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At this moment, Xiao Wenyao’s eyes were fixed intently on Lu Chen. At first, she was very nervous; after all, the thought of becoming the North Prince’s female slave and being tormented by him every day terrified her after she arrived at the North Prince Mansion.

But the moment she saw Lu Chen, she was instantly captivated by his looks.

Compared to the crude men of the Barbarian Tribe, Xiao Wenyao naturally preferred the people of Great Sum; moreover, she had long heard of the North Prince’s handsome and dashing reputation. Under Wu Yuan’s influence, Xiao Wenyao had entertained thoughts about Lu Chen a long time ago.

She used to think that after her father conquered North City, she would ask him to reward her with the North Prince as a slave.

Of course, that thought had now completely shattered; not only was it impossible for the North Prince to become her slave, but she might even become a little female slave to the North Prince instead.

However, if she could become the North Prince’s woman, the grievance of her father’s murder seemed insignificant.

Just as Xiao Wenyao was staring at Lu Chen and daydreaming, suddenly, a familiar figure appeared behind the North Prince.

The tall figure was also on horseback, but he looked unkempt and very exhausted.

Seeing that Lu Chen had actually brought Xiao Pengthian with him, everyone from the Barbarian Tribe was unsettled. The High Priest excitedly said, “It’s Xiao… General Xiao!!!”

Xiao Wenyao snapped out of her infatuation at once; seeing Xiao Pengthian really alive filled her with immense excitement. She was about to run over, “Uncle… Uncle!!!”

Yelv Nanyan quickly grabbed Xiao Wenyao’s hand, preventing her from going over.

The North Prince brought Xiao Pengthian to increase bargaining chips; it was not convenient for them to contact each other at this time, as every action had to follow protocol.

It wasn’t long before Lu Chen arrived at the riverbank.

He dismounted directly from his horse and then looked at the beautiful Yelv Nanyan with a smile, saying, “They say the Sky Wolf King’s wife is dazzlingly beautiful, that any man who sees her can’t look away. I didn’t believe it at first, but having seen you today, it is indeed well-deserved.”

Yelv Nanyan wasn’t annoyed by his words; she replied with a smile, “Thank you for your compliments, North Prince. Please, take a seat.”

Without hesitation, Lu Chen approached the table and sat down.

He wasn’t accustomed to kneeling, and sitting cross-legged was also uncomfortable, so Lu Chen was eager to finish the discussion and return home soon.

At that moment, Yelv Nanyan said, “North Prince, I wonder what you think about the conditions we initially proposed?”

Lu Chen replied with a smile, “One hundred thousand horses, one hundred thousand sheep, and twenty thousand cattle. Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be enough for the release of one hundred thousand Barbarian soldiers.”

“However…”

Upon hearing the word ‘however,’ Yelv Nanyan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the formal negotiations began.

Lu Chen gazed into Yelv Nanyan’s beautiful eyes and said, “However, if I were to release all these one hundred thousand Barbarian soldiers, wouldn’t that be like causing trouble for myself? What if you all decide you can no longer stay in the steppes and one day lead an army to attack North City again?”

Yelv Nanyan had anticipated that Lu Chen would say this and quickly replied, “We can sign a treaty, promising that for a hundred years, the Sky Wolf Tribe will not venture southward again.”

Lu Chen said, “A treaty is a fine thing, but how is it that I remember the Sky Wolf Tribe has signed not just one treaty with Great Sum before?”

“To your Barbarian Tribe, it seems that treaties are something that can be torn apart at any time.”

“Even if you keep the treaty, how can you ensure that your successor, or the next Sky Wolf King, will adhere to it?”

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, Yelv Nanyan’s expression soured.

What Lu Chen said was true. The Sky Wolf Tribe had indeed signed several treaties with Great Sum, but it was always the Sky Wolf Tribe that had broken them first.

Furthermore, North Prince pointed out a crucial issue: the next person to control the Sky Wolf King Tribe might not honor the alliance.

Given this, it would be incredibly difficult to get North Prince to sign an alliance agreement.

At this point, Yelv Nanyan spoke up, “I wonder what kind of terms North Prince desires, please speak frankly.”

“However, I would like to remind North Prince that even without these one hundred thousand Barbarian Tribe soldiers, our Sky Wolf King Tribe can still stand tall on the grasslands.”

“If we don’t sign the alliance and some soldiers can’t resist the urge to plunder southwards, that would no longer be associated with our Royal Court.”

Lu Chen chuckled and then said, “Queen Yelv, if you truly believed these one hundred thousand Barbarian Tribe soldiers were expendable, you wouldn’t be here negotiating with me.”

“You are well aware of the current state of your Sky Wolf King Tribe,” he continued.

“Without men, after this winter passes, whether the Sky Wolf King Tribe will even exist is questionable, especially with North Fre King to the north.”

“With the sudden loss of over two hundred thousand men, if North Fre King learns of this, he will certainly not let this opportunity slip by. Eliminating the Sky Wolf King Tribe would leave the entire North Land under North Fre King’s sole dominance; they have no reason not to proceed.”

Yelv Nanyan’s hands shook uncontrollably upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, which she had anticipated, yet she had never figured out a proper retort.

The only thing she could do was pretend to be strong.

Yelv Nanyan then said, “Don’t you think it’s a bit naive of you, North Prince? The Sky Wolf King Tribe has been in the North Land for a century, and has produced countless offspring. Do you really think a loss of over two hundred thousand is enough to topple us?”

Lu Chen said indifferently, “Queen Yelv, let me be clear, there’s no need to keep pretending that your Sky Wolf King Tribe is still powerful. From the first day I arrived in North City, I’ve been keeping an eye on every move you make. I’m well aware of the approximate number of people in your tribe, how many horses, cattle, and sheep you have, your collusion with the merchants from Great Sum, and your dealings with the Aristocratic Family and Prince Lu Shuyun.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, Yelv Nanyan and the Barbarian Tribe’s elders’ faces changed drastically.

Their transactions with the Great Sum Aristocratic Family and Prince Lu Shuyun were supposed to be known only by the Barbarian Tribe’s leaders, yet North Prince had laid it bare, which meant he had a thorough understanding of the Sky Wolf King Tribe.

Of course, they couldn’t be sure whether this information came from spies within their soldiers or a betrayal by Xiao Pengthian.

They were clear on one thing now: their negotiations were extremely passive with barely any room for bargaining.

After a long pause, Yelv Nanyan snorted and finally spoke, “So, North Prince, you’ve been plotting the obliteration of the Sky Wolf King Tribe since you came to North City?”

Lu Chen replied, “Destroy? No, no, no, I have no such intentions.”

Hearing this, Yelv Nanyan was immediately puzzled. If not to wipe out the Sky Wolf King Tribe, what was the purpose?

Lu Chen continued, “There are many tribes in the North Land, not just the Sky Wolf King Tribe, and there are even more tribes to the west. Even if one tribe is wiped out, other Barbarian Tribes will migrate to the North Land.”

Yelv Nanyan then asked, “Since North Prince isn’t aiming to eradicate our tribe, may I know exactly what your conditions are?”

Lu Chen, feeling a bit sore in his legs, stood up and, glancing towards the Wanning River, said, “I’ll be straightforward. I have no intention of releasing any of the one hundred thousand Barbarian Tribe captives.”

Upon hearing this, Yelv Nanyan and the elders of the Barbarian Tribe were momentarily stunned.

Yelv Nanyan’s complexion turned somewhat pallid. This was the worst outcome she had anticipated. After all, we are talking about one hundred thousand Barbarian Tribe captives, and with such a prime opportunity to destroy the Sky Wolf King Tribe, how could a man as cunning as North Prince miss it?

At that moment, Yelv Nanyan said, “If North Prince has no intention of releasing our people, then why agree to negotiate? Could it be that North Prince intends to use this opportunity to eliminate us as well?”

Considering this possibility, Yelv Nanyan had from the start ordered the Barbarian Tribe’s Cavalry to stand by in the distance. In such negotiations, it was improbable for either side to come with so few people.

As Yelv Nanyan finished speaking, the atmosphere on the scene became incredibly tense; the soldiers of the Barbarian Tribe tightly gripped their knives, ready for combat, while the Black Cavalry stood prepared to charge at a moment’s notice.