276 Proposal
“Your Highness Kang De, how is this condition?”
The elves’ pleasant and gentle words echoed in the silent meeting room.
The scene was silent again. The vast hall was silent without any noise.
He had thought that Kang De’s dragon’s demand was already speechless. He did not expect the conditions for the elves to return to be even more exaggerated. Even the Goethe people attending the meeting revealed confused expressions.
Then, he was vigilant, thinking, muttering, and even exchanging glances.
It was because they were suspicious.
The reason for such doubts was… this condition was really too good.
When the Twilight Dynasty established its own country, it conquered countless lands and had a large number of vassals. They had never given a country such generous peace conditions.
It simply made people suspect that they were plotting something else.
No, or rather, there must be a conspiracy.
The Goethe people present subconsciously looked at Kang De, and there was a faint… uneasiness in their eyes.
In their opinion, Kang De did not seem to have any reason to reject this suggestion.
This was because it was really too generous.
Not only was it generous, but it was also extremely polite and important. This was because all the top-notch conditions and support given to Goethe were based on Kang De marrying Princess Tina and ruling this country. In addition, the extremely xenophobic and proud elves even opened the door to military, political, and arcane power to the other party. The titles of the army giant, the deputy speaker of the council, and the member of the Arcane Law Council were real military power…
Most importantly, it was Cathay.
Although Cathay had already cut off official contact with Goethe, sporadic news still crossed the sea. Everyone on the continent knew that the current situation of the Eastern neighbors across the sea was not good. They had been invaded by the barbarians in the north. Their territory had fallen and they had been defeated repeatedly, causing a large number of Cathayans to cross the sea and hide from the cruel policies of the barbarians. Kang De was naturally a member.
Now, the elves said, “We’ll give you money, people, and ships. Arrange for you to marry the Empress and become the true ruler of the motherland. As a hero and saver, go home, support the royal family, and go north to save your clansmen.”
Who would reject such a condition?
Cathay was much larger than Goethe.
Moreover… Kang De was from Cathay to begin with.
Thinking of this, the gazes of many Goethe people changed slightly.
If Kang De’s performance in Valentine’s rescue and the speech at the National Cemetery that shocked the entire country made the xenophobic Goethe people agree and accept this foreign Prince Consort as soon as possible, the elves’ suggestion could make them realize something again.
In other words, Kang De was an outsider.
Between Cathay and Goethe, which side would he stand on?
This was simply the best method to sow discord. It was unknown how high it was compared to the methods Therlandron had played outside Valentine City. When this condition was proposed, many things changed.
This was because today’s conversation… would almost definitely spread.
Even if the Goethe people kept their mouths shut, the elves would take the initiative to spread it.
It was spread to all the Goethe people who were suffering from the war, to all the nobles and the Tedrell family of Goethe, to the surrendered factions, and to the Goethe people who did not want to lose their families again.
Be it Kang De’s agreement or rejection, they let everyone know.
Silence.
Kang De and Hong San exchanged glances.
Hong San’s expression was unprecedentedly serious.
Such a method was extremely brilliant. The elves had suffered a huge loss and still provided such seemingly generous conditions. It was definitely not because they were afraid of Kang De, so they were aggrieved and paid a huge price.
They only wanted to resolve the problem… Because Kang De was too intimidating and destructive, the way to resolve the problem was definitely gentle and soft, and it was an open plan that could not be rejected.
No matter how soft a knife was, it was still a knife.
The elves had probably already realized how difficult and disgusting Kang De’s role in this war and even the subsequent international situation was.
It was just like how a hooligan with a knife had appeared at the gathering of well-dressed and noble figures. With the power of the important figures, with just a word, countless people were willing to serve and use thousands of methods to make this hooligan die a horrible death. However, the problem was that this hooligan had appeared at the banquet and was less than five steps away from the noble lords. Before he was killed by the rushing guards, he could kill whoever he wanted.
Therefore, the elves had to resolve the problem in the way they were best at.
He would deal with Kang De first.
Using a soft knife.
It might not be killing, or it definitely was not killing.
Hong San did not doubt that once the elves really planned to pay such conditions, they would definitely not play tricks. They would completely fulfill all the terms and give Kang De supreme honor and extremely high status. They would build an army for him, provide all the armaments, build a navy for him, and fully support him.
Then, he would mobilize all public opinion and all his strength to pull the refugees of Cathay over ship by ship. He would write a blood letter to the ten thousand people and make thousands of Cathayans kneel in front of Kang De’s manor. Since the Goethe War was over, he would have to go back and save his country and the fallen people. He would use the cultural influence of the elves and public opinion to help Kang De make a choice that was suitable for the universal value.
Then, this Eastern guest who had intimidated the continent in an unprecedented shameless manner would return to his country with countless battleships and troops.
He would fall into the quagmire of war.
The messy battle situation in Cathay could not be resolved with three destructive forces. If it could be resolved, the Twilight Dynasty and even the various countries of the continent did not mind using some methods to make this war more troublesome.
If Kang De used it for the fourth time, he would be the enemy of the entire continent.
Monarch, Patriarch, King, Saint… All the leaders would treat him as a great enemy. There were some things that even if he did not use them, he had to die as long as he had them.
At that time, there was only one outcome.
This troublesome Cathayan would fall into the mud of the homeland war and could not easily escape. Even if he really repelled the foreign enemies and recovered his territory, the long reconstruction process was even more terrifying than war. He would face more enemies and spend more energy, or he would directly die.
In any case, he could no longer interfere in the matters of the West.
It did not matter even if he died of old age.
This was because when he died of old age, the elf baby who had been born in the year of the Battle of Valentine would have just become an adult. Elves were best at enduring, enduring until the wise rulers and capable ministers died, and enduring until the peerless heroes died.
This was the strategy of the elves.
They did not even have to harbor any ill intentions or think of any conspiracy. They completed all the terms of the treaty with maximum kindness and did not make a trap.
—Then he would walk into the trap himself.
He still had to face the innocent eyes and really innocent actions of the elves.
This was the plan of the elves.
No… not yet.
This was because the Goethe people wanted to agree.
Hong San clenched his fists because he could not think of a way to deal with it for a moment.
This was because the Goethe people wanted to agree.
Now, there was no awakening of national consciousness. Under the subtle influence of the elves’ long-term power projection and cultural output, it was not embarrassing to be a vassal of the elves.
Moreover, it was such a respected vassal.
They would return all the land and bear all the reconstruction costs. They would provide a free loan of 30 million gold coins and open up all-round communication between military, cultural, and magic technology. They would lift the sea blockade and share all the routes.
Not to mention anything else, Goethe had accumulated a huge amount of wealth from the sea trade and had become a powerful country on the continent because of this. Now, they had suffered heavy losses because of the domineering blockade of the elves. Once the Twilight Dynasty was willing to share this greatest cake with Goethe, all the Goethe people would go crazy.
Civilians, nobles, businessmen, and all kinds of people would be tempted.
As long as Kang De nodded and became a vassal in name, this matter could be done.
If Kang De was unwilling, they had to continue fighting.
Countless people would die in battle, and even Goethe would be destroyed. As long as the propaganda machine of the elves was slightly activated, the blame for causing all these consequences and causing countless people to lose their relatives would fall on Kang De.
What should he do?
Hong San clenched his fists and thought of a way to deal with it. At this moment, the other party said lightly, “If the citizens of Goethe can’t psychologically accept becoming a vassal of the Twilight Dynasty, it’s not impossible to continue talking about this. The elves only need a dignified explanation to end this war. We’ve sacrificed so much. We can’t let the various countries think that we’ve lost, right?”
Hong San slowly exhaled and closed his eyes.
If he could even talk about becoming a vassal, he could not think of any reason for the Goethe people to reject him—hate? On one hand, there were huge benefits, and on the other hand, there was the danger of destruction. Could hatred make one satisfied?
There was silence. Everyone looked at Kang De. There was worry, anticipation, and even a trace of joy in the Goethe people’s eyes, while the elves watched blankly.
Kang De had been silent.
Therefore, everyone watched in silence.
After a long time.
Kang De slapped the table with lightning speed.
All the humans and elves who were holding their breaths were shocked. Five humans and three elves directly jumped up, and a few of them covered their chests with f*cking expressions.
Only Tagris looked at Kang De quietly, a smile flashing through his eyes.
Kang De smiled proudly like a child who had completed a prank.
Then, he said calmly, “Your country has raised extremely generous conditions. I see your country’s sincerity. I also believe that even with such generous conditions, there’s room for further discussion, right?”
Tagris nodded lightly, “Yes, we respect His Highness Kang De’s strength and talent, so we compromised to a certain extent. This is respect for you. The Twilight Dynasty respects the strong and the people who keep their promises.”
Kang De nodded lightly and said, “But there are two problems here.”
The elf nodded. “Please speak.”
Kang De was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Your country said that it wants to facilitate my marriage with the Cathayan Empress. Could it be that the Empress of Cathay is only a puppet and bargaining chip to the elves?”
Tagris immediately stood up and bowed solemnly, “If my words have caused you to misunderstand, I apologize. Twilight definitely doesn’t have that intention. Cathay is our loyal ally, and the Empress of Cathay is even my personal friend. I hope that she can marry a loyal, powerful, and charming man and support her to protect the motherland. Therefore, the word I used is to facilitate it. Both sides have to agree…”
A smile appeared on Kang De’s lips, “To be honest, I’m much more interested in Her Majesty the Phoenix King than the Cathayan Empress. I like that kind of marriage more. Duke, can you facilitate it?”
Tagris glanced at Kang De and said calmly, “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll convey your admiration to the Royal Court, but whether I accept your proposal or not will depend on Her Majesty’s decision.”
It simply made him unable to find an excuse to flare up and criticize.
Or rather… even if the elves were angry because of this, they could not find fault.
Duke Tilling sat back and still maintained his calm posture. “Please tell me the second thing.”
Kang De sighed silently and slowly said, “Excluding my part of your country’s suggestion, I can’t make a decision on Goethe’s side. You shouldn’t discuss this with me, at least not only me.”
Tagris nodded and said, “I understand. The reason why I’m raising it here is only because this treaty exists because His Highness Kang De is involved in this war. Otherwise, with the strength of the country, Goethe is not qualified to obtain such conditions. Therefore, there’s no need to show the content of this treaty to Grand Duke Tedrell. The priority depends on His Highness’s will. If you agree, you’ll talk to the Goethe people.”
“I won’t say it now.”
Kang De said calmly, “If they agree, I’ll consider it. Tell Tina and her father first. If you want to talk, talk together.”
Tagris pondered for a moment and said happily, “I understand.”
He stood up.
Then, all the elves stood up.
Then, Kang De stood up.
All the humans stood up too.
The attendants on both sides made way for him. Kang De shook hands with Tagris.
“A good start.”
“I hope so.”
“That must be the case.”
The first negotiation ended. It began in an unexpected manner and ended in an unexpected manner.
He did not argue about a specific point, because this matter was enough to shock the mind.
Therefore, the elves filed out and left the city hall. Kang De waved his hand. The Goethe people with different expressions did not say anything and immediately went out, leaving only the gorilla, Leona, and Hong San beside him.
Kang De slowly sat back in his chair and pinched the space between his eyebrows.
Hong San said in a low voice, “In that case, you’ve fallen into the elves’ trap.”
If the Goethe people agreed, Kang De agreed. This meant that he had already agreed.
This was because it was impossible for the Goethe people to disagree.
Kang De was silent for a moment before saying softly, “They chose the path themselves. Bear the consequences.”
After leaving the city hall and getting into the carriage, Elandir looked at the Duke opposite him with a mixture of admiration and sigh. Even if the conflict last night had caused a gap between them, the Elven Sage still praised when he recalled that suggestion.
“…You’ve already become a qualified politician without our realizing it. The entire forest should celebrate this, and the spirit of the previous emperor should be happy.”
He praised, “Such a plan, double sowing discord, causing Goethe to fall into our influence trap and trap Kang De, this beast, in various ways. The public opinion and public opinion on Goethe’s side will definitely carry Kang De into agreeing to this treaty and even cause a crack between the two sides. The various clauses and traps prepared for Kang De will completely restrain this arrogant human, and we can deal with him at ease…”
“Elandir.”
Before he could finish, Tagris interrupted him. His green eyes looked at the Sage in front of him, and the elf’s words were serious and firm.
“I’m serious.”
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