The Villain's Counterattack

Wanyan Honglie made active preparations and led everyone to sneak into the Lin'an Palace at night. Yang Kang followed closely behind, but he brought a seven-stringed zither with him and found a secluded place to play the zither for his own amusement. Perhaps because he was worried, the sound of the zither carried a hint of melancholy and confusion. The palace courtyard with flowers was quiet at night. Yang Kang had been practicing zither, chess, calligraphy and painting for three lifetimes, so how could he play the zither for fun?

"The King of Jiaodong has such a refined taste. He just occupied Zhoushan, and today he is playing the piano and appreciating the moon in the Lin'an Palace. Does he really think that there is no one in the Song Dynasty?" As he played a tune, a middle-aged Taoist priest with a white face like jade came towards him. He wore a tall hat, a wide belt, long hair, and no beard. His footsteps were light and soundless. If you hadn't looked carefully in the moonlight, you would have thought it was the evil spirit of death.

"Nanzong?" Yang Kang prepared a small table with a plate of fresh fruit and a pot of fruit wine on it.

"Lin'an isn't my territory after all, so the food is a little shabby. But this six-fruit wine is brewed with six common fruits, and it's a top-notch specialty of Jiaodong. If you don't mind, you can try it."

He took out two white jade cups from his arms (storage space) and placed them on the table. He casually tapped the wine pot, and a stream of water spurted out and landed in the cup. Not a single drop of water was spilled as he retracted and released it. Soon, the two cups of fruit wine were seven-tenths full. Yang Kang made a slight gesture, raised one cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"The Northern Quanzhen Sect had Wang Chongyang first and Zhou Botong later, while the Southern Sect is made up of the best of the Han Chinese. How could there not be outstanding individuals? It's just that the Southern Sect is freer and more at ease away from the world of martial arts." Yang Kang looked up at the sky. The middle-aged Taoist raised his glass and sipped it carefully, nodding, "The land of Jiaodong has become a paradise under your Excellency's rule. Apart from other things, the accommodation and food are superb. This Six Fruit Wine is not something that ordinary people can drink. I am grateful to you for your kindness today."

Yang Kang poured him some wine, and the two began to discuss literature and martial arts. Soon, however, they heard the sound of a chaotic fight. The middle-aged Taoist priest asked, "Why did the King of Jiaodong come to the palace so late at night?"

Yang Kang took a leisurely sip of his wine and said, "Perhaps, he just wanted to find someone to talk to and vent his frustrations. The Central Plains is rich in natural resources and blessed with outstanding people. The Han people are hardworking and simple. Aside from those ruthless rulers who abolished all schools of thought and abandoned their own martial arts, what have the ordinary people done wrong? Why do they have to endure the brutal slaughter of these barbarians time and time again?"

The middle-aged Taoist priest looked slightly strange and asked, "Does this also include you, the King of Jiaodong, who led the army to capture Zhoushan?"

Yang Kang glanced at him and said, "I am also a Han Chinese, a true descendant of the Yang family. I was simply raised by the King of Zhao of the Jin Kingdom. Furthermore, most of those who have died under my command were foreigners. Apart from those killed on the battlefield, none of those who died at my hands were innocent. Even if you include those who died on the battlefield, the number of Han Chinese killed by me is no more than ten. During the capture of Zhoushan, fewer than a hundred were wounded, and fewer than ten were killed."

The middle-aged Taoist nodded and said, "The reputation of the King of Jiaodong for both his kindness and cruelty is equally widespread. I believe that the Quanzhen Taoists' willingness to help you with all their might is sufficient proof. The King of Jiaodong is young, yet possesses such extraordinary military and literary skills. If he leads his people back to the Song Dynasty..."

Yang Kang couldn't help but interrupt him, "The useless Emperor of Song isn't worthy of my service. He can't afford me. The drunkards, rats, and termites in the court are also not worthy of my attention. If I were to work with them, I'd be tempted to kill them all."

"Is the Jin Dynasty better than the Song Dynasty?" the middle-aged Taoist asked in return.

"That might not be a good thing, so I won't serve in the Jin court. I'll just play around in Jiaodong."

Yang Kang suddenly said, "Since receiving support from the Song, the Mongols have become even more powerful, completely disrupting the balance between the Jin and the Mongols. It would have taken the Mongols decades to consolidate their foundation, drawing nourishment from the Central Plains culture and upgrading their weaponry, thus overcoming the balance of power with the Jin. However, some in the Song want to repeat the alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao before the Jingkang Incident, and ally with the Mongols to destroy the Jin. This time, the Mongols' rise will be even faster than the Jin. They won't have time to quell their savagery before they complete their expansion, destroying the Western Xia, the Jin, and then storming the Song. This time, the disaster for the Han people will be even worse than the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China."

The middle-aged Taoist's expression changed slightly. "Is the King of Jiaodong exaggerating a bit? The Mongols are barbarians outside the Great Wall. They are not strong enough to face the Jin Kingdom independently. How can they ask for help from the Song Dynasty? How come you say..."

Yang Kang shook his head and said, "The Jin Kingdom was already at a disadvantage before this. If I hadn't been prepared and ordered people to increase the construction of various fortresses early on, I'm afraid the Mongolian army would have reached Zhongdu by now. Even so, those fortresses may not be able to hold out for much longer. After we say goodbye today, I will return to Zhoushan tomorrow to take a boat back to Zhongdu to resist the Mongols. I will use the Jin soldiers to delay the Mongol army's southward advance as much as possible, and then establish a defense line in Shandong and relocate the Han people. The Song Kingdom passed on siege equipment and weapon manufacturing methods to the Mongols. Now there is no place in the Central Plains that can stop the Mongol iron hoof. Only the sea can preserve the Han people's last trace of heritage."

Bowing deeply to the middle-aged Taoist priest, Yang Kang said with a wry smile, "Wanyan Honglie is one of the few capable and courageous men in the Jin Dynasty, but he was born at the wrong time. If he had been born a hundred years earlier, he would have been a powerful figure. Now he can only survive under the iron hoof of the Mongols, temporarily delaying the Mongolian advance southward. If everything is as I said, and the Jin Dynasty is destroyed, I hope that Taoist priest will prioritize the Han heritage and send the hundreds of family traditions and various skilled craftsmen to Zhoushan, take a ship to Ryukyu, and finally settle in Luzon, where we can rebuild a Han Chinese kingdom."

The middle-aged Taoist priest grabbed Yang Kang's arms with both hands, but found that he couldn't help him up. He was slightly moved. This kid had such deep internal strength and such powerful strength. "I live in seclusion and don't have a deep understanding of current affairs. If it is really as you said, I will do my best."

Yang Kang then stood up, shaking his head slightly. "Wanyan Honglie places his hopes on the 'Wu Mu Testament,' but he doesn't know that military strategies are ultimately definitive. How can the 'Wu Mu Testament' compare to the 'Art of War'? Most loyal men are butchers, while most unfaithful men are scholars. The Song court can no longer be relied upon, but the people of the Jianghu still hold a passion for justice. The leader of the Beggars' Sect, Hong Qigong, is currently stealing food from the imperial kitchen. He is seriously injured. Please take care of him if possible."

After saying this, Yang Kang picked up a piece of fresh fruit and bit it while walking, leaving behind the tables, chairs, zither, fruit plates and wine, singing loudly as he walked.

"The King of Jiaodong is truly a remarkable man." The middle-aged Taoist drank the fruit wine in the cup, but his face showed a somewhat conflicted expression.

If the barbarians entered China, they would become Chinese; if the Chinese entered the barbarians, they would become barbarians. How easy would it be to rebuild Han civilization in the barbaric lands overseas? By then, China would be living in the land of barbarians overseas, while the land of China would be overrun by barbarians. This was definitely not what he wanted to see. But if, as the King of Jiaodong said, the Mongol iron hoofs were unstoppable, and the Five Barbarians' invasion of China was repeated, where would the essence of the Han people flee to?

Continue fleeing south? Wouldn't that be a barbarian land? And where on land could they resist the barbarian cavalry?

Perhaps only the sea can stop the nomadic peoples. The middle-aged Taoist suddenly felt that the King of Jiaodong was really far-sighted. Zhoushan was not safe and was too close to the land. Ryukyu Island was a good choice. And they even found Luzon, which was farther away from Ryukyu. As long as the navy had the upper hand and took away all the people who were proficient in shipbuilding in Song State, what could the nomadic peoples do to me?

Taoism is also among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Should I invest in the current King of Jiaodong, the future King of Jinghai, in advance?

Unconsciously, the middle-aged Taoist went from being skeptical to believing Yang Kang's words 70%, and gradually came up with the idea of ​​making preparations one step ahead. One step ahead means all steps ahead. Although the current King of Jiaodong is strong, he is not strong enough. In this battle between Jin and Meng, he will surely shine. The middle-aged Taoist is very optimistic about Yang Kang.

He needs martial arts skills, courage, bravery, strength, appearance, etc. The last one doesn't seem to be very important.

No, it seems to be very important. After all, a person's appearance determines other people's first impression of him. If he looks ferocious, it will definitely be disgusting and his impression points will definitely be deducted.

Yang Kang met Wanyan Honglie, knowing that Guo Jing could not escape the fate of being stabbed after all. However, the one who stabbed Guo Jing this time was no longer Yang Kang, but Prince Wanyan Honglie. Yang Kang was speechless. Wanyan Honglie's later martial arts were all taught by him, and he knew his own strength. Guo Jing was too careless.

After bidding farewell to Wanyan Honglie, who was still unwilling to give up on "Wu Mu's Testament", Yang Kang said frankly that he would return to Zhongdu to resist the Mongolian army and asked for the token of King Zhao. Then he set off overnight to return to Zhoushan, and then took a boat back to Jiaodong. He mobilized troops and prepared to take over the entire Shandong province directly, and relocated the population along the Yellow River on a large scale.