latelenovela Chapter 271: At the Peace Talks, Hard Confrontation with the Princess
Chapter 271: At the Peace Talks, Hard Confrontation with the Princess
Upon hearing this, the soldiers' worries disappeared and they showed joy on their faces.
"I told you, Your Highness is a man of great integrity. How could he possibly agree to such an unreasonable request? If he did, someone who didn't know would think we were a defeated nation!"
Dissatisfaction flashed in Shen Chuan's eyes. "Prince Li, we Beidi clearly stated in our letter to your emperor that the prerequisites for peace talks must be agreed to! Don't you want to stop the peace talks and start another war?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the face of the Apocalypse soldier became extremely ugly.
"Why is Shen Chuan so arrogant? They were clearly defeated, so how dare they make demands on us?"
"Such shamelessness is rare!"
But no matter how harsh the talk was, Shu He knew that the person sitting at the top was the one who least wanted to see the war break out again.
This is something Shen Chuan is very clear about, so he dares to be so arrogant.
Defeat in battle is not scary; what is scary is having no will to fight!
And Apocalypse is the one that has no "will to fight".
Therefore, Shu He was a little unsure about what Baili Moqing would do next. At least the emperor certainly didn't want to start another war.
"We in Tianqi truly yearn for peace. For the sake of those men on the border, we do not want to cause any more disputes."
Baili Moqing's gentle voice stopped all the discussions.
"But, just because we don't want to fight doesn't mean we can't fight!"
"On the contrary, our Apocalypse Army is so powerful that if we advance, we can repel millions of enemies, and if we retreat, we can hold our ground!"
"If Beidi wants to start a war with rude demands, I believe that I, the Apocalypse Army, will never be afraid of fighting!"
These few simple words made the blood of the Apocalypse soldiers boil. "Your Highness is right. Apocalypse soldiers are never afraid of fighting!"
At this moment, the defenders outside the camp, seemingly unanimously, shouted in unison, "We are not afraid of fighting!"
"Not afraid of fighting!"
……
Perhaps because they had just won a battle, the morale of this group of defensive troops was high. A belief in "victory" supported them and made them the protagonists of tonight's meeting.
Looking at the group of extremely tenacious soldiers, although he knew that they were not doing it all for him, Shu He still showed relief and emotion on his face.
No one could see Shen Chuan's face under the mask, but the eyes that were exposed were a bit more complicated and cold.
Baili Moqing spoke again, "Prince Liu, you see, now the choice of whether to negotiate is in your hands. What will you choose?"
Shen Chuan was silent for a moment, then asked in a bad tone, "Prince Li, are you going to go against the will of your Majesty?"
Before Baili Moqing could say anything, he saw the eldest princess on his left turn around and look at him.
"Mo Qing, she's just a woman. What's the point of giving her to him? Do you really want to ruin the chance of peace talks between the two countries just for a woman?"
Baili Qingren's face, which was originally filled with joy, turned pale in an instant because of these words. "Zhao Ming, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Brother Wang, is there anything wrong with what I said?"
Zhao Ming glanced at Baili Qingren, his tone still firm, "Peace talks between the two countries are such an important matter. It concerns the lives of countless soldiers from both countries and the well-being of the people. If sacrificing a woman can buy such peace, why not?"
"Shut up!" Baili Qingren was so angry that he almost smashed the table in front of him! How could Zhaoming be so stupid and ignorant?
"Why should I shut up?" Zhao Ming ignored Baili Qingren, glancing at him with a hint of resentment. "As a woman, isn't it an honor to contribute to national peace?"
"Your Highness the Princess!"
As the person involved, Shu He really couldn't bear to listen any longer.
After glaring at her unhappily, Shu He turned his gaze towards Prince Xiaoyang and Nangong Zhen, "Your Majesty, Marshal, as a party involved in this matter, do I have the right to speak?"
A look of worry flashed across Baili Qingren's face, fearing that she might say something disrespectful, which would be disastrous.
Instead, Nangong Zhen's eyes showed a hint of curiosity as he said, "Of course! Please speak, young lady."
"Thank you, Marshal, and thank you, Your Highness!"
After completing the ceremony, Shu He looked at the princess and asked, "Princess, do you know that Tianqi is rich and powerful, and even among the five surrounding countries, it is at the top?"
Zhaoming's face was purple under her veil. How dare she, a commoner female doctor, question her like that?
Seeing that she didn't reply, Shu He didn't care and continued, "If Tianqi, as the largest country today, still has to sacrifice a woman to defend peace, then what is the difference between the Tianqi of today and the Tianqi of twenty years ago?"
"My Tianqi Nation has undergone twenty years of dormant development and is forging ahead bravely. Isn't it all for the sake of having an independent voice among the nations? Isn't it all for the sake of having the courage to say 'no' to the unreasonable demands of other countries?"
"If Tianqi, now a country rich and powerful, were to accept an unreasonable treaty from others, how could Tianqi be worthy of the soldiers and officials who have sacrificed their youth and lives to strengthen the national system over the past twenty years?"
Her voice was as light as a feather, but the words she spoke were as deafening as thunder.
"That's right! Tianqi has won a great victory, and we cannot accept Beidi's unreasonable demands!"
"I don't accept it! I don't accept it!"
The soldiers were provoked and expressed their opinions one after another, and at the same time scolded the princess for being insolent and having no responsibility and courage!
Those comments made Zhaoming's facial muscles twitch uncontrollably. She clenched her hands, and finally, in a rage, she slammed her palm down on the table.
"Shut up!"
After all, she was the eldest princess, and her identity was there. All the soldiers fell silent and just glared at her.
Her eyes fell on Shu He, and she almost gritted her teeth and said, "You're so sharp-tongued at such a young age!"
"Twenty years ago, I, a princess, was willing to sacrifice myself for Tianqi. How dare you, a lowly person, say 'no'?"
Shu He watched and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
Why?
Just because she has never enjoyed wealth and glory, never been worshipped by the people, and has no noble status that is above everyone else!
As a princess, she enjoyed all the glory that came with her status, but when it came to taking on responsibilities, how could she be compared to the common people who had nothing?
Can she compare?
However, these words were too unorthodox, and she could not say them in front of so many royal nobles.
Seeing that Shu He was silent, Baili Moqing thought she was stumped and wanted to speak up to help her. However, the woman spoke again with great force, making everyone's eyes shine with admiration.
"Your Highness, Princess, I would like to ask you one more question."
"If today, the powerful Tianqi wants to give me, a 'pariah', to another country because they want peace, then the next time they ask for the return of the former Beidi concubine, Your Highness, are you willing to sacrifice yourself again?"
These words almost humiliated Zhao Ming and pushed her to the edge of the cliff!
If the princess answered yes, how could Beidi miss this golden opportunity? After all, when the princess returned to Tianqi, Beidi was humiliated!
If she answered no, wouldn't that mean the righteous Princess was actually a shameless person who allowed officials to set fires but not the people to light lamps? How could such a double standard make her worthy of the title of Princess?
By then, her reputation will be completely ruined in Apocalypse!
"How dare you! Who are you? How dare you be compared with me?" She was so angry that she slammed the table and stood up, her eyes showing humiliation and anger.
"Come here! Tie up this untouchable for me! Send him to Beidi later!"