Chapter 1744 - 1743: Follow-up
At this moment, Yang Hao arrived. The battle had stabilized, and the residual poison left by the giant insect had also been eradicated. It was time to discuss the follow-up matters.
Among the Three Kingdoms, Taian Country and Longshi Country would undoubtedly have to cede territory and pay reparations. Bei Yun, who had already aligned himself with Daqi, shamelessly proposed a detailed list of demands, insisting that Taian Country and Longshi Country hand over their assets. If they refused, he threatened to join forces with Bei Lingsu and Tong Sanlang to directly annihilate the Royal Families of the two nations.
At this point, the Three Kingdoms also possessed Divine Crossbow Teams, but so did Daqi. While Divine Crossbow clashed evenly against Divine Crossbow, Daqi had three masters who appeared and disappeared without a trace—two of whom were adept at using poison. This ensured that the Three Kingdoms stood no chance against Daqi.
If they didn’t want their Royal Families wiped out, then they had no choice but to comply with the list provided by Bei Yun.
Bei Yun had spent time in the Three Kingdoms in a role similar to that of a strategist, and he was well aware of the national strengths of these nations. The list he drew up severely weakened the vitality of the Three Kingdoms—or rather, the two countries, Taian and Longshi—since Yuchi Country was destined for annihilation and could no longer be considered a separate nation.
When Qiao Xiaomai saw this list, he was overjoyed. The first stipulation on the list required Taian Country and Longshi Country to first pay "life money": ten million taels of silver per Royal Family member. For every ten million less paid, one person would be executed. For every twenty million less, two would be executed. Pay in full, and no one would be killed.
The Yang Family was famously small in number, but if only direct descendants were counted, there were still eight or nine individuals. Furthermore, one had to include the concubines in the Harem as well. The Royal Families of Taian Country and Longshi Country had a considerably larger population, meaning that just the "life money" alone would amount to four or five billion taels of silver.
With this, funding for the bluestone road was no longer an issue.