Chapter 86: Sitting Firmly in Anyang

Yan Ze’an walked along the road, sighing all the while; the bodies had already been taken away, but the ground was still red. In the early morning, there was still the smell of gunpowder here, along with an unsettling burnt odor.  

The warhorses in front were restlessly lowing, and the coachman had to exert extra effort to control the carriage.  

As Yan Ze’an headed towards Anyang, Li Xian was conducting the final “training” with Xu Ren and others. “First, we need to understand how they obtained the gunpowder formula. Second, we don’t need any political concessions; that has no meaning for us. What we need are commercial ones.  

We need to open up a massive market and establish a source for raw materials and resources.”  

As the crowd discussed, Song Xing came running over eagerly, “Young master…”  

“Wait a moment!” Xu Ren suddenly spoke up. “Given Young Master Li’s current status and influence, it’s inappropriate to call him ‘young master’ or ‘master’ anymore. Especially since we will be negotiating with the state of Cai next; we must pay attention to these details.  

How about calling him ‘general’? When there are outsiders, we should refer to him as ‘general’. When there are no outsiders, we can maintain the original habit.  

Calling him ‘sir’ feels too distant, and ‘lord’ is clearly not suitable. ‘General’ is the most appropriate.”  

Li Xian immediately agreed, “What you say is true. From now on, I will refer to myself as general. Ha, I’m also a general leading a territory now.”  

Song Xing, being clever, quickly changed his words, speaking loudly, “General, the prime minister of Cai has come to visit and has arrived at the border.”  

“Open the city gates and welcome him through the main entrance.”  

Then, Li Xian, Xu Ren, and others arrived at the city lord’s mansion, waiting for the arrival of the prime minister of Cai, Yan Ze’an. A carriage, with a dozen servants, swayed leisurely and approached Li Xian, stopping ten zhang away. Only then did Prime Minister Yan Ze’an leisurely get off the carriage and slowly walk toward Li Xian.  

Li Xian maintained an outward calm regarding Yan Ze’an’s pretentiousness, silently watching—I’m just watching you put on a show, trying hard to act, keep acting.  

Yan Ze’an slowly walked in front of Li Xian, a slightly arrogant smile on his face. “Young Master Li is indeed a remarkable young talent.”  

Unexpectedly, Li Xian suddenly sneered, his voice loud, “Prime Minister Yan! Why did Cai attack our Great Xia without reason, causing thousands of our men to be buried at the border, leaving families in mourning across Anyang?”  

The guards from Anyang around them glared angrily, with the front few guards directly unsheathing their long knives and planting them firmly into the ground, creating a series of thuds.

A chill of killing intent suddenly spread through the air. These guards had just been pulled from the battlefield, each one brimming with a fierce aura and a sharp murderous intent.

Yan Ze’an was instantly stunned; he thought, “Damn, this kid has some nerve!” However, considering the current situation and the possibility that Great Xia had already launched a northern expedition, Prime Minister Yan still had to soften his stance. He cautiously set aside his earlier arrogance, saying, “Ah, we were also provoked by some petty people…”

Li Xian chuckled, “I don’t consider myself a gentleman either. How about this: if your Cai state can send 100,000 troops to attack Chen state, I’ll give you 5 spiritual stones. For every county you capture in Chen state, I’ll give you 3 spiritual stones. If you can destroy Chen state, I’ll give you 30 spiritual stones! How about that?”

Yan Ze’an was left speechless, thinking, “Is there such a way to negotiate?!”

In fact, it wasn’t just Yan Ze’an who was stunned; even Xu Ren was taken aback—”Young master, your negotiating attitude is truly eye-opening.”

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. After a while, Yan Ze’an, looking somewhat pale, said, “Ah… we are currently powerless despite our intentions. With two hundred thousand troops failing, our Cai state cannot send out troops for ten years.”

Li Xian’s tone remained firm: “Then let me ask, who ordered the attack on our Great Xia?”

“That… of course, it was His Majesty…”

“Very well, you must—”

“Ahem.” Xu Ren quickly interrupted Li Xian, concerned that if he continued, the negotiations would really collapse. The display of strength had already been sufficient.

Li Xian had gotten carried away, nearly saying, “Send the head of the Emperor of Cai here.” Hearing Xu Ren’s reminder, he realized he had let his guard down. He quickly composed himself, stating, “Then, the Emperor of Cai must apologize to the Emperor of Great Xia.”

This condition was very good and reasonable, and it could earn Li Xian substantial political capital—he didn’t need political concessions from Cai state, but he did require political capital within Great Xia. Xu Ren nodded secretly, thinking this condition was excellent.

However, Yan Ze’an found himself in a difficult position; it was too embarrassing, but this time he truly couldn’t refuse—Li Xian’s request was too reasonable. “This matter needs to be reported to His Majesty; I’m afraid I cannot agree.”

“Then may I ask, Prime Minister Yan, can you decide on such matters?”

“I… I cannot decide anything. I came today just to gauge Young Master Li’s intentions.” The prime minister was already bewildered by Li Xian’s series of unpredictable moves.

Li Xian’s tone softened for the first time, yet it remained powerful: “Very well, my intentions are clear.  

First, Cai state must apologize to Great Xia.  

Second, the war losses in Anyang amount to 450 spiritual stones and 200,000 taels of gold; compensation is required.  

Third, Cai state must not impose any difficulties on the merchant convoy signed by Anyang.  

Fourth, the three generals of Cai state—Wang Qisheng, Yan Zhengqing, and Lu Chengang—must come to our military camp to apologize and pay respects to the fallen soldiers.  

Fifth, Cai state must promise not to invade Great Xia under any pretext within the next ten years.  

I need to hear back within a maximum of seven days; otherwise, you will bear the consequences!”

Prime Minister Yan Ze’an was sent back without even entering the city lord’s mansion. Once he left the borders of Anyang, his expression suddenly darkened. “What a cunning little fox. A truly greedy wolf!”

The servant beside him dared not respond, quietly urging the carriage forward.

Meanwhile, after Yan Ze’an had left Anyang, Li Xian immediately wrote a letter detailing the situation and instructed Song Xing to ride swiftly to deliver it to his father, Li Yulong.

The reason for not allowing Yan Ze’an to enter the door was to prevent any scheming—once inside, many things could become muddled; thus, Li Xian had to keep Yan Ze’an outside and conduct the conversation in plain view of the public. Sometimes, words can indeed be fearsome.

Afterward, Li Xian began to address the issues in Anyang. The current state of Anyang was truly chaotic, a tangle of problems; just as things were starting to improve, they were completely disrupted by the war. This was especially true for the Brilliant Stars Group in the Qingyun Valley, which was Li Xian’s greatest foundation, and it had been severely affected.

However, there was another serious issue—gunpowder! This time, Li Xian had not mentioned gunpowder in front of Yan Ze’an, but he had already dispatched people to investigate, especially among the prisoners of war, subjecting a few key generals to strict interrogation.

Additionally, since others had begun producing gunpowder, Li Xian no longer cared about keeping it a secret. He immediately ordered the armory to produce gunpowder at full capacity and even prepared to sell it as an important commodity.

After three busy days, Li Xian finally let out a sigh of relief. Embracing Xia Qingqing, he stood on the city wall of Anyang, gazing into the distance. “Qingqing, from today onward, I, Li Xian, truly have a place to stand.”

“Mm.” Xia Qingqing leaned shyly and happily against Li Xian’s shoulder, her heart filled with countless joys as she looked at the bustling crowd around them.

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