Chapter 48: Night Visit to the Golden Camp

  Well, farewell to Sanjiang, and 15 can also take a temporary break. Daily updates of 6-7 thousand words are really making my fingers cramp as a snail-type writer! For the sake of long-term plans, stability, and gradually loosening belts, I will resume daily updates. Of course, if the situation permits, there may be occasional small bursts.

  We also know that after being used to eating two meals a day, suddenly changing to only one meal, this hunger is really making people's eyes turn green... Unfortunately, the pot is too small for now and can only cook one meal. Maybe when this book is lucky enough to be on the shelves, without worries, I will focus on writing books, it will be better then. Looking forward to it...

  This book has achieved such success so far, thanks to the strong support of all book-reading brothers, with various votes, rewards, collections and pushes, which have further solidified my determination to finish the book. Those who have been following this book probably know that I am a down-to-earth person, just focusing on writing. I never make empty promises or ask for votes or pushes, as long as everyone enjoys reading it. I won't make grand promises either, but being able to complete this hard-won book is my wish, as well as the wish of many book-reading brothers.

  Let's work together and make this wish come true!

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  When Di Lie rode the sturdy big green horse left by Guo Lu, holding the last empress of the Great Song Dynasty, slowly heading towards the Golden Camp, it was already dusk, with the jade plate in the sky.

  Zhu Empress originally did not want to ride with Di Lie, and Di Lie did not want to flirt with a young woman who was the mother of the heavens. However, he is now not himself, but "Guo Rong" - a notorious lecher who has made a name for himself on the journey back to the capital while escorting the royal family. Whether it's the empress, princesses, or imperial concubines, he frequently lusts after them, and even dares to peek at the empress while she is using the restroom.

  It is unimaginable that such a man who would lose his life for a woman (in fact, in another parallel time and space, Guoluo was beheaded by Gaitian Dadi and abandoned in the Yellow River because he moved Gaitian Dadi's "cheese") would politely hold the reins and return with Zhu Huanghou.

  Riding freely, embracing a beautiful woman, acting recklessly and wildly, this is the true nature of this golden general who is like a wild wolf.

  Perhaps it was the humiliation of this journey that made the empress understand many things, including humility and forbearance; perhaps it was for the sake of the other consorts who shared her fate... In any case, Empress Zhu ultimately accepted Di Lie's various "discourtesies" in silence.

  The night wind mixed with the fragrance of the woman's body and a few strands of green silk, occasionally blowing against Di Lie's nostrils, stimulating him to hold back a sneeze. To be honest, having a mature woman sitting in his arms, not just any mature woman but a beautiful one, and not just any beautiful woman but the most noble and beautiful woman in the world... it was hard for him not to be moved like a man.

  Fortunately, Di Lie had not forgotten what he came for and had not forgotten that he had repeatedly expressed his determination to treat Zhu Huanghou with courtesy. Therefore, although his young and vigorous body constantly released desires and appeals, he was still able to restrain himself, only moved in his heart but did not take action.

  Within a few miles, under the swift gallop of the horses, they would soon approach the Jin army's large camp. At this time, outside the camp's fence, piles of bonfires were lit up every now and then, with each fire pile placed every ten steps, stretching for several miles, looking like dense stars in the distance.

  During this time, Di Lie also learned some ancient military knowledge about marching, and knew that these bonfires were used to prevent night raids. Once there are enemy troops sneaking into the camp at night, these blazing fires would expose the position, number, and equipment of the enemy, while also giving the soldiers in the camp enough reaction time to organize resistance.

  When Di Lie and Zhu Huanghou's figures appeared in the fire shadow, they had already been noticed by the golden soldiers at the gate of the camp. Di Lie slowed down his horse speed, gradually approaching, and could feel Zhu Huanghou's slightly trembling body.

  Di Lie's body sat still, with a calm and composed expression. His lips moved slightly as he whispered: "Relax, calm down, think about those sisters who are in the same predicament as you, they're waiting for us to rescue them... You can do it..."

  As Di Lie's words comforted, the figure of Zhu Huang Hou gradually stabilized. Di Lie slightly put his mind at ease, but before he could let out a sigh of relief, the real test had only just begun.

  A few Jin soldiers guarding the deer enclosure moved aside to let Di Lie pass, and then several riders rushed out from the gate, rushing towards the two. The several knights were all disheveled with scars on their faces, wearing leather hats and chest armor, and they smiled lewdly at Di Lie from a distance, greeting him with a thousand greetings.

  Di Lie had not stopped learning Jurchen language during these days, and the teacher had changed from Yang Zhechong with two knives to A Shi with a native accent. With his language talent (any soldier who can be sent abroad for peacekeeping missions has considerable language talent, some even speak several languages), although he hadn't reached the level of fluent conversation in just over ten days, there was no obstacle in listening comprehension. He quickly inferred from the titles and respectful behavior of these few Jin soldiers that they should be the personal guards of Guo Lun.

  It's really a case of being afraid of what might happen, in this vast Jin camp, the ones most familiar with Guo Lü are probably his personal bodyguards, aside from a few high-ranking or same-level Jin generals.

  Di Lie knew that his appearance belonged to the "see light die" category, and under the cover of night, ten steps away, he could still deceive people. If these personal guards were allowed to get within ten steps, they would likely see through him.

  At the critical moment, Di Lie couldn't care about Zhu Huanghou's reaction. He suddenly spurred his horse forward, accelerating rapidly. At the same time, he wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in the snow-white nape of her neck, kissing and sniffing wildly, his throat emitting a low, beastly growl.

  Zhu Huanghou was caught off guard, she could only let out a sharp cry and struggle with all her might, but under Di Lie's strong arms that held her in a tight embrace, she was as helpless as a dragonfly trying to shake a pillar.

  Those guards one by one excitedly let out strange cries, turning their horse heads around, closely following behind.

  Di Lie urged his horse on, keeping a distance from the Imperial Guards, while sternly saying in a low voice: "Stop shouting! Hurry up and guide me. If we keep running like this and take a wrong turn, not only will we fail to rescue anyone, but both of us will also lose our lives!"

  Zhu Huanghou's whole body shook, and she finally woke up from her shock, her tightly clenched body softened, and she fell into Di Lie's arms, panting softly, trembling as she pointed the way.

  Since the Jin army invaded Song, they have been undefeated in battle and have hardly encountered any decent resistance. The only exception was in Taiyuan, where they fought for nine months and suffered nearly 10,000 casualties. Even so, that was a siege war. In field battles, the Jin army was basically invincible, often winning with one against ten or even one against a hundred. This also fostered a psychology of arrogance in the Jin army, which hardly ever worried about being ambushed in the wilderness.

  At this time, the Jin army's large camp gathered three major armies, with more than 10,000 elite troops, as well as a large number of attendants and auxiliary soldiers. Such a powerful force, looking at Hebei, no one dared to touch the tiger's whiskers. Therefore, the entire Jin camp can be said to be tight on the outside and loose on the inside, with a relaxed atmosphere, and it seems that Di Lie, who was holding a woman and riding a horse, was not something worth making a big fuss about.

  Empress Zhu and other members of the imperial family were, after the convergence of the three routes of the Jin army, concentrated in a separate camp, guarded by a group of Khitan soldiers. The camp had only one gate, with nearly a hundred felt tents inside, accommodating over a thousand concubines and palace maids. Although the living quarters were simple and the environment was harsh, compared to the tens of thousands of ordinary civilians who were also captured, it was already much better.

  The Khitan soldiers guarding the gate saw, from a distance, "Guo Lu" and the Song Dynasty's Empress in his arms, illuminated by the lanterns lined up in front of the gate. The Khitan soldiers were all too familiar with this "pervert" who often sneaked into the women's camp to humiliate the concubines and palace maids. Now, seeing that he even dared to lay hands on the Song Dynasty's Empress, they were all secretly shocked by his audacity.

  Di Lie had learned from Zhu Huang Hou that the guards at the gate were Khitan soldiers, so he didn't make a sound, only slowed down his horse's pace and pointed forward with his whip. The bodyguards behind him immediately galloped forward, rushing to the front of the gate, shouting and whipping, forcing the guards to open the gate. Then they dispersed on both sides, bowing their heads and holding their knives to welcome the Qianhu Da Ren.

  Di Lie rode forward with a proud expression, coldly scanning the Khitan soldiers who were kowtowing on the ground. He racked his brain to recall Gu Lu's tone of voice and said in a hoarse voice in Jurchen: "Wait here, enter only when you hear my summons."

  Those attendants were all delighted and responded in unison.

  When Di Lie and Zhu Huang Hou entered the camp at a steady pace, they both let out a long sigh - this first pass was considered to be over. Due to excessive fright, when Zhu Huang Hou dismounted, her body was still soft and weak, and she could only move with Di Lie's support.

  When Empress Zhu appeared in the camp, many palace maids who were airing clothes, fetching water and pounding rice outside all rushed to pay their respects. But as soon as they saw Di Lie by her side, they lost color and scattered away in fright. In an instant, the scene that was once full of life became cold and deserted, with not a single person left.

  Di Lie couldn't help but smile wryly and shake his head: "Looks like this Commander Qian has brought you guys a lot of trouble!"

  "Along the way, no less than ten concubines and palace maids have been trampled to death by him. He is not a human being, but a beast..."

  Di Lie remained silent and didn't speak, from ancient times to the present, it has always been the same, the women of a defeated country are always humiliated the most.

  "We're here." As the gentle voice of Empress Zhu faded away, several large yellow tents appeared before their eyes, which were much more luxurious and spacious than the surrounding felt tents.

  Empress Zhu was walking towards the middle tent when a palace curtain on her left side was lifted, and a beautiful woman in palace attire with a slender figure and elegant appearance emerged. Upon seeing Empress Zhu, she showed a delighted expression, just about to speak, but then caught sight of Di Lie, instantly changing her facial expression, hastily pulling back her sleeves and bowing her head: "I didn't know Your Excellency had arrived, this criminal woman is terrified."

  Di Lie did not want to say more, lest he slip up with too many words. He nodded slightly and left with Empress Zhu.

  After walking far, Empress Zhu said in a low voice: "The woman just now was Wei Xianfei of the Taishang Emperor... Ah, she is the birth mother of King Kang. It's also fortunate that among the thousands of males in the Song Dynasty's imperial clan, from the Taishang Emperor and the Emperor to ordinary branch members, all were captured by the Jin people, but fortunately one King Kang escaped..."

  With Di Lie's mediocre knowledge of Song history, it is impossible to know who Wei Xianfei was, but as for this King Kang... even if his historical knowledge was not good, he was a household name, like thunder in the ears.

  Emperor Gaozong of Song Zhao Gou!

  This creator of Southern Song Dynasty, who reigned for over thirty years, resisted the Jin dynasty and also surrendered to it. In the end, he humiliated himself with a peace treaty, dividing the territory along the river and prolonging the Song dynasty's reign by nearly one and a half centuries. However, what later generations remembered was not this Southern Song founding emperor's "legendary experience" or "glorious deeds", but that he personally nurtured the greatest traitor in history and also personally created the greatest loyal minister of all time.

  Has the Southern Song Dynasty been established yet? Perhaps not, at least so far, there is no news about this. However, in this era, the speed of information transmission is basically calculated by feet, perhaps a new dynasty has already been established, but the news has not arrived yet...

  Because of the sudden appearance of Wei Xianfei, it is associated with Kang Wang Zhao Gou and that future dynasty. Di Lie's mind was dazed, unknowingly, he had already walked to the front of the tent. Suddenly, in front of him, the curtain of the tent was lifted, and for some reason, Di Lie seemed to feel a bit tense, subconsciously stopping his footsteps.

  The empress Zhu's phoenix eyes slanted and glanced, her expression seeming to smile yet not smiling: "Great hero, please enter."

  Di Lie covered his forehead with his hand, somewhat embarrassed. What's wrong with him? He had charged into the dragon's lair and tiger's den, but was afraid to enter a mere woman's boudoir?

  Di Lie learned from Guo Lu's appearance and burst out laughing, then stepped forward and entered.

  Although Di Lie had already made sufficient mental preparations, the scene inside the tent still left him staring blankly and momentarily at a loss...