“I know, but this kid has the Crown Prince of the Northern Region backing him up. Every time a messenger is sent, the Northern Region envoy will first confirm his safety! But don’t worry, if he dares to have any other thoughts, I will kill him immediately.” Huang Mang realized from these few words that this kid could no longer hide.
However, crushing him was as easy as crushing an ant.
Thinking this, someone outside had already informed them that Si Lei had entered the palace.
Huang Mang sat on the dragon throne in a disheveled manner. When Si Lei entered the hall, he saw Huang Mang in this state. His face remained calm, but his fists were clenched. How dare this scoundrel defile the dragon throne in front of him!
Huang Mang seemed quite pleased. He kicked the woman at his feet away with his right foot, and she tumbled down the ladder in pain, cracking her head. She landed right at Si Lei's feet. As soon as he looked up, Si Lei recognized the woman: "Guo Fei!"
Women are no longer as graceful and elegant as they used to be; they now appear timid and subservient.
Si Lei immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute to Huang Mang and said, "This lord begs General Huang to abide by the Grand Marshal's peace talks and release your two younger brothers immediately!"
Huang Mang stood up, hastily fastened his belt, and said to the outer door, "Bring them in."
Under Huang Jun's escort, two disheveled men were pushed in, looking utterly wretched and barely clothed. This was clothing that Huang Mang had stripped from the bodies of wild people and given to them to humiliate them.
The two kings were already mentally exhausted and their eyes were glazed over. They thought they were going to be dragged through the streets again and continue to be humiliated.
Si Lei, his face grim, squatted down in front of the two and called out, "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother!"
Before the two kings could react, someone immediately splashed a basin of water on the two brothers, making them shiver in the cold weather.
Ah-chi—finally, the two reacted. Seeing their fourth brother in formal attire, they burst into tears, crying, "Fourth brother, save me! Imperial brother, save me!"
The two men held Si Lei tightly. Si Lei gritted his teeth and said to Huang Mang, "General Huang, aren't you afraid of it getting out that you treat the ruler of a country this way?"
“The Xie family’s dogs naturally need their owners to give them alms,” Huang Mang said without hesitation.
Just then, Si Xinian stepped into the Golden Palace.
The two kings were startled when they saw Si Qinian. Si Lei, who had been silent in the carriage, now spoke up in the main hall, saying, "Si Qinian, don't forget who killed your father!"
Every time Huang Mang heard this kid's relatives trying to morally blackmail him, he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha!!!"
"What a hypocritical and righteous ruler of the Seven Jin Kingdoms! When I attacked Tianjing, not a single one of the Three Jin Kingdoms sent troops to reinforce us. They all just sat and watched the emperor become a prisoner. I remember the night the emperor died, you, Si Lei, had just had your eighth son and were busy holding a hundred-day celebration. After the war, none of you even cared about family ties or pursued the emperor's remains. You disregarded the lives of your direct descendants, and now you still have the nerve to jump out as an elder."
"Right now, the only person you can truly settle your scores with is me," Huang Mang coldly glanced at Si Xinian, reminding her, "I suppose it's just me!"
"You're spouting nonsense!" Si Lei immediately raised his hand and accused Huang Mang: "This is completely untrue! We have no knowledge of this at all!"
Si Xinian's expression darkened.
Huang Mang said, "This general is too lazy to meddle in your family affairs."
He ordered his soldiers to pick out three swords and throw them at their feet: "If you want to live, pick up the swords and put on a show for me."
"How can the ruler of a nation tolerate such humiliation!" The King of Jin immediately stood up and warned Huang Mang, "Marshal Xie has already sent Fourth Brother to ransom us. Do you dare refuse to release us!"
Upon hearing Xie Ying's name, Huang Mang immediately descended the Heavenly Ladder and kicked the ruler of the Five Jin Kingdom in the chest, sending him flying several meters.
Seeing this, Si Lei obediently picked up his sword and used the blade to block Huang Mang: "Do you intend to go against the Grand Marshal's peace talks?"
Upon hearing this, the Yellow Army generals in the hall seemed to have heard a joke and laughed, saying, "How could our General Huang be afraid of Xie Ying!"
"Xie Ying has already withdrawn Xie Guang with 230,000 troops. This fiend is about to face the Northern Region and has no time to care about us."
"We're not afraid of him coming back!"
"If anyone dares to come again, we'll make sure the Xie family never leaves."
"You guys!" Si Lei was shocked when he saw the stupid faces of this group of people. Were these people out of their minds? Weren't they afraid of dying?
At this moment, a messenger entered from outside the palace and reported: "Report—a trusted confidant of the Khan of the Northern Regions! Two hundred thousand troops have been dispatched!"
Soon another messenger ran in: "Report—A trusted confidant of the King of Shi! Three hundred thousand troops have been dispatched!"
"In three days, we will besiege the area south and north of the Southern Region!"
These words stunned Si Lei. The Shi Kingdom and the Northern Region actually wanted to take advantage of the Southern Region's weakness.
If these ambitious figures of a chaotic world were to fight each other, his life as a mere ruler of a small country would be utterly insignificant.
No wonder Huang Mang looked down on him.
When the Southern Region is attacked from both sides by 500,000 troops, it will surely shake the entire south. The Southern Region will become the most brutal battlefield before Tianjing! What Tianjing mutiny? The biggest war will only burn the Southern Region.
Even if Xie Ying returns to defend, the Northern Region and the Shi Kingdom can still divide the Southern Region in two and defeat them one by one.
Xinbing handed the letter to Huang Mang, who pushed aside Si Lei's sword, opened the letter, and after reading it, he was very excited: "Now that my two benefactors have sent troops, this general no longer needs to fear Xie Ying!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Mang's murderous gaze swept towards Si Xinian.
Si Xinian, however, remained unperturbed and smiled slightly: "Congratulations, General Huang, on achieving your wish."
"You have rendered a great service to this general," Huang Mang praised, but his tone was devoid of any emotion.
The Huang Mang camp, like hyenas smelling blood, eyed the three kings with predatory intent, as if they were lambs to the slaughter.
Si Lei felt a chill run down his spine and a cold sweat rise to his throat. He knew very well that his trip to Tianjing wasn't just because Xie Ying offered to see him off; it was more because he knew Xie Ying controlled the vital land and water routes of the Seven Jin. If he refused Xie Ying, Xie Ying might cut off all of the Seven Jin's sources of revenue, and he, the restorer of the dynasty, would fall from his pedestal. This was the last thing he wanted to see. The title of restorer of the dynasty was an affirmation of his abilities, and before unifying the Three Jin and becoming the Emperor of Jin, he couldn't allow himself to be tainted in any way.
He absolutely could not let this happen, so he deliberately let Si Shisan handle the affairs in his place. He also wanted to use Si Shisan's maternal grandfather, surnamed Xie, to tell Xie Ying that there was also a Xie family in the Seven Jin.
Now he had no other choice but to swallow his pride and beg Si Qinian: "Qinian, we are your uncles after all, you can't just stand by and watch us die."
Si Xinian coldly replied, "Uncle? Does my father have any brothers who are as close as siblings?"
Si Lei was rendered speechless. The two kings dared not utter a sound either.
Huang Mang announced: "Immediately launch a counterattack against the four counties, surround the Five Jin, and control the Six Jin!"
"And Xie Ji, who is trying to leave Tianjing, will be executed on the spot!"
"Yes, sir!" Huang Mang personally led the three Zhao brothers to accept the order and depart.
Huang Mang turned around and kicked Si Lei to the ground again. He stepped on Si Lei's head and said contemptuously, "You're usually quite smart, how could you stand up for Xie Ying? Foolish!"
Si Lei's expression turned grim.
“What a loyal dog, no, three dogs.” Huang Mang spat at the other two, scaring the two lords so much that they crawled on their knees.
"If you want to live, sign a decree of grace and announce it to the world, recognizing me as your benefactor. Once I conquer Shanxi and the Northern Shi Kingdom, we can work together to ensure your continued wealth and honor."
Upon hearing this, Si Lei and the two kings hesitated, their lips twitching slightly, but they did not immediately agree.
Huang Mang was not in a hurry. He ordered, "Take them down and keep a close watch on them."
The Yellow Army soldiers took them away like dogs.
Once everyone was gone, Huang Mang grabbed Si Xinian by the neck and pulled the boy in front of him. Seeing the boy suffocating and turning red in the face, he released him and said, "You have achieved your first goal, so now you should also satisfy this general."
Looking at his fair and clean-cut appearance with skin as smooth as jade, Huang Mang secretly swallowed his saliva. Si Xinian suppressed his nausea and reminded him, "General Huang, although you have received the protection of two benefactors, do not act recklessly. Remember that you are still in Tianjing, have not yet seized the four counties, and have not moved your troops north!"
Every word the boy uttered struck Huang Mang's weak spot, and Huang Mang's face turned extremely ugly, as if he were the one being choked.
Inside the main hall, Si Xinian's tone gradually changed. He was no longer fearful or indignant; he was no longer in the state that Huang Mang wanted.
This made Huang Mang slightly uneasy. Si Xinian now had the Northern Region Crown Prince as a trump card, which gave him confidence and made it easy for him to break free from Huang Mang's grasp.
Huang Mang warned, "Don't even think about escaping my grasp."
"No one in the world will protect someone like you who has been abandoned by everyone."
With Si Lei in such a state, the Five Jin and Six Jin states are even more preoccupied with their own problems, and the only one who could be saved, Si Bogong, has been pushed far away by him.
Si Xinian said self-deprecatingly, "Yes, the fact that a menace like me is still alive is a burden on the world."
He laughed heartily again, his youthful voice like flowing water, the first hearty laugh since their separation by death: "Haha, General Huang made me use all my tricks and schemes, wasn't that just to cut off Xie Ying's chance of contacting me? Don't worry, I'm prepared to be killed. But before that, you should read the handwritten letter that the Northern Region entrusted to me."
As he finished speaking, he took a letter from his sleeve with trembling hands.
This is a letter written by the Khan himself.
The seal was made of wax and gold. When Huang Mang opened the letter, his expression immediately turned a mix of green and blue.
The letter stated that if Tianjing encountered setbacks in the war, he would have to leave with Si Xinian in the Northern Region. Otherwise, it would affect his future in the Northern Region.
Huang Mang crumpled the envelope, looking at the siblings' similar beauty, and suddenly blurted out: "What if I exchange you for Xie Ying? Your elder sister is currently favored by the emperor, I don't believe she would sit idly by."
Si Xinian said, "I have long since offended Xie Ying. General Huang, have you forgotten what you just said so quickly?"
This completely shut down Huang Mang's mouthpiece.
Huang Mang's face darkened. Using this kid to negotiate with Xie Ying had only made things worse; the kid had thoroughly offended Xie Ying, and killing him might affect the Northern Region. Although the Northern Region wouldn't necessarily refuse to send troops because of him, it would still damage the Northern Region Khan's trust in him before the war. After all, even if the Northern Region arrived a day later, they could still attack the Southern Region, but Huang Mang himself might have already been torn to pieces by Xie Ying's forces.
Therefore, he cannot gamble on uncertain factors.
Damn it, this ant has become a hot potato! He can't throw it away, and he dares not keep it by his side; he has no choice but to use it as a prop.
Huang Mang was unwilling to back down. The Khan of the Northern Regions had promised that if he won, he could gain the Three Jins; if he lost, the Khan would still grant him a strategically important territory, which would be more advantageous than his position in Tianjing and free from the constraints of the Three Jins and the Southern Regions. In particular, Xie Ying was now in charge of the Three Jins, and it would only be more dangerous for him to stay in Tianjing.
Huang Mang swallowed hard and said to Si Xinian, "You and that woman both like to take advantage of others in their time of need."
“Cut off the hand. It’s time to act.” Si Xinian suddenly murmured.
Huang Mang's face immediately turned extremely ugly. Had they touched a nerve?! He ordered, "Men, seize Master Si!" A murderous glint flashed in his eyes: "We might as well strangle him right in front of you!"
Si Xinian remained unmoved.
Huang Mang felt like he had punched cotton. He had known all along that Si Bogong was secretly bribing civil officials in Tianjing. If Xie Ying hadn't used Si Bogong as a mouthpiece, he wouldn't have let him live until now.
The Huang army generals began a large-scale search for Si Bogong's whereabouts in Tianjing.
Si Bo Gong had long been arranged by the Duke of Zheng to hide in the cellar of a minor official's house.
The civil officials who had previously been in contact with him all avoided him. Si Bogong hid in the dark and sunless cellar for a whole night, and said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "I, Si Jin, claimed to be friends with people all over the world and had excellent interpersonal relationships, but I never thought I would end up in such a state."
"The traitor Huang has broken his promise; retribution will come, it's just that the time hasn't come yet."
Just as Si Bogong was wallowing in self-pity, the cellar door was opened, and the blinding light made it impossible for him to open his eyes. Then he heard a group of voices: "Brother Jin, Si Bogong, why do you belittle yourself like this?"
"We have never betrayed you."
"Come out quickly!"
When Sibo Gong came out of the cellar, he saw that the Duke of Zheng was accompanied by five unfamiliar military officers.
Duke Zheng pulled a military officer aside and introduced him: "This is my son-in-law, and the military officers behind him are either our sons or our nephews."
“Every military officer here is a general with ten thousand men, and the least one leads five thousand men.”
Upon hearing this, Si Bogong suddenly understood their meaning. It seemed that his private persuasion and the convenience promised by Marshal Xie had worked.
Immediately, someone said indignantly, "That traitor Huang is a treacherous scoundrel, changing his mind constantly and going back on his word. He has long been unpopular. We have all had enough of him over the past two years."
"We can only endure this because we have no one to rely on. Since Marshal Xie is willing to win us over and has pardoned the four counties as our way out, we will naturally submit to her with such sincerity!"
"Besides, it is Lord Sibo who will be the ruler of Tianjing in the future. With Lord Sibo around, what do we have to worry about!"