Outside Suyab, armies from various Western Regions kingdoms were gathering in an endless expanse.

The forest of swords and spears, illuminated by the sunlight, was so dense that it was hard to open one's eyes.

At the gate of Suyab, Liao cannons were neatly aimed downwards.

The well-trained Khitan army stood atop the city wall, like iron nails driven into it.

The leaders of various countries successively paid homage to Jurhan Yelü Dashi.

They inquired about the situation of the battle at the front.

Yelü Dashi told the commanders of various countries: "The main force of the Eastern army, numbering 100,000, has been annihilated and is now trapped on the opposite bank of the Chu River. They have been on a long and arduous expedition, and in another month, their morale will inevitably collapse due to insufficient food and supplies. Defeat is only a matter of time."

The Ghazni commander Al-Muzaffar was the younger brother of Abu Muzaffar.

Ghazni led an army of 100,000 to Suyab, where he was the commander.

Al-Muzzafar was a tall man with a face covered in hair or a beard.

He had a very loud voice, so Yelü Dashi hired a translator for him.

"My esteemed Jurhan, what will we gain a month from now, after the Easterners have retreated?"

Yelü Dashi smiled as he looked at the simpleton, then glanced at the commanders of the Gurkha and Khwarazmian armies. In a very magnetic voice, he confidently declared, “The East has fertile land and beautiful women. Our army can conquer Gaochang, enter the Jade Gate Pass, sweep across the Hexi Corridor, and enter the Central Plains. There, the silk is more plentiful than the clouds in the sky; the beauties are more numerous than you could ever meet in a lifetime; and the food is more abundant than all of Seljuk and Europe combined. It is the richest country in the world, and it will be ours in the future!”

After making his promise, Yelü Dashi almost believed his own words.

To be honest, he didn't expect to be able to conquer Chinese soil.

He was a scholar who came from the Hanlin Academy and was well-versed in classical Chinese literature from a young age.

He understands the Chinese people too well.

That land, nominally the emperor's domain, was rife with internal strife, but once a foreign tribe invaded, the entire nation would unite to resist, and the pride buried deep in the bones of the Chinese people would be unleashed all at once.

Yelü Dashi would not provoke the Han people.

He was already satisfied if he could drive Zhao Huan back and lock the Song territory at Yumen Pass.

After hearing Yelü Dashi's words, the leaders of various countries were so excited that they wished they could fly there right now.

The legend of the East's wealth has been around for quite some time.

Merchants returning from the East would describe a land that seemed to be covered in silk and gold.

Now we finally have the opportunity to push the army there.

Following Jurhan means you'll get to eat meat!

Looking at these greedy and ignorant leaders of various countries, Yelü Dashi breathed a sigh of relief.

This finally strengthened the military strength of Suyab.

Working overtime to gather soldiers and conscripting men from all over the place, the army in Suyab now numbers 600,000.

To prevent Sanjar from launching a surprise attack, Yelü Dashi placed Erbus in the city of Merv, while Khwarazm stationed a large army in the northwest.

Ghazneh guarded the southwest, and Sanjar had just suffered a defeat. With the people's hearts at ease, they dared not rashly invade.

Yelü Dashi was unaware that Ghazni had fallen, and that his prized western stronghold, Mulu, would soon face a powerful attack from the Song army.

One historian, analyzing the first western expedition, said: Yelü Dashi's best move might have been to abandon Suyab and send his army westward to the Seljuk Empire, which was already plagued by internal problems. Without sufficient preparation, the Song army could not possibly push its battle lines further west.

Of course, historians make their judgments from a divine perspective.

At this moment, the banners fluttering like clouds outside Suyab City eased Yelü Dashi's anxious heart.

I wonder how Xiao Duolu is doing now.

However, in the past ten days or so, the Song army's progress in crossing the river has clearly slowed down, which suggests that Xiao Duolu did not complete his mission.

But whether they are still alive is uncertain.

Yelü Dashi felt a pang of regret at losing a great general, but at the same time, he was also relieved.

The Xiao family, father and son, had achieved great military exploits, and he had even married his daughter to Xiao Duolu. If, after his death, the Xiao family's power became too great, it would inevitably be difficult to control.

Death is a loss, but not necessarily a bad thing.

After hosting a luncheon for the commanders of various countries, Yelü Dashi, accompanied by the commanders, personally inspected the armies of each country, and thunderous cheers resounded in the military camps.

In the sea of ​​armies, Yelü Dashi, clad in armor and cloak, stood like the king of kings.

In the eyes of the various countries of the Western Regions, he deserved this title.

Because that was Sanjar's previous title.

Yelü Dashi annihilated Sanjar's army of 100,000 with only 10,000 troops!

If he can't take the responsibility, who can?

At least they don't know about Zhao Huan's existence yet.

After inspecting the troops, as evening fell, the fiery clouds in the west dyed half the sky red.

As the last rays of sunlight faded from the mountain peaks, the wilderness fell into silence.

The waves of the Chu River roll eastward, oblivious to the passage of time.

On the east bank of the Chu River, thirty warships stood in neat rows, and the Song army's star flags fluttered in the wind, their red color even more vibrant, as if dyed with the blood of tens of thousands of soldiers.

The Song army crossed the river in three routes, with the main force crossing by warships.

There are two other routes, one of which is to build a bridge to cross the river.

Regarding building bridges to cross the river, the Song army had been in a standoff with the patrolling Liao army for a whole month. Finally, two bridges were built to avoid the Liao army's sniping, and the Song army successfully crossed the river.

The tactic of crossing rivers by warships also involved the main warships and fast boats working together to allow scattered soldiers to sneak across.

The main warships suppressed enemy artillery, while the fast boats carried several people each, and their large numbers prevented enemy artillery from covering them completely.

Sanyong were warriors who were good at swimming and used bamboo tubes to help them breathe, swimming directly across.

Even if the main warships are still facing off against the enemy on the river, a group of troops have already crossed the river and, with the support of the main warships' gunfire, can carve out a gap and rebuild a large-scale military formation.

Zhang Xian, deputy commander of the First Army Corps, stepped forward and said, "General, the entire First Army Corps is ready to cross the river and start the battle at any time!"

Zhang Xianjun was in charge of all thirty warships that crossed the river.

Xu Qing, deputy commander of the Fourth Army Corps, stepped forward and said, "General, all the fast boats are ready to cross the river at any time!"

Niu Gao, deputy commander of the Third Army Corps, was killed in battle. Yue Yun, commander of the Fifth Army of the Third Army Corps, shouted: "General, ten thousand scattered soldiers are all ready and are ready to cross the river and fight the Liao army to the death at any time!"

Standing in the commander's position, Yue Fei saw banners fluttering on the riverbank, Song soldiers lined up on every warship, and artillerymen ready in front of every cannon.

Looking again, the soldiers on the fast boat were already eagerly waiting. The scattered soldiers had taken off their clothes, leaving only long swords and daggers at their waists.

"Cross the river!" Yue Fei gave the order, and the sound of war drums resounded like thunder across the vast plains and along the Chu River.

As bugles sounded across the camps, hundreds of thousands of Han soldiers began their crossing of the river!