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On the other hand, General Wobuli of the Jin Kingdom 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 that could be easily overcome.
It was truly laughable to find himself in such a disgraceful retreat!
The Jin Army was divided into two routes, with the western army and the eastern army. He was the Marshal of the eastern army, commanding over a hundred thousand troops heading south!
Zhan Han led several tens of thousands of men from the Western Route Army but was halted at Taiyuan, engaged in a bitter struggle with Wang Bin's tens of thousands, unable to advance south.
The Song State did not appear as weak as it seemed; it was like 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 must also pay for my grievances."
His large fists were clenched tightly, exuding 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 meet a gruesome end!
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, reluctant to advance lightly.
Of course, the Jin soldiers had heard of the Western Route Army's prowess and had witnessed it firsthand in battle; it was best to leave quickly!
In a large white tent about twenty paces away, 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 and remained calm and composed.
Prince Zhao Gou observed Zhang Bangchang's fearful demeanor and found it quite enough; he insisted on pacing around his main tent.
He placed his right hand on the teapot, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and drank it eagerly.
Zhang Bangyan looked anxious, his face full of wrinkles as he paced nervously 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 much longer!"
"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 he let us go. What will happen this time?"
Prince Zhao Gou remained calm, finishing his cup of hot tea with a slight smile directed at him.
"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 acted long ago. There's no need for such fear."
Zhang Bangchang was still uneasy; he had over ten family members to worry about—his wife and children—he didn't 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 on stubbornly, which is why Wobuli let us go. If he brings his troops again and is defeated this time, in a fit of rage, might he not kill us to vent his anger?"
A hint of surprise appeared on Zhao Gou's face; it seemed possible.
He laughed and said, "Lord Zhang, since I came to the Jin Army Camp, I planned to sacrifice myself for the country. I have no intention of returning alive. I'm not afraid of the Jurchens; they're just a bunch of ungrateful fellows."
"In the past, when our two countries were allied, Great Song provided them with silver and helped them raise troops to defeat the Liao Dynasty with the intention of reclaiming Yan Yun Sixteen Prefectures. But what did they do? They invaded Great Song with their armies."
"Even if I can't take up arms against the Jurchens, sacrificing myself for the negotiation between our two countries would still be worthwhile!"
Zhang Bangchang looked astonished; he never expected 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 don't dare to come to 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 lower our heads; living is better than dying. You have also started a family, so why not cherish your beautiful wife?"
"If Wobuli returns and gets angry, you must cooperate with me, Minister! Let's 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, feeling somewhat reluctant. He 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 knives, the white gleam blinding and filled with murderous intent.
Zhang Bangchang was greatly frightened; he thought the same as himself—having been obstructed in Tokyo City, Wobuli had returned to vent his anger on them.
Seeing him was like seeing an ancestor; he immediately knelt down and began to kowtow in apology.
Tears streamed down his face as he thought he was about to be killed, lying on the ground in pain while still explaining that it had nothing to do with him.
Prince Zhao Gou looked on coldly, remaining seated in his chair and ignoring them; it was truly too arrogant.
He originally wanted to follow Zhang Bangchang's example and bow to them in apology, pleading for Wobuli to spare him.
But looking at their arrogant demeanor, he simply couldn't swallow that anger. How could a man of Great Song be inferior to them? Why should he apologize when they were the ones attacking them?
It was all the fault of 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 for a negotiation? Why are you meeting the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom with weapons? We only came 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 today and have them thrown outside the main tent.'
The generals wielded their curved sabers, eager to strike, their faces fierce and ready to kill!
Zhang Bangchang cried with a runny nose, feeling very sad and scared. If he was killed, what would happen to his family?
He said, 'Wobuli, Grand Marshal, that was all done by Li Gang and the others; it has nothing to do with us. I beg you, Marshal, spare us this time! Let us return to the court, and we will immediately impeach them!'
He cried miserably on the ground and even grabbed Zhao Gou's pant leg, hoping he would speak up for him to save his life.
Zhao Gou looked at him with anger. The Jin Kingdom was so rude; they were no different from beasts. They clearly came to attack the city but pretended to greet them. It was utterly shameless!
If they didn't attack them, the Great Song would truly perish; that would be utterly ridiculous!
'Wobuli, Marshal, I represent Emperor of the Great Song in this negotiation. Are you really coming to meet us with knives in hand?'
'I would rather die than be humiliated. If you really want to kill me, then go ahead; 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 had the spirit of my Golden Warriors.
The royal family of the Great Song still has such principled men. He had heard that those princes were all idle and indulged in pleasure, ignoring state affairs. He had never heard of someone like Prince Zhao Gou.
Could it be that this person is a false prince? An imposter pretending to negotiate while being just a court official sent to die for someone else."
A general glared, originally a butcher who killed without blinking, swung his knife forward.
He cursed, "Song Wang, die! How dare you be disrespectful to the Marshal? Watch as I slaughter you."
Zhao Gou calmly looked on, his expression unchanged; for the country, sacrificing himself was enough!
Wobuli shouted, "Stop! You better stop right now, or you won't get away with this!"
The general could only retract his curved blade, coming just a few centimeters away from Zhao Gou, and retreated reluctantly.
At this moment, Zhao Gou felt a bit flustered. He didn't understand why Wobuli hated him so much but didn't allow his subordinate to kill him.
Wobuli revealed a rare smile, looking at him with admiration.
The Jin people admired strong warriors who were unafraid of life and death, and they also respected those with strategic talent.
"Are you really Prince Zhao Gou of the Song State? How come I've 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 remains unchanged; if you want to kill me, then do it. Stop with the unnecessary chatter."
Wobuli burst into laughter, turning away as he walked toward the outside of the large 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 a minister of the Song State court, pretending to be a prince to negotiate. He had both bravery and wisdom and intended to facilitate the negotiation.
Having seen emperors of the Song Dynasty and some princes, none had such spirit; they were very timid and concluded that he was not a true prince.
Wobuli is not only a brave general but also a strategic Marshal, deeply studying military tactics and observing people with great insight.
However, even these extremely intelligent individuals can make mistakes, and this time it happened.
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? He used to be very brutal, and they could only follow him out, not daring to speak recklessly.
Zhao Gou looked surprised and somewhat flustered. He truly could not comprehend these arrogant Jin people; just moments ago they seemed so menacing, yet 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, prepared to face death, yet he was not killed. He was truly overjoyed.
With a beaming smile, he attributed everything to his Prince and quickly began to flatter him.
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