Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2142 Rejecting the Plateau, Han Launches Another Expedition, Enemy of Enemies

Qinling's words were direct and frank, like the muddy footprints left by his boots, without any euphemism or embellishment, pointing straight to the core issue.

The civil and military officials in the hall stirred slightly, their low murmurs like the wind rustling through the treetops.

Someone stroked his beard, a reserved expression of approval on his face. The plateau was a powerful force, large and small, and it was close to the Eastern Yi and Northern Di, so it might be useful.

Ultimately, even if they agreed, the Han Dynasty wouldn't have to give up a real princess; they would most likely just find a member of the royal family to send over.

Some people frowned slightly, revealing their discomfort with these "harsh" words.

Princess, what if we really end up in such a place?

How could her skin withstand the biting wind? How could her eyes adapt to the boundless desolation?
Even if she wasn't a real princess, but a member of the royal family, a noblewoman from a royal family would naturally be pampered from childhood. How could she possibly be sent to such a desolate place?

Some people had shifty eyes, seemingly weighing something.

As for the most important ministers, they exchanged a meaningful glance.

After all, they had discussed this matter twice before.

On the throne, Wang Yu, who had been silent all along, finally slowly raised his hand, and the jade beads hanging from the crown stopped swaying.

The entire hall fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on the hand that symbolized supreme power, awaiting the decision of the one who held that supreme power.

Immediately afterwards, a calm and gentle voice, yet carrying an undeniable authority, rang out, like a jade chime striking the golden palace.

"I am aware of the intentions of Songtsen Gampo, the Tibetan king. I am very pleased by his admiration for the Celestial Empire and his desire to establish friendly relations."

Wang Yu paused, his gaze falling on Lun Qinling, a gaze that was calm yet as deep as the ocean.

"However, my princess was born and raised here, like a flower in a greenhouse, pampered in the palace. The land and water of Tianjing are mild and the palaces are magnificent, which is the world she is familiar with."

Lun Qinling's straight back seemed to stiffen almost imperceptibly for a moment, his deep brown eyes fixed on the throne.

The Emperor of Han's words made his heart sink, and he began to have a bad feeling.

Wang Yu's voice continued to flow, clear and slow, each word like a carefully carved jade bead rolling onto the cold gold bricks.

"The land of Beiyuan is far away and the sky is high. It is bitterly cold and dangerous, and the wind and frost are like knives. As the emperor and father, how can I bear to throw a pearl into darkness and let the golden branches and jade leaves suffer the hardship of wind and sand? The princess is young and weak, and I am afraid that she will not be able to adapt to the harshness of the land there. I really can't bear to part with her."

No, a blatant no!
And it was a blatant rejection!
It was almost an arrogant and condescending attitude in rejecting them.

Lun Qinling had considered the possibility of rejection; they had sent six envoys to propose marriage, but it was impossible for all of them to succeed.

However, although he had considered the possibility of being rejected, he thought the most likely reason would be that the princess was too young.

After all, the princess of the Han Dynasty was indeed very young, so young that she could hardly be any younger.

If you're determined to refuse, using this reason will save face for both sides!
However, the reason given now, though seemingly polite, essentially means only one thing: a remote, barbaric place is not worthy of his Han princess's presence.

What does it mean to cast a pearl in the dark?
The attitude behind those four words alone is already crystal clear.

These four words, when spoken, are almost as powerful as Guan Yu's famous line from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, "How can a dog's son be matched with a tiger's daughter?" Only Wang Yu put it in a slightly more elegant way.

Rejected with such arrogance, the high-altitude red marks on the young Lun Qinling's face seemed to deepen, like congealed blood.

His deep-set eyes, once as calm as a high-altitude lake, are now undergoing a dramatic change.

At first, there was an incredulous astonishment, like a calm lake being shattered by a boulder, stirring up a stormy sea; then, the astonishment was quickly replaced by a deep, suppressed anger, an anger like the undercurrent churning at the bottom of the lake, silent yet surging.

In the end, all emotions subsided, like the last glimmer of light being swallowed by the cold darkness as dusk settles over the plateau.

The plateau was weak, and the divided plateau was even weaker. As an envoy, Lun Qinling could not afford to offend the Han Dynasty at this time. The weak would be beaten, so he could only swallow his anger.

Lun Qinling's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously, but in the end, he made no sound.

His straight back remained upright, like a lone pine tree on a snow-capped mountain that refused to bend.

Wang Yu's voice rang out again, carrying a soothing tone, yet it was like a thin layer of snow covering the ice, making it even colder.

"I have accepted the tribute and the king's sincerity. I am also grateful for the king's goodwill. To show the friendship between the Han and Tibet, I have another generous gift for you. I hope the envoy will take it back to Tibet and convey my greetings to the king."

"Our land is blessed with favorable climate and water conditions. If the Zanpu (king) is interested in visiting us someday, he may wish to come and stay for a while."

"The people of our great Han Dynasty are the most hospitable!"

According to the news currently being sent by Luo Wang, Nurhaci and Yelü Abaoji have already agreed to the marriage proposals from the six envoys who came down from the plateau.

Furthermore, the plateau has successively reached a series of trade and mutual market agreements with Nurhaci and Yelü Abaoji respectively.

Gan Bushi has already explicitly rejected the offer, while the remaining two companies are still considering it.

After Huang Taiji entered the Han court as a hostage, the Han Dynasty and Nurhaci entered a brief honeymoon period.

Although the relationship wasn't particularly close, at least to some extent, Nurhaci relied on the Han Dynasty and needed the Han Dynasty to export grain to them.

In the previous three-way conflict, he was neither as wealthy as Luan Di, nor did he have the support of the Tuoba tribe like Gan Bu Shi.

Therefore, at that time they needed an ally so that they wouldn't be surrounded by enemies.

If the high altitude were to cause Nurhaci to become entangled with Yelü Abaoji and his allies, it would be absolutely detrimental to the security of the northeastern border of the Han Dynasty.

Once these three families collude in pairs, thus completely merging together, Nurhaci's dependence on the Han Dynasty will be greatly reduced.

Especially now that the Eastern Yi have been completely unified.

Any power would prefer its two neighbors to fight each other, rather than have them get along peacefully.

Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Han people will soon be moving on to their next move.

Once they begin their next move, many more forces will be involved.

Their next operation will be much more difficult than the battle of Henan.

It's not because their opponents are stronger, but because the surrounding environment is different now.

To the north of the Han Dynasty, Zhenbei is now struggling to hold out in the southwest of Shanyin, and it's only a matter of time before it collapses. The Tuoba tribe's military might has already reached the direction of the Zhongxing Mountains.

In other words, the Tuoba tribe now has the foundation to take action against the Han Dynasty.

Furthermore, the connection between Da Wu and Tuoba has clearly begun to deepen.

Five days ago, Wang Jian, the garrison commander of the Zhongxing Mountains, reported that the Tuoba tribe had already stationed a force in front of the Zhongxing Mountains.

Of course, no action has been taken yet.

Despite the harsh winter, neither Da Wu nor Su Dingfang made any move easily, instead maintaining a stalemate while both sides worked together to stabilize their rear.

As for the Tuoba tribe, they certainly wouldn't act rashly before Da Wu made a move.

Even if they had some connection with Da Wu, they would at most cooperate with the other side and take the opportunity to test the strength of Zhongxing Mountain.

After all, Zhenbei was on the verge of complete collapse, and Zhongxing Mountain was their next obstacle.

But what will the Tuoba tribe's attitude be if the Han Dynasty expands further?

The cabinet ministers are not optimistic about this.

If Tuoba Bulu decides to head south, the Han Dynasty will be his next destination. Even disregarding that, no one wants to see their neighbor become more powerful.

After all, whether you want to get rid of your neighbor or not, if your neighbor becomes powerful, you'll be in danger.

The same principle applies to Da Wu.

In fact, Su Dingfang's border army expansion plan, which was originally scheduled to take place after the spring of next year, has been brought forward to this winter.

Once the Great Han begins its next campaign, with its two powerful neighbors to the north and west already making moves, plus the two within its own borders, one can imagine how difficult the next battle will be!

Although both Yelü Abaoji of the Eastern Yi and the three north of Tianlang Pass were in a state of recuperation after a long war.

Logically speaking, if the three families north of Tianlang Pass behave themselves for three years, there should be no major problems.

However, if they were truly in a state of fighting on all sides and saw an opportunity, Yelü Abaoji of the Eastern Yi might not be able to resist taking action.

Now, Nurhaci is also entangled with Yelü Abaoji. If Nurhaci is also provoked, the Han Dynasty will have an even bigger headache.

As for Nurhaci's son Huang Taiji being held hostage in the Han Dynasty, if the benefits are sufficient, what does his son matter?
After all, Nurhaci had many sons!
Of course, compared to the Da Wu and Tuoba tribes, the possibility of problems arising from Yelü Abaoji's and Nurhaci's routes is only a probability, not an inevitability, as the former two were almost certain to encounter problems.

As long as the Han Dynasty displays a strong attitude, does not show signs of fatigue, and does not give either of the two families an opportunity, especially not Yelü Abaoji.

Given their current situation, neither of them will act rashly.

Similarly, given this external environment, since the Han Dynasty has already planned to embark on its next journey, it is not without plans to cope with the external environment.

Nothing more than forming alliances and counter-alliances!
Not long ago, Wang Yingkan, the Vice Minister of Rites, had once again left the Han Dynasty.

Speaking of which, among all the officials of the Han Dynasty, the one who traveled the most on business trips every year was Wang Yingkan.

He had only been back from the Northern Barbarians for a few months when he embarked on another business trip.

There's an old saying that goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"

Moreover, they and the enemy of their enemy were originally friends.

"A generous gift?"

Lun Qinling's lips twitched extremely slightly, a cold, almost mocking arc flashing by so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.

He took a slow, deep breath.

The rich, warm fragrance of ambergris, precious wood, and clean scent from the Linde Hall filled his lungs.

However, this atmosphere, which should have been comforting, was now perceived by Lun Qinling as thick and suffocating, carrying a cloying and nauseating hypocrisy.

He bowed again, his movements still steady, but without the rock-like strength he had shown before, as if all his energy had been drained away with that word of refusal.

Of all the envoys sent from the six routes, what the plateau truly desired was the friendship of the Han Dynasty.

After all, the three families north of Tianlang Pass, or the Eastern Yi, haven't seen much improvement in recent years. In fact, half of these four families have been on a downward trend.

As for the Kingdom of the Sun, it's still too far away. If they can control Nanping, it will truly help their subsequent breakthrough.

In contrast, the Han Dynasty has indeed been thriving in recent years, and now it has begun to show the characteristics of an imperial dynasty.

Before the Battle of Henan, the Han Dynasty lacked confidence and claimed to be a mere imperial power. But after the Battle of Henan, the Han Dynasty is now a genuine imperial power.

If they could gain the friendship and assistance of the Han Dynasty, the Tibetan Empire would be able to unify the entire northern plateau at a faster pace.

Moreover, the entire plateau will soon enter a phase of rapid development.

Unfortunately, the result was not ideal.

This arrogant and blatant rejection, leaving no room for negotiation, was Wang Yu's way of telling Lun Qinling that there was no possibility of discussing these matters further, and that if he knew what was good for him, he shouldn't continue to pester them.

"Thank you... Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty."

Lun Qinling's voice was low and hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his chest, carrying a rough feeling of being crushed.

He looked at no one again, nor did he gaze at the fragmented sky outside the hall. He turned away silently, his heavy wool robe stirring a tiny gust of air.

He took a step, his boots once again stepping onto the polished gold brick floor.

Lun Qinling and his entourage, carrying the "generous gifts" bestowed by the Han emperor—more exquisite and more valuable, yet lifeless silks and porcelains—walked step by step out of the palace.

Their silhouettes, set against the backdrop of the massive golden dragon pillars and ornately carved beams, appeared exceptionally heavy and lonely.

"Gaoyuan! Nonsense!" Wang Yu glanced at their departing figures, not taking them too seriously.

Even if the plateau were unified, the Han Dynasty wouldn't care. Let alone the plateau that is currently in a state of division.