I said, "I suddenly remembered that this is related to the time we bullied that kid together."
Zhu Yuanzhang: "Wanyan Wushu?"
I nodded. On the form Liu Laoliu and I shared, the Northern Song and Jin dynasties were linked together, indicating that the surplus population only appeared during the transition between these two dynasties. Now that the Northern Song is nominally extinct, this matter should be addressed with the Jin government.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "What exactly do you want with us?"
"It's quite complicated. Let's talk about it together once everyone's here."
Genghis Khan replied, "Then go find him. What are you afraid of?"
Now, this is the only way. The current emperor of the Jin Dynasty is Emperor Taizong, and the capital is still in Huining Prefecture in the north. The Northern Song Dynasty has just fallen, leaving only Wanyan Wuzhu to clean up the mess in the Central Plains. Actually, there's not much to clean up; the people are still going about their lives as usual. And according to the agreement between our allied forces and the Jin government, Emperor Taizong probably has no interest in this empty title of emperor, so he simply left Wanyan Wuzhu to handle some trivial matters in Taiyuan. Our car stopped outside the Taiyuan Prefectural Government, where the contract was signed last time. As soon as the Jin soldiers at the gate saw me, they ran inside, shouting, "It's bad! The Eight-Nation Alliance is here again!"
I'm so frustrated!
A moment later, Jin Wuzhu, dressed neatly, strode out surrounded by guards. Zhu Yuanzhang said nervously, "He can't possibly detain us, can he? I should have brought the Eight-Five Style."
Jin Wuzhu came to my carriage, looked inside, and seeing that it was indeed me, he bent over and said helplessly, "It really is you. Is there something you need?"
I asked, "Is your emperor here?"
Jin Wuzhu, alert, said, "Just tell me what's on your mind."
I thought for a moment and said, "It's fine to tell you, then get in the car." Anyway, we're all from the Wanyan family, so communicating with Jin Wuzhu can be more direct.
Genghis Khan squeaked and opened the carriage door for Jin Wuzhu, saying, "Get in."
Jin Wuzhu turned back to the guard with a pitiful look and said, "Don't look for me if I don't come back."
Genghis Khan laughed and said, "This brother is more carefree than me."
Jin Wuzhu chuckled twice and asked, "How should I address this elder brother?"
Zhu Yuanzhang preemptively declared, "This is the Great Khan of all the Mongols."
The Jin soldiers, already terrified from their battles with the Mongols, were startled when Wuzhu heard that the Mongol leader was there. His expression changed, and he shook hands with Genghis Khan, saying, "...A pleasure to meet you." He then turned to Zhu Yuanzhang and asked, "Where is this elder brother?"
Genghis Khan said, "This is the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
I added, "It was the cannon he invented—the kind that can dump garbage into your camp."
Upon hearing this, Jin Wuzhu leaned against the window and told his men, "Don't seek revenge for me either."
I chuckled and said, "It's not that serious. Don't you think it would be too costly for me to bring a whole caravan of emperors to kidnap you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked me, "Where are we going next?"
"Go find Old Zhao."
When he arrived at Zhao Kuangyin's place, upon hearing it was me, he changed into civilian clothes and came out. Genghis Khan opened the door for him as before, and Zhao Kuangyin nodded to Zhu Yuanzhang first: "Here you are."
Genghis Khan asked him, "Why did your phone suddenly shut down while we were chatting last time?"
Zhao Kuangyin said, "The power is out."
...So it turns out that Old Zhao's phone ran out of battery because Genghis Khan was talking to him so much, and his own phone was also out of credit.
Zhao Kuangyin glanced into the carriage and patted Jin Wuzhu on the shoulder: "This brother is quite unfamiliar."
Jin Wuzhu stammered, "My name is Wanyan Wuzhu." Jin Wuzhu was well-versed in history and knew that he had encountered an enemy.
As expected, Zhao Kuangyin's expression changed, and he said, "Is that Wanyan Wuzhu from the Jin Kingdom?" As he spoke, his massive fist was already swinging out. Wanyan Wuzhu was prepared; he grabbed Zhao Kuangyin with one hand and tried to pull him down by the waist with the other. However, Zhao Kuangyin was not only an emperor but also a figure of considerable skill in Chinese martial arts history. Techniques like Taizu Changquan and nunchaku originated from him. Although Wanyan Wuzhu was brave, he hadn't expected his opponent to be a master of both martial arts and nunchaku, and his attempt to grab Zhao Kuangyin missed, resulting in a blow to the face. Fortunately, the carriage was cramped, so Zhao Kuangyin didn't swing with much force. Wanyan Wuzhu, being a marshal of nomadic origin, was ultimately skilled, and the two began to wrestle inside the carriage. Seeing this, Genghis Khan quickly used Mongolian wrestling to break the fight. Zhu Yuanzhang leaned against the carriage door, shouting, "Don't hit me! Don't hit me!" while trying to open the door to escape, but the door was locked from the outside…
Do you think it was easy for me to gather this whole busload of people? What's even more surprising is that this whole busload of people actually started fighting. I slammed my hand on the back of the bus seat and yelled, "Stop!"
Genghis Khan had already separated the two, and he stood between them, advising Zhao Kuangyin: "What is there that can't be overcome? Why can't you let it go now? If you really start arguing, what will I and Old Zhu say?"
Zhao Kuangyin put his arm over Genghis Khan's shoulder, pointed at Jin Wuzhu, and cursed: "But he has gone too far! Not only did he kill my people and seize my land, but he also kidnapped two of my Zhao family descendants. Does he know what it means to be killed but not humiliated?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Wuzhu immediately became enraged and shouted, "So you know that a scholar can be killed but not humiliated? I haven't done any of those things you mentioned. It's your allied forces that have been defecating and pissing on my head, and now you're forcing someone to be your emperor?" At this point, Jin Wuzhu felt aggrieved, and his eyes reddened as he said, "I didn't want to be emperor, so I had no choice. What kind of emperor am I? I'm just a punching bag."
Zhao Kuangyin was taken aback, scratched his head, and his anger subsided considerably. Zhu Yuanzhang seized the opportunity to persuade him, "That's right, even if Brother Wanyan had some faults, that's all in the past life. Even if he had this plan in this life, it hasn't been carried out yet, has it? What did Tang Sanzang say in 'A Chinese Odyssey'? 'Wukong eating me is still just a plan...'"
Seeing that everything was basically alright, I patted the seat and said, "Speaking of Tang Sanzang, we still have to go to the Tang Dynasty to find Brother Li. Everyone, please sit down." Why do I feel like I'm driving a kindergarten bus picking up and dropping off kids?
Zhao Kuangyin sat down, glanced at Jin Wuzhu opposite him, and snorted: "I'm not going to bother with you!"
Jin Wuzhu glared back at him: "Nonsense, you're the one with a guilty conscience!"
Chapter 192 GDP
When we arrived at Daming Palace, we saw Li Shimin dressed in ordinary Tang Dynasty attire, a small bag at his feet, smiling as he waited for us. I opened the passenger door for him, and Li Shimin tossed the bag onto the back seat, got in, and the four old friends greeted each other. Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to Jin Wuzhu and introduced him, saying, "This is the fourth prince of the Jin Kingdom."
Seeing Jin Wuzhu's bruised and swollen face, Li Shimin gave Zhao Kuangyin a meaningful look. Zhu Yuanzhang rummaged through Li Shimin's bag and said, "Shimin is really a thoughtful person, he even brought a toothbrush and such." Then he exclaimed, "Oh, you even bring the imperial seal with you when you go out?" As he spoke, he took a jade stone out of the bag.
Li Shimin laughed and said, "Didn't Xiaoqiang come to us for something? Maybe we can use him."
I exclaimed, "Brother Li really had foresight."
Zhao Kuangyin asked me, "Is it necessary?"
I hesitated and said, "Maybe...we'll need it."
Zhao Kuangyin patted my shoulder: "It's alright. If you really need it, I'll carve a lid out of a radish for you."
I asked in surprise, "Even engraving is acceptable?"