Song Dynasty: Yuan Dynasty, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm still alive.

Despite his many questions and grievances, King Wutong had no choice but to admit that the Song army was already at the city gates.

No matter how absurd the reasons for the Song emperor's military campaign were, he had to face the enemy head-on wherever his troops were pointed—otherwise, the fate would be the destruction of his country and the ruin of his family.

Inside the royal palace in Ayutthaya, King Uthong gritted his teeth and ordered the treasury to be opened, taking out all the gold and silver treasures he had accumulated over the years to recruit soldiers and purchase weapons.

Within just a few days, he managed to assemble an army of 50,000, most of whom were farmers who were temporarily conscripted. But at least he had enough troops to prepare for a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty.

Meanwhile, after Zhao Yu led 20,000 private troops to capture Nakhon Si Thammarat, a major town in southern Siam, he did not press his advantage.

He reined in his horse, stood atop the city wall of Kongshi Tanmarak, and gazed northward toward Ayutthaya, a playful smile playing on his lips: "No rush. Give King Uthong enough time to prepare; that's what makes the game more interesting."

Instead of the 50,000-strong army of King Wutong, he was met with 50,000 regular troops of the Eastern Song Dynasty led by the Privy Councilor Wei Zuowang.

Upon seeing the brightly colored banners and orderly ranks of the army in the distance, Zhao Yu's face instantly darkened. He muttered under his breath, "Damn it! I told you to dawdle when you sent out the troops, and now that you see I've won a battle, you're rushing here to steal the credit?"

To dare steal credit from the emperor is simply outrageous!

Zhao Yu immediately sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, ordering Wei Zuowang to lead his troops to retreat.

Wei Zuowang naturally dared not disobey the emperor's orders, but he was also worried about Zhao Yu's safety. So he simply stationed his army on the border between the Eastern Song and Siam, and at the same time dispatched a naval fleet to patrol the waters of the Malay Peninsula day and night. As long as news came from the front that Zhao Yu was in trouble, the navy could land and rescue him immediately.

Having resolved the matter of Wei Zuowang, Zhao Yu felt bored again.

With a quick glance, he summoned a local Siamese nobleman, who was holding a pure white Siamese cat with azure blue eyes—the "Moon Diamond Cat," a symbol of royal and divine power.

Zhao Yu sat in the main seat of the makeshift tent, tapping his fingertips on the table, and asked in a calm tone, "Only one of you can live, you or your Siamese cat. Now, you choose."

Upon hearing this, the nobleman's face turned deathly pale, and his hand holding the cat trembled slightly.

But he hesitated for only a moment before suddenly drawing the short knife from his waist and stabbing the Siamese cat in his arms without hesitation.

The cat's snow-white fur was stained with blood, and the sacred creature let out a mournful scream before falling silent.

The nobleman threw down his dagger, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Great General of Song! I have done as you commanded, please spare my life!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yu shook his head with a look of disappointment, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "I thought you were so devout in your faith in Siamese cats that you were unwilling to offer tribute before. It turns out that in your hearts, my majesty is not as important as this cat, and this cat is not as important as your own lives."

"Someone, drag him away and finely chop him into minced meat." Zhao Yu waved his hand, his tone as casual as if he were giving an order for a trivial matter.

The nobleman was stunned for a moment, then struggled frantically, cursing, "You treacherous scoundrel! I've already done as you said, why are you still trying to kill me?"

Zhao Yu shrugged nonchalantly and said loudly, "As everyone knows, as the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, my power is limitless. The only thing that can restrain me is the morality in my heart."

He paused, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "But unfortunately, I never talk about morality with my enemies."

The guards stepped forward and dragged the crying and struggling nobleman away, and the tent quickly returned to calm.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yu had someone find an ordinary Siamese civilian.

Zhao Yu offered the same conditions as before.

To his surprise, the commoner, holding the cat, shook his head firmly: "This cat is sacred; it can protect souls and bring good fortune. I would rather die than harm it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu's eyes flashed with surprise, then he nodded thoughtfully.

He had someone bring a bag of gold and silver treasures and handed it to the commoner: "You have great backbone. This is a reward for you. Take this cat and leave."

The commoner accepted the treasure with a look of astonishment, then bowed deeply to Zhao Yu, picked up the cat, and hurriedly left.

Zhao Yu watched his retreating figure, then turned to Ji Bai beside her and asked, "Ji Bai, why do you think this is? As nobles, they enjoy the power and benefits that the Siamese cat brings, yet they can give it up without hesitation for their own lives; while commoners, oppressed by the royal power symbolized by the Siamese cat, are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect this cat."

Ji Bai scratched his head, looking bewildered, and said, "Perhaps...perhaps the common people of Siam are too ignorant, while the nobles are all cowards who fear death."

"I didn't expect that you, who aren't very bright, would actually make some sense." Zhao Yu was amused by him and patted his shoulder with a smile.

Zhao Yu was intelligent, and with Yi Jibai's guidance, she quickly grasped the key point.

His eyes were deep as he asked softly, "Then tell me, when the Yuan dynasty destroyed the Song dynasty, were those scholar-officials who chose to surrender to the Yuan traitors because they were afraid of death, while those who chose to cross the sea to the South Seas and establish the Eastern Song dynasty were foolish?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Bai froze in fright, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

These are words he shouldn't be listening to or discussing.

These kinds of topics, involving loyalty and treachery, and the rights and wrongs of ancestors, are absolutely forbidden to be thought about; to even think about them is a capital offense.

His legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. Forcing himself to speak, he said, "Your Majesty is joking! How can Your Majesty and the scholars of my Great Song Dynasty be compared to those Siamese? There is simply no comparison!"

Zhao Yu shook her head, already having figured out the answer in her heart, but she didn't ask any further questions or tell Ji Bai.

He will keep this answer to himself and will not tell anyone.

He patted Ji Bai's shoulder heavily and burst into laughter: "Why be so reserved? Am I more terrifying than the wild beasts in the Garden of Ten Thousand Beasts?"

Ji Bai thought to himself: Compared to Your Majesty, what are the wild beasts in the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden?

Apart from that Bengal tiger, you've dealt with almost all the other wild animals.

But he dared not be negligent in his words and quickly smiled ingratiatingly.

After waiting for another two months, Zhao Yu estimated that King Wutong's 50,000-strong army should be ready, so he ordered the camp to be broken up and led 20,000 private troops on a northern expedition.

Along the way, he continued to lead the way, his golden dragon armor gleaming in the sunlight, and with each swing of his Dragon Gallant Silver Spear, Siamese soldiers fell to the ground.

The title of "Thousand-Man Killer" was obtained one after another, and the battle reports that Ji Bai deliberately exaggerated were sent to the Eastern Song court in Xinxiang one after another.

In less than two months, Zhao Yu's army swept through the city and reached the outskirts of Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam.

The capital city, known as the "unconquerable city," had its gates tightly shut, and the city walls were filled with soldiers guarding the city, creating a tense and rigid atmosphere.

Zhao Yu reined in his horse, looked up at the city wall, and said to Ji Bai beside him, "Ji Bai, go and tell King Wu Tong to come out of the city and fight me in front of our armies. If he can defeat me, I will lead my army to retreat and will not harm the people of Siam."

"Huh?" Ji Bai was stunned for a moment, his face full of surprise—to have the ruler of a country personally participate in a duel, isn't that too absurd?

"What? You think this general can't beat him?" Zhao Yu glanced at him sideways, his tone tinged with displeasure.

Ji Bai shook his head hastily, not daring to hesitate for a moment. He rode his horse to the foot of Ayutthaya City and shouted loudly to convey Zhao Yu's message to King Wutong on the city wall.

King Wutong stood on the city wall and recognized Ji Bai at a glance, which made him so angry that his teeth itched.

This scoundrel humiliated him in every way in the palace and even tried to steal his queen.

How could someone like that manage to get close to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty?

Suppressing his anger, he shouted down towards the city walls, "Tell your general that if the Song Dynasty still forces me to hand over the Queen, I will fight to the death and never surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Bai's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

His request for the Queen was a spur-of-the-moment decision, made on his own initiative, and he had not informed Zhao Yu at all.

If Zhao Yu finds out, he will surely be punished.

But with the die already cast, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and shout again, "My general said that we will not discuss anything else, only invite you to a duel on the battlefield! If you win, my army will immediately withdraw and will not harm the Siamese people!"

King Utong was trembling with rage and refused without hesitation: "Ridiculous! I am the ruler of a nation, how could I possibly engage in a contest of brute force with your general?"

Just kidding. According to the news sent back by the defeated soldiers, the general on the other side could kill more than 10,000 men by himself, and no army of less than 100,000 could stop him.

Even if we remove the exaggeration, he was still a fierce general capable of taking on a thousand men single-handedly. He would be a fool to leave the city to duel.

Moreover, the common people are the subjects of the king, and at such times, they should be loyal to the king—how could the king risk his life to protect the people?

Ji Bai could only return dejectedly and relay Wu Tongwang's reply to Zhao Yu. Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu scoffed disdainfully, "So he's just a cowardly rat. Later historical records will show that I, too, felt ashamed to have defeated such a person."

Ji Bai's eyes darted around, and an idea came to him. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, I have misremembered! King Wutong actually wanted to go out of the city to fight for the sake of the people, but he was prevented from doing so by his ministers."

Zhao Yu knew that Ji Bai was talking nonsense, but he just liked listening to it.

He nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it. Only someone with such a sense of responsibility deserves to be my opponent."

Seeing this, Ji Bai quickly seized the opportunity to offer a suggestion: "Your Majesty, the walls of Ayutthaya look very sturdy. Why don't we use gunpowder to blast open the city gates and charge in in one fell swoop?"

"No, that's too boring." Zhao Yu waved his hand, rejecting the suggestion, a sly glint in his eyes. "Let's try some advanced combat techniques."

Soon, Ji Bai learned what Zhao Yu meant by "advanced combat tactics".

Zhao Yu then ordered his army to mass arrest Siamese people in the surrounding villages and towns. Within just a few days, as many as 50,000 people were arrested.

He had farm tools distributed to these Siamese people and forced them to form a "siege force" to attack Ayutthaya. Moreover, he specifically ordered that captured Siamese nobles be at the forefront.

Ant swarming tactic!

This is clearly the most barbaric and despicable tactic!

King Wutong, witnessing this scene from the city wall, was so enraged he nearly ground his teeth to powder. Pointing in Zhao Yu's direction, he roared, "What kind of celestial empire is this? What kind of land of propriety is this? They're even more barbaric than the barbarians!"

Although the 50,000 Siamese were completely incapable of fighting and their farm tools posed no threat to the city walls, they had the advantage of sheer numbers.

They swarmed towards the city walls like ants, forcing the Siamese soldiers on the walls to desperately shoot arrows and throw rolling stones to defend themselves, quickly depleting a large amount of the city's defensive supplies.

The Siamese people below the city suffered even heavier casualties.

In just a few days, more than 5,000 people fell on the way to the siege, their blood staining the ground beneath the city walls.

But what devastated King Wutong even more was that the Song army seemed to have an endless supply of people to capture—for every 5,000 casualties on one side, thousands more would be captured to replenish the ranks, and the attacking force always maintained a massive size.

At the same time, the morale of the soldiers defending the city also began to plummet.

Most of them were militia temporarily recruited from nearby villages and towns, and were not the direct troops of King Uthong.

Among those forced to attack the city were many of their friends, neighbors, and even parents, wives, and children.

How could they bring themselves to harm their own family members?

Many soldiers laid down their weapons, their faces filled with pain and inner turmoil.

Zhao Yu stood on a high slope in the distance, watching all of this with indifference.

During his confinement in the palace, he read many historical books, including one that recorded how the Jin Dynasty used similar tactics when attacking the Song Dynasty, causing great psychological damage to the Song army.

At that time, he had wondered what he would do if he were a Song general defending the city in such a situation.

Should they painfully kill their own people and continue to defend the city, or surrender the city to save their people?

Either way, the losses will be unbearable.

And now, he has finally found the answer—an answer that is simple and direct.

Since the other side is using barbarian tactics against you, then you might as well become a barbarian yourself.

Offense is the best form of defense.