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

Chapter 686 Nothing ventured, nothing gained (Part 2)

Ren Dejing, dressed in a gauze robe, sat on a chaise longue, yawned, and then said loudly, "Now that the fighting is over inside, those who are still alive, come out!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a servant came running from the north, before the gate of the mansion had even been opened.

"Your Majesty, someone from the palace has arrived. They say they saw the palace on fire and have come to offer their condolences."

Ren Dejing sneered, "Are you checking if I'm dead or not? Our emperor may not have the guts to actually kill me with a knife, but he certainly has the guts to use someone else to do the dirty work."

The servant didn't know how to answer, and could only bow repeatedly.

"Erlang, you go here yourself and bring His Majesty's envoy here." Ren Dejing sneered at Ren Degong, "I think it's probably that hot-tempered Gongji. If we're talking about who's most eager to see me die, it has to be him."

Ren Degong said nothing more and turned to leave.

Before long, the still-injured Gongji strode up to Ren Dejing and said, "Greetings, Prime Minister."

Ren Dejing stared at the fiery Gongji, making him feel uneasy, before clicking his tongue and saying, "You and that Yila Prime Minister were discussing such a big matter that you've even managed to get me involved."

Hot-tempered Gongji pointed to his forehead, his reply perfectly succinct: "Lord Yila injured me and has already been expelled. What is there to discuss?"

Ren Dejing laughed and said, "Could it be that I was wrong?"

The fiery Gongji remained true to his manners: "Whatever the prime minister's deductions may be, they must be wrong."

Ren Dejing nodded, no longer arguing with the fiery Gongji, and instead shouted again, "Who won? Why aren't you coming out now? Do I have to go and invite you myself?"

A moment later, the courtyard gate opened, and a man covered in blood, carrying a knife, walked out and stood in front of Ren Dejing, grinning to reveal a row of white teeth.

Ren Dejing looked closely and recognized him as the military officer from the delegation named Wanyan Asu.

The blood on his body wasn't just from his enemies; he also had several knife wounds, which had only been simply bandaged.

Pushing aside the guards who were on high alert, Ren Dejing pointed at Wanyan Asu and asked, "Where is your Yila Chancellor? Is he minced meat or a beehive?"

Wanyan Asu, recalling Yila Daojiao's words, laughed loudly and said, "Master Yila is doing very well. It was this humble general who knew that the scene would not be pleasant, so he asked Master Yila to temporarily leave."

Ren Dejing frowned and said, "Does he intend to kill me?"

Wanyan Asu raised his nicked dagger and grinned maliciously, saying, "Your Highness, we are envoys of the Great Jin Dynasty, visiting the Great Bai Gao Kingdom. On our return journey, we were stopped by you and brought to this palace. We only stayed for a few nights before we were attacked by thieves."

"Your Highness, as a military officer of the Great Jin Dynasty, representing the nation's dignity and integrity, shouldn't I, as long as I have a breath left, demand justice from Your Highness?"

Ren Dejing snapped his lips, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, nodded, and said, "So, it turns out it was all my fault?"

Before Wanyan Asu could answer, Ren Dejing had already figured out the whole story and laughed a few times: "Hahahaha, your Prime Minister Yila is truly skilled. He caused all this trouble, yet he didn't get a single thing on himself. All the blame is on others, while he himself is completely clean. I admire him."

With that, Ren Dejing threw down the silver cup in his hand and waved at Wanyan Asu: "Boy, stop acting. Let your Yila Chancellor speak. Anyway, all the other envoys are dead now, and only this one is still breathing. What is he worried about?"

The fiery Gongji raised an eyebrow, immediately becoming quite animated.

Yila Dao was indeed very capable; within a few days, he had killed all the envoys from the other two sides. Now, Ren Dejing had no way to reach an agreement with the other two sides in Guanzhong.

Neither Wu Lin nor Wanyan Liang would trust Ren Dejing anymore.

Don't say the Eastern Jin envoys killed people; this is politics! Ren Dejing was the political leader. Even if the delegation was struck by lightning and killed within Western Xia territory, it was Ren Dejing who did it.

Tigers and rhinoceroses escape from their cages, and tortoises and jade are destroyed in their boxes. Whose fault is it?

It was certainly the fault of the guards.

Without external support, Emperor Li Renxiao of Western Xia could form an alliance with Eastern Jin to suppress Ren Dejing.

That inkstone wasn't wasted.

"Hehe. I really underestimated the King of Chu." After a moment, Yila Dao, supporting his arm, slowly walked out of the courtyard and looked at Ren Dejing, saying, "Everyone thought the King of Chu was just a brave warrior, but who would have thought that the King of Chu would have such a deep mind, not only skilled in military strategy, but also in scheming and intrigue."

Yila Dao seemed to have been injured not only in his arm but also in his leg, so much so that he stopped and leaned against the door frame as soon as he reached the gate of the courtyard.

"You flatter me." Ren Dejing shook his head and chuckled: "Prince Yila is truly a first-rate figure. Not only is he incredibly courageous, but he also has a clear understanding of human nature. His elaborate schemes are so intricate that even I, the king, cannot reprimand him."

Yila Dao's expression suddenly turned strange: "King Chu, you can't reprimand him now, but things might change in a little while."

Ren Dejing frowned, then opened his eyes wide and looked at the hot Gongji beside him: "Stop..." It was too late. Wanyan Asu was right next to him. After hearing Yiladao's signal, he grinned and stretched out his bloody hand to grab forward, then thrust out his short knife.

"How brave!"

The guards shouted and swung their swords, but Wanyan Asu was prepared and managed to escape with a single blow, scrambling back to Yiladao's side.

Hot Gongji clutched his chest, staggered back two steps in disbelief, pointed at Yi Cidao, then looked at Ren Dejing with a complicated expression, leaned against the wall, and slowly sat down.

Just as the guards were about to give chase, Ren Dejing stood up and shouted sternly, "Stop!"

As he spoke, Ren Dejing snatched a bow from his guard, nocked an arrow, and pointed it at Yila, saying, "You scoundrel, you should give me an explanation this time."

Yila Dao laughed twice, looked at Rela Gongji who was barely alive, spread his hands and said, "King Chu, Rela Gongji, my goal has always been to get Xixia to send troops to Guanzhong quickly. As for who is in charge, or even who you want to attack, I don't care."

“Hot Prince, I gave you a chance before. As long as the Emperor of Western Xia can make up his mind to personally lead the expedition, then my Great Jin will do its best to assist you.”

"But who made your emperor so weak?"

Faced with Yila Dao's mocking face, Rela Gongji also revealed an inscrutable smile, then clutched his chest, tilted his head to the side, and died.

Yila Dao limped forward a couple of steps, gradually approaching Ren Dejing.

Yila Dao walked slowly, was not particularly tall, and was injured in the chaotic battle, so he appeared extremely weak.

But as Yila Road drew ever closer, Ren Dejing felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him. His bow and arrow trembled, and the courage he used to be so proud of gave him no sense of security at this moment.

"That's why I came to you." Yila Dao came up to Ren Dejing, extended a finger, and deflected the arrow pointing at his chest: "In my opinion, only a hero like the King of Chu can accomplish great things."

"Didn't the King of Chu want to seize the two states of Yin and Xia to form the Chu Kingdom? Since a great man has lofty ambitions and good strategies, how can two states be enough to establish a country and build an empire? As the Grand Golden Envoy, I will bestow upon you the entire Western Xia Kingdom, plus all the states and counties in Guanzhong."

"The Jin Dynasty will recognize any territory conquered by the King of Chu, what do you say?"

Ren Dejing's breathing became heavy, and his desires gradually rose within him.

Six years later in history, Ren Dejing's power would become immense, and he would openly propose to Emperor Li Renxiao of Western Xia that "the country be divided," demanding that Li Renxiao give half of the country to him for rule.

This is historically known as Ren Dejing's division of the country.

Although Ren Dejing was not yet so arrogant at this time, he still harbored great ambitions.

After a moment of silence, Ren Dejing forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions: "What the angel just said, that he doesn't care which side of Kansai I attack, is that true?"

Yila Dao nodded and smiled, "Of course it's true. Both Ni Liang and Wu Lin are great enemies of the Great Jin. The King of Chu is an ally of the Great Jin. Therefore, no matter which side is harmed, as long as the land, people and wealth end up in the hands of the King of Chu, the Great Jin will be very happy."

Killing Wanyan Liang would eliminate internal troubles, and killing Wu Lin would eliminate external troubles; that's roughly the idea.

Ren Degong listened for a long time, and finally couldn't help but rebuke, "Lord Yila, does that mean the Great Jin will not give us any support, and we will have to fight alone in Guanzhong?"

Yila Dao feigned surprise, as if he couldn't understand why Ren Degong would ask such a stupid question: "Master Ren, since ancient times, have we not relied on ourselves to conquer the world, but on others? If the Ren family wants to establish a country, wouldn't it be enough for the Great Jin to give us a name? If the Great Jin sends troops, will the conquered territory belong to the Great Jin or the Chu?"

Ren Degong's face turned pale as he faced Yila Dao's rebuke.

Ren Dejing, on the other hand, understood things even more clearly.

At this point, he had no other choice.

Even though the envoys of Xijin and Wanyan Liang had been killed by Yiladao, Ren Dejing, as an important minister of Xixia, could choose not to join forces with Dongjin and calmly sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight without any danger.

But now, the situation is quite different because the confidant of Emperor Li Renxiao of Western Xia, Rela Gongji, died mysteriously in the Chu Prince's mansion.

Now, besides Dong Jin, who else can Ren Dejing rely on?
Could it really be the rising star Liu Dalang from Shandong? That's too far-fetched.

"So be it." Ren Dejing dejectedly threw the bow and arrows aside: "Prime Minister Yila truly has excellent methods."

Ren Degong felt a sudden panic: "Brother, what should we do?"

Ren Dejing made a firm decision: "Tell the third prince to control His Majesty and the officials! Summon all the troops of the Great White High Kingdom. His Majesty must accompany me on a personal expedition to Guanzhong!"

Upon hearing this, Yiladao's tense heart finally relaxed, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)