Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Chapter 1261 – When the Strong Wind Blows, the Hidden Grass Survives
9th month, 10th day, night, Durava contacted Akbar. These two giants of India that were enemies started a rare secret conversation.
“Ashoka is fighting against Great Xia in Tibet, what are your views on this?” Durava asked.
“Watch the show; what else can we do?”
“You do not want to do anything?”
Akbar acted like he could not understand; he smiled and said, “I’m very lazy. I do not want to move.”
Who believes you! Durava cursed in his heart. He knew that if he did not reveal his cards, Akbar would not either, “Let’s stop beating around the bush and be upfront. This is a good chance to attack the Ashoka Dynasty, and it is even our only chance. You will not truly do nothing, right?”
“What do you want?” Akbar sat firmly at the fishing platform.
Durava did not mind and said, “Simple, once both sides suffer severe damages, I want us to work together and defeat Ashoka, splitting the spoils.”
Only then did Akbar nod his head.
Both of them knew that even if the Ashoka Dynasty was defeated in Tibet, a thin camel was still bigger than a horse; this enemy was not something that they could face alone.
They had to work together.
“How do we work together?” Akbar asked.
“Very simple. We agree on a border, and we use this to split north and south, not interfering with each other. How about that?” Although they were working together, they had limited trust between them so splitting the cake early was needed.
“That’s a great idea. I agree.” Akbar was really straightforward. Next was the final question, “Then how will we split New Delhi; we cannot split it half-half, right?”
This was a sensitive matter.
In term of importance, the value of New Delhi was a fourth of the Ashoka Dynasty.
Durava replied, “Whoever takes it down first will claim ownership.”
“Okay, that’s settled!”
The two giants stopped the call, splitting up the Ashoka Dynasty in the dark. As for the specifics, they would have ministers discuss them.
Currently, they had to make early preparations for war.
They did not bother discussing about righteousness, morals, or the like. In the wilderness, the winner was the king, and the loser lost everything. Invading Tibet was also Ashoka’s choice.
Since he had made that choice, he naturally had to pay the consequences.
As for joining hands to take down Great Xia, that would simply be a huge joke. The current Great Xia was so strong that they should pray to their ancestors to thank them if Great Xia did not attack them, much less them having the courage to attack Great Xia.
…
9th month, 12th day, Zhang Yi and his group arrived in Karakorum.
While Genghis Khan conquered the west, Great Xia had not taken advantage of the situation; this was a favor that Genghis Khan had to admit.
Hence, the moment Zhang Yi appeared on the grasslands, he sent out general Jebe to lead 10 thousand guards to protect them, giving him a really high-class treatment.
When they arrived in Karakorum, the envoy team was also treated really warmly. Mongol Empire Chancellor Yelü Chucai represented Genghis Khan to welcome them at the city gate, giving them a lot of face.
Yelü Chucai was born in a Khitan noble family and was an official of the Jin country.
After the Mongol army took down Jin, Genghis Khan promoted him, making him a minister. Yelü Chucai used Confucianism to come up with and set many policies to create the foundations for the development of the Mongol Empire.
Yelü Chucai supported Genghis Khan and his son for a total of 30 years. His influence on Genghis Khan and his children were huge, and his policies were used as the foundations for the Yuan Dynasty.
As a result, Yelü Chucai could be listed as one of the top 10 ministers of China along with Li Si, Xiao He, Fang Xuanling, Di Renjie, Zeng Guofan, and the like.
Zhang Yi was not muddleheaded. After entering the embassy, he handed over boxes of gifts that were specialties of the mid plains like porcelain, Jiangnan silk, tea leaves, and wine.
When Genghis Khan saw that, his expression was really good. However, when Zhang Yi handed over the letter, his face sank. He certainly did not expect the straightforward and uncourteous demands of the letter.
“Aren’t the demands of your country a little too much?” Genghis Khan asked. He himself had a lot of confidence.
When Zhang Yi heard that, he replied cleanly, “My empire is the orthodox ruler of China. For you to open up a road for us is your duty. What asking for too much do you speak of?”
“Ruler of China? I did not admit that.”
Zhang Yi smiled and said, “That is what my emperor wants to ask. Are you willing to admit that now?”
The air froze.
Genghis Khan’s eyes shone, and he asked, “And what if I say no?”
“Very simple. To protect our orthodoxy, we can only meet on the battlefield.” Zhang Yi was confident. If this were before, Great Xia might not have the ability, but the situation was different now.
Genghis Khan paused; he did not dare to be too insistent.
“So you came this time to declare war?” Genghis Khan’s tone was really cold.
Zhang Yi smiled and said, “It is up to you to decide. If it’s up to us, we would not want to go to war with you. It’s best to solve this problem through negotiation.”
“How to negotiate?”
“It depends on whether you have the sincerity to do so.” Zhang Yi was really calm.
Genghis Khan had already calmed down. In truth, Ouyang Shuo and Genghis Khan had both been thinking about how to deal with each other.
Looking at the battle of the mid plains and the rulers Qin Shihuang, Hanwu Emperor, Tang Taizong, and Song emperor, one was assassinated, one was stuck in house arrest, one went into seclusion, and one killed himself; they all had tragic endings.
Although Genghis Khan was arrogant, he was not arrogant enough to think that he was better than the four emperors. Great Xia could be vicious toward them, so there was no way Great Xia would be merciful to him.
Sometimes, one had to play it soft to have a good ending. To be steely and hard till the end would not be a good thing for him and his people.
However, for him to play it soft, he would need a platform. If not, he would lose all face. Zhang Yi came over to probe his decision and give him a platform.
“This matter is really important. Allow me to think about it.”
Genghis Khan knew his position and decided to end the conversation and not play hardball.
Zhang Yi nodded before turning around and leaving.
…
Once Zhang Yi left, Genghis Khan sighed and said, “What has to come will always come in the end.”
When Yelu Chucai heard that, he tried to persuade him, “Khan, Great Xia unifying China cannot be stopped. To chase away the Ashoka Dynasty, they risked two million troops, showing their determination.”
“I know that, but I’m unwilling.” Genghis Khan sighed.
“Give in when necessary. Only then can the weak survive.” Yelu Chucai consoled, “This wilderness is still the land of the players in the end, and no one can go against that. Rather than having a lose-lose situation, why not negotiate for terms that both sides can accept?”
Genghis Khan asked, “What terms do you think I should ask for?”
“The best outcome would be to admit them as our suzerain state. However, I’m worried that they will not be satisfied, so you have to be mentally prepared.” Yelu Chucai said.
Genghis Khan shook his head and said, “What mentally prepared? It’s just giving up the spot.”
Yelu Chucai paused. Only after a long while did he carefully say, “With your prestige and authority in Mongolia, it will be hard for the Xia emperor to feel at ease. The best way is to choose a prince to pass the throne to.”
“This is also what those few mid plain emperors did.” Yelu Chucai added.
Genghis Khan asked, “Which prince do you think can take up the responsibility?”
This was a little difficult for Yelu Chucai, who stammered, “This is a Khan family matter. I do not dare to speak on it.”
Genghis Khan said on his own, “Out of all of them, only Ogedai and Tolei, one civil servant and one general, can take over. However, regardless of who takes over, it will cause unrest, which is probably what Great Xia would be happy to see. Since that’s the case, let’s have Great Xia make the decision.”
Yelu Chucai was stunned and asked, “Khan agrees to negotiate with Great Xia?”
Genghis Khan nodded his head and said, “Let’s negotiate. Apart from that, there’s no other way. For the specific negotiations, you will be in charge. I hope that we can get a good outcome.”
“Do not worry, I will try my best.” Yelu Chucai cupped his fist.
When Genghis Khan heard that, he did not show much emotions, just waving his hand off exhaustedly. This old man who had so much control was tired. He had lost his fighting spirit in front of the strong enemy.
And eagle could soar in the blue skies, but it could not beat it.
Genghis Khan was the grassland eagle and Great Xia was the sky, hanging over the head of Mongol Empire. It was something that could not be beaten, so how could one still have fighting spirit?
Now, Genghis Khan finally understood what Qin Shihuang was feeling when he killed himself.
“I’ll take my leave.”
Seeing that, Yelu Chucai took his leave.
