Yelü Hongji felt extremely aggrieved!
As an emperor determined to promote and glorify the Khitan people, he believed he had excellent judgment.
Especially regarding the issue of the Great Song.
I recently received news that a new department Martial Command Office has been suddenly established in the Great Song, claiming that it will take control of the Great Song's military affairs.
I originally thought that the puppet emperor of the Song Dynasty had caused some trouble again, or that they were going to change their national policy and start emphasizing military power.
Yelü Hongji was extremely concerned about this and went so far as to activate a large number of spies planted in the Great Song in an attempt to find out more.
But the news he received was a huge shock: a military coup had taken place in the Great Song court.
An unknown person somehow infiltrated the Great Song imperial palace, gained the emperor's trust (by holding him hostage), and was ultimately bestowed with such an honor.
This would normally be a good thing for neighboring countries. After all, a court where even the emperor is controlled would, historically speaking, inevitably lead to the exclusion of dissidents and the pursuit of personal gain.
Unexpectedly, the newly appointed Military Command Commissioner did not rush to make money. Instead, he slaughtered many people in the Great Song's officialdom and then declared that he would rectify the Great Song.
The martial arts world of the Great Song was a significant force in stabilizing the Great Song, and any attempt to reform it would inevitably lead to considerable internal strife.
This immediately made several neighboring countries realize that this was the best opportunity to invade the Great Song.
Therefore, with the help of spies from various countries and some interested parties within the Great Song, all countries dispatched large armies to their borders, preparing to act when the time was right.
Everything was going smoothly. The various countries seized the opportunity presented by the other side's attempt to deal with the Shaolin Temple, a relatively prestigious martial arts institution in the Great Song, and launched their attacks.
With an army of 300,000 pressing in, even the formidable Yanmen Pass, renowned for its strength, would be no match for the Great Liao's hooves.
With such ambition, Yelü Hongji sat in the central army camp, awaiting the good news of the fall of Yanmen Pass.
According to the estimates of many of their generals, Yanmen Pass could only hold out for two days at most before it fell, at which point it would be the perfect time for them to urge their horses south.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
Without any warning, the vanguard attacking Yanmen Pass suffered a defeat and fled in disarray.
Neither Yelü Hongji's generals personally went to supervise the battle, nor his personal guards went to investigate the cause, nor did they receive a reply.
This made Yelü Hongji realize that something was wrong. He then followed the advice of his confidants and withdrew from the original central army camp to a temporary palace.
The generals accompanying him stepped forward to gather the routed soldiers and, incidentally, investigate the reasons for the collapse at the front.
Yelü Hongji could only wait in the tent with his own men.
Time was slowly passing by, and Yelü Hongji, sitting at the head of the table, became increasingly uneasy.
" Xiao Erhan, go out and take another look. Where has Xiao Aguda? It's been so long, and he hasn't returned yet."
Half an hour had passed, and Yelü Hongji could no longer contain himself. He could only order his trusted confidants to check again.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Just as his trusted confidant approached the tent, before he could even lift the curtain, he noticed that the wedges securing the tent were shaking.
Then, the wooden wedge, along with the tent, suddenly rose high into the air, turning everyone inside into a rolling gourd before they could react.
"What's going on!" Yelü Hongji was also one of the tumbling ones, and this inexplicable fall made him shout in shock and anger.
The generals and guards around him rushed over to help him up, and then they saw three people flying in mid-air, watching them leisurely.
The newcomers were none other than Xu Xiao and his men. Betrayed by Yelü Gada, the traitor, they followed the layout of the Liao army's temporary palaces, searching for them one by one.
Now it seems we've just happened to run into each other.
Just by looking at how nervously everyone in the tent was surrounding the person in the middle, it was clear that he was being treated differently.
"Is it the one in the middle?" Xu Xiao asked.
Yelü Gada glanced at Yelü Hongji with a complicated expression, knowing that if he identified the other party, the emperor of Great Liao would die, but Xu Xiao's fear had already taken root in his heart.
Along the way, all the people in the palaces, regardless of the reason, were crushed into mincemeat by the ruthless man in front of him. He dared not deceive him.
In particular, the other party promised him that he could live as long as he could restrain the Great Liao from withdrawing its troops and submitting to them, and he could return to become the emperor of the Liao. This made Yelü Gada even more greedy amidst his fear.
Finally, Yelü Gada nodded with absolute certainty. "Yes, sir. He is indeed the emperor of Liao, Yelü Hongji."
" Yelü Gada, you!!"
Whether it was Yelü Hongji himself or the generals and guards around him, they all looked at Yelü Gada with anger.
They all realized that it was this traitor who had led the enemy here.
What's more hateful than the enemy is the traitor.
"Royal Uncle, I never expected it would be you who brought people to find me. How can you face the ancestors of the Yelü family?"
Yelü Hongji glared fiercely at Yelü Gada, then stood up and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xu Xiao.
"May I ask who you are? To find me amidst this vast army is truly remarkable."
"I wonder if I could use money to..."
You don't need to know who I am; after all, I don't talk to dead people.
Xu Xiao smiled and waved; he didn't have that much time to waste arguing with the other party.
Once you've identified the other person, just kill them.
The long sword flew out, fluttering gracefully like a butterfly among flowers, interrupting Yelü Hongji's words. Afterwards, everyone present fell to the ground and died.
Only Yelü Hongji's head, which remained standing with its eyes wide open in death, was captured and then tossed into Yelü Gada's arms by Xu Xiao.
"I promised you I would let you live. Go back carrying Yeli Hongji's head, and remember what I told you."
Xu Xiao always kept his word; if he said he would spare his life, he would.
He originally planned to kill all the generals and members of the royal family of the Liao without leaving a single one alive, but then Yang Wenguang gave him a suggestion.
The Liao did not have a hereditary system for emperors; anyone with royal blood could become emperor.
It's obviously impossible to kill all the generals in this vast wilderness; it's better to find a suitable puppet.
Let these Liao fight amongst themselves; it'll save us the trouble.
As Yelü Hongji's uncle, Yelü Gada had the right to inherit the throne. The Liao had five capitals, and many of Yelü Hongji's sons with the right to inherit were located in these five capitals.
If Xu Xiao were to kill them all, it would take a lot of effort to find them all. It would be better to support a puppet who wants to ascend the throne.
Whether it was to Great Liao or to prevent the exposure of his act of leading the way to kill Yelü Hongji, Yelü Gada would ruthlessly purge dissidents after taking the throne.
This coincided with Xu Xiao's idea, and more importantly, it saved Xu Xiao time.
After all, he took action personally only because it was the fastest way to resolve the problem, not because he wanted to be a volunteer.
He is a ruler high above, not a volunteer who needs to do everything himself.
He only needed to resolve the current trouble of the Three Kingdoms besieging Song; as for the matter of invasion and unification, that could be left to his subordinates.
After settling affairs with the Great Liao, Xu Xiao set off again, this time with his target being the Western Xia.