Chapter 00300: The Negotiation
# The Negotiation
Chapter 300
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 300: The Negotiation
After she left, the carriage started moving again.
The skinny guy grabbed He Lingchuan’s uninjured arm and looked at him longingly. “Family? Family! You kid, not only are you about to achieve great success, you’re even enjoying the favors of a beauty!”
The single man’s envy overflowed plainly from his expression.
￥￥￥￥￥
Two cracks of thunder split the sky.
He Lingchuan sat up and stretched lazily.
The best thing about drinking in a dream is waking up with no headache.
Hu Min was holding a victory feast for him at Yixiang Pavilion.
It had originally been just four people, but somehow, the more they drank, the more folks arrived, until at the end, even the willow branches and door panels seemed to have come.
Watching those two exchange sly glances, He Lingchuan was sure they were having an affair.
Of course, this was before he’d gotten thoroughly drunk.
How many jars of wine had he had? He Lingchuan himself couldn’t remember; one moment his eyes opened, and he was back in reality.
That said, Sun Fuling’s promise hadn’t yet been fulfilled.
No chance now.
He Lingchuan rubbed his face, got up, and pulled aside the tent flap to look outside.
The rain was still pouring down in torrents.
How could the heavens pour down water for so many days without tiring?
He’d asked the local soldiers, and was told that summer floods had just started in the northern part of Xia Province.
It was supposed to rain continuously for thirty or forty days straight, with only brief pauses in between.
Compared to that, the rainy season in Heishui City had never lasted so long.
Clearly, such weather posed a challenge to grain storage.
But that wasn’t the immediate priority.
Just as He Lingchuan finished getting ready, He Chunhua sent someone to call him.
When He Lingchuan arrived at the central command tent, a meeting was underway inside.
He waited in the adjacent tent for a while and overheard that they were discussing camp relocation.
It was basically decided that the main flood season on the Han River had come early this year.
After several days of heavy rain, the riverbanks would become soft and likely to collapse, so the Yuan Army was advised to retreat another hundred zhang (about 330 meters).
In terms of the garrison locations, the land south of the Han River that the Yuan Army guarded was soft ground, while to the north there were rocky mountains.
In previous years, floods first submerged the southern bank before reaching the northern side.
Zhao Pan was also highly tense at this moment.
The camp had to be moved—and moved quickly—but they couldn’t retreat too far either, lest they simply hand over advantages to the enemy across the river.
Finding the right balance was his responsibility.
When the meeting ended, He Chunhua came out and finally saw his son.
“Dad, what’s the matter?” For the last two days he’d been absorbed in cultivation and had forgotten he was at the frontlines.
He Chunhua laid a crumpled letter on the table. “You’re coming with me.”
The letter was damp and the ink smudged, but still legible:
“Shenshi second quarter (3:30 p.m.), Bai Ming Valley, Xianglong Peak. If you do not come, the frontline will surely be defeated.”
Could it be? He looked up at He Chunhua, who said, “Hong Chenglüe insists on meeting with us.”
Just as expected.
“To be precise,” He Chunhua said in a low voice, “he wants to see his wife to confirm she’s safe. The day before yesterday, I sent men to release a dozen arrow-messages into the surrounding forest, ordering him to withdraw from Xia Province. Hong Chenglüe did receive it. What you see here is his reply.”
He was certain that after the supply convoy arrived at the frontline, the patrol from Xunzhou was still nearby to keep watch.
Sure enough, the arrow-messages he sent around had reached Hong Chenglüe’s hands.
“If you don’t go, the frontline will be lost?” He Lingchuan was curious. “This guy’s got a big mouth. Facing tens of thousands of Xunzhou troops on the other side, can he really do what they couldn’t?”
He Chunhua didn’t answer but his eyes flickered.
“But you still want to meet him?”
“Better to be safe than sorry.” He Chunhua was cautious. “Besides, he only has a little over a hundred horsemen. What do I fear?”
“Get ready. We leave in an hour.”
He Lingchuan wanted to say more but held back and simply obeyed.
……
An hour later, He Chunhua led over six hundred horsemen, braving the rain to Bai Ming Valley.
Among them were four hundred from the supply convoy, plus two hundred elite troops assigned by Zhao Pan.
He Lingchuan saw they all carried large bows.
“For a place like Bai Ming Valley, archers are best,” Zhao Pan had said.
There was also a carriage, with Hong Chenglüe’s wife, A Jin, lying inside.
Of course, this was no shabby civilian cart.
Before setting out, a woman helped her bathe, change clothes, and lightly applied some powder to brighten her complexion.
A Jin was very quiet and went along with everything.
Another hour later, the group arrived at Bai Ming Valley.
By then, He Lingchuan understood Zhao Pan’s care.
Bai Ming Valley was surrounded by mountains, with many exposed rock faces and jagged stones, and countless hidden caves.
Such terrain was perfect for concealment—it was no wonder Hong Chenglüe insisted on meeting here.
Local guides led them to Xianglong Peak, the first low summit one would encounter upon entering the valley; it was not hard to climb.
He Chunhua sent several scouts up and received reports that all was normal, no ambushes.
However, he himself didn’t ascend the mountain but had the troops stop on the flat ground at the valley’s entrance.
He called for a chair from the carriage and sat down like a poised general.
His meaning was clear: “I’ve come to Bai Ming Valley as agreed but won’t go any deeper. I won’t let you control everything. If you want to see your wife, come out yourself.”
Given the terrain, He Chunhua was determined not to be led by the nose by Hong Chenglüe.
Who knew what tricks lay hidden on Xianglong Peak?
His elite troops deployed to nearby high points, archers lying in ambush.
As if the heavens favored him, the rain stopped just as He Chunhua arrived.
The fresh scent of green mud lingered in the air, birds chirping in the woods.
The valley was quiet, with no sign of anyone.
Impatient to wait, He Chunhua closed his eyes and rested.
After about half an hour, the ground roughly five zhang in front of him suddenly shifted; small stones scattered everywhere.
The guards immediately stepped forward, shielding He Chunhua.
The rocky soil quickly gathered and in less than ten breaths, a pit about a zhang wide and several feet deep opened.
From it climbed a stone giant, nearly twice the height of a man, walking heavily toward He Chunhua.
The guards raised their weapons, shouting, “Halt!”
But He Chunhua waved a hand. “Let it come. It seems no ill intent.”
The bulky stone figure took a few steps closer, then stopped.
Its voice rumbled like stones grinding together. “Lord He!”
He Chunhua raised an eyebrow. “Hong Chenglüe?”
“Where is my wife?”
“Let’s talk business first.” He Chunhua’s gaze swept at a distance.
The stone giant was just a puppet summoned by technique for this conversation, but its controlling magic had limited range.
Hong Chenglüe himself should be hiding nearby.
Right now, Zeng Feixiong was likely leading his men to search for Hong Chenglüe’s position.
“I do not want your life, nor do I want to make this difficult for you. Just withdraw from Xia Province and do not return for a year,” He Chunhua said slowly. “Your wife is my honored guest here. She’s well-fed and taken care of, guaranteed not to suffer even a bit. In fact, better than following you, exposed to wind and rain. After a year, I will return her to you.”
Hong Chenglüe was wreaking havoc behind enemy lines for Beijia, a huge thorn in Xia Province’s side.
He Chunhua hated that he had burned the army’s provisions, but he feared endless sabotage even more.
Yet this slippery fellow was tricky to catch.
So the next-best thing was to drive him out.
“No,” Hong Chenglüe’s voice through the stone puppet refused flatly. “Return A Jin now, or I will help the Xun forces break the enemy. Within half a month, we will defeat Zhao Pan.”
He Chunhua couldn’t help but laugh.
Nian Zanli, with his strong army, was nearby on the northern bank of Han River.
Even he couldn’t cross the river’s natural defenses or break Zhao Pan’s lines.
And Hong Chenglüe dared make such bold claims?
Hong Chenglüe didn’t say a word and silently let He Chunhua finish laughing.
The stone giant’s expressionless face made it harder to guess his thoughts.
Negotiation is an art.
Without seeing the other party’s face, much of the message is lost.
He Chunhua was displeased. “You’re confident you can defeat General Zhao but don’t dare show yourself to me? Come out and speak plainly. I don’t believe in sneaky cowards!”
The stone giant said nothing.
After a while, movement flickered in the distance.
The father and son focused their gaze.
About ten zhang away, two figures appeared atop a small peak.
Was that Hong Chenglüe?
He Lingchuan had never met him but recognized the other man as Dong Rui.
That guy was truly tough—hard to catch or kill no matter what.
He Chunhua quickly scanned left and right; someone was already stealthily moving toward the hill.
The stone giant spoke again. “Lord He, enough with your little tricks. You can’t catch me.”
“How do you know if you don’t try?” He Chunhua smiled. “General Hong indeed has spirit. But since you were once Yuan people yourself, why help this defeated commander Nian Zanli attack your own people? I’ll make a deal. If you withdraw from Xia Province, I promise to release your wife within three months.”
Battlefield situations shift in an instant.
If Hong Chenglüe truly withdrew his troops, whether he would or could come back later was uncertain.
So the heart of this game rested on Hong Chenglüe’s “withdrawal.”
If he did retreat, He Chunhua would have the credit of discouraging a major enemy general without firing a shot.
It would be a clear answer to the frontline, to Xia Province, and to the royal court—all without losing prestige.
But this retreat would also bring trouble for Hong Chenglüe himself.
For one, his troops were all Xunzhou cavalry, not Beijia soldiers.
Their coordination period was less than ten days, and after the abandoned mine incident a few days ago, the Xunzhou men were secretly dissatisfied with their leader, muttering things like “not our kin, their hearts must differ.”
If Hong Chenglüe withdrew for personal reasons, why would the Xunzhou men obey?
Second, guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines was an order from Beijia.
Leaving without authorization equaled disobeying orders—a cardinal sin for the military.
Hong Chenglüe had just returned to action; would he cut off his own path?
But He Chunhua had grasped the critical point precisely—and knew the real bond between Hong Chenglüe and his wife.
He Chunhua was trying to ruin Hong Chenglüe’s future.
Even someone used to tough choices like Hong Chenglüe visibly hesitated now.
Dong Rui nudged him. “Hey…”
Hong Chenglüe immediately raised a hand to stop him.
He Lingchuan saw this and realized the talk about “helping the Xun forces defeat Zhao Pan” was probably just bluff—he had no solid proof to show others.
(End of Chapter)