“I wonder what brilliant strategy Princess Zhenguo has—might as well speak it for us to hear.”
As soon as Xiao Rongyan finished speaking, Prince Xihuai nodded repeatedly: “Yes, if Princess Zhenguo has a brilliant strategy, please speak freely. This prince would be eternally grateful!”
“Since the State of Wei is at war with Great Yan, the State of Wei still needs to work harder on the Yan front! For instance, regarding the peace negotiations Prince Xihuai mentioned earlier… what kind of price is the State of Wei prepared to pay for peace?” she asked.
“When the State of Wei sought peace, we clearly stated to Great Yan that we would cede all the territory and cities that Yan had already captured, and additionally cede all cities north of Changcheng. We only asked that the Liang State cease hostilities and stop the war, allowing the people to rest and recuperate to avoid further loss of life! But… Yan still refuses to stop the war—their determination to destroy Wei remains firm! I…”
“In terms of diplomatic relations between the two nations, can the State of Wei make further concessions?” she asked.
“As long as we can achieve a ceasefire, regarding diplomatic relations… the State of Wei would be willing to privately follow Yan’s lead, but Yan still refuses.”
“Then take another step back—submit as a vassal and pay tribute.” She turned her gaze toward Prince Xihuai. “You could publicly announce to the world that the State of Wei is willing to submit to the State of Yan, paying annual tribute… only requesting a ceasefire to allow the people to rest and recuperate!”
“Submit… submit as a vassal and pay tribute?!” Prince Xihuai’s face went pale, as if he felt deeply humiliated. “To the State of Yan?!”
Xiao Rongyan loosened his hand that had been tightly gripping his robes and continued along with Prince Xihuai’s words: “Two years ago… the State of Yan was still a humble small nation submitting under the feet of various states. Now, Princess Zhenguo asks our State of Wei to submit to such a small nation? Prince Xihuai’s mention of privately following Yan’s lead already makes our State of Wei feel deeply humiliated… let alone submitting as a vassal and paying tribute.”
“But unfortunately, the State of Wei is being beaten without any ability to resist by precisely this small nation you look down upon, with the danger of national destruction imminent!” She looked at Xiao Rongyan. “Certainly, the State of Wei once relied on geographical advantages to stand powerfully in one region! But how swift are the changes in this world—if the State of Wei still indulges in past glory… boasting of being a strong and great nation, its destruction is only a matter of time.”
She withdrew her gaze and looked again toward Prince Xihuai: “Think of the former State of Yan—when it was beaten by the State of Jin without any ability to resist, it submitted as a vassal and paid tribute to Jin. Did the State of Yan not feel deeply humiliated? First, preserve the nation, then seek to grow strong! Now that Yan has recovered, doesn’t it still beat Wei without resistance?”
Prince Xihuai’s expression was hesitant.
Seeing that Prince Xihuai seemed to be persuaded, Xiao Rongyan pretended to be casual and smiled lightly: “What Princess Zhenguo says is certainly reasonable, but as a person of Wei, I cannot bear to see my motherland suffer such humiliation. When we can seek aid from other nations, why must we adopt such a servile and submissive attitude? Moreover, I know Princess Zhenguo has ambitions to annex all the nations under heaven—I inevitably suspect… that Princess Zhenguo’s persuasion of Prince Xihuai has ulterior motives.”
Prince Xihuai looked toward Xiao Rongyan, feeling that Xiao Rongyan was, after all, a person of Wei who thought of his motherland in everything, even willing to oppose his fiancée directly. This put his mind considerably at ease.
Hearing this, Bai Qingyan turned her head to look at Xiao Rongyan and said without haste: “Without the spirit to endure hardships and bear humiliation, how can one speak of diligent governance and determined self-strengthening? And how can one speak of tomorrow? I advise the State of Wei to announce to the world its willingness to pay tribute and submit as a vassal to the State of Yan. If Yan still insists on destroying Wei, it will become a target of public criticism—wouldn’t the State of Yan weigh this carefully?”
She sighed softly, picked up her teacup, used the lid to press down the tea leaves floating on the clear tea, took a light sip, then continued: “It’s true that I have ambitions to annex all the nations under heaven, and I’ve never concealed this! Indeed… preventing Yan from temporarily destroying Wei, preventing Yan from clearing away obstacles, means they cannot confidently compete for the Central Plains. This benefits my State of Jin’s unification of the world! But this way, the State of Wei can also temporarily preserve itself—this achieves two goals at once. Isn’t that good?”
She looked toward Xiao Rongyan: “Rongyan, as a person of Wei, would you rather see your motherland destroyed for the sake of dignity before you’re satisfied? Perhaps if the State of Wei gains a momentary breathing space, it could rise again—who can say for certain! After all, everyone in this world can compete for supremacy… who will win in the end remains to be seen.”
“I dare not say Princess Zhenguo’s strategy is not good, but if we could obtain the Ghost-Faced Prince of Rongdi’s military assistance, or if the State of Jin were willing to help, forcing the State of Yan to have no choice but to cease hostilities with the State of Wei—wouldn’t that be better? Why must we choose the path of submission as a vassal and pay tribute, this servile and compromising route?” Xiao Rongyan looked toward Prince Xihuai and asked with a smile, “Taking a step back—even if both Jin and Rongdi are unwilling to help, it wouldn’t be too late for the State of Wei to take this step then! What does Your Highness think?”
“What Rongyan says is reasonable!” Prince Xihuai cupped his hands toward Bai Qingyan. “This prince knows that Princess Zhenguo truly means well. Since Princess Zhenguo cannot guarantee that the State of Jin can assist Wei, and for our motherland to avoid compromising, this prince is willing to go to Hancheng to meet the Ghost-Faced Prince and try. If it truly doesn’t work… it won’t be too late to discuss submission as a vassal and paying tribute then.”
Today’s visit, Bai Qingyan’s main purpose was to verify whether there were spies around A’Yu. As for whether Prince Xihuai would go to see A’Yu, whether he would submit as a vassal to the State of Yan and pay tribute, Bai Qingyan did not mind either way.
“In that case, I have been meddlesome…” Bai Qingyan placed the teacup in her hand on the side table.
“Princess Zhenguo must not blame yourself. Originally, this prince thought I could ask Princess Zhenguo to speak favorably with the Crown Prince of Jin, but Rongyan just analyzed with me that this time Jin’s destruction of Liang is inevitable—it’s to lay the foundation for Jin’s future great undertaking of unification. Therefore, they absolutely will not be distracted by the State of Wei. Although the State of Wei has no grand ambitions to dominate the world or unify it, whether it’s the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, or this prince, none of us wants the State of Wei to become a vassal state of another nation in our generation. If that were to happen… we would have no face to meet our ancestors after death.”
Prince Xihuai spoke with extreme sincerity, his eyes reddening.
“What Prince Xihuai says, Bai Qingyan understands. Then Prince Xihuai should try first. However, in Bai Qingyan’s view, the possibility of Rongdi sending troops to assist Wei is not great. Rongdi’s territory does not border the State of Wei—they would have to borrow passage through either Xiliang or the State of Jin. The Rongdi people… are not skilled at long-distance warfare.”
“Therefore, when the time comes, we still hope the State of Jin can provide some assistance!” Prince Xihuai responded extremely quickly, immediately standing up and bowing deeply to Bai Qingyan. “Originally, I planned to negotiate with the Ghost-Faced Prince first, then have Rongyan act as intermediary to ask Princess Zhenguo to speak favorably for us. Since Princess Zhenguo brought it up first, this prince will request Princess Zhenguo on behalf of the State of Wei here and now.”
“This is not a difficult matter, I just fear… the State of Wei cannot hold out until that time! I’ve calculated the Yan army’s march—I estimate that at this moment… the two armies led by Yan general Xie Xun and Yan’s Second Prince Murong Ping may have already converged. Before long… perhaps they’ve already reached the walls of Changcheng!” She lowered her gaze, her fingers caressing the armrest of her chair. “Even if the State of Wei dispatches famous generals… even if Wei’s Grand General Song Guanxu leads troops to defend to the death, how long can they hold out?”