Chapter 326: The Heirloom Seal of the Realm

"My Lord has already crushed the Great Liao's army of seven hundred thousand outside Yanmen Pass,

and even the Emperor of Liao, Yelu Yanxi, has been captured by our Great Gan.

Within a few days, my Lord will lead his troops south; the unification of the realm is just around the corner!"

Qin Gui turned a blind eye to the threats from Fang La's generals, his expression remaining as usual.

He spoke with a smile, and then, with a single opening, delivered a piece of earth-shattering news.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible! That was a full army of seven hundred thousand!"

Qin Gui's words instantly exploded like a thunderclap within the government office.

Deng Yuanjue and the others could no longer spare the energy to pursue Qin Gui's crime of disrespect toward Fang La.

One by one, their expressions were agitated and deeply shocked, repeatedly calling it impossible.

Seven hundred thousand troops—that was seven hundred thousand troops!

Let alone crushing them in one stroke, according to their own estimations,

Great Gan should have found it difficult enough to hold firm by relying on solid passes like Yanmen Pass.

It would not have been impossible for the Great Liao to break through Yanmen Pass and ravage Taiyuan and the like;

ensuring the safety of Bianjing, designated as the capital, would have already been a great victory.

Yet, yet, what was this Gan envoy saying?

He actually claimed that the Great Liao's seven hundred thousand troops had been crushed by their Great Gan in one stroke,

and that even the Great Liao Emperor, Yelu Yanxi, had been captured by them!

One wouldn't even dare to think such things in a daydream!

How could this Gan envoy say such things that sounded like they were meant to coax a three-year-old child?

But thinking that this Qin Huizhi was an envoy of Great Gan,

representing the majesty of Great Gan and the Gan Emperor Zhang Jie, he shouldn't be speaking nonsense.

Which meant that this news, which felt so absurd, might, probably, perhaps be true...

Clatter, crash!

Several people, because they were too agitated and unable to restrain themselves, suddenly bolted from behind their tables.

The fine wine and delicacies, along with the priceless cups and plates upon them, were all smashed to pieces.

Yet at this moment, no one cared about this incident of improper conduct before the throne,

which previously would have been very serious, punishable by demotion, stripping of titles, or even execution.

Their hearts, every cell in their bodies, were telling them: something big, something huge has happened!

Creak, creak!

Even Fang La, who had always maintained a normal expression and had even smiled off Qin Gui's condescension,

and even his hidden contempt, could no longer remain calm.

His complexion instantly turned ashen. His broad face and forehead, which seemed to hide deep majesty and were considered to have the appearance of an emperor,

had blue veins bulging on his forehead, and the wine cup in his hand was being squeezed until it creaked.

If Great Gan had already crushed the Great Liao, how should their Holy Duke State conduct itself?

Should they cast aside their armor, bow their heads, and submit, tying the safety of himself, his kneeling ministers,

and his family to the single thought of the Gan Emperor Zhang Jie?

Or should they persist in using the newly captured Hangzhou City as a stronghold,

resisting to the end until the fish died and the net broke, and their clan was exterminated?

Or perhaps, abandon their current foundation and immediately set sail for the sea.

He did not believe that in the vast ocean, Great Gan could still find them!

That Zhang Jie's military edge was sharp, and even the Emperor Yelu Yanxi, who possessed seven hundred thousand troops, had met his doom at his hands,

but the ocean was not the domain of cavalry and infantry.

"Envoy, you speak such wild words; what evidence do you have?

If there is no evidence, are you not just speaking nonsense?"

As the Minister of War of the Holy Duke State, who had been responsible for dispatching troops and seizing territory in Jiangnan these days,

Wang Yin, whose cultivation of composure had become increasingly refined, asked in a deep voice.

"That's right, that's right! Envoy, since you are making such wild claims,

you must produce solid evidence. Otherwise, hehe!"

Deng Yuanjue and the others, hearing this, also calmed down a bit.

This news was indeed shocking, making them, generals who had led troops into battle,

fought to the death, and escaped from the jaws of death countless times, unable to restrain themselves for a moment.

But upon careful thought, precisely because this news was so shocking,

whether it was true or false was very much worth pondering.

The Great Liao had seven hundred thousand troops, not seven hundred thousand pigs!

Even if they were seven hundred thousand pigs, if Great Gan were left to catch them, it would take at least half a year, right?

They knew very clearly,

that Great Gan's absolute core army, which had started from the eight-hundred-mile Water Margin of Liang Shan, only numbered a few tens of thousands.

As for those old Great Song troops they had absorbed?

Sigh, let's not even mention those thieving soldiers and old rascals.

If you wanted them to extort, steal, or play tricks, they all had their own specialties,

but if you wanted them to risk their lives on the battlefield, they all turned into soft-legged shrimp.

As they spoke, the generals, all wrapped in murderous intent, stared at Qin Gui with ill intent.

If he didn't give them an explanation, they would give him one.

Although Great Gan was currently powerful and their Holy Duke State was weak,

that was no reason for Great Gan to play them for fools.

Everyone here was in the business of losing their heads; they had long since disregarded life and death. At worst, they would just die!

"Envoy Qin, do you have anything else to say?"

On the main seat, Fang La had also recovered from the shocking news,

returning to his previous calm, his expression becoming as still as an ancient well again.

He leaned forward slightly and tapped his index finger on the table, asking softly.

Although his movements were not large, and his tone was neither agitated nor stern,

Qin Gui inexplicably felt a wave of pressure sweeping over him,

demanding he kneel, or else it would be a crime of great disrespect.

But in an instant, he broke free from it. In terms of pressure,

in terms of imperial spirit, Fang La, a minor warlord occupying only a few dozen counties,

was simply a minor sorcerer in the presence of a great sorcerer compared to Zhang Jie, who had overthrown the Great Song,

destroyed the Great Liao's seven hundred thousand troops, captured the Emperor,

and broken the backbone of the Great Liao. He was not worth mentioning.

He could speak freely in front of Zhang Jie, let alone Fang La?

He then smiled confidently: "My Lord sent me as an envoy, so naturally, he made all the necessary preparations."

"Someone, bring the Heirloom Seal!"

He turned solemnly and bowed to one of the two attendants who had followed him.

That attendant solemnly handed a wooden box, which he had been clutching tightly in his arms since they entered, to Qin Gui.

As for what was in the box, Fang La and the others did not know.

Because they did not believe these few envoys, who looked like they couldn't even truss a chicken, could assassinate the ruler,

and to show respect for Great Gan, they had not searched their bodies.

"The Heirloom Seal?"

From Fang La down to every general, all had their attention drawn by this name.

A seal is the stamp of an emperor!

Could it be that the Gan Emperor Zhang Jie had brought the Great Song Heirloom Seal he had captured to intimidate them and show off his military achievements?

"The Heirloom Seal of the Realm is here; why do you not bow in submission?"

Qin Gui spoke another shocking word, proudly opening the wooden box,

and revealing the object inside to Fang La and the others.

"The Heirloom Seal of the Realm, it really is the Heirloom Seal of the Realm!"

Looking at the square jade seal in the wooden box, four inches wide (about 9.2 cm square),

and about "three inches six high" (about 8.3 cm).

The overall design featured a coiled dragon knob (five dragons coiled around the seal's nose).

The face of the seal was engraved with the eight seal-script characters: "Received from Heaven, may you have long life and eternal prosperity."

The knob was carved with coiled dragon patterns, edged with wave patterns and double-border decorations,

implying "Sunlight shining on the sea reveals double dragons." Fang La and the others all muttered in disbelief. ===== CHAPTER 327 =====