"The last time I met the Khan was by the Yellow River, and this time it was by the Hutuo River. Are there such big rivers in Mongolia?" Zhao Jiu waited until the other party stood still before asking, but he did not get straight to the point.

"So that the emperor knows, there are rivers in Mongolia." Hebula stood there with his hands crossed, answering seriously. "We, the Qiyan tribe, roam around the Onon River... However, the rivers on the grassland are not as big as those in the Central Plains, and they change a lot with the seasons."

"Onon River... Qiyan tribe... Borjigin... Hebula." Zhao Jiu seemed to be thinking about something, but he seemed to have finally gotten to the point. "The Onon River leads directly to Huining Prefecture, right?"

"So that the emperor can know." Hebule continued to answer seriously. "It can be connected by water, but it is not directly connected. The Haram River is downstream of the Onon River, and the Haram River merges with the Hunhe River in Huining Prefecture further downstream... However, although this road exists, no one dares to take it because it is dangerous and cold along the way. It is faster to go from the Onon River to Huining Prefecture through Linhuang Prefecture."

The Haramu River and the Hunhe River are both the Heilongjiang River, but the names of the upstream and downstream and the north and south flows are different.

"So that's how it is. So when Kublai Khan went to Huining Prefecture (the Harbin area) to meet the old ruler of the Jin Kingdom, he went from Linhuang Prefecture?"

"yes."

"In that case, I have a question."

"Officials, please speak."

"Why did the Khan dare to stroke the beard in front of Emperor Taizong of Jin that day, but was so respectful in front of me last night?" Zhao Jiu asked seriously.

Hebule hesitated for a moment, but in the end he didn't say those clichés, but answered honestly:

"Because I know that the Jin people only occupied the east and south of the Eastern Mongolian tribes, and could not reach the northern and western parts of the desert. Even if a war broke out, we could still respond by taking advantage of the terrain, hiding when necessary and fighting when necessary... But the emperor not only defeated the Jin people, but also took over the east and south, and also captured western Mongolia. They know us inside and out..."

Zhao Jiu smiled slightly but said nothing. However, several generals and officers present sneered.

"Besides, after this battle, Huerzahus Khan got so many armors, weapons, and so much money. I'm afraid he is eager for the emperor to order us to eliminate the various Mongolian tribes in the east and let the Kerey tribe dominate... So we have to be more careful." Hebule continued. "Also, the emperor is willing to do business with us. Many people in the tribe are grateful to the emperor and don't want to go against him."

As soon as these words were spoken, those present who truly understood the interests of Kublai Khan-Eastern Mongolian affairs immediately understood the meaning of his words, and laughed even louder.

Even Emperor Zhao smiled slightly:

"Look, aren't you quite smart?"

Without waiting for Hebule's response, Zhao Jiu suddenly became serious after smiling: "But if you are so smart, why did you let Erluguan go in Datong before? Do you think I can't win this battle, or do you think it won't be that easy even if the Song Dynasty wins this battle? So you can take advantage of the opportunity? Or do you think that the Jin people are here, you can rely on the geography to move forward and backward freely, and if I, who control Western Mongolia, seize Zhongjing Road and Linhuang Road, you Eastern Mongolians will be tied up on three sides... So you deliberately indulge the Jin people?"

"No matter what, I definitely don't mean to let the enemy go." As soon as Emperor Zhao mentioned Erluguan, Hebule knelt down again and kowtowed in front of Emperor Zhao. "That day in Datong, the Jin army really fled too fast, and the vanguards didn't know the terrain... Besides, I also let Anbahai deal with those Tatars in the vanguard."

"So what?" Zhao Jiu replied with emotion. "Hebule... We have a saying in the Central Plains that to judge a person's merits and demerits, we cannot guess what he is thinking, but we must look at what he does... In this matter, no one can prove that you have bad intentions, but in the end no one can prove your innocence. And no matter what, in the end, not only did your troops fail to join the battle in time, but they also forced me to put down the troops in Datong to monitor them, which directly resulted in me losing tens of thousands of troops in the previous battle... Is this right?"

Wu Jie turned sideways and stared at Hebule, but this time Hebule didn't say anything.

"I know what you rely on, or rather, half of the people here know what you have been hinting at." Zhao Jiu narrowed his eyes and continued to look at the other party. "The reason why you, Hebule, are afraid of me is because I can control Western Mongolia and put the Eastern Mongolian tribes in real danger of extinction... Then on the other hand, if you Eastern Mongolian tribes are gone, Western Mongolia will become powerful on its own and occupy the grasslands. It seems that I will lose control of Western Mongolia! So, you have made up your mind and determined that I will not deal with you, right?"

Hebule still didn't speak.

"But... there are so-called clear rewards and punishments. Western Mongolia will be rewarded for its great contributions, and Eastern Mongolia will be punished for delaying the war. As the emperor, I must be as fair as possible if I want to continue to do my job, right? What's more, since I ascended the throne, there have been two times when I ignored the overall situation and killed people with my own hands. Both times were big shots like you who 'avoided war'... You committed my biggest taboo in Datong!" As he said that, Zhao Jiu suddenly pointed at the other party.

Following this movement, several squad leaders behind him stepped forward and grabbed Hebule's shoulders tightly on the ground.

Hebule did not resist, but remained silent.

"Are you really sure that I dare not kill you?" Zhao Jiu laughed again.

"I never meant that." Hebule was lying on the ground calmly. "The reason why I was not too frightened was that I knew before I came here that even if I didn't die, I would never be able to go back, so I had already put life and death aside... But when I got here, I found that the emperor had no intention of letting Western Mongolia annex Eastern Mongolia, so I didn't care anymore... Your Majesty, I have only one thing to say. After that, you can kill me or chop me up, whatever you want!"

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