Chapter 306: Yelu

Yelu Yudu was once a towering figure who had roamed the world, and though he had fallen to this state, he still retained a hint of a warlord's temperament. After much deliberation, he actually gritted his teeth and led two or three hundred of his followers westward under the pretext of a troop morale mission, bypassing Yan'an Prefecture entirely and heading straight for the border of the Hengshan Mountains in the northwest.

After all, as "Yelu Ma Wu" had said, for a Khitan remnant like him, defecting to the Western Xia was the best option.

This wasn't to say that the Western Xia was most friendly to the Khitan people—friendliness depended on who you were... Not to mention anything else, given that the Empress, who was of Liao origin, and the Crown Prince, who carried Yelu blood, had both died inexplicably, why would Li Qianshun, the ruler of the Western Xia, offend the Jin for the sake of Yelu Yudu?

The real reason was that Yelu Yudu had no choice.

In the long term, the northwest of the Western Xia was the only true and viable place for him, who had nowhere else to go, to settle. To reach that place, the Western Xia was the safest route.

Just think about it: two or three hundred fugitives, no livestock, no food, no guides, under a state of total war. What they truly needed to worry about was not just diplomatic or political risks, but more importantly, how to avoid roving armies and how to obtain supplies... So, finding a reliable political environment as quickly as possible, securing supplies, and calming the hearts of his men—that was Yelu Yudu's top priority at the moment.

Of course, fleeing south to the Great Song seemed like another way out, but the problem was that the fighting in the south was fierce, with large armies gathered. With his awkward identity and these mere two or three hundred trusted followers, if he ran into any proper army there, he would likely be killed by just about anyone.

Oh, in the chaos of war, you awkwardly lead two or three hundred riders here, claiming you've come to surrender, but what if I say you're feigning surrender? I don't know if accepting you would bring any merit, but killing these two or three hundred Jurchen cavalry would definitely earn me a great reward!

Besides, if he really went to the Song people, what could he offer as a "pledge of allegiance"? On the other hand, with the Western Xia, there did seem to be some justification. Moreover, as already mentioned, the true final destination lay behind the Western Xia, and the roads through Song territory might not be open.

And so, Yelu Yudu gathered a few confidants, and taking advantage of the late autumn when the horses were fat and his identity had not yet been exposed, he used the pretext of inspecting the border. Traveling day and night, he led a mere two or three hundred followers hastily westward, directly arriving at the famous Pingrong Stockade. Once there, knowing that news was unlikely to have leaked yet, he was bold enough to enter the stockade openly. He first revealed his identity, demanded supplies, and then directly ordered the garrison officers to contact the Western Xia military commanders opposite, saying that he was going to the front to fight the Song and needed to appease the Western Xia, and that they should go together to the border, that is, to hunt beneath the Hengshan Mountains.

This request was perfectly reasonable, even the kind of work that Yelu Yudu's awkward position should entail. So the garrison officers suspected nothing and straightforwardly followed his orders. The opposing Western Xia garrison commander of Hongzhou also readily agreed, and things went surprisingly smoothly.

Then, on the last day of October, the appointed day, Yelu Yudu knew the critical moment had arrived. Early in the morning, he promised titles and rewards to a few trusted confidants, barely managed to stabilize the situation internally, and then, with some supplies, set out early to the northwest for the "hunt." The Western Xia general indeed arrived as promised.

The two sides met in the afternoon, riding and shooting rabbits at the foot of the Hengshan Mountains. However, after just one arrow shot, knowing he couldn't delay, Yelu Yudu ignored everything else and reined in his horse, calling out to the other:

"General Weiming, please hold. I have a question to ask."

Weiming was the royal surname of the Western Xia, just as Li, Zhao, and Tuoba were also royal surnames of the Western Xia... Their ancestors were the Tuoba clan, one of the eight tribes of the Tangut. They were then granted the surname Li by the Tang Dynasty and Zhao by the Song Dynasty. Finally, when they raised an army, they adopted the surname Weiming, taking the meaning of "close to the Tangut" in the Tangut language, a typical method of stirring up nationalism.

In fact, it was because of this surname that Yelu Yudu came here, rather than to Longzhou a bit further north... This young general of Hongzhou, about twenty years old, named Weiming Yunge, was not only a distant cousin of the current Western Xia ruler, Li Qianshun, on his father's side, but also a nephew on his mother's side. His maternal grandmother was none other than a Western Xia princess, one generation senior to Li Qianshun, who had married Lin Pubi, the eldest son of the Xifan chieftain Dong Zhan. However, Dong Zhan's adopted son, Aligu, later seized power, forcing the Western Xia princess to return to Lingzhou with her daughter, who then also became a tool for marriage alliances.

In any case, this young Western Xia general was a core general of the Western Xia who likely knew Li Qianshun's intentions and was absolutely capable of making decisions.

"General Yelu, please speak." Weiming Yunge naturally had to show respect to a general from a major state, especially since the other was still of Khitan noble blood. So he also reined in his horse, turned back, put away his bow, and responded with a smile.

"The Jin state cannot tolerate me. May I take refuge in the Great White High State for a while?" Yelu Yudu stroked his bow and steadied his horse, feigning calmness.

Weiming Yunge was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered... Given the other's awkward identity, this was likely the truth. In fact, similar rumors about this man had circulated more than once... However, even though he clearly understood the other's intention, Yunge remained silent, only smiling as he looked at the surrounding scenery, lost in thought.

At the foot of the Hengshan Mountains, the autumn wild grass was everywhere. Rather than being lush, it seemed somewhat thick and fertile. This was probably because, over the past hundred years, the Song and Xia had fought here, and countless bones had been scattered, enriching the soil. It was only in the past two years that the Jin had arrived, and although there was no formal alliance between them and the Western Xia, they had a de facto alliance, which brought autumn grass to the border fortresses, a semblance of peace.

Yelu Yudu had no choice but to urge his horse forward a few steps, bringing it alongside the other's, then leaned in and spoke earnestly, lowering his head: "General Weiming, the Jurchens have truly pushed me too far... In the past, the Jin Emperor Taizu appointed me as Marshal. But when Nianhan came to power, he was narrow-minded and gradually stripped me of my military authority. Now, with the Wanyan clan fighting among themselves, they killed Nianhan but that wasn't enough. This Wushu wants to take my life to establish his authority. I didn't even have time to collect my family before I hurried here... I hope the Great White High State will remember the generations of marriage alliances between the Yelu and Weiming clans and allow me to take shelter for a while."

Weiming Yunge finally reacted. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again, and continued to look around and smile.

Yelu Yudu looked at the afternoon sun, which was gradually tilting westward, and panic set in. He could only lower his voice further and directly beg: "General Weiming, you must help me... You must understand, if you refuse, my life is in danger. If you agree, I won't put the Great White High State in a difficult position. I only need to borrow a road to take refuge in the Mobei region."

"How many riders can you bring?" Yunge finally spoke seriously.

Yudu hesitated for a moment, then pointed ahead with his finger.

Yunge instinctively turned his head to look, but only saw Yudu's personal guards who were busy killing rabbits. It took him a while to realize, and his words still sounded incredulous: "Only these two or three hundred riders?"

Yudu was too embarrassed to answer.

"There are at least a dozen *meng'an* of Khitan and Xi cavalry in the Western Route Army, all of whom you personally led to surrender to Aguda. Two or three years ago, you were still their commander. Now, only this many are willing to follow you?" Yunge pressed on, completely disregarding the other's feelings.

"The Khitan cavalry were taken over by Yelu Ma Wu, and the Xi cavalry were divided up long ago, all stationed in Hedong." Yudu grew even more embarrassed but could only lower his head and respond. "I have only these two hundred and fifty or so riders by my side."

Yunge let out a scornful laugh, immediately reined his horse around, and put his fingers in his mouth to whistle... The Western Xia cavalry, who had been chasing rabbits alongside the Khitan cavalry, all whistled in response and immediately turned to gather around their commander.

After whistling twice, Yunge didn't stop his horse and seemed about to turn back north through the Hengshan mountain pass.

Seeing this, Yelu Yudu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He couldn't care about anything else and quickly urged his horse to catch up: "General Weiming, if you don't save me today, you are killing me! And be careful, Yelu Dashi might resent the Great White High State for this!"

Yunge reined in his horse at these words, looked back, and shook his head with a sneer: "General Yelu, I respect you as a Khitan noble... and you are indeed of the Yelu noble blood. But you are also the first general and minister of royal blood to surrender to the Jin. Since you became a turncoat, gradually falling into a state of suspicion and then being targeted for elimination is only natural, isn't it? How can you blame me? If it were me, even if the enemy state were powerful, I would die for my country. How could I be as disgraceful as you!"

This was almost a direct insult and reprimand, a stark contrast to the cautiousness he had shown when they first met. Yelu Yudu's face stiffened from the scolding, then flushed red, but he was at a loss for words and couldn't respond. Even the few Khitan confidants who had followed behind looked at each other in dismay, unable to lift their heads.

"To take a step back, even if you are this worthless, if you still had a few thousand troops as capital, even if I personally disliked you, it would be worth it for our Great White High State to make some maneuvers with the Jin for the sake of those troops... Two hundred and fifty riders? Enough to fill the gaps between the tribes north of the Yinshan Mountains? Do you want our ruler to add another three hundred riders as your road escort?" Weiming Yunge continued with a cold laugh. "You threaten me with Yelu Dashi. I suppose your ultimate goal is still to go to Kedun City?"

Yelu Yudu was both ashamed and indignant, but could only lower his head: "Yes!"

"Let me ask you, do you know why our ruler remained inactive during the Battle of Yaoshan last year?"

"I know." Yelu Yudu replied in a low voice. "Yelu Dashi killed a green ox and a white horse at Kedun City, swore an oath, and gathered eighteen tribes to march west. Although the Jin felt somewhat at ease because of this, since Dashi's route of march was all behind the Great White High State, your ruler and the Great White High State dared not act rashly."

"Good, you know that." Weiming Yunge shook his head and sighed. "Then let me tell you something you might not know. Yelu Dashi is different from you. He is indomitable. In the words of our ruler, he is almost as formidable as the Song Emperor. When he arrived at Kedun City, he had only ten thousand men. When he gathered the eighteen tribes and marched west, he had only twenty thousand. But in just a year and a half of his western campaign, he subdued the Uighurs and Gaochang along the way, conquered Yemili (modern-day Tacheng area) and Alimali (modern-day Yining area), and took full control of the north and south of the Leyuan Mountains (Altai Mountains). That land is arable and pastoral, as fertile as the Hetao region. For Yelu Dashi, it was almost like establishing a foundation for a kingdom, and his army gradually grew to tens of thousands of elite troops. His power is now not weaker than our Great White High State..."

Yelu Yudu was dumbfounded, and the Khitan cavalry slowly gathering behind him were also breathing heavily.

"But unfortunately." Weiming Yunge shook his head even more at the sight. "Since Yelu Dashi has established his kingdom over there, Kedun City, though still under his command, is just a Kedun City. From the Yinshan Mountains northward, there are three thousand *li* of desert along the way, and the Mongols are gradually migrating over to encroach on the lands around Kedun City... For you two hundred and fifty men, it is a road to certain death. As a member of the Great White High State's imperial clan, I will not, under any circumstances, make my country enemies with the Great Jin for a dead man like you."

Yelu Yudu was dazed. He looked back, and the surrounding Khitan cavalry were also lost in thought.

It was no wonder Yelu Yudu and his men were so shaken. Yelu Dashi's western campaign could be called a miracle of long-distance expeditions in world history. His starting point, Kedun City, was actually directly north of the Western Xia, and also directly north of Lanzhou. It was the former site of the Liao's Northwest Pacification Headquarters, near modern-day Ulaanbaatar.

This was a fortress used by the Khitan to suppress the Mobei region. After the Khitan established their state, there was an ancestral law to station twenty thousand troops at Kedun City, which could not be moved no matter what happened to the state... Of course, in reality, the place had still deteriorated badly. When Yelu Dashi arrived there, he only found less than ten thousand troops. It took him several years to unify the surrounding eighteen tribes friendly to the Khitan, finally gathering twenty thousand men. But he still found the place too remote to establish a kingdom, which is why he launched the western campaign.

And where was Alimali, which Weiming Yunge mentioned? It was already at the westernmost edge of the later Chinese territory.

In other words, in just a year and a half, Yelu Dashi had led the eighteen tribes on a western expedition of three to four thousand *li*. Considering the deserts and mountains in between, the actual distance traveled was likely over ten thousand *li*.

A ten-thousand-*li* western expedition, victorious in every battle, with famous states bowing in submission, and then establishing a foundation for a kingdom—how could Yelu Yudu, these turncoats, and Yelu Dashi's acquaintances not be astonished?

Of course, neither Weiming Yunge nor Yelu Yudu could have imagined at this moment that in another timeline, Yelu Dashi would later march south and north, continuing his western campaign without pause, employing both kindness and severity along the way, eventually striking directly into the heart of the river region, with his army's reach extending to the Aral Sea, covering a total journey of nearly thirty thousand *li*!

And after dominating the river region, Yelu Dashi formally proclaimed himself emperor, establishing a Central Asian empire several times the size of the Western Xia, with a population under its actual control far exceeding that of the Western Xia, and there he continued the Liao Dynasty's legacy for nearly another eighty or ninety years.

Compared to this man, Yelu Yudu's current predicament was truly, as Yunge had mocked—well-deserved.

"General Weiming!"

Recovering from his shock, watching the Western Xia maintain a defensive posture as they escorted Yunge northward, Yelu Yudu, disregarding shame and emotion, begged once more: "Can you truly not grant me a way out?"

This time, Yunge didn't even turn his head, his decision seemingly final.

"I won't trouble the Great White High State to take me in. I only ask that you pretend not to have seen us, and let us cross through the Hengshan Mountains tonight, borrowing the land to head to Kedun City. How about that?" Yelu Yudu said helplessly, forcing himself to speak again.

Weiming Yunge finally turned back impatiently: "How is that any different from accepting you?"

"I only ask to pass through the north of the Hengshan Mountains, using them as cover to cross the great river. How about that?" Yelu Yudu dismounted and knelt on the ground, kowtowing. "I beg General Weiming to grant me a way out."

Seeing this, Yunge finally sighed: "If I refuse even this, it would truly be disrespectful to the name 'Yelu'... Very well. You may cross the Hengshan Mountains from Hongzhou. You are not allowed to enter the city, nor to go westward into the heart of the Great White High State. Just follow the border along the Hengshan Mountains northeastward, and finally cross the river and pass through the Yinshan Mountains from within your Jin territory... Cross over tonight. I will report this to the *Wanyan* Commander at Yan'an in three days... This is my final offer. Whether you come or not, it's up to you."

With that, Yunge said no more, directly leaving Yudu on the ground and riding north, but leaving behind his several hundred personal guards to seal off the mountain pass.

The autumn sky was clear for ten thousand *li*, and the Hengshan Mountains blocked the north wind, making the southern foothills quite pleasant. But the two or three hundred Khitan struggled painfully under the watch of the Western Xia. This was especially true after Yelu Yudu, who had finally managed to get up, publicly announced the plan to head north to Kedun City to seek out Yelu Dashi.

The news came suddenly, and many of the lower-ranking Khitans who were hearing the truth for the first time were clearly shocked and terrified at the prospect of breaking away from the Great Jin.

Yelu Yu felt a bitter sadness in his heart, but he was helpless. After offering some words of comfort and encouragement, he could only climb a small hill to watch the sunset and ease his mood. Yet no matter what, he couldn't suppress the anxiety in his heart. Standing on the hill, he looked west for a moment, then north, then south, then east. Even when a trusted subordinate brought him roasted field mice, he just waved them away.

Yelu Yu couldn't help it. After all, although Yunge had opened a path for him, that path was almost equivalent to a dead end... Why had he planned to defect to the Western Xia in the first place? Wasn't it because he had already realized that since Yelu Dashi had marched west and taken the eighteen tribes friendly to the Khitans with him, the area around Keduncheng must now be occupied by the Mongols? And although the Mongols had a khan, their core control area was to the east, so the area around Keduncheng would surely be in chaos. With his two hundred-plus men, if he went there, he feared they would be swallowed up directly.

What's more, there was still the thousand-li desert.

This desert was nothing like the mere few hundred li of the Hanhai between the Western Xia and the Great Song. Since ancient times, the division between Monan and Mobei had been based on this—it was, for the Central Plains, the most genuine great desert.

Yelu Dashi had only set out from Keduncheng on his western campaign last year. In the years before that, he had used it as a base to harass the Jin, but because this desert made it impossible to effectively dispatch troops, and because the Mongols were gradually rising, he had turned west instead. Nianhan had tried to campaign against him several times before but had also stopped before this desert.

It was hard to say whether the Mongol khan, Khabul, eventually rebelling against the Jin, and Nianhan's unwillingness to hand over the Monan lands promised to the Western Xia, were directly related to Yelu Dashi and this desert.

But these were not things Yelu Yu should be thinking about right now. There was only one thing he should be thinking about... without the Western Xia's guides and supplies, how was he supposed to cross that great desert? Even just north of Hengshan, without being allowed into the city, how was he supposed to keep his men from scattering? Once he left Hengshan, how was he supposed to successfully cross the river northward when the pursuers were sure to have set up a net waiting for him?

To be fair, Yelu Yu himself felt that, let alone Keduncheng, he would probably be killed on the road before even crossing the Yellow River.

But if he didn't go to Keduncheng, if he didn't go to find Yelu Dashi, where else could he go? Even if he went to find the Yunnei Military Governor, his clansman Yelu Nuge, wouldn't he still have to go north?

In a daze, sunset arrived. The Western Xia, keeping their promise, directly left the mountain pass. Yelu Yu also forced himself to set aside his thoughts and came down to gather his men.

But just at that moment, another piece of news struck him like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

"General..." The trusted guard responsible for counting the men came forward to report, his lips trembling. "Ten men are missing! The entire squad of Taishinu is gone."

Yelu Yu, dazed, instinctively fled into the Hengshan mountain pass. His trusted subordinates hurriedly followed. However, after passing through the Hengshan pass, when the trusted men counted again, they found that another dozen or so men had disappeared, probably never having followed at all.

At this point, Khitan morale was lower than ever. It was easy to imagine that if Yelu Yu didn't boost morale soon, this unit would fall apart immediately.

"General!"

Things came faster than expected. Before the sun had even fully set, on the north side of the Hengshan pass, facing a noticeably colder wind, someone took the initiative to question Yelu Yu. This time, the leader was a mid-to-high-ranking officer in the unit. "Our families are all in Hedong. We followed you here in a daze..."

Yelu Yu stared blankly at this man in the fading light, but said nothing.

That man seemed to feel a bit awkward, so he dropped that point and continued, "But this isn't your fault. What Yelu Ma Wu's trusted man said at the ferry that day, I heard it myself. It's just our bad luck. But going all the way to Keduncheng to find the Great King Dashi—it's so far, with such a wide desert in between, and the Western Xia won't let us pass through. How can we go? Besides, Taishinu is nine times out of ten going straight to the Jurchens to inform on us. What time do we have to go northeast? We'll probably be blocked by the Jurchens before we even reach the Yellow River, right?"

This question hit the vital point. Yelu Yu came back to his senses. Unable to argue, he could only avoid the topic: "Saba, what exactly do you mean? Can't you be straightforward?"

"What I mean is, since we've come to this point, why not just call it quits? Let us go and defect to the Western Xia on our own. After all, the Western Xia are wary of you, General, not of us lowly men. We're good cavalrymen. Why wouldn't the Western Xia let us become Iron Vultures and eat military rations?" Saba said, looking around behind him.

Seeing Saba's signal, his dozen or so accomplices started making a racket. Gradually, seventy or eighty people echoed them and moved to stand behind Saba, directly confronting the men behind Yelu Yu.

The light was fading. Both sides worried that the situation would become unclear after dark, so the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. People began to draw their blades, then insults flew. The two sides faced each other with naked steel, the atmosphere strained and uneasy.

Yelu Yu stood between the two groups. He thought for a moment, then suddenly let out a long sigh. He raised his hand to stop his own trusted men, then, empty-handed, walked up to Saba, who was gripping his blade, and said, "Since it's come to this, you go! Take half the supplies we brought out of Pingrongzhai with you... But I beg you, for the sake of our years together, go straight north to Hongzhou city. Don't spy on our route, and don't reveal our itinerary."

Saba and the other mutineers only wanted to survive. Hearing this, they were somewhat stunned instead. But since things had reached this point and Yelu Yu had given his word, why would they stay if they could avoid a fight? So the few mutineer leaders discussed for a while, took only a small portion of the supplies, bowed respectfully to Yelu Yu from a distance, and then gathered about a hundred and eighty men and headed due north.

Not only that, but Yelu Yu then sat motionless at the mountain pass, refusing to light a campfire, letting the remaining men follow Saba's example and scatter. It wasn't until around the second or third watch of the night that a trusted man came to report that only twenty or thirty riders were left, and no one had fled for a long time... He wanted to ask the General to decide whether they could light a fire and get some sleep. Otherwise, the cold wind from the north of the mountain would surely make everyone ill.

It was as if Yelu Yu only came back to life at that moment. Finally, he spoke in the night wind: "At this point, what is there to decide? Puda, don't light a fire. Have everyone gather together. Horses on the outside, men on the inside. Say that I have matters to discuss with all my sworn brothers."

Hearing how serious Yelu Yu sounded, the trusted man didn't dare to be negligent. He quickly gathered the remaining men. Once the men and horses were encircled, Yelu Yu spoke again: "That so many brothers have not abandoned me even now—I am moved to tears. Even a man who should have died long ago would now fight with all his might to find a safe haven for you brothers before he dies... And we truly are not at the end of our rope."

This was somewhat abrupt. Even though the remaining men were utterly loyal to Yelu Yu, there was still a stir of commotion around the circle.

"Brothers, ever since I crossed the Yellow River, I have been filled with fear and dread. It was only just now, when the situation seemed hopeless, that I let go of my worries and figured some things out... Tell me, Yelu Ma Wu has long loathed me over military command, and he is utterly loyal to the Jurchens. Why would he kindly send me across the river and urge me to defect to the Western Xia?"

The surrounding men erupted in noise. Even Puda couldn't help asking on the spot: "Was Yelu Ma Wu tricking us? The Fourth Prince doesn't want to kill us?"

"Yes and no." Yelu Yu's voice was low and slow, but gradually gaining strength. "How could Yelu Ma Wu alone have the audacity to frame me like this? Don't forget, all these years in Hedong, our daily lives were under surveillance. First by Xiyin, then by Balisu... If it were just Ma Wu scheming to harm me, how could he have hidden it from Balisu? How could Taiyuan have let me cross the river openly under the pretext of rewarding the troops without questioning or stopping me?"

The men around were all low-ranking officers. How could they understand such things? Hearing this, they felt it made sense on one hand, but on the other, their minds were a muddled mess. They still couldn't grasp the ins and outs.

And at this point, Yelu Yu was truly baring his heart and soul. Without hesitation, he continued speaking frankly in the cold wind: "As for the specifics, I can't figure them out right now. But the only one who could have given orders to Balisu and Ma Wu is probably Wanyan Wushu, who should have reached Taiyuan by now. And Wanyan Wushu went to all this trouble—maybe he wanted to use me as a probe against the Western Xia or Huonu, or maybe he just wanted to force me out under a legitimate pretext... It doesn't matter anymore. Because he came from Yanjing and gave his orders along the way, he couldn't possibly know all the details of the situation here. So he definitely couldn't have known that we had just received specific news about the Great King Dashi establishing a foothold west of the Western Xia."

"What good does knowing that do us?" Puda still didn't understand, but that didn't stop him from feeding his general a line.

"Knowing this gives us capital to negotiate with the Song," Yelu Yu replied slowly, his voice no longer carrying the panic of the previous half-day. "Because if that's the case, we can reach the Great King Dashi's location from the Song's Hehuang region. Regardless of whether Wanyan Wushu intended to use me to test the Western Xia, we will insist that was his intention, and that his fundamental goal was to bring the Western Xia into the Yan'an battle. Given the century-old blood feud between the Song and the Western Xia, they will have to believe it even if they don't want to. Then, using the fact that Wushu doesn't know about the Great King Dashi's achievements as our key point, we tell the Song that we can act as their envoys, go west through Hehuang to Hami to meet the Great King Dashi, and arrange for the Khitan army to come east and attack the Western Xia, and even the Jin! The Song will surely agree!"

The surroundings gradually quieted down, but a few men were breathing heavily, clearly among the few smart ones who realized that this plan had a certain degree of feasibility, both logically and theoretically.

After all, in this desperate situation, even a glimmer of hope was worth gambling on!

However, there was still one problem.

"General, the fighting between the Song and Jin ahead is fierce, and Taishinu has gone to inform on us. How can we easily cross the front lines to find the Song? And how can we be sure of finding the right Song officials who understand the situation? And what about the Western Xia? We're here at Hengshan. If the Jurchens from Pingrongzhai arrive and demand our surrender from the Western Xia, and the Western Xia can't hold out and breaks their promise to take us, what then?"

"Then we gamble with our lives." Yelu Yu's tone was resolute. "I remember that at Kaolaozhai in Bao'an Army, there is a general from the Western Army named Guo Hao. I gamble that Huonu hasn't captured him! And I gamble that he knows who I am and understands the greater situation of the realm! Now that we are few, we abandon the baggage. While the Western Xia and the Jurchens think we are only wandering north of Hengshan, we quickly lead our horses back the way we came, go south of Hengshan, and head west and south to Kaolaozhai!"

Only then did everyone realize why Yelu Yu had been sitting motionless at the cold, windy mountain pass, why he had refused to light a fire, and why he had let everyone scatter. It was to conceal their movements and double back with a small force.

Moreover, only a small group would be accepted into a Song fortress!

And so, with Yelu Yu having explained everything and a glimmer of hope appearing, these last twenty or thirty men, who were truly reliable, wasted no time. They first drove away all the pack animals carrying supplies, then tied the remaining men and horses together with ropes. Then, disregarding everything, they walked south through the mountain pass on foot in the night.

Perhaps heaven did not wish to see this man die. As the group groped their way back in the dark, only one man sprained his ankle along the way, and he was still able to ride carefully with the others... They had successfully crossed back through the pass.

After crossing back through the pass, the group still dared not be careless. They still refused to light a fire. They mounted their horses and trotted lightly along the mountain terrain. After an unknown amount of time, before the sky had fully brightened, they finally heard the sound of rushing water ahead... Knowing it was the Hunchuan River, they dismounted to rest briefly, eating some dry rations and drinking river water. Soon, as the sky lightened a little, they couldn't wait any longer and found a shallow ford to cross the river.

Only then did everyone breathe a half-sigh of relief. With the sky bright and a river blocking any pursuers, all they had to do now was ride hard for Kaolaozhai.

What's more, they had been so careful that they probably hadn't left any trace. So no matter who it was, they would still think they were north of Hengshan.

Everyone finished their preparations and mounted their horses.

Only Yelu Yu, just about to raise his whip, couldn't hold back. He reined in his horse and turned around, facing northeast, and looked for a moment.

His trusted man Puda understood and wanted everyone to swear a blood oath together, vowing to one day take revenge on the traitors Taishinu and Saba.

But just as everyone drew their daggers, Yelu Yu sighed and shook his head: "Today, twenty-three brothers have not abandoned me. I, Yelu Yu, will never forget it. As for Taishinu and those men, they were forced by circumstances. I cannot say I hate them. Even Balisu and Ma Wu were just following orders. I find I cannot hate them either."

At this, Puda and the others looked at each other, clearly confused.

"Two men!" Yelu Yu also drew his dagger. "One is Wanyan Wushu, who cast me aside like a probing stone. The other is that Weiming Yunge today, who insulted me wantonly, treating me like dirt... I, Yelu Yu, am but a mortal with a mortal heart, and I dare not forget this for a moment! I swear today that one day, I will see that these brothers of mine enjoy wealth and honor, and that these two men will regret treating me as if I were nothing!"

With that, Yelu Yu took his dagger and cut a bloody line across the palm of his other hand. Then, without waiting for the twenty-three followers to do the same, he said no more, spurred his horse, and galloped off to the southwest.

The second day of the tenth month.

At noon, Yelu Yu led twenty-three riders straight to the loosely besieged Kaolaozhai. Empty-handed, they approached the gate. Under the bolts of the divine-arm crossbows, he announced his name and claimed to be an old acquaintance of Guo Hao's late father, Guo Cheng. Guo Hao ascended the wall to question him. Upon learning that this was the former Eastern Route Commander of the Liao and the Right Army Supervisor of the Jin Marshal's headquarters, Yelu Yu, and hearing him speak below the walls of the Western Xia and the Northern Liao, mentioning Wushu and Dashi, Guo Hao indeed recognized that this man was a valuable asset. He overruled all objections and admitted Yelu Yu into the city.

And at this time, Wushu was still in Taiyuan waiting for news.