Chapter 387: The Taixuan Dynasty Submits
"I have come here on the orders of the Taixuan Emperor to meet with Emperor Gu!"
"Now, with war between the two dynasties causing the South Star State to be engulfed in flames, the Emperor cannot bear the suffering of the people, and thus is willing to lead the Taixuan Dynasty in surrendering to your dynasty!"
Nangong Chuan directly stated his purpose.
His words.
Brought a hint of joy to Gu Yang's face.
After all, the willingness of the Taixuan Dynasty to surrender is the best outcome.
If a dynasty were to exhaust its foundation, even a Dynasty as powerful as the Divine Martial Dynasty would have to pay a great price.
Conversely.
If the Taixuan Dynasty surrenders.
The Divine Martial Dynasty could avoid many troubles.
"If the Taixuan Emperor has such thoughts, I certainly agree; avoiding war between the two dynasties may cause less suffering for the common people.
Actually, I do not wish to hastily initiate war, but now that the great calamity is about to arrive, the Eastern Domain can only survive with sufficient strength.
If the Divine Martial Dynasty can ascend to become a Divine Dynasty, it may lead the Human Clan of the Eastern Domain safely through the calamity!"
Gu Yang said righteously.
His words.
Made Nangong Chuan scoff internally.
Though the other spoke so nobly, everyone knew the true reasons.
However.
Knowing is one thing.
Nangong Chuan couldn't truly expose it.
Since now the Taixuan Dynasty was beneath the other party, offending Gu Yang would only bring trouble to the Taixuan Dynasty.
So.
Nangong Chuan cupped his hands: "Emperor Gu's heart is with the world, and I truly admire him. Currently, the Taixuan Dynasty is willing to surrender but has one condition. I hope Emperor Gu can agree!"
"What kind of condition is it? As long as I can do it, I will agree!"
Gu Yang nodded.
He naturally understood that the Taixuan Dynasty could not surrender unconditionally; there had to be additional terms, just as stated. As long as the condition wasn't excessive, he could agree.
In the end.
The surrender of a dynasty.
Was enough for Gu Yang to make substantial concessions.
"It's very simple; just let Emperor Gu hand Wang Junze over to the Taixuan Dynasty for disposal, then, the Taixuan Dynasty can surrender to your dynasty!"
"Wang Junze..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yang's face abruptly lost its smile.
His change in expression naturally fell into Nangong Chuan's eyes.
"Our Taixuan Dynasty highly values Wang Junze, but this traitor has betrayed Taixuan, provoking both man and god to anger. If we cannot slay him, we will remain restless and uneasy!"
"If Emperor Gu can hand him over, within three days, the Taixuan Dynasty will announce its surrender and allow the Divine Martial Dynasty to take over the whole South Star State!"
Silence!
The hall was filled with silence.
After a while.
Gu Yang shook his head: "I cannot agree to this!"
"Why... Why would Emperor Gu risk the peace between the two dynasties for a mere traitor!"
Nangong Chuan frowned, puzzled by Gu Yang's refusal, as this seemed to him a win-win situation.
Sacrificing a minor Wang Junze to quell the war, while also having the Taixuan Dynasty willingly surrender, seemed to benefit the Divine Martial Dynasty enormously with no drawbacks.
He had thought that a mere word would bring Gu Yang's immediate agreement, but only now did Nangong Chuan realize he had assumed too much.
"A traitor? The traitor King Chuan speaks of has never been a traitor, because from beginning to end, Wang Junze has always been a man of the Divine Martial Dynasty!"
Gu Yang uttered a sentence.
With those words.
Nangong Chuan's face changed drastically.
He never imagined that Wang Junze had been a part of the Divine Martial Dynasty from the start.
With those words, the doubts that had lingered in Nangong Chuan's heart became perfectly clear.
If so.
Then it all made sense.
However.
What shocked Nangong Chuan even more was the ambition of the Divine Martial Dynasty.
For it was known that Wang Junze joined the Taixuan Dynasty decades ago, when the Divine Martial Dynasty was merely a small dynasty.
A dynasty!
Already extending its influence into a larger dynasty.
Such actions revealed the vastness of their ambition.
Gu Yang said, "General Wang has contributed greatly to our Divine Martial Dynasty, so I cannot agree to King Chuan's condition; perhaps you should choose another one."
Upon hearing this.
Nangong Chuan's expression changed unpredictably.
Finally.
He took a deep breath: "This matter I cannot truly decide myself; I must report back to the Emperor first."
"I implore you, however, to be swift, for the war between the two dynasties has not yet ceased, and every moment's delay means unknown numbers of cultivators may perish because of it!"
Gu Yang looked deeply at the other, speaking calmly.
With the implied threat in these words, Nangong Chuan could certainly understand.
Thus.
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Nangong Chuan quickly sent the news back.
On the other side, Nangong Zhu, upon learning this, was also filled with rage, yet there was nothing he could do.
Just as Gu Yang said, if Wang Junze was originally a person of the Divine Martial Dynasty, then they would certainly never hand him over.
Because if the Divine Martial Dynasty did so, once that news spread, it would surely be detrimental to its reputation.
Swapping a loyal official's life for momentary stability is explainable but remains a noticeable blemish.
Thus.
Before Nangong Zhu lay only two paths.
The first was to surrender directly, the second to fight to the death against the Divine Martial Dynasty.
However.
If Nangong Zhu were determined to fight to the death, he could not have let Nangong Chuan go to the Divine Martial Dynasty seeking peace.
Though there appear to be two choices, from beginning to end, the Taixuan Dynasty had only one choice.
Surrender!
It can only be surrender!