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Chapter 739: Negotiations
Chapter 739: Negotiations
September 25, 2017
The formation of the anti-Lu alliance between the Wu and Xian tribes was, in fact, more of Lu Haikong's doing than Xu Zifu's.
Lu Haikong had established some reputation in the grasslands since his bandit days. To protect his business interests there, his Black Wind Legion had shown its might on several occasions.
But it was the rebellion of the Wu and Xian tribes that truly made Lu Haikong's name feared in the grasslands. It was only after that battle that Lu Haikong's reputation in the grasslands soared.
However, the Wu and Xian tribes initially didn't pay much attention to Lu Haikong's growing influence in the grasslands. Didn't Ding Yuan also once strike fear into the hearts of the grasslands? Compared to Ding Yuan, the demon who massacred millions in a year, Lu Haikong was far more benevolent. At most, they would just get bullied by Lu Haikong, and Lu Haikong himself had built his business with the Xianbei tribe, so they believed he would be easier to deal with than Ding Yuan.
And indeed, at first, there was a period of harmony between them.
But everything changed when Lu Haikong received the mission of the Imperial Son-in-Law. Under the influence of Changsun Hong and some aristocratic families, the Xianbei tribe began to distrust Lu Haikong. They turned to cooperate with the aristocratic alliance united by Changsun Hong, pushing Lu Haikong to the side.
It was from that time that friction slowly emerged between them and Lu Haikong.
Of course, there would be conflicts during this friction, but their conflicts with Lu Haikong were more like seeking abuse. Lu Haikong could easily wipe out their tribes of tens of thousands with just one of his legions.
As the friction escalated, not only did the conflicts between them intensify, but the Wu and Xian tribes also gradually came to understand Lu Haikong's strength, and the more they understood, the more they feared him.
It was in this fear that they allowed Xu Zifu to organize the anti-Lu alliance when they learned of Lu Haikong's intention to invade the grasslands.
In reality, they watched as Xu Zifu pulled up Yuwen Kuo and organized the alliance, thinking they could use Xu Zifu as a pawn.
They wanted to truly assess Lu Haikong's strength through Xu Zifu and Yuwen Kuo. If Lu Haikong was a paper tiger, they wouldn't hesitate to mobilize their entire force and crush this paper tiger. But if he was a real tiger, they would choose to back down.
On Xu Zifu's side, the initial battle went surprisingly well. They directly chased Lu Haikong's most elite forces, almost crushing the legions they feared the most.
Seeing this, the anti-Lu allied forces of the Wu and Xian tribes realized that Lu Haikong wasn't as formidable as they thought. So, they changed their previous strategy of retreating and took the initiative to attack.
Xu Zifu had taken away about a third of the Xianbei tribe's strength, attacking with around 300,000 troops. Meanwhile, the Wu and Xian allied forces had an army of 600,000 to 700,000. They didn't hold back and directly advanced to crush their opponents.
In this situation, Lu Haikong initially intended to attract the enemy's main force. News from Wang Ti's side hadn't reached him, so he didn't know the situation there. Therefore, Lu Haikong was happy to lead these 600,000 troops in circles, with no intention of engaging them.
However, before long, intelligence from Wang Ti's side was delivered to Lu Haikong through the herders.
Upon learning the situation on Wang Ti's side, Lu Haikong flew into a rage. He was done playing cat and mouse with these Xianbei tribesmen!
As Lu Haikong unleashed his wrath, the nightmare began for the Wu and Xian allied forces. It was true that the 60,000 troops under Lu Haikong were bandits, but who said 60,000 bandits weren't powerful?
Indeed, among this force, there was only one general, Lu Haikong himself. But the core of these 60,000 cavalry troops were mostly veterans from the Flame Character Battalion.
Through these men, Lu Haikong could easily control the 60,000 troops. With Lu Haikong's command rating still above 80 and the intelligence advantage of the Wolf Herders, this 60,000-strong army displayed terrifying power in Lu Haikong's hands.
From the moment Lu Haikong unleashed his might, the Wu and Xian allied forces suffered greatly.
While Lu Haikong couldn't directly break into their main camp of 600,000 to 700,000 troops, this massive army couldn't stay united forever.
As long as they showed a slight weakness, Lu Haikong would quickly seize the opportunity, pouncing like a hungry wolf and tearing apart any isolated units.
Moreover, with his intelligence advantage, Lu Haikong could swiftly evade any encirclement or reinforcements from the enemy.
Facing such an opponent, the Wu and Xian allied forces were left powerless. In just over ten days, Lu Haikong bit off nearly 100,000 troops from their forces.
Although Lu Haikong eliminated 100,000 enemy troops, the Wu and Xian allied forces also achieved something. In these ten days of battle, Lu Haikong's side also suffered thousands of casualties, which wasn't a big deal. The real problem was that on the tenth day, Lu Haikong fell into their encirclement.
Yes, Lu HaiKong does have an intelligence advantage and is quite adept at commanding troops, but the grasslands are ultimately the home turf of the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes, and they possess an army of over six to seventy thousand.
Given these circumstances, it's already quite remarkable that Lu HaiKong managed to hold out for ten days before being surrounded.
However, just as the Uxian Allied Forces were about to capture Lu HaiKong, a piece of bad news arrived—Xu Zifu's army of three hundred thousand had collapsed.
When this news reached the Uxian Allied Forces, their leaders were stunned. Weren't Xu Zifu's forces doing well before? How could they suddenly suffer such a defeat?
Upon receiving this news, different opinions emerged among the Uxian Allied Forces who were preparing to launch a siege.
Although they seemed to have the upper hand at the moment, Lu HaiKong still had three formidable legions—Black Wind, Blood Bath, and Golden Flame—on his side.
These three legions struck fear into the hearts of the Uxian Allied Forces. Over the past year, they had lived under the shadow of these legions, and their courage to confront Lu HaiKong came from the fact that Xu Zifu was holding these legions at bay.
Now that Xu Zifu had been defeated, it was natural for many within the Uxian Allied Forces to feel afraid. Influenced by these individuals, the main war faction of the Uxian Allied Forces, instead of immediately attacking after surrounding Lu HaiKong, sent an envoy to negotiate.
In this situation, Lu HaiKong encountered a person he hadn't seen in two years.
On the grasslands, Hu Yinyin arrived before Lu HaiKong without a single soldier, exuding an aura of dignity and power.
Seeing Lu HaiKong before him, Hu Yinyin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Although Lu HaiKong had left a deep impression on him during their first meeting, Hu Yinyin never imagined that the violent and savage Lu HaiKong would eventually become a formidable figure feared across the grasslands.
Looking at Lu HaiKong, who appeared almost entirely different from two years ago except for his appearance, Hu Yinyin found it hard to imagine what Lu HaiKong had gone through in such a short period.
In a 16 to 19, a book bar, a look, a mistake, a version!
Despite his thoughts, when facing Lu HaiKong, Hu Yinyin performed a Han salute and said, "I, Hu Yinyin, messenger of the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes, pay my respects to General Lu!"
"With the arrival of an envoy, it seems that Wang Ti has nearly dealt with the enemy, right?" Lu HaiKong's eyebrows arched slightly as he spoke.
Hu Yinyin's face turned awkward, but he quickly regained his composure, pretending not to have heard Lu HaiKong's words. "General Lu, I come here bearing the desire for peace from the Xianbei and Wu-Xian tribes."
Lu HaiKong smiled. Was it necessary to be so poetic? Why not just ask for peace directly? "Go on, tell me about your yearning for peace."
Hearing Lu HaiKong's tone, Hu Yinyin's heart sank. It wasn't Lu HaiKong's casual attitude that made him feel Lu HaiKong was unwilling to negotiate, but rather, Lu HaiKong's demeanor suggested that he had bigger demands.
"General Lu, don't forget the situation you're in," Hu Yinyin said, issuing a subtle threat.
If this had been said to Lu HaiKong a year ago, Hu Yinyin would have been immediately rebuked. But to the current Lu HaiKong, such a threat seemed insignificant.
"You tell me first, what are you offering in exchange for peace?"
Hu Yinyin was well-prepared. He took out a sheepskin scroll from his body and, after having a soldier inspect it, handed it to Lu HaiKong.
Although Lu HaiKong's strength was evident, ordinary ambushes were unlikely to succeed. However, this didn't mean Lu HaiKong could afford to be careless about security. Xi Zhi Cai had put in a lot of effort in this regard, gradually leading Lu HaiKong to accept the current security measures.
After the soldier inspected the sheepskin scroll, Lu HaiKong took it and gave it a glance. His eyebrows furrowed immediately, and he carefully read the entire scroll before casually tossing it back.
"Is this your sincerity? You want me to immediately withdraw from the grasslands, sign a treaty to never invade the grasslands, form an alliance with the Xianbei and Wu-Xian tribes, and trade with you at the Han market price? What are you thinking?" Lu HaiKong said with a cold smile.
Hu Yinyin's face twitched into a bitter smile, but he quickly composed himself. "General Lu, these conditions are negotiable. We can terminate our cooperation with the Shuofang Market..."
"Enough, enough. If you want to negotiate, I have one condition—I want the heads of the leaders of the Xianbei and Wu-Xian tribes!" Lu HaiKong demanded without considering his own situation.
Upon hearing this, Hu Yinyin's face paled...
(End of Chapter)
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