The three left the Taoist temple and, led by Ge Kaishan, headed to a nearby village.
In a tent next to the small village, Zhao Xian, Li Guang, and Li Xue had regained their original appearances, and Li Xue and her two guards had also put on women's clothing again.
As the group was discussing Ge Kaishan's trip to the Taoist temple to meet Yelü Khan, a guard entered the tent to deliver the message.
"Reporting to General Li, General Ge has returned, and he has brought two more people with him."
"Did he bring a Taoist priest?" Li Guang asked.
"The two were not dressed as Taoist priests; they looked like ordinary people."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian laughed and said:
"Then these two must be Yelü Khan and his old ministers."
"How did Brother Zhao determine that the person who came was Yelü Khan?" Li Xue asked.
“If it were a Taoist priest, he would definitely be inviting us up the mountain. Yelü Khan certainly wouldn’t come to invite us personally.”
Since he has changed his clothes, it must be Yelü Khan himself; he must have come to pay his respects to us.
"Should we go out and greet them?"
“At present, Yelü Khan can only be considered a prince, not the emperor of a foreign state. Moreover, he has come to pay homage to us, so there is no need for us to go out to greet him,” Zhao Xian said.
"Yes, we traveled a long way and went through many hardships to help him seize the throne. It is only right that he comes to pay his respects to us."
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the camp, and Ge Kaishan lifted the tent flap and walked in.
"Reporting to General Li, Marquis Zhengyang, and Princess, I have met the Second Prince Yelü Khan," Ge Kaishan said excitedly.
"Is that so? Where is the Second Prince now?" Zhao Xian asked.
"They're outside the tent."
"Ah, how can we let the Second Prince wait outside the camp? Quickly, invite him in."
Ge Kaishan turned and went outside the tent, quickly bringing Yelü Khan and the old minister inside.
Zhao Xian and his two companions had met Yelü Khan yesterday, but Yelü Khan did not recognize them at all, since they had disguised themselves as a doctor and two apprentices yesterday.
At this moment, Ge Kaishan stepped forward and introduced the three to Yelü Khan. Yelü Khan bowed and saluted, and Zhao Xian and the other two quickly returned the bow.
Seeing how young the three were, Yelü Khan couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. It seemed that heroes had always emerged from among the young. These few people had managed to turn the foreign kingdom upside down without making a sound.
When the group met, they didn't exchange many pleasantries and started talking about their own situations.
Through the conversation, Li Guang finally learned that Yelü Khan's current strength was too weak, and all his troops combined numbered only a few hundred.
However, this doesn't matter much. There are still ways to help Yelü Khan regain the throne, and the three of them are confident in this.
After talking for a while, Yelü Khan invited Zhao Xian and his party to the Taoist temple to stay for the night before discussing important matters.
Zhao Xian nodded, packed up his tent, and headed to the Taoist temple in the mountains.
After arriving at the Taoist temple, Yelü Khan led them into the mountain valley, which was Yelü Khan's true kingdom.
The environment here is beautiful and very warm, like a paradise. Li Xue likes this kind of environment.
Next, everyone began to discuss how to use the current situation to help Yelü Khan regain the throne.
Three days later, the group finally devised a detailed plan and began to take action.
At this time, the trusted confidant sent out by the Fourth Prince of the Great Northern Dynasty finally returned.
It turns out that Li Guang's attack on the foreign kingdom was a bluff, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension in the foreign kingdom in order to help Yelü Khan seize the throne.
The Fourth Prince did not expect that Zhao Xian, Li Guang, and Li Xue had taken the opportunity to enter the territory of the foreign kingdom in order to find Yelü Khan.
The Fourth Prince was certainly aware of the coup that occurred in the foreign kingdom seventeen or eighteen years ago.
However, he believed that Yelü Khan was killed at that time, but Li Guang actually led people to look for him, which means that Yelü Khan did not die back then, but was on the run.
Li Guang must have received accurate information before venturing to the foreign country.
Upon learning of this, the Fourth Prince dared not delay and immediately went to the palace to inform the Emperor.
The emperor was also shocked when he learned the truth.
Li Guang's large-scale military operation was intended to create extreme tension in the foreign kingdoms, so that he could then enter the country to find Yelü Khan and help him seize the throne.
It seems that Li Guang's thinking was different from others. His actions often surprised others. Among so many civil and military officials in the court, not one knew Li Guang's intentions.
If Li Guang succeeds in this task, finds Yelü Khan in exile, and helps him seize the throne, then Yelü Khan will surely submit to the Great Northern Dynasty, and the northern frontier will be safe from worry.
The emperor was very pleased. He knew that Li Guang was meticulous in his work, and since he had decided to do this, he was sure to succeed.
However, Li Guang only brought nine people with him when he entered the territory of the foreign tribes, which made the emperor worry.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince laughed and comforted the Emperor:
"Your Majesty need not worry. This time, Qing'er and her entourage will be accompanied by a general from the foreign kingdom when they enter its territory."
Moreover, the Marquis of Zhengyang is also going along. The Marquis of Zhengyang is an extraordinary person in our Great Northern Dynasty, unfathomable. With him, even though there are only nine people in the group, their strength is like a thousand troops, and no one can afford to offend them.
The emperor nodded and said, "That's excellent, I have no worries now."
At that very moment, in Yanjing, the capital of the Fan Kingdom, Grand Commandant Lei Wanting was lost in thought. He was at a loss as to what to do about the current situation in the Fan Kingdom and was very worried about its predicament.
Lei Taiwei was a veteran of three reigns, with extremely high prestige in the foreign kingdom and great influence in the court and among the people. Even the current emperor treated him with great deference.
During this period, the Fan Kingdom was beset by internal and external troubles. The army of the Great Northern Dynasty was pressing on its borders and besieging the city. The Fan Kingdom was in danger of being destroyed at any time.
He knew that Yelü Khan was in exile and on the throne, and at this time, rumors were spreading. It seemed that Yelü Khan's return to power was highly likely, and he had to choose between Yelü Khan and Yelü Wu.
The emperor treated him well, but Yelü Wuqiong was warlike and aggressive, expanding his territory abroad and oppressing his own people. He had his grievances about this, and if things continued like this, the foreign kingdom would perish sooner or later.
If Yelü Khan were to come to power, the situation in the foreign states would change, and things would certainly improve.
Currently, I am facing a choice between Yelü Khan and Yelü Wu. My decision is extremely important, as it will be a bellwether for the entire vassal state.
This matter must be handled with care. He was unwilling to see the royal family fight each other for the throne and preferred to maintain the status quo.
During this period, some ministers came to his residence to visit him, discuss the matter, and try to gauge his opinion.
Grand Commandant Lei avoided answering, citing his advanced age and unwillingness to participate in politics.
Just as he saw off a high-ranking official, a servant came to report that two people had arrived at the door and wanted to see him.
At this moment, Grand Commandant Lei was in a bad mood, so he spoke:
“I refused them on the grounds that I was unwell and told them to leave.”
"Grand Commandant, these two are not government officials. They have come from afar and say they are your old friends."
"Since it's an old friend visiting, let him in."
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