You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"The Emperor is a Tyrant in the Heavens, You Don't Understand My Happiness" is full of classic quotes, come and find resonance.

"Report—!"

A clear report came from outside the tent, and a scout lifted the curtain and entered, his armor covered with the cold dew and dust from his nighttime journey.

He moved swiftly, kneeling on one knee. His breathing was slightly rapid when he clasped his hands in a fist salute, but his voice was steady and clear.

"Your Majesty, generals."

"This humble servant was ordered to monitor the movements at the south gate of Dading Prefecture. About an hour ago, a large group of people in strange attire entered the city through the south gate."

All eyes inside the tent instantly converged.

Han Shizhong said in a deep voice, "Explain in detail."

"Yes."

After gathering his thoughts, the scout quickened his pace and said, "The people who came were all dressed as Tibetan monks, and there were a great many of them, probably no less than eight hundred, or even close to a thousand."

"At the head of the procession was a palanquin carrying sixteen people. The lamas on the palanquin wore crimson robes with gold patterns, had tall crowns, and had unusual faces."

"More than ten lamas followed behind the palanquin, all of them possessing extraordinary bearing."

"Following behind were hundreds of armed monks, standing in orderly ranks, their banners adorned with esoteric mantras and symbols."

"The city gate guards were very respectful, and amidst the cheers, we often heard phrases like 'Living Buddha,' 'Wisdom and Light Venerable,' and 'the whole city has come to our aid.'"

"In addition, enemy spies who had been patrolling outside the city also greeted us by the roadside and then entered the city together."

He paused briefly, then concluded: "Based on this assessment, the main force of the Western Regions Tantric sect, personally led by its Living Buddha, has now all entered Dading Prefecture."

"The enemy's additional extraordinary combat power is likely around a thousand people."

"Living Buddhas from the Western Regions? Masters of Tantric Buddhism...no less than a thousand?"

Han Shizhong frowned deeply, repeating those words with an unprecedentedly solemn tone.

Having spent a long time on the frontier, he had some indirect knowledge of the Western Xia, Tubo, and even various tribes in the Western Regions. He knew that those great masters of Tantric Buddhism were often not only spiritual leaders, but also had their own unique secret methods and unpredictable and powerful martial arts skills, as well as those of their protectors and lamas.

Dozens or even hundreds of such experts are enough to change the course of a local battle in certain situations, let alone "no less than a thousand people"?

This is almost an army composed of unconventional forces!

"Your Majesty, the force that ambushed Hongyu at Yixian Gorge was probably just her advance party or peripheral force."

"Now, with their main force, especially the arrival of that Living Buddha, the threat... is incomparable to what it used to be."

Yue Fei's face was ashen, but a sharp glint flashed in his cold eyes. He slowly said, "The Jurchens hold strong fortified cities, which are inherently difficult to conquer."

"Now, with this powerful ally, they are like a tiger with wings."

"These thousand skilled warriors, when used to defend the city, can form an impenetrable front line on the city walls."

"If used in a surprise attack, it could be used to behead our generals."

"Even if used to flank and disrupt the enemy's formation during a battle between two armies, it would be enough to shake the morale of our army."

"This is truly a major threat."

He paused, looked at Lu Zuo, and said in a heavy tone, "Your Majesty, although our army's morale is high and our soldiers are fighting with their lives on the line..."

"However, we must be wary of such forces that transcend ordinary military formations."

"Although we are not afraid to fight to the death, we fear that ordinary soldiers will not be able to cope with such strange martial arts, which will only increase casualties."

Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin also had serious expressions.

Inside the tent, only the crackling of the burning torches and the slightly heavy breathing of the people could be heard.

With the main force of the Jin army intact and the city fortified, and now receiving this strange and powerful external aid, the situation seems to be turning against the Song army's attack.

However, after the incident, Lu Zuo's expression quickly returned to calm, and even the corners of his mouth seemed to curl up in a barely perceptible arc.

His gaze swept over the worried faces of the generals, finally settling on the stone model representing Dading Prefecture on the sand table, as if he could see through the model and witness the scene unfolding inside the city.

"A Living Buddha from the Western Regions? A master of Tantric Buddhism?"

Lu Zuo's voice rang out, not loud, but with a strange penetrating power, quietly breaking through the oppressive atmosphere: "I have been waiting for him for a long time."

The generals looked up in astonishment at their emperor.

Lu Zuo slowly stood up, his black robes fluttering without wind, naturally exuding an indescribable calm and powerful aura.

He looked at Han Shizhong and Yue Fei, his tone calm but containing undeniable confidence: "Minister Han, Minister Yue, conquering cities and defeating the enemy in open battle is your responsibility and that of the soldiers."

"This thousand-member Tantric Buddhist monk group, and that Living Buddha..."

"Leave it to me."

These five simple words, devoid of grand pronouncements or impassioned rhetoric, seemed to strike the hearts of the generals with immense force.

Han Shizhong and Yue Fei were shocked. Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they looked at Lu Zuo, which then turned into a complex emotion that was a mixture of excitement, relief and deeper awe.

They remembered the palm strike beneath the walls of Suqian, the swift and decisive execution of Shen Gang in the Imperial Study, and the invincible figure who captured Wanyan Gouying alive amidst ten thousand troops during the night raid and annihilated dozens of Tantric masters with a mere flick of his wrist.

Yes, how could they forget that in their own camp, this seemingly young emperor who is unfamiliar with specific military formations is himself a being that transcends common sense and is capable of suppressing all "unconventional" things—the greatest "unconventional" existence!

Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin felt a surge of excitement rush to their heads, and all their worries were instantly replaced by a strong sense of confidence.

His Majesty said to entrust it to him, so there will definitely be no problem!

This is an almost blind trust, proven by countless facts.

"Your Majesty's divine might!"

Han Shizhong took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, and clasped his hands in a solemn voice, saying, "In that case, we will do our utmost to wipe out the ordinary troops of the Jin invaders, and will never allow those foreign monks and sorcerers to interfere with Your Majesty's actions!"

Yue Fei also solemnly said, "We will immediately adjust our deployment and do our utmost to deal with the main force of the Jin army."

"The matter of Tantric Buddhism depends on Your Majesty."

Lu Zuo nodded slightly, said no more, and turned his gaze back to the sand table, as if the approaching enemy formation of a thousand people, which gathered the top forces of Tantric Buddhism, was nothing more than a speck of dust between his fingers.

……

At the same time, in the capital city of Dading, at the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

Unlike the solemn yet resolute atmosphere of the Song army camp, the atmosphere here was surprisingly excited.

The main hall of the mansion was brightly lit, as bright as day. Wanyan Zongfu sat in the main seat, with Jia Gu Qingchen and other high-ranking Jin generals on his left. Everyone was in full armor, but many of them still had traces of fatigue and lingering fear on their faces.

However, at this moment, everyone's eyes were fixed intently on the center of the hall and the newly set-up row of seats on the right.

In the center of the hall, the table that originally held the sand table and map has been moved and covered with a brand-new, thick carpet with esoteric mandala patterns.

On the carpet, a person sat cross-legged.

The person's exact age was unknown; his face was rosy like a baby's, yet his eyes shone with a profound wisdom that seemed to see right through people.

He wore a crimson lama robe with gold trim, and a uniquely shaped crown adorned with large amber beads and dzi beads. In his hand, he slowly twirled a string of jet-black, shiny bone beads, each the size of a chicken egg.

He simply sat there quietly, yet he naturally exuded an aura of peace and unparalleled majesty, making people dare not look directly at him, and yet unable to help but feel awe.

He was Sangye Gyatso, a great master of the Western Regions Tantric Buddhism, revered as the "Wisdom and Light Venerable".

Behind the Living Buddha, more than ten lamas were arranged in a wing-like formation.

These masters were of all ages and builds, but without exception, their eyes shone with a deep, inner light, their temples bulged high, and they held either a staff, a scroll in their arms, or their hands were empty. Their aura was either as deep and solid as a mountain or as fleeting as mist, and all of them were masters of unfathomable martial arts.

The invisible pressure emanating from just these dozen or so people made the seasoned Jin generals in the hall feel slightly breathless.

Outside the main hall, under the corridor, and even in the courtyard, there were hundreds of figures standing in various colors of lama robes.

Each of them had sharp eyes and an upright posture, clearly making them top-tier Tantric masters.

This is only part of the group that accompanied the Living Buddha into the city. It is said that there are still hundreds of "Vajra Warriors" and more monk soldiers who have been settled in designated areas of the city.

The total number was exactly as the scouts reported, no less than a thousand!

"Hahahaha!" A loud, boisterous laugh broke the somewhat solemn atmosphere in the hall.

A Jin army commander with a full beard and a burly, bear-like build suddenly stood up, raised his wine bowl, and gestured towards Wanyan Zongfu and the Living Buddha Sangji Gyatso, his voice booming: "The Living Buddha's power is boundless, and his disciples are as numerous as clouds!"

"This all-out assistance is truly a blessing from Heaven for the Great Jin!"

"That southern barbarian Zhao Gou, relying on a bit of brute force and cunning, managed to win two battles by sheer luck, and now he dares to bully us at the gates of my Dading Prefecture?"

"Now that the Living Buddha and all the masters are here, we will surely ensure that he never returns and dies without a burial place!"

"good!"

Another general chimed in excitedly, his gloom from the defeat a few days earlier seemingly vanished, his face now filled with fierceness and arrogance.

"What martial god? What city-breaking palm strike?"

"They're just relying on the tricks of those low-life barbarians from the south, bullying our army because they think we have no one else!"

"Now that the Living Buddha has arrived, this is truly the work of a divine being!"

"Let's see how long he can keep up his arrogance!"

"I've heard that Zhao Gou was also a womanizer, forcibly taking wives of officials and insulting nuns; he was utterly worse than a beast!"

"Such a wicked and incompetent ruler deserves to be punished by Heaven!"

"The Living Buddha is truly acting on behalf of Heaven!"

Kiyoshi Kagaya frowned slightly, feeling that his colleagues were getting a little carried away.

Zhao Gou's martial arts skills were truly formidable; the capture of Wanyan Gouying and the instant killing of dozens of retainers were bloody lessons.

But he dared not spoil the mood, and instead turned his gaze to Wanyan Zongfu and the Living Buddha who kept his eyes closed and twirling prayer beads.

Wanyan Zongfu felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest.

He raised his cup to the Living Buddha Sangji Gyatso and said, "Living Buddha, you have traveled thousands of miles to lead your people to help us. On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty and on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city, I thank you for your noble act!"

"After we destroy the Southern Dynasty, we will share the wealth and glory; I will never break my promise!"

At this moment, the Living Buddha Sangye Gyatso finally slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was gentle, yet it seemed to possess a penetrating power. He lightly swept over the generals in the hall, and those who were shouting involuntarily lowered their voices when they met his gaze.

"Marshal, generals, there's no need for such formalities."

"The Tantric Buddhism and the Jin Dynasty were friendly and worked together to resist tyranny. Zhao Gou of the Southern Dynasty acted perversely, desecrated Buddhism, bullied the Jin Dynasty, and possessed supernatural powers. He was not a worthy ruler and was the source of chaos."

"The Living Buddha is right!"

"Subdue this scoundrel! Restore peace to the world!"

The Jin generals roared in agreement once more, their momentum even stronger, as if victory was already in their grasp, thanks to the words of the Living Buddha.

Even if Zhao Gou were truly a reincarnation of the Hegemon, could he possibly defeat the boundless Buddhist power of the Living Buddha?

Could they withstand the thunderous wrath of nearly a thousand Tantric masters?

Sangye Gyatso Rinpoche lowered his gaze, continued to twirl the bone beads, and remained silent.

But beneath his calm face, a barely perceptible, cold glint flashed in the depths of his profound eyes.

He looked south, towards the direction of the Song army camp, as if piercing through layers of walls and the night sky.

Inside the hall, the Jin generals were still excitedly discussing the matter.

He imagined how, with the help of this Living Buddha's "boundless power," they could coordinate an attack from within and without to crush the Song army below the city into dust, capture Zhao Gou alive, and avenge their previous humiliation.