Upon entering the palace, a welcoming banquet was held in the square outside the main hall, covering half of the square. The other half was used for song and dance performances.
During the welcoming banquet, there were many platitudes and questions, mutual flattery, and officials took the opportunity to win each other over or get to know each other. Wang Han, the protagonist of the banquet, was naturally the focus of everyone's conversation, toasts, and interactions. At the same time, Emperor Huizong of Song was also talking with Wang Han and personally introducing the ministers who participated in the banquet to Wang Han.
Wang Han handled the officials' and emperor's questions and conversations with ease. Although he had never been in officialdom, he had interacted with many high-ranking officials, feudal lords, and powerful figures.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Emperor Huizong of Song felt it was about time and said, "My dear ministers, please be quiet for a moment. How about we have General Shenwei demonstrate a few magical spells for you? What does General Shenwei think?"
As soon as Emperor Huizong spoke, the ministers who had been paying close attention to the scene immediately fell silent. After hearing what Emperor Huizong said, they all exclaimed, "Very well, please let General Shenwei demonstrate a few spells for everyone to see."
"Okay." Wang Han, who had anticipated this, readily agreed, got up from his seat, and walked to the square where the performance was taking place. He said to the singers and dancers performing in the square, "You all move aside."
Wang Han had been waiting for the performance. Emperor Huizong and others wanted to see just how capable he was, while he wanted to intimidate them.
"Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, World Honored Jade Emperor,..." After the singers and dancers stepped aside, under the watchful eyes of Emperor Huizong of Song, his ministers, and the imperial guards, Wang Han casually composed a few incantations, haphazardly forming several hand seals, and loudly shouted, "Double Heavenly Dragons Slay the Demon!"
"Roar...!" A dragon's roar resounded from Wang Han's hands. Two crimson fiery dragons cried out and flew out from the hand seals in Wang Han's hands, growing larger as they faced the wind. In a short while, they transformed into two enormous fiery dragons, tens of feet long and as thick as round tables, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime, and flew together into the sky. The dragon's roar became deafening. Emperor Huizong of Song and his ministers were also dumbfounded.
"Fly down!" Wang Han shouted again, his hand seals changing as he pointed his middle finger at the ground in the center of the empty half of the square.
"Roar..." As Wang Han pointed, the two dragons that had flown into the sky immediately turned around and swooped down, as fast as crossbow bolts.
"Boom... Rumble..." With two deafening explosions, the two fiery dragons crashed into the center of half the plaza, one after the other. This instantly triggered a terrifying explosion; the deafening sound nearly robbed the ministers and imperial guards of their ears. The shockwaves and blasts sent people flying, tables overturned, and food and drink spilled everywhere. Even the earth trembled. Many ministers were terrified by the terrifying power of Wang Han's magic, their faces turning pale.
After the explosions subsided and the turmoil calmed down, half of the deserted square had vanished from sight, leaving only two enormous craters, tens of meters wide and tens of meters deep. The surrounding bluestone bricks and tiles had also disappeared, and brown soil was now the only color on the deserted half of the square.
Emperor Huizong and his ministers were all dumbfounded.
"I've made a fool of myself. I didn't control it well, please forgive me!" Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Wang Han showed no remorse for having destroyed half of the palace square. He clasped his hands in greeting to Emperor Huizong and his ministers.
"Excellent!" Upon hearing Wang Han's words, Emperor Huizong realized what was happening. Instead of blaming Wang Han, he cheered loudly, his pale face flushed with excitement. Such powerful magic, on the battlefield, could kill hundreds or even thousands of enemy soldiers with a single spell, and more importantly, it possessed immense deterrent power. At that time, not only would defending the Song Dynasty and reclaiming lost territory be no problem, but even expanding the territory would be feasible. He might even become the greatest and most accomplished emperor of the Song Dynasty.
"Excellent!" The ministers cheered, many of them flushed with excitement. Their thoughts were surprisingly aligned with Emperor Huizong's. By seizing this opportunity, they could achieve lasting fame.
"Someone come here!" After calling out for a while, Emperor Huizong immediately shouted, "Bring me the reward I prepared for General Shenwei."
As soon as Emperor Huizong spoke, dozens of eunuchs of various ranks, who had been prepared in advance, rushed over with trays outside the courtyard wall and came to Emperor Huizong's side. It was clear that they had been prepared in advance.
"My dear minister, this is a gift I have prepared for your first meeting." After the eunuch approached, Emperor Huizong said to Wang Han with a smile. He first took a seal that resembled a leopard and a tiger from the tray carried by the lead eunuch, and said, "This is a tiger tally that I have prepared especially for you. It can mobilize 300,000 of my border troops. In addition, I know that you are used to traveling around, and this tiger tally can also mobilize 10,000 troops in each prefecture, which will make it more convenient for you when you are traveling around."
After speaking, Emperor Huizong placed the tiger tally back on the tray, and the old eunuch immediately stood behind Wang Han with the tray in his hand. Another eunuch then walked to Emperor Huizong's side.
"This is a secluded villa in the capital. I have already bestowed upon the General of Divine Might the title 'Grand General's Residence' as his residence in the capital," Emperor Huizong said. After speaking, the eunuch discreetly walked behind Wang Han.
"These are twenty-four top-quality black pearls from the South China Sea, which were presented as tribute from the South China Sea."
"These are the tears of mermaids, a tribute from the North Sea."
"This is a thousand-year-old ginseng from Changbai Mountain, which was presented as tribute from the East China Sea."
Then, Emperor Huizong pointed to the trays and addressed Wang Han, showing no airs of an emperor and appearing very approachable. After each item was mentioned, a eunuch would bring the tray behind Wang Han. These trays contained rare treasures, calligraphy, and paintings—undoubtedly priceless gems. In addition to these treasures, there were also large amounts of money, silks, and even servants and maids.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty." When the last eunuch stood behind him with a tray, Wang Han smiled and thanked him, accepting all the gifts without hesitation. Although he had obtained the Tiger Tally and military power, Wang Han didn't believe that the army was truly under his control. Emperor Huizong had shown his utmost sincerity, but he was certainly not without precautions. At the very least, he hadn't dared to bestow upon him the title of prince.
However, Emperor Huizong did not order him to immediately go to the border to fight, clearly indicating that he was also looking for an opportunity, such as an opportunity when the Jin army attacked.
After the rewards were given, the banquet ended. After all, the banquet had been ruined by Wang Han's fake magic.
That evening, as Wang Han returned to his mansion as the Great General of Divine Might, a flurry of visiting cards arrived. Wang Han knew that the ministers were coming to fill any gaps in his resume, trying to figure out what he was lacking, and then sending these cards to him in an attempt to build closer relationships.
Wang Han simply instructed his servants to prepare a banquet for the following evening and then ceased to inquire further, accepting all the visiting cards that were sent.
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