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On the other hand, General of the Jin Kingdom Wobuli was also leading an army of over a hundred thousand troops towards his main camp.
Wobuli felt somewhat embarrassed. He had thought that with his ten or so thousand soldiers, he could easily defeat the soldiers of the Great Song, who were merely old and weak individuals, easily conquerable.
It was truly laughable to find himself in such a disgraceful retreat!
The Jin Army split into two routes, with the western army and the eastern army. He himself was the Marshal of the eastern army, commanding over a hundred thousand troops heading south!
Zhan Han led several tens of thousands of the Western Route Army but was halted at Taiyuan, engaged in a fierce battle with Wang Bin's tens of thousands, unable to advance south.
The Song State did not appear as weak as it seemed; it was merely a sleeping lion that would eventually be conquered.
He cursed inwardly: "The Song State has a Prince in my camp; when I return, I will ensure he meets a terrible fate. And that Zhang Bangyan will also pay for my grievances."
His large fists were clenched tightly, displaying a desire for revenge.
The tens of thousands of troops behind him were in a state of panic, fleeing quickly, fearing that the Western Route Army would catch up and lead to a gruesome death!
The Western Route Army was stationed to the west of the Great Song and was its elite force. They had been fighting against the Western Xia Cavalry for years and were extremely formidable, maintaining strong combat effectiveness that even made Western Xia wary and reluctant to advance.
The Jin soldiers had certainly heard of the prowess of the Western Route Army; they had witnessed it in battle just moments ago and knew it was best to leave quickly!
In a large white tent nearby, a fat man paced back and forth anxiously like an ant on a hot pan, unable to settle down.
Another man, around twenty years old, had a fair complexion but exuded an air of heroism, remaining calm and composed.
Prince Zhao Gou observed Zhang Bangchang's fearful demeanor and found it quite enough; he insisted on pacing around his tent.
He placed his right hand on the teapot and poured himself a cup of hot tea, drinking it down eagerly.
Zhang Bangyan looked anxious, his face full of wrinkles as he paced restlessly in front of him.
He said, "Prince Kang Zhao Gou, Wobuli has brought over a hundred thousand troops to Tokyo City again. How can you remain so calm? We won't live long at this rate!"
"Last time, Yao Zhongping's raid failed, and thirty thousand elite troops from the Western Route Army were completely annihilated. When we arrived at the Jin Army Camp, Wobuli threatened to kill us. I kept pushing the blame onto Li Gang and his men, and they let us go. What will happen this time?"
Prince Zhao Gou remained calm, finishing his cup of hot tea and looking at him with a slight smile.
"Lord Zhang, why are you so afraid? We've been at the Golden Army Camp for several days now. If he wanted to kill us, he would have done so by now. There's no need for such fear."
Zhang Bangyan was still uneasy; he had over a dozen family members, a wife and many children, and he did not want to die!
"Qin Emperor, why did you send me to the Jin Army Camp again? Isn't this trying to get me killed?"
He continued, "Prince Kang Zhao Gou, we can't say that. Last time I clung stubbornly to the situation, which is why Wobuli let us go. If he brings his troops again and is defeated this time, out of anger and humiliation, might he not kill us to vent his frustration?"
A look of surprise appeared on Zhao Gou's face; it seemed possible.
He laughed and said, "Lord Zhang, ever since I came to the Jin Army Camp, I have intended to sacrifice myself for the country. I have no plans to return alive; I'm not afraid of the Jin people—just a bunch of ungrateful fellows."
"In the past, when our two nations were allied, I provided them with silver troops to help them raise an army and defeat the Liao Dynasty, intending to reclaim Yan Yun Sixteen Prefectures. But what did they do? They invaded our Great Song with their armies."
"Even if I can't take up arms against the Jin people, sacrificing myself for the negotiation between our two nations would still be worthwhile!"
Zhang Bangyan looked astonished; it was surprising that a prince from the Song State could possess such spirit. He had truly underestimated him; Prince Kang Zhao Gou was no less than the emperor!
Those princes in their twenties are mostly indulging in pleasure, with little use, and they dare not come to the Jin Camp for negotiations.
A hint of a smile appeared on his face, accompanied by a bit more respect.
He said, "Prince Kang Zhao Gou, we are currently at the Golden Army Camp. Under this roof, we must bow our heads; living is better than dying. You have a family now, so why not cherish your beautiful wife?"
"If Wobuli returns and is furious, you must cooperate with me, Minister! We should plead for mercy together to save our lives; otherwise, that old family will be finished."
Zhao Gou softened at this, thinking of his young and beautiful wife; he felt a pang of reluctance and nodded in agreement.
After a while, Wobuli burst into their large tent, furious and looking as if he wanted to kill them.
Several generals in Golden Armor followed him, each drawing out their large curved blades, the white gleam blinding and filled with murderous intent.
Zhang Bangchang was greatly frightened; he thought similarly that they had been obstructed in Tokyo City and had returned to vent their anger on them.
Seeing Wobuli was like seeing an ancestor; he immediately knelt down and bowed his head in apology.
Tears streamed down his face as he thought he was about to be killed, lying on the ground in agony while still explaining that it was not his fault.
Prince Zhao Gou looked on coldly, remaining seated without acknowledging them; it was truly too arrogant.
Initially, he wanted to follow Zhang Bangchang's example and bow to them in apology, pleading for Wobuli to spare him.
But seeing their arrogant demeanor made it hard for him to swallow that humiliation. How could a man from the Great Song be inferior to them? Why should he apologize when they were the ones attacking them?
He blamed those useless civil officials and some incompetent soldiers who couldn't stop them when they were so close to Tokyo!
"Wobuli looked at them with disdain and said, 'Aren't you from the Great Song here to negotiate? Why are you meeting the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom with weapons? We only brought our troops to greet you at the city gates, and they shot arrows and killed people. What do you think we should do?'
'If you don't provide a satisfactory answer, both of you will lose your heads and have them thrown outside the main tent.'
The generals wielded their curved sabers, eager for action, their faces fierce and ready to kill!
Zhang Bangchang cried bitterly, feeling very sad and scared. If he were killed, what would happen to his family?
He said, 'Wobuli, Grand Marshal, that was all done by Li Gang and others; it has nothing to do with us. I ask you to spare us! Let us return to the court, and we will immediately impeach them!'
He sobbed on the ground, even grabbing Zhao Gou's pant leg, hoping he would speak up for him to save his life.
Zhao Gou looked on in anger. The Jin Kingdom was so rude; they were no different from beasts. They clearly came to attack the city but pretended to be polite. It was utterly shameless!
If they didn't attack them, the Great Song would truly perish; that would be extremely ridiculous!
'Wobuli, Marshal, I represent Emperor of the Great Song in this negotiation. Do you come with knives to meet me in courtesy?'
'I would rather die than be humiliated. If you really want to kill me, then go ahead and do it. Don't make so many excuses; I, Prince Zhao Gou, am not afraid of death!'
Zhang Bangchang was stunned and stopped grabbing his pant leg. He felt that they had completely angered the General of the Jin Kingdom and were doomed, collapsing onto the ground!
Wobuli looked at him in surprise, feeling a hint of admiration. Is this really a Song person? Willing to die rather than yield; he truly has the spirit of my Golden Warriors.
The royal family of the Great Song still has such principled men. I have heard that those princes are all idle and indulgent, ignoring state affairs. I have never heard of someone like Prince Zhao Gou.
Could it be that this person is a false prince? An imposter pretending to be a prince for negotiation, merely a minister of the court who is destined to die for someone else."
A general glared angrily, a butcher who could kill without blinking, swinging his knife forward.
He shouted, "Song Wang, die! How dare you be disrespectful to Marshal? Watch me slaughter you."
Zhao Gou remained calm, his expression unchanged; sacrificing himself for the country was enough!
Wobuli shouted, "Stop! You better stop right now, or you won't get away with this!"
The general had no choice but to retract his curved knife, coming within just a few centimeters of Zhao Gou before stepping back reluctantly.
At this moment, Zhao Gou felt a bit panicked, not understanding why Wobuli hated him so much and why he didn't let his subordinate kill him.
Wobuli revealed a rare smile, looking at him with admiration.
The Jin people admired strong warriors who were unafraid of death and also respected those with strategic talents.
"Are you really Prince Zhao Gou of Song State? How come I have never heard of your name before?"
Zhao Gou was taken aback for a moment. Although he was somewhat confused, he still replied, "I am Prince Zhao Gou. My name hasn't changed; if you want to kill me, then do it. Stop with the nonsense."
Wobuli burst into laughter, turning away as he walked toward the outside of the tent.
When this "Prince Kang Zhao Gou" entered the Golden Army Camp, he felt something was off. How could a young man in his twenties be so mature and composed, displaying extraordinary courage without a hint of fear?
It seemed he truly was an official of the Song State court, pretending to be a prince to negotiate. He was both brave and clever, genuinely intending to facilitate the negotiation.
Having seen emperors and some princes of the Song Dynasty, none possessed such spirit; they were quite timid and determined that he was not a true prince.
Wobuli is not only a brave general but also a strategic Marshal, deeply versed in military tactics and keenly observant of people.
However, even these extremely intelligent individuals can make mistakes, and this time it was one of those instances.
The Generals around him also did not understand what was going on.
How could Zhao Gou be so rude, yet the Marshal actually spared him? In the past, he was quite brutal, and they could only follow him out, not daring to speak freely.
Zhao Gou looked surprised and somewhat flustered. He truly could not comprehend these arrogant Jin people; just moments ago, they were exuding a heavy murderous aura, and now they were all walking out one by one.
Were they really intimidated by their own principles? Tall and imposing, yet cowardly? That didn't seem right!
Zhang Bangchang, who was slumped on the ground, also regained his senses and prepared himself for death. To his surprise, he was not killed; he was genuinely overjoyed.
With a beaming smile, he attributed it all to his Prince and quickly began to flatter him.
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