Looking at Wanyan Xu again, Su Yi finally made up his mind. In a low voice he said: "But... even after all that... but in my heart, I am still very... I admire you deeply.” To express such thoughts was difficult for him; he had trouble articulating the words and was unable to say them without pauses. Wanyan Xu's eyebrows shot up, he shot Su Yi a look but Su Yi didn't dare to meet his eyes, afraid that he was going to be ridiculed.
Su Yi simply closed his eyes, took a deep breath and continued: “Since your ascension, your lands have been governed well. Despite your desire for revenge, you have shown good judgement in choosing to consolidate your power and not sending troops to contest the border for three years. Most people would not be able to show such restraint. To gather intelligence on the conditions of my troops, you infiltrated my encampment alone. No one expected that you would take such a big risk, even though I regarded you as my enemy I could not help but applaud your courage and resourcefulness. I have now been captured and brought to Jin Liao and I can see that although this is a bitterly cold land, its administration is neat and tidy, and the country is bustling and prosperous beyond compare. Only an enlightened Son of Heaven [1] could accomplish such deeds. Although I personally don’t agree with your treatment of the death row convicts, I understand that you are trying to send your people the message that one should never lose hope and should never become despondent like a dog that has lost its master. Otherwise, Jin Liao's citizens would not have been able to recover so rapidly from the crushing blow of a heavy military defeat, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of adversity to become a strong country. I am grateful to you for not allowing your troops to harass the common people of my defeated country, I know you have your own selfish reasons for doing so, but it also shows the breadth of your vision. Su Yi deeply respects you, but I also have some fear of you. I don't know for a person such as yourself, the lengths you will go to before you are satisfied. Privately, I am thinking 'aii, if only the Great Qi also had a monarch such as you, perhaps her fate would have been different.' Wanyan Xu, every single word I've said has come from my heart. Do you understand? Even though I cannot yield to you, on the other hand neither do you require my talents. Don't be vexed over your failure to make me submit anymore. You have long conquered me through your anger, after all, am I not your prisoner? If you can oblige me, and let my body follow the fate of my country, when Su Yi has reached the underworld, you will have his eternal gratitude.
He said these words in a rush. After finishing his long speech he lifted his eyes to look at Wanyan Xu, only to see that his face was expressionless. After a long pause, a hint of a smile began to show on the corners of his mouth, gradually spreading over his lips. Only then did Su Yi let loose a relieved sigh, thinking: he seems to be pleased with my words, most likely, he won't make things difficult for me anymore.
However, Wanyan Xu said: “it’s rare that you would share your deepest thoughts, come over here, I [2] also have some heartfelt words I would like to tell you.”
Su Yi couldn't help but feel that the situation had turned a bit surreal. He knew that once he had said his piece, he would be fated to accompany his country in her death. Wanyan Xu and him had many commonalities and could sympathize with each other, but an enemy is still an enemy. He would not surrender, and Wanyan Xu would not show mercy, nor should he show mercy. At this moment, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders; as long as Wanyan Xu had no more illusions about him, losing his life was nothing. The only regret he had was that he didn't die on the battlefield that day, to be buried forever under the swirling sands of the desert.
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