Chapter 212

"You want to withdraw your troops? That works too."

Lin Dao took a sip of water. "Ten million taels of gold, twenty million taels of silver, ten million bolts of silk, one hundred thousand mules and horses."

"Hand over the goods, and I'll let you go."

Wulinda Zanmo laughed as well — laughed from sheer rage.

"My lord, my Great Jin is not the weak Song!"

Lin Dao smiled. "Staying works too — ultimately, you'll all be killed to the last man anyway."

Wulinda Zanmo's expression turned serious; he cupped his hands in salute. "My lord, are you not afraid that my Great Jin's courageous warriors will charge into the city interior and massacre every last commoner in the entire city!"

Zhao Fujin at the side went pale, trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Dao, holding the water bottle, froze slightly, then slowly nodded. "Not afraid."

"You massacre a city, I massacre too."

"First kill all your soldiers to the last man, then kill all the way to Huanglong Prefecture."

"Land knows no north or south, people know no old or young — chickens and dogs not left!"

"Come on, let's hurt each other."

"Let's see who dies out first!"

Tangible killing intent made Wulinda Zanmo shudder with cold dread.

The reason the Jin people sought negotiations was precisely because they feared this move of Lin Dao's.

Massacring a city is easy, but what do you do after the massacre?

Run — can you actually escape?

He drives a giant object, following behind bombing and killing, bombing all the way to Huanglong Prefecture, bombing all the way to Chu Chu Shui!

Although the Jin people are of tribal origin, they are not fools.

Before they could crack Lin Dao's secret, they could not bear the foreseeable consequences.

Wulinda Zanmo forcibly suppressed his anger. "So there's nothing to talk about?"

"Fool."

Lin Dao raised a hand and pointed at him. "I never thought about any negotiation — you came begging me on your own initiative."

"Want to negotiate? Fine. Bring the gold, silver, silk, horses, and mules, and I'll let you go."

"Impossible." Wulinda Zanmo truly could not stomach listening any longer. "Where in the world would there be this much gold, silver, and silk?"

"Can't produce it? It can be converted at a set rate."

Lin Dao's expression turned slightly serious. "Legitimate Wanyan — converted at one thousand taels of gold."

"Collateral branch Wanyan — converted at five hundred taels of gold."

"Clan Wanyan — converted at two hundred taels of gold."

Wulinda Zanmo spoke no further, raising his brow and glancing at Maode Princess.

These so-called terms were clearly the exact ones they had previously offered to the Song.

The conversion for all those Wanyans was benchmarked against the Zhao Song imperial clan women.

The atmosphere was awkward; Wulinda Zanmo gave an embarrassed laugh. "I really don't understand — why does my lord go to such lengths to protect the Song? Wouldn't befriending the Great Jin be better?"

Lin Dao here also kept laughing nonstop.

"I don't help the Song — am I supposed to help you lot instead?"

"My surname isn't Wanyan!"

Wulinda Zanmo had no reply.

Thinking it over carefully, those words really made far too much sense!

Lin Dao slowly nodded. "You gave the Zhao Song these terms because your fist was hard enough."

"Now my fist is harder than yours — how to respond to the terms falls on you."

It was very obvious — this matter could not be negotiated any further.

As an envoy, Wulinda Zanmo absolutely could not let the Great Jin lose face.

He straightened his waist, expression solemn. "Where the Great Jin's spearheads point, they look down on all."

"It is only for the sake of harmonious coexistence among various nations and various departments that we discussed negotiations."

"My lord's claim that your fist is harder than the Great Jin's — forgive me for not daring to agree."

"You've only been out of Chu Chu Shui for a few days." Lin Dao reached out, signaling Zhao Fujin — who had been listening dumbfounded — to go fetch him another bottle of water.

"Haven't learned anything else, but that Confucian set of forcing arguments — you've mastered it completely."

"Judging by your words, it seems among the Wanyan clan there are still those who refuse to accept it and want to keep fighting."

Lin Dao clapped his hands. "Since that's the case, how about we do a face-to-face duel?"

Something's weird!

Wulinda Zanmo's heart pounded wildly; intense anxiety assaulted his brain.

The man before him appeared to wear a gentle, warm smile, refined and courteous, a face full of sunny righteousness.

But in reality he was a demon who killed without blinking.

Tens of thousands of Jin men had died miserably at this man's hands.

This proposal of his absolutely has a trap!

He thought this in his heart, but his mouth still stubbornly insisted, "How does it work?"

Accepting the water Zhao Fujin handed over, Lin Dao raised a finger, pointing at himself.

"Me — one person."

The finger turned, pointing at Wulinda Zanmo. "You send out one Wanhu."

"We're outside the city, find a spacious spot."

"Me, alone."

"Against you, a ten-thousand-man commander."

"Let you wild people who came out of Chu Chu Shui see for yourselves."

"What does 'one against ten thousand' mean!"

"If I lose, I'll let you go."

"If I win," Lin Dao paused slightly, "hand over Wanyan Zongwang's head."

Wulinda Zanmo was speechless.

Anyone else would have laughed themselves to death long ago.

But this person before him~~~

He blurted out, "No giant object? No magic artifact?"

Lin Dao glanced at him sideways, "Then you all gouge out your own eyes before coming to fight."

He got up, found a walkie-talkie, and handed over several spare batteries as well.

"The city is in some chaos now; use this to contact me if anything comes up later."

After giving him a lesson on how to use it, the greatly shocked Wulinda Zanmo clutched the Liu Guang Er tightly and was sent off by Chen Dong.

After Lin Dao finished lunch, Qin Gui had Deng Gui brought over.

Deng Gui, bound with five ropes, panicked and kowtowed repeatedly begging for mercy.

Lin Dao wasted no words, kicking him straight to the ground.

He found a rope to tie him up, one end hooked onto the electric bicycle.

Mounting the electric bicycle, he instructed Qin Gui, "I've reached an agreement with the Jin people; send your messengers out as soon as possible."

Not only an edict summoning Han Yue, but also an edict sent to Wanyan Gou's place, stripping him of his post as Grand Marshal of Hebei Army and Horses, ordering his arrest and return to the capital.

Dragging the wailing Deng Gui all the way, he arrived before Xuanhua Gate.

The Jin people guarding the city tower, upon seeing him, were as if seeing a ghost.

Turning around, he climbed down the city wall, spurred his horse, and galloped out of the city.

Some Jin people were so terrified their feet slipped and they fell straight from the city tower.

'Ptooey!'

Lin Dao, having parked the electric bicycle, spat, "Gutless curs."

Untying the rope, he dragged Deng Gui, whose clothes were in tatters and body covered in friction marks, up onto the city tower.

Along the way, Deng Gui's screams and pleas buzzed incessantly like mosquitoes dancing.

Lin Dao punched him in the mouth, finally silencing him.

Tying the rope to the battlements, Lin Dao picked up a knife abandoned by a Jin person.

He stepped forward and slashed Deng Gui's belly.

Pulling it out and tying it to the rope, he raised his hand and threw it out.

He flew that dog thing who relied on glib talk like a kite, hanging it outside the city wall to sway back and forth.

He rinsed the iron gloves clean with water, mounted the electric bicycle, and went back.

The grain shortage inside the city grew increasingly severe.

Chen Dong and the others, worried sick over this, came to Lin Dao for help.

Lin Dao had long been prepared, transporting a large batch of grain from the Chongzhen Spacetime, distributed in fixed daily rations to set up porridge factories.

First, keep the people in the city from starving to death.

As for subsequent support, we'll talk after Han Yue arrives.

Several days later, Wulinda Zanmo contacted Lin Dao via walkie-talkie.

"The various Princes and Marshals have agreed."

"The time is set by you, the location is set by us Great Jin."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao knew they intended to rig the venue.

By the technological level of this era, there was nothing to fear at all.

"But~~~"

"The time is set for three days from now!"

Three days later, the weapons were in place.

The news spread like wildfire, and soon the entire Bianliang City knew of the feat of one against ten thousand.

On the day of the duel, the city walls near Nanxun Gate were packed with Bianliang City residents come to watch the spectacle.

Zhao Ji, still lying on the couch nursing his injuries, Zhao Huan, dazed in spirit after his abdication, and a host of princes and imperial princesses, were all watching the battle from the city tower.

Zhao Ji's eyes shone, and he muttered words under his breath.

"Immortal must win~ Immortal must win~~"

Under the gaze of the multitude, Lin Dao, alone on horseback, came to Yujin Garden outside Nanxun Gate.

Yujin Garden, one of the Tokyo Four Gardens.

This was the Zhao Song royal garden, in actuality a zoo.

Animals tributed by foreign nations were mostly kept here.

After several days of construction by the Jin people, the place had already changed beyond recognition.

Elephants, lions, peacocks, and the like were all gone without a trace.

Not to mention ditches everywhere, the water of the lakes and small rivers was diverted everywhere, a sea of mud.

Obviously, this is a hundred-ton King heavy truck specifically targeting Lin Dao, with optimized terrain.

Elites drawn from the various Ten Thousand Households have long since hidden themselves in the arrangement.

A crowd of Jin high-ranking officers are scattered in the distance observing the battle.

Park the car and pull the key.

Lin Dao steps forward a few paces, his figure suddenly disappearing without a trace.

When he appears again, a modified infantry fighting vehicle is beside him.

He climbs aboard, squeezes inside, and starts the war chariot.

The jet nozzles spew thick smoke, and the engine's roaring sound rises.

Six pairs of wheels drive the tracks, propelling the war chariot forward.

The Wanyans observing from afar all frown: "It's not that giant object from before~"

"Second Prince need not worry."

Nianhan says with a smile: "We have made full preparations."

"As long as he enters, don't even think about coming out again!"

Wanyan Zongwang nods: "Watch Balisudu's."

Inside Yujin Garden, Wanyan Balisudu lurking in the moat instructs his subordinate, the Mengan Pulu Huo: "Go lure that weird thing in."

Pulu Huo accepts the order and leaves.

Before long, several hundred Jin soldiers scatter and pounce toward the infantry fighting vehicle.

They are all dead soldiers carefully selected.

With hearts full of tragic heroism, they prepare to face the terrifying iron lump and thunder-like explosions.

But there is nothing.

That weird iron vehicle, however, does not attack, and simply stops at the entrance of Yujin Garden.

Pulu Huo bites the bullet: "Charge up!"

The Jin soldiers tread through the mud and water covering the ground, waving various weapons, and rush all the way to the front of the infantry fighting vehicle.

*Clang clang dang dang~*

Metal weapons striking the vehicle emit crisp sounds.

Jin soldiers surround the infantry fighting vehicle on all sides, and some even climb aboard, trying to pry the remote-controlled machine gun's gun barrel.

Just then, the originally idling infantry fighting vehicle finally moves.

The twin remote-controlled machine gun barrels dip slightly, spinning in a circle and spraying long tongues of fire.

Under the bullet rain's coverage, the surrounding Jin soldiers instantly dance in blood mist, toppling over.

The war chariot advances, knocking down the Jin men in front.

Tracks overrun, minced flesh is pressed into the muddy ground.

The infantry fighting vehicle spins in a circle, winding the Jin men under the tracks.

"Run~~~"

Pulu Huo turns and runs; the surviving Jin soldiers instantly scatter in a rout.

The infantry fighting vehicle accelerates, gunshots ringing incessantly.

Jin soldiers fleeing with backs turned fall continuously like harvested wheat.

Pulu Huo, running wildly for his life, suddenly feels a tremendous force from behind.

It slams into his back violently, knocking him flying.

His lung is pierced by a bullet; the moment he opens his mouth, blood foam spurts out.

The metal sound of the advancing tracks is ear-piercing, drawing ever closer.

The will to survive drives Pulu Huo to crawl with difficulty.

The track sounds behind him grow nearer and nearer; under adrenaline's stimulation, Pulu Huo crawls faster and faster.

But no matter how fast he crawls, he is not as fast as the infantry fighting vehicle.

Before long, the infantry fighting vehicle catches up from behind and presses him into the mud and water.

Pulu Huo's miserable screams are drowned in the engine's roar and the sound of the tracks.

(End of Chapter)