Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 684 A Common Visit to the Chu King's Residence

"Hahaha! That old bastard, Hot-Hot Gongji, he's finally got what he deserves!"

In the Chu King's mansion, after hearing his confidant's report, Ren Dejing laughed so hard he almost fell over, unable to stop, until finally his face turned bright red and he started coughing violently.

Ren Dejing was a typical military man of the Song Dynasty: with a square face, broad build, a full beard, a square mouth, large ears, and a carefree manner.

However, anyone who judges Ren Dejing by his appearance and thinks he is just a pure warrior will suffer a great loss.

Take, for example, the fiery Gongji. When Ren Dejing was granted the title of Duke of Xiping, although he felt that a Han Chinese was of a higher status, he did not take a henchman seriously. It was not until Ren Dejing entered the court that he became vigilant, but it was too late.

Ren Dejing's younger brother, Ren Decong, the Grand Commandant of the Palace Guard, chuckled twice in agreement, then frowned and said, "So, the envoy from the Jin Kingdom in the east has actually fallen out with His Majesty? This is truly... a godsend."

Ren Dejing glanced at his foolish younger brother, snorted coldly, and pointed at his other younger brother, Ren Degong, the Prefect of Xingqing, saying, "Second brother, you explain the ins and outs to this blockhead, Sanlang."

"Yes." Ren Degong had completely shed his image as a warrior and was dressed as a Confucian scholar. He was also the most talented and intelligent person in the Ren family. Therefore, Ren Dejing placed him in the position of Prefect of Xingqing Prefecture, which was considered the first line of defense to keep an eye on the small Western Xia court.

"Sanlang, whether the Jin envoy has fallen out with His Majesty is actually not a big deal. It could be true, or it could be a show put on by that hot-tempered Gongji and the Jin envoy."

Ren Degong slowly said, "But no matter what, even if it's just a play, the Jin envoy wants to use this play to show that they are willing to communicate with their brother, to make promises to their brother, and at the very least, to meet with their brother first."

Ren Dejing gave Ren Degong a satisfied look, then glared at Ren Decong: "You should learn from your second brother! What kind of future does he have, spending all his time wielding swords and sticks? How will he shoulder important responsibilities in the future?"

Ren Decong lowered his head and remained silent after being reprimanded. After a moment, he chuckled and said, "Then I'll go and invite the envoy here now?"

Ren Dejing remained silent for a moment.

Ren Degong shook his head and said, "Third brother, now is not the time to break ties with His Majesty. Our Ren family still needs to accumulate strength. If we welcome the Jin envoy into the Chu Prince's residence now, it would be too disrespectful to His Majesty."

Ren Dejing continued, "Moreover, the Jin envoy didn't come looking for me at first, but now he wants to talk to me about it. Who knows what he's really up to?"

After being reprimanded again, Ren Decong was also losing face. He said in a desperate manner, "If we bring over the envoys from the Jin Kingdom in the east, what about the envoys from the Jin Kingdom in the west? Should we just kill them?"

Faced with such a fool, even Ren Degong, with his excellent self-control, couldn't help but feel annoyed, and his tone became harsher: "Sanlang, we are waiting for the right price. Whether it's the Jin Kingdom or the Song Kingdom, we will temporarily follow whoever offers the highest price. How can you block all other avenues before even making an offer?... Hmm?"

At this point, Ren Degong hesitated and looked at his elder brother: "Could the envoy from the Jin Kingdom in the east be up to this? Is he trying to emulate Ban Chao?"

Ren Dejing pondered for a moment: "It's hard to say, but the Chu Prince's mansion is so big that even as the master, I can't see it all in a few days. If there's no one to guide us, even if the envoys from the Jin Kingdom in the east have great abilities, they won't be able to find us. It's alright."

Ren Degong nodded.

This is indeed the truth.

China's history is so comprehensive that by the Song Dynasty, almost every ingenious scheme and underhanded tactic had been used.

More importantly, China also has a system of idioms.

You may not know Ban Chao or Ban Dingyuan, but as long as you know the idiom "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," you can naturally learn about a military adventure from a thousand years ago through the story behind the idiom.

Ingenious strategies ultimately rely on the word "ingenious," and become difficult to employ when all parties involved are on guard.

“Then let’s leave it at that.” Ren Dejing concluded: “Once that… Yila Dao leaves Xingqing Prefecture, we’ll invite him over. I want to see what this fellow has to say.”

The next day, as if they were telepathically connected with Ren Dejing, Yila Dao quickly left Xingqing Prefecture. However, when he reached the halfway checkpoint, he was stopped by the prepared Xixia soldiers. Then, a group of more than twenty people disguised themselves and were brought back.

The Chu King's Palace covered a huge area, so when Yila Dao and his party entered through a side gate, they did not attract much attention.

However, as soon as they entered the Chu King's residence, the Jin delegation, at Yila Dao's instruction, took out the hidden banners, raised them high, and those with drums and trumpets began to beat them, while those without drums and trumpets cheered and made noise.

The Western Xia warriors all looked at Yila Dao with eyes that seemed to regard him as an idiot. They felt that even though the Jin Kingdom had split into two, the envoy still maintained a grand air. They wondered if he was truly still a force to be reckoned with after his death, or if he was just putting on a brave face.

However, without Ren Dejing's orders, these Western Xia warriors dared not use violence to obstruct the Jin delegation's actions. They could only surround them while searching for the person in charge.

Seeing this, Yila Dao smiled slightly, put on his official seal, held his staff, and stopped on the main road of the Chu King's mansion. His body was as upright as a pine tree, as if he were truly an envoy from a great nation, waiting for his subject to pay his respects. About a quarter of an hour later, Ren Dejing, who was already dressed neatly, walked out of the main hall with an unfriendly expression.

Despite his dissatisfaction, Ren Dejing still wore formal attire and, accompanied by several officials, bowed respectfully before Yila Dao as if he were receiving an imperial decree: "Your subject Ren Dejing greets the Great Emperor's Envoy! I wish His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Jin peace and well-being."

"No need for formalities!" Yila Dao said sternly. "May Your Majesty be well."

The two acted like a ruler and his subject, going through the motions with a question-and-answer session, until all the normal procedures were completed. Only then, under Ren Dejing's guidance, did Yila Dao arrive at the main hall of the Chu King's mansion.

The officials in charge of etiquette, the guards, and other members of the Jin delegation all withdrew. Once only his confidants remained, Ren Dejing's face immediately darkened.

After all, no one would be in a good mood after experiencing such a humiliating defeat.

Ren Dejing sat casually on the throne, first drinking a cup of wine before asking, "Angel Yila, what do you want to say to me? You can say it now."

Yila Dao, without even a seat, still clutching his staff, stood in the very center of the palace hall, a look of astonishment on his face: "Isn't it His Majesty who wants to see me?"

"Hahahaha!" Ren Dejing laughed a few times, then his expression turned fierce, and he slammed the wine cup in his hand to the ground: "Angel Yila, I think you are a smart man. Let's not beat around the bush. You have underestimated me after all."

Do you think I can't see through the act you and that hot-tempered bastard are putting on?

As he spoke, Ren Dejing's tone turned dangerous: "Are you perhaps playing the trick of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'?"

Yila Dao stopped pretending to be stupid and grinned, "Does Your Majesty mean that I can lead a delegation of more than twenty people to smash through this huge Chu King's mansion and kill all the foreign envoys who are hiding somewhere?"

"If I really had that ability, wouldn't it be better for me to just rush into Bianliang and kill Ni Liang?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Dejing's expression softened, and he said with a smile, "If that's the case, then why has the angel come looking for me?"

Seeing that the topic had returned, Yila Dao once again put on that surprised expression.

Seeing this, Ren Dejing could only shake his head and say, "Then let me put it another way. What does the Angel Yila want my Great Baigao Kingdom to do? And why did you fail to reach an agreement with Rela Gongji?"

Yila Dao sighed dramatically: "Of course I want to unite with the Great White High Kingdom to attack the rebellious Liang, but your emperor doesn't dare to lead the army in person, and he's not even tempted by the offer to divide Guanzhong. It's really..."

Alas, how magnificent Emperor Jingzong was when he established his empire! How did the Great Bai Gao Kingdom become like this by this generation?

Ren Dejing didn't show it on his face, but his heart was pounding.

The Khitan slave's idea was truly ruthless. If Li Renxiao really dared to personally lead the expedition and gather all the Dangxiang tribes together, then Ren Dejing would be the first to suffer.

Fortunately, Li Renxiao was too cowardly, perhaps unaware of the intricacies of the situation, and thus failed to join forces with Yila Dao.

Thinking of this, Ren Dejing hesitated again.

Did Yila Dao really want to see me?
Could it be that, as he said, I was just overthinking things?
If he hadn't thought much about it, why did Yila Dao abandon his political deal with Li Renxiao and instead try to collude with him?
In the blink of an eye, Ren Dejing's mind was racing.

He felt as if he had grasped some ideas, but ultimately he couldn't quite grasp them.

"The angel must be tired from his journey. Would it be alright if he stayed at the Chu King's residence for a few days to rest?"

As he spoke, Ren Dejing clapped his hands, and a soldier stepped forward and gestured for Yila Dao to enter.

Yila Dao did not refuse, nor did he hesitate at all. He simply cupped his hands in greeting to Ren Dejing, then turned and left.

This nonchalant attitude left Ren Dejing completely baffled.

Could it be that Yiladao really came here for sightseeing?
Otherwise, why isn't this guy worried at all about the ever-changing situation in the world?

(End of this chapter)