Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Iron machine!"

"Mommy! Spare me! Spare me!"

Shen Lang dispatched Tie Ji with a single strike, immediately plunging the scene into chaos.

Shi Mingzhu was shocked that Shen Lang would dare to kill someone right in front of her. Even the rat tail behind her head stood up.

As for the Li Kingdom envoys, they were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing to Shen Lang, begging for mercy.

They were all crying and sniffling, and some even lost control of their bladder and bowels.

"You, how dare you kill someone!"

After a long while, Shi Mingzhu pointed her trembling finger at Shen Lang, who was shaking.

"You dare to touch the people of Wu Zhao? It seems your country is planning to break with Wu Zhao?"

"A complete break? Ha!"

Shen Lang smiled upon hearing this.

"There is no common ground between the two countries, so how can there be talk of a break?"

"Moreover, your humiliation of the Chu Kingdom has greatly angered me. Even if your Wu Zhao Kingdom wants to settle this matter peacefully,

"Just because you interfered in the affairs of Chu and Li today, Chu will not let this go."

Shi Mingzhu's eyes widened immediately: "What did you say? You even dare to provoke the Wu Zhao Kingdom? You have some nerve!"

I had kindly invited the State of Chu to become a permanent tributary ally and enjoy unparalleled honor. Since you are so ungrateful, then this matter is settled!

Shen Lang: "To describe being treated like a dog in such a refined and elegant way, only a barbaric and backward country like your Wu Zhao would be proud of that."

My great Chu dynasty, which has always upheld reforms, would never associate with a barbarian with a pig's tail on the back of his head? Don't overestimate yourself.

Others may fear your Wu Zhao Kingdom, but my Great Chu does not. If you want war, then let us fight! What is there to fear?

"you……"

Shi Mingzhu was so angry that her chest ached, and she couldn't utter a single word as she pointed at Shen Lang.

"Very well, I will report your words to His Majesty in due course. Your Chu Kingdom, just wait to face the wrath of my Wu Zhao Kingdom! Hmph!"

After saying that, Shi Mingzhu turned to leave.

"Did I let you go?"

Shen Lang twirled the dagger in his hand, and with a deep shout, plunged it into Shi Mingzhu's neck with a backhand stroke.

"Uh."

The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard, not only the kneeling Li ministers but also Shi Mingzhu herself. Shen Lang had actually dared to attack her.

He clutched his bleeding neck, glanced at Shen Lang in disbelief, and finally collapsed straight into a pool of blood.

A cold wind swept through, and the scene was deathly silent.

"The envoy from Wuzhao suddenly fell ill and died during negotiations with the Great Chu. Did you all see that clearly?"

Shen Lang looked around at everyone with a half-smile, his smile quite grotesque.

“We have seen it clearly, we have seen it clearly. Envoy Wu Zhao died suddenly. We are willing to testify for you.”

"Exactly, I knew this guy was sick a long time ago, but he insisted he wasn't. Now that he's dead, he has no one to blame but himself."

Now, the initiative is completely in Shen Lang's hands.

These ministers from the Li Kingdom weren't stupid; if they uttered even half a word of dissent, they would likely lose their lives.

Only by submitting to Shen Lang's tyranny can one have a chance to save their life.

As for what will happen to Wu Zhao Kingdom in the future...

Who cares? That's a problem only the king should be concerned with. What does it have to do with me? I should just get through this difficult time first.

"Men, properly collect the body of the Wu Zhao envoy and sink it into the sea to feed the fish."

"Yes."

At Shen Lang's command, four soldiers immediately stabbed the corpses dozens of times with their bayonets before lifting Shi Mingzhu and Tie Ji's bodies and walking towards the sea.

Soon after, two ripples appeared on the sea...

The Li envoys who witnessed this scene dared not even breathe, trembling like leaves, fearing that they would be the next ones to be thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

After Shi Mingzhu's body was disposed of, Shen Lang finally smiled and said to them, "Alright, I've taken care of all the irrelevant people for you."

Now let's talk about what to do next. Actually, you don't need to worry, I'm a very easy person to talk to.

"As long as you have no objections to the conditions I propose, then naturally I won't make things difficult for you."

"Yes, yes, yes, angels, just give your orders, and we will listen attentively."

In an instant, the envoy from the Celestial Empire changed from Shi Mingzhu to Shen Lang, and the State of Chu became the unapproachable Celestial Empire.

Shen Lang sneered, sat back down in his chair, and said to the kneeling men, "The purpose of our Chu Kingdom's navy traveling thousands of miles to the South Seas is..."

The first priority, of course, is to demand an explanation for your country's shameless act of occupying my Three-Page Island and other islands in the South China Sea.

I don't want to delve too deeply into how your Li Kingdom has mistreated the people of my Great Chu over the years. As long as you provide compensation, this matter will be over.

Upon hearing that it was just compensation, everyone immediately relaxed.

You should have said so earlier! We were worried we'd have to pay with our lives.

Money can be earned back, but if you lose your life, you lose everything.

They naturally understand this principle.

So everyone said in unison, "The general's words make a lot of sense, and we should make some compensation."

Shen Lang: "Very well, since there are no objections, I'll just name a number: one hundred million taels of gold. Let's just leave it at that."

"How many?"

Upon hearing this number, everyone asked the same question in unison.

"One hundred million taels of gold? Your Li Kingdom is so wealthy, surely it wouldn't be difficult for you to produce such a small amount of gold?"

Instantly, everyone's face turned ashen.

One hundred million taels of gold?

Even if you turn the entire country of Lebanon upside down, you probably still wouldn't be able to find the information; this is clearly an impossible task.

"General, the Li Kingdom simply cannot produce so much gold. Please, have mercy and ask for less."

"Not a single penny can be missing. If that's not possible, then there's no room for discussion."

After Shen Lang finished speaking, he simply waved his hand.

Boom, boom—

The two cannon shots nearly made the Lebanese envoys do a frog jump on the spot.

The 75mm howitzer conducted a test firing directly at the royal palace, which was a mile away.

The two cannon shots hit the palace wall accurately, instantly sending dozens of Li soldiers hiding behind the wall flying.

After the shelling ended, Shen Lang asked the still-shaken Lebanese envoys, "Now, is it alright?"

"General, please calm down! We'll take note of this and report it to the King when we get back!"

They wailed incessantly, and some were so frightened that they burst into tears.

Shen Lang's lips curled into a smile as he continued, "Secondly, from this day forward, all matters concerning the South Seas must be discussed with the Chu Kingdom. No one may act on their own initiative. Can you agree to this?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

The group of terrified Li envoys nodded vigorously, daring not to show the slightest intention of resistance.

"Finally, my Great Chu is engaging in exchanges with your country in a friendly manner. The previous unpleasantness was merely a necessary step for the free trade between Chu and your country."

In order for the two countries to coexist peacefully and mutually benefit in the future, it is hoped that the State of Li can sign a mutual trade agreement with the State of Chu, and establish several areas within the territory of Li for Chu merchants to reside in.

Within the Chu territory, all government affairs, defense matters, and regulations are based on those issued by Chu, and there is no need to abide by the laws of Li.

Furthermore, Chu merchants have the right to establish estates, factories, and other businesses on your land, and Li state cannot obstruct them. Is this possible?

This last point is Shen Lang's true purpose in coming to Southeast Asia.

The idea that standing up for overseas Chinese is not about protecting one's own citizens is a purely idealistic notion.

The goal was to mold them into a special class in Southeast Asia, placing them above all other countries in the region, so that they could help the Chu Kingdom manage its overseas colonies and ultimately plunder island resources.

What Shen Lang truly wanted was hegemony over Southeast Asia, laying a solid foundation for subsequently exploiting the region's value.

"Yes, it's definitely possible, it's absolutely possible."

"I can't just do a handstand and have diarrhea to liven things up for you all."

The shameless Lebanese people didn't realize what the last clause meant at all, and agreed without even thinking.