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

Clack clack—

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves, like waves crashing against each other, stirred up clouds of yellow sand.

A row of iron cavalry, standing in a single file, played their final lament on the frigid northern land.

Wanyan Zongbi's face was ashen, his cold, wolf-like eyes fixed on the outline of Xiangzhou city directly in front of him.

Boom boom boom——

Just then, a cannon roared in the distance.

Wanyan Zongbi looked up sharply, and countless plumes of smoke rose into the air.

"Ah."

He gave a bitter smile, as if he had already foreseen his own end.

"Warriors of the Great Jin Kingdom, charge forward with me and defend our last glory with your lives!"

"Oooooooo-"

Four hundred ironclad cavalrymen shouted in unison and charged forward into the face of the cannon fire.

The grenade exploded the moment it hit the ground.

Several cavalrymen were immediately thrown from their horses by the shockwave.

But the remaining Ironclad Cavalry continued their relentless advance.

The heavy thud of hooves struck the earth, creating a thunderous roar.

A temporary formation of sandbags had already appeared in Wanyan Zongbi's pupils.

Da da da da——

The moment the roaring Maxim machine gun spat out its fire, Wanyan Zongbi could hear nothing more.

All that could be seen were bursts of blood mist blooming before their eyes, and petals falling from the sky, scattering freely across the battlefield...

"Stop shooting!"

As the galloping cavalry disappeared from sight, Battalion Commander Su He gave a long shout, and the booming gunfire gradually subsided.

Looking up, the air was thick with smoke, and corpses lay scattered everywhere, covered in dust...

On the city wall of Xiangzhou Prefecture, Han Ming, holding a banner, came to Yue Fei's side.

"Look, passenger seat."

Han Ming unfurled the great banner, and Yue Fei looked up to see it was Wanyan Zongbi's command flag.

"All 403 riders were killed; not a single one was spared."

Upon hearing this news, Yue Fei's expression remained unchanged.

With Wanyan Zongbi dead, the Jin army had no more capable generals, and it was only a matter of time before they swept away Shangjing and destroyed the Jin state.

"Commander, we're about to win."

Han Ming choked up as he said this, his eyes already filled with tears.

Yue Fei sighed deeply, closed his eyes and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Order the entire army to march to the capital."

"As ordered!"

……

In the capital city, on the second day after Wanyan Zongbi went on his expedition, Wanyan Lie fell ill again.

This time, his illness was even more serious; his previous energy was merely a temporary resurgence before death.

Now the lamp is out of oil, and the final moment has arrived.

He summoned Wanyan Kang, Wanyan Tang, and Wanyan Wo to prepare for his final affairs.

"Kang'er, come here."

With a soft cry, Wanyan Kang crawled to Wanyan Lie's side: "Father, your son is here."

Wanyan Lie, barely breathing, said, "Kang'er, you are my most beloved child. Now that my time is coming to an end, I will pass the throne of the Great Jin to you to inherit."

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Tang, the prince's nephew kneeling in the hall, was extremely displeased.

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Kang's face showed a fleeting joy, but he still pretended to be in great pain: "Father, you are just tired. Take good care of yourself. The Great Jin still needs you to take charge of the overall situation."

Wanyan Lie shook his head: "Kang'er, the Great Jin Kingdom is in turmoil. You have a heavy burden on your shoulders. Remember, the first thing you must do after ascending the throne is to be on good terms with the Chu Kingdom at all costs. Do you understand?"

"Your subject has remembered."

Wanyan Kang forced out a few tears and echoed his sentiments.

Wanyan Lie then reached out to Wanyan Tang.

Wanyan Tang immediately crawled over with a mournful face: "Your Majesty, I'm here."

Wanyan Lie: "Tang'er, your father passed away early, and I have always treated you as my own son. Now that I am about to leave, I hope you can assist Kang'er well."

"If you govern the Great Jin Kingdom well, you two are both members of my Wanyan clan. Don't fight for power at this critical juncture. It's precisely at times like these that we should unite."

Wanyan Tang glanced at Wanyan Kang, and their eyes met.

In an instant, their eyes blazed with a desire to kill each other.

Ever since Wanyan Lie took over the administration of the court during the reign of Wanyan Tang, Wanyan Kang has been constantly causing trouble for himself. The two have long been irreconcilable enemies, so how could they possibly cooperate with each other because of a single word from Wanyan Lie?

The two had already made up their minds that once Wanyan Lie died, they would have a real fight.

Wanyan Lie saw the sinister and vicious look in the two men's eyes, but he sighed helplessly and sent them out. Finally, he called Wanyan Wo over.

"I truly regret it. I should have listened to you and implemented the reforms sooner, formed an alliance with Chu, and then attacked Song."

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now. You're not still blaming me, are you?

Wanyan Wo shook his head: "Father, I have never blamed you. I know that everything you have done is for the Great Jin to have a comfortable environment. It's just that time waits for no one, and everything is the will of Heaven."

Wanyan Lie grasped his hand and asked softly, "Do you know how your elder brother died?"

Wanyan Wo shook his head: "Your subject does not know."

Wanyan Lie: "Your elder brother, Wanyan Zongwang, joined the Dongyu Sect and followed the Great Yan in its conquest of the Chu Kingdom. However, after the Battle of Fengsui Fortress, his three thousand soldiers were completely destroyed by a fire."

Finally, harboring resentment and lured by Murong Ke, you went to Jinling to carry out an assassination attempt. The mission failed, and your elder brother perished. Do you know who your elder brother was trying to assassinate?

Wanyan Wo was taken aback: "Jinling, could it be..."

Wanyan Lie nodded: "That's right, it's Shen Lang."

"But……"

"Let me finish speaking," Wanyan Lie interrupted Wanyan Wo's question. "I'm not telling you this so you can seek revenge on Shen Lang."

After all, your elder brother's death at Shen Lang's hands was entirely his own fault; the real person who killed him was Murong Ke.

"I, your king, require you to inform Shen Lang or the Empress of Great Chu of this news after my death, in exchange for the survival of my Wanyan tribe."

Wanyan Wo's pupils shrank: "Father, what are you doing...?"

"Do you think Kang'er and Wanyan Tang can hold onto this legacy? No, you're wrong. The Great Jin is basically dead, and there's no possibility of its restoration."

Those two idiots, along with Guang'er and Junyue, were nothing more than victims of a power struggle.

What you need to do is leverage your relationship with Shen Lang to integrate the Jurchens as much as possible into the Chu Kingdom.

We may suffer a lot of unfair treatment at first, but after a few generations, once our Wanyan tribe has truly integrated into the Chu state,

There's no longer any distinction between them; the glory of the Chu Kingdom is a foregone conclusion, destined to be the central hegemon of this world for the next thousand years.

"It's extremely unwise to fight a losing battle like an egg trying to break a rock, you know what I mean?"

Wanyan Wo immediately understood Wanyan Lie's good intentions.

From the moment he ascended the throne, this foreign emperor was preoccupied with how to ensure the continuation of his people, and he was willing to sacrifice everything, including his own children, without hesitation.

Assimilation into the Chu Kingdom and becoming part of them was the best possible outcome that Wanyan Lie had envisioned for the Wanyan tribe.

"What should we do with Zhao Huan and Zhao Ji?"

"Let the Empress decide the fate of these two tyrants. As for the princesses in the brothels and those who have become concubines, let the Empress of Great Chu decide their fate as well. You don't need to worry about these trivial matters."

"Your subject understands."

Wanyan Wo knelt before Wanyan Lie and burst into tears.

On January 20th, Wanyan Lie died in the capital at the age of 67.

On the same day, Wanyan Kang, aged twenty-four, ascended the throne as the ruler of the Jin Dynasty.

On the very day Wanyan Kang ascended the throne, the city's garrison began to make subtle moves.