Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

"Prime Minister, you are also a wise man who has experienced three dynasties. Tell me, once people's hearts are boiling to this extent, can they be calmed by a mere decree of recall?"

Toru Khan's face turned completely pale and his lips trembled.

But he couldn't utter any rebuttal.

Qin Ming's words were like a knife, accurately cutting through the already riddled foundation of Shenmu Kingdom's rule beneath its seemingly tough iron curtain.

Including Hua Yunhong, they have actually been exploiting these ordinary people to the fullest extent of their ability to exploit those new technologies, and after they flowed in, they had no effect at all.

It did not change their lives, but instead became a tool for many wealthy families and nobles to make money.

This is also the reason why Qin Ming was very angry. He originally provided these technologies to Hua Yunhong not for this purpose.

Qin Ming stood with his hands behind his back, his voice firm and resolute, echoing in the empty warm room.

"I can tell you clearly, and I'll ask you to pass this message on to your King of Shenmu. Chang Baishan and Liu Yueli's fate and fate are their own. I won't make the decision for them. But even if they leave Shenmu right now, the flames of war under the rule of the Northern Sage King will never be extinguished!"

"Those people actually did a good job. The blood of Zhujiabao and the tears of Hedong have long since turned into sparks that ignite the prairie! Should we continue blocking the way until our bodies are broken into pieces, or should we seek change and survive? This is a difficult problem that you, the Shenmu Kingdom, need to solve for yourself! Using treasures and wealth to exchange for temporary appeasement will only push the raging fire deeper into the earth. The next outbreak will only be more violent and uncontrollable! Come on, show them away!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Toruhan's face suddenly became extremely ugly. He knew that what Qin Ming said was true.

Because both Toruhan and Hua Yunhong were vested interests in the past.

But now Qin Ming wants them to give up their own interests and stop exploiting the people. In this way, they can get less money, and many people probably won't be willing to do that.

Compared with exploiting the people, they are definitely unwilling to cut their own flesh on their own initiative.

"His Majesty!"

Behind Toluhan, a younger attendant couldn't help but take a half step forward and said urgently, "The Northern Sage King is the pillar of our sacred tree! If Daqian insists on allowing his generals to provoke civil unrest among us, aren't you afraid..."

This person is a pawn planted by another faction in Shenmu into the peace faction.

This time he spoke, he was trying to confuse someone on purpose.

"What are you afraid of?"

Sure enough, after he said this, Qin Ming's eyes widened immediately.

Qin Ming turned around suddenly, his eyes like cold lightning shooting straight at the man.

"Are you afraid that your so-called 'pillar' will lead his 'elite troops' to attack our capital?"

A majestic and vast imperial force came crashing down.

The attendant's face turned pale as if he had been hit hard. He staggered back several steps and could hardly stand.

Although he came to disrupt the situation, he still felt tremendous pressure.

Just as the atmosphere froze like ice, a harsh voice like the friction of metal suddenly came from the corner, with a thick northern accent:

"Your Majesty, the Emperor Daqian, is truly eloquent and far-sighted. I admire you."

A man wearing a black leather robe and as tall and thin as a vulture appeared in the shadows in the corner of the warm room at some point, as if he had been staring at the chessboard there all the time.

He wore half of a cold iron mask on his face, revealing only his hawk-like eyes and thin lips. Hanging around his waist was an inconspicuous, dark wolf-head token.

Li Zuoyu, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial City, tensed all his muscles instantly and stood silently in front of Qin Ming.

His hand was already on the hilt of the sword, his eyes filled with murderous intent. How could an outsider sneak in here without making a sound?!

The Iron-Faced Man ignored Li Zuoyu's murderous intent and nodded slightly in the direction of Qin Ming, his tone filled with undisguised malice and mockery.

"Your Majesty, what you said does point out some of our nation's... 'long-standing problems.' However, the anger of those insignificant ants is like a candle flickering in the cold wind. Even if it can start a prairie fire, it must first withstand the cold wind and fierce snow of the northern border."

He turned his gaze to the shocked Tolu Khan.

"Lord Toluhan, it's time for you to set off. As for His Majesty saying we can't stop them... that's not entirely true."

The Iron-masked Man slowly raised his hand and twisted something with his fingertips. It seemed to be some dried grass seeds of strange colors, emitting a barely detectable smell of decay.

"This world..."

His voice became hoarse, with a chilling chill.

"There are many more ways to silence stubborn stone and freeze raging fire than you imagine, Your Majesty."

He twisted his fingers lightly, and the dried grass seed turned into fine powder, falling silently on the smooth floor tiles and disappearing without a trace in an instant.

The knuckles of Li Zuoyou's hands holding the sword turned white, and he stared at the wolf-head token on the iron-masked man's waist.

The Wise King of the North! He actually placed his trusted aides in the Prime Minister's delegation, directly into the Emperor's warm chamber!

How outrageous and provocative this is!

When Toru Khan saw the token and the man in the iron mask, his face turned even more gloomy.

If the official just now spoke in order to disrupt the situation, then the appearance of this person completely broke with Qin Ming. Toruhan knew that today's negotiations had completely failed.

The reach of the Northern Wise King has far exceeded their imagination.

He bowed with difficulty, said nothing more, and hurriedly left the warm room filled with invisible smoke with his entourage, all of whom were pale.

Only Qin Ming, Li Zuoyu, and the ghostly iron-masked man were left in the warm room.

Qin Ming's expression did not change at all, and he didn't even look at the tiny dust left behind when the Iron-masked Man disappeared.

He just slowly sat back in front of the chessboard, picked up the warm black piece again, and gently knocked it onto a seemingly unimportant position on the board.

"Li Zuoyou."

"The minister is here."

"Send people to catch up with Toruhan's delegation and 'escort' them to safety. Also..." Qin Ming's gaze finally fell on the floor tiles where the grass seeds had just dissipated, and a cold flame surged in his deep eyes.

"Dig up this brick on the ground... and cover everything below three feet with lime. Also, send your most capable people to find Chang Baishan and Liu Yueli, no matter the cost."

His voice was extremely low, yet it carried an undeniable chill: "Tell them... the enemy has used poison. Quick!"

A temporary refugee camp on the edge of the Zhujiabao ruins.

Chang Baishan, covered in wounds and breathing weakly, leaned against a broken wall.

He listened to the only surviving intelligence officer under his command, who had a sallow and injured face, telling him fragments of news from the capital.

These messages were sent by telegram through secret channels.

When he heard Prime Minister Toruhan's generous gift and request for peace, and what Qin Ming said.

His clenched fists loosened slightly, and on his bloody and muddy face, a bitter yet resolute smile appeared, like a trapped beast finally licking blood.