Chapter 143: I Am Just an Ordinary Citizen

Xiao Tong displayed his arrogant demeanor fully in front of Jiang Chen.

Right at this moment, down in the depression beneath their feet, dozens of soldiers covered in mud were shivering in the bone-chilling wind.

They were warriors from Qishan and now prisoners of war of Northern Yan. Another purpose for Xiao Tong to meet Jiang Chen in this place was to let Jiang Chen see these prisoners of war.

"This time, our Northern Yan army has swept southward, invincible and unstoppable, and the Great Gan army is as fragile as cotton! Among the captives we seized, there are several thousand just in the main camp. With so many mouths to feed, I simply cannot afford to keep them."

"If the Great Gan court still wants them back, they should honestly satisfy the peace negotiation conditions we put forward. Otherwise, they can just wait to collect their corpses."

Seeing these Qishan sons reduced to prisoners of war, huddled together in circles in the mud with stiff expressions and dim gazes, Jiang Chen knew that for them, life and death were merely a matter of time.

Having visited Qishan twice, Jiang Chen had witnessed the majestic, heroic, and valiant posture of these Qishan elite cavalrymen, but what he saw now was a heartbreaking and tragic scene.

"They are the soldiers of my Great Gan, but they are also the shame of Great Gan. Do you really think the court will cede territory and pay reparations for these defeated and abandoned castaways?"

A grim smile surfaced on Jiang Chen's slightly pale face.

Xiao Tong's eyes narrowed slightly, unable to understand why Jiang Chen would react this way. Logically speaking, upon seeing his compatriots quietly awaiting death in such a desperate plight, his reaction should have been extremely intense.

"Don't look at me like that. Don't forget that I am merely a commoner. If it weren't for your gift, I wouldn't even bother coming to this ghost of a place. You don't actually think my mind is filled with national righteousness and the honor or disgrace of the realm, do you?"

Watching Jiang Chen's indifferent and wretched attitude, Xiao Tong felt an itch of hatred deep down in his teeth.

Putting himself in that position, if he were the one facing such a plight, he would certainly fight to the death for these suffering compatriots whose lives hung in the balance. Therefore, he looked down even more upon a scoundrel like Jiang Chen.

Being indifferent to the life and death of one's compatriots—such a person would not be esteemed even by an enemy!

"But don't forget, you are now the envoy sent by the Great Gan Emperor to negotiate, and back then I clearly warned you in the imperial hall that unless all eighteen conditions are fulfilled, Northern Yan will not accept peace negotiations!"

"Doesn't your old emperor eagerly hope for the northern front to halt arms and cease hostilities sooner? If you fail to accomplish this, you will have only a dead end awaiting you when you return!"

Xiao Tong thought that by pointing out the stakes in this manner, he could throw Jiang Chen into a panic. Unfortunately, he still did not understand Jiang Chen well enough, making himself look more like a meddling busybody needlessly worrying over nothing.

Jiang Chen spread his hands and said very helplessly, "If you hadn't framed me, I should be comfortably staying in Jinyang City drinking wine, listening to music, and visiting brothels. Besides, nobody up and down the court expects me to negotiate any results anyway."

"If a commoner like me could accomplish such a monumental task, wouldn't it make all those civil and military officials in the court appear to be incompetent trash?"

Jiang Chen's words were blunt and realistic, leaving Xiao Tong with no room for rebuttal.

He suddenly realized a problem: letting this untitled commoner serve as the peace envoy on a sudden impulse might have vented his own anger, but it was of no help to the negotiations between the two countries.

How could a minor character like Jiang Chen represent Great Gan?

Right now, probably even within Great Gan, everyone felt this negotiation was completely meaningless, yet it conversely bought them some time. Thinking of this, Xiao Tong felt stifled with vexation and grew even more annoyed with the Jiang Chen before him!

No, perhaps matters were not that simple!

A thought suddenly flashed through Xiao Tong's mind. Back at the post station in Jinyang City, didn't this bastard stand up for the people of the entire city and deliberately set a trap for him?

Since Jiang Chen claimed not to care about national righteousness, why would he play the role of that vanguard?

Thinking of this, Xiao Tong smiled triumphantly. "Jiang Chen, you are very cunning. I almost fell for your act."

"Oh? What are you randomly speculating about this time?" Aside from the initial glance, Jiang Chen's gaze never once returned to those people in the depression.

Xiao Tong said to him, "You deliberately emphasize that you don't care whether these people live or die, just to induce me into believing that your Great Gan truly remains indifferent to prisoners of war."

"Once I am fooled, I will think that the prisoners in my hands cannot serve as bargaining chips to negotiate with the Great Gan court. And after losing these chips, you people can maneuver leisurely to achieve your own goals!"

There was not a single ripple on Jiang Chen's face, preventing Xiao Tong from detecting any embarrassment at having his intentions exposed. The two of them were engaged in a covert contest of wits, and up to this point, Xiao Tong—who clearly held a massive psychological advantage—found himself feeling completely helpless against Jiang Chen.

"Xiao Tong, I admire your imagination, but I'm not interested in how you think. In short, my message has been delivered, and the entire Great Gan cannot produce two thousand warhorses for Northern Yan. Give up on that thought."

"Stop right there!"

Seeing that Jiang Chen was actually about to leave, Xiao Tong immediately shouted in an urgent voice, "Don't even think about deceiving me! In Jinyang City, you risked your life to seize the Northern Yan great banner, trying to reclaim face for the entire city. Everything you did exposed the fact that you are not someone devoid of patriotism and devotion to the country."

"Am I right?"

Jiang Chen replied, "So that's what you thought. Truly ridiculous."

"Remember the young lady standing beside me at that time? I fell in love with her at first sight and have adored her for a long time. I merely had no choice at the moment, wanting to display my skills in front of her and seize the opportunity to win her heart."

"So it turns out you misunderstood. I am truly sorry."

Jiang Chen explained it as a matter of course, but in reality, a flash of inspiration had struck him, and he was temporarily using Shen Xueying as a cover. The underlying truth behind his various statements had all been guessed correctly by Xiao Tong; this person was indeed a very formidable opponent.

Yet Jiang Chen simply spouted nonsense, knowing that Xiao Tong did not trust him, but also had no way to prove that everything he said was false.

At this stage, the psychological game between two people often hinged on a single thought.

Xiao Tong was also under pressure. Although the Northern Yan army had advanced like a hot knife through butter and achieved massive results, continuing to march southward and wage war also forced them to face tremendous obstacles.

If they could obtain tempting benefits in this peace negotiation, the Northern Yan court might not be unwilling to quit while they were ahead. But what if the Great Gan envoy who came to negotiate had no intention of promoting peace at all, and simply wanted to let things rot and fail?

Xiao Tong sneered and said, "What you really think in your heart, I will find out with a single test."