Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 421 The Little Emperor's Wish
"The reed beds here are quite beautiful."

Shangjing Linhuangfu was the true imperial capital of the Khitan people.

The most striking sight that came into view when the Han army led their troops to this forest road was the vast expanse of reeds at the foot of the mountains and along the riverbank.

As the wind blows, the white reeds sway in the breeze, displaying a unique kind of natural beauty.

This place is surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by rivers.

Nestled amidst mountains and rivers lies a vast and lush land of abundant water and grass.

"No wonder the Yelü clan was able to rise to power."

On horseback, he raised his whip and pointed to the lush pastures ahead, saying, "This place is perfect for grazing."

The Yelü clan originated from the Yelü family of the Diela tribe of the Khitan.

The Khitans, in turn, originated from the Yuwen tribe, a branch of the Xianbei.

Lin Dao had already dealt with the various Xianbei tribes back in the Yonghe era.

These humanoid beasts that led people to eat animals have already been exterminated by the forest road and become protected animals in the Yonghe timeline.

There are many hunting teams there, wandering all day long in the grasslands and the white mountains and black waters of Northeast China, searching for the remnants of the Xianbei people.

In Yonghe Time and Space, this is a high-paying job.

"The Liao Dynasty? Just remnants of the Xianbei."

"Wherever we encounter Xianbei people, we must wipe them out!"

Lin Dao spurred his horse forward, heading towards the capital city along the riverside meadow.

Behind them were tens of thousands of Han soldiers, like an iron torrent, surging towards this fertile grassland.

“I can forgive anyone, even disgusting Koreans. They can find a lifelong job in my mine, and if they die from overwork, they can be buried underground.”

"Only the remnants of the Xianbei and the Tungusic wild boar hides are unacceptable!"

Lin Dao had witnessed far too many of the Xianbei people's crimes in the Yonghe timeline.

That goes beyond human boundaries and falls into the category of wild beasts.

There are no wildlife protection laws in this forest trail.
As for Tungusic boar skin, there's not much to say. From the Northern Song Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, so many innocent souls were killed, and civilization regressed, missing the opportunity of the Age of Exploration.

These bills need to be settled.

Shangjing City is located in the very center of the core grassland of the Diela tribe.

Surrounded by mountains, streams flow down from the mountains and converge into a series of lakes on the grassland.

The lake is surrounded by swaying reeds, a favorite scenic spot for locals.

But at this moment, they had no interest in appreciating the beautiful scenery.

"The Liao Dynasty?"

Yelü Sha laughed wildly, but his laughter was filled with sorrow. "The Liao Dynasty no longer exists."

"Even the most loyal Xi tribe has betrayed the Liao Dynasty and chosen to be the dogs of the Southern people!"

"Where is the Liao Dynasty now?!"

Although he was telling the truth, it was very inappropriate in the current environment.

Yelü Xiezhen, with a stern face, rushed forward and punched him to the ground.

"Shut up!"

Catching his breath, Yelü Xiezhen asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

At this point, only the Yelü people remained who had retreated to Shangjing City.

Yelü Xiuge sighed, his expression complicated. "His Majesty said that having lost the legacy left by the founding emperor, he had no face to live on and locked himself in the palace."

At this point, even this renowned general, recorded in historical texts as having killed tens of thousands of Song soldiers and whose name was so powerful that even children in Hebei dared not weep, was one of the two pillars of the Liao Dynasty, and was now helpless.

The army was routed, and its main force was almost completely wiped out.

When the vassal tribes fell, they scattered like monkeys, and were even driven back to the very land where the emperor had risen to power.

At a time like this, how can we fight a war while guarding a lonely, isolated city?
Moreover, the emperor wanted to commit suicide at this time?

This country is beyond saving!

"How can this be allowed!"

Yelü Xiezhen was furious and turned to walk towards his bedchamber. "Now is the most critical time for the Liao Dynasty, and the emperor has to... has it caught fire?!"

A great fire broke out in the palace of the Liao emperor.

Yelü Shulu, who lost faith, is the same Yelü Ming recorded in the History of Song, who was posthumously honored as Emperor Muzong.

Faced with the destruction of his country and the loss of his family, he did not resist to the end, but instead chose to burn himself and Empress Xiao to the ground.

He has no children. If he did, he would probably take the children with him.

Looking at the raging fire before them, the Yelü men who had rushed over had extremely grim expressions.

"Run away."

Yelü Sha lowered his head and said, "While we can still run, let's run."

All the Yelüs were tempted.

Rather than waiting to die, it's better to run away and seek survival.

What is ancestral heritage compared to one's own life?

Where can we escape to?

Yelü Xiuge sneered repeatedly, “The Southern Emperor has issued an arrest warrant.”

“If it were just a Yelü, it would be worth ten thousand strings of cash!”

"Those poor bastards on the grasslands are green with envy!"

"The grasslands are vast, but there is no place for us Yelu people to stay."

Yelü Sha couldn't help but shout, "Then let's escape to the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River!"

"I refuse to believe that those southerners would venture into the snowy forests just to hunt us down!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at him with strange expressions.

"Have you forgotten that there are wild men in the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River region?"

“Those savages eat both meat and vegetables; if you fall into their hands, there won’t even be any bones left.”

"Rather than being captured and beheaded, or tied up and roasted alive," Yelü Xiuge took a deep breath, "it's better to fight to the death, even if I die, I'll take a few down with me!"

The morale of the Yelü men was boosted. Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well fight to the death!

"The most urgent task," Yelü Xiezhen shouted, "is to elect an emperor! We must at least have an emperor!"

Logically speaking, emperors don't need to be chosen.

The problem is that Emperor Muzong, who died, had no sons, and not even a daughter.

In this case, a choice should be made among his brothers.

Unfortunately, Emperor Muzong's brothers had already perished in the previous battles.

In this situation, you have to choose from among your relatives.

"Anyone will do!"

Yelü Sha shouted impatiently, "What time is it? What's there to argue about?"

If it were Confucian civil officials, they would absolutely not accept just anyone.

Even if the country is on the verge of collapse, even if foreign troops are already at the gates, they will fight to the bitter end, preferring to perish rather than violate the established rites.

The Liao people were much happier.

They selected people from the descendants of previous emperors.

Besides those who have already been killed, those who have disappeared and whose whereabouts are unknown, there are also those who resolutely refuse to succeed to the throne at this time.

In the end, they chose Yelü Xian, who was still a few years old and completely clueless.

Yelü Xian was the second son of Emperor Shizong of Liao, Yelü Ruan.

Yelü Ruan was murdered in a rebellion, and the throne returned to the lineage of Emperor Taizong of Liao.

Historically, after Yelü Shulü was killed by his attendants, the grown-up Yelü Xian seized the throne, returning the Liao dynasty's imperial power from the line of Emperor Taizong back to the line of Emperor Shizong.

It's a complete mess.
But it doesn't matter anymore.

In any case, everyone will die within the next few days!
The coronation ceremony was very simple, or rather, nonexistent.

Because he was too young, there was no suitable dragon robe for him to wear, so they could only find an old one, cut it up haphazardly, and put it on him.

Yelü Xian was seated behind the table, and the Yelü men gave a perfunctory bow, which was considered the end of the ceremony.

Then, Yelü Xian, who was only a few years old, issued his first decree.

"I'm hungry, I want to eat!"

Having fled all the way to the capital, many people were already exhausted and starving.

Yelü Xiuge and the others instructed the kitchen to prepare food for the young emperor, and then they each left to oversee the city's defenses.

The only one left behind was Yelü Sha, who wanted to escape.

He truly didn't want to stay in this place where he was doomed and wait to die.

But he couldn't find a way out, and his mind was in turmoil as he racked his brains.

Young Yelü Xian was very curious about his new identity. He asked, "Right Pushe, now that I'm the emperor, can I kill the people who bullied me before?"

Yelü Sha replied absentmindedly, "You are the emperor now, your words are imperial edicts, you can kill whomever you want, anytime you want."

"Great~"

Yelü Xian cheered and clapped his hands, "Those Han people forced me to flee all the way, they couldn't eat or sleep well, I must kill all the Han people!"

Yelü Sha, who was standing to the side, was also amused and nodded.

"Fine, you must kill all the Han people."

"But I'm hungry right now," Yelü Xian said, rubbing his stomach. "All I want to do right now is eat."

"Let's wait a little longer." Sitting in the chair, Yelü Sha closed his eyes and racked his brains for a way to escape. "It will be delivered soon."

Sure enough, not long after, a servant brought over a plate of boiled fish.

"Your Majesty." A handsome servant bowed and placed a bowl of boiled fish in front of Yelü Xian. "This is fresh fish that was just caught from the reeds this morning."

Yelü Sha glanced at him, then closed his eyes and crossed his arms, feigning sleep.

"Oh~ Time to eat~"

Young Yelü Xian reached out to grab the fish.

At that moment, the attendant suddenly drew a knife and slashed it hard across Yelü Xian's neck!
The gushing blood poured onto Yelü Sha's body, instantly waking him up!
The next moment, the servant held a knife to his neck.

My life is over.

As Yelü Sha awaited his death, he heard his attendant say, "Right-handed, if you continue to resist now, you will only die."

"It would be better to take the emperor's head and surrender to the Han people."

"Such a great achievement can not only make amends for one's mistakes, but also bring a large reward."

Yelü Sha looked at the servant in confusion and asked, "Why do you want to share the credit with me for such a great achievement?"

“A petty person naturally wants to claim all the credit.”

The attendant said with a grin, "But without the right-hand archer's assistance, I wouldn't even be able to leave this palace, let alone claim any credit."

The capital city was divided into two parts.

To the south is Seoul, and to the north is the imperial palace.

Yelü concentrated his last strength to guard the palace and abandoned Hancheng.

For a mere servant to try and leave the palace carrying the young emperor's head is nothing short of delusional.

Only with the assistance of a great figure like Yelü Sha could one have the opportunity to leave.

Although he was just a servant, he was quite intelligent.

Yelü Sha, his gaze shifting, pondered for a moment before nodding.

"it is good."

"Find a piece of cloth and wrap the head up so that no one can see it."

"Also, wrap up the seals over there and take them with you; they're proof."

"Oh, and take off the dragon robe too."

After the servant finished his work, he was about to turn around when a sharp blade pierced through him from behind.

Yelü Sha whispered behind him.

"Fool, if I kill you, all the credit will be mine!"

(End of this chapter)