The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

In front of everyone, he drew the dagger from the guard beside him and mercilessly ended his life.

After completing all this, Yang Xia slowly stood up and looked at Liu Zhixiu with a smile.

Witnessing Yang Xia's actions, Liu Zhixiu angrily questioned, "Your Majesty... how dare you kill my minister right before my eyes? What exactly do you want to do?"

"Aren't you being far too reckless, ignoring my questions and acting so willfully?"

"Do you even know where you are? This is the main hall of my Red Cake Kingdom, not the territory of your Yan Kingdom."

Yang Xia caused quite a commotion inside the main hall, and the guards outside rushed in upon hearing the noise.

They surrounded Yang Xia aggressively, but Yang Xia remained unusually calm, showing no sign of panic.

He clapped his hands lightly, looking at Yoo Ji-soo, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom, with a playful expression.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became tense. Yang Xia looked at the other party's confident and furious appearance and found it all absurd and laughable.

He glanced around at the menacing soldiers, a mocking sneer creeping onto his lips.

Seeing Yang Xia's behavior, Liu Zhixiu was filled with doubts and couldn't figure out what he was up to.

He stormed up to Yang Xia and demanded angrily, "Your Majesty... what exactly do you mean by this?"

"Why won't you answer my question? Do you really intend to act recklessly in my Red Cake Kingdom?"

"I'm warning you one last time, this is Red Cake Country's territory!"

Faced with Liu Zhixiu's repeated questioning and warnings, a hint of coldness flashed across Yang Xia's face.

He glanced down at the minister lying on the ground and explained calmly:

"Your Majesty is unaware of this, but I noticed that this minister was unwell as soon as I entered the hall."

“He caught a cold, and I was worried that he might infect the leader, so I took action to eliminate this potential threat.”

"All of this is for the safety of the leader."

"This minister worked tirelessly for the country and eventually died of exhaustion in the palace. Am I wrong to do this?"

Yang Xia's unexpected explanation caught Liu Zhixiu, the leader of Red Cake Kingdom, off guard.

Despite her burning anger, Liu Zhixiu clearly realized the vast disparity in strength between the Red Cake Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom, and that she absolutely could not act rashly at this moment.

A struggle flashed across his face as he looked sadly at the minister who had already died, but he was unable to seek justice for him, and his heart was filled with resentment.

Yang Xia had already seen through Liu Zhixiu's thoughts and knew that he wouldn't dare to do anything to her at this moment.

"Hahaha……"

To break the deadlock, Red Cake Kingdom's leader, Yoo Ji-soo, suddenly burst into laughter.

The tense atmosphere inside the hall immediately eased somewhat.

Yang Xia maintained a calm demeanor throughout, gazing at Liu Zhixiu with a composed look, awaiting his next statement.

After the laughter subsided, Liu Zhixiu turned to the soldiers beside her with a helpless expression and gave them instructions:

"Guards... take this deceased minister away and convey my orders."

"Just say that this minister died from overwork, and that he must be given a proper burial, his funeral must be handled properly, and his family should be well taken care of."

Upon hearing Liu Zhixiu's arrangement, Yang Xia smiled with satisfaction.

He thought to himself, "You are so treacherous and cunning, how dare you kill my envoy."

"Today I'll show you my skills and let you know that Yan Kingdom is not to be trifled with."

Yang Xia felt much happier after avenging the envoy in this way.

Seeing this, Yu Meiren and Su Qi, who were standing to the side, praised Yang Xia's way of handling things. They couldn't help but smile at each other and watch everything in front of them with great interest.

Seeing how Liu Zhixiu handled the matter, Yang Xia sat down again.

He looked up at Yoo Ji-soo and said in a calm tone:

“My lord… I’m not here today to play any scheming games.”

"Let's be frank. My reason for visiting the Red Cake Country is that I'm interested in your country's abundant iron ore resources."

"What does the chief think? You don't need to pretend to be confused anymore. You must already know why I'm here, but you just don't want to say it out loud."

When Liu Zhixiu saw Yang Xia state his purpose directly, she let out a cold laugh.

"Your Majesty... you may not know this, although my Red Cake Kingdom does produce iron."

"But my country's iron ore resources are not abundant, and even its own needs are insufficient."

"Therefore, we never sell them to the public. Please understand, Your Majesty, and do not make things difficult for my Red Cake Kingdom."

As Yang Xia listened carefully to Liu Zhixiu's words, a surge of anger rose in his heart.

The other party was clearly making excuses for him, spouting a lot of falsehoods. Liu Zhixiu's intention was obvious: she was unwilling to sell iron ore resources to Yan Country.

Yang Xia's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected this outcome.

He slowly rose and walked over to Liu Zhixiu, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom.

“Chief… there’s no need to refuse so hastily. Now that I’ve come in person, I’m naturally fully aware of the actual situation.”

"You don't need to hide anything or deliberately conceal anything."

"If you are willing to cooperate, my Yan Kingdom will never treat your country unfairly. We can exchange other resources for this."

"Please, Chief, think it over carefully and weigh the pros and cons."

Yang Xia spoke these words calmly, wanting to give Liu Zhixiu, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom, a chance.

This also provides a peaceful way for Yan to obtain iron ore resources.

This was Yang Xia's purpose in coming here; he did not intend to seize or plunder by force.

After hearing Yang Xia's words, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom hesitated for a moment, then asked curiously:

"Your Majesty... what do you intend to offer in exchange for my Red Cake Kingdom? Please speak frankly."

"Since you've made this request, I'd like to hear what exactly your terms for the exchange are."

Yang Xia smiled slightly upon hearing this and said:

"Our Yan Kingdom is willing to provide your country with advanced agricultural technology."

"In addition, there are fishing techniques in coastal areas. As you probably know, these techniques have always been a closely guarded secret of the Yan Kingdom."

"That is why our Yan Kingdom has never lacked these resources. But neighboring countries often lack them due to weather changes or other unforeseen events."

"Often the harvest is meager, leading to poverty among the people. I believe you understand what I mean."

Yang Xia presented the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom with his exchange terms, gazing at him with a meaningful look.

The conditions proposed this time are indeed very tempting to neighboring countries, including the Red Cake Country.

Because Yang Xia had grasped their weakness, he had the confidence to come in person.

Yang Xia deliberately made the terms sound very attractive, hoping to entice Liu Zhixiu, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom.

This would make his subsequent plans much easier to implement. Yang Xia felt a sense of anticipation, but he didn't show it at all.

Liu Zhixiu didn't suspect anything. Liu Zhixiu, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom, listened to Yang Xia's words.

I understand that what he said is true; this is indeed a common problem faced by neighboring countries.

He couldn't help but frown, realizing that Yang Xia had come prepared this time and was determined to achieve his goal.

But after careful consideration, the generous terms proposed by Yang Kai were indeed very tempting to him.

Since taking control of the Red Cake Kingdom, he had been trying to solve these problems, but with little success. This caused him considerable anxiety. Now, with an opportunity presented before him, it was hard to resist.

But considering the rich iron ore resources of the Red Cake Kingdom, and its importance to the Yan Kingdom.

The cunning Liu Zhixiu felt that Yang Xia's offer was still too meager.

He knew how important iron ore resources were to Yang Xia and Yan Guo, and had already weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

After much deliberation, Liu Zhixiu, the leader of Red Cake Kingdom, suddenly made a decision.

"Humph……"

He snorted at Yang Xia and said confidently, "Your Majesty... you are overthinking it. Perhaps what you are referring to is the predicament faced by other countries."

"But my Red Cake Country really doesn't need these technologies, thank you for your trouble."

"Our country's iron ore resources are simply not available for sale, so please stop trying to sell them."

After saying this, Liu Zhixiu, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom, suddenly changed the subject.

"hey-hey……"

He turned back to Yang Xia with a grin and said in a mysterious tone:

“Your Majesty…if you truly wish to cooperate with my Red Cake Kingdom.”

"We hope you can offer something more substantial in exchange so that we can continue our talks."

"After all, the iron ore resources of the Red Cake Country are indeed scarce, but they are extremely valuable to your country."

"If you agree to this condition, I might be able to part with it, even if it's painful. Please consider my proposal."

Yang Xia stared silently at the face of Liu Zhixiu, the leader of the Red Cake Kingdom, and found it utterly ridiculous.

Yang Xia observed Liu Zhixiu's expression and, combined with what he had said, already knew that the Red Cake Kingdom would not easily hand over the iron ore.

However, Yang Xia had already prepared a solution. He calmly walked up to Liu Zhixiu.

She looked him up and down with a knowing gaze, making Yoo Ji-soo feel very uncomfortable.

He snorted and asked, "Why... are you looking at me with such a strange gaze? I'm telling the truth."

"The iron ore in the Red Cake Country is indeed in short supply, and if the conditions cannot be met, it is impossible to sell it to foreign countries."

Yang Xia was unwilling to waste any more words with Liu Zhixiu, and he coldly smiled and said:

"It's alright. Since the iron ore from the Red Cake Kingdom is in such high demand, our Great Zhou Dynasty will naturally not force them to do anything against their will."

"However, I would like to remind you that, if I am not mistaken, in a while, all countries will face drought disasters."

"At that time, grain production in various regions will decrease sharply, while the Great Zhou Dynasty will be the largest grain exporter."

"I hope the Red Cake Kingdom will consider this carefully. They shouldn't come begging us so shamelessly, because our Great Zhou Dynasty will be unable to help them then."

"The principle of reciprocity is something that the Red Cake Kingdom should understand, so I don't need to elaborate."

Yang Xia spoke frankly, and after saying these words, he stared intently at Liu Zhixiu with sharp eyes.

I wanted to see how he would react, since this matter was of great importance.

Yang Xia didn't mean to be mysterious; what he said was indeed true.

To Yang Xia's surprise, Liu Zhixiu let out a sneer upon hearing this.

Yang Xia frowned. Liu Zhixiu smiled slyly and said to Yang Xia:
"Your Majesty is overthinking it. Even in the event of a drought, our Red Cake Kingdom has ample reserves and never needs to ask for help."

"So it really is a lot of trouble for the King. I assure you that I will never shamelessly ask the Great Zhou Dynasty for help."

Yang Xia nodded slowly. He could no longer tolerate the arrogant Liu Zhixiu in front of him.

Unexpectedly, the other party was so stubborn, refusing to listen to advice and even trying to take the opportunity to make exorbitant demands.

Yang Xia simply could not accept this attitude, even though Hongbing State desperately needed iron ore.

However, he was unwilling to compromise too much, nor did he want to provoke any trouble; he only hoped to resolve the matter peacefully.

However, the attitude of the Red Cake Country was so terrible that Yang Xia felt there was no need to stay any longer.

He turned to Liu Zhixiu and said, "That would be for the best. As long as Red Cake Country can be self-sufficient and have abundant resources, I will wait and see."

"I will pretend that I have never been here before, but... I would like to ask that Your Excellency return the envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty to me."

"Even if only a body remains, I will bring him back to the Great Zhou Dynasty. I cannot let him die far from home, otherwise he will not rest in peace."

Yang Xia wanted to do one last thing for his envoy: to ensure his safe return to his homeland.

It could be considered as his soul returning to its homeland. Thinking of this, Yang Xia couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Upon hearing Yang Xia's request, Liu Zhixiu used it as an excuse to make things difficult for him again.

"Your Majesty is joking. When have I ever seen any envoy?"

“I have never witnessed the king accidentally injuring anyone in my palace, so we are now even.”

"So... Your Majesty should think carefully, perhaps you have misremembered this matter."

Yang Xia was truly taken aback by Liu Zhixiu's sophistry.

He never expected that Liu Zhixiu would be so despicable and shameless, not even allowing him to take the envoy's remains back to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This enraged Yang Xia, who glared at Liu Zhixiu with fury.

But Yang Xia understood that he had to be patient and not lose his temper on the spot.

Otherwise, it would trigger a series of problems, and even implicate the Great Zhou Dynasty. Yang Xia felt extremely helpless.

"Hahaha……"

Suddenly, Yang Xia burst into laughter, a laugh that sent chills down one's spine.

“Lord…remember what you said today, I have never been here.”

"We'll see... Perhaps we'll meet again soon, but don't come begging to my Great Zhou Dynasty then."

"This is a piece of advice I'm giving to the Red Cake Kingdom. We should take heed."

Yang Xia looked at Liu Zhixiu with a strange expression and said these meaningful words.

However, Liu Zhixiu remained indifferent, ignoring Yang Xia and refusing to grant any of his requests.

Liu Zhixiu seemed quite satisfied with Yang Xia's furious expression.

"Your Majesty is too kind. Rest assured, my Red Cake Kingdom will be self-sufficient."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. The Kingdom of Red Cake is extremely grateful."

Yang Xia was furious that his trip to the Red Cake Country had failed to achieve its purpose.

He turned and left the main hall of the Red Cake Kingdom in a huff, and Liu Zhixiu watched Yang Xia leave.

He looked smug and even said loudly, "Your Majesty, please take care. I will not see you off any further."

Without turning his head, Yang Xia angrily went to Yu Meiren and Ni Qing's side.

Upon seeing Yang Xia's expression, Yu Meiren and Ni Qing immediately understood what had happened.

Knowing that Yang Xia had failed to achieve his goal, Yang Xia glanced at Yu Meiren and Ni Qing, and said angrily:
"Take our people back to the Great Zhou Dynasty; we cannot stay a moment longer."

Led by Yang Xia, they quickly returned to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Yu Meiren and Ni Qing were both indignant upon learning of the Red Cake Kingdom's attitude towards Yang Xia. (End of Chapter)