To be precise, this was Wanyan Zongpan's second visit to the Song Dynasty.

On his first mission to Taiyuan, he was quite frightened by the emperor and his group of hot-tempered generals.

This time, Wanyan Zongpan was not afraid at all.

In recent years, his status in the Jin Kingdom has risen rapidly, and he has entered the center of power, seemingly poised to become the future crown prince of the Jin Kingdom.

Even a fierce general like Wanyan Wushu chose to stand on his side. As for Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, they had basically been divided into their own factions and could no longer pose a significant threat.

Submission is only a matter of time.

When people have power in their hands, they naturally stand tall.

In addition, the Jin Dynasty has recently been improving its cavalry.

Wanyan Wuzhu modified the cavalry, known as the "Hooked Horses," into heavy cavalry, creating the "Iron Pagoda."

Not long ago, during another internal rebellion, Wanyan Wuzhu deployed his Iron Pagoda, which almost completely crushed and slaughtered the insurgents.

Its power is unimaginable.

Ahead lay the city of Tokyo. Under the boundless spring sunshine, Wanyan Zongpan's gaze fell upon the magnificent pavilions against the backdrop of blue sky and white clouds.

He was stunned for a moment.

Those towering pavilions, layer upon layer, with green tiles and blue bricks.

It looks both spectacular and beautiful.

What a beautiful picture!

In the spring breeze, under the blue sky and white clouds, Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty, is like a talented young man skilled in both literature and martial arts, sitting on the banks of the Bian River, showing his pride and vigor.

Wanyan Zongpan's entourage were also stunned by this beautiful scene.

Compared to the capital of the Song Dynasty, their proud capital city seemed like a slum in a remote and impoverished area.

Wanyan Zongpan became very unhappy. Why should the Song people have such a prosperous capital?

As he traveled south, Wanyan Zongpan clearly saw that the land east of the Yellow River was being revitalized, but after entering the capital region, he found that everything had become wonderful.

He also believed that the State of Song had suffered greatly from internal and external troubles the year before.

So it seems not!

Not only did it not happen, the State of Song became increasingly powerful.

Although Hedong had been devastated by internal strife, the officials were very efficient, and everything was being restored in an orderly manner.

Wanyan Zongpan also bought a copy of the Song Dynasty Gazette, where he saw an article that had been trending at the top of the headlines: "Solving the basic needs of the people of the Song Dynasty is the primary task of the court."

He saw a wise and innovative Song Dynasty court, and he also heard praises of the current emperor's sagacity throughout the north.

The scene I saw this time was very different from what I saw five years ago. If I were to ask him to describe it in detail, he would have to say a lot. But if I had to summarize it in one sentence, I would say that the Song Dynasty felt like the rising sun.

This was a very dangerous signal for Wanyan Zongpan.

The Song people were growing rapidly and becoming increasingly powerful at a speed they could not have imagined.

Not far away, a troop of armored cavalry galloped toward them.

The ground seemed to tremble beneath the iron hooves of their warhorses.

Wanyan Zongpan and his men all looked surprised, and their horses seemed to be frightened and became restless.

"I am Han Shizhong, Commander of the Imperial Guard!"

A powerful, resounding voice came from ahead.

Wanyan Zongpan's pupils suddenly contracted sharply, and he cursed inwardly: Sure enough, Zhao Huan's nature is hard to change, and he has sent someone to give me a hard time again!

Having learned from his previous experience, Wanyan Zongpan brought over three hundred elite guards this time. These guards were the cream of the crop in the Jin army, each one having crawled out of piles of corpses.

But who would have thought that the damned emperor of the Song Dynasty would send five thousand elite cavalry to welcome an envoy!

This is clearly a battle formation!

Is this how you greet envoys from other countries?

Isn't he afraid of being laughed at by others?

Wanyan Zongpan underestimated Zhao Huan's shamelessness.

Han Shizhong's temperament as a member of the Imperial Guard was that of a pack of wolves on the grasslands, full of wildness and tension.

If only a few hundred people had come, Wanyan Zongpan wouldn't have been at a disadvantage in terms of momentum, but with five thousand people arriving, everyone immediately lost face.

Seeing that the Jurchens were quite intimidated, Han Shizhong calmly said, "I have come to welcome the Jin envoy on the orders of my emperor!"

If he hadn't said that, these Jurchens would have really thought Han Shizhong had come to fight.

Wanyan Zongpan was furious and cursed Zhao Huan's ancestors for eighteen generations.

But he wore a kind smile on his face: "I have long heard of the Marquis of Valor's reputation, and seeing him today makes me even more impressed."

Han Shizhong said coldly, "Please!"

Wanyan Zongpan then led his three hundred guards into Tokyo with Han Shizhong.

When Wanyan Zongpan entered Tokyo, he was stunned by the city's prosperity.

He was originally a shrewd person, but seeing the scene before him, he couldn't hide his true feelings.

From a distance, one could only see the grandeur and magnificence of Tokyo, but once inside, one could truly appreciate its prosperity and grandeur.

He became even more furious and vowed that soon, once he was established as the crown prince and the political situation in the court was redistributed, he would become a proponent of war and launch a large-scale military campaign southward.

He wanted to take control of the prosperous Central Plains; he wanted to send his army into the region.

Only by obtaining such a pure land on earth can one be worthy of being a great emperor!

China!

Truly worthy of being called the center of the world and the heart of the four seas!

A crowd gathered by the roadside, and people were talking about it.

Wanyan Zongpan looked around and saw that many people in the city of Tokyo were wearing silk!

Moreover, the color is excellent, on par with the gold-plated royal family and nobles.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!