The Prodigal Son

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yu led Yan Li through the door and entered.

Although none of the Chu envoys present had ever seen Qin Yu before, the moment they saw him, they were certain that the person before them was Qin Yu.

In an instant, several hostile gazes fell upon Qin Yu.

However, one of the Chu envoys' gazes fell on Yan Li, his eyes filled with doubt.

Song Xian quietly tugged at Lü Si, quickly stood up, and bowed to Yan Li: "Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

Lu Si also bowed, secretly marveling at the sight.

Did Qin Yu really bring Yan Li here?

"No need for such formalities, you two."

Yan Li chuckled and then glanced at the group of Chu envoys.

Your Highness?

The way the two addressed Yan Li immediately aroused suspicion among Xi Ya and the other Chu envoys.

Which prince of Ningguo is this?

Just as everyone was wondering, the Chu envoy who knew Yan Li's identity quickly approached Xi Ya and whispered, "This is Yan Li, the third prince of Yan..."

What?

Xi Ya's expression suddenly changed, and his heart was filled with shock.

The Third Prince of Yan?

Shouldn't Ningguo and Yanguo be vying for Guanzhou?

How did the third prince of Yan end up with Qin Yu?

Qin Yu's lips curled into a smile as he glanced at Yan Li: "Your Highness, since the Chu people are so arrogant, let's not waste words with them and prepare for war!"

Yan Li teased, "Young Master Qin, are you in such a hurry to make a name for yourself?"

"It's not that I want to make a contribution."

Qin Yu shook his head and smiled, "Your Highness, didn't you hear what they were saying? After Chu expanded its army by 500,000 men at once, it seems they're quite confident and want to test their strength against us. They've already issued a challenge; we can't afford to back down!"

"Let's talk about it!"

Yan Li chuckled, "After all, the Chu Kingdom's army has expanded by 500,000, which sounds quite intimidating!"

Yan Li spoke frighteningly, but his face remained calm and composed.

That sounds more like a sarcastic remark.

"Okay, that works too!"

Qin Yu nodded and smiled, "Should I say it or you?"

Yan Li smiled, "If we join forces to attack Chu, the position of commander-in-chief is undoubtedly yours. You should say it!"

"All right!"

Qin Yu laughed heartily, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered Chu envoy. "My Great Ning has only about 180,000 troops in the Yinzhou and Yuwang Pass areas combined, while Yan can only muster 70,000! Whether you want to fight or negotiate, it's up to you!"

"I say, aren't you being a bit too direct?" Yan Li glanced at him sideways.

"There's nothing I can do about it, I'm just naturally straightforward."

Qin Yu smiled. "Perhaps Your Highness could try to phrase it more tactfully?"

Yan Li thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Let's be direct! It'll save everyone's time!"

"I think so too!"

Qin Yu nodded in deep agreement and said with a smile, "Then let them handle the rest. Shall we go for a drink?"

"No rush."

Yan Li smiled, "We still need to set a deadline, lest they keep dragging their feet! If it comes to war, we can quickly mobilize our troops!"

"Look at me, I forgot about that!"

Qin Yu slapped his forehead, "Your Highness is indeed very thoughtful..."

Listening to the two of them singing in unison in public, Xi Ya and the other Chu envoys felt their hearts sink to the bottom, and their faces grew increasingly grim.

They always believed that Da Ning, facing the direct threat from Bei Qi and with Yan watching it from the sidelines, would not dare to easily start a full-scale war with Chu.

However, the current situation is completely different from what they thought!

They never dreamed that the Yan state would interfere and collude with the Ning state.

They certainly knew that Qin Yu and Yan Li's coordinated actions were putting pressure on them, trying to gain more benefits in the negotiations.

But the fact that Yan Li could even be here is a huge problem!

What should Chu do if the states of Yan and Ning really unite to attack Chu?

They all knew that the whole "500,000-strong army" nonsense was just empty talk.

After losing 70,000 troops, the entire Chu state now has only 270,000 to 280,000 troops left.

If Ning and Yan really join forces to attack Chu, the consequences would be unimaginable if Chu were to be defeated.

After struggling to calm himself, Xi Ya slowly stood up and bowed to Yan Li: "This old man is Xi Ya, greetings to Your Highness!"

Seeing that Xi Ya had already bowed, the other Chu envoys also stood up and bowed in return.

Please don't be shy, everyone.

Yan Li raised his hand to stop everyone, "You're all too polite, it makes me feel embarrassed to send troops."

Xi Ya's old face twitched violently, and he stared at Yan Li, panting heavily: "May I ask Your Highness, my Great Chu and the Yan Kingdom have never had any enmity. Why does your country interfere in the affairs between our two countries?"

"this……"

Yan Li hesitated for a moment, then turned to Qin Yu: "How about you help me make this up?"

Qin Yu waved his hand, "No need to make it up, just tell the truth."

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Yan Li pretended to be hesitant.

"It's alright!"

Qin Yu laughed heartily, "Anyway, we're both true villains!"

"Haha, that's true!"

Yan Li seemed to have suddenly gained a newfound understanding, laughing heartily as he patted Qin Yu on the shoulder. He then turned to Xi Ya with a helpless expression, "Actually, I really didn't want to get involved in your affairs. I even hoped you and Da Ning would fight to the death, but Da Ning just offered too much!"

Hearing Yan Li's words, Xi Ya's expression became even more unpleasant.

What a despicable person!

He just said it out loud!

They weren't even given a chance to negotiate!

Xi Ya struggled to suppress his anger and asked in a deep voice, "What benefits did Lord Qin promise His Highness?"

Xi Ya originally thought Yan Li wouldn't answer.

However, Yan Li bluntly stated, "If the negotiations succeed, the spoils will be divided equally between our two countries! If the negotiations fail, our two countries will join forces to destroy Chu, Chu's territory will belong to Da Ning, and Min's territory will belong to Da Yan!"

Xi Ya's expression changed, and he said with great distress, "Does Your Highness not know that cooperating with the Ning people is tantamount to seeking a tiger's skin? The Ning people are insatiable. If my Chu Kingdom is destroyed, Great Yan will sooner or later become the Ning people's meal!"

Hearing Xi Ya's words, Qin Yu couldn't help but secretly curl his lip.

This old man, why does he talk about Da Ning like he's some kind of villainous big boss?

Aren't Bei Qi and Yan the villains?

"I know."

Yan Li nodded in agreement. "To be honest, I would actually prefer to cooperate with Great Chu and launch a two-pronged attack on Ningguo, but your country's performance on the battlefield is really too poor, so I have to settle for second best."

"you……"

Xi Ya's face froze, and he almost vomited blood from anger.

Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had to admit that the Chu army's performance on the battlefield this time was indeed too ugly!

They lost 70,000 troops, and even their commander-in-chief was killed in battle!

As a result, they didn't even win a single decent battle, and even experienced a large-scale riot in the camp!

This is an absolute disgrace!

Qin Yu looked at Xi Ya with a mocking expression, "How about this, we'll step aside first and let you speak with His Highness alone, then we can consider whether or not to have a proper talk?"

"Need not."

Yan Li shook his head and smiled, "In the future, we might very well face each other on the battlefield, fighting to the death! But for now, I still prefer to cooperate with you!"

"Let them continue their conversation, shall we go for a drink?" Qin Yu asked with a smile.

"good!"

Yan Li readily agreed...