Chapter 306

"Xiao Xiao Aiqing is truly my loyal minister!"

"When I escape this trap today and rise like a dragon freed from confinement, I shall never forget your service!"

"If you return alive, I shall share with you the glory of the Liao Empire!"

"If, if you do not survive and fall to the Gan forces,"

"I shall grant you a state funeral—three sacrificial animals and five offerings shall not be lacking by so much as a single portion!"

Watching Xiao Xiao Fengxian's back, reminiscent of Jing Ke's departure to assassinate the Qin king—"The wind howls over the Yi River, the hero departs, never to return"—Yelu Yelu Yanxi's eyes filled with tears.

Though he tried to comfort himself, he knew Xiao Xiao Fengxian, who had taken his place as the target, would almost certainly not return.

No general in this world could resist the temptation of capturing an emperor!

Xiao Xiao Fengxian's mission was not merely ten-to-one odds—it was nine-to-one death, with vanishingly slim hope of survival.

"Your Majesty, no more delay! Every moment wasted only squanders the sacrifice of the Prince of Lanling! Please leave at once!"

Xiao Xiao Wuna could not let Yelu Yelu Yanxi waste time in sorrow—he urgently reminded him.

What time is this for such sentimentality?

Every minute delayed increases the risk of being caught.

No wonder the court officials always accused him of indecisiveness.

"Yes, let's go at once!"

Yelu Yelu Yanxi snapped out of his daze at the reminder, frantically glancing back.

The change of robes had drawn the pursuing forces much closer.

He lashed his horse's rump with his whip and resumed his flight.

The fleeing Liao cavalry split into two groups, racing in opposite directions.

"Hmm? Trying to swap the beams and pillars? Do they think I'm blind?"

Lin Chong, leading the pursuit from behind, sneered.

A common general might have been fooled by this ruse of the emperor and his ministers,

but he had been taught divine arts by the Emperor himself.

Though little time had passed, and military duties had left little room for cultivation,

he had seen no trace of longevity, reversal of aging, or eternal youth,

yet his eyesight had improved manyfold since before.

Now, with full cultivation channeled into his eyes, he saw every subtle move made by Yelu Yelu Yanxi and Xiao Xiao Fengxian.

"Order: The rider on the white horse is the emperor!"

Indeed, in his panic, Yelu Yelu Yanxi had only swapped robes and flags with Xiao Xiao Fengxian—the imperial regalia—but not his mount.

And Yelu Yelu Yanxi, by nature flamboyant, had ridden a pure white steed,

flawless in color, as if descended from the heavens, even as war broke out between Liao and Gan.

If he were commanding from the center, directing strategy from afar, this would be no issue,

but now, even in flight, he refused to switch to an inconspicuous gray or black horse—was this not a perfect target?

Only because they wished to capture him alive and present him to the Emperor—otherwise, Lin Chong would have already ordered a hundred spears to pierce the emperor like a sieve.

The rider on a white horse may be a prince or the monk Tang Tang Sanzang from the East,

but he may also be the flamboyant emperor Yelu Yelu Yanxi~

"But you won't live to escape!"

As Lin Chong's thoughts churned, he raised a loaded cavalry spear,

locking his aim on Yelu Yelu Yanxi—ready to fire if anything went wrong.

Before this campaign, Zhang Zhang Jie had issued a direct order: he wanted Yelu Yelu Yanxi alive,

but if that proved impossible, a corpse would suffice.

Above all, Yelu Yelu Yanxi, the supreme ruler of Liao, must not be allowed to escape back home and create future strategic problems.

Even if Yelu Yelu Yanxi was stubborn, indecisive, and debauched,

after this crushing defeat, his standing in Liao would plummet drastically,

even his throne might be unstable—but as long as he lived and sat upon Liao's dragon throne,

he remained the undisputed, legitimate sovereign of millions of Liao subjects.

For Zhang Zhang Jie, for the Great Gan, for the people of the Central Plains,

the only good Yelu Yelu Yanxi was a dead one—or one captured alive.

As for Xiao Xiao Fengxian fleeing down another path, others would deal with him.

The Great Gan had already laid a vast net across dozens of li around Datong.

Common herders and riders might slip through, but a big fish like Prince of Lanling Xiao Xiao Fengxian would not escape.

The Great Gan aimed to crush Liao's limbs and brain in this decisive battle,

to shatter the spine of the monstrous beast that had dominated the Central Plains for over a hundred years!

"Damn it! Why do these pursuers chase like wolves on the steppe?

Do they have dog noses?"

Yelu Yelu Yanxi, galloping away, turned to see the pursuing forces unchanged,

not a single soldier diverted by Xiao Xiao Fengxian's decoy—he cursed furiously.

"Your Majesty, they're shouting, 'The rider on the white horse is Your Majesty!'

Your Majesty, abandon the steed at once!"

Xiao Xiao Wuna strained his ears, stretching his aging, failing hearing,

finally catching the shouts from behind.

The pursuers who had not been lured away by Xiao Xiao Fengxian cursed angrily.

Yelu Yelu Yanxi hesitated for a moment.

This was a steed gifted by the Western Tianfang Kingdom—capable of a thousand li by day, eight hundred by night.

He adored it beyond measure, cherished it as if it were his own eyes.

Who would dare harm it, if not for this flight?

"Your Majesty, compared to your imperial body, what value is a mere steed?

Once we return to Zhongjing, we can ask Tianfang to send more."

As the elder who had watched Yelu Yelu Yanxi grow up, Xiao Xiao Wuna saw through his thoughts—this emperor, fond of grandeur, stubborn, yet indecisive—and pleaded urgently.

Faced with death, Yelu Yelu Yanxi, though heartbroken, reluctantly swapped mounts with a personal guard.

"Your Majesty, I shall go now—may Your Majesty take care!"

The guard, knowing he would never see his emperor again, wept as he bid farewell,

then immediately led a detachment of cavalry off in another direction.

"This Yelu Yelu Yanxi really refuses to accept fate!"

Watching the emperor's fleeing group split again into two, Lin Chong marveled.

This emperor may lack military talent, but his instinct for survival and escape is formidable!

He won't yield until he sees the coffin.

"General Hua, take your men and capture that young officer!

Such a steed belongs to our Emperor!

Gazing at the young officer fleeing on the white horse, Lin Chong smiled and ordered Hua General, who rode close beside him, guarding his flanks.

This General Hua had white teeth and red lips, eyebrows arched like wings, a slender waist and broad shoulders like an ape,

tall and upright, with a clear, handsome face, bright, piercing eyes,

eight chi tall, waist ten spans around, powerfully built, clad in armor,

gripping a gleaming silver dragon-spear—truly imposing.

Who else could this be but Hua Rong, one of the One Hundred Eight, wielding a silver spear, skilled with wild horses and strong bows,

famed for his ability to pierce a leaf at a hundred paces, nicknamed "Little Li Guang"?

He was once the military commander of Wu Qingfeng Fort,

who had resisted when Liang Shan attacked and swept through Qingzhou,

but was easily defeated and captured by Lin Chong in battle.

After witnessing Liang Shan's disciplined conduct toward civilians

and Zhang Zhang Jie's policies benefiting the state and people,

he, already disillusioned with the Song, willingly defected to Liang Shan.

In the Song, a warrior like him—even with the talent of Marquis of Huaiyin or Marquis of Champion—would forever remain a condemned soldier.

He was originally the military magistrate of Wu Qingfeng Zhai, and when Liang Shan attacked Wu Qingfeng Zhai,

he intended to resist during the campaign to sweep through Qingzhou, but was easily defeated and captured by Lin Chong in battle.

After witnessing Liang Shan's army's conduct—never harming the people,

and Zhang Zhang Jie's various policies benefiting the state and the people,

he, who had long been dissatisfied with the Great Song, willingly defected to Liang Shan.

In the Great Song, warriors like him, even those with the talent of Marquis of Huaiyin,

were forever destined to be branded criminals and soldiers.

Zhang Zhang Jie also admired this "Little Li Guang"'s talent, assigning him to serve under Lin Chong's cavalry.

"Chief Commander Liu Xie!"

Hua Rong, receiving the order, was filled with excitement.

Lin Chong is about to grant him the second-greatest achievement—after capturing Emperor Tianzuo Emperor!