Half a year passed quickly, and there were victories in all directions.
The territory of Western Liao is half yellow sand and half grassland. Sandstorms are frequent in the desert, making it difficult for outsiders to identify the direction, and the grassland is mostly swampy, where you can lose your life if you are not careful.
Although the desert and swamps resulted in a small cultivated area in Western Liao and extremely low grain production, these two things also became a natural barrier for Western Liao.
Fortunately, Zhao Yiming had the foresight to subdue Zach in advance, otherwise he would have suffered a great loss.
In order to let Jabbar "lead the way" well, every time Zhao Yiming followed him to a city, he would let Zach rescue him at the critical moment, then cover his retreat and then return to his team to continue serving as a guide.
Jabbar, who was being chased and had no choice but to flee, never expected that this loyal lieutenant who had saved him from danger many times had actually betrayed him long ago.
The Western Liao royal family originally thought that with the protection of grasslands and deserts, even if they lost the war with Tian Ling, the other side would not dare to invade Western Liao. They could still retreat safely and live their previous lives. If it really didn't work out, the most they could do was give some compensation.
However, he didn't expect that Tian Ling was determined to recapture them this time. He didn't care much at first, thinking that as long as the other party saw the power of the grassland and desert, they would retreat on their own.
But seeing that Tian Ling's soldiers were making unimpeded progress and were about to take over half of Western Liao, the Western Liao royal family finally became anxious.
"What should we do? Are we really going to watch Tian Ling crush our Western Liao to the ground? Think of a solution quickly!" The old emperor of Western Liao looked at his ministers anxiously, hoping that they could give good suggestions.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid our only option now is to surrender in order to temporarily preserve Western Liao."
"Surrender now? What about the cities captured by Tian Ling? Are we just going to give them to Tian Ling for free?"
"You can't win the fight, and if you don't surrender, do you want to wait for Tian Ling to destroy your country?"
"Right now, one side is gaining strength while the other is losing strength. I'm afraid they won't agree to surrender now!"
"How about sending a princess as a marriage alliance? Let's send the most beautiful princess from Western Liao to seduce the emperor of Tianling, temporarily stabilize Tianling, and make them stop. After we have rested and recuperated, we can regroup and retake the robbed city..."
The ministers of Western Liao were discussing the matter, and soon they came up with the idea of having the princess marry a foreign prince.
The emperor of Western Liao was different from Emperor Tianling who was extremely opposed to the marriage. As the war at the front was at a stalemate, he agreed to the proposal after just a little consideration and even rewarded the official who proposed this solution with ten kilograms of rice.
You have to know that rice is a rare commodity in Western Liao, and the princess can't eat it at every meal.
The imperial edict of marriage came down soon. The most beautiful princess of Western Liao happened to be Jabal's sister, and was also the most beloved princess of the King of Western Liao in the past.
But in front of the country and the people, no matter how favored the princess is, she will still be pushed out.
Facing the princess's sobbing, the Western Liao Emperor reluctantly wiped her tears and coaxed her, "My son, don't you like to eat rice? Once you get to Tianling, you'll have endless rice to eat. It will only take a few years. When Western Liao recovers, I will personally go to Tianling to bring you back."
The princess's mother wept with her face buried in her hands. Even though she knew that the princess who was married off would never come back, and that this was just an excuse from the emperor, she remained silent.
Whenever she thought of her son still leading troops on the front line to fight the enemy, she could not say a word to plead for the princess.
The princess didn't realize she had been abandoned. She wiped the tears from her face with her hands, forced herself to cheer up, and vowed to the two of them, "Your Majesty, Mother, rest assured. I will definitely help Western Liao overcome this difficult time."
Zak was able to become one of the deputy generals in this expedition, and he had some power in the capital of Western Liao. However, within two days, he received the news that the princess was about to marry.
After Zhao Yiming learned the news, he immediately gave Zak an order without saying a word, "I don't care what method you use to stop the princess from leaving the city."
He has come this far and still wants him to go back? No way. Although he believes that his uncle the emperor will not agree to the request of marriage with Western Liao, there are bound to be court officials whose heads are stuck in the door, so it is better to have less trouble than more.
After giving the order to Zack, Zhao Yiming turned around and accelerated the speed of attack. After throwing two bombs sent by the court onto the city wall, the city gate, which had been almost corroded by wind and sand, collapsed. Within half a day, the Tianling army captured another city.
This time he didn't play cat and mouse with Jabbar, but had him captured alive.
Although Zhao Yiming was decisive and ruthless on the battlefield, he never made things difficult for the people once he entered the city. In addition to executing a few troublemakers, he would also distribute military rations to help ordinary poor people depending on the situation. He quickly won the hearts of the people and gained a firm foothold in the city.
The Western Liao royal family was shocked by the speed of his attack on the city, and all the arrangements for the marriage were ready in just three days.
But on the day of the marriage delegation's departure, when everything was ready and they were about to set off, they could not find the princess who had suddenly had a stomachache and went to the toilet.
The emperor was furious, thinking that the princess had deserted the battlefield. He was immediately furious, but he never thought that the princess might have been kidnapped.
At this time, the princess had not actually left the palace at all. The marriage was a matter of great importance. After Zack's men kidnapped her, they had no way of taking her away from the palace immediately, so they could only find a place to hide nearby.
She even heard with her own eyes that her father and mother, who had always cared for her with love, did not worry about her safety at the first time after knowing that she was gone, but instead pushed the blame for the impending destruction of the country onto her. They were even worried about what would happen to her brother who was captured and whose life or death was unknown if she did not go to marry.
The princess was heartbroken, but unfortunately she had been drugged since she was kidnapped, and she could neither move nor speak. She could only watch herself become the sinner of the entire Western Liao Dynasty.
After searching for the princess for two days without success, the royal family had to change the bride. Although the new princess was not as beautiful as Jabbar's sister, she was also a beauty that could captivate all men.
It’s a pity that the marriage team was unable to leave the city this time, because during the few days they were delayed, Zhao Yiming and Tian Mingwu’s teams had already joined forces, and the two teams attacked the city together at an unstoppable speed.
The Western Liao Emperor was still asleep when his personal guards rushed into his bedroom and woke him up. "Your Majesty, run! The Tianling army has breached the city gates and is about to reach the palace. It will be too late if you don't run now."
When the old emperor heard this, he immediately woke up from his sleepiness and ran out with his guards without even having time to put on his shoes.
However, as soon as he left the hall, he was frightened by the scene in front of him and froze in his tracks.
He saw that the hall was already surrounded by Tian Ling's soldiers, and he couldn't escape even if he had wings.
"I, we surrender, and are willing to send our princess as a bride, and offer countless treasures." Even though he knew it might be too late, the Western Liao Emperor still looked at Zhao Yiming in the middle of the team with hope in his eyes.
However, the result was predictable. Zhao Yiming taunted him, "Do you think it's too late to surrender now?"
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