Yue Fei asked Lu Pingzhi to accompany him to the Jin camp, but Lu Pingzhi was so scared that he tried to refuse.
"The Jin people are brutal and cruel. I'm afraid I won't be able to return if I go there." Lu Pingzhi said tremblingly.
Yue Fei and Guo Zixuan had not expected this envoy to be so timid. Guo Zixuan could no longer conceal his disdain for him: "Lord Lu, you are so cowardly. How can you be worthy of the emperor's grace? If you don't go, I will."
"No," Yue Fei said, "Master Guo, the Jin are untrustworthy. You are the key to the safety of Taiyuan City. You must not risk it alone. Master Lu is only the Emperor's envoy and has no authority to command troops. I am even a nobody. The Jin will not do anything to us. It is better for Master Lu and I to go."
Lu Pingzhi lost his courage even more when he heard this. He tried to make excuses and refused to go.
Yue Fei couldn't help but get angry: "Lord Lu! If you don't go, I will go to the capital to see the emperor. I will report everything that happened today to the emperor. If you are responsible for the lives of our soldiers, even a hundred heads of yours will not be enough!"
Lu Pingzhi was frightened by Yue Fei and agreed reluctantly in a panic.
Wanyan Zonghan received a letter from Zong Wang, the commander of the Eastern Route Army, and learned that the siege of Bianjing had been thwarted. He was also delighted to learn that Zong Shidao's army was heading to Bianjing to rescue it.
"Namur, return to Taiyuan quickly!"
Nianmur was a burly man with a thick waist and round arms. He stared with his big, copper-bell-like eyes and asked, "Deputy Marshal, aren't we going to Bianjing to meet Deputy Marshal Zong Wang? Why are we going back to Taiyuan?"
Wanyan Zonghan laughed heartily: "The Great Song Dynasty is doomed. We just received intelligence that Zhong Shidao's reinforcements are heading to Bianjing to rescue him. We should immediately return to Taiyuan and tell Yin Shuke to abandon Taiyuan and attack Zhong Shidao. As long as Zhong Shidao is defeated, the Great Song Dynasty will have no soldiers left to fight. We can then capture Bianjing and sit on Emperor Zhao Huan's throne to enjoy a leisurely feast, hahahaha..."
Nian Muer chuckled wickedly: "Deputy Marshal, I heard that Songdu is full of beautiful women, especially those in the palace who are beyond words. After taking Songdu, I want to select a few beauties from the palace."
Wanyan Zonghan laughed heartily and patted Nianmur: "What's so good about those palace maids? As long as you capture the capital of Song, I will reward you with a few imperial concubines. Those imperial concubines are all Zhao Ji's biological daughters, each of them is as beautiful as a flower. If you want to play, you have to play with the emperor's daughters, that's what's exciting! Hahaha..."
Nianmur was obsessed with sex: "Thank you for your grace, Marshal. I will do my best!"
When Wanyan Zonghan returned to Taiyuan, Yin Shuke had been waiting outside the camp for a long time.
"Deputy Marshal, Yin Shu can refer to the Deputy Marshal!"
Wanyan Zonghan had a cold expression on his face. He walked over without a word and kicked Yin Shuke to the ground.
"I ordered you to besiege the city, and repeatedly forbade drinking. You ignored my words, didn't you? You dared to let the Song dogs attack the military camp? Drag him down and give him fifty lashes!"
Yin Shu knew that he had done something wrong, so he accepted the fifty military whips without a word, which whipped his back until it was bleeding.
Wanyan Zonghan was still furious: "Have you found out who attacked the military camp?"
A general standing nearby bowed and said, "I deserve to die. All I know is that I am a nobody in the Song army camp, holding no official position."
Wanyan Zonghan was shocked: "A small soldier? He has such insight. It seems we underestimated the Song Dynasty."
The messenger rushed in: "Report! Report to the deputy marshal, the envoy of the Song army from Taiyuan wants to see you!"
Wanyan Zonghan was slightly surprised: "Messengers? What messengers? Let them in."
Yue Fei brought Lu Pingzhi with him, and the two of them came to Wanyan Zonghan's tent alone.
Lu Pingzhi was timid and frightened when he saw these ferocious Jin soldiers. He tried his best to get closer to Yue Fei.
Wanyan Zonghan saw Lu Pingzhi's cowardly appearance and was filled with disdain: "You two are envoys from the Song army? Humph, are you here to surrender?"
In contrast to the panicked Lu Pingzhi, Yue Fei showed no fear: "I am Yue Fei, a general of the Song army, and I am here to comfort and persuade Lu Pingzhi. I pay my respects to Vice Marshal Zong Han!"
The person next to Wanyan Zonghan whispered something in his ear, and a hint of surprise crossed Wanyan Zonghan's originally disdainful face: "Are you the young Song general who broke into our camp at night?"
"Exactly!"
Wanyan Zonghan's facial muscles twitched: "If you have anything to say, just say it!"
Yue Fei turned to look at Lu Pingzhi, then said to Wanyan Zonghan: "My general, Zhong Shidao, sent me to deliver this letter to the deputy marshal."
Lu Pingzhi nervously took out a letter from his pocket, but it was snatched away by a nearby Jin soldier, who then handed the letter to Wanyan Zonghan.
Wanyan Zonghan opened the letter and saw the following: "Slave of the Jin Dynasty's thief bird, calling you a birdman is not an exaggeration. I don't know which bird cage was left open, and out escaped a thief like you, a birdman. I have been hunting birds since I was young, and I am an expert in all things bird hunting, including netting, bowing, and shooting. Therefore, I, along with the pacification envoy Guo Zixuan, have been waiting in Luoyang for the arrival of the bird!"
Wanyan Zonghan was so angry that he was shaking all over and tore the letter into pieces: "Come here, drag these two people out and draw them into five pieces!"
It turned out that Wanyan Zonghan's nickname was "Bird Slave." The language of this letter was so vulgar that even a street urchin wouldn't write such a scoundrel. Furthermore, the letter repeatedly referred to Wanyan Zonghan as a "birdman," or a sparrow, the lowest of all birds. How could Wanyan Zonghan not be furious?
Lu Pingzhi was already very nervous, and he was even more frightened when he heard this, but Yue Fei laughed out loud towards the sky.
Wanyan Zonghan was secretly amazed. He waved his hand to stop his men from rushing towards him.
Yue Fei proudly declared, "When two countries are at war, envoys are not executed. I never imagined that the Vice Marshal of the Jin Dynasty could be so narrow-minded. Well done! I want everyone in the world to see the magnanimity of this Jin person."
Wanyan Zonghan pointed at Yue Fei angrily and said, "It was your general, Zhong Shidao, who humiliated me first. If I kill you, you can only blame Zhong Shidao."
Yue Fei sneered, "I'm Yue Fei, a lieutenant colonel of the Shanxi Pingding Army. This is the envoy sent by the Emperor to Shanxi. The two of us are neither soldiers of Guo Zixuan, nor subordinates of Zhong Shidao. If you want to kill us, just do it. Why bring up Zhong Shidao?"
Wanyan Zonghan was speechless for a moment. Yue Fei was right. Neither of them was Zhong Shidao's soldier; they were merely messengers. Killing them was without justification, and he couldn't help but feel furious, with nowhere to vent his anger. But he also felt unwilling to just send them back.
What was even more terrifying was that Shi Dao actually knew about his plan to launch a surprise attack. If he rashly sent out his troops, he and Guo Zixuan would attack from both sides, and his Western Route Army would be in danger.
"Alright, I can spare your life. But if I let you go back so brazenly, you're underestimating the power of our Great Jin."
Yue Fei clasped his fists and asked, "What advice do you have, Deputy Marshal?"
Wanyan Zonghan's eyes flashed with a fierce look. "I have heard that you are an exceptional martial artist, and I wish to challenge you to a duel. If you can defeat me, I will send you back!"
"Yue Fei obeys your command!"
"If you lose, I will spare your head!"
"good!"
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