Chapter 2 Super Beast Breeding System, with Cao Cao's Divine Weapon as a Bonus?

In the otherwise silent court, Liu Fu stepped forward, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

Liu Laowu looked at his eighth brother and heard Liu Fu say that he would return the gift on his behalf. His heart skipped a beat.

The other party has thrown a hot potato at us, and now they are trying to provoke everyone in the court in every way possible, just to make things worse.

Liu Laowu thought to himself:

"Old Eight, are you out of your mind! How could you agree to return the gift on our behalf? They're clearly trying to get something for nothing!"

But before he could stop them.

Liu Fu walked calmly and confidently to the Liao envoy.

The Liao envoy was tall and imposing, but Liu Fusheng had a handsome face and was very confident and refined. Compared to Liu Fusheng, the Liao envoy's burly figure appeared rather coarse, and he was overshadowed by Liu Fusheng in terms of demeanor.

At this moment, Liu Fu looked directly into the eyes of the Liao envoy and asked calmly:

"The envoy represents the Emperor of Liao, here to congratulate my father on his ascension to the throne, right?"

The Liao envoy replied proudly:

"good."

Liu Fu nodded, then picked up the empty wooden box from the ground and asked the messenger:

"Does this wooden box truly contain one million taels of gold, ten million taels of silver, five hundred thousand bolts of silk and satin, one million five hundred thousand catties of various fabrics, and three million catties of grain?"

"Envoy, please double-check."

The Liao envoy, looking impatient, snorted coldly and said:

"The treasure is clearly inside this big wooden box. Are you blind to it because you've rubbed sand in your eyes?"

Liu Fu smiled and nodded, saying:

"Okay, very good."

"The Liao Kingdom sent congratulatory gifts, which our Great Han accepted. According to etiquette, the return gift should be at least equal to the one received. However, our Great Han is a land of etiquette, so why not give you a few more taels of gold and silver?"

Having said that, Liu Fu pointed to the eunuchs in the main hall:

"Eunuch Wang, you write it down."

"The Han court accepted the Liao state's congratulatory gifts and returned them with one million and one taels of gold, ten million and one taels of silver, one million copper coins, five hundred thousand bolts of silk and satin, one million and five hundred thousand catties of various kinds of cloth, and three million catties of grain."

After saying this, Liu Fu ordered someone to fetch his salary, from which he took out one tael of gold and one tael of silver, and exchanged one thousand taels of silver for one million copper coins, which he then sent to the main hall and placed together with the empty wooden box.

When the court officials saw the mountain of copper coins, they all laughed.

Liu Laowu was overjoyed, for he had already understood Liu Fu's intention.

At that moment, Liu Fu returned the empty box to the Liao envoy, and pointing to the gold, silver, and copper coins scattered on the ground, said to the envoy:

"We haven't touched the treasures in the large wooden box, and the extra money we gave you is also here. Please take it back to return the gifts and go see the Liao Emperor."

At this moment, the other princes were all laughing heartily.

The generals, who had been holding their anger in, burst into exaggerated laughter, finally feeling relieved!

Prime Minister Jiang Zhengren secretly observed Liu Fu, praising him highly and giving him a thumbs up.

Emperor Liu Laowu, seeing the crisis crumble instantly, immediately seized the opportunity to kick a man when he was down, cooperating with Liu Fu's actions:

"I still have state affairs to discuss. I hereby issue an edict ordering the Liao envoy to return the gifts and leave the palace immediately."

The Liao envoy was now in a panic.

He hadn't expected that Liu Fu would so easily break his scheme of getting something for nothing, and immediately shouted:

"A million copper coins is too much, how am I supposed to take it all back?"

Liu Fu sneered:

"The money is yours. Whether you take it back or not is your business. Now, go downstairs."

Having said that, he ordered several imperial guards to drag the Liao envoy and throw him out of the main hall along with the copper coins.

At this moment, no matter how much the Liao envoys shouted outside.

Inside the main hall, everyone just burst into laughter and ignored him completely.

The Liao envoy was furious. Seeing that his extortion attempt failed, he tried another tactic:

"I have a declaration of war from the Liao Emperor!"

"Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, I still have a challenge to deliver!"

Having said that, the envoy once again carried the declaration of war and entered the main hall.

Having had their previous extortion scheme foiled, they now have no choice but to resort to outright robbery, even if it means being condemned by others.

The Liao envoy re-entered the main hall and called out loudly:

"I have come to deliver this challenge on the orders of the Emperor of Liao!"

"My Emperor of Liao said that the Later Han Dynasty is now established, which is a good thing, but it must immediately submit to Liao and pay tribute of one million taels of gold, ten million taels of silver, 500,000 bolts of silk, 1.5 million catties of cloth, plus three million catties of grain every year."

"Otherwise, the Liao ruler will mobilize 600,000 iron cavalry, unite with 300,000 scale-armored soldiers from the Scaled People Kingdom, 150,000 samurai from the Japanese Kingdom, 400,000 elite troops from the Later Jin Kingdom, 200,000 heavy armored soldiers from the Red-haired Kingdom, plus the barbarian and Qiang allied forces from the southwest and northwest, and send seven armies to destroy the Han and divide up your Central Plains."

At this point, a chorus of angry shouts erupted in the imperial court.

But the Liao envoy had also become enraged, and with the backing of his powerful cavalry, he revealed his true intentions, pointing directly at Emperor Liu Laowu and asking:

"Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, you had no choice but to submit to our Great Liao and pay tribute!"

"If you can't take the tribute with you, I'll destroy your Later Han Dynasty. I'll ask you one last time: will you submit to me or not? Will you pay tribute or not?"

Liu Bei was no coward; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to conquer fifteen kingdoms and unify the chaotic world in twenty years.

He had already discovered the weakness in this matter, and immediately slammed his hand on the table, confronting the Liao envoy head-on:

"Since you harbor such wolfish ambitions and wish to carve up my Great Han, the people of the Great Han are not cowards either, and will fight you to the death!"

"I, Liu Laowu, hereby swear that my Later Han Dynasty accepts your Liao Kingdom's declaration of war. No matter if you destroy Han with seven kingdoms or ten kingdoms, even if my Han subjects and people die in battle until only one soldier remains, I will swear to defend the dignity of our land to the death."

"I, the emperor, along with all the princes and grandsons of the Liu family, will perish with you on the day the city falls. The Son of Heaven will guard the nation's gates and will never seek to survive in disgrace!"

Liu Laowu's words immediately provoked a chorus of indignant voices in the court.

The Liao envoy realized he was in trouble; Liu Laowu had accurately identified his weakness.

The Liao people only knew how to herd and fight, but not how to farm. They were used to life on the grasslands, and the inland areas were blocked by mountains and rivers, making them unsuitable for long-term settlement.

The Liao emperor's bottom line was simply to make the weak Later Han dynasty submit and pay tribute and grain every year, thus saving them the trouble of raiding southwards every year.

If this were to truly incite rebellion among the people of the Later Han Dynasty, who would farm the land amidst the chaos of war? And what would they eat?

The Liao envoy immediately lowered his posture, bowed to Liu Laowu, and said:

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, our Great Liao Dynasty does not wish to exterminate you. What do you think of this arrangement?"

"Let's discuss the matter of submitting to the Liao Dynasty again. Paying tribute is the bottom line for our emperor. Let's agree that at the end of each year, your Later Han court will escort the tribute to the Liao Dynasty for delivery. What do you say?"

Liu Laowu's face was gloomy, and he didn't say a word.

Prime Minister Jiang Zhengren stepped forward and asked the messenger in return:

"The survivors of my Han Dynasty are mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled. They can't even harvest the crops in the fields, so where would they get gold and silver to give you?"

The Liao envoy paused for a moment, then conceded further, saying:

"You can postpone it for up to a year. You can pay this year's tribute at the end of next year, but..."

The Liao envoy's gaze suddenly fell on Liu Fu, and a cunning glint flashed in his eyes:

"However, our Great Liao will grant you a year's grace. The annual tribute can be paid later, but you will need a hostage as collateral. I have heard that His Majesty dotes on the Eighth Prince Liu Fu the most. We must take the Eighth Prince to Great Liao as a hostage. If you pay less than the annual tribute, then we will use the Eighth Prince as a sacrificial offering to our swords and march south to destroy the Han!"

Liu Laowu frowned deeply at this moment.

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, there was a great emperor who ushered in a golden age, but he was also forced to compromise when the Turks besieged his city.

However, four years later, after recovering its strength, it annihilated the Turks in one fell swoop!

The Later Han Dynasty had just been established, and the land was riddled with holes after the war, requiring reconstruction.

The Han Dynasty needs time!

But the emperor has just established the country and ascended the throne today, and he has to accept such a shameful thing. It is really infuriating!

Just as Liu Laowu was struggling with his decision, an electronic notification suddenly sounded in Liu Fu's mind:

"Ding! Mission triggered. If the host agrees to act as a hostage, the Super Beast Breeding System will be activated immediately, and Cao Cao's divine artifact will be given as a bonus!"

"Please make a choice. Countdown: 3, 2, 1!"

Just as Liu Laowu was in a difficult situation, Liu Fu suddenly raised his hand:

"Father, I am willing to go to the Liao Kingdom as a hostage!"

Nonsense! Give it to the system, and you can become a traitor like Cao Cao. Only a fool wouldn't go!