Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 305 The End of a Tyrant (8,000 words)

"Kill him!"

The voice was very casual.

Nakhtoya probably didn't care much about Wanyan Zongmin; he was a completely irrelevant person. He had been guarding the royal tent before, perhaps to protect her safety, but he might also have been keeping an eye on her to prevent her from escaping.

As for what happened later, Wanyan Zongmin thought he was doing something very noble, even at the cost of his own life, and was deeply moved by his own actions.

But clearly, Nakhtoya didn't appreciate it.

In Nakhtoya's view, Wanyan Zongmin was merely pushing her from one fire pit to another; it was just a matter of whether she died sooner or later.

Therefore, it is impossible for Nakhtoya to accept Wanyan Zongmin's favor.

Such an answer was an unimaginable blow to Wanyan Zongmin. Although he was bleeding almost to the point of exhaustion, he suddenly convulsed with strength from who knows where, staring wide-eyed at Nahetuya. Perhaps in Wanyan Zongmin's eyes, how could Nahetuya treat him like this when he liked her so much?

He seemed to have a lot to say, his mouth was wide open, but he couldn't make a sound, only mouthfuls of bloody foam kept gushing out.

A few breaths later, his body jerked violently, his head slammed heavily to the ground, and he stopped breathing completely.

died.

That way, I don't have to get my hands dirty.

However, this guy must have been extremely unwilling, his eyes were wide open like apricots, he looked like he died with his eyes wide open.

"Let's go."

Ma Han and his men left cleanly, even taking their warhorses with them, afraid of making any inappropriate noise that might disturb their general's good time. They didn't look down on their general's quirks; nor did they resent Song Yan's supposed pursuit of the princess, which they considered to be a thousand-mile chase—in fact, they were quite pleased.

Perhaps because he often mingled with the black-armored soldiers, Song Yan wasn't really clear about his status in their eyes. Nahetuya had said that all the Jurchen barbarians in the Wuji tribe worshipped Wanyan Guangzhi like a god, and in the hearts of these black-armored soldiers, Song Yan's status was roughly the same.

With fewer troops, they easily annihilated Japanese pirates who outnumbered them; they provided disaster relief to tens of thousands of refugees; they wiped out an entire tribe without lifting a finger; and now they are leading them to trample the royal court, making them the first soldiers in the entire history of the Central Plains to step into the Jurchen royal court. What an honor this is!

He had compassion for the common people.

They treated the soldiers like brothers;

On the battlefield, they were invincible;

In matters of politics, he was not afraid of powerful and influential people;

Yu, a corrupt official, is ruthless and cruel!

In the hearts of the black-armored warriors, their general was a near-perfect being.

Even though they eat together, train together, and brag together, there's always this surreal feeling that his general is like a god descended to earth. Even when the general is right in front of him, he still seems so distant. Now, discovering that his general shares the same hobbies as him, such as being a womanizer... he inexplicably feels much closer to him.

Since the general has taken a liking to her, let alone just a princess from another tribe, what harm would there be in bringing over the empresses of Chu, Zhao, and Liang?

Song Yan was naturally unaware of the black-armored warrior's thoughts; he was in a good mood. He didn't find Nahetuya's act of betraying her race and acting as a collaborator repulsive, nor did he look down on it. After all, the Jurchens at that time hadn't yet developed a concept of ethnicity, so the question of betrayal didn't really apply. When her father gave her to the ruthless Wanyan Guangzhi, perhaps he had already given up hope.

The Haixi Grassland must be conquered.

Maps, horse training, warhorse breeding, gyrfalcons, and even the Blackwater tribe, who could potentially act as internal agents—all these are extremely important for the future campaign against the Jurchens. In comparison, the suspected gold mine is the least worthwhile gain, since Song Yan has no interest in money.

In short, we made a fortune this time.

In Nahetuya's view, Wanyan Guangzhi's looting of Pingyang Prefecture was an extremely foolish act. Although dynasties changed, each dynasty almost always suppressed the Jurchens. To put it bluntly, if the Haixi Grassland had not been so barren that the emperors of the Central Plains dynasties looked down on it, it would probably have been incorporated into the territory of the Central Plains dynasties long ago.

The Central Plains did experience periods of decline.

The Jurchens would also take this opportunity to plunder and exploit others.

Just like more than a hundred years ago, when the Great Wu Empire disintegrated and the vast Central Plains were engulfed in war, the Jurchens took this opportunity to attack the northern part of the Central Plains, massacring tens of thousands of people and plundering countless treasures. The price was that the Taizu and Taizong emperors of Ningguo spent decades purging the Jurchens. If they hadn't been unfamiliar with the geography of the Western Sea, the Jurchens would probably have been wiped out.

Wanyan Guangzhi's looting of Pingyang Prefecture while Ningguo was weak will inevitably incur Ningguo's retaliation.

As it turned out, her prediction was correct.

The destruction of the Wugulun tribe indirectly led to the conquest of the Anchegu tribe, and the Jurchen royal court suffered a crushing cavalry attack, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Although they were on the run, Nakhtoya had seen the cavalrymen in their black armor, which was indestructible, and the terrifying divine punishment, all of which were forces that the Jurchens could not possibly contend with at present.

Now, she has taken advantage of this opportunity to get rid of Wanyan Guangzhi, escape the Jurchens, enter the Central Plains to live, and even have the opportunity to have the identity of a Central Plains person... All she has to give up is some things she remembers in her mind.

In Nakhtoya's view, she made a huge profit this time.

Nakhtoya's thinking was somewhat similar to that of the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Li Shimin, where people from neighboring countries considered it an honor to have a Tang Dynasty household registration. The princess's status was no longer important at this moment. Although she was usually a bit feisty, she obediently followed behind Song Yan, occasionally raising her eyelids to glance at Song Yan's back before quickly looking away.

Ma Han and his men walked a long way, a distance of one or two hundred meters, before they finally found the group's trail.

They were lucky; in the freezing cold, they actually managed to find some wild game. They skinned it but couldn't tell what it was. Judging from the pattern of the skin, it should be a fox... They didn't know if it was edible, but they figured it wouldn't taste very good.

Upon seeing Song Yan and Nakhtoya following behind, the group of cavalrymen once again revealed ambiguous expressions, looking him up and down as if they were determined to find something different about Song Yan.

Song Yan was too lazy to pay attention to these bastards. Explaining was useless; they would only think he was covering up.

After waiting for nearly an hour, Luo Tianyang and Wang Chao led the remaining black-armored soldiers to this place. They ate some fried noodles to fill their stomachs and then closed their eyes to sleep for a while.

The next day, however, the sky turned gloomy.

The clouds overhead were a hazy gray.

The cold wind howled even more fiercely.

Song Yan looked up at the sky; it was probably going to snow again.

Four thousand black-armored warriors braved the cold wind and disappeared into the vast expanse.

……

Time passes day by day.

Outside the chariot's ribs, Wanyan Guangzhi's face was unusually gloomy.

In his plan, he could easily take down Anchegu, one of the seven tribes, in just three days.

Although the Anchegu tribe is one of the seven major tribes, it is the last one. The number of cavalry in the tribe will not exceed 20,000, and if you include the infantry, the total number of soldiers capable of fighting is at most 50,000.

On the allied side, the Wuji tribe contributed 40,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry, totaling 70,000 men. Adding to this the 80,000 soldiers gathered from other large and small tribes, the total force reached 150,000.

With 150,000 to 50,000, the advantage lies with me.

The Anchegu tribe probably had the same idea. Once the encirclement was formed, the Anchegu tribe immediately sent envoys to express their willingness to surrender, remove their tribal title, and integrate into the Wuji tribe.

The war hadn't even begun when the enemy surrendered, which made Wanyan Guangzhi incredibly smug. Then… he resolutely rejected the Anchegu tribe's request to surrender. What a joke! He had assembled so many troops precisely to show off his military might; if they surrendered, how could he demonstrate his prowess?
Wanyan Guangzhi was a treacherous and cunning man, but even the most treacherous and cunning man cannot help but be arrogant and complacent. When he thought about how he had plundered the Central Plains dynasty and saw the 150,000-strong army covering the ground like dark clouds, even Wanyan Guangzhi, with his shrewd mind, could not help but become arrogant.

He even generously gave Anche's muscular team half a day to prepare for the battle.

With a single command from Wanyan Guangzhi, the 150,000-strong army launched a fierce attack, and then... Wanyan Guangzhi's smugness vanished, his face remaining grim.

The resilience of the car's ribs exceeded his expectations.

Perhaps because their surrender was rejected and they knew they were doomed, the barbarians' ferocious and savage nature was fully unleashed at this moment. Every member of the Anchegu tribe was fearless, even women, the elderly, and children threw themselves into the battlefield. If they didn't have enough weapons, they used sickles and axes; if they didn't have axes, they used clubs; if the clubs broke, they used their teeth... Even if their hearts were pierced, they would still charge forward with bloodshot eyes and bite off a piece of flesh from their opponent.

They had completely lost their sense of pain and death, like a pack of wild beasts, their faces contorted and their throats emitting indescribable cries. Seeing these insane people, the Allied forces' courage waned somewhat.

What angered Wanyan Guangzhi even more were the elite troops sent by other tribes... These people had no will to fight, especially after seeing the crazy appearance of the Anche Bone Tribe. They were unwilling to approach the battlefield, and considered it a battle after shooting a few bone arrows from afar. As for where the arrows actually landed, they didn't care.

As a result, on the main battlefield, almost all of them became Wanyan Guangzhi's subordinates.

For three consecutive days, the remains inside and outside Anche's body were piled up like mountains, and all that could be seen was a glaring crimson.

The blood flowed together, forming a thick, viscous river.

As snowflakes drifted down from the sky, the blood froze into translucent ice crystals, dazzlingly red.

Several times, his elite cavalry charged into Anchegu's tribe, only to be driven out each time.

Left with no other choice, Wanyan Guangzhi had to order the horns to be sounded and the troops to retreat. A tally of casualties revealed that after three days of fighting, the allied forces had lost tens of thousands of infantry and five thousand cavalry, with the majority of these losses coming from the Wuji tribe.

When the numbers came in, Wanyan Guangzhi felt his heart bleed. These were the elite troops of the Wuji tribe! Even after breaching the new border and looting Pingyang Prefecture, they hadn't suffered such heavy losses. As for Anchegu, his death toll was probably similar to his side, which might seem like he hadn't lost anything. However, a large portion of the enemy's dead were the elderly, women, and children. If you really looked at it, these three days of conflict had been a huge loss—a complete and utter defeat.

Looking at the faces of the retreating warriors, each one was exhausted and filled with barely suppressed fear. On the other hand, even from a great distance, one could hear howls like those of wild beasts. Wanyan Guangzhi's heart sank. He regretted it... He should have accepted the surrender of the Anchegu tribe.

How could I have been so blinded by the sounds of battle shouting all around me?
Things have developed to this point, and even if he wanted to surrender, it would be impossible; the two sides are now locked in a life-or-death struggle.

He cannot retreat; if he does, he will become a laughingstock among the Jurchen people, and all his prestige will vanish.

He glanced around at the so-called elite troops of the other tribes. He couldn't let these people continue to watch the show. After a night's rest, they had to rush to the front lines for tomorrow's attack. Otherwise, even if they could swallow Anchegu, the loss would be too great.

Just as Wanyan Guangzhi was thinking this, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him. Turning around, he saw a group of more than a dozen Jurchens riding warhorses, rapidly approaching through the wind and snow. These people looked somewhat disheveled, as if they had just gone through a major battle, their bodies covered in dried, cracked blood.

His face showed fear, along with barely concealed anger and hatred.

Judging from the totems on their bodies, they were likely from the Shuhu tribe. They spurred their warhorses and headed straight for the Shuhu tribe's eldest prince. This eldest prince was the Shuhu tribe's representative this time, and he had been staying by Wanyan Guangzhi's side, responsible for conveying Wanyan Guangzhi's orders to the Shuhu tribe's three thousand iron cavalry.

As soon as they arrived before the eldest prince, more than a dozen warriors from the Tiger Tribe quickly dismounted and knelt on the ground with a thud. In the next instant, tears streamed down their faces, and they even wailed loudly. This reaction startled everyone, who did not understand why these brave barbarian warriors would show such a cowardly appearance.

"Your Highness, the Han people... the Han army took advantage of the fact that the elite troops of the Shuhu tribe were all out on the field to launch a surprise attack on the tribe."

"The tribe had more than 20,000 people, and suffered heavy casualties. Jilie Khan died a heroic death in battle."

The eldest prince of the Shuhu tribe felt a buzzing in his head, his body swayed, and he almost fainted. Who could have imagined that, merely to give Wanyan Guangzhi face and lead three thousand iron cavalry to assist in the siege of Anchegu, he would receive news within a few days that his father had died in battle and his tribe had been slaughtered.

In an instant, a commotion erupted around them.

They absolutely refused to believe that these cowardly Han people would dare to launch a sneak attack on the Jurchen tribes, but judging from the appearance of the Shuhu tribe members, they didn't seem to be lying.

For a moment, there was a rustling sound everywhere.

Some people are questioning it, while others are worried.

Since the Han people dared to attack the Shuhu tribe, they might not be afraid to attack their own tribe.

Now that the elite troops have been transferred away, the remaining people in the tribe may not be a match for the Han people.

When the eldest prince of the Shuhu tribe regained consciousness, he immediately prepared to lead the tribe's elite troops back to fight, but was stopped by Wanyan Guangzhi.

In Wanyan Guangzhi's words, the Han people couldn't possibly stay with the Shuhu tribe waiting for him to return. If he led his troops back now, the Han troops would probably have already left. Even if the eldest prince really brought back three thousand iron cavalry, they would most likely be no match for the enemy. It would be better to stay here and wait until the Anchegu tribe was wiped out. Then he would lead an army of hundreds of thousands to search for the Han army in the Haixi grasslands. Once found, he would definitely annihilate them.

Although the eldest prince was filled with grief and indignation, he could only suppress it. On the one hand, he had to give Wanyan Guangzhi face, and on the other hand, he felt that Wanyan Guangzhi's words made sense.

However, at night, another group of cavalry appeared.

This time, there were even more people, nearly a hundred.

This time it was the Tudan tribe, and the entire tribe was slaughtered. However, the Khan of the Tudan tribe was still alive, but he had been shot in the knee with an arrow. He was now hiding in a secluded place to avoid being hunted down by the Han people.

It was Wanyan Guangzhi who used his prestige, coupled with the fact that the Wuji tribe still held an absolute numerical advantage, to forcefully suppress the rebellion.

The next day, three more cavalrymen appeared. This time it was the Shu tribe. Like the Shuhu and Tudan tribes, the Han army launched a surprise attack, causing countless deaths and burning the entire tribe to the ground.

This time, even Wanyan Guangzhi could not control himself, and the surrounding area became completely agitated.

With three tribes attacked in succession, it was clear that the Han Chinese had seized the opportunity of the various tribes' elite troops being mobilized to launch a bloody revenge against the plundering of Pingyang Prefecture. Although there was still no news from their own tribes, it was possible that the Han army was on its way to the tribes.

In this situation, who can remain calm and collected?

Listening to the commotion around him, Wanyan Guangzhi felt completely overwhelmed. He understood that the situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control, and if he continued to suppress it, it might lead to a mutiny.

Amidst the chaos, Wanyan Guangzhi couldn't help but look at the Anchegu tribe. The entire tribe had been utterly destroyed. He was confident that if he concentrated his forces today and launched another attack, the Anchegu tribe, which had already reached its limit, would collapse completely.

But then this happened, and he was unwilling to accept it.

My chest feels like it's blocked by something, a dull, aching pain.

The snow is falling heavier and heavier.

The wind is getting colder and colder.

Just like his heart, it was ice-cold.

In the wind and snow, even the light was affected, and visibility became very low.

Just then, a series of footsteps approached, and a figure could be seen moving with difficulty in the wind and snow, as if searching for something. As the distance grew closer, Wanyan Guangzhi finally saw the person's appearance clearly. It was the personal guard he had arranged near the royal tent to protect Nahetuya. Why was he here?
Could it be the royal court...?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

The guards finally saw Wanyan Guangzhi. Their eyes, which had been utterly exhausted, suddenly lit up, as if they had found their pillar of support. Their legs went weak, and they knelt on the ground with a thud.

"The Great Khan... the royal court... the royal court has been attacked by the Han people."

Wanyan Guangzhi's expression changed drastically in an instant; his worst fears had come true.

The people from the other tribes nearby felt much better after hearing this.

"Of the entire royal court, more than 100,000 people were killed or wounded, and the remaining warhorses were all slaughtered."

"General Wanyan Guanghan died a heroic death in battle."

goo.

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Guangzhi's pale face suddenly flushed red, his body trembled violently, and a mouthful of blood rushed to his throat, but he managed to forcefully suppress it.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably.

How could this be? His own brother, he's dead?

Even though the royal family was known for its coldness and indifference, Wanyan Guangzhi still felt as if everything was pitch black before his eyes. A thick gloom, a suppressed restlessness and madness, and a burning anger surged into his mind all at once, to the point that Wanyan Guangzhi's consciousness became chaotic.

Then, the guard stabbed him again:

"The princess has also been captured alive."

puff.

The blood stasis that had been so hard to suppress could no longer be controlled.

In an instant, Wanyan Guangzhi felt as if his forehead was covered in a bright green color.

Although the Jurchens had a tradition of fathers succeeding sons and brothers succeeding brothers, that still happened after death.

Now that the princess has been abducted, he believes that with Nakhtoya's figure and beauty, those damned Han Chinese will definitely not be able to control her. They are a whole cavalry unit, and who knows how badly Nakhtoya will be tortured.

He was the Great Khan of the Jurchen people, the king of the Haixi Grassland.

His queen was defiled by Han Chinese, and this alone was enough to wipe out all the prestige he had accumulated over the years.

A buzzing sound filled my mind.

His once scholarly face was now twisted into a hideous grimace, resembling that of a jackal. The intense resentment emanating from him sent chills down the spines of everyone who saw Wanyan Guangzhi's expression.

"Who?"

"Who is it? Who is that Han Chinese officer?"

His voice was hoarse as his hands clenched taut, nails digging into his palms, drops of blood trickling down his sides onto the silvery snow like blooming plum blossoms, strikingly beautiful. Only the pain in his palms could keep Wanyan Guangzhi from completely going mad.

"Song..."

“Song Zhe, that man said his name is Song Zhe.”

Wanyan Guangzhi took a deep breath. "Song Zhe, is it? I'll remember you. I'll repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold, for the humiliation you brought me."

He will arrange for a thousand warriors from various tribes to torture every pore of your body day and night.

Turning around, he gave the Anchegu tribe a sharp look. No matter how unwilling he felt, he could only shout in a deep voice, "All tribes, retreat..."

Despite paying such a high price and losing so many people, they still failed to defeat Anchegu and even forged such a mortal enemy.

The whole thing failed.

But he had no choice but to issue such an order. He knew that the moment the news of the royal court being trampled arrived, the elite troops he had brought had already lost their will to fight.

They all have relatives in the tribe.

With a series of thunderous hoofbeats and footsteps, the vast army marched off in different directions. After a long while, the figures, like thick clouds, finally disappeared completely into the wind and snow.

Warhorses galloped.

Wanyan Guangzhi had already separated from the main force; he needed to return to the royal court as soon as possible. He only had a thousand tribal warriors with him. However, these thousand men were the most valiant and skilled fighters in the Wuji tribe, each one capable of taking on ten opponents.

At the same time, he also brought along his most trusted confidant, Mu Chi.

And the personal guards who delivered the message.

Although the swirling snow made the guards' voices intermittent and somewhat unclear, Wanyan Guangzhi still roughly understood what was going on.

The cavalry numbered only a few thousand, but they were all clad in heavy armor, completely covered from head to toe. The arrows and scimitars fired by the Jurchen cavalry were utterly ineffective. Moreover, these cavalrymen seemed to possess a mysterious, almost magical ability that could summon thunder and lightning.

Every time lightning strikes, many people are killed.

The people in the royal court quickly lost their will to fight because of the heavenly lightning, which led to their defeat.

Wanyan Guangzhi dismissed the idea of ​​heavenly thunder as utter nonsense, but the fact that he was fully armored... Damn rich man, how could he be so arrogant?

He spurred his warhorse relentlessly all the way back to the royal court. Wanyan Guangzhi yanked the reins, and his horse neighed, then collapsed to its knees, foaming at the mouth—clearly dying. But at that moment, Wanyan Guangzhi had no time to care for his beloved horse. His throat was filled with wheezing sounds, and his eyes trembled violently…

What did he see?

The snow had just fallen here, and the royal court had not yet been buried by the snow.

Beneath the flying snow lay a scene of scorched ruin.

The entire royal court, with its thousands of tents, was burned to ashes.

He saw on the ground, piled up haphazardly, some broken, some charred. They were countless, densely packed, covering almost the entire surface of the ground as far as his eyes could see.

He saw many of his people lying on the ground, rummaging through the ruins, trying to find something to eat. Whenever they found something, they would stuff it into their mouths without hesitation.

He saw that many warriors from the tribes seemed to have all their courage drained away, sitting blankly on the ground like puppets.

He saw that someone was already lying there, stiff and motionless, probably frozen to death because there was no tent to keep warm.

He also saw, over there in the stables, a large number of horse carcasses burned to charcoal, and many people rummaging through the charred remains of the warhorses, perhaps finding some flesh still inside.

puff!
The snow-white ground in front of me was stained with layers of crimson.

For someone like Wanyan Guangzhi, it's not easy to get so angry that he vomits blood, but the royal court is gone, the warhorses are gone, his clansmen are dead, and even the queen has been taken away... He really can't control himself.

Once upon a time, he was full of ambition, but who could have imagined that he would fall into hell in just one day?

How could Song Zhe be so vicious?

How can you treat human life so lightly?

Is he even human? That bastard didn't even spare the carcasses of the horses he killed, refusing to leave his people a single grain of food.

Aren't you afraid of retribution?
Whoosh, whoosh!
Wanyan Guangzhi was panting heavily. He could vaguely sense that many people were watching him. He subconsciously looked back and saw gazes filled with hatred and loathing, which made Wanyan Guangzhi's scalp tingle.

Damn.

What are your identities?
You're just a lowly commoner who relies on me, the Great Khan, to survive. Why do you look at me like that?

Why should I be held responsible for the destruction of the royal court and the massacre of my people?

I am not wrong.

Everything I do is to make the Wuji tribe stronger.

Xixisuosuo.

They could even hear footsteps, and it was clear that some people were slowly approaching.

Taking a deep breath, Wanyan Guangzhi raised his hand, and behind him, a thousand loyal warriors quickly dispersed, drawing their curved swords from their waists. The gleaming blades appeared even colder and more desolate in the flying snow.

The scimitar was quite useful, and the tribesmen stopped in their tracks.

Just then, a figure walked towards Wanyan Guangzhi. It was Mu Chi, his most trusted advisor and scout.

When he saw Mu Chi, Wanyan Guangzhi subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. The more trusted confidants he had around him, the safer he felt. "Mu Chi, gather the remaining warriors in the tribe first. This won't do. Without tents to keep warm, we'll freeze to death sooner or later."

"Although there is still some grain in the underground granary, it is not enough to feed so many mouths."

"In that case, we'll have to borrow some food and tents from other tribes. Let's set off when the main army returns."

Wanyan Guangzhi let out a breath and pursed his lips. He was no ordinary man after all. No matter how angry and out of control he was before, he managed to control his emotions in a short time. He understood that the more this was the case, the less he should act impulsively: "The Han people must be avenged, but not now."

"I need you to go to Han territory and find out who Song Zhe really is."

"We also need to find out what this so-called divine punishment is... I suspect it's likely a special combat weapon created by the Han people, something like a siege engine. Although the Han people are weak, they possess technology we haven't mastered. If that's the case, we must learn how to create divine punishment. With such a powerful weapon, I can unify the Jurchens and take control of the Central Plains..."

puff.

Just then, Wanyan Guangzhi suddenly felt a pain in his heart.

Looking down, he saw a dagger stuck in his chest, blood gushing out. At the other end of the dagger was Mu Chi's finger.

(End of this chapter)