You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

When they entered the temple area by the fishing fire, they indeed saw that the top-floor office was brightly lit, having been turned on early, and that person was about to work through the night again. The person's persistence and focus were truly awe-inspiring.

Being an enemy of Feng Tianyin would indeed keep me up at night.

"Are you all planning to go to the temple? We happen to have an empty carriage that can give you a ride."

The officials of the Great Qian responded politely, and the delegation readily complied, so the two sides exchanged pleasantries as they proceeded.

You calculated it correctly.

They vaguely guessed that the other party must have anticipated this and was certain of victory.

This feeling of being controlled is awful, but I have to accept it; when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. So, will Daqian really make exorbitant demands? That's where the war of words is about to begin; it'll definitely be a lot of talking.

The group arrived leisurely.

Things can't be rushed. Even though the decision was made on the same day, I still need to think about it along the way.

In fact, everyone was pressured to some extent by the military timetable of the Great Qian Dynasty. The other side was putting on a posture of being ready to go to war at any time. What if Feng Tianyin ran away? Who would they talk to? It's better to talk to the person in charge than to talk to anyone else.

Therefore, they had to hurry to reach the temple office by dusk.

"Greetings, High Priest."

Feng Tianyin, who was in the main seat, had just closed the documents on the table and returned the greeting, her face expressionless, aloof and noble.

There was no joy or regret on her face.

Meanwhile, He Wan, who was hurrying along, revealed a meaningful smile, even a hint of smugness, as if to say, "See, you still compromised after all," which really hit home.

The siege of Yuhuopan once overwhelmed her, and she was troubled by all kinds of frontline battle reports.

I'm so annoyed.

Why would anyone give a friendly look to these messengers who have a mastermind behind them?

Not only He Wan, but the officers next to her also had grim expressions, making them worry that they might be stabbed to death.

"I'm glad you could come."

Feng Tianyin remained calm and composed when she said this, showing neither joy nor dislike.

The leading envoy from the Southern Plains immediately spoke up: "High Priest, we hope to increase trade with the Great Qian, jointly build roads and irrigation facilities, and reclaim this vast plain together." Of course, they couldn't immediately declare their intention to join a vassal state.

It would be beneath him to lower himself so much, it wasn't worth it. So he brought up trade, and the other envoys echoed him, creating an atmosphere of harmony and happiness, without mentioning war at all.

Unexpectedly, Feng Tianyin took the initiative to flip through a thick stack of letters and murmured:

"These are the communication records of the barbarians."

"It was seized from their military camp, and it brought up many unpleasant things that could easily damage our friendship..."

A pair of purple eyes stared straight at them, and all the envoys present were sweating profusely.

Silence reigned.

They dared neither admit nor refute it; if the Great Qian Dynasty used this as a pretext to blackmail them, negotiations would indeed be difficult. In the worst-case scenario, they would be beaten to death before they could even speak—would they expect the courteous treatment they were receiving now?

The next moment, she put the letter away, showing no intention of opening it in person.

However, the messengers were even more uncertain, because some of their own writings were inside, and digging them out could pose a significant threat.

Why aren't they making a fuss about it?

Instead of revealing their hand, Feng Tianyin threw them all into the brazier. Instantly, the sun blazed up, crackling and popping, swirling sparks in the night, and a gentle breeze burned them even more cleanly.

Black ash spread along the edges of the letter, eventually twisting, decaying, and turning into the dregs at the bottom of the brazier.

It seems even the room temperature has risen slightly.

Of course, it's also possible that they were too nervous and sweating profusely.

"There's no need for us to get bogged down in this level of intelligence; it's pointless."

Feng Tianyin's unspoken meaning was completely unimportant. Whether it was the city-state behind it, how many resources it provided, or how much blame it should bear... none of that mattered. There was no need to bring it up. If they didn't cooperate, I would still beat them up.

Just let you know, that's enough for the Great Qian Dynasty.

That's enough.

The envoys naturally understood the meaning: the other party did not want to start with the so-called trade level, engaging in mutual probing, testing, and escalating the situation, as it was too troublesome and a waste of time.

She always preferred efficient communication, especially with weaker city-states that had some friction with her.

"Either war or fiefdom, choose one."

As soon as Feng Tianyin said this, the temperature in the office dropped a few degrees, and the envoys present had serious expressions and their eyes flickered.

How should I choose?

"Can't you be a little more accommodating?"

"These are already very favorable conditions, and they are beneficial to all of us."

The enfeoffment system represents a relatively mild form of expansion. Under the current political system, it can both create synergistic effects and avoid premature confrontation with the powerful southern states, thus securing development opportunities for the Great Qian Dynasty and achieving win-win cooperation.

Therefore, Feng Tianyin would not back down on this point, but of course, she was not in a hurry to make a statement on the spot.

Unrealistic.

The group of people before her had varying degrees of authority, and since the fate of an entire city-state concerned such matters, a decision couldn't be made on the spot. Therefore, she added:

"Go back and convey my message: we will meet again soon."

"Does Your Highness intend to send troops?"

She didn't answer, and the guards took care of seeing the guests off. Seeing this, the envoys had no choice but to take their leave respectfully. The group carefully withdrew, then looked at each other, a hint of confusion on their faces.

too fast.

I thought it would be a long, drawn-out discussion that would leave everyone up all night, but the High Priest was simple and direct.

There was no room for him to use his silver tongue.

The highest authority of the Great Qian Dynasty was getting impatient. After all, the original plan was to first expand into the south, but the strategy was disrupted by the tribes of the northern deserts, which wasted more than ten years. Of course, no further accidents could be allowed, and a swift and decisive action was needed.

They sensed that unwavering determination; in this battle, the Great Qian would allow its forces to enter the Great Plains.

"Let's go back."

The envoy from the Southern Plains city-state sighed deeply. He had already joined the rest of the delegation and clearly intended to return as quickly as possible.

"Have you thought it all through? Are we going to join the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Who knows? We weren't the ones making the decisions."

He couldn't be bothered to argue with his annoying colleagues anymore, so he simply ran away as fast as he could.

It's best to outrun the Daqian army, otherwise it will be a humiliating surrender. In any case, the superior should know that whether to fight or make peace is ultimately up to Feng Tianyin.

She possesses an aura of power and has honed her skills, making all the necessary preparations.

The remaining messengers had no choice but to set off.

What one thinks is no longer important; the key lies in the power struggle between the Great Qian Dynasty and the Plains City-States. The tug-of-war between the two sides will determine the order of this land.

But they certainly won't stay put.

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Chapter 97 Replacing the Cage with a New Bird (6K)

Xiayi.

At dawn, another batch of imperial guards were released from the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The city gates opened, and dust billowed across the drill ground as the train sped southward with the force of thunder.

At the same time, another group of border troops arrived. They were the heroes who had guarded the fishing boats. They were finally given a break from their shifts and went home to visit their families. Everyone was overjoyed, and those who were alive were naturally grateful.

Their conversations about battlefield exploits added a touch of vibrancy to the city.

The large groups of people coming and going attracted public attention, prompting discussions about the possible reasons behind their movements.

"The border troops have returned so quickly?"

"The fishing boats are probably being guarded by garrison troops now."

"Yes, my eldest son just got back. He said the battle to defend the city was fierce, but he did see the Heavenly Dao briefly during the blessing ceremony. It was worth it; the High Priest even gave out subsidies as a reward for the victory."

"If only I were here, what a blessing that would be! What a pity."

"If I had money, I would keep moving to new cities, so I could keep following the protection of Heaven."

"That would cost too much money!"

--------

Meanwhile, the temple area was bustling with activity, and on Yu Xue's desk lay a well-organized schedule of troop deployments.

She looked around and checked off each item, redeploying them to the unit numbers that had been reached.

"If you count them all, there are 1 troops at the front."

The senior clerks who heard these words also looked serious. This was an unprecedented large-scale mobilization, and the vast majority of the personnel were cavalry. It was a test of the organization of the Great Qian Dynasty.

To be honest, they could have assembled an army of ten thousand long ago, but Feng Tianyin had been limiting it.

Quality over quantity.

The idea was correct, but it also led to a problem: no one dared to say they had experience in mobilizing an army of 10,000 men.

We can only take it one step at a time and accumulate experience.

"I've calculated it. With our current resources and officer reserves, we have enough to command them." Dean Xue counted on his fingers and asserted, "The expeditionary Imperial Guard is no problem. The key lies in our long-distance transportation."

Yu Xue replied, "There are many rivers in the south, so we can use shipping to catch up with the army."

Sun Shan said with apprehension, "It can't be used immediately. It requires large-scale excavation, dredging, and dike construction. There's an 80% chance of disasters later. Be careful, as it will be troublesome if rainfall increases the water level."

"Let's do it this way for now."

"Alright, those waterways will need to be cleaned up sooner or later anyway, so let's do some emergency repairs now."

As the head of the engineering department, he knew it all too well.