"Attention people of Yongtein, can you hear me well?" A loud voice was suddenly projected across the entire capital, causing everyone to look up in confusion. "I am Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel, Royal Army General, and the former heir apparent to the Alzar Kingdom. As you may have seen, our allies launched a devastating attack on the Imperial Council's army, leading to that massive explosion and shockwave. That was a demonstration. I repeat… that was a demonstration. The next time we fight, we will be using our full means to annihilate our enemies. We will show no mercy," she stated firmly. Taking a deep breath, she then changed her tune. "However, we are not unreasonable. We will not raise our hand against those that lay down their arms. Surrender and we will spare your lives. On my honor as a princess, I promise you this: we will not harm anyone. We come in peace."
She used the same intimidation tactic at the Quiton Gates. By showing their overwhelming power, she could crush the army's morale. It was a simple, but effective strategy! Furthermore, this message could be heard by everyone across the city. The citizens would surely understand the plight they were in and pressure the Imperial Council into surrendering too. The army would not last long like this. It could be considered a killing blow! While everyone mulled over her words, a second voice entered the conversation and shockingly enough, it came from Yongtein!
"Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel, I am General Fai Moklan, Second-In-Command of the Tai Feng Army, and general-in-charge of Yongtein's defense. We have heard your words loud and clear." The fact that the Imperial Council had any Arcanists at all was surprising enough, but what followed next would be even more surprising. "On behalf of the Imperial Council, we accept your proposal for a surrender." His words sent waves throughout the entire city and created a humongous uproar. No one could believe their ears! Even Elizabeth was stunned by the response, having her disbelief conveyed through her silence. It was truly unthinkable! Was it really that easy? "However," he continued, "We will negotiate on the field in front of both armies."
"…Very well, we accept your conditions," she replied.
"We shall meet tomorrow afternoon then. Farewell."
Prime Minister Pon-Wai's smile deepened when he heard this. He might have fallen behind because of the Featherwind Sect, but this move was all too predictable. And because it was predictable, he obviously had a plan in mind. Why else would General Fai have a response so quickly? He had to applaud Princess Elizabeth… Her kindness would give the Imperial Council the chance to turn everything around!
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was incredulous as she repeated the conversation in her head. Although she got what she wanted, she felt it was too easy. She could not help but feel suspicious. It seemed that her thoughts were shared by her friends, who were beside her.
"Something feels off about this," Shirley said with a frown.
"I agree. Are they planning to attack us in the negotiations tomorrow?" Benedict added.
"But we'll be negotiating in front of everyone. Everyone will see what they're doing," she refuted.
"Maybe they won't care," he shrugged.
"I doubt that's the case because we can always send representatives," Freon interrupted. "They won't have anything to gain by attacking them."
"That's true…"
"That was a mistake, Your Highness," General Petra walked in and spoke. "We agreed to demand an unconditional and immediate surrender. Letting them take the initiative played into their hands."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth frowned.
The general sighed inwardly. That was right. Despite her great accomplishments, Elizabeth was still a seventeen-year-old girl. She was too inexperienced to be leading this army. With a soft lecture-like tone, General Petra explained, "The city and army was thrown into chaos because of the Featherwind Sect's attack, so the Imperial Council needs time to reorganize and regroup before their next offense. This negotiation gives them that time. That's why they decided to hold it in the afternoon, rather than at first dawn. They want to delay our invasion for as long as possible."
"…So, they never wanted to negotiate from the very beginning."
"No, they'll negotiate," General Petra denied, raising eyebrows. "The Imperial Council likely had two plans. The first would be to annihilate our army with overwhelming force. Since they had five, almost six, hundred thousand soldiers against our measly two, they had a very strong possibility of winning over us. However, the Featherwind Sect introduced an uncertainty. The Imperial Council was no longer confident in being able to trump us in direct combat. Therefore, they will fall back on their second plan: to delay our invasion in time for the reinforcements to arrive. Our time limit is three days. They will likely stall negotiations for that entire time. That was why Your Highness made a mistake. We should've kept the pressure and forced them to capitulate immediately."
"I'm sorry. I should've seen their trap," Elizabeth apologized. They planned their strategy together, yet she was one who slipped up. She felt ashamed.
"The blame is not yours alone, Your Highness. The Imperial Council must have predicted our move, which would explain their swift response. And that was not all either. The Featherwind Sect's attack threw everything into chaos, so the people would direct their anger towards the Imperial Council for failing to defend them. Their resentment would only grow stronger after our statement, since it would suggest that the council was at fault for rejecting a peaceful surrender."
"And yet, they nipped that threat in the bud with their quick response. They could appease the people, reorganize their army, and delay our forces with one move…" She sighed. "Although we expected it, the Imperial Council cannot be underestimated. How was our attack on Liutianhe Pagoda? Was Prime Minister Pon-Wai there after all?"
"We know he was there three hours before the attack, but we could not confirm he was there at the time of the attack. There's a high chance that he escaped."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No matter. Our intent wasn't to kill him, but to display our power. The Imperial Council should understand the threat the Featherwind Sect poses now. About the negotiations, should we say we changed our minds and demand an unconditional surrender?"
"That would be ideal, but I'm afraid it's too late. It would undermine our position if we tried something like that. Getting them to surrender at that point would be next to impossible. For now, we should continue as planned. When the opportunity arises, we'll use the Featherwind Sect and the Ten Dawns to strike first and regain the initiative."
Elizabeth cupped her chin in thought. The Imperial Council must realize that the Alzar Kingdom would figure their plan out. If that were the case, then what was their true objective? What did they aim to do? She replied after a short moment, "I'll leave it to you then, General Petra."
"Understood, Your Highness."
A few hours later, the suns broke over the horizon, bathing the land in a pale orange light. It was the start of a new day! General Petra and her armies marched halfway up to the eastern gates of Yongtein, exactly as the council demanded. The soldiers stood at attention in perfect silence, leaving their banners to create the only noise. It was an excellent representation of how disciplined and organized the kingdom's armies were, not to mention their unwavering confidence. After all, with one look up, it was hard not to see their source of confidence. The Featherwind Sect's flying ship hovered above their army like a lonely island in the sky. Their presence alone brought a huge relief to everyone present. That was the power of overwhelming strength! Things could not look more different on the council's side.
The Imperial Council's army eventually assembled outside the walls in a laboured and slightly awkward fashion. Clearly, no one had the will to fight. Without the excuse of a peaceful negotiation, they might have never stepped onto the battlefield again. It was a miracle that their leaders could rally them at all. Despite outnumbering the kingdom's army by almost three-to-one, their boots shook as they kept a wary gaze up. They feared the Featherwind Sect more than ever.
This nerve-racking standstill continued until the afternoon when representatives finally showed up from the council's side. Seeing this, General Petra sent out her own representatives. The two parties met in the middle of the open plains between the two armies where tables and chairs were prepared. Shaking hands, the negotiations had officially begun!