Chapter 997: Cold Eyes

"What singing and dancing!"

Mule Hongzhen instinctively sensed an ominous aura.

He did not fear Zhao Heng; he was even filled with contempt for Zhao Heng.

But, though he was unwilling to admit it, facing the Yan Wang, who was in his early twenties and sitting calmly on the steps, he actually felt as fearful as a wild rabbit on the Grassland seeing a wolf.

The things that the great general under the Yan Wang, Chang Wei, had shown him had actually completely shattered his confidence.

Yet he was the Beidi Khan, Mule Hongzhen.

How could he just kneel there and not get up!

No one in Ganyi Hall answered Mule Hongzhen.

Zhao Heng, however, became excited because of Zhao Xu's suggestion.

Mule Hongzhen's scolding had made him unable to hold his head up in front of the assembled officials.

Even if he was now an Emperor with little power, he still needed some face.

Thus he said, "Xu still has many ideas. Let's do it this way, but will he honestly dance?"

Zhao Xu smiled mysteriously, "Father Emperor, rest assured, your son has his own ways."

Having said this, he waved his hand, signaling Chang Wei to come forward, whispered a few words to him, and told him to act accordingly.

Chang Wei revealed a wicked smile, turned and left, and called over two imperial guards to drag Mule Hongzhen away.

Mule Hongzhen was greatly alarmed, struggling incessantly, and shouted, "Yan Wang, what are you trying to do? If you have the ability, just kill me directly! You wait, today you mock me, and in the future, the Westerners will mock you just the same. You will not be the one laughing until the end..." The voice grew more and more distant until it disappeared.

At this moment, Zhao Heng frowned and asked Zhao Xu cautiously, "I didn't expect that the Beidi Khan, who once claimed to be the best in the world, would actually hold the Westerners in such high regard. Xu, are these Westerners really as formidable as he says? If so, after Beidi, I fear the Westerners will be another threat to the Great Song."

Zhao Xu smiled lightly, "Mule Hongzhen is, after all, a frog at the bottom of a well. Even if his eyes were opened, he would only deceive himself. Father Emperor need not worry; those Xitu Guo are ultimately just playthings in your son's hands. Your son will slowly deal with them. Soon, your son will drive them out of Dongtu."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng felt as if he had taken a soothing pill, "Xu is truly the pillar of my Great Song. With you here, Father Emperor is at ease."

"Father Emperor is too kind. No need to think of other things; the banquet can begin," Zhao Xu reminded him.

Zhao Heng nodded and shouted, "Begin the banquet!"

The order was passed down, and the sound of strings and pipes immediately rose within Ganyi Hall.

Singing girls poured out from the side halls and danced gracefully in the middle of the great hall.

Zhao Heng loved this atmosphere most. While drinking with Zhao Xu, he enjoyed the singing and dancing, and at the same time frequently raised his cup to the officials and generals.

At this moment, he felt as if he had returned to his glory days in Jinling.

Just amidst the joyful atmosphere, Chang Wei and Chen Hu returned.

The imperial guards dragged in a person wearing a singing girl's costume; it was none other than Mule Hongzhen.

His mouth was still cursing incessantly, but it was drowned out by the sound of the music.

Immediately, the imperial guards spread a layer of scorching hot charcoal in the center of the great hall and shoved Mule Hongzhen onto it.

Instantly, Mule Hongzhen began hopping about on the charcoal, as if dancing a clumsy dance.

"Hahaha..." The officials and generals laughed one after another, drinking their Wine more vigorously and eating their food with more relish.

"Interesting, interesting." Zhao Heng was so happy he danced with joy; he finally felt avenged.

At this time, Chang Wei and Chen Hu also returned to the seats reserved for them.

Zhao Xu cast a glance over.

Unlike the officials from Jinling who found it amusing, the officials and generals of Yanzhou only watched Mule Hongzhen with cold sneers.

Especially the officials and generals who were native to Yanzhou, such as Chen Hu.

Unlike the Jinling officials who only felt the brutality of Beidi from the Memorials.

They had truly experienced the brutality of the Beidi people.

Every year during the Autumn Hunt, countless Yanzhou commoners were humiliated, killed, and finally dragged to the Grassland as slaves.

When lacking grain and fodder, the Beidi Cavalry would even boil and eat children and women.

Every inch of land in Yanzhou was soaked with the blood and tears of the Yanzhou people.

And the person before them was the mastermind behind all of this.

Therefore, they could only sneer; they could not laugh heartlessly like those who had not experienced such pain.

What they had was only a sense of vengeful pleasure.

Moreover, how many Yanzhou soldiers had died on the battlefield in the wars against the Beidi people over these years.

Their blood debt also needed someone to repay.

Zhao Xu's mood at this moment was naturally the same as Chang Wei and the others.

This Beidi Khan, who had fought with him for so many years and had several times nearly conquered Yanzhou, had finally fallen into his hands.

From now on, they would finally no longer need to worry about the threat from the Grassland.

The banquet continued, and amidst the clinking of cups, Mule Hongzhen kept jumping back and forth on the charcoal.

After two quarters of an hour, Mule Hongzhen was exhausted and fainted to the ground.

Zhao Xu waved his hand, signaling the imperial guards to drag Mule Hongzhen away and lock him in the Heavenly Prison.

He suddenly had an idea; perhaps he should have Watanabe brought over from Dongying. Since they were both stubborn rocks, he would put them together.

Let them witness the prosperity and the rise of the Great Song together, suffering in resentment and regret.

The banquet lasted until the moon climbed onto the treetops.

Zhao Heng and many old officials could not hold their liquor and could not hold on any longer, so Zhao Xu announced the end of the banquet.

When he got up to return to the prince's mansion, he had Chang Wei, Yang Feng, and Chen Hu accompany him.

Arriving at the study.

Zhao Xu sat down at the desk and also had the three of them sit down.

Looking toward Chen Hu, he said, "This time, your Gun Cavalry did not fly, but once it did, it soared to the skies. Not only did you destroy the majority of the Beidi Cavalry and display your might, but you also captured Mule Hongzhen. This is a great achievement. Speak, what reward do you want?"

"Your Highness is too kind. If not for the Cavalry Rifles Your Highness provided to the Cavalry, the soldiers could not be so imposing. This credit still belongs to Your Highness; the soldiers merely put in some effort." Chen Hu revealed a shy smile.

Zhao Xu laughed, "Do not be so modest. No matter how good a Weapon is, the person is still the foundation. This just goes to show that the basic quality of your Cavalry is excellent. This deserves a reward, and it shall be rewarded."

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "This time we have heavily damaged the Northern Di, but we have not yet removed their roots. To prevent them from staging a comeback, we must sweep their lair and incorporate the entire Grassland into our administration. Therefore, I intend to establish the Western Regions Protectorate. How about you take on the role of this Protector?"

At present, there was already the Southern Protectorate.

The responsibilities of the Southern Protectorate were, on one hand, to protect the Nanzhan Continent that belonged to Great Song, and on the other, it functioned as a garrison to supervise the nations of the Southern Region.

The difference was that Great Song would directly dispatch officials to govern the Nanzhan Continent, just as it governed the prefectures and counties of Great Song.

As for nations like Luzon, because the number of indigenous people was so large, incorporating them directly into the rule would increase the cost of governance; it was better to support local dynasties.

Furthermore, since the modern era had already begun, various ideologies would inevitably spread across the world.

If he were to implement the colonial policies once used by the Westerners, it would only give enemies the opportunity to incite chaos in the colonies.

Since that was the case, it would be better to establish a Tribute System unique to Great Song, just like the Han and Tang dynasties.

Of course, this tribute was not the tribute of the past; its greater significance was to express submission to Great Song and to acknowledge oneself as a part of Great Song's sphere of influence.

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