Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 229 Negotiation
Zhang San's face suddenly turned cold. In an instant, the warmth in the air in Huainan in April was swept away, and the wind was filled with a hint of murderous air.

When the group of ferocious bandits behind Zhang San heard Su Qingwan's tough attitude, their expressions instantly became sinister, like ferocious beasts about to devour their prey.

The sturdy man closest to Zhang San, with eyes wide open, shouted in a deep voice: "Since the princess has no sincerity in negotiation, boss, let's not waste time here with her. The old and weak people in Huainan City, women and children, are no match for us at all. Let's surround Huainan City and fight them to the death. The princess is determined to protect the people in the city, do you really dare to fight us?"

"You can try!" Su Qingwan responded coldly with an indifferent look and a sharp gaze. "My father and brother died unjustly because of the late emperor's groundless suspicion. I risked my life and death to vindicate Huainan. Why did they die? It was because the late emperor was afraid of the growing power of Huainan and did not listen to the court's dispatch. He thought that Huainan's achievements were greater than his own. My father and brother wanted to use their military achievements to exchange for the safety of the whole family, but it was useless. The Huainan Su family paid the price of the lives of nine clansmen, which made me understand a truth: what cannot be won on the battlefield, you can never expect to get at the negotiation table. If you want to besiege Huainan City, just come on!"

Zhang San was shocked, and his contempt for Su Qingwan disappeared instantly, replaced by deep surprise and solemnity. This Huainan Princess who suddenly appeared actually took on the responsibility of rehabilitating Huainan, but how easy was that?

In the fiefdom of Huainan, the people have always respected the King of Huainan.

If the Prince of Huainan could be rehabilitated, the bandits would also cheer for him. After all, they did not want to embarrass the young princess for no reason. They just wanted to gain some benefits.

Now it seems that the young princess has made great contributions to the rehabilitation of Huainan, and may even be the one who made it happen. Such means should not be underestimated. Zhang San couldn't help but wonder, are there really only 3,000 soldiers in the city as rumored?

"Princess, I was not born to be a bandit." Zhang San looked solemn and spoke slowly, "I was once a soldier under the prince. After the prince died on the battlefield, Huainan was like a pile of scattered sand. The southwest stood aside, Zhongzhou ignored it, and the court even abandoned it. Huainan gradually declined, the farmland was occupied by the powerful, and it suffered from natural disasters and man-made disasters year after year. We had no choice but to become bandits. We did commit crimes and brought endless disasters to Huainan City. I will never deny this. But there are more than 10,000 lives in the 18 mountains of Huainan. I also have relatives to feed and brothers to take care of. In this world, people eat each other. Those who can't survive naturally have no morality in their hearts."

Zhang San paused, and looked at Su Qingwan sincerely, "The princess has just returned to Huainan. Whether you want to open up trade routes or defend against Xilin, we mountain bandits are a weapon that can be used. The princess really doesn't need to kill each other with us. This is the border. Once the war smoke is lit in the city, the border of Xilin can see it. It is wise for the princess to make peace with us."

Su Qingwan smiled faintly and said softly, "Today's events are still unknown, and what will happen tomorrow? Who dares to say what is the right choice? Back then, my father and brother also thought that staying in Huainan and refusing to obey the imperial order was the right thing to do, but what was the result? So, Master Zhang, you and I have no choice but to make a choice that each of us can bear the consequences for, that's all."

The bandits behind Zhang San were suddenly in an uproar, whispering to each other, extremely dissatisfied with Su Qingwan's dominance, and the noise was endless.

On the other hand, Chenfeng, Luzhu and the others were unusually quiet, but the murderous aura around them was getting stronger. Chenfeng was born in the secret guards, and he couldn't hide his murderous aura; Luzhu was a martial maid, and protecting Su Qingwan was her primary responsibility. She had already quietly clenched the short knife in her hand, and her eyes were like a falcon, watching the surroundings vigilantly.

Zhang San frowned upon seeing this and shouted angrily, "Shut up!"

This roar was like a thunderclap out of nowhere, and the strong men were so scared that they shut their mouths one after another.

Zhang San looked at Su Qingwan and asked, "Princess, if we surrender, how will you accommodate us?"

"If you surrender sincerely, I will order the government to recruit you." Su Qingwan said in an orderly manner, "I will settle you in villages and towns near Huainan City. You will be divided into groups of 100 people, dispersed, divided into households according to the number of people, and allocated land and household registration. From now on, you can live and work in Huainan, just like ordinary people." Su Qingwan had previously discussed the resettlement plan for the surrendered bandits with Yun Zhizhou, and now she spoke clearly, "Of course, if you have other requirements, as long as they are reasonable, I will try my best to meet them!" When Zhang San heard that Su Qingwan wanted to divide 10,000 people into groups of 100 people and disperse them, he immediately understood her intention. If this group of bandits were concentrated in one place, it would inevitably cause trouble again. Only by dispersing them can they be defeated one by one.

What a powerful method!

If he had not come from a prominent family and had not studied policy and livelihood in his early years, he would have been fooled by this little princess. This was clearly a "boiling frog in warm water" move, seemingly gentle but actually vicious, slowly disintegrating them and then eradicating them one by one.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that!" Zhang San responded coldly.

"You don't believe me?" Su Qingwan was keenly aware of his hesitation. No wonder anyone would have found it difficult to believe him. "You underestimate my generosity. Huainan is in ruins now. I am not interested in playing tricks with you, nor do I have the manpower and energy to deal with you. You were all once the people of Huainan. Among these 10,000 bandits, half are old, weak, women and children. My sword does not kill the weak. If you bring your people to surrender, I will keep you safe. I will keep my word!"

Zhang San knew that the negotiation had reached a deadlock and that further discussion would lead to no results. He stood up and said, "My Lord, there are 10,000 people in the Eighteen Mountains of Huainan. I cannot make the decision alone. Please allow me to go back and discuss this with my brothers."

"Okay!" Su Qingwan responded, "Wait for good news."

Zhang San said no more. He jumped on his horse with swift movements and left with a group of people.

Chen Feng walked forward and asked, "Girl, do you want to send someone into the mountains to get information?"

Su Qingwan shook her head and said firmly, "No need. He has no intention of attacking Huainan City and will come back for negotiations."

When Lu Zhu heard this, he was pleasantly surprised. "That's great! It seems he is not so foolish. If he really wants to attack Huainan, it will be difficult for us to deal with it in such a hurry. It would be great if we can resolve this matter peacefully."

Su Qingwan thought to herself, yes, it would be best if the problem could be solved peacefully. All she wanted was for Huainan to be peaceful and tranquil, and for Nianqing to have a stable Huainan.

The news of Su Qingwan's negotiation with the Huainan bandits spread quickly in the city, causing an uproar among the people. For a time, many people gathered in front of the palace and sat in protest. They firmly refused to allow the bandits to enter the city, and did not allow Su Qingwan to recruit the bandits. They cursed that the bandits should die in the mountains forever, and some even shouted loudly, hoping that Su Qingwan could personally lead troops into the mountains to suppress the bandits.

At this time, the sun was high in the sky and the ground was scorching hot, but the people were unmoved and continued to sit in protest. After Su Qingwan learned about this, she ordered her people to send herbal tea, but she herself did not show up. She knew very well that she had just returned to Huainan, and every step had to be taken carefully and thoughtfully, because she wanted to leave a safe and stable Huainan for Nianqing.