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

Because the Liao Dynasty was not destroyed by the Ming Dynasty; on the contrary, the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Jin Dynasty to avenge the Liao Dynasty.

Now, they are mediating disputes among various departments and redefining grassland areas.

He had just bestowed titles upon the chieftains, and all the tribes recognized the rule of the Ming emperor.

As a result, Zongwu, this angel, was also respected by the chiefs.

"Haha, I'm making a fool of myself." Zongwu laughed awkwardly twice.

A chief named Ithran volunteered, saying, "I will drive the deer for the angels."

"I am coming too!"

"I am coming too!"

The Khitan chieftains all rushed out to curry favor with this Ming Dynasty envoy.

The chieftains seemed to have become servants of the angels during their hunt, working together to surround the deer herd and drive it directly in front of Zongwu.

The deer scattered in panic, but no matter which direction they fled, they were quickly driven back.

In the end, he could only wander around aimlessly within a range of twenty or thirty meters from Zongwu.

One wild deer even pretended to be dead on the spot, lying belly up with its four legs stiff – a true acting master.

Zongwu asked in surprise, "Was that deer scared to death?"

Chief Secretary Li Geng explained, "If these beasts are cornered, they might pretend to be dead."

The chiefs shouted in unison, "Angels, shoot the deer! Angels, shoot the deer!"

Zongwu fired an arrow, hitting the leg of a wild deer that was feigning death ten paces away; he had originally intended to shoot it in the neck.

"Angel Archer!"

"Angel Archer!"

The chieftains shouted with joy, and the Ming soldiers joined in the shouts.

Several chieftains dismounted, ignoring the fleeing deer around them, and tried to run to carry the wounded deer over.

Unexpectedly, the wild deer, wounded in the leg by an arrow, suddenly stopped feigning death and limped away with the arrow still in its body, causing the chieftains to miss their target.

Chapter 3857 Hunting Dogs

The group dared not fire any more arrows and could only chase after them on horseback.

It was Yue Fei's hunting dog that darted out like an arrow and quickly caught the wounded wild deer.

The chieftains threw food to appease the hunting dogs, then carried over a wild deer that wasn't quite dead, and knelt before Zongwu to claim credit.

"The deer shot by the angel is really fat. Even though it's injured, it can still run fast. It's obviously the king of the deer herd."

"Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Zongwu burst into laughter.

These Khitan chieftains are really interesting; they're all masters of flattery.

Actually, they were terrified by the military might of the Ming Dynasty. Last year, they had accompanied Yue Fei on a distant expedition to Western Xia and experienced a battle against Richard's army of 100,000.

The story of Yue Fei leading a group of elite cavalry to defeat the Western Xia Iron Falcons in a direct confrontation remains fresh in the minds of the Khitan chieftains to this day.

It was already absurd that the Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry could charge against heavy cavalry and rout the enemy, but what was even more absurd was that the Ming elite cavalry suffered relatively few casualties.

Yue Fei waved his hand and said, "You may go hunting again."

"Yes!"

The chieftains immediately obeyed the order and led their steppe soldiers away on horseback.

Zongwu said, "The Protector-General's power is enough to awe the grasslands."

Yue Fei said, "It is the might of the Ming Dynasty that has intimidated the grasslands, and all the tribal chiefs have bowed down to the court."

Wang Gui laughed and said, "These Khitans, even when they encounter Ming merchants, they are always warmly received and dare not be negligent."

"Now that they see angels, don't they treat them like bodhisattvas?"

"I wish I could be an angel leading his horse and putting him in his stirrups."

Zongwu felt a surge of pride and laughed loudly, "Such submissiveness among the tribes of the grasslands can only be seen during the prosperous Han and Tang dynasties."

"From the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties period onward, the Han people returned to the grasslands, finally letting the barbarians know the splendor of the Chinese nation!"

"The angel is absolutely right," Yue Fei said with a smile.

Zongwu asked, "Is the northern desert still behaving itself?"

Yue Fei replied, "There has been constant warfare. Merchants returning from the northern deserts say that it has been getting colder and colder in recent years, and there is a white disaster every now and then."

"The Merkit tribe on the shore of the North Sea is finding it increasingly difficult to survive. Every year they raid southwards, making it difficult for the Kereit and Mongol tribes to resist."

"The Merkit tribe is that powerful? They can actually fight two tribes with one of their own?" Zongwu exclaimed in surprise.

Yue Fei explained, "The Merkit tribe is skilled in using longbows and large arrows, and they move swiftly on horseback or deer."

"They swarmed out of the mountains to plunder the grasslands, and retreated back into the forests when they encountered a large enemy force."

"Although the Kereit and Mongol tribes were powerful, they could not always muster a large force to defend the grasslands."

Zongwu nodded and said, "It is indeed difficult to guard against. The Western Xia crossed the border and plundered the border people of the former Song Dynasty in the same way."

Yue Fei said, "The Kereit tribe and the Mongol tribe even joined forces to attack the Merkit tribe's territory to seek revenge."

"As a result, they suffered a crushing defeat. The area was full of mountains and dense forests, which made it difficult for large cavalry units to maneuver, and they were also easily ambushed in the mountains and forests."

“The Merkit tribe endured the bitter cold, and when they heard of food shortages, they even went south to abduct herders and eat human flesh.”

Zongwu was shocked: "A cannibalistic tribe?"

Yue Fei nodded: "There are such rumors, but we don't know if they are true or not. However, many herders in the northern desert believe them without a doubt."

Zongwu clicked his tongue in amazement: "The tribes in the northern deserts are already barbarians, but I never imagined that the tribes by the North Sea would be even more savage."

"Thinking back to Su Wu, the vassal state of Su, who herded sheep in the North Sea for more than ten years, how arduous and difficult that must have been."

Chapter 3858 Offering the Tiger Skin

"That's why His Majesty invited the State of Su to be enshrined in the Confucian Temple,"

Yue Fei said,

"When Yelü Dashi was in the northern desert, the Merkit tribe actually submitted to him and even sent troops to help him fight."

"The Kereit, Mongol, and Merkit tribes that are currently fighting each other are actually all vassal tribes of Yelü Dashi."

"If I have the chance, I would also like to go to the Western Regions to meet Yelü Dashi."

Zongwu laughed and said, "Pengju, you should first inscribe the Yanran Mountain and water your horses at the North Sea. It won't be too late to go to the Western Regions to lead troops after you've finished those things."

"Thank you for your kind words, my brother."

Yue Fei said,

"Once the population of Linhuang Protectorate recovers a bit, I will lead my generals and the various tribes of the grasslands to the northern desert."

"We must drink from the North Sea and inscribe our names on Yanran Mountain, no matter what!"

Zongwu cupped his hands in greeting: "Wishing Pengju a resounding victory!"

Yue Fei returned the greeting with a cupped hand and accompanied Zong Wu on horseback.

As the group ran into the forest, they suddenly heard the soldiers driving their prey shouting, "Tiger! Tiger!"

Zongwu had no awareness of protecting wild animals and immediately shouted, "Kill the tiger quickly and rid the people of this scourge!"

The soldiers kept clanging and banging, and the tiger, already frightened, quickly ran and hid in the forest.

The Ming soldiers, however, did not let him go and chased after him on horseback, constantly shooting arrows to frighten him.

Yue Fei ordered, "Drive that tiger over here!"

The generals and soldiers rode at full speed, surrounding the enemy from all sides, banging gongs and shooting arrows.

The hunting dogs seemed a little scared, but they still barked wildly at the tiger from a great distance.

Once the tiger was driven over, the hunting dogs quickly went around to another spot, continuing to bark at the tiger.

"Guardian, be careful!"

Everyone shouted.

Yue Fei had already rushed out and taken out three arrows with shovel-shaped arrowheads.

This thing isn't for hunting; it's for shooting at heavy armor, and it has a certain chance of penetrating it.

Facing the tiger's roar, Yue Fei's coal-bearing steed showed no fear, perhaps because it had never encountered a tiger before.

The divine steed charged straight at the tiger, who was both startled and enraged.

Seeing Yue Fei charging alone, the tiger also rushed towards him.

Yue Fei drew his bow to its fullest extent, and the arrow flew out like lightning.

An arrow pierced the left eye of a running tiger!

The tiger was shot and fell to the ground, but after struggling a few times, it shakily stood up again.

Yue Fei had already drawn his bow and fired a second arrow, which accurately pierced the tiger's right eye.

The soldiers rode up and surrounded the tiger, intending to stab it to death with their spears.

Yue Fei shouted, "Everyone step back! Don't damage the tiger's skin!"

"I specifically aimed for the eyes, to present the intact tiger skin to His Majesty!"

The tiger was still alive despite the arrows in its eyes, and the men, upon receiving the order, quickly rode away.

The tiger, unable to see clearly, roared in place, while the hunting dogs barked wildly from all sides.

The tiger pounced at the sound of the dog barking, but the hound immediately fled to avoid it, driving the tiger mad with its antics.

Finally, the tiger visibly weakened, its movements became slower and slower, and its roars lost their power and loudness.

Yue Fei borrowed an iron rod from one of his subordinates, dismounted, walked towards the tiger, and swung the iron rod down on its head.

Not only did the generals gather around, but the chieftains also came to watch the spectacle.

Seeing that the tiger's fur was undamaged, except for the arrows in its eyes, everyone revered Yue Fei as a god.

A Khitan nobleman skilled in skinning volunteered to kneel beside the tiger carcass and begin to work his knife.

After a long while, he peeled off the tiger skin, held it in both hands, knelt down and presented it to Yue Fei: "Protector, the tiger skin is ready!"

Chapter 3859 Buddha's Blessing? Bullshit!

Yue Fei turned to Zong Wu and said, "Once the tiger skin is tanned, please take it back to Luoyang and present it to the Emperor."

……

When Zongwu set off from Luoyang, the members of the Western Xia royal family and clan also departed from Yinchuan Prefecture and were escorted to Luoyang.

Li Renxiao, the last emperor of Western Xia, was quite pleased that Xingqing Prefecture was renamed Yinchuan Prefecture.

He even felt that it was his decisive surrender that preserved this shred of dignity for the glorious Great Xia Dynasty.

The real Yinchuan is actually located northeast of Mizhi, in the city of Yinzhou, which was first captured by Wang Yacha.

It was called Yinchuan Prefecture in the Tang Dynasty and Yinchuan City in the Song Dynasty. It was the birthplace of the Western Xia Dynasty and the ancestral burial site of the Western Xia royal family.

Before leaving, Li Renxiao requested to visit a Buddhist temple, which Zhao Ding, the governor of Ningxia, readily agreed to.

The royal family and members of the imperial clan, escorted by soldiers, head bowed and dejected, headed toward Chengtian Temple.

Before they even entered the temple gate, they discovered that the plaque bearing the three large characters "Chengtian Temple" had been removed.

"Ugh!"

Li Renli sighed.

Soon after entering the temple, the sighs grew louder and louder.