Capítulo 27: Unpeaceful Peace Negotiations
With the war having been officially declared over a year ago, each side decided it was time to attempt a peace negotiation. So at their emperors' insistence, the generals organized to sit and discuss the peace propositions. Surprisingly, General Lu consented to meeting on Fei Li's territory, the other choosing one of his smaller, more temporary camps as a location but it certainly didn't lack soldiers. Lu Qinyi looked around with some interest, seeming as at ease as he usually was as he was escorted through the camp, his lieutenants following closely behind him. Another handful of his best soldiers followed after them. The eyes of the North's men followed them as they walked. Lu Qinyi met their gazes without concern, Zhao Mei remained staring ahead while Yang Xun shot them annoyed glances.
The trio were led to a spacious tent that held only a table at its center, General Fei already seated on one side with Xi Ming standing behind him, looking quite dignified with his head held high with self assurance and his hands clasped behind him. Lu Qinyi froze for a moment as his eyes locked onto Xi Ming but he then continued to walk forward, offering Fei Li a salute which the other returned. He then sat down, his lieutenants sitting beside him. "General Fei," he greeted politely.
But as soon as Lu Qinyi had sat down, Fei Li's expression had gone cold and he seemed unable to bring himself to say even a word to his utterly despicable rival. Lu Qinyi was sitting with proper posture for once apart from the slight tilt of his head that further exposed the earring he wore on his right ear. If you ignored the offending earring and the utterly devilish smile he wore, you might have mistaken him for a proper, dignified general.
"General Fei?" He questioned innocently. Yang Xun clicked his tongue quietly, caught somewhere between utter disapproval and an odd sense of amusement, while Zhao Mei stared listlessly ahead. Fei Li's expression twisted just slightly, glaring at Lu Qinyi. At this point, Xi Ming had noticed something was wrong and finally saw the problem, that earring that looked much too familiar, a perfect match for the one Fei Li had returned wearing. His fists clenched behind his back and there was something murderous to the glare he gave the enemy general who seemed to be openly mocking them, but he was very well trained, remaining in place as he restrained his urge to punch Lu Qinyi, not uttering a word.
Fei Li had wanted to act professionally during these negotiations but he couldn't refrain himself from commenting with some venom, "Have you no dignity General Lu?" He then turned to accuse his accompanying lieutenants. "You truly let him do something so ridiculous?"
"I've never claimed to have any," Lu Qinyi commented mildly, looking rather satisfied with himself.
Zhao Mei shot Fei Li a glare. "Have you any right to comment?"
Yang Xun sighed lightly, brow twitching with annoyance. "Have you ever tried convincing him? You'd have better results teaching an idiot to be a scholar."
Lu Qinyi pretended to look upset, pouting slightly as he fidgeted with his earring. "I quite like it, that's all that truly matters. I'm sure Yanlin will like it as well."
Fei Li couldn't stand for any more of this, lightly pressing his fingertips against his temple and closing his eyes to gather the mental strength to get through this day. "Enough. Let's just get this over with."
"Not yet." Lu Qinyi declared surely, earning the gazes of everyone around him but his eyes were fixed on Xi Ming. "I'd like him to leave first."
Xi Ming glared at him with fierce anger, stirring where he stood and almost opening his mouth to retort but Fei Li raised a hand. He immediately stilled and shut his mouth, even his anger simmering down as he quietly looked to his general. Fei Li remained expressionless as he met Lu Qinyi's gaze. "Xi Ming is my lieutenant."
Yang Xun raised an eyebrow at this, Zhao Mei had no reaction and Lu Qinyi only smiled faintly although his eyes remained dark. "And the man that cut my friend's head off. I'd like him to leave."
Fei Li didn't react for a long moment before he finally spoke with a wave of his hand. "You're dismissed, Lieutenant Xi." Xi Ming suppressed his disapproval, respectfully bowing to his general and turning to leave without so much as a glance at the others.
The tension held in Lu Qinyi's shoulders seemed to ease once Xi Ming had left, turning to his lieutenants to joke, "See? That's how a lieutenant should behave. You two should be more like that."
Zhao Mei scoffed. "In your dreams."
Yang Xun crossed his arms, a displeased expression on his face. "Shouldn't you act more like General Fei then? He's more like a proper general than you are."
Lu Qinyi gaped at him before his eyes narrowed and he grabbed him by the lapel of his robes. "Take that back!"
Fei Li cleared his throat to interrupt the pair before they got into a fight. Lu Qinyi reluctantly let go and Yang Xun straightened his robes out before sitting to the side, obediently quiet as he was meant to be. This discussion was meant to be between the generals afterall.
Fei Li took up a piece of paper and a brush, writing out some conditions the North would agree to end the war if met. He figured this would be more effective to get these discussions over with than trying to talk it out. He then pushed the paper over to Lu Qinyi who picked it up and inspected it before glancing up at Fei Li, taking on a more serious tone as he asked "And what would happen to the court officials and noble houses of the South under these conditions?"
"They can continue to live comfortably if they step down from their positions and pledge loyalty to the North."
Lu Qinyi held his hand out for the brush which Fei Li passed over without complaint. Lu Qinyi annotated the conditions, crossing some of them out and writing in new conditions before pushing it back to Fei Li.
"Not a chance," Fei Li muttered quietly as he read, making new adjustments to the list.
The two continued back and forth like this for the better part of the day until dusk painted the sky and the table was littered with discarded papers. Lu Qinyi hummed thoughtfully as he read the last iteration of the peace conditions. He then proceeded to tear it into little pieces, tossing them carelessly into the air. "I believe we can both agree that this is pointless. The South can't agree to these conditions while ever you demand for us to give up our independence."
It wasn't like either of them really believed they would be able to negotiate a peace between them.
Fei Li plucked one of the torn pieces of paper that had fluttered and caught in his hair, flicking it aside. "I agree. This is pointless."
Lu Qinyi stood up, brushing shreds of paper from his robes. Fei Li and the two lieutenants followed his lead, standing up. But before Yang Xun had even finished stretching his stiff legs, Lu Qinyi made his move. He used his foot to flick up the low table at their feet, quickly adjusting his feet under him to plant a kick against the underside of the table, sending it flying. Fei Li quickly turned and dodged to the side but the soldiers behind him weren't as lucky, calling out in shock as the table barrelled into them. Lu Qinyi then dashed at Fei Li from behind him while the other was dodging, pulling a dagger from inside his robe which Fei Li recognized as his own. Fei Li couldn't evade but he still managed to defend, pulling out his new dagger and using it to hold back Lu Qinyi's blade, preventing it from reaching its spot against his neck. At this point, they fell into a stalemate, blade pressed against blade, with Lu Qinyi's arm hooked around Fei Li, holding him in place. Although Lu Qinyi's position allowed him to exert more force and Fei Li's made it harder for him to put his full strength into his blade, Fei Li didn't let the blade move so much as inch further. He heard his men calling to him but he didn't react.
"General, what the fuck?!" Yang Xun called out in utter shock and anger.
"General Lu, what in hell's name are you doing?!" Zhao Mei demanded.
It seems he hadn't consulted either of his lieutenants about this plan.
Lu Qinyi could feel the blade of one of Fei Li's soldiers at his back but he didn't seem concerned as he replied "Providing us with insurance."
"You could have at least told us you were going to do something this insane, General!" Yang Xun snapped.
"That was reckless, even for you General Lu." Zhao Mei complained bitterly.
"What do I need to consult you two for? You're my lieutenants. You support whatever move I make, even if I don't inform you of it beforehand. Both of you be quiet now," he said easily, earning twin looks of disapproval from his lieutenants but no further complaints.
"I'm getting rather tired of being used like this, General Lu," Fei Li muttered with dissatisfaction, a small bead of sweat dripping down from his forehead from the effort of maintaining their stalemate.
"My apologies then, General Fei. For fairness sake, why don't you take one of my lieutenants hostage? Once we've been escorted out of here safely, you both go free."
Fei Li considered for a moment. "Fine."
"Zhao Mei, you be the hostage," Lu Qinyi instructed without hesitation.
Zhao Mei glared at him a moment but stepped forward to surrender herself. Yang Xun watched on with his brows furrowed, alert, but he didn't make any move to object. Once Zhao Mei was securely in custody, Fei Li slowly slid his blade away, holding it in his hand by his side. Lu Qinyi held him tight but kindly hovered his blade close by Fei Li's neck instead of pressing it against his skin.
Fei Li sighed lightly, waving his hand to set his men at ease. "Let's get this over with." He didn't meet Xi Ming's horrified and accusing gaze at his predicament, his only solace that most of his men were attending dinner at this time as he could only imagine the impact on morale this would have. As they were walking, Fei Li slowly and subtly turned the dagger in his hand, adjusting his grip on it with the intention to stab backward into Lu Qinyi, who had to remain close behind him to maintain his hold. But he could only curse Lu Qinyi's keen observation skills as the other leaned in just slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper only Fei Li could hear. "I'd advise against that, General Fei." Lu Qinyi then glanced over at Yang Xun, who was watching them closely from the side, offering a small smile to put his lieutenant's high strung nerves at ease.
Fei Li seemed to take Lu Qinyi's warning, letting his grip on his dagger loosen once more.
But as they reached the outskirts of the camp where Lu Qinyi's soldiers waited for him, Fei Li decided to go through with it afterall, swiftly flicking the dagger around in his hold and plunging it backwards. Lu Qinyi was forced to turn to dodge, giving Fei Li the opportunity to wretch himself free, with Xi Ming quickly moving to offer support at his side, blade drawn. The other soldiers all quickly followed suit, drawing their blades while facing one another. Lu Qinyi raised his hands as if to indicate he had no intention to fight, taking a couple steps back towards his own soldiers, Yang Xun mirroring him even as his eyes remained keenly on Zhao Mei.
"Zhao Mei, you can stop pretending to be a hostage now," Lu Qinyi commented mildly.
At first, Fei Li's brows furrowed but he then quickly turned to the soldiers who held Zhao Mei. "Let go of her, now!"
But it was too late for that. The calm and confident Zhao Mei who had seemed rather unphased by this whole ordeal finally had the go ahead she had been waiting for. She acted quickly, stomping down on the foot of the soldier to her left who let out a howl of pain as a tiny hidden blade pierced through his boot and into his foot. She drove her elbow backward into his stomach with enough force to wind him, pulling her arm free from his grasp. Lu Qinyi then tossed her the dagger in his hand and she caught it with ease, turning to slash at the remaining soldier holding her. He let go quickly but the edge of Zhao Mei's dagger still caught him, drawing blood. She then tapped her toe to withdraw the hidden blade at the heel of her shoe before pushing off her toes, jumping backward. Lu Qinyi and Yang Xun caught her arms, pulling her safely out of reach before Xi Ming could grab her. The other Northern soldiers looked at Zhao Mei with shock, anger and fear, any previous doubts about the ability of these three long forgotten.
Lu Qinyi saluted with a slight bow, as respectful as always, which almost felt like an insult considering the chaos he had just been stirring and the blood of Fei Li's two injured soldiers which now graced the ground beneath them. "Until next time, General Fei." Fei Li only stared back coldly, half turning away.
Lu Qinyi was hardly affected, turning to his right lieutenant. "Thanks again for lending me your dagger, Mei Mei."
Zhao Mei looked utterly unamused as she flicked the blood from her blade. "Inform me of what you intend to do with it next time. I never would have let you borrow something of mine if I knew this was what you had in mind."
Neither paid attention to the glare they received from Fei Li, the original owner of the dagger.
"It's been a while since I've seen you in a situation like that, Zhao Mei. You're quite good at playing hostage." Yang Xun commented jokingly as the three mounted their horses.
Zhao Mei directed the point of the dagger toward him. "Another word and I'll throw you to the North. General Lu can bargain for your life."
"With how he bargains, I'd be better off if you just kill me."
"You two really tempt me to demote you every day that passes. One of these days, I'll run out of patience," Lu Qinyi grumbled, pulling on the reins to turn his horse and trot off.
As Fei Li turned his back to the retreating Southern army, he was met with a silently angry Xi Ming staring at him. He was grateful he maintained a relationship of respect with his own lieutenant, unlike the lieutenants of the South and their general, as otherwise he would surely be receiving a scolding right now. "We're finished here." Fei Li stated apathetically, looking away and walking back into the camp. Xi Ming could only continue to endure silently, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
mehasacupcake
mehasacupcake One of my fav chapters of the war. Lu Qinyi is a menace, someone stop him. Actually, no need. He'll be made to sober up soon enough.
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