The Villain's Counterattack

After bidding farewell to Yang Kang, Wanyan Honglie sat in the imperial study, while two eunuchs knelt on the ground, sweating profusely.

"Where is my grandson?" Wanyan Honglie's voice was very calm, but it was like thunder in the ears of the two eunuchs. They kowtowed repeatedly in haste, their foreheads covered in blood, but they said nothing.

Wanyan Honglie sighed deeply and said calmly, "Get up. Tell me everything you have seen and heard on your trip to Shandong."

The two eunuchs had served the Jin emperor for many years and were considered among the few best men in the palace. This time, they were ordered to go to the Qi Wang Mansion in Jiaodong, Shandong to demand that the Prince of Qi come to Beijing. However, they did not expect that the military control in Shandong was strict, and they were detained by the locals. Even after they took out the holy order, they were only slightly relieved and were escorted to the Qi Wang Mansion in Jiaodong by a team of soldiers.

They announced the imperial edict and officially appointed Mu Nianci as the Princess of Qi. After Mu Nianci thanked them, they said that the emperor missed his grandson and wanted to take Yang Shoucheng to Chang'an. Mu Nianci accepted the imperial edict and ordered people to provide him with sacrifices. Then she rewarded them with some silver and sent them away. They didn't even live in the Prince of Qi's Mansion, let alone take Yang Shoucheng away.

If they can't do it openly, they will try secretly. They also have masters on this trip, but they are only second- or third-rate. How can they be a match for Mu Nianci and Cheng Yaojia? What's more, there are the guards of the heroes of the martial arts world that Yang Kang gathered in Shandong and his fellow disciples of Quanzhen Sect. In the end, only the two of them were left out of more than ten masters of the Imperial Palace. If they hadn't taken the initiative to reveal their identities in the end, they would probably have lost their heads.

After the Princess of Qi, Mu Nianci, verified their identities, she expelled them from the country and said that she was a woman and it was difficult to deal with her, and that she would wait until His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi came back before taking any action. This frightened the two men out of their wits.

Who is His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi?

He had challenged a Jin general in Zhongdu with a spear, faced a 100,000-man Mongol army without batting an eye, and then, through strategic planning, conquered three cities in a row. Once the fighting subsided, he rode out of the capital, killing anyone who tried to stop him. He was a general under the command of the Holy Emperor. He, himself, held the Holy Emperor's command, but it was a secret one, a disgraceful one, and his status was only that of an eunuch. How could he compare to the City Gate General? If Yang Kang knew they were trying to kidnap his son, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wanyan Honglie couldn't help but pinch his aching forehead. He knew Yang Kang's stubbornness better than the two eunuchs. After knowing his life experience, Yang Kang immediately encouraged him to take a concubine and refused to inherit the throne of King Zhao. Then he took a group of scouts and conquered Jiaodong.

He did intend to take the Prince of Qi as a hostage, which was human nature. Emperors of all dynasties had done the same to their provincial governors. However, this trick would never work on Kang'er. No matter what the dynasties had done, as long as you offended him, you would have to pay the price.

He will pay the price for this, but it is not directed at himself, but the Jin court, and none of the eunuchs who were responsible for the action will be able to escape. Wanyan Honglie is feeling very troubled. Kang'er has just gone to the desert to assassinate Genghis Khan, forcing the Mongolian army to retreat. Now he is actively planning a sniper to intercept the retreating Mongolian troops. But such a thing happened at this time. If Yang Kang quits at this time, it will be a big trouble.

"You should go to the Prince of Qi's mansion in person and apologize." After hesitating for a long time, Wanyan Honglie could only think of this method. Then he wrote a letter, saying that he missed his grandson and asked someone to bring it to him. He said that his subordinates were reckless and did not know etiquette, so they made this mistake and asked Yang Kang to deal with it as appropriate.

The two eunuchs withdrew with the letter. Wanyan Honglie suddenly asked, "Sir, what do you think the outcome of their trip will be?"

A middle-aged man in a black robe walked out slowly from behind the screen in the imperial study. "There's no chance of survival."

"Even if I write a letter to plead for mercy, it won't work?" Wanyan Honglie actually already knew the result, but even though he knew it, this result was not what he wanted. He was no longer the King of Zhao, but the Emperor of Jin, the supreme being.

"The division of the Jin Dynasty is a fact. Shandong is Shandong, Liaodong is Liaodong, Daliang is Daliang, and this is just Guanzhong. The Jin Dynasty now has two emperors. For Liaodong, he will favor whoever is beneficial to him, and he can be free as long as he does not claim to be emperor. For Shandong, if it were not for the father-son relationship, he would ignore everyone. In the eyes of King Qi, Liaodong, Daliang, and Guanzhong are all burdens. But he has never missed any of them." The words of the black-robed man made Wanyan Honglie short of breath.

"Yes, Kang'er has never missed it." Wanyan Honglie couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"He said there were countless treasures in the sea and insisted on going to Jiaodong. He was willing to sacrifice even the chance of becoming Marquis of Jiaodong instead of the throne. As a result, Jiaodong became a paradise, with countless rare treasures arriving every year. Not only did it enrich Jiaodong, but it also made the Zhao Palace one of the most powerful families in Zhongdu."

"He said the rise of Mongolia was unstoppable. Even though I tried my best to suppress them, they were still overpowered by those barbarians in the end."

"He said 'Wu Mu's Testament' was just a military strategy, not necessarily better than 'The Art of War'. I didn't believe him and pursued it diligently, but ultimately found nothing. Then this kid presented this military manual to me. With it, I could only defend Guanzhong and was unable to defeat the Mongol army."

"He said Zhongdu would not fall, and he personally led his army to deliver a crushing defeat to the Mongol army. He said Zhongdu was undefendable, and that his clan members should guard the four corners. After he left, Zhongdu was easily conquered by the Mongol army, and Liaodong, Shandong, Daliang, and Guanzhong emerged."

"He said the Mongol attack on Daliang was just a feint, a deception intended to siege the city and attack its reinforcements, seizing Tongguan and invading Shandong. A mere group of pirates and bandits convinced the Mongol army they were serious and stormed Tongguan. If it hadn't been for the early defenses, Guanzhong would have been in danger. And he orchestrated these pirates and bandits himself."

"He said the Mongols had allied with the Song Dynasty only to protect the Jin Dynasty. Since the Jin Dynasty was weak, the Mongols were bound to invade the Song Dynasty. Sure enough, the Mongol army bypassed Daliang and headed straight for Xiangyang. If he hadn't stabbed Genghis Khan, Xiangyang would have been captured by the Mongol army."

Wanyan Honglie listed Yang Kang's predictions one by one, and ultimately concluded that Yang Kang was right in every one of them, and his responses were all effective. This embarrassed Wanyan Honglie. The emperor was supposed to be supreme and incapable of error; only his ministers could make mistakes. But now, he had a minister who could never make mistakes, which made him, the emperor, very depressed.

kill?

He couldn't be killed. Kang'er's martial arts were so superb that sneak attacks and assassinations would not work at all. Rumor had it that the real number one fighter in the world at the second Huashan Sword Contest was Kang'er. He couldn't think of anyone who could be his opponent in a one-on-one fight.

What's more, he and she have been father and son for more than ten or twenty years, and this relationship is definitely not fake. Even though he has become more cold-blooded and ruthless after becoming emperor, he has to admit that Kang'er is really good to him, and it was mostly because of him that he helped her fight for the throne.

Guanzhong was surrounded by Mongolia, the Song Dynasty, and Tubo. Western Xia had been conquered by Mongolia, and in turn had to deal with the Jin Dynasty. If it were not for the Shandong navy continuously transporting supplies through the Yangtze River, Guanzhong would probably not have been able to hold out for too long.

Just as his chief strategist said, Shandong does not need to look at anyone's face, not even himself, the orthodox emperor of the Jin Dynasty.

However, the emperor always likes to control everything in his hands, and would rather destroy anything that is out of his control. Wanyan Honglie knew that he could not destroy Shandong, nor did he dare to destroy Shandong, otherwise he would be buried with it.

People are poor and short of breath. Wanyan Honglie suddenly felt a little discouraged. Guanzhong is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it is surrounded by enemies. Maybe Kang'er is right, Shandong is the best choice, but his father did not see it back then. Not only his father, but all the powerful people of the Jin Dynasty did not see the superiority of the sea.

"Your Majesty, you must not lose heart. Your Highness the Prince of Qi's assassination of Genghis Khan will create several years of stable development for Guanzhong. As long as Your Majesty works hard to govern Guanzhong, it will surely prosper. With the soldiers united in purpose, Guanzhong will be impregnable. Then, by resisting the Mongols to the north and attacking Sichuan and Shu to the south, your great cause will be accomplished." The black-robed man's words lifted Wanyan Honglie's spirits. He bowed deeply and said, "It was my fault. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

The black-robed man was flattered and quickly returned the greeting, saying, "It is my duty to serve Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, the King of Qi is very capable, but those who are more capable should do more work. It is better to give the credit for sniping and killing the Mongolian army to the King of Qi." The words of the black-robed strategist shocked Wanyan Honglie.

"Flowers are blooming and oil is boiling in the fire. Sir, do you want to make Shandong a thorn in the side of the Mongols?" Wanyan Honglie turned away, but quickly summoned the civil and military officials in Guanzhong and ordered them to cooperate with the King of Qi to prepare to annihilate the Mongolian army. At the same time, he also revealed a little bit of the fact that the King of Qi had traveled thousands of miles to stab Genghis Khan.

There is no impenetrable wall in the world. What one person knows is a secret, but what two people know is no longer a secret, let alone when there are thousands of people who know it. So the story of King Qi assassinating the Khan spread.

The Song Dynasty court received a letter requesting merit for the Mongol army's attack on Xiangyang and the Xiangyang defenders' bloody battles to defend the territory. Before the reward was discussed, the truth was revealed: Genghis Khan was stabbed and ordered the army to be recalled.

"King Qi of Jin is a good man." So a small number of Song ministers praised him highly. Of course, the vast majority still disliked him because Zhoushan was still in his hands.

A month later, news came that the Mongolian army suffered heavy casualties in a surprise attack by the Shandong army. The Shandong army won three battles on land and sea, and less than ten thousand of the tens of thousands of Mongolian soldiers survived, and they fled back to the desert in abandoning their weapons. The Shandong army won a great victory and captured countless prisoners. The King of Qi personally led his army to break through the Mongolian army formation and killed the deputy commander of the Mongolian army in battle.

While the Mongolian army was invincible in its campaigns across the country, it suffered repeated defeats in the small province of Shandong. The King of Qi of the Jin Dynasty was hailed as a contemporary military god and his reputation was unparalleled.

In the Prince of Qi's mansion, two eunuchs knelt on the ground. Yang Kang didn't even open the letter, but simply said, "You can commit suicide."

He still had to read the letter, but only after the two eunuchs who had offended him had died. Otherwise, it would seem he was not giving face to Wanyan Honglie, the Jin emperor. The others who accompanied them looked at each other in confusion. Yang Kang, with his expressionless face, did not dare to offer any opinions. He couldn't ask him to read the letter first. After all, this was just a letter, not an imperial edict. So, the two eunuchs committed suicide. After reading the letter, Yang Kang only said, "I understand." This was confusing.