What followed was expected. The Imperial Council's delegate inflated many issues and delayed the proceedings for as long as possible. Even the exact phrasing could be debated for ten or twenty minutes at a time, only to be reversed at the last second. The delegate was extremely insufferable and uncooperative, which was to say, they were acting out their role splendidly. Delaying the kingdom's invasion was their goal after all. Fortunately, the kingdom's delegate had been informed about what these 'negotiations' entailed beforehand, so they could keep their calm. Both sides continued this façade for two hours, while the two armies continued to spectate. The nerve-racking atmosphere was replaced by one of boredom. The soldiers resisted the urge to yawn or slack, but the same could not be said about the leaders. They were busy, trying to find any weaknesses to exploit before the battle began again.
General Petra was feeling discontent. Her scouts could not locate Prime Minister Pon-Wai, Unit Commander Fai, nor any other high-ranking military officers. They must be hiding far from the battlefield, as a countermeasure against the Featherwind Sect, since Unit Commander Haea was captured this way. That was how the Quiton Gates fell in spectacular fashion and stunned the entire world. It was the major turning point in the war. In hindsight, she should have ordered an attack on them first while she still had the element of surprise. That would have helped their invasion by leaps and bounds. Sadly, Elizabeth promised the Imperial Princesses some leeway to attempt a peaceful resolution which failed miserably. Had Elizabeth not been instrumental in conquering the Quiton Gates, General Petra and the others would have been a lot more critical of her actions. That mistake degraded their trust in her significantly.
Alas, what was done was done. A leader should adapt to their circumstances. Their enemy was doing the same. According to reports, the unrest inside the city was calming down due to the combined efforts of the Imperial Council and many powerful nobility families. One had to applaud the Imperial Council. Their connections and resourcefulness went deep, allowing them to recover from that devastating attack in less than half a day. Even the Alzar Kingdom's Royal Assembly might struggle here. Thinking this, General Petra decided it would be best to strike now, before their enemies had any more chance to recover. She was about to order the attack when shouting could be heard from the negotiations. There was a big commotion!
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Pon-Wai and Unit Commander Fai were sitting face-to-face in an undisclosed location. Even the general did not know where he was since he was taken here under absolute secrecy. He glanced at the prime minister with the corner of his eye. The man was nonchalantly sipping tea, as though there was not a major catastrophe yesterday or an unprecedented negotiation today. Like his decision to agree to the negotiations, his actions were utterly unfathomable. Unit Commander Fai had to wonder what this man thought.
"Did you do as I asked?" Prime Minister Pon-Wai wondered.
"Yes, I did, but… I don't understand. Why would Your Excellency want this?"
"Let me ask you this then: Why do you think the Alzar Kingdom demanded our surrender after they attacked? They could've continued attacking while we were confused and inflicted even more damage and yet they stopped. Furthermore, why would they announce their intentions to the entire city, letting everyone hear it? They could've conveyed their intent through quieter means and yet they did not. Why is that?"
"…Pardon my incompetence, I cannot fathom why."
"Princess Elizabeth and the Alzar Kingdom likely wanted the army to revolt against the Imperial Council. By demonstrating the Featherwind Sect's power as the 'consequence', and by demonstrating their desire to negotiate as the 'reward', they could reverse the role of friend and foe." Upon noticing the general's look of confusion, the prime minister changed his explanation, "Consider this: the Xingyuu Empire and the Alzar Kingdom have been at war for five centuries. That accumulated hatred and resent made the thought of peace and reconciliation an impossibility. This was especially true after Emperor Lianghu and Empress Mei's recent deaths. It was either we killed them, or they killed us. There was no alternative. However… Princess Elizabeth and the Imperial Princesses created another possibility."
"The Yunyun Stronghold," Unit Commander Fai surmised. "News of Princess Elizabeth's success in absorbing our citizens through a peaceful system of governance must have travelled far. People must be reconsidering that living under the kingdom's rule is possible. It might even be preferrable to fighting and dying in vain."
"And by using the kingdom's vast resources and the Imperial Princesses' reputation, they denounced the Imperial Council and eroded the trust the people have in us. That was how the many provinces before the capital fell. The locals were enamored by their sweet lies and thus surrendered. Although we stabilized Yongtein, they challenged and changed a five-century old belief. That alone is greater than any army we have. Now, about the current battle… They attacked our army with the Featherwind Sect and shocked the capital with their power. That represents the consequences of going against them. They then announced their demand for our surrender to the entire capital, and that anyone who does surrender would be spared. Their previous history in peaceful governance helped their case. This created the idea that the Imperial Council were the villains and that the Alzar Kingdom were the liberators. They aimed to turn the army and the people against us. Their plan might have succeeded had we not anticipated their actions and reacted accordingly."
"So, that's why Your Excellency accepted."
"Correct, I wanted to instill the idea that we fought 'for' the people, not 'against'. It was essential that we accept as soon as possible. That said, we couldn't accept an unconditional surrender either. That would equate to our defeat. We had to set our own terms. That was why we proposed a negotiation instead. We could use that time to rebuild our forces and allow our reinforcements to catch up."
"But I doubt they'll let us stall for several days. We'll need to do something before that happens. Is that related to Your Excellency's request?"
"That's right. We need to create 'justification', to legitimize our attack."
"Justification?" The general raised an eyebrow. "This is where I humbly disagree, Your Excellency. This is war, to kill or be killed. There's no need for things like justification. The only thing a soldier needs to do is follow orders. Nothing more."
Prime Minister Pon-Wai smiled widely with a condescending air. "You see the trees, but not the forest. I can't blame you. You manage the military, while I manage the government. That's how I know… it isn't enough to simply order an attack. No one would feel motivated to attack a superior opponent, especially as the threat of the Featherwind Sect hangs over them. They had the option of leaving unharmed through negotiations, so why should they risk their lives in another futile battle? The answer is obvious. No one would listen to such an order. In fact, they might be incentivized to overthrow us instead. Therefore, we need to deliberately create a situation where our soldiers are forced to fight. That is justification. We need to make the Alzar Kingdom the enemy once more. As they say, an animal fights best when cornered. This will ruin the kingdom's plan while improving our position. An elegant solution if I do say so myself," he remarked, leaving Unit Commander Fai speechless.
Back on the battlefield, the Imperial Council's delegate had suddenly fallen over, convulsing and frothing at the mouth uncontrollably. They were clearly the signs of poison! The Alzar Kingdom's delegate jumped back in horror while guards on both sides drew their weapons. The air here grew tense.
"How dare you poison our delegate? The kingdom knows no shame!" the captain roared loudly. His words sent waves through the armies, stirring a sea of murmurs.
"Impossible! We never fed her any food or water! How could we have the chance to poison her?"
"Impossible? You talk as though you don't have flying monsters behind you! See, everyone! This is the kingdom's true face! There cannot be any room for peace or negotiations! They would rather kill us all!"
Facing the hundreds of hostile gazes, the kingdom's delegate frowned since the existence of the Featherwind Sect did complicate things. It was hard to deny the possibility when a flying ship hovered there… They had to wonder whether this was a part of General Petra's plan or not. Regardless, the delegate swiftly replied, "If we summoned a physician, we could confirm…"