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"Alliance? Huh, do you understand your position right now? I’m now an emperor while you are still a subject of the Han Dynasty . You can’t tell me that I can’t mobilize my men to enter your region since the entire country belongs to me . "

Tong took an aggressive stance against Cao Cao and Pu Jing . If pushes came to shove, he would fight to the death .

’I’m not afraid of your bluff . You’re the one that should bow to me, pushovers!’

The emperor’s killing intent engulfed the throne room . An oppressing aura of an elite general petrified Cao Cao and Pu Jing’s legs . As for Tong’s subjects, their mind was affected by the stray bullets even though they were not Tong’s targets .

All officers kowtowed and trembled in fear . Aside from Xun Yu, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci, no one dared to look at Tong’s face .

Cao Cao stared at Tong in awe and astonishment . In his mind, he reevaluated Tong from a capable general to a dominating champion like Lu Bu .

However, Pu Jing snapped out of his trance first . As a former KGB elite agent, a little pressure like this was a joke .

Pu Jing walked in front of Cao Cao, protecting him from the direct mental attack . He raised both hands above his head, gesturing that he came in peace .

"My apologies for the lack of explanation . My boss picked the wrong words . Also, please do not use that shotgun behind you . As you can see, I’m unarmed . "

"..."

Tong was surprised that Pu Jing had noticed his hidden shotgun from afar even though he only touched it . His frown deepened as he focused his killing intent on Pu Jing .

Instead of getting intimidated, Pu Jing raised his eyebrows and sighed .

"Stop that . All hostile intent is bad for negotiation, especially when you’re dealing with an elite politician . They won’t flinch because of something like this . "

Seeing the indifferent Pu Jing, Tong dispersed his aura .

"State your business, comrade premier . "

"Hmm . I see that you’re still green in the politician world . First lesson for a newbie, be civil even if you’re standing before your nemesis . I lost count how many times I had the urge to punch Clinton, Trump, or Obama in the face when I met them, but I always held back . "

"..."

"Second lesson, you should not flaunt your authority . I know why you did that, and I admit that it’s Mengde’s fault . Still, you shouldn’t declare your hostility in the open . If you want someone dead, do it behind their back and don’t get caught . Don’t assassinate Mengde and me though . As I said before, we’ve come in peace . "

"..."

Tong’s face twitched as he could not read Pu Jing . This former premier was too relaxed!

"And the last lesson for today, your security and your intelligence agency still have a lot of rooms for improvement . Not detecting me until we have strolled into the palace is bad . "

Pu Jing pulled out a scroll and passed it to Xun Yu . It was a detail about their proposal .

"My point is, we’re here to request your protection at the cost of our territories and our services . "

Xun Yu’s eyes brightened . From Pu Jing’s brief words, it sounded like they were surrendering to Tong .

Cao Cao’s eyes fluctuated when Pu Jing finished his words . Although he did not like it, he managed to hide his dissatisfaction .

Tong doubted if he was not dreaming . It was too easy for Cao Cao and Pu Jing to surrender when they were expanding their influence in frantic this year .

Tong probed, "What will I get, and what do you want in return?"

"We will tribute you taxes, harvests, and workers . However, we hope that you can issue a royal decree for us . The details are in the scroll I have given to your retainer . "

Xun Yu passed the scroll to Tong .

In the scroll, Cao Cao demanded an official title as a Marquis of Wei . In exchange, all of their territories would pay taxes and submit their authorities to Tong . All of their borders would open to his forces, and Cao Cao’s subordinates would follow Tong’s command without a condition .

However, Cao Cao did not state the ratio about his tribute, tax shares, or a delivery schedule .

Tong gazed at Pu Jing while the scroll was still in his hands, "The offer is vague . I can’t find a clear tax rate, delivery dates, military details, or even any detail about your territories . Are you sure this is how you deal with other countries, comrade premier?"

"I’ll be frank . We are in the middle of stabilizing our region . We do not have the right estimation for the income taxes or the likes until the central plain is under our control . However, I can guarantee 1,000,000 tons of provision and 50,000 gold as a minimum annual tribute from our seven commanderies . "

"Aren’t that too few? Don’t you know that my Julu alone can produce fifteen times the amount of that in a year?"

"I’m sorry . My previous offer is 20% of our total income . We need to rest for our expenses and maintenance . "

Tong leaned back to his chair, pondering if this was a good deal .

Bestowing Cao Cao with a marquis title equaled giving a ferocious tiger a pair of wings . Cao Cao would use this authority to recruit soldiers, reinforcing his economy, and gathering talented officers .

However, if Tong looked at this deal from a different point of view, he lost nothing . Giving a title to other warlords would ease the tension between their borders . Trade routes would open, and their cities would get the boon from the peaceful policy . Moreover, Tong would get taxes from Cao Cao every year without having to spend a dime or manpower .

Still, Cao Cao and Pu Jing could break free from Tong’s control at any time once they grew strong enough .

As Tong was in deep thought, Pu Jing read Tong’s facial expression and could guess what Tong was thinking . He coughed, "Your majesty, you should read a bit further into that scroll . We hid a classified intel in there . That’s the proof of our sincerity . "

Tong stared into Pu Jing’s eyes and paused for a minute . He glanced around the room, looking for any potential spies who might be listening to their conversation .

Then, he rolled the scroll in his hands to the end .

At the end of the scroll, small letters were there as Pu Jing had said .

[Yuan Shu has the Imperial Seal . ]

[Cao Cao’s next target is Yuan Shao . ]

Tong had to glance at Pu Jing again to confirm what he read .

"Bad move, Premier . After you achieved your goal, your next target is obviously me . You are buying times from me, so you can strengthen yourselves . "

"Don’t be pessimistic and base everything on your assumption, your majesty . Why do we have to risk our lives here if we truly want to be your enemy in the future? I’ll repeat it, we’re sincere, and we want peace . "

Tong groaned . He guessed that Pu Jing and Cao Cao would eventually betray him once Cao Cao obtained Xu Province from Yuan Shao . He wanted to kill Cao Cao and Pu Jing right here and now, but Tong might die if Pu Jing used a soul explosion, just like Jiang Man .

As Tong learned from past mistakes, he decided to be more patient .

"Fine . Cao Mengde, Putin, kneel and receive my mandate!"

Everyone in the hall knelt . Cao Cao and Pu Jing were also on their knees, receiving Tong’s command ceremony .

"I’ll give you two commands . One, Cao Cao will be the Marquis of Wei, and he will be in charge of Yan, Yu, and Xu Province . Xuchang, Runan, Chenliu, Puyang, Qiao, Jibei, Xiapi, Xiaopei, Pengcheng, and Langya will be under your responsibility . If any incident occurs within these territories, Cao Cao and Pu Jing will be held responsible for the matter . "

Cao Cao bowed . However, he frowned and clicked his tongue .

He only demanded the title, but he did not imagine that Tong would have specified his territories . By entrusting Xu Province to Cao Cao, Tong declared that Cao Cao was the owner of Yuan Shao’s land in the open .

Though it gave Cao Cao a righteous reason to invade Xiapi and other cities, this emperor’s mandate would irk Yuan Shao, and he would be wary of Cao Cao in the future .

In other words, this discord tactic forced Cao Cao to be at odd with Yuan Shao . Also, it would interfere with Guo Jia’s swift overtaking plan .

Tong continued . He had a faint smile on his face, "Cao Cao, I heard that you have talented sons, right?"

Cao Cao had a chill running down his spine, "Y-Yes . "

"I heard about your eldest son, Cao Ang . It’s a waste to let him grow up in a battlefield, and he deserves a proper education . While you are pacifying the territories, Cao Ang is going to live in Ye City and learn the way of my rules . That’s my second mandate!"

Cao Cao was on the verge of screaming at Tong . This edict dictated that Cao Ang would become a hostage . Should Cao Cao betray Tong in the future, he had to give up his eldest son’s life .

Cao Mengde glanced at Pu Jing as he dissatisfied with this negotiation .

"I’m sorry, my lord . We’re not in the position to deny an emperor’s edict . "

"I’ll remember this, Putin . If Tong kills my son, I’ll kill you . "

"I know . "

.

The meeting and negotiation ended without bloodshed .

Cao Cao gained his authority as he had hoped, but he would lose a portion of his tax income . Also, Cao Ang had to be transferred to Ye City and lived his life as a hostage .

On the other hand, Tong did not lose much in this deal . He might lose a reason to attack Cao Cao as he had just bestowed him the title and higher noble status, but Tong obtained times to improve his territories .

As for Cao Ang, Tong saw it as a potential double agent . With a bit of Lu Zhi’s education and brainwashing, the teenage Cao Ang could become a thorn to Cao Cao in the future .

After the meeting, Xun Yu, Jia Xu, and Friday reprimanded Tong in the clan chat for being lenient and reckless . However, Xun You, Ju Shou, and Liu Ye approved of this move .

.

January, 189 A . D .

Cao Cao and Pu Jing returned to their home with a piece of good news and bad news .

The transfer order reached Xuchang within the same month . The 15-year-old Cao Ang left the city to Ye with dejected expression, knowing that his fate was sealed .

Cheng Yu and other officers could only comfort them with kind words before he departed .

In Qiao City, Cao Cao sent a letter to his friend, plotting his own move to get back on Tong .

Cao Cao’s eyes did not hide his grudge and his anger when he watched the departing messenger .

"Since you interest in my family, I’ll give you another gift . I’ll make you regret messing with my family!"