Chapter 153: Collusion

Across the vast Grassland, white tents stretched on for dozens of miles without end.

Countless cattle and sheep appeared and disappeared amidst the tall grass.

Beidi people riding horses wove through the high grass, driving the cattle, sheep, and steeds.

Guo Tu's heart contracted with nervousness.

He knew that these grazing Beidi people were soldiers the moment they picked up their Curved Blades and bows.

And in the Black Iron Royal Tent, there were nearly one hundred thousand such soldiers.

This did not even include the Servant Soldiers who were like slaves within the Royal Tent.

What made him feel even more deeply oppressed was that there were ten such Royal Tents among the Beidi.

As far as he knew.

The Beidi had always been ambitious toward the Great Song; after taking the Ningjin Dusi, they had always had plans to move south.

This threat was like a sword pressed against the throat of the Yuan Family.

Unlike the Imperial Court officials and powerful clans far away in Jingshi, they were better able to feel this fear.

This time, the Beidi army had arrived at the gates of Yanguan.

Although they only demanded the release of Kutu, he and Yuan Li still smelled something different in it.

The Beidi could mobilize such a large force just to demand a person.

Would the next attack on Yanguan be far off?

What would the Yuan Family do then?

Would they really exhaust the military strength the Yuan Family had painstakingly accumulated?

Regardless of victory or defeat, once the troops were gone, what status would the Yuan Family have in the Great Song?

Rather than that, it would be better to leave themselves a way out.

If the Beidi could not break through Yanguan, the Yuan Family would naturally be safe and secure.

If the Beidi broke through Yanguan, the Yuan Family could also maintain their wealth and status.

Of course, if the Beidi could support the Yuan Family in vying for the world during these chaotic times, that would be best.

"Go in." A general walked out from a white tent, breaking Guo Tu's deep contemplation.

Revealing a humble smile, Guo Tu nodded and entered the Royal Tent with his body hunched low.

"Raise your head." A rough voice rang out.

Guo Tu raised his head and saw a Beidi man in his thirties with robust muscles sitting on a sheepskin rug in the center.

Guo Tu said, "Guo Tu, a retainer of the Yanzhou Yuan Family, pays his respects to King Enke."

"The Yuan Family, hmph, you still have the face to come to the Grassland? Are you not afraid that I will kill you?" Enke stared at Guo Tu like a wild beast.

Guo Tu felt his legs trembling slightly, and he said, "Great King, this was not the Yuan Family's fault. Zhang Kang did not tell us about his plan with the Black Iron Royal Tent. If Lord Yuan had known about this matter in advance, it would have been impossible to let Yan Wang live this time. We, the Yuan Family, also want Yan Wang dead."

Enke's livid complexion softened a little.

During this Autumn Hunt, the Black Iron Royal Tent had suffered heavy losses, and even his own father had been captured.

To him, this was a supreme humiliation.

He had already made a promise before the Khan that he would use Yan Wang's head to wash away this shame.

It was just that winter had come too quickly, the roads in Yanshan were narrow, and large siege engines could not pass through.

Even if he led the tribal Cavalry south again, he could not guarantee he would be able to capture Yan Wang.

Therefore, the Khan and he had cast their gaze toward Yanguan.

This time, the Khan had dispatched the forces of three Royal Tents to move south to intimidate the Emperor of Great Song.

But there was no plan to attack the city.

Yanguan City had high walls and thick ramparts; it was not so easily taken and required concentrating all their strength for a single strike.

But due to the war in the far north, this would have to wait until at least after the new year.

However, even so, whether they could take Yanguan then remained unknown.

The Yanguan garrison commander, Mo Di, was skilled in defense.

It was not that they had not tried to attack Yanguan, but they had never gained any advantage under Mo Di.

Thinking of this, he looked at Guo Tu again, "Speak, what is your purpose in coming here?"

"Lord Yuan wishes to restore friendly relations with the Black Iron Royal Tent and build a deep friendship," Guo Tu said in a low voice.

"Friendship?" Enke suddenly burst into loud laughter.

When the laughter ended, he suddenly said angrily, "What is the Yanzhou Yuan Family? Are they worthy of having the friendship of my Beidi? When Yanguan is broken next year, I will slaughter him first."

"Next year?" Guo Tu was startled.

He thought to himself, the Beidi really were going to move south? If so, if he could not please the Beidi, the Yuan Family would be in danger.

Thinking of this, he became extremely anxious and forgot to answer for a moment.

Just then, Enke added, "However, it is not impossible, but your Yuan Family must do one thing for our Beidi."

"What thing?" Guo Tu was overjoyed.

"Mo Di's head!" Enke narrowed his eyes. "If you agree, I will put in a good word for your Yuan Family before the Khan. Even when the Beidi enter the pass, your Yuan Family will have a place in the future."

Guo Tu breathed a sigh of relief, "I shall return to discuss this matter with Lord Yuan. But Great King, why do you not want Yan Wang's head?"

"Hmph, I want to cut off Yan Wang's head myself; it is not your Yuan Family's turn," Enke waved his hand. "Get out. When I see the sincerity of your Yuan Family, then we can talk about friendship."

"Yes, Great King." Guo Tu bowed and slowly backed out of the tent.

After casting one more glance at the vast expanse of tents in the Black Iron Royal Tent, he left with his guards.

Jinling.

The eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch from Yanguan has arrived here.

The news that Beidi troops were at the gates of Yanguan spread, and suddenly the entire Jingshi was in a state of panic.

"Father Emperor, I said back then that Yan Wang capturing Kutu was not a merit, but a crime; now, it has indeed angered the Beidi people."

In the imperial court, Sixth Prince Zhao Fang spoke with stern and harsh words.

He acted as if Yan Wang were the greatest scourge of the Great Song.

Second Prince Zhao Qu spoke unhurriedly: "The Great Song and Beidi have been at peace for ten years, with only some minor looting and thievery in Yanzhou each year. Now that Yan Wang has fought like this, a small matter has become a big one. If Yanguan is lost, Yan Wang cannot escape the blame."

"Utter nonsense! Beidi is ambitious; after swallowing the Ningjin Dusi, they intended to move south. What does this have to do with Yan Wang capturing Kutu? A war between the Great Song and Beidi was inevitable sooner or later," First Prince retorted angrily.

His Empress Mother had already told him about the affair between her and Mi Fei.

In his heart, he already considered Yan Wang one of his own, so he naturally defended him.

"Father Emperor, the Beidi Khan only wants Kutu back; he does not necessarily want to attack Yanguan. In my view, it would be better to release Kutu. As for Yan Wang, I believe that in the situation at the time, Yan Wang was focused on defending the land and committed no error; he simply lacked foresight. There is no need to go to war between the two countries for the sake of one Kutu," Third Prince said calmly after glancing at Second Prince.

On the Dragon Throne, Zhao Heng's eyes held a faint trace of worry.

He also had not expected that a single Kutu would stir up such trouble.

If Mule Hongzhen were truly angered and Beidi attacked with all their might.

It is hard to say whether Mo Di could hold Yanguan.

If the Yan Pass Imperial Guard were completely wiped out, then even if the Shizu Army drove the Beidi back, the Imperial Clan would have no decent army left to keep the Shizu in check.

That Yan Pass Imperial Guard is truly the Imperial Clan's last reserve.

However, he did not blame Yan Wang for this; at the very least, he understood that Yan Wang was currently a card in his hand.

"A bunch of cowards! Have you forgotten the hundreds of thousands of souls lost at Ningjin Dusi? Beidi are jackals and wolves; they have long harbored the ambition to swallow the Great Song. Sooner or later, there will be a war. Since they are already at the gates of Yanguan, we might as well kill Kutu to display the military might of our Great Song!" an old man with white hair and beard shouted loudly.

As his voice fell, eight generals immediately stepped out: "Your Majesty, we are willing to fight Beidi."

"Old General Yang, with what will you fight? Can we even win? Do you want another disastrous defeat like Ningjin Dusi? At that time, the country will cease to be a country!" a civil official cried out, nearly in tears.

To him, was it not better to enjoy wealth and honor peacefully in Jingshi? Why bother fighting a war?

Once the war begins, no one can say for sure how it will end.

"Exactly, Old General, you are muddled. We cannot fight; recuperation is what matters most. In this official's opinion, what Beidi covets by moving south is merely the wealth of the Great Song. If it really comes to it, giving them some Silver and grain every year so that both sides can live in peace is for the best."