Unknown Knight

Chapter 368 Letter from the King

It was just that Aix had been thinking about this for another three days until the scout came to report that he had seen a new flag of Tojunayan in the enemy camp at the foot of the mountain. Upon hearing this news, Aix smiled slightly, knowing that he had finally gotten something good.

Sure enough, not long after it got dark that night, the first checkpoint reported that Old Taishan Tuoju Nayan had come to visit in disguise.

In the study next to the main hall of the castle, the father-in-law and son-in-law, who had not seen each other for more than two years, exchanged a few words briefly and went straight to the point.

Tojunayan brought back the latest concession of Saiga Khan: as long as Aix agrees to let Tojunayan retake Fort Sajche, the areas controlled by Saiga Khan will no longer impose additional taxes on the caravans of Aix, and will treat them like ordinary noble caravans. In addition, when Aix purchases goods in Turga City, he can enjoy the same price discounts as the Kugit caravans.

These two points may seem insignificant, but in fact they are equivalent to naked transfer of money. One must know that the Aix territory is located in a bitter and cold place. The reason why the people in the territory can live a good life now is largely due to the huge profits obtained from the territory's handicraft manufacturing and business.

These conditions of Saiga Khan were equivalent to opening up the richest core area of ​​the Khergit Khanate to Aix, making it a sales place for the territory's handicrafts.

At the same time, the territory caravans can purchase spices, horses, mineral salt, leather, woolen cloth and other specialties of the Kugit Khanate here. There is a huge price difference when these specialties are sold to other regions. With the territory's business network, there is absolutely no worry about sales and they can be sold at a good price, which will bring a lot of income to the territory.

Being able to offer such conditions that touch Aix's heart, it seems that Saiga Khan and Tojunayan have studied his situation carefully, which shows their sincerity.

However, at the end of the conversation, the old father-in-law also revealed the truth to Aix. Saiga Khan's condition was that Aix really gave Sajche Fort to Tojunayan, and not as he had said in the previous letter to Aix, that Aix should replace the sentry post with one dressed like the Khergits and not collect transit taxes from the Khergit noble caravans.

This superficial plan was actually the father-in-law's own idea. In his view, the two families were in-laws and allies, so it didn't matter who occupied the Sageche Fort. What was more urgent for him was to resolve his embarrassing situation at home, reconcile with Saiga Khan, no longer be ostracized by the Nayans at home, and return to the core circle of power of the Khergit Khanate.

How should I put it? This is a win-win-win situation. Moreover, Sajchi Fort is the last barrier between the two territories. From then on, the two families truly achieved back-to-back, mutual support and mutual support. While their strength has greatly increased, it is also legally justifiable. After all, Tojunayan is still a great noble of the Khergit Khanate in name.

There is only one hidden danger in doing this, and that is the issue of the ownership of Fort Sajic. However, that should be at least several years later. As long as Aix and Tojunayan are there, the ownership of Fort Sajic will not be a problem.

Moreover, the territory is now in its rising period. Aix is ​​confident that in a few years, the territory's influence will only expand, not shrink. By then, the ownership of Fort Sageche will no longer be a problem.

So don't always say that the ancients were dull. Sometimes they had very creative ideas. Tuo Ju Na Yan's creative suggestions are very feasible. At least they can meet everyone's immediate needs and allow the two sides to reach a final ceasefire agreement.

Actually, Aix had wanted to hold out a little longer. His goal was to do tax-free business in the entire Khergit Khanate. However, last night, a handwritten letter from King Yarogelk was delivered to his desk, forcing him to cancel his original plan so that he could reach a ceasefire agreement with Saiga Khan as soon as possible.

It turned out that since the preparations for this war began, the territory had implemented a comprehensive information blockade. The grassroots officers did not even know that the target of the army's attack was Fort Sageche until the night before departure.

In addition, after the army set out, Kudan City was sealed off for a week, with people only allowed to enter but not leave. However, the entire city was later mobilized, and it is estimated that the news was spread at this time.

It is estimated that King Yarogelk got the news. After some inquiries and confirming the current situation, His Majesty the King hesitated. At the moment, Kudan City must be empty, but he still did not have the courage to take the risk of a sneak attack.

There are many reasons. First of all, the 300 soldiers lent to Katia last time were all elite soldiers, almost two-fifths of his regular elite troops, which greatly reduced his strength. These soldiers are still digging coal in the mines of Aix.

Secondly, Sajic Fort is very close to Kudan City, so close that one can overlook the entire Kudan City from the tower of Sajic Fort. Once someone attacks Kudan City, it only takes Aix half a day to return to defend Kudan City. At worst, Sajic Fort will be abandoned, and then he will completely break off with Aix, and the entire kingdom may be in chaos.

Thirdly, his standing army was already insufficient. If he wanted to raise enough troops to capture Kudan City, he would have to call on the nobles in the country to join the army. This would not only take time but would also cause a lot of noise. According to what he knew, Aix had spies in the city, and it was estimated that his army had not yet been fully raised. With Aix's mobilization capabilities, he was already prepared to fight the enemy.

Fourthly, and most crucially, last time he summoned the army to defend Katia in the name of maintaining orthodoxy, bullied Lady Tand and her widowed mother, but was defeated at the gates of Kudan. Now that Aix is ​​back, and he is not legitimate, he has no confidence to fight Aix in Kudan.

However, given the current situation, His Majesty the King would feel uncomfortable if he did nothing. After some consideration, King Yarogerk decided to test Aix's strength first.

So he sent a letter to Aix in an inquiring tone, questioning him for provoking a war without authorization, saying that there were already conflicts between the Khergit Khanate and the Vaegir Khanate, and his actions would easily lead to another war between the two countries, which would be detrimental to the people. He hoped that he could restrain himself and withdraw his troops as soon as possible.

The second one was to ask Aix whether he had recently discovered a group of about 300 soldiers in the territory. He said that they were his king's guards. They were hunting nearby and might have lost their way and had not returned yet. He hoped that Aix could help find one or two of them, and would reward them handsomely if they were found.

After receiving the handwritten letter from King Yarogerk, although Aix sneered at it, he could not completely ignore it. After all, the king was the king of a country. If he was forced to withdraw his troops in the name of justice, he would be in a difficult situation.

If he and Saiga Khan had a higher vision, the two families would make peace with each other, join forces and attack him together, which would be a big trouble.

Of course, this was in ancient times when communication was very closed. Even in modern society it is difficult to achieve. If you don’t believe it, look at Trump and Putin. The two of them spoke very well to the outside world, and even sat together for talks, but it was difficult to reach an agreement. However, this possibility cannot be ruled out.