Chapter 176 Death of Li Jinzhong

Inside the Zhou army’s central tent.

A Khitan envoy was tied up and kneeling on the ground. Next to him, the bloodstained head of another envoy was thrown aside casually.

Li Dafang and Li Sulu looked at each other, then looked at Zhao Ji who was sitting at the desk with a calm demeanor, and swallowed.

The Khitan envoy said: "General, when two countries are at war, envoys are not killed. The Great Zhou is the empire of heaven and a country of etiquette. How can you be so disrespectful?"

Li Dafang shook his head repeatedly, thinking that the envoy was ungrateful and unwilling to cooperate, and would be brutally killed by Governor Zhao again.

Zhao Ji sneered and suddenly slammed the table and stood up: "Absurd! Raole and Songmo are both the territory of our Great Zhou. The Xi people are good citizens under the rule of our Great Zhou. Although Li Jinzhong rebelled, the Khitan people were deceived by him and are still citizens under the rule of the Great Zhou. How can there be two countries?"

"Besides, Li Jinzhong is ambitious and ignorant of destiny. He rebelled against his superiors and did evil things. It's ok, but he also sent you to deceive the good people of the Great Zhou to join the rebellion. Are you considered an envoy? You are clearly a spy!"

The messenger was speechless and could not answer.

Li Dapo also looked at Zhao Ji in amazement. He didn't expect that he could refute like this.

Zhao Ji leaned on the commander's seat and said with pity: "Forget it, you are unlucky. Your brother died and escaped the pain of the flesh. Now you are the only one left, so it is difficult to give you a quick death."

"Come on, take him away and torture him severely. If he is willing to cooperate, bring him back to tell you. If he is not willing, beat him to death. Don't let him have his way. By the way, after he dies, throw his body into the mountains to feed the wolves."

"Yes!" The soldiers under the tent were about to drag the Khitan envoy away.

The Khitan envoy struggled and said, "Wait! I am willing to confess!"

Zhao Ji sat up immediately after hearing the voice. He smiled and said, "Very good, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. If you want to live, say something valuable."

The envoy glanced at Li Dafang, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "I think the general knows about the Turkic army. I also know that the general is planning to go to Yingzhou."

"But now Yingzhou has become an empty city. Li Jinzhong has moved the royal court to another place. I am willing to lead the army to find the royal court. I only hope that the general will let my family go when the time comes!"

Zhao Ji hesitated for a moment and did not agree immediately.

The messenger was anxious, and continued: "General, the Khan is now seriously ill and unable to command the army, and there are less than 3,000 people guarding the royal court now..."

"What's your name?" Zhao Ji suddenly became a little interested in the person in front of him.

The messenger replied: "My name is Ke Tu Yu."

Zhao Ji looked at Ke Tuyu deeply, a little timid: "Okay, this governor promises you that I will let your family go, you go down first."

"Thank you, General." Ke Tuyu bowed repeatedly and then retreated.

After Ke Tuyu left, Zhao Ji called Li Kaigu over and asked, "Who is this Ke Tuyu? He is quite cruel."

"The leaders of the eight Khitan tribes all came from the Daha clan. Many young men from other tribes could not make a name for themselves, so they must feel unwilling." Li Kaigu said quietly.

Zhao Ji smiled when he heard this, nodded slowly, and understood.

Li Dafang and Li Lusu stood under the tent, feeling a little awkward: "General, can we go back now? We will go back to the tent and deliver the horses and lambs promised to the general."

Zhao Ji did not agree. He stared at Li Dafang with a serious face and said, "No need. Leave it to General Yang. Your brother can go back and gather a thousand Xi soldiers. Then you can lead them and follow me to the north."

Li Lusu's face changed drastically, and he reminded: "Commander-in-chief, what about the Turks?"

Zhao Ji said confidently: "General Yang will arrive in a day or two, he will help you. The Turks came from afar, they are very secretive and dare not move freely, so there is no need to worry."

Li Lusu wanted to say more, but Li Dafang stopped him and said, "Li Jinzhong is seriously ill, and the Khitan people are weak. This is God's will to destroy the Khitan people. We Xi people will follow God's will and help the Great Zhou with all our strength."

"He who knows the times is a hero. Patriarch Li is truly a man who knows the times." Zhao Ji said with a smile.

Ke Tuyu, Li Dafang and Li Lusu could all be future leaders of the Khitan or Xi people and influential figures, but now they were all controlled by Zhao Ji. It was a matter of time and fate.
-
In the depths of the Khitan royal court, inside Li Jinzhong's majestic tent, a solemn and sad atmosphere enveloped the area.

Li Jinzhong's young sons all knelt on the ground, and his wives and concubines shed tears silently. Li Jinzhong held his brother Li Shaogu's hand tightly and told him about his last wishes. Yi Yuanyu and a few other trusted ministers witnessed the death.

"Shao Gu... I am dying. After I die, the Khanship will be inherited by the Marshal. Shihuo, you, and my useless sons, you must work together to assist the Marshal and not act on your own..."

In the early days of nomadic regimes, there were generally remnants of clan society. Unlike the dynasties in the Central Plains, the succession from elder brother to younger brother was far more common than the succession from father to son.

Li Shaogu, Li Jinzhong's younger brother, was at the top of the succession order, so he was somewhat unwilling and refused to agree for a while, only wailing in pain: "Brother! Brother!"

Yi Yuanyu was Sun Wanrong's brother-in-law and confidant, and was happy to see Sun Wanrong succeed to the throne. He immediately agreed, "I will obey the Khan's order."

Seeing Li Shaogu's performance, Li Jinzhong struggled to stand up and said, "Shaogu, the Zhou army is approaching, the situation is critical, we must work together to survive."

"Only the Marshal has the strength and prestige to lead you to fight against the Great Zhou! You promise me that you will restrain your brothers and assist the Marshal well, otherwise, I will die with regrets!"

Li Shaogu cried even more sadly, tears streaming down his face: "Brother, you led us through so much hardship to build this foundation, and now you are leaving us before we can even enjoy it for a few days. I am unwilling to accept this!"

Li Jinzhong sighed and ignored Li Shaogu. He turned to Yi Yuanyu and other important officials with difficulty: "You all heard what I said. The Marshal is now leading troops outside. There will be a big battle. After he wins, he will return immediately and inherit the Khan throne..."

"Khan..." Yi Yuanyu choked up and could hardly control himself when he saw Li Jinzhong was so exhausted.

Finally, an uninvited guest disturbed the sad and solemn atmosphere, and a soldier came to report outside the tent.

"The Xi people are coming with the Zhou army, and now they are less than ten miles away from the royal court."

There was a sudden commotion in the tent, and everyone was at a loss for a moment.

Li Jinzhong even spat out a mouthful of blood, fell backwards on the bed, and was dying.

The women and children immediately started crying and wailing upon seeing this, and the tent became even more chaotic.

"Stop crying!" Yi Yuanyu shouted, leaning over to Li Jinzhong's ear, "Khan, do you have anything else to say?"

"Don't be afraid, run... go to Yingzhou, let a team of people take my body and flag to lead away the Zhou army, and the rest of you can run as far as you can. They will stop chasing us only after they get my body..." Li Jinzhong said the last word, used up his last bit of strength, and passed away.
-
Outside the Khitan king's court, Zhao Ji, Shen Tao, and Xiao Bao led the reserve troops to a high hill with a wide view, and calmly examined the situation on the battlefield below.

The Zhou army fought with more than 2,000 elite Khitan defenders left behind. The Khitans fought desperately, the battlefield was filled with smoke and the sound of killing was deafening.

"General, Li Dafang's Xi soldiers are unable to hold on any longer. Do you want to send troops to support them?" Shen Tao pointed at the left wing of the Zhou army below.

Zhao Ji's eyes were sharp as torches, and he responded calmly: "Don't worry about him. These Khitans are trapped in a jar and can't escape. The Khitan nobles who broke through the siege are the big ones. None of them can be let go, especially Li Jinzhong."

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden movement in the depths of the Khitan royal court. A huge team composed of the old, the weak, women and children rushed out in desperation, attempting to turn the tide of the battle with human wave tactics.

The Xi soldiers gradually felt overwhelmed by this torrent and their defense line began to collapse.

Zhao Ji saw everything clearly from his high position and decisively ordered: "Xiao Bao, take a team to encircle and disperse this mob from the flank."

The battle situation changed rapidly. Just as everyone was busy responding, Li Jinzhong's flag suddenly appeared on the east side of the royal court. Surrounding it were many Khitan elites, moving very quickly, and seemed to be planning a final breakout.

"General, Li Jinzhong is about to run away!" Shen Tao said anxiously.

Zhao Ji's eyes flickered, and he made a quick decision: "Shen Tao, leave me 500 men, take the rest away, and make sure to stop them."

"Understood sir." Shen Tao took the order and led the team to quickly disappear in the smoke and dust.

The battlefield became increasingly chaotic, with shouts of fighting everywhere.

After a long time, there was another unusual movement in the Khitan royal court. A small group of cavalry went north, trying to escape in the chaos.

Zhao Ji raised a smile and shouted, "All troops, follow me and charge!"

After saying this, Zhao Ji took the lead and led the remaining 500 people to rush towards the small group of cavalry in the north.

(End of this chapter)