Chapter 330: Coronation

"Grand Secretary Yelu," Zhao Jiu said after a moment's thought, deciding to test his conjecture a little further. "Isn't how I assign things entirely up to you, Grand Secretary Yelu? East or west, you can give me your word first. As the Son of Heaven, while I cannot satisfy every party, I will do my utmost and not make things difficult for my own allies."

Yelu Dashi chuckled again from his seat upon hearing this, but then his expression turned solemn. "Your Majesty, whether east or west, those lands were won by Khitan warriors with their very lives! How could Dashi simply abandon them?"

Zhao Jiu fell silent for a moment, then swept his gaze across the banquet again before finally replying with equal gravity. "Grand Secretary Yelu, there is no such thing in this world as one party taking all the advantages. The situation now is that east and west are separated by thousands of li. You cannot take both. If you take the east, I will naturally take the west to compensate myself. If you keep the west, I will take the east to secure my own borders..."

Yelu Dashi laughed again. "If that's the case, Your Majesty needn't put on such airs. Just assign it directly."

Zhao Jiu stared at him for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. "I gave you, Grand Secretary Yelu, the chance to choose. But you were too greedy and forfeited that option. So I will have to make the assignment for you... The Hetao region goes to you, because the main Khitan forces fought hard for it at Wulahai City. The three prefectures north of the river and the three prefectures beyond the river all belong to Song, because those six prefectures were won by the might of Great Song... What does Grand Secretary Yelu think?"

The banquet grew tense for a moment.

Yelu Dashi paused, then indeed shook his head. "Your Majesty is being too harsh!"

"For the sake of the century-old covenant between our two nations, Tiande Army and Yunei Prefecture go to the Khitan," Zhao Jiu immediately amended. "But you must trade the Zhuoluo City (northern half of Lanzhou) that you currently occupy for it... This is my final offer. If you do not accept, it is gone. Please act accordingly."

Yelu Dashi took a deep breath, his expression turning pained. "Your Majesty! With such an allocation, Dashi will find it hard to face the Khitan warriors under my command!"

"There are one hundred and fifty thousand Khitan and Xi tribesmen north of Hengshan, along with the Khitan tribes from the three prefectures beyond the river this time. I will give them all to you. The three prefectures beyond the river and Dongsheng Prefecture will serve as the exchange for these people." Zhao Jiu replied impassively, holding his head high. "If anyone in Grand Secretary Yelu's command is still dissatisfied, let him come see me!" At this point, seeing the other man about to speak again, Zhao Jiu cut him off with an ultimatum. "At this juncture, if you keep blathering, it won't be words like these anymore. Grand Secretary Yelu bears the rise and fall of your entire clan on your shoulders. You should not let personal circumstances sour relations with a great power."

Yelu Dashi panted for a moment, then suddenly rose and left the table, seemingly storming off in a huff.

Seeing this, Bilege, the King of Gaochang Uyghur, instinctively moved to follow, but watching Yelu Dashi leave alone while Song armored guards stood thickly all around, the Uyghur king merely shifted in his seat and stayed put.

"Grand Secretary Yelu, don't forget to come for the covenant at noon!" Zhao Jiu seemed unconcerned, merely calling out a reminder from afar before turning back with his cup to drink with the others.

Now, when it came to the two Mongol chieftains, Zhao Jiu's situation was not as tense as it had been with Yelu Dashi, even though he had only learned a few days prior that one of these Mongols, Khabul Khan, had the full name Borjigin Khabul.

To be clear, if the name "Mongol" had already been enough to make the Zhao Emperor vaguely take these people seriously from early on, then the four characters "Borjigin" completely tore away the veil of history, letting Zhao Jiu fully understand just who these people before him were.

Mongol compatriots!

After the Jurchens, the Mongol compatriots who swept across nearly the entire Eurasian continent, including, of course, the Great Song and Great Jin that would later divide China!

However, despite being a thousand times on guard and taking them very seriously in his heart, Zhao Jiu had nothing to say or do at this moment... The reason was simple: at this time, the Mongols were an asset to Great Song, not an enemy.

More importantly, at this moment, his power could not reach the steppes!

Besides that, having witnessed the might of the Song army, and perhaps having been successively dominated by the Khitan and Jurchens, these Mongols actually had very few demands this time.

According to private communications over the previous few days, aside from the expected and unavoidable common topics like trade and dividing spoils, each of the two Mongol chieftains had only one independent demand.

The great chieftain of the Kereyid tribe, Qurjaqus, hoped that Great Song would mediate to ensure the Khitan handed over the previously promised Kedun City... Zhao Jiu was more than happy with this, not only because this demand would further weaken the Khitan and ensure Song's leading role in the alliance, but more importantly, the Kereyid chieftain's surname was not Borjigin.

As for Borjigin Khabul, this khan elected by the eastern Mongols, after witnessing the might of Great Song and learning Zhao Jiu's identity, also made only one request: he hoped the Zhao Emperor would formally enfeoff him as the King of Mongolia.

Zhao Jiu was initially hesitant about this, unsure if such an enfeoffment would accelerate the unification of Mongolia, but he quickly thought of a countermeasure and chose to promise it privately early on.

And this was precisely why the two Mongol chieftains had been cooperative all day and had not spoken out of turn.

In short, Zhao Jiu had demonstrated a greater capacity for political commitment, while Yelu Dashi was clearly subordinate to this Zhao Song Son of Heaven. The two Mongol chieftains, still in a tribal state, had simpler minds.

Moreover, it was not the Song people but the Jurchens who currently exerted military pressure on eastern Mongolia. The two sides had no conflict of interest, only common interests.

Or rather, as long as the Jurchens still had those twenty ten-thousand-household units, this tripartite, four-party covenant would not truly fall apart.

Even the Khitan would have to obediently return.

The banquet continued. Zhao Jiu chatted and laughed amiably with the two Mongol chieftains, the civil officials like Lu and Zheng chiming in occasionally, while the military commanders looked on coldly... All in all, things were going smoothly.

The only problem was the summer heat. As the sun grew stronger, the lakeside gradually became hotter, and with the southerly breeze being weaker that day, everyone was drenched in sweat.

However, as noon approached, Yelu Dashi did indeed return. And this time, he had changed into a proper set of clothes, inlaid with gold and jade, quite imposing. Xiao Wulila, Yelu Yudu, Yelu Yanshan, Zhao Heda, and the newly surrendered Yelu Nuge, along with other Khitan generals, all accompanied him.

Clearly, although one could guess from their less-than-pleasant expressions that these generals were not very satisfied with the terms Yelu Dashi had brought back, they ultimately bowed to the greater situation and decided to come for the covenant.

"How is it?"

After what had happened before, men like Qu Duan knew full well that some words were useless coming from them. So when they all sat down again, it was the Zhao Emperor himself who broke the silence. "Has Grand Secretary Yelu come to an agreement with the generals?"

Yelu Dashi said nothing, merely turning to look at the generals beside him. Seeing this, the Khitan generals' faces grew even uglier, and no one answered for a moment, the atmosphere growing tense again.

Zhao Jiu's expression did not change. He simply followed Yelu Dashi's gaze, sweeping his eyes over Xiao Wulila and the other generals one by one. The originally indignant men, looked at one by one by the Emperor, all lowered their heads in turn, not a single one daring to meet his eyes.

He continued this way until he reached Yelu Nuge at the end, then nodded with satisfaction. "Since you have all agreed, I have one more thing to say... In the Hetao region, you must not only defend it diligently, but also open a permanent market at Wulahai City in the future for the three parties to exchange goods. So a general with foresight and an understanding of the big picture is needed. I suggest that General Yelu Yudu take overall command of Hetao, Tiande, and Yunei... As for this General Nuge, who has just arrived and has also managed Yunei for many years, I do not trust him. Please, Grand Secretary Yelu, take him away!"

Below Dashi, the many Khitan generals looked up, then all turned their gazes to Yelu Yudu and Yelu Nuge. Both men opened their mouths as if to speak, but neither said anything.

Zhao Jiu nodded with satisfaction again. "So it seems we have no more disagreements... It's about time. Let's go perform the sacrifice!"

With that, the Zhao Song Emperor rose and left directly. When he emerged from the tent a moment later, he had changed into a large red robe and a hard-winged hat, then headed straight for the altar. Since the Zhao Song Emperor had risen, the many Song generals and officials present also rose and followed. Soon, the two Mongol chieftains, who had long grown impatient, also stood up. Seeing this, Yelu Dashi paused for a moment before finally leading the Khitan generals to their feet as well.

King Bilege of Gaochang let out a long breath and quickly rose to follow.

The ceremony was very simple and crude. The altar, though circular, had been hastily piled up. There were no black oxen or white horses, only the three sacrificial animals. The Zhao Emperor's set of ceremonial crown and robes was only one set and could not be rushed over. The two Mongol chieftains were even more casual... They had originally thought just smearing blood on their mouths would be enough.

But regardless, given the reverence for Heaven and Earth in this era, when the leaders of several military-political entities gathered in one place to swear a covenant, they had to go through this ritual to be considered accountable to the world.

The offerings were presented. The sun was at its zenith. Zhao Jiu, without yielding, stood in the center and slightly forward. Yelu Dashi stood one step behind. The two Mongol chieftains, though looking unruly and having been drinking for half the day, did not dare to step forward and pull anyone's beard.

Once everyone was in position, Secretariat Drafter Lu Benzhong handed a stack of sacrificial orations to the international friend, Zheng Zhichang.

A literal stack of sacrificial orations!

Zheng Zhichang was stunned for a long moment before realizing that what he held in his hands were all sacrificial orations. Then, steeling himself, he began to read aloud under the blazing sun:

"Since the time of Yan and Huang... passed down through Yao, Shun, and Yu. Great Yu received the throne for his merit in controlling the floods. His son, Xia Qi, began the hereditary system. After the Three Dynasties, China had the Xia... Then the Shang succeeded... King Wu overthrew Zhou, and the Zhou ruled the realm... By the time of King Yi, grandson of King Mu, the royal house declined, and the Rong and Di invaded, tyrannizing China... Later, Duke Huan of Qi emerged, honoring the king and repelling the barbarians, convening the feudal lords nine times, and China was at peace..."

The oration was written by Lu Benzhong and personally polished by Zhao Jiu. Yet as Zheng Zhichang read it now, and everyone listened, it was like hearing a history of China itself, running straight from Yan and Huang through Yao, Shun, and Yu, then Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Tang, and Five Dynasties, without missing a single major event... And throughout this process, the word "China" alone appeared no fewer than dozens of times, completely disregarding the literary convention of avoiding repetition.

To be honest, anyone who knew what this oration was would know it was a sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. Anyone who didn't would think it was an introductory textbook on Chinese history!

However, as the reading continued, everyone gradually realized that this was not about recounting history, but about laying out a genealogy through history!

"After the Tang, the realm split into more than ten states, which were unified by Song and Liao, with remnants left to Mongolia and Goryeo... Gaochang is the grandson of Han!" By this point, Zheng Zhichang had already flipped through more than a dozen pages. He was parched and drenched in sweat, but dared not stop for a moment. "Thus it is said: The transmission of China is like a thread, clearly traceable, never broken!"

Hearing this, the Mongols were completely confused, but the highly cultured Khitan had no objections, because they had long considered themselves descendants of Yan and Huang, even occasionally vying with Zhao Song over the orthodox lineage of Yan and Huang, calling the Song people the Southern Dynasty and themselves the Northern Dynasty, and so on.

And it was only at this moment that everyone, also baking under the sun, finally fully understood why the Zhao Emperor had someone here recounting history and laying out the genealogy.

"Soon after, the Jurchens arose from the White Mountains and Black Waters, their origins untraceable. Taking advantage of China's disunity and encountering a chaotic ruler, they sent forth wolf-like armies to tyrannize the north, killing China's sovereigns, plundering China's wealth, harming China's people, and occupying China's lands. If this can be endured, what cannot? In the Spring and Autumn period, the various Xia convened covenants and drove out the Four Barbarians, stabilizing China. Now, the Song Son of Heaven, Jiu... Jiu?... Jiu has gathered the descendants of Yan and Huang. Listed below are four: Liao; Mongolia; Goryeo; Dali...? And China's grandson, Gaochang, is also present. They convene a covenant at the Golden Lake of the Yellow River, jointly agreeing on advance and retreat, swearing to destroy the Jurchen barbarians, plow their courts and sweep their dens, so that China may be reunified! If any break this oath, let the world jointly punish them!"

Hearing this, although the appearance of the two characters "Dali" was rather abrupt, it finally got to the main point. Everyone below the altar, regardless of tribe or faction, could only breathe a sigh of relief... As for Dali, they simply chalked it up to the Zhao Emperor having a momentary lapse of reason.

"It is said: Barbarians have never had a state that lasted a hundred years!"

Zheng Zhichang laboriously turned another page. Seeing that only the last paragraph remained, he suddenly became energized, raised his voice, and struggled to finish reading. "It is also said: Youzhou and Jizhou are the capitals of China; how can barbarians dwell there long?! It is also said: Never has it been heard that the noble of China should serve the mongrel barbarians! At this time, the cycle of Heaven turns, the Central Plains' vitality is strong. Among the billions, civil and martial talents are born. Jiu, having received the talent and virtue of the Central Plains and the aid of Yan and Huang and the various Xia, will surely drive out the barbarians, restore China, establish principles and set forth laws, and rescue the people. Let Heaven and Earth witness the future success or failure! Thus this proclamation is made for all to know."

This last paragraph did have a bit of momentum and literary flair. But by now, everyone from Yelu Dashi on down was dizzy from the sun and too lazy to offer praise.

As for this Zhao Jiu playing with words to position himself as the leader and the one guiding everyone, considering that they had already mentioned Song and Liao standing side by side, the knowledgeable Khitan men under Yelu Dashi all held their noses and accepted it... Who could argue when the Great Song's military was stronger at this moment?

Enough idle talk. After Zheng Zhichang finished reading a grand history of China spanning five thousand years, he nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Lu Benzhong, who had written the essay, was prepared. Armored soldiers immediately stepped forward to support Zheng and helped him down, pouring some warm salted water into him until he could stand steady again.

Without much rest, the Imperial Guard soldiers, under the signal of their commander Liu Yan, surged forward... not to cut anyone down, but to present the blood wine that had already been warmed in the sun. Below Zhao Jiu, Yelu Dashi, Borjigin Khabul, Khurjakhuz, Bilge, not to mention Yue Fei, Wu Jie, Qu Duan, Wang De, Liu Qi, Li Master and other Song generals, Xiao Wolila, Yelu Yudu, Yelu Yanshan, Zhao Heda and other prominent Khitan generals, plus Zheng Zhichang who had just come down, along with Lu Benzhong, Ren Baozhong and others, as well as several tribal leaders under the two great Mongol chieftains—almost every single person received a cup of hot blood wine.

And Zhao Jiu did not hesitate at all. Instead of facing the altar, he turned around, raised his cup toward the crowd, and drained it in one gulp.

The civil and military officials of the Great Song, along with those perceptive Khitan generals, simply assumed that Zhao Jiu was taking advantage again, but they couldn't be bothered to argue. They drank directly facing him, as if swearing an oath to him.

After finishing the bowl of blood wine, everyone exhaled a hot breath in unison.

But the matter was not over yet.

"Khabul Khan!"

Zhao Jiu raised his hand. "I take this occasion to enfeoff you as the King of Mongolia!"

Everyone was startled for a moment, but quickly understood. Even Yelu Dashi said nothing... Khabul had requested the enfeoffment himself, and this Zhao Song ruler was happy to grant it. One was willing to give, the other willing to take. There had been some vague communication beforehand, so no one could say a word.

Only Khurjakhuz's expression shifted slightly, but in the end, he dared not speak.

And so, the crowd parted. Soon, Liu Yan stepped forward, holding a casket. Zhao Jiu opened it in front of everyone and took out an exquisite golden crown... Ren Baozhong was the only one distracted, because he seemed to vaguely recognize that golden crown. It appeared to be, perhaps, the crown of the Xia Prince of Liang. Who would have thought that this Zhao Jiu was so stingy, actually reusing waste here?

Khabul had no idea it was something a dead man had worn. Quite the opposite—having spent his time roaming the grasslands, when had he ever seen such an exquisite object? Overjoyed, he simply took off his hat and stepped forward. Zhao Jiu did not make Khabul kneel or anything. He merely lifted the golden crown and placed it on Khabul's head as the latter slightly bowed, and that was the end of the matter.

Khabul steadied the golden crown and found that it fit perfectly over his shaved head, showing that the Zhao Song ruler had prepared it with care. He was even more delighted. Then he stood up straight and returned the greetings of those around him who were offering congratulations.

However, before the congratulatory voices could subside, the Imperial Guard commander Liu Yan took another casket from the guards behind him and carried it forward.

Zhao Jiu opened the casket and brought out another golden crown, similar in size but different in design. Then he calmly declared with a smile: "I thought it over, and there is no reason to enfeoff only Khabul Khan as King of Mongolia without giving Khurjakhuz Khan a kingdom to rule as well... My meaning is that both of you have rendered great service this time. Therefore, let Khabul Khan be the Eastern Mongol King, and Khurjakhuz Khan the Western Mongol King... Both shall receive my enfeoffment. What say you?"

Before the two Mongol kings could react, Yelu Dashi laughed out loud on the spot: "Exactly as it should be! This is a great joy!"

Khurjakhuz was stunned for a moment, then was overjoyed. He stepped forward to thank the emperor, going directly to one knee. Khabul Khan was briefly taken aback, thought it over, and then, still wearing his golden crown, smiled along with the crowd: "It is only right that my anda should have a kingdom to rule. From now on, the eastern part of Mongolia belongs to me, and the western part to my anda Khurjakhuz."

As he spoke, Zhao Jiu paid no attention to Borjigin Khabul's thoughts. Under Ren Baozhong's complicated gaze, he directly placed the golden crown that had belonged to Chage, the Xia Prince of Jin, onto Khurjakhuz's head.

With the alliance concluded and the Eastern and Western Mongol kings crowned one after another, the atmosphere on site grew even more heated.

Just then, Yelu Dashi, who had been laughing happily, suddenly froze. Because Liu Yan, amidst the cheers and laughter, brought forward a third casket. When the casket was opened, there was a tall golden crown inside, even more ornate than the previous two.

This time, Ren Baozhong had no doubts. He saw it clearly—this was the crown of the Xia ruler... It must have been captured from Xingqing Prefecture.

"Yelu Dashi."

The crowd suddenly fell silent. Zhao Jiu, in his red robe and futou headdress, stood before the altar, holding the golden crown aloft with a proud expression. "I heard from General Xiao that you, out of remembrance for your former lord, only called yourself the Khitan Khan in the Western Regions, not even taking the title of Liao Emperor. How ridiculous! A man born into this world—what is there to hesitate about with a mere emperor? Come, come, step forward. Song and Liao are brother states. I, the Son of Heaven of the Great Song, shall crown you. Let's see who dares not recognize you as the Khitan Emperor!"

Yelu Dashi was originally standing right beside Zhao Jiu. Hearing this, he turned his back to the crowd, staring fixedly at the Zhao Song ruler standing not far before him, as if seeing him for the first time. Behind Dashi, the others were also in a daze... Could one emperor be crowned by another? If this Khitan emperor could be crowned by the Song emperor, was he still an emperor?

"Yelu Dashi, step forward to be crowned!" In the midst of the daze, Qu Duan was the first to react. He directly drew his saber, waving it wildly in the air, and shouted encouragement on the spot. "This is our Son of Heaven's goodwill!"

"Well said!"

Wu Jie reacted immediately, also drawing his saber. But he turned to face the pale-faced Xiao Wolila not far away and declared: "This is our Son of Heaven's intent. Two hundred thousand troops bear witness here. It is fitting that Yelu Dashi become the Khitan Emperor!"

Yue Fei also came to his senses. Though he did not speak, he narrowed his eyes and rested his hand on his saber, fixing his gaze on the Khitan generals. With the three commanders giving the signal, the remaining Song generals hesitated no longer. They led their subordinates in drawing blades and bared steel, cheering and encouraging.

Even the two newly appointed Mongol kings, now somewhat understanding, led their subordinates in making a racket without stopping.

"Yelu Dashi." Amidst the noise, Zhao Jiu smiled and spoke softly to the stern-faced Yelu Dashi. "If I had not helped you today, the Khitan would surely have split between east and west. You owe me such a debt of gratitude, yet you are unwilling to help me with such a small matter? Even if you do not acknowledge this kindness, you should remember that you bear the rise and fall of an entire clan on your shoulders, should you not?"

Yelu Dashi gave a faint, bitter smile upon hearing this.

To be honest, earlier this morning, Yelu Dashi had been excessively tough.

Indeed, excessively tough... One must understand that here by the banks of the Jinhe Lake, everyone in the allied forces, from top to bottom, was well aware of the relationship between Song and Liao. It was that Song was strong and Liao was weak, and the disparity had reached a certain point. Moreover, even without considering that the core figures and army of the Western Liao were all under the Song army's control, at this moment, the so-called Western Liao also had another huge, fatal weakness firmly held by the Great Song.

To be specific, before Zhao Jiu distributed the lands this morning, the territory controlled by Yelu Dashi and his Khitan exile group was actually split in two. The western part was half of the Western Regions and the six prefectures of Hexi. The eastern part was the Ordos Loop and the six prefectures of the former Liao homeland that had just been conquered. Between the two, there were two routes. The one that could handle large troop movements was, of course, the Xing-Ling region, but it was held by the Song. The other route, turning from Kedun City toward the Western Regions, was not impassable, but it was far too arduous.

Moreover, whether the Khitan could even obtain the theoretical six prefectures and one loop in the east depended entirely on whether Zhao Jiu would give them to him.

Therefore, no matter what, just as Qu Duan and Lu Benzhong thought, Yelu Dashi should not have been so overbearing this morning. But he had been.

When things are abnormal, there is a reason. There was certainly some explanation for this.

And Zhao Jiu had long suspected it—that Yelu Dashi probably did not want... or to put it more appropriately... Yelu Dashi, emotionally, certainly wanted the six eastern prefectures very much. They were the core homeland of the Great Liao. But as the leader of an exile group, reason told him that he could not accept these six prefectures of the former Liao homeland in the east.

Because once the Khitan obtained these six prefectures, Yelu Dashi's exile group would split completely. Those determined to restore the country would choose to establish a base in the six eastern prefectures, while those whose roots were in the Western Regions, those who had little feeling for the Great Liao, would choose to return to the west to settle.

But he couldn't say it. How could he tell his subordinates that they had to abandon their homeland for the sake of survival and unity?

How could he say that the Great Liao could never be restored, that neither the Song nor the Jin would allow it? That staying in the east would sooner or later lead to annexation by the Song or destruction by the Jin?

How could he say that when he accepted Zhao Jiu's invitation that day, part of it was indeed out of deep hatred for the Jurchens, but another part was the desperation of a homeless dog frantically searching for a place to settle? The six commanderies of Hexi were already more than enough for him!

How could he admit that after conquering Hexi, he had rushed impatiently into the Ordos Loop—the Ordos Loop separated by deserts and Song territory—only to leave an opening in the east, so that he could continuously accept Khitan compatriots to settle in the Western Regions and bolster the strength of that exile group? The Western Regions were the promised land of the Great Liao!

How could he hint to any subordinate, including Xiao Wolila, that the Zhao Song ruler's reinforcements were so numerous that pushing all the way to the former Liao homeland was actually the last thing he wanted to see?

He couldn't say it.

So, he could only hope that Zhao Jiu would use a tough attitude to prevent the Khitan from obtaining these six prefectures. And Zhao Jiu had realized this early on, even having suspected it that day when Xiao Wolila came to persuade him to leave the Ordos Loop and continue advancing.

That was a hint. Coming alone this morning was also a hint. Zhao Jiu understood early, and for the sake of long-term interests, Zhao Jiu ultimately fulfilled Yelu Dashi's wish... He prevented the split of the Khitan exile group and played the role of the villain.

Now, it was time for Yelu Dashi to repay the debt. It was time for him to face reality. It was also time for him to take responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of his compatriots held in Song hands beyond the river.

He had to bow his head. Otherwise, this Zhao Song ruler before him could make him bear consequences he could not withstand.

Amidst the clamor, Yelu Dashi gave a faint, bitter smile. Then, after only a moment of silence, he lifted his half-veiled hat and bowed his head, stepping forward.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Zhao Jiu placed the imperial crown onto the other man's head, then immediately stepped forward, grasped his hands, and helped him stand beside him... Suppression was suppression, control was control, but Zhao Jiu still deeply respected this man.

All of this happened in an instant. And in the next instant, the surroundings erupted in cheers and jubilation. Because of the outrageous things Qu Duan had done, the soldiers nearby were waving their blades and cheering wildly. Then, inside and outside the distant military camps, soldiers who did not know the details also began to cheer. Next, from the even more distant camps of the Khitan and the Mongols, cheers rose as the great alliance was concluded and the news spread that Zhao Jiu had crowned three men.

Xiao Wolila and the others, who had looked somewhat grim before, now seemed somewhat relieved. Led by Xiao Wolila, they stepped forward to pay their respects and offer congratulations... both to pledge loyalty to their newly born sovereign and to acknowledge this coronation.

"Now do you understand why the emperor did not take a Tangut woman as a consort?" Having watched for half the day, Lu Benzhong suddenly smiled at Ren Baozhong, stroking his beard. "The consort the emperor intends to take this time—how could any woman compare?"

Ren Baozhong's expression shifted for a moment, but then he nodded heavily... clearly in deep agreement.