Chapter Sixty: Soft as the Moon

  After everyone else had left the meeting hall, Hou Fangjing was the only one who remained.

  Di Lie rolled up the map and said casually, "You had something you didn't want to say in front of everyone earlier, now you can say it."

  Hou Fangjing slowly approached, speaking in a low voice: "Chengtian Military Camp... oh, it's now called Tianping Military Camp. If we were to join forces with Tianping Military Camp, who would be the leader?"

  Di Lie slanted her eyes at him: "What do you say?"

  Hou Fangjing took a step back, raised his arms in salute: "With your Highness's identity, how could it be compared to that of a mere mountain bandit leader? Of course, you should take the lead."

  Di Lie walked back and forth with his hands behind his back: "That's what I said, but I'm afraid others might not agree?"

  "Hou Fang Jing said: 'In that case, Your Highness can use both soft and hard means as you see fit.'"

  Di Lie stopped in his tracks: "Oh, let's hear it."

  "If the leader of the Heavenly Balance Fort is sensible, we will give him a portion of the supplies and food we have obtained in exchange for the entire fort. If he doesn't know what's good for him, with our army of over a thousand men and such excellent equipment, we can certainly annihilate them with overwhelming force..."

  "Hold it!" Di Lie waved his hand and said, "Since they kindly invited us to come up the mountain, we can't do something like kicking them out of their nest... Hmm, if we can exchange goods for the military camp, that would be best. Looking at Guan Er's family and his brothers' appearance, their life in the camp must not be easy. If we let a little slip through our fingers, they should be willing to give up this military camp."

  Hou Fangjing nodded in agreement: "I thought it would be like this, after all, they have so few people, occupying such a large military camp is also a waste. Moreover, they will definitely not be able to withstand the future attack of the Jin army. On this point, that Guan Er Dangjia also acknowledged..."

  Just then, the guard came forward and reported: "Your Highness, there is a young woman who claims to be Huanhuan asking to see you."

  Di Lie was taken aback, what did she come for? However, he still signaled the guards to bring her in. Hou Fangjing promptly excused himself and retreated, but just as he had caught his breath, this move again brought trouble.

  When the soft and elegant Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty, Fu Rou, appeared in the council hall, Di Lie was playing with a beautiful celadon cup made by Ru Kiln. This thing could be auctioned for at least several million if it were placed in later generations. However, at present, it can only serve as a small wine vessel.

  Di Lie opened a jar of sealed mud, poured out a cup of greenish-blue liquor, raised the cup to Huan Huan and gestured: "According to the wine-making artisans under my command, this is the top-grade clear wine 'Blue Bridge Wind and Moon' from Fan Lou. Would Your Highness like to have a cup?"

  She stepped forward with delicate lotus steps, elegantly took the celadon cup with her fingers, tilted back her snowy neck, and drained it in one gulp. She turned the bottom of the cup towards Di Lie, smiled slightly, and said: "Thank you, Your Highness, for the wine."

  Di Lie was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. This princess had obviously dressed up before coming. She wore a purple cloud crown on her head, with long, colorful tassels hanging from her ears, a purple underskirt below, and a same-colored vest above. The thin sleeves reached her wrists, the two sides of her garment were parallel and unsewn, with slits below the armpits, and the length of the hem was equal to that of the skirt. There were ribbons hanging from both armpits and the back, and a silk sash was tied around her waist. As she walked with lotus steps, her skirt fluttered, the colored ribbons floated, as if she were a fairy in the moonlight.

  Di Lie finally managed to tear his eyes away, poured himself a cup, and took a sip as if it were a drink, calming his nerves before asking: "Princess, you didn't come all the way here just to thank me, did you?"

  She stared at Di Lie dazedly, and suddenly said inexplicably: "Maybe I should wear that golden armor's bloody cloak."

  Di Lie was taken aback, and then he remembered the scene when they parted ways on the small hill the day before. He understood in his heart that Xuanxuan was resentful of his reserved words and distant attitude.

  Di Lie was taken aback for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Alright, alright, I was wrong. Now, let's not treat you as a princess and you don't have to treat me as a prince, let's just chat like friends."

  Xian Xian smiled cleverly and charmingly, lifted her jade palm holding a jug to pour wine: "It should be so."

  When Di Jun poured wine for them and they each held a cup, Di Lie naturally raised his cup to clink with hers and then drained it in one gulp.

  Xuanxuan was stunned, this era didn't have such a toast ritual, she completely didn't understand what it meant. Until Di Lie held up an empty cup to gesture to her, Xuanxuan threw away her doubts and hastily drank a full cup as a sign of respect.

  Di Lie didn't wait for Huan Huan to speak, and first reported the news to her: "In a few days, we may need to migrate. You and your group of sisters should make preparations. If there's anything you need, just let Ye Xiaoniang know. She is mainly in charge of the women's camp."

  She stared blankly for a moment, then asked: "Moving where?"

  Di Lie naturally wouldn't reveal their destination, only mentioning a general direction: "North."

  "Why go north? Wouldn't that be closer to the Golden Tiger?" Huan Huan was shocked, "Why not go south... Oh, the south is where Zhang Bangchang's traitorous pseudo-Chu is established. We can go east instead! I heard Ninth Brother is gathering heroes in that area to prepare for a campaign to restore the king. With your current forces, if you were to join him, it would definitely be..."

  "Absolutely not!" Di Lie cut off Huan Huan's words without hesitation, seeing her look of surprise, thought for a moment, and changed his tone, "It's not that I don't want to go to your Ninth Brother, it's just... you don't even know where he is hiding in the east, do you? Similarly, neither do I. Do you know how many people I have? Over 10,000! Ninety percent of them are ordinary civilians. Are you asking me to lead these tens of thousands of people to wander aimlessly in this land between the two rivers, just to find your Ninth Brother who is hiding in some corner?"

  Xian Xian's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't expected that there were tens of thousands of people hidden in this mountain valley. She had only been here for a short time and didn't have the opportunity to go out, so she naturally didn't know the exact number of people in the mountain stronghold. Xian Xian thought seriously about it and indeed, it was true, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed: "This princess is also thinking of you, you know that Ninth Brother is the Emperor's personally appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Hebei Army. If you go to join him, relying on your merit for saving us, plus your actual strength, you will definitely be able to get a position as a commander or deputy commander..."

  Di Lie sneered in his heart: Zhao Jia Laojiu, Zhao Gou. The Grand Marshal of the Hebei Army? Supporting the King? That's a master who fled at the sight of the Jin army, and later was chased by the Jin army to the point where there was no way out, even jumping into the sea... Ah, he drifted out to sea on a boat to escape, barely saving his life. To mix with him is to be too long-lived?

  "Alright, let's just drop it then. You came all this way, surely not just to persuade me to surrender to your Ninth Brother?"

  "Of course not." Yan's expression turned solemn, and she suddenly knelt down with a bow, "I have come to ask Your Highness for one thing."

  Di Lie didn't go to help her up, but instead gazed at the wine in his cup with a hint of playfulness, saying lightly: "Such a solemn request, it seems like it's not an easy task."

  Xuan Xuan's pale face looked like a painting, and she said word by word: "I only ask Your Highness to rescue the Empress Dowager when you take action, and also rescue my father!"

  Di Lie was shocked by her: "Save your father? Huizong Zhao Ji? Do you really think I'm a savior?"

  Xu Xu was also shocked, to know that at this time the Taoist master was still alive and well, it was impossible to have a temple name. Di Lie casually "granted" a temple name, which shocked Xu Xu so much that she was speechless for half a day, unable to say a word.

  Di Lie still didn't realize he had misspoken, as a modern person, he completely didn't understand the twists and turns of this aspect. He just shook his head: "Your Highness, you're thinking too simply. Don't think that when I saved you, it looked easy, actually there was a large element of luck involved. If we do it like this again, the result will make you want to cry..."

  "The queen may be important in your eyes, but I'm telling you, to the Jurchen people, she's just a high-end spoil of war. Give her face and treat her as the queen; don't give her face and she's just a woman. That's why the Jurchen army won't waste too many guards on a woman wearing the 'after the fall' hat. So I had the chance to rescue you all earlier, and in the future, there might be another few chances to rescue her again - but only her alone. Any more than that, I also can't guarantee others will make it out alive."

  Di Lie's tone turned severe: "Your father, the Emperor, is entirely different. He is a crucial pawn in the Jin people's suppression of the remaining resistance forces of the Song Dynasty, with great political significance, and is the most important among all the captives of the Jin army. I believe that the guards watching him are no less strict than the personal bodyguards of the Jin army commander Wanyan Zongwang. If I had the ability to break in, why not just kill Wanyan Zongwang directly? Wouldn't that be even better?"

  "But, Huan Huan thinks you can..."

  There are few men in this world who can remain unmoved by a woman's, especially a beauty's, tears. Di Lie was no exception. With a splitting headache, he could only slow down his tone: "I'll do my best. You also know that the difficulty coefficient of this task is too high, I can only say I'll try my best, but can't guarantee anything..."

  Xuan Xuan wiped away her tears and nodded: "Mmm, as long as you do your best, it's fine. I hope heaven will bless Father Emperor to escape safely..." As she spoke, Xuan Xuan's face flushed red, and she lowered her head, saying softly: "Actually, I hope you can save Father Emperor and achieve great merit. At that time... maybe you'll even receive an unexpected reward from Father Emperor..."

  Di Lie almost sneered, rewarding? This Taisui Huang is now afraid of being similar to a beggar, what else can be rewarded? Relying on the title of Taisui Huang? What he wants is independent development, but he didn't plan to hold anyone's thigh...... Hmm, no, this Zhao Ji really has good things to reward, he has so many daughters...

  Di Lie suddenly lifted his head and looked at Huan Huan - those eyes like a pool of autumn water, quickly dodged away.

  Di Lie's heart suddenly felt a wave of heat, and he couldn't help but reach out to support Xuan Xuan's round chin. His hand touched her soft and delicate skin, and his emotions were stirred up, just as he was about to take action... But Xuan Xuan playfully raised her small face, shook off his palm, and quickly ran to the door, suddenly turning back to smile sweetly: "You have to work hard, the reward is very generous..."

  Di Lie gazed at the distant figure of Xuan Xuan, shaking his head with a lost smile, slowly withdrawing his hand, his fingers still seeming to feel that tenderness.

  Di Lie gently twirled his fingers, lost in thought for a moment, then let out a long sigh. Alright, it had to be said, the heart of an extremely beautiful woman was a great motivator. However, Di Lie didn't become infatuated because of this; he would only do what he could and wouldn't take unnecessary risks. But a real man has things that he must not do and things that he must do. He was destined to have another intense collision with the Golden Army.

  This time, Di Lie was not for wealth, nor for women, but for the expectations of two people and a promise.

  Ajie - he must be rescued back!

  Empress Zhu: He must keep his promise!

  Maybe it's time for me to take action again!