Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 139

Then your Taiyuan military governor, Tian Hu, also went on a rampage, expanding his army at an alarming rate! He quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of troops in Taiyuan. Youzhou and Taiyuan are both on the Song-Jin border; what are you Song people trying to do?

The former Liao generals who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty harbored deep hatred for the Song Dynasty. To them, the Jin Dynasty had at least defeated the Liao Dynasty by force in a fair and square manner.

As for the Song Dynasty, that thing couldn't beat me, so it resorted to all sorts of sneak attacks and backstabbing, and even tore up the Treaty of Chanyuan!

Therefore, all the surrendered Liao generals are saying that if the Song Dynasty can break the Treaty of Chanyuan, it will naturally break the Treaty of the Sea as well. Their previous breaches of the rules and their current active expansion of the army are proof of this! Your Majesty, you should make plans soon!

The Jin Meng'an Mouk troops, who had previously tasted the sweetness of victory, were naturally happy to continue fighting after a few years of recuperation.

Thus, in 1125 AD, the earth-shattering war drums resounded through the sky, the fragile alliance was completely shattered, and the Jin Dynasty officially declared war on the Song Dynasty.

Chapter 403: The Song-Jin Showdown on the Banks of the Baihe River

Herds of horses thundered in, and the deafening war drums resounded through the sky!

After Liu Hong had been laying out his plans in Shandong for a long time, the war between the Song and Jin dynasties broke out. Dai Zong, the chief of the Liangshan intelligence department, personally led his brothers and sisters in charge of reconnaissance, including Shi Qian the Drummer and Bai Sheng the White-Day Rat, to Youyun to observe the situation closely.

After the autumn harvest in 1125, Wanyan Aguda dispatched Wanyan Zongwang as commander-in-chief and Jin Wuzhu as deputy commander-in-chief, and assembled one hundred Meng'an to march south to attack Jin. Each Meng'an had a thousand strong men under their command, totaling an army of one hundred thousand.

Two years ago, the entire Jin dynasty had fewer than 100,000 people. But after the Jin dynasty devoured all of the Liao dynasty's core territories except for Youyan, and became the new Khan of the grasslands, after two years of recuperation, Wanyan Zongwang alone was able to lead 100,000 men out to kill.

In November, the Jin army broke through Juyong Pass in one fell swoop, crossed the Yanshan Mountains, and captured Tanzhou. Their military momentum was unstoppable! The entire Youyan region was filled with panic. Everyone advised Guo Yaoshi to rely on the strong defenses of Youzhou to stop the Jin army and use the urban warfare tactics that the Song Dynasty preferred to wear down the Jin.

Guo Yaoshi gave a bitter laugh. This tactic was quite useful, but he couldn't use it. The Song Dynasty had no popular support in Youyan. As a Liaodong native, his reputation in Youyan was even worse. This was a mixed area of ​​Han and non-Han people, with the main population being Han Chinese and Khitan cannibals.

His act of betraying the Liao Dynasty offended the cannibals of Youyan.

His move to bring over 300,000 people from various ethnic groups in Liaodong to rule Youzhou offended the other half of the Han Chinese in Youyan. If he were to defend the city himself, who knows how many people would try to betray him and take his life?

There's no other way, so let's have a field battle!

At Guo Yaoshi's command, he assembled the 350,000-strong ever-victorious army he had built up over the years and set off northward. The 350,000 Song troops and the 100,000 Jin troops finally met at Baihe, and war was about to break out!

The Baihe River, once a tranquil waterway, now seemed like an insignificant mark on the landscape. Its banks were now occupied by two colossal forces that had swallowed the horizon; a chilling aura froze the flowing water, and even the sky seemed to be lowered by this boundless army. As far as the Liangshan scouts could see, there was only a dense forest of spears and lances, and the iron helmets and armor stretching to the horizon reflected the cold, hard sunlight, as if an endless steel tundra had been laid across the earth.

The neighing of warhorses, the clanging of armor plates, and the whistling of banners blended into a deep and continuous rumble in the background, like the low roar of two prehistoric beasts before their confrontation, so oppressive that it made one's heart stop beating! Between these two beasts, the Baihe River became a thin and pitiful silver ribbon.

On the north bank was a 100,000-strong Jin army jointly commanded by Wanyan Zongwang, the second prince of the Jin dynasty and commander of the eastern army, and Wanyan Wuzhu, the fourth prince.

The dense cavalry deployed on both sides of the main army consisted of the newly conquered grassland tribes of the Great Jin Dynasty, including goblins riding dire wolves, green-skinned orcs riding war boars, half-goat satyrs riding fine horses, and ogre surrendered cavalry riding fanged beasts... as well as the Western Xia Kingdom, whose iron cavalry, bearing the destiny of the Tuoba Xianbei, and countless grassland races gathered together, totaling 50,000 cavalry, positioned on both sides of the central army.

The King of Western Xia even personally led the nation's most elite cavalry, the Iron Falcons, into battle. These centaurs, clad in heavy armor and wielding long spears, were unstoppable. They were half-human, half-horse monsters, killing machines perfectly fused from rider and mount.

At the center of the army stood a full 50,000 heavily armored infantrymen. Among them were the Khitan ogre iron guards, Han Chinese heavy infantry from Yunzhou, armored beastmen from Liaodong, frost trolls, and giant bear warriors… All of them wore terrifying, gleaming silver armor, with a 100% armor coverage rate. Some armor even bore the inscription “Forged by Master XXX of Kaifeng Prefecture.” They were all armed with spears, halberds, and giant axes, forming a formidable and imposing formation.

At the heart of the central army lay the true core strength of the Wanyan family: a full four thousand Wanyan tribe half-giants. While the ten-meter-tall frost giants were powerful, they were few in number. The Wanyan tribe primarily consisted of these two- to three-meter-tall half-giants, a weakened version of the frost giants, smaller in size but with a greater reproductive capacity. Clad in double layers of iron armor, they rode fine horses from the grasslands or northeastern regions, guarding the central army.

Surrounded by these four thousand heavy cavalry, there was also a cavalry unit of one thousand men!

Looking at Wanyan Zongwang's banner standing tall on the high platform in the center of the army formation, surrounded by heavily armored cavalry of Hezhameng'an, they stood out like iron towers among chickens. The central army directly under his command was the most core and elite force in the Jin army. Under the protection of four thousand Wanyan heavy cavalry, the discipline of their formation had reached an incredibly exaggerated level.

These thousand and a half giants were the elite of the Jurchen, the personal guard of the Wanyan family. They rode weakened versions of white dragons—tigers as large as tigers, pale land dragons without wings. Even more terrifying was that these half giants wore three layers of Liao-Song iron armor: an innermost layer of thin, close-fitting cotton armor, a middle layer of chainmail, and an outermost layer of lamellar armor. Their defense was pushed to the limit.

The land dragons they rode were also covered in a thick layer of lamellar armor, a defense made of steel and dragon scales that even the divine crossbow could not penetrate!

These human and dragon-armored land-based dragon riders, resembling mobile iron towers, were the Wanyan Imperial Guards, fearfully known as the "Iron Pagoda" by the Song Dynasty.

Wanyan Zongwang suddenly pulled out a full thousand men, including one Meng'an and nine Mouke, a total of ten commanders. All ten were frost giants, ten meters tall and wearing giant iron armor. Their enormous size meant they could not ride land dragons that were only the size of tigers.

Therefore, these ten giants rode ten armored mammoths. Their thick fur, combined with their icy iron armor, made these ancient behemoths even more defensive than dragons.

A thousand armored cavalrymen, the Ironclad Cavalry, surrounded ten equally armored ancient mammoths and frost giants, forming one of the most core and devastating cavalry forces of the Great Jin Dynasty: the Ironclad Cavalry.

In the sky, the white dragons from the Wanyan Loushi tribe, which had already been annexed by the Wanyan tribe, also joined the war. At this moment, there were ten white dragons of youth level, letting out deafening and terrifying roars in the sky! The entire sky collapsed and froze under their wings.

On the opposite bank of the Baihe River, the most chilling aspect is that the core composition of the armies on both sides is exactly the same! Both are Jurchen warriors originating from the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River region, sharing the same bloodline, the same tactics, the same language, and the same belief in power and conquest. They use similar weapons, wear identical armor, and may even share the same battle cries!

The main component of Guo Yaoshi's army was the Jurchen people, namely the Jurchen tribes who had been assimilated by the Liao civilization. Guo Yaoshi's 300,000-strong Xiang Army consisted entirely of Han Chinese from the Yan region, or cannibals.

For many years, his core victorious army of 50,000 men were all from Liaodong.

With a wave of his hand, Guo Yaoshi deployed 100,000 Han Chinese soldiers on the left flank, 100,000 cannibal soldiers on the right flank, and the most elite soldiers, a mix of Han Chinese and cannibals, in the center.

His 50,000 ever-victorious troops in Liaodong were all deployed in the vanguard of the central army, the most elite spearhead of the charge.

Among them were a full 20,000 berserk beastmen who could transform into tigers, leopards, and bears, greatly amplifying their strength and size. Their burly bodies were clad in two layers of armor, and they wielded spears, giant axes, and crossbows. They served as heavy infantry, advancing to maintain their formation and prevent it from collapsing.

Among these 20,000 Liaodong heavy infantry were also a full 10,000 mixed monster infantrymen of ogres and trolls. They too wore two layers of armor and wielded three-meter-long giant axes, hammers, and clubs. As the vanguard unit in the infantry formation, they were used to tear apart the enemy's infantry defenses.

Following these 30,000 Ever Victorious Army infantrymen were 20,000 Ever Victorious Army cavalrymen.

Ten thousand of them were even Liao Dynasty's Mourning Beast Cavalry who had fled with Guo Yaoshi.

Ten thousand of them were Bohai people who were half-human and half-silver dragon. These dragon descendants looked very similar to humans, but they had dragon horns on their heads, dragon scales on their bodies, and were incredibly strong. They were the Bohai orphans who had once given the Tang Dynasty and the Khitan a headache. They rode ten thousand half-dragon beasts that had been born from the crossbreeding of silver dragons with tigers, horses, deer and other wild animals for countless years. These ten thousand people were the absolute core of Guo Yaoshi.

Guo Yaoshi spread his wings and soared in the sky. As an adult silver dragon, he was twice the size of the ten young white dragons on the other side. Behind him were also nine young silver dragons—the last survivors of the Liaodong Bohai Kingdom.

Two equally terrifying and massive armies, like two mountains about to collide, could turn the banks of the White River into a bloody millstone that would devour hundreds of thousands of lives with just a spark!

Chapter 404: Two Dragons Battle in the Sky

"Woo——"

Amidst the deafening sound of horns, ten giant dragons from each side flapped their wings, which resembled clouds hanging from the sky, and soared through the heavens. During the long war between the Liao and Jin dynasties, both sides realized the importance of air superiority. Whoever gained air superiority could observe the entire formation of the enemy from a high vantage point in the sky, and would have the opportunity to bypass all enemy ground defenses and directly attack the commander's flag.

Therefore, whoever gains air superiority will win the smile of victory!

North of the White River, the White Dragon of the Great Jin Dynasty has a ferocious and violent face, a powerful and strong body, and huge muscles piled together like small mountains, covered with a layer of pale leathery dragon scales, showing its unbridled violent aesthetics. It looks ferocious and cunning.

The Bohai Silver Dragons, however, are less ferocious and savage, but more agile and sharp! Their slender bodies flow with a mercury-like luster, and their silver-cast scales are as fine as meticulously crafted chainmail, with edges shimmering with the sharp silver light unique to mithril.

Ten against ten! The vast sky instantly transformed into the most primal and violent battleground. Both dragons unleashed frost breaths that blotted out the sky, not to kill, but simply to obscure the opponent's vision with the frost torrents. The exploding ice fragments and dissipating energy streams poured down like hail and silver rain!

Under the cover of the blizzard, enormous dragon claws tore through the clouds, grabbing at each other's vitals. The clanging sound of dragon claws colliding with dragon scales was like the hammer of a celestial forging machine. Each fierce impact was accompanied by dazzling ice shards and fine silver scales scattering all over the sky! Bloodstained broken scales and shattered ice shards fell from the sky like a rain of death.

On the ground, the Song and Jin armies watched in awe as the duel in the sky took place. Twenty enormous dragon bodies flew, swooped, spun, and fought at high speed! Sometimes they intertwined like tangled lightning bolts, their scales sparking with dazzling sparks and wailing as they rubbed against each other. At other times, they separated, stretched their necks and roared, waiting for the opportunity to launch the next devastating charge.

In the deadly battle between the dragons, Guo Yaoshi stood out exceptionally. He dodged a sweeping ice claw with incredible speed and slithered up the body of a white dragon like a python! Four sharp dragon claws gripped the white dragon's scales tightly, while its huge mouth, filled with sharp teeth, bit down hard on the back of the white dragon's neck.

The white dragon struggled frantically, and for a moment, ice shards and blood gushed out simultaneously. Finally, amidst the teeth-grinding sound of bones shattering, its head was forcibly twisted off by Guo Yaoshi! The enormous headless dragon corpse spun and fell to the ground, the dust it kicked up flying dozens of meters into the sky.

In Guo Yaoshi's furious offensive, one Bailong was killed and nine were wounded. The remaining Bailongs were no match for Guo Yaoshi and retreated, relinquishing air superiority to him. Guo Yaoshi flew over the Baihe River and glanced at the Jin army's formation. It was a simple, traditional three-army deployment, with Wanyan Zongwang's command flag in the center!

Seeing this, he immediately ordered the entire army to cross the river! One after another, silver dragons swooped down, freezing the Baihe River with their icy breath. Then, the 50,000 Ever Victorious Army, as the spearhead, were the first to cross the river and rush straight towards the Jin army's central camp. The 300,000 Youyan Xiang Army followed closely behind, crossing the Baihe River one after another and launching a charge towards the Jin army's formation!

Military orders were absolute, and war drums thundered. Two armies, sharing the same bloodline and strikingly similar in appearance, clashed like two torrents of steel and flesh! The clang of metal, the shouts of soldiers, the muffled thuds of cracking bones—the sounds were as dense as a torrential downpour. From the very beginning, the battle descended into the most brutal close-quarters combat! There was no probing, no holding back, only the most primal, furious desire to kill, for both sides knew each other's tactics and weaknesses intimately, their fighting techniques identical!

With the same tactics and a deadly familiarity, the Jurchens were extremely adept at infantry and cavalry coordination, and were skilled in wolf pack-like encirclement and assault tactics as well as decapitation strikes.

The problem is that Guo Yaoshi was a Liaodong native, and also a Jurchen, just a Liaodong-influenced Jurchen.

In each local battle, a Jin cavalry unit would launch a decapitation charge only to be intercepted by the Ever-Victorious Army's cavalry. All sorts of flanking maneuvers were anticipated and neutralized. The volley of crossbow bolts, learned by the Jurchens from the Song Dynasty, was countered by the shield formations learned by the Jurchens from the Liao Dynasty. The various common tactics of the Liao, Song, Jin, and Western Xia dynasties were all vividly displayed in the Battle of Baihe.

The battle became a game of anticipating and countering each other's tactics, and every successful kill stemmed from both sides' ultimate understanding of themselves!

When neither side could break the other's tactics, the battle turned into an extremely brutal physical confrontation. At the forefront of the Jin army was the beastman legion. One by one, humans instantly transformed into thick-skinned bearmen wearing double layers of iron armor, wielding maces and roaring as they charged forward, trying to tear apart the Song army's battle lines.

Meanwhile, the Song army also dispatched its own tough, double-armored, beast-like bear-men to launch a head-on attack on the Jin army's assault force! Thousands of giant bears clad in double-armored armor clashed fiercely along a two-hundred-meter-long battle line, neither able to break through the other's lines! In the end, when their double-armored armor was stained crimson with blood, they could hardly distinguish friend from foe!

Wanyan Zongwang frowned slightly and once again unleashed a massive snowfall spell, causing a terrifying blizzard to engulf the entire battlefield. However, the enemy was neither the Liao Dynasty's firearms force, which would be rendered useless in a blizzard, nor the Song army, which had never experienced extreme cold. Instead, it was the Liaodong people, who were extremely familiar with the cold. Their fighting power was not diminished at all, just like the Jin people. In fact, they were even more ferocious in the blizzard, killing even more fiercely!

Moreover, Guo Yaoshi personally defeated the Jin's air force. The ten silver dragons could soar over the battlefield, seeing all of the Jin's strategic deployments clearly. They could even use frost dragon breath to support the battlefield, making full use of their air superiority. In terms of troop deployment, they were one step ahead of the Jin.

An hour after the battle began, the 50,000 Ever Victorious Army, which had even overwhelmed the 50,000-strong Jin central army, began to slowly retreat.

Chapter 405: Guo Yaoshi's Unparalleled Battle Formation

"This Pharmacist Guo is quite formidable. I believe his ability to lead troops and fight battles is no less than yours or mine. The fighting power of his Ever Victorious Army is on par with our Great Jin Warriors."

Seeing how valiant Guo Yaoshi and the Ever Victorious Army were, Wanyan Zongwang frowned. Looking at the silver dragon raging in the sky, he felt a sense of unease.

"Second brother, I think this person cannot be fought head-on; we must outsmart him."

Seeing Guo Yaoshi's bravery, Jin Wuzhu felt a little uneasy. Then, his eyes lit up and a plan came to mind.

"You've always liked things from the South since you were a child. After conquering the Liao Dynasty, you collected a bunch of Liao and Song books. Civil official, what's this? Now you're starting to use the schemes and tricks of the Southerners?"

Wanyan Zongwang looked at his fourth brother, somewhat speechless.

"Whether it's a head-on defeat or a backstab, as long as we win, why worry so much! In terms of bravery, I am indeed the weakest among my brothers and sisters, but in terms of strategy, second brother, none of you are as good as me."

Jin Wuzhu acknowledged his shortcomings as well as his strengths.

"I need your help, Second Brother, to hold off Guo Yaoshi on the front lines for an hour. After an hour, I will definitely throw the Ever Victorious Army into chaos!"

"Alright, go ahead. With Second Brother on the front lines, Pharmacist Guo can't cause any trouble!"

Wanyan Zongwang snorted coldly and sent Jin Wuzhu to cause trouble. Then, seeing that he was in such a disadvantageous position, he directly dispatched his own troops, leading the most elite Ironclad Cavalry to slaughter into the front line!

Amidst the deafening roar of hooves, the Ironclad Cavalry slowly pressed down like a moving steel wall, the earth trembling beneath their dragon claws and hooves! These heavily armored cavalrymen, both men and horses, were covered in iron armor, gleaming coldly in the blazing sun, like metal behemoths emerging from hell!

The Ever-Victorious Army's vanguard, exhausted from several battles, fired hastily, their arrows bouncing off their triple armor, barely causing any damage! The continuous spear formation was easily crushed into dust by the Ironclad Cavalry upon contact! This torrent of armor shattered shields, snapped spears, and crushed bones with sheer brute force! Long spears thrust forward, turning into skewers of flesh, and spiked clubs kicked up clouds of blood. The battlefield was filled with the sickening sounds of metal tearing, flesh ripping, and desperate cries as the exhausted Ever-Victorious Army vanguard was crushed by the Ironclad Cavalry's hammer blows!

Even more terrifying was the sight of five Frost Giants, riding five ancient, armored mammoths, serving as the spearhead of the Ironclad Cavalry's charge. Their iron-clad hooves mercilessly crushed the fallen, thick blood and shards of armor splattering between them. The surviving soldiers watched in horror as their comrades were trampled into a bloody pulp, their hearts nearly breaking, yet they could not escape the deadly arcs of the mammoths' trunks and tusks sweeping across them! With a mere flick of their heads, a mammoth could send thirty or forty men flying like leaves!

Meanwhile, the frost giant riders on the elephant's back pulled out boulders as large as carts from their bags and hurled them at the densest part of the crowd! Bombardment! Where the boulders were thrown, flesh and blood flew everywhere, severed limbs littered the ground, and screams of agony filled the air!

Seeing that Wanyan Zongwang had brought out the Ironclad Cavalry, Guo Yaoshi had no choice but to order the Silver Dragon to abandon its aerial advantage and descend to the ground to fight the mammoths. Using a giant beast against a giant beast, and using its massive size to stop the mammoths from continuing to charge, trample, and destroy their formation.

Just then, a young silver dragon landed and before it could even adjust its posture, a mammoth roared and charged! The earth shook, bells jingled, and the mammoth's trunk, like a giant python, coiled around the silver dragon's neck, violently pulling its body upwards. Its two enormous tusks, propelled by the charge, pierced deep into the silver dragon's shoulders! The tusks entered through its belly and emerged through its back, piercing it completely! Amidst a chilling scream, shattered scales mixed with dragon blood splattered everywhere!

"Die, you lizard!!!"

Meanwhile, the frost giant rider on the elephant's back laughed and swung a ten-meter-long giant decapitation axe. The first blow shattered silver scales, the second spurted blood and flesh, and the third cracked the skull. In just three blows, he chopped off the head of a young silver dragon!

Guo Yaoshi also suffered the same attack. He was facing Meng An, the highest commander of the Jin army's thousand iron pagodas. As soon as he landed, he was choked by the trunk of a mammoth. Fortunately, the scales of his adult silver dragon were too strong. The tusks that charged at him could not penetrate the defense. They only hit his chest and shattered two of the dragon scales.

However, the Ironclad Monk Meng'an was the grandson of Wanyan Aguda, the third generation of the Jurchens, and was extremely brave. He directly swung a palace pillar as a weapon and smashed it hard on Guo Yaoshi's head, causing him to bleed from all seven orifices and his skin to be torn open!

Despite suffering such devastating damage, Guo Yaoshi remained as immovable as a mountain. His dragon roar continued unabated, like the rising tide of a vast ocean, endless and continuous. Waves of sound transformed into tangible energy impacts, converging into towering waves that surged forth! This instantly forced the man and the elephant to retreat repeatedly, causing them to bleed from their mouths and noses!

"This dragon also possesses the skills of a bard!"

The Jin soldier Meng'an was so shocked by the sonic wave that he vomited blood. Before he could react, Guo Yaoshi grabbed the elephant's trunk that was locking his throat with one claw, and with the other claw, he swiftly severed the trunk! Blood splattered everywhere, and the cries of elephants echoed across the field.

Guo Yaoshi twisted his waist sharply, his dragon claws whipping up the mangled elephant trunk like a giant whip, lashing it hard against Meng An with a whooshing sound! Before Meng An could react, he swiftly turned again, his thick dragon tail like a second steel whip, tearing through the air in quick succession! "Crack! Crack!" Two loud explosions mixed with bursts of blood mist, and the Jin soldier Meng An was sent flying off the elephant's back by these consecutive heavy blows!

Then, he discarded the severed nose as if it were trash, and his dragon claws, like iron pincers, seized the mammoth's massive tusks! With two deafening cracks, he used unparalleled brute force to snap those proud symbols in two! The next instant, his arms moved like lightning; one broken tusk, with immense force, pierced the mammoth's skull; the other transformed into a blood-red spear, instantly piercing the giant's chest! Using the enemy's most precious remains as weapons, he completed this brutal execution in the most primal and bloody way!

Seeing their commander so valiant, the Ever Victorious Army's morale was also ignited, and they launched a fierce counter-charge, engaging in a fierce battle with the Great Golden Iron Pagoda, holding their own!

In 1125, the Song army fought against the Iron Pagoda in a frontal, open-field battle, and did not collapse! They even forced Wanyan Zongwang to lead his army to retreat and avoid their sharp edge.

Chapter 406: Jin Wuzhu Manipulates People's Hearts

Seeing that he had the upper hand, Guo Yaoshi immediately ordered the 150,000-strong central army to continue advancing! Target: Wanyan Zongwang's banner!

Not only that, he also ordered two generals, Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren, the two "silver dragons" of Liaodong, to lead 100,000 Han Chinese and 100,000 Khitans respectively to protect his flanks. "You don't need to achieve any great victories. Just protect my flanks and make sure I'm not disturbed by enemy forces on both sides before I break through Wanyan Zongwang's central army."

But that's where the problem lies.

Seeing the might of the Ever Victorious Army's central force and the invincible Guo Yaoshi himself, Jin Wuzhu was unwilling to engage in a direct confrontation. Instead, he attempted to break through on the left and right flanks. When he saw the Yan and Khitan people on Guo Yaoshi's flanks, he already sensed something was wrong.

To save himself, Guo the Pharmacist first betrayed the Liao Dynasty, and then sold out 300,000 Yan people. That was truly outrageous.

So why would these 200,000 Yan and Liao people be willing to fight against you?

With his eyes slightly closed, Jin Wuzhu used his demonic power to directly peer into the mind of Zhang Linghui, the commander of 100,000 Yan people, from a distance of over a thousand meters. He then spoke to Zhang Linghui in a demonic whisper. The others in the Great Jin Dynasty were unaware of what had happened in the south and disdained to know.

Jin Wuzhu was an anomaly among the Jurchens. He greatly admired the knowledge and culture of the Liao and Song people, taking over a large number of Liao civil officials and, incidentally, a portion of the Liao's intelligence system. Therefore, while other Jurchens were unaware of what was happening in the south, Jin Wuzhu knew everything perfectly well.

"General Zhang, you've worked hard."

Jin Wuzhu's words were as sweet and terrifying as honey. Upon hearing them, Zhang Linghui suddenly drew his sword and looked around, but he could only see the 100,000 Han people under his command. He had no idea where the voice was coming from.

"No need to look, for I am the desire in your heart, I exist only in your heart. All these years, why have you risked your lives on the front lines to guard the borders for the Song Dynasty, but how has the Song Dynasty treated you? The emperor is constantly suspicious of you, and the ministers have heavily criticized you! Do you know why?"

"Why, why?"

Zhang Linghui asked tremblingly, unknowingly falling into Jin Wuzhu's trap. Under Jin Wuzhu's demonic power, the negative emotions in his heart were amplified hundreds or thousands of times.

"Because there is only so much power. If you Liaodong people have more, then the power in the hands of treacherous officials like Cai Jing and Gao Qiu will be less. The better you fight, the closer you are to death. This war will only have two outcomes. If you defeat the Jin, then you will have no further use. Once the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog will be cooked."

If you lose, Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, and the like will surely take advantage of your misfortune and utterly destroy you! I've heard they're currently cultivating Tian Hu in Taiyuan, trying to replace you? Wake up! You Liaodong people! You are not trusted by the Southerners at all! Regardless of victory or defeat, you are already in a dead end.”

"Your bloody battles, in the eyes of the emperor and those treacherous officials, are nothing more than tools to consolidate their power. They are currently in their warm chambers in Bianjing, holding your victory reports, laughing and calculating how to divide this blood-stained glory, or kicking you aside afterward, or even fabricating charges against you to eliminate any future trouble!!!"

Zhang Linghui was already living in fear and anxiety due to the constant accusations and reports from the court, as well as the emperor's distrust. Jin Wuzhu's words directly tore open the deepest wound in his heart.

“A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. General, you are a hero of our time. Why not join me in building an empire? We are all from Liaodong, of the same clan and lineage. It’s just that we choose to live in the deep mountains and forests, while you live in the cities of Liao. We are the true compatriots!”