Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Wanyan Lie was taken aback, not expecting Shen Lang to so directly express what he was thinking.

Five years ago, Wanyan Lie would have looked down on the State of Chu, at most considering it a larger version of the State of Song, equally weak and easily bullied.

After we conquer the Song Dynasty, we'll send our troops across the river to invade Jinling, and then lock that delicate empress in a birdcage to play with.

All of this was part of the Jin Dynasty's original strategic plan.

But ever since the State of Chu recovered Guanzhong, destroyed the Western Xia, and then annexed the Wu region, Wanyan Lie's ideas changed.

The current state of Chu seems quite different from what was previously thought, especially after hearing that the various sects and forces within Chu had collectively submitted to the Chu government, which further dispelled any thoughts of being enemies with Chu.

The most urgent task is to forge an alliance with the State of Chu and do our best to maintain good relations with them.

Therefore, Wanyan Lie dispatched Wanyan Junyue as an envoy to the State of Chu with generous gifts.

The procurement of weapons was merely a pretext; the key was to make the State of Chu understand the sincerity of the State of Jin in forging an alliance.

Even if a friendship cannot be formed in the end, at the very least, it must be ensured that Chu will not help Song during the war between Song and Jin.

However, to everyone's surprise, after Wanyan Junyue returned from Chu, he brought news that Chu was willing to sell arms to Jin and seemed to have no intention of sending troops to Song.

Moreover, he learned from Wanyan Junyue that the current state of Chu was even stronger than he had imagined.

Those hundreds of thousands of firearms troops could easily destroy any known country. Even if tens of thousands of warriors joined forces, they would only be pulverized in the face of those terrifying firearms.

Upon learning this intelligence, Wanyan Lie became even more determined not to antagonize the State of Chu at this time. Coincidentally, he heard the news that Shen Lang had been sent as an envoy to the State of Song, so he ordered Wanyan Wo to invite Shen Lang to a meeting at all costs.

During this meeting, Wanyan Lie finally understood why this young emperor, who was only twenty-two years old, could turn the Chu Kingdom upside down in just a few years.

That composure alone is something that most people can't match.

“Duke Zhenguo, although the Jin Kingdom is a barbarian state in your eyes, it knows right from wrong. If the Great Chu is willing to support the Jin Kingdom, the Jin Kingdom will definitely do its best to befriend your country.”

Wanyan Lie spoke very sincerely.

Unfortunately, Shen Lang is the type of person who distrusts verbal promises the most.

"Your Majesty is joking. The Chu and Song dynasties have maintained relations for hundreds of years. It cannot be severed with just a few words."

"Between nations, the most important thing is always self-interest. What benefits can the Jin state bring to my Chu state that would make Chu state abandon its relationship with the Song state?"

"Moreover, the State of Chu and the State of Jin had almost no contact before the fifth year of Xuanyuan, and their communication was minimal. What could the State of Jin possibly offer to demand that the State of Chu abandon the State of Song and instead support the State of Jin?"

Shen Lang's words caught not only Wanyan Lie, but also Jin generals like Wanyan Wo off guard.

This Duke of Zhenguo is far too arrogant.

This is the Jin camp, yet he completely disregards the king and the generals in his tent.

"Duke Zhenguo, you are extremely rude!"

During the banquet, one of the military officers could no longer tolerate Shen Lang's arrogant attitude and stood up to refute him.

"His Majesty has treated you with such courtesy and is even eager to forge alliances with your country. How can you be so ungrateful? Do you really think that my Jin Kingdom is afraid of your Chu Kingdom?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang didn't even glance at the Jin general, but instead looked at Wanyan Lie: "Is this the attitude of your Jin Kingdom when it wants to make friends with the Chu Kingdom?"

Instantly, Wanyan Lie's face turned ashen, and he glared at the general, shouting, "Aguli, you're really too presumptuous! Sit down now!"

"Your Majesty! Why are you afraid of him?" Aguli shouted, his neck stiff. "So what if we don't make friends with the State of Chu?"

My Great Jin has never risen to power by relying on the strong. What we want, we can take with our own two hands!

"Oh ho, it seems the Jin Kingdom is planning to break with the Chu Kingdom. They even dare to rob us. King Wanyan, is this your attitude when you want to make friends with the Chu Kingdom? If so, then I've seen enough."

Wanyan Lie was furious: "Guards, Aguli has no respect for royal authority! Drag him out and give him a hundred strokes of the military rod!"

Aguli's pupils dilated upon hearing this.

One hundred strokes of the military rod—even with a cultivation level of the Acquired Realm, one hundred strokes would probably take half one's life.

“Father, Aguli’s mistake was unintentional. He did not mean to offend you. Please forgive him in consideration of his hard work and great contributions.”

Wanyan Wo was the first to kneel down and beg for mercy.

"Please, Your Majesty, spare General Aguli this time."

The other generals also knelt on the ground and begged Wanyan Lie for mercy.

For a moment, the scene was unusually bizarre.

On one side were the Zhao clan members, draped in sheepskin and prostrate on the ground; on the other side were Jin generals inside the tent, pleading for mercy for their Jin general.

At first glance, Ban Dingyuan couldn't tell who was human and who was sheep.

Wanyan Lie's cheeks twitched uncontrollably, and his eyes kept glancing at Shen Lang out of the corner of his eye.

At this point, if Shen Lang were to say something, he would have a way out.

Unfortunately, Shen Lang simply sipped his mare's milk wine and showed no intention of interfering whatsoever.

Wanyan Lie understood Shen Lang's attitude, immediately closed his eyes, and waved his hand: "Drag him out and execute him!"

Soon, two warriors rushed into the tent and made a move to lift Aguli up.

"Father..."

Wanyan Wo wanted to plead for mercy, but was interrupted by a stern shout.

"No one is to try to persuade them anymore. Anyone who dares to plead for them will be punished along with them!"

The generals immediately fell silent, and the tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The two warriors had just grabbed Aguli's left and right arms when he easily shook them off.

"Hmph, I can walk by myself."

After saying that, he glared fiercely at the nonchalant Shen Lang, then turned and walked out of the tent with his head held high.

Soon, the heavy sound of caning could be heard outside the tent.

The military baton, as thick as a large bowl, fell on Aguli, causing him to contort in pain.

For the first thirty strikes, the only sound inside the tent was the dull thud of the baton hitting the body.

But then, a shrill scream reached the ears of everyone inside the tent.

Hearing that mournful sound, the generals in the tent dared not even breathe.

Wanyan Lie took a deep breath and looked at Shen Lang, saying, "Duke Zhenguo, are you satisfied with this outcome?"

Shen Lang, however, remained nonchalant: "Your Majesty's words leave me at a loss for words."

This is an internal affair of the Jin Dynasty. As an outsider, what right do I have to interfere in your country's affairs?

This statement seems to be telling you that Aguli's punishment has nothing to do with him, and that it was his own choice.

It's so frustrating, so incredibly frustrating.

Wanyan Lie smiled insincerely: "What the Duke of Zhenguo said is quite right. In fact, this Aguli has never been polite. Today, with the Duke of Zhenguo's help, we can give him some punishment."

Shen Lang waved his hand: "Forget it, I don't have that kind of face. Since I'm here as your envoy today..."

That would be a good opportunity to fulfill the arms procurement agreement we signed with your country's fifth prince.

"Oh? Could it be that the Duke of Zhenguo also brought weapons?"

Wanyan Lie was also very curious about what kind of firearms could make the Chu army so powerful.

Shen Lang stood up and said, "Please, Your Majesty, step forward and let me demonstrate the use of firearms for you."

"Yes, please."

Wanyan Lie slapped his thigh and immediately decided to go and observe the application of military equipment.

"And bring Zhao Zhen's family along as well."