intentions. After all, Lu Hai Kong had never kept his plans a secret.
At this moment, Lu Hai Kong, in preparation for the invasion of foreign demons five years later, desired a stable situation for development. Under such circumstances, he would never take action against Dong Fat and his allies.
Even if Lu Hai Kong could annihilate them, it wouldn't benefit him, and he would lose several future allies against the foreign demons.
Understanding Lu Hai Kong's intentions, the remaining vassals eventually entered Luoyang City, including Ma Teng, who had been severely injured by two blows from Yuwen Chengdu.
Upon entering the city, they did not meet Lu Hai Kong. Instead, they were greeted by Xi Zhi Cai, holding a pet in his arms. Lu Hai Kong had entrusted the task of negotiating with the vassals to this professional pet keeper.
What shocked Dong Fat and his allies even more was that Xi Zhi Cai, instead of discussing topics like 'You're ganging up on me,' 'You're being unreasonable,' or 'You need to compensate me,' focused primarily on matters concerning the foreign lands.
Xi Zhi Cai didn't utter a single word about these issues. From the very beginning, he extensively discussed foreign affairs, providing the vassals with a wealth of detailed information about the foreign environment and powers, surpassing the previous records.
Xi Zhi Cai's materials took the vassals about two hours to fully digest. However, after going through them, none of the vassals could manage a smile. This was because, for the first time, the materials formally introduced the foreign powers.
In these documents, Lu Hai Kong introduced only three foreign powers. One was led by Chu Ba Wang, with Xiang Yu as the commander-in-chief, and their forces primarily consisted of Western Chu warriors, along with some warriors from other eras.
Another was themed around the Tang Dynasty, encompassing almost all the warriors of the Sui and Tang eras, with some additions from other periods.
The third power was even more terrifying—a large force that had coalesced from over a dozen eras.
Although the vassals couldn't fully grasp the strength of these three powers, there was no doubt that when the NPC vassals saw the data, they realized they might be facing the top heroes and elites of China's five thousand years of history. They were all stunned.
In contrast, the foreign lord seemed to be mentally prepared. When Xi Zhi Cai dropped this bombshell, they were not overly surprised, although their faces still looked grim.
However, Xi Zhi Cai didn't care about their expressions or moods.
He had no time to wait for their reactions. While the vassals were still in shock, he continued his work.
Lu Hai Kong had gathered the vassals not merely to scare them but to instill a sense of crisis, urging them to prepare for the upcoming battle against the foreign demons in the following years. Xi Zhi Cai was doing the same.
This meeting of the vassals lasted for three full days in Luoyang.
Coincidentally, on the third day, Lu Hai Kong's preparations were complete. After the meeting concluded, Lu Hai Kong's coronation ceremony also commenced.
(End of Chapter)
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