Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 765 Master Zhong would rather die than surrender to the Jin! [2nd Update]

With a sweep of golden light, the overwhelming rain of arrows fell to the ground, unable to get within a foot of the strange man!
"hiss--"

Wang Fu couldn't help but gasp:
Who is this deity?

"Shh-"

The strange man carried a person on his back, rode on wheels of fire, and arrived in front of the Jin army's formation in a streak of flames!
"squeak--"

With a sudden stop, the wheels of the car left two dark tracks on the ground!
The strange man put down the person on his back. The person's feet touched the ground, but their legs gave way and they almost fell to the ground!
Fortunately, the strange man caught him and shouted:

"Stop it, all of you—Old Master Zhong is here—"

Who?
Wang Fu could hardly believe his ears, but upon closer inspection, the man was indeed Zhong Shidao!
This unscientific!

Wang Fu was completely devastated.

He surrendered to the Jin Dynasty because he knew that Zhong Shidao would not return.

As a result, he surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, and Zhong Shidao returned. Wasn't this just playing with him?

"boom--"

Upon realizing that it was indeed Zhong Shidao, the Jin army immediately descended into chaos.

The Jin soldiers in the front row quickly spread the news, and it spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, until everyone knew that Zhong Shidao had arrived.

"Wang Fu, you beast!"

Fortunately, Zhong Shidao was physically strong. He steadied himself, broke free from Ma Ling's grasp, and pointed at Wang Fu, angrily cursing:

"Who taught you to defect to the Jin Dynasty?"

"Isn't it all because of you?"

Wang Fu decisively turned the tables and accused Wang Fu of wrongdoing.
"I thought the false emperor had killed you, so I surrendered to the Jin Dynasty to avenge you!"

"Now that you've already cast your vote, Zhong Shidao, why don't you come over too!"
"The Jin Kingdom has bestowed upon me the title of Prince of Jin. Come and follow me, and I will appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Army!"

"HE—TUI!"

Zhong Shidao spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground:
"Zhong Shidao would rather die than surrender to the Jin!"
"Wang Fu, if you repent and turn back from your wrong path, I can beg the King of Qi to spare your dog's life!"
"Otherwise, you're a traitor! You deserve to be torn to pieces!"

"Nonsense! I've already pledged allegiance to the Jin Kingdom, how can I possibly pledge allegiance to the King of Qi again?"

Wang Fu tried to persuade Zhong Shidao:
"Old Master Zhong, you don't know, the Jin Dynasty's million-strong army is marching south, the Song Dynasty is doomed!"
"If you surrender now, you can still win a life of wealth and glory!"
"If you wait until the Jin army arrives, you will die without a burial place!"

"Enough with the nonsense!"

Knowing that Wang Fu was beyond saving, Zhong Shidao decisively rallied the army's morale:
"Fellow soldiers of the Western Army, I am Zhong Shidao!"
“Kill anyone who refuses to follow Wang Fu as a traitor!”

Those who were deceived will not be held accountable!

“Master Zhong said you are a daytime person…”

Wang Fu was about to retort when he saw that the Jin army had all turned their spears on him!

These Jin troops were originally the Western Army, and were all soldiers trained by Zhong Shidao.

The reason they followed Wang Fu to surrender to the Jin Dynasty was that Wang Fu had deceived them, saying that Zhong Shidao had been killed by Emperor Gaozong of Song.

He surrendered to the Jin Dynasty to avenge Zhong Shidao.

Now that Zhong Shidao is right in front of them, how can they still follow Wang Fu, this great traitor, and become traitors?
Besides, Wang Fu surrendered to the Jin Dynasty and became the Prince of Jin. What does that have to do with them, the soldiers?
They surrendered to the Jin Dynasty and became soldiers, only to be branded as traitors for nothing. What were they after?

So, with Zhong Shidao's instigation, the Jin army, originally part of the Western Army, all defected on the spot...

In the blink of an eye, Prince Wang Fu of Jin, who claimed to have an army of 100,000, became a commander without troops.

He wasn't entirely alone; he had over a hundred retainers and servants by his side.

However, it was all for naught. Could he really expect these hundred-odd household guards and servants to fight against the 100,000-strong Western Army?
Wang Fufeng was utterly bewildered: "You can't kill me!"
"I am the Prince of Jin of the Great Jin Kingdom!"

"Wa hahaha--"

Zhong Shidao laughed heartily, feeling very gratified that his life in the Western Army had not been in vain.

"Traitor, prepare to die!"

A young general, unstoppable in his bravery, scattered Wang Fu's guards and servants, and stabbed Wang Fu to death with a single spear thrust!

Wang Fu's reign as Prince of Jin lasted only two days before it vanished like a dream...

After taking Wang Fu's head, the young general presented it to Zhong Shidao, who asked him with satisfaction what his name was. The young general clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "This humble general is Wu Jie, the Righteous Colonel!"

"it is good!"

Zhong Shidao patted him on the shoulder:

"From this day forward, you will stay by my side, and I will teach you how to wage war!"

"Thank you so much, Your Excellency!"

Wu Jie was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply.

At this moment, the city gates of Shanzhou were opened, and the prefect and the military commander came out to greet Zhong Shidao.

The prefect said thankfully, "Thanks to the Grand Commandant's timely return, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do..."

"I am no longer the Grand Commandant!"

Master Zhong, a gentleman, frankly told him:

"The false emperor is dead, and I have now surrendered to the King of Qi!"
"King Qi has appointed me as the 'Grand Commander of Yongxing,' overseeing all military affairs of the 'Yongxing Military Circuit'!"

"what?"

The prefect and the military commander were dumbfounded: "Then what do we..."

"His Majesty's death was indeed a treacherous plot set up by the false emperor. Prince Qi helped me kill the false emperor and avenge His Majesty!"

Zhong Shidao was telling them, and also the Western Army:

"Now that the Song Dynasty has no more sons or grandsons of the emperor, Prince Qi is a virtuous ruler, and I have sworn allegiance to him!"

"With a million-strong Jin army pressing in, no one but the King of Qi can save the world!"
"Those of you who are willing to follow me and surrender to the King of Qi may stay; those who are not willing to follow me and surrender to the King of Qi may lay down your arms and return to your fields!"

"You are free to come and go, and there will be no coercion!"

These Western Army soldiers trusted Zhong Shidao and had all heard of Cai Fuwei's reputation, so naturally none of them left.

The prefect and the military commander also surrendered reluctantly, finding it much easier to accept surrendering to the King of Qi than to the Jin Kingdom.

"I would be grateful if Master Ma could escort me on my way!"

Zhong Shidao knew Ma Ling's abilities and treated him with great courtesy.
"This subordinate will stay behind to handle the unfinished business!"
"Please inform His Majesty, Master Ma, that this humble general will certainly hand over the Northern Song Dynasty intact to him!"

"You're too kind, Grand Commander!"

Ma Ling returned the greeting to Zhong Shidao, then mounted his Wind and Fire Wheels and hurried off to Shandong.

……

Weisheng Prefecture.

King Liu Yu of Wei shouted triumphantly:
“You surnamed Zhu, the King of Qi can’t save you; he died in Jiangzhou!”

"Now that the Jin Dynasty has a million-strong army marching south, why don't you surrender? When will you?"

"Oh!"

Zhu Tong, known as "The Bearded Gentleman," angrily punched the edge of the crenellation, sending brick fragments flying.
"Master Fan, still no news?"

Fan Rui, the "troublemaker," frowned and shook his head.

"The time is not right, there's no rush."

Zhu Tong and his deputy Zhu Jing exchanged a helpless glance.

Going out of the city to fight the enemy would indeed mean being outnumbered, but staying cooped up in the city like this would be too stifling.

Liu Yu's second son, Liu Ni, made a show of force, brandishing a large spear and winning cheers from the Wei army.

Liu Ni then pointed his spear at the city gate tower and shouted:

"Liu Ni is here! Who dares to fight me to the death!"

Zhu Tong was so angry that his eyebrows stood on end and his phoenix eyes widened. He picked up his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and was about to fight him.

But Fan Rui grabbed him, and suddenly there was a "whoosh" sound, and a crane descended from the sky!

With a wave of his hand, Fan Rui summoned the crane, which then transformed into a paper crane!

(End of this chapter)