The Golden Horde's envoy was so arrogant in the Great Zhou Dynasty, yet none of the Great Zhou's civil and military officials could out-argue him. This was a complete disgrace.
In reality, although the envoy from the Golden Horde was literate, how could he possibly be compared to the Grand Secretary Zhang Xiren?
There are many officials in the main hall who are top scholars or second-place winners in the imperial examinations. How could they be suppressed by a barbarian?
Yang Cheng saw it clearly: they weren't incapable of standing up to refute, but rather they dared not.
The Golden Horde's envoys dared to be so arrogant because they had stationed troops in the nine northern provinces and were eyeing the Central Plains with covetous intent.
The Northern Border Army of the Great Zhou Dynasty was already the strongest army, yet it still suffered repeated defeats at the hands of the Golden Horde.
What soldiers cannot obtain on the battlefield, diplomats cannot obtain at the negotiating table.
If the Great Zhou army were to approach the Golden Horde today, the envoy would probably have to change his attitude.
Fortunately, the envoy did not press too hard, but instead turned his gaze to Emperor Zhou Heng, bowed again with his hand on his chest, and said:
"This foreign subject, Wendusu, has come on behalf of the Great Khan to offer birthday greetings to Your Majesty."
Meanwhile, the master Baosheng Batu of the Vajra Bright Wheel Temple, the state religion of our Khanate, and his disciples admire the martial arts of the Central Plains, so they took this opportunity to come and learn from him.
The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty is the most prosperous and flourishing place in the Central Plains, where the dragon veins converge. There must be countless experts there. I humbly request Your Majesty to send a master to offer guidance.”
Zhou Heng, sitting on the dragon throne, did not answer, and his face was somewhat dark.
Even if he were mediocre and useless, he could tell that the Golden Horde was here to demonstrate again.
But why did they have to choose their own birthday to stage a protest? It's utterly absurd!
Previously, it was only the Golden Horde that sent experts to stir up trouble in the Central Plains martial arts world, but now, they have actually provoked the imperial palace.
Even a clay figure has a temper, let alone Emperor Zhou Heng of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Very well! Since the envoy is interested, I certainly won't be stingy!"
Zhou Heng readily agreed and addressed the crowd in the hall, "Does anyone recommend a skilled warrior from the Central Plains to spar with this foreign monk?"
Upon hearing Zhou Heng agree so readily, Zhang Xiren and Grand Tutor Cai both secretly realized something was wrong.
Although they were political rivals, they were both shrewd and perceptive, and naturally, they could see through the trap at a glance.
Since the Golden Horde has initiated this provocation, they must have come prepared.
They were completely unprepared; where could they find so many experts in such a short time?
His Majesty fell for Wen Dusu's provocation and readily agreed.
Otherwise, if they had used both defensive and offensive tactics, they could at least have delayed or refused, instead of being in such a passive position.
Martial arts competitions are naturally not allowed in the main hall.
Putting aside the issue of decorum, the various glazed sculptures in the Great Zhou Imperial Palace are magnificent and priceless; even an emperor would feel heartbroken if they were to break one.
Therefore, everyone had no choice but to move to a martial arts training ground in a side hall of the palace.
This training ground was built specifically for the palace guards to practice martial arts. It is a mile in size and can accommodate hundreds of people fighting against each other.
Taking advantage of the transfer, Zhang Xiren approached the emperor and said with a hint of reproach, "Your Majesty is foolish!"
It's only because Zhou Heng has a good temper; if it were anyone else, they would probably have lost their temper long ago if they heard their subject speak in that tone.
But Zhou Heng was also slightly annoyed: "What does Grand Secretary Zhang mean by this? How am I so confused?"
"This envoy from the Golden Horde has so provoked and shown such contempt for my Great Zhou. If we don't teach him a lesson today, I won't be able to properly celebrate my birthday!"
Zhang Xiren sighed and said, "Your Majesty, since the envoy of the Golden Horde dared to speak, they must have come prepared."
"What if we lose in the martial arts competition? Wouldn't our Great Zhou lose even more face?"
Zhou Heng was even more displeased upon hearing this: "Our Great Zhou is full of talented people and has countless fierce warriors. Are we really not as good as a Tibetan monk?"
Grand Tutor Cai leaned over and mocked, "Grand Secretary Zhang, you're boosting the morale of others while diminishing your own."
"We haven't even fought yet, and you're already thinking about how my Great Zhou will be defeated. Are you a Grand Secretary of the Golden Horde or a Grand Secretary of my Great Zhou?"
Zhang Xiren said coldly, "Cai Yan! This concerns the honor and disgrace of the nation. It has come to this point, and you are still trying to play those petty tricks?"
In recent years, the Golden Horde has repeatedly invaded the borders, and its offensive has become increasingly aggressive.
My Great Zhou cannot afford to lose now, not even the slightest bit of face!
Zhou Heng's head was throbbing from the two of them, and he waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Stop arguing!"
What kind of behavior is it for two high-ranking officials of the imperial court to be arguing and making a scene here all day long?
Grand Tutor Cai is right. How can we boost the morale of others and diminish our own prestige at a time like this?
"Summon all the elite Imperial Guards and the Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards to teach this foreign monk a lesson!"
Zhang Xiren watched Zhou Heng's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Your Majesty is foolish and ignorant!
With the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou Dynasty declining, and given the unpreparedness of those imperial guards, could they truly defeat the monks of the Golden Horde?
When everyone had gathered at the training ground, three Tibetan monks from the Golden Horde stepped forward.
The first monk was over fifty years old, dressed in red and gold robes, wearing a golden dragon Buddha crown with a jet-black gemstone.
His face was dark, his bare arms were bulging with muscles, his head was thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, and his temples were bulging, making him look slightly strange.
This person is the master Baosheng Batu of the Vajra Minglun Temple.
He also brought two disciples, both foreign monks in their thirties, dressed in red robes.
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