Battle at Fever Pitch

No matter what Wu Gongling did, the real pressure Song Kingdom faced still came from the invading Han army led by Jin Jue.

With the great edifice on the verge of collapse, the people of Song Capital were panic-stricken. Song's emperor, Mu Zhuozhen, could neither eat nor sleep. The humiliation of having once sent his favorite consort to Shang Jianxiong had long vanished without a trace. So long as he could salvage the situation, forget one Que'er—even ten Que'ers, Mu Zhuozhen would give them all.

What dignity did Song Kingdom have left before Yan Kingdom? It was practically kneeling and begging Yan Kingdom to send troops for the sake of their alliance and dissolve the threat.

Only Yan Kingdom could save Song Kingdom now. The other nations were distant waters that could not quench an immediate thirst. Only if Yan Kingdom attacked Han Kingdom from the north could it force Han Kingdom to withdraw its troops in relief. Yet Shang Jianxiong had no authority to decide such a matter. Begging him was useless, and Yan Kingdom had every reason to refuse.

It was not that they were abandoning the bonds of alliance, but Zhao Kingdom had begun invading Yan Kingdom. Yan Kingdom had to deal with Zhao Kingdom's invasion and truly lacked the strength, despite its willingness.

Song Kingdom also sent people to beg Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming, even the three great sects of Yan Kingdom.

It was still useless. Yan Kingdom's national strength could not sustain warfare on two fronts; it had no power to fight two nations at once. They had gone to great pains to divert Han Kingdom's main offensive—why would they lure it back and seek death? If Han Kingdom and Zhao Kingdom joined forces to attack from both sides, whom would Yan Kingdom turn