Heaven resembled a vast yurt, with snow blanketing the boundless expanse. In the twilight of a snowy day, which arrived early, the ancient shamanic war songs echoed by the bonfire in front of the Jurchen's main tent as the last rays of sunlight faded into the mountains.

The firelight created a small, orange space, as if defying the heavens.

To the Jurchen people and those from Liaodong, who hailed from the north, the southwestern snowstorms were not particularly unusual. Many years ago, they lived through almost half the year in such snowy conditions, braving the cold to traverse mountains and ridges, hunting in knee-deep snow—a familiar experience for many.

Such experiences had gradually lessened since their victory over the Liao dynasty.

Benefiting from the spoils of war, they received warm houses, built new residences, hired servants, and bought slaves. In winter, they could rely on stoves instead of facing the harsh snow and the equally hungry and ferocious tigers and wolves within it.

Their children could now enjoy the pleasant and beautiful aspects of the snow, and the younger ones might no longer be able to navigate the snowy mountain paths. However, at least for this generation gathered around the bonfire, the memories of past struggles were deeply etched in their souls, stories and experiences that could be recounted with pride at any time.

"Oh, my White Tiger Mountain God, roar!"

"I am the one who surpasses ten thousand and is favored by Heaven!"

"The sun of the Nine Mountains in the South!"

"The upright and unyielding ancestors of the East!"

"Watch over me!"

The ancient shamanic war song resonated among the crowd. Wanyan Zonghan stood before the fire, his tall figure silhouetted by the flames. After a moment, someone dragged a goat forward.

The struggling goat was tied to a stake. Someone, holding a steel knife, severed the goat's limbs during the war song. The hot blood was collected in a bowl and offered to everyone before the bonfire. Zonghan took the bowl and drank the blood, and the others followed suit.

The stench of blood surged through their bodies.

"The snow in the South is fine," Zonghan slowly began, looking around. "Thirty-eight years ago, amidst snow ten times fiercer than today, the Liao dynasty was at its zenith. Many of us stood by such a fire, discussing whether to rebel against the Liao. Many were hesitant. My thoughts and Aguda's coincided."

"At that time, the Wanyan tribe had barely two thousand warriors. Looking back now, for the past thirty-eight years, your rearguard has become countless tents. These two thousand men have traversed the land, and we have already taken the world into our hands."

Behind them, the military camps stretched far and wide, countless fires faintly flickering in the snow.

Wanyan Zonghan turned and took a few steps, then grabbed a piece of firewood and threw it into the fire. He did not deliberately display any imposing manner; his movements were natural, creating an atmosphere of quiet solemnity.

"Over thirty years... Some of you were old comrades from those days. Even those who joined later are part of our Great Jin. Our Great Jin, invincible with ten thousand, is a reputation you earned. You will carry this reputation with you throughout your lives and be proud of it. Aren't you happy?"

Zonghan was a hero of his time, usually domineering and awe-inspiring, but not particularly approachable. Although his words were calm now, the defeat weighed heavily, and no one thought he was going to praise them. Everyone remained silent. Zonghan stared into the flames.

"With a mere two thousand, we rebelled against a colossus like the Liao dynasty. Later, with tens of thousands, we overturned the entire Liao dynasty. Even today, it feels like a grand dream. At first, both Aguda and I felt like ants—the Jurchen were just tiny ants before the Liao! When Aguda, as chief, went to see Emperor Tianzuo, Tianzuo said, 'You look rather thin, unlike the other leaders. Why don't you dance for me?'"

"Aguda did not dance."

As he spoke, Zonghan sat down on a wooden stake behind him. He waved his hand casually, signaling the others to sit, but no one did.

"The current Emperor came forward and said, 'Since Your Majesty is interested, I will perform for you.' Emperor Tianzuo intended to be angry, but the current Emperor had a bear released. He killed the bear in front of everyone. It sounds heroic, but we Jurchen were still ants before Emperor Tianzuo. He did not get angry then, perhaps thinking this ant was interesting... Later, the Liao envoys still came every year, and they still abused us Jurchen at will. You can kill a bear, but he was not afraid."

"From the age of a few to my teens, I was always fond of fighting, but every time I saw a Liao envoy, I had to kneel and kowtow. Even the most powerful warriors in the tribe had to kneel and kowtow, and no one thought it was wrong. Those Liao envoys, though they looked frail, were dressed in fine clothes and were arrogant. They were definitely not the same kind of people as us. When I began to think about things, I also felt that kneeling was right. Why? When my father, Sagai, first took me out of the mountains and into the city, when I saw those Liao soldiers in neat armor, when I learned about the Liao dynasty's vast territory, I thought kneeling was right."

"The rebellion wasn't because we Jurchen thought we were destined to seize the world..." He paused, his expression shifting. "...it was simply because we couldn't survive anymore. When the two thousand men rose up, Aguda was hesitant, and I was very hesitant, but it was like when the mountains are blocked by snow and we need to hunt bears and tigers in the mountains for food. Facing the Liao, who were even more formidable than bears and tigers, without food, we could only hunt them."

He placed his hand on his knee, gazing at the flames. After a long pause, he smiled.

"Since the uprising, Aguda, myself, and all of you standing here today have always been at the forefront of every battle. Amazing. I later realized that the Liao valued their reputation and there were also those who feared death. The Southern Wu Dynasty was even worse. When it came to fighting, they would say something like 'A son of a thousand pieces of gold does not sit under a leaning eaves,' a pretentious nonsense! That's how two thousand people defeated tens of thousands, and twenty thousand defeated hundreds of thousands. Many of those who charged in the early days have already died. We who are alive today, when we think about it, it's really amazing. A couple of years ago, Gushen told me that throughout history, how many people can achieve our results? I think about it, and you are all really amazing."

His gaze passed over the flames, over everyone present, towards the vast camp in the rear, and then further into the distance, before returning.

"Today I think, it turns out that as long as everyone is at the forefront of every battle, we can achieve such results, because there are too many who fear death in this world. All of you here today are amazing. We have been fighting on the battlefield for these years, and I haven't seen many who are afraid. That's how the original two thousand people swept across the world. Tens of thousands, millions of people have been swept away by us."

"You can sweep across the world." Zonghan's gaze swept across the faces of the generals, his warmth and calmness gradually turning stern. "But some say you don't have the magnanimity to rule the world!"

"Being at the forefront of every battle, being fearless, you can take this world into your hands. You can sweep away the Liao dynasty and drive the Zhou family of the Wu Dynasty off this stage. But can you sit firmly on this world! Aguda said when he was still alive, taking the world and ruling the world are not the same thing! The current Emperor has said it repeatedly that we must share the world with the people of the world—look at the world behind you!"

Zonghan's voice was like a tiger's roar, momentarily suppressing even the howling of the wind and snow. Some looked towards the rear, to the undulating mountains beyond the military camp, and further into the boundless darkness.

"Where is your world?"

"Is it just this military camp of tens of thousands of people?"

"Is it just this desolate mountain that you can see today?"

"Is it just everywhere you've walked and seen in your lives?"

"--Your world, the Jurchen world, is bigger than everything you've seen combined! We have destroyed the Liao dynasty and the Wu Dynasty. Our world extends to all corners of the earth! We have hundreds of millions of subjects! Are you worthy of them!? Do you have them in your hearts!?"

Zonghan's voice roared with the wind and snow. His hands were on his knees, the flames illuminating his seated figure, shaking in the night sky. After this speech, there was a long silence. Zonghan slowly stood up, took a half-burnt piece of firewood, and threw it into the bonfire.

"You thought that I gathered you here today to tell you that the Battle of Rainwater Creek was a defeat, but don't be discouraged, to boost your morale, or to say some bad things about Elili with you..."

He paused for a moment: "No, what worries me is that you don't have the ambition to embrace the world."

"Before Aguda left, he mentioned it to me several times."

In front of the bonfire, Zonghan's voice rang out: "We can conquer the world with twenty thousand people, but can we also rule the world with twenty thousand people?"

"The late Emperor, the current Emperor, and Gushen, whom you all respect, have been thinking about this one thing for these years... Among you here today, there are Xiren, Bohai people, Khitan people, and Han people from Liaodong. We have fought together for many years. Today, you are all Jin people. Why? The current Emperor treats everyone equally. This world is also your world, not just the Jurchen world."

"The Jurchen have you in their hearts, so you share the world with the Jurchen; whoever you have in your hearts will become your world!"

Zonghan looked at the crowd: "More than ten years ago, our Great Jin took the Liao dynasty and treated the Khitan people equally, so the Khitan became part of our Great Jin. At that time, we did not have the strength to take the Wu Dynasty, so the Han people brought back from the Wu Dynasty became slaves. Over the past ten years, our Great Jin has gradually gained the strength to conquer the Wu Dynasty, and the current Emperor ordered that no Han slaves should be killed indiscriminately and that Han people should be treated well. Everyone, now is the fourth southern expedition. The Wu Dynasty is destroyed. Do you have the ambition to replace it and rule the Wu Dynasty?"

He waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across sternly: "I don't think you do!"

"After the defeat at the Battle of Rainwater Creek, I saw you shirking responsibility! Complaining! Looking for excuses! Until now, you still haven't figured out what kind of enemies you are facing? You still haven't figured out why Gushen and I would rather abandon the Central Plains and Jiangnan to destroy the Southwest?"

"That one, that group of people opposite you, they killed the emperor of the Wu Dynasty at the most inappropriate time! They cut off all retreat! They made enemies of the entire world! Facing millions of soldiers, they did not beg anyone for mercy! For more than ten years, they have fought their way out, they have endured! You still haven't seen it! They are the same as we were in the beginning--"