Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Please speak frankly if you have anything to say, Daoist Master," Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

"These Liao people are our sworn enemies. Over a hundred years ago, countless Han men died at the hands of these barbarians."

Gongsun Sheng advised, "Although there has been no major war between the Song and Liao dynasties in the past hundred years, how can this blood feud and clan hatred be easily resolved?"

"The chieftain, having treated the disaster victims, acted on behalf of Heaven, punished the wicked gentry and officials, and his prestige in Shandong is growing daily. Why should he associate with these Liao people..."

Seeing that Gongsun Sheng became hesitant and stammering towards the end,

Zhao Yuan, however, paid no attention and continued speaking.

"Are you suggesting, Daoist priest, that I'm acting like a dog to the Liao people?"

Gongsun Sheng remained silent, clearly acknowledging that this was indeed his intention.

"Gongsun Sheng, how dare you insult my brother!"

Upon seeing this, the three Ruan brothers immediately stood up in anger.

"Isn't what the Taoist priest said the truth?"

Liu Tang snorted angrily: "You Liangshan people have already done it, so why are you afraid of what others say?"

"you!"

Ruan Xiao'er's eyes widened, while Ruan Xiao'wu and Ruan Xiao'qi beside him clenched their fists.

With a fierce battle about to erupt inside the large tent,

Zhao Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, everyone sit down!"

Although the three Ruan brothers were annoyed, they immediately sat down after hearing Zhao Yuan's order.

Chao Gai and the others on the other side did not dare to be presumptuous and sat down one after another, including Liu Tang.

"Master Gongsun, as far as I know, you are also from the North,"

Zhao Yuan asked, "What do you think of the current situation of the Liao people?"

"I am a native of Jizhou, as for the Liao people..."

Gongsun Sheng pondered for a moment: "The current emperor of Liao only loves hunting and has been neglecting state affairs for years. Within Liao, nobles and officials indulge in extravagance, while ordinary people, whether Liao or Han, are struggling to make ends meet."

"And in the northeast of the Liao Kingdom, the Jurchens have gradually risen in recent years and have become a scourge to the Liao people."

"With so many problems in the Liao Kingdom, in your opinion, how long can the Liao Kingdom last?" Zhao Yuan continued to ask.

"this......"

Gongsun Sheng thought for a moment and said, "If Emperor Tianzuo continues to be on the throne, the Liao Kingdom probably won't last long. As for the specific time, please forgive my inability to calculate it."

“Although you cannot calculate it, in my opinion, the Liao Kingdom will be destroyed in ten years at most, or six or seven years at least,” Zhao Yuan said with certainty.

"How can this be?"

Chao Gai and the other three all stared wide-eyed, including Wu Yong and Gongsun Sheng.

Wu Yong asked in surprise, "How can the chieftain be so certain?"

"Starting last year, Tong Guan and others in the imperial court have been advocating for an alliance with the Jin dynasty, sending troops north to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun,"

Zhao Yuan asked, "Scholar Wu and Daoist Gongsun must have heard about this matter, right?"

Both of them nodded. Wu Yong asked doubtfully, "As far as I know, there are many opponents in the court. It probably won't succeed."

"What good is it if there are many opponents in the Song court now? As long as Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others agree, this matter will succeed sooner or later,"

Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "When that time comes, the Song and Jin dynasties will form an alliance and attack the Liao dynasty from two directions. How can the Liao dynasty not be destroyed!"

"Isn't this a good thing?"

Chao Gai said in surprise, "The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were originally Han Chinese lands, but they have been in the hands of foreign tribes for a hundred years. If we can take them back, wouldn't that be a blessing for the Han Chinese!"

Zhao Yuan did not answer, but instead asked a question in return.

"Do Wu Xuejiu and Gongsun Daoren also think so?"

"Brother Chao Gai is right, that's certainly true..."

Wu stopped mid-sentence, then frowned, as if deep in thought.

Gongsun Sheng was originally from the north.

Knowing the situation in the north, he had already guessed the reason why Zhao Yuan asked that question.

"Is Chief Zhao worried that after the fall of the Liao Dynasty and the rise of the Jin Dynasty, they will invade the Song territory from the south?" Gongsun Sheng asked.

Before Zhao Yuan could answer, Chao Gai, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Are those Jurchens even more powerful than the Liao people?"

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelü Abaoji, once said, 'The Jurchens are invincible if they number less than ten thousand, but are invincible if they number ten thousand.'"

Wu Yong explained, "I have heard that the Jurchens have been fighting against the Liao Kingdom for the past two years and have won more battles than they have lost. They are getting stronger and stronger with each battle."

"Brother Chao Gai, have you forgotten that the two He brothers betrayed the Liao princess and went to surrender to the Jurchens?"

Gongsun Sheng reminded them, "If that Jurchen wasn't powerful, how could these two have made such a decision!"

"The Liao Kingdom is on the verge of collapse. I'm not stupid; why would I go and pledge allegiance to them?"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Sending this Liao princess back to her country is nothing more than forming a good relationship. If the Liangshan army marches into the northern grasslands in the future, we will always have an excuse."

"I truly admire the chieftain's far-sightedness," Wu Yong said, bowing in praise.

Gongsun Sheng also apologized, saying, "It was I who misunderstood the chieftain. Please forgive me for what I said earlier."

Chao Gai was somewhat dumbfounded.

He had thought that Zhao Yuan, having become the leader of Liangshan and dominated the region, should have been content.

Only now do I realize that Zhao Yuan's ambition lay in conquering the world!

"Master Wu, are you saying that Liangshan did not submit to the Liao people?"

Liu Tang asked a question, and seeing that both of them nodded,

He was a straightforward person; he immediately stood up, cupped his hands in apology, and said...

"Chief Zhao, I was wrong just now. I was rude. No matter how you punish me, I, Liu Tang, will accept it!"

Chapter 245 The Drama Queen Liu Huiniang

Liu Tang was just a bit too straightforward, and Zhao Yuan wouldn't blame him.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, the group enjoyed drinking and eating to their hearts' content in the tent.

The next day, outside the Liangshan army camp,

Two groups of people were preparing to leave.

On one side was Princess Tianshou, and Bian Xiang, Lü Fang, and a hundred cavalrymen sent by Zhao Yuan to escort her.

On the other side were Chao Gai and his group.

Zhao Yuan originally thought that Chao Gai and his group had come to completely surrender to Liangshan.

Little did they know that earlier, on the west bank of the marsh, after witnessing the Liangshan soldiers frighten away the Jizhou troops,

Chao Gai also developed ambitions and prepared to become an outlaw and seize the mountain as king.

The four men thanked Zhao Yuan profusely and, after spending the night in the Liangshan army camp, prepared to take their leave.

This saved Zhao Yuan a lot of trouble.

If it were only Chao Gai, Liu Tang, and Gongsun Sheng,

Zhao Yuan will find a way to keep them here.

But now that Wu Yong is in the group, things are getting a bit complicated.

This wise man was a scholar by birth.

Although he did not pass the imperial examinations, he was still determined to enter officialdom and bring honor to his ancestors.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have acted like a customer meeting a prostitute when he met Song Jiang.

They hit it off very quickly after only knowing each other for a short time.

In addition, Wu Yong has always been fond of scheming against people's hearts.

If we leave him on Liangshan, who knows how much trouble he will cause.

Unfortunately, Chao Gai and his three companions, having just experienced the birthday tribute incident, were now being pressured by Yang Zhi on the shore of the marsh.

The relationship between the four can be described as one of shared joys and sorrows, and as close as brothers.

This also temporarily and completely dashed Zhao Yuan's hopes of recruiting them.

As for the future, nobody can say for sure.

After all, in Zhao Yuan's view,

Chao Gai, Liu Tang, and Gongsun Sheng were definitely not on the same page as Wu Yong when it came to the matter of accepting amnesty.

They are deeply in love now, but they may become bitter enemies in the future.

After seeing Chao Gai and the others off,

Zhao Yuan glanced at the two girls beside him, still holding hands and with tears welling in their eyes, and could only sigh.

The friendship between women can sometimes be quite perplexing.

“Sister A-Xiu, instead of staying here, why don’t you come back to Liao with your sister?”

Dalibo invited, "Liangshan is ultimately a den of bandits, not a place to stay for long."

"Sister, you don't need to worry about Ah Xiu,"

Liu Huiniang wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes: "The chieftain has agreed to help Axiu find out about her parents. Once he knows their whereabouts, he will send Axiu to reunite with them."

The two women argued for ages, and it was almost noon.

If we don't set off soon, we'll have to travel in the scorching heat.

Bian Xiang and Lü Fang hurriedly sought instructions from Zhao Yuan.

"Alright, Ah Xiu, Your Highness, it's time to continue your journey."

Zhao Yuan pulled Liu Huiniang aside, then looked at Dalibo and smiled.

"Your Highness, please depart."

Princess Tianshou snorted coldly and nimbly mounted her horse.

As she was about to leave, she looked at Zhao Yuan and warned him.

"Axiu is my sister. Even if I return to Liao, if I hear any news that you have bullied her, I will definitely send someone to settle accounts with you!"

After saying this,

Princess Tianshou, along with Bian Xiang, Lü Fang, and the hundred cavalrymen, rode northwards.

We can't even see them anymore.

Liu Huiniang was still wiping away her tears.

Zhao Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Ah Xiu, you haven't actually developed feelings for her, have you? Weren't you scheming against her yesterday?"

"Although Sister Dalibo is a princess of the Liao Kingdom and seems a bit arrogant at times, she is actually very kind. Sometimes, I really wish I had a sister like her."

Liu Huiniang rolled her eyes at Zhao Yuan, annoyed.

"Besides, I did this to help the chieftain build a good relationship with her."

"Really?"

Zhao Yuan looked at the girl in front of him with suspicion.

Liu Huiniang is clever and shrewd; sometimes, it's really hard to guess what kind of wicked scheme she's plotting.

At that moment, Zhao Yuan seemed to smell something.

Without thinking twice, he suddenly leaned close to Liu Huiniang's face and sniffed carefully.

"This smells like ginger? Did you smear ginger juice on your sleeve? No wonder your eyes are as red as a rabbit's and keep tearing up!"

"I am not a rabbit. Even if I were to transform into an animal, I would be a ferocious tiger. Then, let's see if anyone still dares to bully me!"