Chapter 1 The Land Where Grass Bends Low to Reveal Cattle and Sheep

The Houtao region at this time was truly encircled by the Yellow River... As the great river reached the upper-left corner of the character "几 (jǐ)," it suddenly split into two. One branch followed the traditional river course of the character, while the other chose to continue north. It only changed course when it encountered the Yin Mountains, proceeding along the mountains until it returned south with the terrain, merging with the original branch before continuing its surging flow.

Here, the river was thousands of paces wide and its current slow, making it extremely easy to divert water for irrigation. In addition, the Yin Mountains sheltered the area from wind and snow, making it suitable for both farming and herding. The saying "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall" was no exaggeration.

Now, in the midst of summer, the climate here was surprisingly pleasant, which could only be attributed to the abundant water and northerly location.

"Truly a blessed land bestowed by heaven."

In the morning, about thirteen or fourteen *li* southeast of Wulahai City, Wanyan Wushu stood on a hillside. After gazing at the surrounding scenery for a long time, he finally sighed with emotion. "Who would have thought that such a place could have such a landscape in this location? I previously thought this place was only geographically important."

The lame ten-thousand-household commander Wanyan Tuhesuo, who was traveling with him, looked around. Helpless, he could only bite the bullet and respond, "What the Prince of Wei says is true. It really is a good place, much better than our old home."

Wushu nodded slightly, not continuing the conversation... because he knew very well that Tuhesuo was not the kind of person who could talk about such things, nor could he understand his heartfelt praise for the magnificence of the land. Of course, he didn't refute or ridicule him, because he knew that such feelings were very personal, and others were not obligated to share his sentiments.

In fact, Wushu himself only began to have a sense of appreciation for the land after crossing the Huai River on a snowy night, but it was only a fleeting moment in a drunken haze. However, it was from that point onward that as he experienced more setbacks and difficulties, his infatuation with and appreciation of natural scenery became clearer and more frequent.

After the so-called wooden dragon crossed the river, Wushu even had the illusion that, compared to those people and those events, the mountains and rivers, wind, snow, rain, and thunder were more worthy of his affection. It was as if being close to these things allowed him to feel strength and gentleness, grand momentum and subtle details, light and darkness.

Of course, this was likely due to his increased sensitivity after being injured.

Whether physical or psychological, many people who suffered setbacks or injuries on the battlefield became sensitive, in every sense of the word.

For example, Wushu's third brother, Wanyan E'li'duo, became increasingly devout in Buddhism. Wanyan Lou Shi, in his later years, was covered in injuries and became extremely sensitive to changes in the weather. So, from this perspective, it was very likely that Wushu had simply opened the door to a new world after being stabbed.

But enough with the digression. After finishing his reflection, Wushu glanced at the time and continued westward. A'da and A'er led two hundred armored cavalry to the front on the left and right, while Tuhesuo and the seven or eight hundred armored cavalry following behind moved slowly with Wushu himself.

They were not here to see the scenery, nor to scout Wulahai City, but to meet with Khurkhuz, the chieftain of the Kerait tribe, according to the conditions agreed upon the previous day.

The Kerait tribe was the largest Mongol tribe near Kötön City. Khurkhuz had accepted Yelu Yanshan's request on that day because he had been promised control of Kötön City. At the same time, he had invited Khabul Khan, who had extremely strong anti-Jin sentiments, to join him in sending troops into the Houtao region.

But to be honest, this campaign had not gone smoothly at all. First, the Western Xia general Li Liangfu, who was defending the Yin Mountains, was very resilient. He deployed his troops properly and firmly controlled the fortresses and Wulahai City, while the Mongols, fearing casualties, merely maintained a stalemate with Li Liangfu.

But then, suddenly, things took a huge turn.

The Western Xia emperor arrived, the Khitan army arrived, and then the Jurchen army also arrived. Then the Western Xia emperor was escorted away by Li Liangfu.

At this point, the intensity of the war also changed dramatically... The Jurchens and the Khitans, who had regained their fighting spirit, used iron and blood to show the Mongols, who had only recently gained some prominence on the grasslands, what a real war was like.

So an army could actually have so much armor?

So battles could be motivated even without specific spoils of war?

So fighting could involve sacrificing warriors and livestock in such a way?

In just half a month, the Mongols suffered more casualties than they might have in a year of mutual raiding on the grasslands. At this point, the two Mongol leaders, Khabul Khan and Khurkhuz, both wanted to leave.

But they couldn't easily retreat.

Because Yelu Dashi wouldn't let them. If they left, how could the already struggling Khitans resist the Jurchens' ferocious onslaught? In fact, Yelu Dashi personally controlled Wulahai City, which guarded the entrance and exit of the Yin Mountains to the north, precisely to control the Mongols' retreat.

And it was for this reason that Wanyan Wushu finally persuaded Khurkhuz by allowing the Mongols to leave the Houtao region from the east. As for Khabul Khan, his Qiyan tribe's territory was in the east, directly under Jurchen pressure and influence. He had also been elected khan by the tribes to the east and had been hostile to the Jurchens for a long time, so he was unwilling to join forces with the Jurchens so easily, and he didn't dare accept the condition of crossing the river under Jurchen surveillance.

But even if only Khurkhuz defected, it would be enough to shake the Khitans' fighting spirit.

So on this day, Wushu decided to come in person to meet Khurkhuz south of Wulahai City... This place was very close to the Kerait tribe's original camp southwest of Wulahai City, and also very close to Wulahai City... In a sense, Wushu had a lot of guts.

Of course, Wanyan Balisu personally led an army of twenty thousand to follow behind, hidden by the tall grass and trees in the southeast, preparing to enforce the law. That was another matter.

The location had been decided in advance: two small hills with a place that barely qualified as a valley in between, perfect for an alliance.

At noon, Wushu led his men to the north side of the eastern hill. After waiting a while, he watched as the sun reached due south before climbing the hill and raising his flag as agreed... another Five-Colored Sun-Bearing Flag.

In fact, this flag was very common in Chinese history, used by both the Song and Liao dynasties. The Jurchens initially didn't understand the meaning of the Five Virtues Supporting the Sun representing a sage ruler. They only saw that on the battlefield, the status of this type of flag was far higher than other flags, so they simply adopted it. Now, after twenty years of war, this flag naturally had its own specific meaning within the Jurchen ranks: it represented the position of the Jurchen army's commander.

After waiting for a while, no flag appeared on the opposite hill, and no one came out to explain. Something seemed amiss.

Wanyan Wushu and Tuhesuo exchanged glances, both remaining calm... Clearly, while they wanted to ally with the Kerait tribe, it would be even better if the Kerait tribe colluded with Yelu Dashi to surround them!

Time passed little by little. Wushu didn't see the Kerait tribe's people, nor did he wait for the ambush he had expected. There wasn't even any extra movement. Even distant Wulahai City was somewhat quiet... If there was anything unusual, it was only that the wind today was a bit too noisy.

The summer wind, after crossing the Yellow River's several-mile-wide surface, had already become cool. However, it was forced to stop by the Yin Mountains, which blocked the north and south. As a result, the wind and waves repeatedly crashed below the mountains, carrying the sounds of the Mongol and Khitan camps, which were not far and not close.

But that was just carrying them from afar. Today, it was only that the wind was a bit stronger and the sounds a bit louder. There was no trace of soldiers nearby.

After waiting a while longer, Wushu reluctantly gestured. A'da and A'er, two of his Khitan personal attendants, understood. Each led a hundred cavalry to circle around from behind the hill, preparing to get a clear view of what was behind the hill.

Watching the two hundred riders disappear behind the hill and reappear on the opposite hill, it was clear that they had found nothing... Wushu and Tuhesuo were furious. The Kerait tribe hadn't been playing tricks; they had simply stood them up!

But at that moment, A'da and A'er, who had just climbed the opposite hill, only glanced back before rushing down the hill with their men like madmen, heading straight for Wushu.

Wushu and Tuhesuo exchanged glances, but instead of being angry, they were happy.

Tuhesuo couldn't help but ride forward to ask, "What is it? Is there really an ambush? How many people are there?"

"It's not an ambush! It's people!" A'da shouted from afar.

"If it's people, then isn't it an ambush?" Tuhesuo roared. "Besides, why are you shouting so loudly? Who will be responsible if you scare them away?"

"The people aren't here!" A'er shouted back from his horse. "There's no need to worry for the moment... Fourth Prince and Commander, please retreat quickly and join the main army!"

Wushu was confused. "If the people aren't here, why are you panicking so much? If there's no need to worry for the moment, why do you want us to go back?"

A'da arrived in front of the small hill and rolled off his horse, prostrating himself. He then gasped for breath and replied, "Fourth Prince! There are too many people! Run quickly!"

A'er also arrived, adopting the same posture. "Fourth Prince, leave quickly! Before they discover us!"

Wushu became even more impatient, cracking his horsewhip in the air. "What's going on? Explain yourselves clearly!"

A'da and A'er exchanged glances. A'da took the lead, suppressing his panic. "Fourth Prince, there's no ambush, and there are no enemy troops nearby. It's just that there are too many enemy troops in the Mongol camp and by the river. If we're discovered and chased, we won't be able to resist."

"Balisu is leading twenty thousand iron cavalry behind us..." Tuhesuo also became anxious.

"If that's the case, then it's even worse. Don't let Commander Balisu come over," A'da almost cried. "Although we can't see clearly from afar, their uniforms are mostly red and white. I'm afraid Song reinforcements have arrived!"

Wushu was slightly stunned when he heard the last sentence, and his expression changed drastically. But he still didn't understand A'da and A'er's panic... Even if the Song army accepted Yelu Dashi's invitation to come here, how many could they possibly send at this time?

With this thought, Wanyan Wushu didn't hesitate. He actually reined his horse forward, heading towards the opposite hill. Tuhesuo also scoffed and directly followed him.

Helpless, A'da and A'er could only turn around and follow.

And a moment later, under the bright afternoon sun, in the midst of the noisy summer wind, as Wushu and Tuhesuo reined their horses onto the eastern hill, they simultaneously gasped with a cold breath in the middle of summer.

It was just as A'da and A'er had said: There were too many people!

As far as the eye could see, from the Yellow River's outflow channel below the Yin Mountains, all the way to the Kerait tribe's camp more than ten *li* away, and then to the Khitan cavalry camp behind Wulahai City, there were red-and-white streams of people, horses, and flags everywhere, with a faint glimmer. Moreover, this crimson tide, like crashing waves, was still extending towards the Qiyan tribe's camp further south.

Further in the distance, on the river channel where visibility gradually decreased, although it was difficult to see clearly, it was obvious that countless people and livestock were still coming along the river, and countless supplies were constantly emerging from the river on simple rafts and log rafts.

This scene was as if the usually calm Yellow River had suddenly come to life, extending a dragon's claw with three fingers, grabbing the Khitans and Mongols in one fell swoop!

Under the sunlight, facing such a situation, Wushu and Tuhesuo both felt an unprecedented sense of fear!

It was a sense of fear they had never experienced before!

To be fair, both of them had experienced the founding battles of the Great Jin and were naturally well-informed.

If the enemy army opposite them was numerous, were they more numerous than the people of Bianliang City? If they were all soldiers, it wouldn't be surprising, because the Liao and Song had both displayed sufficiently large armies before the Jurchens. Were there more than the Song army that rescued Taiyuan?

Was it because the opposite side had more livestock and more cavalry?

That wasn't right either. In the Battle of Hubudagang, the Khitans' cavalry and livestock were as numerous as the sea.

But Wushu and Tuhesuo felt fear... because they knew that this dense crowd of people and military force was probably the Jurchen army's greatest enemy in their lifetime!

The Khitans were incompetent, and the Liao army on Hubudagang was also incompetent. But who would dare to say that Yelu Dashi and his followers, who had been fighting for so many years after the fall of the Great Liao and were getting stronger and stronger, were incompetent?

If they were incompetent, why hadn't the Great Jin's Western Route Army, which had the advantage in strength, chased the other party out of the Houtao region in the past half month?

The Han Chinese were incompetent, and the Song army under Tokyo City, on the Hebei Plain, and outside Taiyuan City was incompetent. But who would dare to say that the Song army's Imperial Guard main force, which was gritting its teeth and counterattacking step by step from the Huai River, was incompetent?

Would an incompetent Song army appear here?! Would they appear below the Yin Mountains?!

This was the Yin Mountains! Zhao Kuangyin had never been here!

Even the Mongols, after all these years, what had the Great Jin really done to Khabul Khan?

Of course, more importantly, while the other side was growing stronger and stronger after experiencing the scouring of war, the Jurchens were becoming increasingly decadent, and their combat power was declining, which was also a fact.

But whatever the reason, this was the first time since the founding of the Jurchen nation that they had felt fear from a purely military perspective... Even if the Battle of Yaoshan were fought again, they wouldn't have any fear. On the contrary, the Song would dare to shout that they were lucky. But this time, the Jurchens had finally begun to fear!

This also meant that the sum total of these armies, the sum total of these forces gathered together, had finally overwhelmed the Jurchens for the first time.

In fact, Wanyan Wushu had already realized why the Song army had come here... They wanted to gather a force that could overwhelm the Jurchen main force head-on!

Facing the Jurchens who had rampaged across the world for twenty years, facing the Great Jin Dynasty, which still controlled twenty ten-thousand-households, the Han Chinese who had almost been destroyed, the Khitans who had been destroyed once in fact, and the newly rising Mongols, the three-way allied army appeared here and then gathered together, which in itself was a huge victory, both militarily and politically, beyond words!

"Prince of Wei!"

Just as Wanyan Wushu's mind was wavering, Tuhesuo suddenly pointed to a Song army that was surging out of the riverbank, where the army divided up into different forces. This Song army's armor was bright and its formation was neat, obviously having a special status. Otherwise, they would never have been armored while marching.

In the very center of this Song army, a particularly conspicuous flag was being escorted.

The flag was extremely large, and the style with three tails fluttering in the wind was also extremely strange. Tuhesuo only pointed to it, and Wushu immediately realized what it was... Only the two large *dù* (ceremonial flags) one black and one white, that had suddenly appeared on both sides of this flag added a bit of extra momentum.

"Fourth Prince, let's go!" A'da carefully tugged at Wanyan Wushu's skirt armor below the horse. "There are so many enemy troops. If we're discovered and then entangled by the Mongol light cavalry, and then the Song heavy troops follow, we'll really be in danger..."

"We can't leave!" Wushu came back to his senses, but he seemed to be breathing rapidly. "The more it is at this time, the more we can't leave..."

"Fourth Prince!" Tuhesuo was also breathing heavily, but he reached out and pressed down on the horsewhip in the other's hand. "I know what you mean. The more it is at this time, the more we can't show weakness, but with so few of us now, it would be a waste of life to run into them! We must also be careful with Balisu's twenty thousand ambush troops behind us... What we fear most is not us, but that the twenty thousand ambush troops will mistakenly think that we have succeeded and run headfirst into them!"

"Then we still can't leave!" Wushu turned his head, his face terribly pale. "You go tell Balisu to withdraw his troops. I'll meet with the Song!"

"Fourth Prince!" Tuhesuo suddenly flew into a rage. "This is not the time to compete. The other commanders are right. You are fair in your dealings and a good prince, a good king, but you care too much about the Zhao Song emperor! You've been brooding over it since the Huai River... But what's the use of competing like this?!"

"Fourth Prince!" A'er was almost crying beside him. "The Song have discovered us. The Mongols of the Kerait tribe must have told the Song... Let's go quickly!"

"Even if they didn't tell them, with such a big flag standing here for half a *ke*, the Song would send troops over to investigate!" Tuhesuo became even more angry. "Fourth Prince, leave quickly!"

Wushu looked at the several streams of light cavalry that were surging towards them in the distance, making it unclear whether they were Song, Mongol, or Khitan, and then looked at Tuhesuo, but shook his head with gritted teeth.

"Fourth Prince!"

Seeing this, Tuhesuo was not angry but sighed, and his tone softened slightly. "I really understand the Fourth Prince's intentions, but we should still leave now. Let A'da and A'er skirmish with the enemy troops to maintain our morale... If my leg weren't lame, I would definitely stay and skirmish with the enemy myself... But now is not the same as before, neither for me, nor for you, nor for the overall situation."

Wushu chuckled, not knowing whether it was disdain or self-deprecation.

But in any case, the usually vulgar Tuhesuo was not annoyed this time. Instead, he continued to plead earnestly, "Actually, I also have this anger in my heart, Fourth Prince. In these past two years, I have often regretted that I couldn't be on the battlefield during the Battle of Yaoshan. I have often wondered if I were on the battlefield, if I had led two or three thousand more soldiers, could I have pulled down that dragon *dù* in one fell swoop? Then the Guanshan region would have been entirely in our hands, and we would be besieging Tokyo right now?"

Wushu, who was looking at the allied forces in the distance, finally showed some emotion.

"But how can things in the world be taken for granted with just a breath of air?"

Tuhesuo took Wushu's hand and continued to shout sharply, "Was it useful or harmful to the Great Jin that Huonü couldn't swallow that breath of air? If you, this Fourth Prince, can't swallow this breath of air today and die here, will it be useful or harmful to the Great Jin? Fourth Prince, you are also a strategist. You should know that the topography of the Houtao region is a dead end for cavalry... You can see this from the performance of the Mongols before. We had the advantage, but they were defeated, and as a result, they had difficulty leaving. And now that the Song army's large number of infantry has arrived, they have the advantage in strength! If I were the commander of the Song army, knowing the internal situation of our army, I would definitely deploy my troops properly, with the infantry in the middle and the cavalry on the left and right, and majestically press over from west to east... What should we do then?"

Wushu didn't show anger or joy when he heard this, but whether it was an illusion or not, the look in his eyes as he looked at Tuhesuo actually carried a trace of pleading.

Seeing this, Tuhesuo's tone completely softened, "In any case, Fourth Prince, what we need to do now is to leave quickly, see Balisu, and also quickly order him to turn around and withdraw his troops, and then return to the main camp. We also need to quickly break camp, withdraw from this place surrounded by water on all sides, and then make plans! Fourth Prince, now is not the time to risk our lives! We shouldn't engage in a reckless battle!"

Wushu stared at Tuhesuo, and Tuhesuo also stared at Wushu. The two stared at each other for a moment, but as the cavalry in the distance got closer and closer, Wushu finally sighed to the sky.

In fact, how could this Fourth Prince not understand these principles? But it was precisely because he understood them that he was unwilling to retreat, because withdrawing from this place surrounded by water on all sides was truly equivalent to a complete retreat, which also meant that after being mobilized by the owner of that dragon *dù*, he had been constrained and passive in every way for several months, and had almost been played by the other party.

Even if he had been thinking about strategic contraction from the beginning, abandoning both ends and retreating to the traditional Hebei and Hedong regions, what was the difference between retreating on his own initiative and being chased back or forced back?

But what could he say?

Was Tuhesuo wrong?

In a sense, the matter was unsolvable, just like under Yaoshan, after he saw that dragon *dù* coming down from the mountain, he was helpless. This time, the appearance of this dragon *dù* in this place had already strategically suppressed him.

The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack his alliances, and the next best is to attack his army.

What the Zhao Song emperor had done this time was more like attacking plans and alliances, while Wanyan Wushu had not even thought about this level because he had chosen a conservative strategy from the beginning. Of course, if he had the ability and courage of Wanyan Loushi, he could have used attacking the army to counter attacking plans and alliances, but the problem was that he didn't.

With this thought, Wushu glanced at the crimson tide again and turned his horse to leave.

Tuhesuo immediately followed, while A'da and A'er exchanged glances, but instead turned over and mounted their horses. A'er hid slightly behind the side of the hill, while A'da raised the Five-Colored Sun-Bearing Flag and stood on the hill, unmoving.

Let's say that Zhao Jiu, of course, wouldn't care too much about small-scale battles in front, and even the specific results of this battle might not be sent to him.

After arriving here today, the Great Song army, which had originally contacted the Khitans and Mongols as reinforcements, didn't stop for a moment and immediately set off to join the three camps and allied forces. Then the emperor turned with the army to the south side of Wulahai City... That was where Yue Fei had chosen the main camp the previous day, and the Song army had already told the two Mongol armies in their letters that they were going to set up a camp between the two Mongol camps in order to join them and fight against the enemy together.

Of course, they certainly didn't wait for a reply before appearing directly behind them and operating directly, and it was clear that they wanted to control these two forces and further ensure their right to speak when facing the Khitan main force.

Leaving that aside, for some unknown reason, Zhao Emperor's dragon *dù* and the black bull *dù* and white bull *dù* that accompanied him on the left and right stopped halfway. The original plan to take the initiative and meet with the three allies in the Kerait camp was also changed... Now, the emperor was going to receive the three leaders in this wilderness, surrounded by his own army.

This seemed a bit arrogant.

But the accompanying generals certainly wouldn't question it. On the contrary, after receiving the imperial decree, the generals were excited and set off to invite the three.

Khurkhuz agreed directly. He didn't dare not agree, because his camp was very close to the Yellow River and exposed in the wilderness. The Song army's forward cavalry had rushed to the side of his camp as soon as they arrived. In this situation, he had to maintain his identity as an "ally."

Khabul Khan's performance was interesting. When the Song army first appeared, he was the farthest from the camp. He directly led his army out of the camp to avoid them, which meant that he would run away if he saw something was wrong.

But seeing that the Song army maintained sufficient friendliness, even providing him with some food and giving him some gifts, and knowing that as a chief of the Qiyan tribe and the khan elected by the eastern Mongol tribes, it would be difficult to escape easily in this place surrounded by water on all sides, and that he was, after all, the man who had pulled Wuqimai's beard, so he wasn't lacking in courage. After thinking for a moment, he actually agreed directly, and then wanted to come alone on horseback.

However, Yelu Dashi, who was closest, didn't leave the city immediately. He only sent Yelu Yudu and Zhao Heda to pay respects to the Zhao Song emperor.

Then the two of them were stopped by the Song army more than a hundred paces away from the dragon *dù*.

Then, more than a thousand Song armored cavalry, led by Qu Duan, the commander of the Imperial Guard cavalry army, went straight to Wulahai City and circled around the city, calling out Yelu Dashi's name... Of course, they were calling him Dashi Linya, still maintaining a certain respect.

"Let me go for you!"

On the city wall, listening to the noise of "The Emperor invites Dashi Linya to meet," Xiao Woli La whispered to his king.

"No need."

Yelu Dashi, who had been lying on the battlements, looking down at the Song army, for an entire noon and afternoon, suddenly smiled and stood up. "After all, he is the legitimate emperor of the Zhao Song, and the strongest army here. I should have left the city to pay my respects... In fact, if I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have easily crossed that place and come to the Houtao region after knowing that the land of Xingling had changed hands... At that time, we entrusted our lives to him, let alone now? Now he is also a reinforcement that we legitimately invited, and he is the one who saved our lives this time!"

As he spoke, at Yelu Dashi's signal, several personal guards stepped forward and began to help the lord of the Western Liao unarm on the city wall.

Xiao Woli La thought for a moment and sighed slightly, "I'm afraid that the other party is young and vigorous and wants to suppress you! The people here may not know that you have already declared yourself khan in the Western Regions. Even if they do know, they may pretend not to know. What if they ask you to submit as a subject then?"

"Yes, what should we do then?" Yelu Dashi, who was revealing his cloth robe inside his armor, suddenly changed his expression when he heard this. "But what should we do if we don't go?" As he said that, without waiting for Xiao Woli La to reply, Yelu Dashi turned around and went down the city, leaving only a light sentence. "This city is the key to the Houtao region after all. You stay and defend it!"

Xiao Woli La could only nod to his king's back.

On the other side, after coming down from the city, Yelu Dashi didn't call any extra personal guards or mobilize any troops. He only wore a cloth robe and carried a knife, and then mounted his horse and ordered the city gate to be opened.

When he came out of the city gate, the Song cavalry who were calling out Dashi Linya had stopped their horses long ago. At this time, they thought that an envoy had come out, but they all gathered around and directly shouted, "Where is Dashi Linya? Our Emperor invites you!"

Yelu Dashi immediately raised his head and laughed. After laughing, he calmly replied, "I am Yelu Dashi. Please lead the way!"

The surrounding Song cavalrymen were stunned for a moment and could only hurry to call Qu Duan. But a moment later, when Qu Duan arrived, he didn't expect that Yelu Dashi had already gone towards the dragon *dù* alone under the eyes of the Song cavalrymen... And they didn't dare to stop him at all.

Even Qu Duan could only sneer a few times, but he didn't pay any more attention to him.

In this way, after a whole afternoon, the sun had slightly changed color and dimmed, but the summer wind was still howling, bringing countless noisy voices. It was under these circumstances that Yelu Dashi came to the famous dragon *dù* on horseback.

Frankly speaking, since before the expedition, with those words from Yelu Yudu, he had already had a deep impression of this dragon *dù*.

But obviously, there was no particularly young nobleman under the dragon *dù*. Dashi turned his head and looked around, inquiring calmly. A member of the Emperor's personal guard pointed to a particularly tall tree by the road. There, there were indeed several circles of armored soldiers surrounding it.

Although there were trees in the Houtao region, they were still rare compared to the south, especially this tree, which was extremely tall and had been around for many years. Its canopy was like a pavilion... Therefore, Dashi didn't take it seriously. He only thought that this Zhao Song emperor was used to enjoying himself and was taking a rest there, or perhaps this tree had some charm that aroused the poetic inspiration of this emperor, who was said to be excellent at writing poems and lyrics.

But in any case, Dashi didn't bother to think too much. He simply dismounted and walked towards the tree.

However, when he reached the tree, he still didn't see any nobleman. The armored soldiers only pointed again. Only then did Yelu Dashi discover that there was still a marsh a hundred paces behind the tree. There, someone was busy, and outside the crowd, there seemed to be someone standing solemnly in gorgeous clothes.

Helpless, Dashi walked forward again. When he was dozens of paces away, he didn't see Khabul Khan, who was the farthest away. He only saw a slightly nervous Khurkhuz coming to meet him. He had obviously greeted the Zhao Song emperor and had been asked to leave when he saw Dashi arrive.

Khurkhuz bowed slightly to Yelu Dashi and nodded towards a figure in a cloth robe who was standing solemnly by the reed marsh. At the same time, several Han and *Fan* officials in gorgeous clothes saw this and knew who had arrived. Although they were surprised by the other party's attire, they still rushed up to say some polite words.

Yelu Dashi ignored these people and strode past them, then raised his voice and laughed, "The Zhao Emperor is thoughtful. He knows that the reeds here will be blooming soon and specially called Dashi over!"

Unexpectedly, the young man, that is, the Zhao Emperor, turned his head, sized up the person who had come, but slowly shook his head, "Dashi Linya is thinking too much. I stopped here without any extra thoughts. I just passed by and got off my horse to relieve myself. But I didn't expect to see dozens of floating corpses in the reeds, all dressed as Western Xia people. They should be the work of Dashi Linya's subordinates, but they have already rotted... I was afraid they would pollute the water and soil, so I stopped here to supervise the laborers to collect the corpses and bury them, and to clean up the marsh. As for these reeds, although they look the same as the reeds in Dashi Linya's hometown, they will be burned later."

Yelu Dashi, who was walking forward slowly, paused for a moment, but soon he stopped more than ten paces away from the other party, then put his hands behind his back and laughed again, "The Emperor is kind and benevolent. I heard that the Emperor believes in Buddhism?"

"Those bald donkeys should believe in Me!" Zhao Jiu also put his hands behind his back and looked at the other party, but his feet didn't move at all.

Dashi also didn't move, but repeatedly laughed, "The Zhao Emperor is indeed as he is rumored to be... completely unlike the previous Zhao Song emperors."

Zhao Jiu also smiled, "Dashi Linya rushed to Lanzhou and then went all the way north to here. Where did you have time to listen to my rumors? Relying only on Yelu Yudu and Zhao Heda? You must know that I am such a person that you can't see clearly without coming to Me in person."

Yelu Dashi still laughed, but after laughing, he drew his sword and walked forward under the attention and vigilance of Liu Yan and others, until he was two or three steps away from Zhao Jiu, then he stopped, first raising his head and carefully looking at this young emperor, and finally bowing respectfully:

"Liao and Song are brotherly countries. Dashi greets Your Majesty. Your Majesty controls the universe, manipulates the overall situation, and easily destroyed Western Xia. Dashi has not yet congratulated Your Majesty."

Zhao Jiu also finally took two steps forward and extended his hand. Next to the marsh where the corpses were being dug up, he squeezed the other party's hands and said sincerely, "I have known for a long time that Dashi Linya is a rare great hero and great hero in this world. I am honored to meet you today... And after defeating the Jurchens together, I will burn incense with Dashi Linya to worship heaven and earth, and re-establish the alliance between the two countries!"

Yelu Dashi raised his head and nodded happily.

On the other side, while Zhao Jiu held the hands of the person in front of him, he turned to look at an official in brocade clothes, "Zheng Qing, I want to use your fame to suppress the prestige of the Jurchens... Go see Wushu and tell him that thanks to his cooperation, I have destroyed Western Xia and brought 60,000 Imperial Guard troops from the Front Army, Middle Army, Left Army, Rear Army, and Cavalry Army, as well as 60,000 surrendered Tangut soldiers. After meeting Dashi Linya here, I have an allied army of nearly 200,000, and Western Xia has reserves that can supply us until the autumn harvest... As the saying goes, I have never heard of anyone with 200,000 troops fearing others, and as the saying goes, when you have a sharp blade in your hand, the desire to kill arises... Since I claim to have elite troops and sufficient food, no less than the Jurchen warriors, of course I will ask him to lead the Jurchen army to hunt with me in this place!"

The Korean scholar and international friend Zheng Zhichang felt nervous when he heard this, but after thinking about it, he felt suddenly enlightened, and immediately nodded heavily, then raised his head and puffed out his chest, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty like a dog or horse... But should we set a date for the hunt with the Jurchens?"

"There's no need to set a date." Zhao Jiu was still holding Dashi's hands