The royal palace of the Liao Dynasty's capital.
"Hmph! King Jin, that old scoundrel, actually surrendered to the Han Kingdom. He dares to call himself a strong nation, I am ashamed to be associated with him!"
King Liao, Yelü Zongzhen, his face flushed red, the flesh on his face jiggling, clutched the letter from the Jin Kingdom in his right hand and squeezed it tightly. The letter was crushed to pieces.
"Your Majesty, this Jin Kingdom is probably scared to death by the Han Kingdom. Moreover, the southern gate of the Jin Kingdom is firmly held by the Han Kingdom. The position of King Jin is probably not stable."
The Grand Tutor of Liao chuckled. The King of Jin, who had been clamoring so much, suddenly shrinking back, made the Grand Tutor of Liao unable to help but laugh.
"Grand Tutor, this King of Han demands that I cede ten frontier cities to cease hostilities. What do you think?"
King Liao, Yelü Zongzhen, turned to look at the minister he always relied on, the Grand Tutor of Liao, Yelü Baoji, who was at the third level of Guiyuan.
"Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, this Han Kingdom is nothing special. In the Guiyuan realm, there are only Xu Chu and Qi Jiguang. Xu Chu probably has to guard Chang'an to protect that brat Yang, and will certainly not leave the capital city of Chang'an. As for Qi Jiguang, he has to garrison Yuehai Pass."
"The two Guiyuan realm powerhouses of the Han Kingdom are firmly tied down. In this case, if my Liao Kingdom attacks, we will surely sweep through the Han Kingdom and shake the world!"
"With Langya annihilated, my Liao Kingdom will not need to borrow the roads of the Jin Kingdom or curry favor with King Jin. We can directly charge into the territory of the Han Kingdom. Hmph, hmph, hmph, by then Your Majesty will surely capture the King of Han and turn him into a two-legged sheep to parade through all nations, hahaha!"
The more Grand Tutor Yelü Baoji spoke, the more radiant his complexion became, spittle flying.
"Good, good, good! By then, I will surely turn Yang Hao into a two-legged sheep and parade him through all nations, displaying the might of my Liao Kingdom!"
King Liao, Yelü Zongzhen's eyes shone with golden light, and his smile was brilliant. The words of Grand Tutor Yelü Baoji struck a chord with him. He thought to himself, this time he must let that brat Yang Hao know why the flowers are so red!
"Which of my loyal subjects is willing to lead troops into battle and promote our national prestige!"
King Liao, Yelü Zongzhen, immediately looked at the assembled generals.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant is willing to go!"
A general, clad in white armor, with sharp eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, looked exceptionally majestic!
"Oh!"
King Liao, Yelü Zongzhen, gazed upon him: "Hahaha, with General Xing Dao Rong, why should I fear that brat Yang!"
"Xing Dao Rong, heed my command!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
Xing Dao Rong excitedly bowed down with a loud thud.
"I decree that you be appointed the Commander of the Hunt for Han, and immediately lead an army of one hundred thousand to attack the Han Kingdom!"
King Liao, Yelü Zongzhen, said in a deep voice. Xing Dao Rong had always been loyal to him, and now that he had broken through to Guiyuan, he was perfect for the task.
"Your humble servant obeys the royal command!"
Xing Dao Rong's eyes gleamed, and a smile played on his lips. This time, it was finally his turn to lead troops into battle. He firmly believed that he would sweep through the Han Kingdom and expand the territory for King Liao by a thousand li once more!
...
...
Just as everyone thought that the Liao Kingdom would also cede cities to cease hostilities like the Jin Kingdom, unexpectedly, on the afternoon of the Jin Kingdom's announcement to cede cities and cease hostilities, King Liao personally appointed General Xing Dao Rong to lead an army of one hundred thousand and march towards the former territory of Langya in the northwest of the Han Kingdom.
"Is that King Liao crazy? He just had twenty thousand of his troops annihilated by the King of Han a few days ago, and he lost a Guiyuan expert, Yelü Deguang. How can he still send troops against the Han Kingdom when his morale is unstable?"
"Exactly! That Xing Dao Rong is also worthy of commanding an army? Pfft! I think King Liao is driven mad by anger."
"That Xing Dao Rong broke through to the Guiyuan realm some time ago. I don't think there will be any accidents in attacking the former territory of Langya. After all, the two Guiyuan experts of the Han Kingdom are quite far away and are deeply occupied. Perhaps this expedition of the Liao Kingdom will be successful!"
"That's not necessarily true. The Han Kingdom has an endless stream of powerful individuals. Perhaps the Liao Kingdom will lose both its troops and its wife again this time. Brother, to be honest, it would be better for King Liao to take advantage of the situation and cede cities along with King Jin. By then, it probably won't be just ten cities to cease hostilities!"
"Nonsense! Hasn't the Han Kingdom just won once? Is that such a big deal? You're all hyping up the Han Kingdom so much. The Liao Kingdom has a thousand years of heritage, how could it be easily defeated!"
"Brother, it's not about being boastful next time. The Han Kingdom is incredibly strong. Do you know about the Immortal Feather Sect?"
"Immortal Feather Sect? What about it?"
"You're so ignorant. There are three islands overseas, controlled by the Immortal Feather Sect, the Spiritual Hidden Sect, and the Dan Yun Cave Mansion respectively. The top-tier Guiyuan experts in these sects number more than ten. A few days ago, after a distinguished disciple of the Immortal Feather Sect met the King of Han, his legs stopped obeying him..."
"???? Stopped obeying him? This is..."
"Don't think wildly!"
"He was so frightened by the King of Han's dragon might. Perhaps there are divine weapons and strong generals in the royal palace of Chang'an!!"
"Alright, brother, just listen to him babble!"
"Whether you want to listen or not, boy, brew a pot of strong tea for this lord!"
...
...
One day later.
The royal palace of Chang'an City, Great Han.
Yang Hao looked at the intelligence presented by the Embroidered Uniform Guard regarding the Liao Kingdom's military actions, and couldn't help but laugh. This pathetic King Liao's brain must have gone haywire.
Since he doesn't know what's good for him, fine, then I'll crush him to death, destroy his country, and desecrate his ancestral temple!
"Wei Zhongxian!"
Yang Hao said softly, his voice not loud, but it echoed throughout the grand hall.
"Your Majesty!"
Wei Zhongxian scurried to Yang Hao's side.
"Effective immediately, the former territory of Langya is officially renamed Langya Prefecture. Zhang Han will temporarily serve as the Prefect of Langya. Zhang Jiao will be appointed as the main general, and Zhang Han as the副将 (fù jiàng - deputy general). They will lead an army of one hundred thousand to march north and attack Liao!"
"Order Bao Zheng and Changsun Wuji to immediately select excellent officials to take office in Langya Prefecture and restore the smooth functioning of political affairs in Langya Prefecture!"
"Your humble servant obeys the royal command!"
Wei Zhongxian prostrated himself and accepted the order!
...
...
Langya Prefecture.
Zhang Jiao and Zhang Han were looking at the border terrain between the former territory of Langya and the Liao Kingdom.
"Reporting to the General, an Embroidered Uniform Guard seeks an audience outside!"
A soldier from the Wadang Elite Army lifted the command tent and knelt on one knee.
Zhang Jiao and Zhang Han exchanged glances. The royal command had probably arrived.
"Let him in!"
Zhang Han said in a deep voice.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard entered with the royal command in hand, striding in: "Your Excellencies, the King's command!"
As the Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke, he raised the royal command high above his head.
"Your humble servants Zhang Jiao and Zhang Han pay respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be well!"
Zhang Jiao and Zhang Han prostrated themselves with a loud thud and shouted in unison.
"I am well!"
The Embroidered Uniform Guard said, opening the royal command in his hand: "Effective immediately, the former territory of Langya is officially renamed Langya Prefecture, and Zhang Han is ordered to temporarily serve as the Prefect of Langya Prefecture."
"Zhang Jiao is appointed as the main general, and Zhang Han as the deputy general. They will lead an army of one hundred thousand to march north and attack Liao!"
"Your Excellencies, the royal command has been delivered. I shall now take my leave!"
Zhang Jiao looked at the royal command in Zhang Han's hand: "General Zhang Han, since this is the case, let us take the initiative to attack and accept this great gift from King Liao."
That night, Zhang Jiao and Zhang Han immediately agreed and took the initiative to attack, leading an army of one hundred thousand, traveling a thousand li, and launching a surprise raid towards a key fortress on the Liao Kingdom's border.