Lu You asked, "What is the best way to win hearts and minds?"

Zhao Shen then said, "Yan Yun Deputy Commander Xie Qian is a loyal and patriotic man. I, a young man who fled from the north to Tokyo, said that many people there are misled by the Liao King. Therefore, we should divide and conquer one faction."

Lu You nodded thoughtfully and said, "What should we do now? Tell me."

Lu You trusted Zhao Shen very much. The two hit it off immediately. Lu You was a scholar-general who could write poetry and fight on horseback, a rising star in the Song army.

Zhao Shen is a well-known academic star at the University of Tokyo. It was only after he entered the University of Tokyo that the teachers realized that there really are geniuses in this world.

Zhao Shen's eyes shone brightly as he said, "Let me go and meet Commander Jie first."

Lu You disagreed: "Yuan Yong, this battlefield is not your examination hall; it is not ordinary."

"Don't be anxious. I had a good relationship with the King of Liao before. Even if I am captured, the King of Liao won't do anything to me. If we want to change the current situation, we must win over Commander Jie to our side."

After careful consideration, Lu You said, "Alright, I'll pick a few skilled fighters to go with you."

Lu You shouted, and several lean young men stepped forward from the army. They were all strong and vigorous, full of heroic spirit.

"You must ensure his safety!"

"General Lu, please rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will not let Lord Zhao lose a single hair!"

Zhao Shen then led about ten people forward.

It was evening, and the sun was setting. On the plains of Hebei, a season when the green awns should be bursting forth, there was no sign of farmers.

Once again, the people of Hebei migrated south, repeating the tragedy of fifteen years ago. They abandoned their fertile fields and left their homes. Some went to Tokyo to find work, while others went to the more affluent south, hoping to settle down there.

Occasionally, you can see people crying by the roadside.

All their savings accumulated over the years were wiped out in an instant.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Shen felt a pang of sadness.

Zhao Chen, Zhao Chen, the moment I left you, you committed such a grave mistake. How can you face the world?

Zhao Shen felt a mixture of grief and indignation. He was saddened that all his previous efforts had failed to change Zhao Chen, and indignant at Zhao Chen's actions, which squandered the wealth of the nation and slaughtered its people.

As he thought about it, he burst into laughter, a bitter laugh at his own youthful arrogance.

No one knew what he was laughing at, but they could see tears in the corners of his eyes.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows.

A long black line was moving ahead in the setting sun.

That was the Gongsheng Army, one of the most elite legions in Yanyun. Back then, when they followed Emperor Shengwu on his northern expedition, they marched all the way north from here and fought a bloody battle with the Jin army on the Hedong Road.

At that time, the Song army was poorly equipped, but countless people in Hedong Road were eager to protect their homes.

They built the Great Wall with their blood and flesh to protect their homeland.

This is an army to be proud of.

"Commander Jie, a small group of men is approaching from the front; they are the Imperial Guards."

From where Jie Qian looked a thousand miles away, he saw Zhao Shen.

He had never met Zhao Shen before, but upon seeing him for the first time, he exclaimed, "This young man is so dashing and spirited; I wonder which family's young master he is?"

"Commander Jie, shall we make a move?"

"No need. It must have been Lu You who sent someone to persuade us to surrender."

But another voice came from the other side: "What's going on, Commander Jie? There are enemies here, why aren't you making a move?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man, about forty years old, wearing a military uniform that revealed him to be a major general, a rank higher than Xie Qian.

However, his military rank was Military Commander, which was lower than Jie Qian's position as Commander-in-Chief.

This man was named Lu Xin. He was a wealthy merchant from the Lu family in Hebei. Ironically, after Hebei fell to the Japanese, this wealthy merchant was suddenly promoted to the rank of Major General, granted the title of Marquis of Zhongshan, and given the military post of Military Commander.

This man knew absolutely nothing about military campaigns, but he was adept at making money from the army. In the few months since taking office, he had been tirelessly promoting his goods within the military.

Jie Qian ignored him and instead ordered the army to halt its march.

Zhao Shen arrived with his men and called out from afar, "I am Commander Lu's military advisor, my name is Zhao Shen, and I have important business to discuss with the Commander."

"Surname Zhao?" Xie Qian was slightly taken aback. Zhao was the imperial surname, so how come he had never heard of this person before?

He said to his adjutant beside him, "Bring them over here, but no one is allowed to lay a hand on them."

The adjutant said, "Come here and talk to me."

Zhao Shen was quite bold; he led about ten men and went over there.

He immediately saw the middle-aged man in the uniform of a military commander and bowed, saying, "Zhao Shen greets Commander Xie."

"You little brat, you dare come here to die? Is there really no one left in Tokyo?" Lu Xin laughed loudly from the side.

Some of his close associates also laughed.

But Xie Qian did not laugh. He looked at Zhao Shen with even greater surprise. This boy was only a teenager, yet he dared to bring ten Imperial Guards to see him. He wondered if Zhao Shen was stupid or had guts. He would wait and see.

What do you want?

"I have a letter to deliver to Commander Jie."

Jie Qian was slightly taken aback: "A letter?"

"Exactly!"

Zhao Shen took out the letter from his bosom and stepped forward personally. The soldiers of the Gongsheng Army all had cold expressions and held long swords. Some of them even wanted to deliberately scare the little brat, but Zhao Shen remained calm: "Commander Jie will know once he reads it."

Jie Qian was even more astonished. Most people, faced with such a scene, would at least be trembling and speechless, let alone fall off their horses.

But this kid had the composure to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.

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