If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

Upon hearing this, the Wolf Kingdom delegation immediately showed a look of delight.

They thought their plan had succeeded.

Sarakaka secretly puffed out her chest, a smug smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.

After all, the premise of this scheme is the information gap, and this information gap is the credit of his master, the Xiaoyue Jin Kingdom.

Even before the Wolf Kingdom descended into internal strife, the Howling Moon Gold Kingdom immediately ordered the border to be sealed off to prevent any information from leaking out.

Who else but his master could possess such foresight?

He cleared his throat, took over the conversation, and said loudly, "The Emperor of Great Liang is indeed benevolent. In that case, my Wolf Kingdom is willing to pay 100,000 taels of silver as compensation for this defeat."

"If the Emperor of Liang has no objection, we can sign the agreement now."

His tone was arrogant, as if he were a victorious nation.

The crowd was drawn to the mention of 100,000 taels of silver, and the hall erupted in an uproar.

Among the military officers, some immediately erupted in anger, shouting curses.

"One hundred thousand taels? Is this some kind of beggar's money?!"

"They killed so many of us, and all they pay is 100,000 taels of silver?!"

"You traitorous wolves of the wolf kingdom, how dare you!" Meng Qianshan clenched his fists, clearly suppressing his anger.

On the civil service side, although they also found the number ridiculously small, their families ordered them to give way, all for the sake of the right to recruit soldiers.

They all chose to remain silent, looking down at their noses and contemplating their own thoughts.

Minister of War Li Qiang stepped forward, gritting his teeth.

"Your Majesty, this condition... is acceptable. A great nation should have the magnanimity of a great nation and should prioritize the overall situation."

Zhao Yu raised his hand, interrupting Li Qiang from continuing.

With a faint smile, he looked at Sarakaka and asked indifferently:

"Whose idea is this 100,000 taels of silver?"

In short, calm as still water.

But the expressions on the faces of the Wolf Kingdom delegation members suddenly changed drastically.

Sarakaka's pupils suddenly contracted, and she stared at Zhao Yu on the dragon throne in disbelief.

Why would he ask that? Does he know something?

The civil and military officials in the main hall looked at each other, completely bewildered.

What did the emperor mean by that?

Why ask which "wolf" brought it up?

Why did the Wolf Kingdom delegation react so strongly?

Could it really have been a decision made by some wolf? But shouldn't such a matter of state be decided by the new wolf lord with a single word?

Even if it were, surely the Wolf Kingdom delegation wouldn't be in such a panic?

Sarakaka forced herself to calm down and cupped her hands in greeting:

"Naturally, it was proposed by our new ruler, the Jin Kingdom of Xiaoyue. I don't understand what the Emperor of Liang meant."

He could only console himself that the Emperor of Liang had just stumbled upon this by accident and asked the question casually.

But the next moment, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave!

"Heh, but as far as I know, the Wolf Kingdom has now split into nine parts. And the strongest part doesn't seem to be the Howling Moon Gold Kingdom, does it?"

Zhao Yu's lips curled into a smile, exuding an aura of mystery, as he said, word by word, "Am I right, Head of the Salar Mission?"

boom!

Sarakaka felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her mind, leaving her completely stunned, and she blurted out the answer instinctively.

"How did you know?!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he knew it was all over.

The members of the delegation behind him looked ashen-faced, and their bodies began to tremble slightly.

Only Tuoba Hu quietly raised his sleeve in the queue to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and a huge weight was finally lifted from his heart.

"What?!"

"Has the Wolf Kingdom split up?"

"How is that possible! The Wolf Kingdom has that kind of system!"

"God bless our Great Liang! Those barbarians from the grasslands have actually started fighting amongst themselves?"

The hall erupted in chaos. Civil and military officials alike disregarded court etiquette and began to discuss the matter animatedly.

Minister of War Li Qiang froze on the spot.

His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a rush of heat to his head.

Is there internal strife within the Wolf Kingdom?

Where would they get the strength to send troops again?

Then wouldn't my previous remarks advocating for peace make me look like a complete clown?

Li Qiang felt his face burning with embarrassment.

His gaze toward the Wolf Kingdom delegation instantly filled with hatred.

What a bunch of useless idiots! They were only defeated by the young emperor, and yet they're already thrown into internal strife!!

Upon hearing this, Meng Qianshan's eyes lit up immediately, and he stepped out of the queue.

"Your Majesty! I believe that the Wolf Kingdom has repeatedly violated our borders, causing immense harm to our Great Liang. We should cede territory and pay reparations to appease the hearts of our countless people!"

He paused, then extended one palm.

"What I want isn't much, just a territory spanning fifty li in radius, how about that?"

Sarakaka was startled and exclaimed, "Fifty miles?! Why don't you just rob me?"

My entire Wolf Kingdom is only about 700 li in territory, yet you demand 50 li with a single demand!

Meng Qianshan clicked his tongue, looking completely matter-of-fact.

"Your Wolf Kingdom's territory is nothing but grass and sand; you can't even grow crops there. Fifty miles is already a bargain for you."

This was the first time the entire court had ever seen Meng Qianshan, this upright and straightforward military man, utter such shameless words.

Little did anyone know that Meng Qianshan, having spent so much time by Zhao Yu's side, had absorbed some of his essence through observation and practice.

At this moment, Li Qiang, the Minister of War, was the first to react.

He must immediately take a stand and clear his name of his clownish behavior!

Moreover, if Daliang has more land, won't it still be up to these aristocratic families to govern it? This is a tremendous good thing!

Li Qiang immediately stood up, filled with righteous indignation, his voice even louder than Meng Qianshan's.

"Commander Meng is absolutely right! Your Majesty, I second that proposal! We must cede territory and pay reparations! And the reparations must be substantial! Only in this way can these barbarian steppes learn their lesson and understand that the might of our Great Liang is inviolable!"

Looking at Li Qiang below, who had suddenly changed his stance and become even more aggressive than the generals, Zhao Yu's lips twitched slightly, a rare occurrence.

To be honest, these people have a thicker skin than they do acting.

However, he did not intend to actually force the Wolf Kingdom to cede territory.

The struggle for succession among the nine wolves was essentially a battle for territory and power.

At this juncture, the Great Liang has intervened, aiming to seize a large territory. If things go wrong, it could provoke the nine factions to end their civil war prematurely and turn their military might against the Great Liang again, which would be disastrous.

As for asking for less, it's better not to ask for anything at all and just exchange it for something more practical.

Just as Zhao Yu was about to speak, Prime Minister Wang Zhang, who had been silent all along, slowly walked out from the head of the civil officials' line.

He bowed deeply, his voice steady.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we should not take the territory of the Wolf Kingdom to appease the people."

The hall fell silent for a moment, all eyes turning to the old prime minister.

Wang Zhang continued speaking calmly.

"What the people lack today is money and food!"