Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1790: Chapter 571: Yielding the Initiative, Striving for Self-Strengthening, Awakened by a Word

In a negotiation, one party must hold the initiative.

Liang Hengzhang took the initiative to visit, and his stance was so courteous that the initiative of this negotiation seemed to lie with Great Xia, but the actual situation was not so.

Cai Qianshan was severely injured, Cai Qiu’s army suffered heavy losses, and more than half of Lin Chu County had been lost. On the surface, it seemed that Cai Qiu was more eager to cease fire because they needed to free their hands to focus on defending against Chen Cang.

However, in reality, Evergreen Valley is not very significant to Cai Qiu. With the stronghold of Qinghua City as a barrier, just as Liang Hengzhang said, Cai Qiu only needs to spend a small amount of troop strength. Even if Great Xia brings thirty thousand available soldiers, it is very difficult to break through.

Cai Qiu seems to be precarious, but everyone knows well that the vassals of Wei Bo and Hezang will not stand idly by and let it be annexed by Chen Cang. The two armies are currently unwilling to exert power because they don’t see Cai Qiu as being in danger of being overturned.

Chu Longteng controlling the war within the territory of Lin Chu County also clearly banks on this fact. As long as the armies of the two vassals do not arrive, whether rescuing Cai Qianshan or having the two Landgraves jointly pressure him, these actions are insignificant to Chen Cang.

Cai Qiu will not perish; the Four Vassals have sufficient tacit understanding on this point.

Compared to Cai Qiu, the urgency for Great Xia to cease fire is more pressing.

The newly expanded territory on the Southern Slope needs to be absorbed and digested; the population increase totaling over ten million across the Five Towns needs to be settled and cared for; Great Xia’s Northward Expedition involving tens of thousands of soldiers, including various army leaders, awaits commendations and rewards…

Of course, there is also the most important matter, the cultivation experiences accumulated over more than three years of travels along the Moao River need to be imparted. The various precious resources brought back from Yang City need to be crafted by the Craftsmen Department; many things urgently require commencing planning.

The current strength of Great Xia is still somewhat distant from establishing vassals, but as long as these matters are gradually handled well, and after some time for fermentation and incubation, establishing vassals will certainly not be far away.

“Hoo…”

Inside the main tent, seeing Liang Hengzhang’s slightly smug turn of head, Xia Hong also realized that the initiative of this negotiation had already fallen into the other party’s hands.

Having won the battle but still being manipulated in the negotiation, admittedly, it is somewhat distressing, but knowing that everything is for the future, Xia Hong could only pinch his nose and accept it.

However, he did not indulge Liang Hengzhang, and, turning his head, he gave Qiu Peng beside him a look, then directly stood up, and with Li Xuanling and the two children, left towards the rear.

“Wish the Lord a safe journey!”

Qiu Peng understood the message, bowed along with the others, and only after Xia Hong’s departure, did he smile at Liang Hengzhang and say, “If Liang Taiyi intends a ceasefire, let us first draft some procedures.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Hengzhang furrowed his brows slightly but quickly relaxed, nodded with a smile to Qiu Peng, and sat down with everyone.

This was clearly Xia Hong acting presumptuously, implying that he as the Grand Master of Cai Qiu was not qualified to directly negotiate with him as the Lord of Great Xia. If it were any other normal Town-level Camp, Liang Hengzhang certainly would not indulge the other party.

However, with Great Xia, it doesn’t work!

“Winning on the battlefield doesn’t mean having the initiative in the negotiation is useful. The vassals are unreliable; preserving Lin Chu County ultimately depends on ourselves. The feudal town is now uneasy, whether to stabilize the current situation or to consider the subsequent war with Chen Cang, we must first recover the tens of thousands of prisoners of war held by Great Xia.

Although Great Xia has strength, it has not reached the stage of establishing vassals, its threat is far less compared to Chen Cang. Being on good terms with them and jointly resisting Chen Cang is the wisest choice. This Lord of Great Xia is proud but sensible; negotiating peace should not be difficult. The hard part is how to get them to relent a few more steps, so the feudal town has to bleed a little less…”

Seeing Qiu Peng who had been sitting for a while without speaking, aware that the other party was waiting for him, realizing this was another extremely difficult opponent, Liang Hengzhang sighed softly and took the initiative to speak, formally initiating the negotiation.

“Lord Qiu, for this ceasefire, our Landgrave Vassal has proposed five conditions…”

As soon as Liang Hengzhang spoke, Qiu Peng immediately straightened his posture, his expression became extremely serious. Although Xia Hong had not left him with clear instructions, after years of following, the tacit understanding between the two was naturally not lacking. Qiu Peng could probably guess where Xia Hong’s bottom line lay.

Additionally, apart from consideration of Xia Hong, as the Director of the Camp Supply Department, it was inherently his duty to strive for benefits for Great Xia.

Just as a round of verbal sparring around the ceasefire agreement commenced within the main tent, Xia Hong had quietly taken Li Xuanling and her two children, sitting atop the diminutive Beast Emperor Puppet, flying up to the skies above Guangning Mountain.

“That Liang Hengzhang is obviously bluffing; Cai Qiu and Chen Cang cannot possibly cease battling. Hezang and Wei Bo would also relish seeing the two continue their fight. Ceasefire with Cai Qiu now would mean offending all Three Vassals; what do you intend to do with Chen Cang’s hundred thousand army?”

Just after exiting the tent, Li Xuanling could barely contain her words expressing what was on her mind.

Holding Xia Yuyao’s hand, Xia Hong turned back with a smile upon hearing that and said, “Sparing Cai Qiu is far better than seeking prosperity while dealing with adversity. I have yet to contact Wei Bo and Hezang and am not concerned. Chen Cang, inherently ambitious, allying with them is akin to siding with a tiger; while Cai Qiu, amidst temporary hardships and nestled between the Three Vassals, is in an anxious situation even without conflict. Among the Four Vassals, they are most in need of allies. Currently, Great Xia aims to ensure immunity from the collective targeting of the Four Vassals, even gradually reaching to influence the Moao River in the future. The only breakthrough is Cai Qiu, offering goodwill to them is certainly beneficial.”