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

"On the battlefield, each serves their own master. Although I find it difficult to condone your country's blatant invasion of my Wuzhao territory,"

But Your Majesty's attitude still fills me with a sense of respect, and on behalf of the families of those fallen soldiers, I sincerely thank you for your understanding.

Zhang Gui stood up and gave Shen Lang a half-bow.

Shen Lang smiled, said nothing, and simply told him to continue drinking tea.

After Zhang Gui sat down again, he asked, "Your Majesty, can you tell me what your purpose is in going to war against my Wu Zhao Kingdom from thousands of miles away?"

Shen Lang put down his teacup and said calmly, "General Zhang, you are also a veteran of the battlefield. When war breaks out, do you think it makes sense to investigate the reasons for it?"

Zhang Gui: "I just want to know why the State of Chu did this. If I remember correctly, there doesn't seem to be any inherent conflict between Wu Zhao and your country in the past, right?"

Shen Lang countered, "Then what caused the war between Anguo and your country?"

Zhang Gui replied, "Anguo disrespects our Wuzhao court, so it is only right and proper to send troops to punish him."

Shen Lang smiled and said, "General Zhang, you have already answered the question you raised."

Zhang Gui was taken aback: "Does Your Majesty mean that it is because Wu Zhao refused to trade with Chu that Chu went to the trouble of traveling thousands of miles across the ocean to conquer Wu Zhao?"

Shen Lang: "If Wu Zhao Kingdom is really as powerful as you claim, why would Chu Kingdom start a war on its own because of refusing trade?"

Zhang Gui was shocked. She never expected that Shen Lang would so ruthlessly tear off the fig leaf of Wu Zhao Kingdom.

"General Zhang, there's no need for such a shocked expression. When nations interact, the first thing to consider is national strength."

Only when the two countries are evenly matched can they sit down and negotiate in a peaceful manner. If one side is too weak, would you, Wu Zhaoguo, be willing to give the other side the opportunity to sit with you?

In truth, you should be well aware that the fundamental reason why your Wu Zhao Kingdom has waged wars both domestically and internationally in recent years is that those foreign nations are far weaker than yours.

I will not answer the question of whether war is just. The current conflict between Chu and your country can be summed up in two words: interests.

That's all. "

Zhang Gui was at a loss for words. Shen Lang's words were devoid of any emotion, yet they were exceptionally jarring.

It's as if he launched this war because it was insignificant and he didn't take it seriously.

Shen Lang continued, "Moreover, the war could have been avoided. My army sailed at sea for several months, and upon arriving in Haizhou, we had already presented our credentials to the local officials."

It details the reasons why my State of Chu and your State can establish peaceful diplomatic relations, and also states the conditions of my State of Chu.

If the Haizhou government is willing to hand over this letter of state to their superiors, even if they have to come and talk to us in person...

Therefore, it's highly likely that the two countries are still negotiating within the Haizhou area, and war is unlikely to occur.

But to my utter surprise, your country's officials have chosen the most foolish course of action to counter the sincerity extended by my Chu state.

Despite our Chu state having already submitted its credentials, Prefect Nie Shitu of Haizhou actually demanded a passage fee of 80,000 taels of silver from our army.

"What would you think if you were in their shoes? Could you tolerate such humiliating behavior towards a foreign envoy?"

Zhang Gui was speechless, thinking to himself that it was all the fault of the local officials.

"Moreover, I find it very strange that a month has passed since the war began, yet not a single officer or soldier along the coast is willing to present their credentials. Why do you think that is?"

"What? Such a thing can happen!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui was immediately taken aback.

Shen Lang then handed him the letter of state: "This is a letter of state from my Chu Kingdom, which details my Chu Kingdom's demands."

"If this letter of credence were in your emperor's hands, the relationship between our two countries wouldn't be what it is today."

Upon receiving the official letter, Zhang Gui was momentarily speechless, only then remembering that it was Li Hong who had ordered all officials not to have any dealings with the State of Chu, with violators to be dismissed and investigated.

Therefore, Shen Lang's fleet had been on its way here because of Li Hong's orders, which was why it dared not accept their official letter, preferring to risk its life rather than touch it.

"General Zhang, now that you're here, send this letter of state to your emperor and have him send a foreign minister who is capable of negotiating with me."

“What if I say no?” Zhang Gui suddenly countered. “If I don’t agree, will they refuse to return the remains of those fallen soldiers?”

Shen Lang chuckled and shook his head: "General Zhang, I've already made it very clear that the Chu Kingdom has never had a tradition of trading the dead."

Whether you agree or not, you can have someone claim those soldiers' bodies. I will inform the garrison troops to do the same for you.

"You may take the body with you. As for this letter of state, if you are unwilling to hand it over, I will not force you. At worst, I will personally go to Shengjing and deliver it to your emperor."

Zhang Gui paused for a moment, then asked again, "Is it really impossible to talk about this anymore?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "Why make such a simple matter so complicated? General Zhang, you should think it over carefully."

You should be glad it's winter now. If the taxes from the south can't reach Shengjing smoothly next spring, do you think the north will be in chaos?

Zhang Gui then realized that Shen Lang's confidence stemmed from having already grasped the Achilles' heel of Wu Zhao Kingdom.

At that time, it will not only be a problem of reduced tax revenue in the north, but also that millions of laborers along the entire Grand Canal will be able to live a life of plenty due to the fall of Southern Zhili.

By then, the entire Wuzhao state will probably rebel.

"Very well, I, Zhang Gui, will risk my life to deliver this letter of state to His Majesty, but I ask Your Majesty to assure me..."

Before receiving a clear reply from His Majesty, your fleet must not proceed further north, nor harm the people within my city of Jiankang.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Now that you've reminded me, I do have something else I want to discuss with you."

Take all the families of the 40,000 military officers in Jiankang's inner city with you.

I cannot guarantee when the people in the outer city will rush in and slaughter them.

Rest assured, as long as your army does not provoke us, the fleet will not continue northward until we receive a definite reply from your emperor.

But be quick, His Majesty is still waiting for my news.

Zhang Gui was taken aback, then cupped his hands to Shen Lang and said, "Alright, thank you, Your Majesty."

After saying that, he strode away from the military camp.

As soon as the person left, Pei Ju emerged from behind and asked Shen Lang, "Commander, are you really going to return those corpses and the families of the military camp members in the inner city to them?"

Shen Lang: "Since someone is willing to handle these corpses, why refuse? As for the Di people in the inner city, if we don't let them leave soon, I'm afraid I'll order the army to shoot at them."

"Why?"

"No need to ask."

Shen Lang stood up and stretched his arms.

"Just remember that everything I do is for the benefit of the State of Chu. If the State of Chu wants to establish itself on this land, there are still many things to do."