For example, Emperor Huizong of Song began to actively seek peace during this period, and his temper also improved considerably.
The eunuch ran inside and came out a short while later, looking embarrassed. He stammered, "His Majesty is a man of great respect for talent and has come to invite you two personally."
Behind him, a melancholy middle-aged man came out with a sigh, glanced at us, and then stepped aside to wave his arm toward the hall, saying, "Please, gentlemen."
This must have been unprecedented in his imperial career. I was afraid that Liu Dongyang would take advantage of the situation, so I quickly pulled him into the main hall of the prefect's mansion where the emperor was handling official business.
Upon entering the hall, Emperor Huizong waved for his attendants to leave, thus omitting the usual formalities intended for others. Liu Dongyang casually settled into a chair without uttering a word. I took this opportunity to scrutinize Emperor Huizong, finding the old man quite handsome—fair-skinned with a slight mustache, wearing the soft hat typically worn by emperors in their daily lives, exuding an elegant air tinged with melancholy. Seeing Liu Dongyang's unfriendly demeanor, he smiled at me, gestured for me to sit, and asked, "Is this General Xiao?"
I scratched my head and said, "Hehe, easy, easy." For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to be harsh with this poor wretch. We had no conflict to begin with, and I was just trying to extort him. Although I kept saying it was for his own good, Emperor Huizong wouldn't benefit from this matter at all. With Li Shishi rescued, it was basically none of his business anymore. According to the human realm's axis, he would even have to abdicate...
Emperor Huizong said, "General Xiao, I have heard that you have led a fierce army of 8 million men and have besieged the fourth prince of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Wushu, outside Taiyuan for several days. I wonder what your intentions are? Do you want to help my Great Song Dynasty revive its land, or do you have a covetous eye on the Central Plains and want to wipe out the Song and Jin Dynasties in one fell swoop so that you can establish yourself as king?"
This was asking if I wanted to help him or if I was planning to double-cross him. Before I could answer, Emperor Huizong suddenly said with a strange expression, "As far as I know, General, you are the 109th ranked righteous man on Liangshan Marsh. I have long heard of Liangshan, but I have tried my best to figure out how you managed to gather a million followers—while the general's claim of 8 million is an exaggeration, according to scouts, you probably have at least 3 million." It seems that not all of his men are just sitting idly by.
Emperor Huizong frowned deeply and slowly said, "What intrigues me most is that although some of my people have migrated and settled elsewhere, the total population hasn't decreased. So where did your troops come from, General? To be frank, this matter is more perplexing than the previous invasion of the Central Plains by 800,000 Jin troops." Hey, another one struggling with math, but he's even worse than me. I only get a headache with multiplication of two-digit numbers, but his is just simple addition and subtraction! It seems even artists aren't good at math…
I gently patted my thigh and said, "Well, I guess I can't keep this from you in the end, so I'll just tell you the whole truth. Of these 3 million people, only 250,000 are from your local area—"
Emperor Huizong shook his head and said, "That's not right either. Even if the Dali in the south, the Western Xia in the west, and the Tubo in the west mobilized their entire armies, they would still have a hard time gathering this many troops. Besides, most of the troops you lead are from the Central Plains."
I said, "What's the rush? Let me finish. Before your Zhao family became emperors, you should have known that there were other emperors in this country, right?"
Emperor Huizong bowed and said, "My ancestor, Emperor Taizu, in order to relieve the people from their suffering, reluctantly donned the yellow robe at Chenqiao Post Station, thus gaining the throne from the Chai family of the Later Zhou Dynasty—but are these two things related?"
I pouted and said, "What happens further ahead?"
"Further ahead..."
"Talk about great powers!"
Emperor Huizong of Song said, "That is the Tang Dynasty established by Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin."
I nodded and said, "Yes, that's related to this. I'm afraid you'll get tired of talking about it if I go any further, so I'll just tell you directly. In addition to the 600,000 elite troops of the Tang Dynasty, our allied forces also include 250,000 Qin soldiers under Qin Shi Huang and 300,000 Chu soldiers under Xiang Yu. As for the Mongols and the Ming army, it's too complicated for you to explain in a short time. You just need to know that we are all people who have come together from various dynasties."
Emperor Huizong of Song calculated for a moment and said, "So you're saying you're the Eight-Nation Alliance?" He considered Fang La and Liangshan as two separate forces.
I jumped up and said, "Can't you give us a better name? Wouldn't 'Multinational Force' be better?"
Emperor Huizong of Song was speechless for a long time before finally muttering, "How is this possible..."
Liu Dongyang slammed his fist on the table and stood up, angrily saying, "How is that impossible! What are you good for? Your ancestors have to share your burdens and solve your problems, you unfilial and incompetent ruler!"
Emperor Huizong stammered, "And this gentleman is..."
I said, "This is a general under your ancestor Zhao Kuangyin. 600,000 of the 600,000 troops in our allied forces were sent by him."
Emperor Huizong of Song was stunned for a long time, then suddenly changed color and said, "How dare you spout nonsense and insult my ancestors!" This kind of thing is not something that can be accepted immediately, so when we mention Zhao Kuangyin and Emperor Huizong of Song, we are like a timid rabbit suddenly unleashing its fury.
Liu Dongyang handed the roll of paper he had been holding forward and said, "Take a look for yourself!"
Emperor Huizong hesitated for a moment before grabbing the paper, tearing off the seal, and unfolding it. His face immediately changed, and his hands began to tremble. By the end, he was shaking violently as if he had malaria, muttering incessantly like a madman, "What am I to do? I am truly ashamed..."
I couldn't resist leaning over to see what was written on it. Emperor Huizong slammed the note shut as if he'd been electrocuted, glaring at me angrily. I strolled to the side as if nothing had happened, saying, "You believed it?" I secretly tried to use my mind-reading ability, but couldn't read anything.
Emperor Huizong of Song looked ashen-faced and sighed, "I am truly an unworthy descendant!"
I said, "Good that you believe me. Now let's get down to business."
Emperor Huizong of Song composed himself and bowed deeply to me, saying, "General Xiao helped me resist the Jin, and is a benefactor of my Great Song. Please accept this bow from Zhao Ji."
I jumped back and said, "Don't try to get involved with me. Who wants to help you? Do you know my wife is Zhe Li? If it weren't for that, even if your ancestors were my buddies, I wouldn't be willing to come." I took advantage of him first.
Emperor Huizong of Song smiled broadly and said, "So it turns out that Lady Xiao was also unfortunately captured by Wanyan Wuzhu."
I glared at her and said, "What are you happy about my wife being arrested?"
Emperor Huizong quickly adopted a regretful expression and said, "No, no, since that's the case, General Xiao, there's no need to be so polite. I am willing to use all the strength of the nation to help you defeat the Jin and bring back your wife."
I smiled and said, "Yes, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. My three million people are waiting to be fed, so make sure they have enough provisions."
Emperor Huizong of Song solemnly declared, "This is a trivial matter, and I am willing to take on the responsibility."
I asked, "How many can you get?"
After a moment's thought, Emperor Huizong said, "I dare not say it's too long, but a season's worth is no problem."
That was three months, which was probably the limit he could endure. Finally, he got the truth out of him.
I chuckled and said, "Then it's settled. But I know what you're thinking. Besides my wife, that Jin Wuzhu also captured a girl named Li Shishi. You're hoping to get her back, aren't you?"
Emperor Huizong was taken aback, then said awkwardly, "Hehehe, General Xiao already knows?"
I put on a stern face and said, "Then I'll make it clear from the start: don't even think about trying to take advantage of this girl."
"Why is this? Could it be that the general...?"
I quickly waved my hands: "It wasn't me! Don't talk nonsense. What would happen if my wife heard that?"
Emperor Huizong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good."
"Although it wasn't me, he is one of my brothers. Don't feel resentful. That kid is better looking than you. He used to be less rich than you, but now that you're almost bankrupt, you can't compare anymore. Most importantly, Shishi and he have already hooked up. You don't want to be cuckolded, do you?"
After Emperor Huizong understood what I meant, he remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh and saying, "If that's the case, then so be it. After the general defeats the Jin, let them go. As the emperor, I can at least bring happiness to the people and save them from suffering."
My heart sank. He spoke sweet words about working for the benefit of the people, but in reality, he was more concerned with keeping his throne. Li Shishi was just one of many women around him, so it seems his feelings for her were nothing special. Although this is a happy ending for everyone, I still feel sorry for Li Shishi.
I said coldly, "There's one more thing I need to tell you upfront: we're not like Po Jin, we're not going to leave as soon as we rescue the person."