Me and countless me.

Chapter 620 Guo Jing's Unspeakable Secret
Muqali surrendered, without a doubt.

The entire capital city witnessed the wind dragon descending from the sky. According to the descriptions of the returning Mongol soldiers, Li Ke was practically a demon god descending to earth or a deity undergoing tribulation.

but--

Li Ke did not receive enough Mongol troops.

Because many Mongols still believed in the Eternal Heaven and their own Great Khan, even though Li Ke displayed unprecedented power, some loyal followers still chose to flee back.

Moreover, Li Ke didn't really trust these Mongol troops, after all, they had indeed followed the Mongol Khan in burning, killing, and looting, making a fortune, and had been promised high-ranking positions and generous salaries.

Loyalty is a virtue, and after following Genghis Khan and his descendants and gaining countless honors, practical benefits, and hopes, the Mongols' loyalty to the Mongol Empire became extremely unshakable.

Therefore, when Li Ke finally took control of Dadu, he found that the army was reduced to half its original size and Dadu was severely lacking in money and food.

The remaining troops consisted only of the Mongol army that had witnessed him unleash the wind, frost, rain, and snow, as well as the local Han and Jurchen strongmen. However, these people also had their own bases, and it was uncertain how much they would obey orders without gaining more benefits and demonstrating sufficient power.

Even Muqali, who surrendered, only expressed his submission to Li Ke. However, it was not so simple to expect him to show the same talent and drive he displayed under Genghis Khan from the very beginning.

However, Mu Huali still helped Li Ke handle most of the matters, and was able to carry out Li Ke's orders to the best of his ability; he just didn't offer any strategies.

So, after ordering soldiers and citizens to use food to drive the common people in Dadu to repair roads, clean up, treat the sick and injured, and to have Yang Guo recruit soldiers from among the common people under his own banner, Li Ke stood on the city wall, looking at Dadu, which finally seemed to have some life again, and began to think.

"It seems I still have to build my own team. I just don't know how effective the Dragon Ball Lee Seed will be in my world."

Li Ke looked towards the wounded and sick camp not far away, where Li Mochou was currently leading her disciples and a group of women to treat the wounded and sick.

With her around, Li Ke didn't have to worry about the women being bullied by Mongols or local thugs. Although Li Mochou couldn't sweep through thousands of troops like him, she could still kill a few Mongol thugs.

As for money, there's not much to worry about. He brought a lot of seeds from the Dragon Ball world and has already started building factories to develop new iron and salt fields. Given time, he might have less silver, but he'll definitely have plenty of food and iron.

Therefore, Li Ke planned to focus on farming and garrisoning troops, waiting for the Mongols to attack the city so that he could fight alone and turn the tide.

However, at this moment——

"You conquered a city through your bravery and began your path to supremacy. This time, you relied solely on your own strength, not your family's. Therefore, you no longer need to worry about your father becoming emperor. However, you are also well aware that you need more power to help you. So, you have decided to find Wu Zetian's family to help you develop your power. Mission requirements: Go to Xiangyang City, find Wu Zetian who is currently pregnant, and marry her. Reward: Randomly tamed beast."

Li Ke rolled his eyes. He knew that his system was not functioning properly, and even the reward might be abnormal!
"Leaving aside who this Wu Zetian is, I finally managed to conquer a territory, and then I went to Xiangyang to find women... By the time I returned, the people in the city had probably already rebelled! And there were wild beasts I'd randomly tamed..."

Li Ke glanced at the fighter jet parked not far away, and his lips twitched.

"Is it a tiger? It must be the king of tigers, right? Or is it some kind of tiger that says 'You're talking nonsense!'?"

The thought of a robot pointing at him and saying "You're talking nonsense!" after he completed the task made Li Ke want to shut down the system.

"However, if it really is the Tiger King, I can confidently entrust one of my troops to him."

Touching his chin, Li Ke thought it was a good idea, but he still had to manage the city. At the very least, he had to wait until the first wave of the Mongol offensive was over before he would go looking for trouble in Xiangyang.

However, if possible, Li Ke planned to postpone the attack on the Song Dynasty until the end, giving the people of the Central Plains some time to breathe and recuperate.

Li Ke felt that as long as those people in the Song Dynasty were of sound mind, they wouldn't stab him in the back at this time.

However, just as Li Ke was stabilizing the livelihoods of the people in his territory and carrying out large-scale rescues for the Han Chinese—

"The Mongol Khan sent troops to reprimand us."

Emperor Zhao Qi of the Song Dynasty looked at his court officials and couldn't help but tremble.

When the Jin Dynasty was destroyed, there were people in the Song Dynasty who wanted to take advantage of the situation, but unfortunately, they suffered a terrible blow and were wiped out without any resistance.

Therefore, at this moment, the emperor of the Song Dynasty felt only fear, fear of the threat posed by the Mongols.

However, the court officials had their own ideas.

"If Muqali takes this opportunity to rebel, we might be able to use this opportunity to establish a Jin dynasty and continue to resist the Mongols."

Jia Sidao came up with this method, and many ministers also thought of it, but in this world of Jin Yong, they cared more about one thing.

Will Guo Jing rebel?

This person controlled the connections of various martial arts sects and gangs, and was able to defend Xiangyang for so long without the imperial court's provisions. He even repelled several Mongol attacks and had money to reward his troops!

Moreover, this man had Beggar Clan disciples scattered throughout the north and south of the country at his beck and call, capable of summoning thousands or even tens of thousands of skilled men to serve him at will. These beggars were far more adept at gathering information than the spies and agents of the Song Dynasty; often, before their own men even received the news, these beggars had already delivered the intelligence to Guo Jing.

If this person's military ability were truly lacking, it wouldn't be so bad; they wouldn't be unable to tolerate it. But the problem lies in the fact that this person's military strength is truly dazzling. He is Tolui's sworn brother, the son-in-law of Genghis Khan's daughter, and has even led an army to destroy a small country. He has a solid record of military achievements, as well as Genghis Khan's retention of him and the Wuyue Testament as his endorsement.

Moreover, he has close ties with the Quanzhen Sect, which has already sided with the Mongols! Just a few days ago, he even sent Wanyan Guo, the son of Wanyan Kang, a former prince of the Jin Dynasty, to the Quanzhen Sect. What exactly he wants to do is really hard to fathom.

If such a person wanted to become an official and make a fortune, that would be one thing. The Mongols are so fierce that they could easily make him a prince of a different surname; it would just mean one more mouth to feed.

However, he did not want an official position, was not subject to the control of the court, and was unwilling to conform to the world. He only said that he wanted to protect his country and restore the Central Plains. Everyone said that he was a man of noble character and a hero of his generation.

So whose Central Plains did he actually want to restore?
Xiangyang is currently the only pass that the Song Dynasty can rely on...

Allowing this person to continue gaining power in Xiangyang is bad for everyone. But the problem is, if he's there, the residents of Xiangyang will only listen to him. The people they send there will be like wooden or clay sculptures, completely useless, and they won't be able to bring this strategic pass under their complete control!

Therefore, after discussing it, the ministers made what they considered the wisest decision.

"Therefore, the current plan is to find a way to transfer Guo Jing away from Xiangyang City, let him fight with Li Ke like dogs, and see how it goes!"

After exchanging glances and confirming their thoughts, the ministers turned together, and Jia Sidao spoke to the emperor. "We believe that the best solution is to appoint Guo Jing as the General Who Conquers the Barbarians and Leads the Northern Expedition, allowing him to raise troops independently, and to transfer him from Xiangyang to lead the Mongols in attacking the traitor Li Ke. After all, General Guo has close ties with the Mongols, and they can cooperate better, demonstrating the goodwill between the two countries."

The timid Song emperor breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. His greatest fear was angering the Mongols and causing them to attack Xiangyang. Therefore, when he heard that his ministers intended to send Guo Jing, he felt relieved.

"What if Guo Jing refuses again?"

Guo Jing had refused official positions many times, but if possible, he would have liked to appoint Guo Jing as a general.

However, Guo Jing refused to accept an official position.

"Let's use Guo Jing's family and the troops withdrawn from Xiangyang as hostages, so that he can lead the army into battle! This will preserve the good relations between our two countries!"

The ministers wanted to say that, but they were also aware of Guo Jing's martial prowess, Huang Rong's strength, and her completely different moral values.

However, considering their emperor's habitual tendency to shift blame, they kept their mouths shut and offered no advice.

So the emperor thought for a moment and then spoke.

"If he still refuses, ask him if he misses the Golden Knife. If he does, then you may marry the princess."

He felt he had given a rather brilliant reason, since he believed that this was precisely why Guo Jing was unwilling to become a subject of the Song Dynasty, and therefore he felt that this was sufficient.

If Guo Jing still wants to become the emperor's son-in-law, then so be it.

At worst, we can give him the title of Duke. As long as Guo Jing doesn't rebel, everything is negotiable.

Therefore, an imperial edict arrived at Guo Jing's home, questioning whether he intended to rebel and gently inquiring about the conditions under which he could refrain from rebelling if he truly wanted to.

After Guo Jing and Huang Rong read the letter, Huang Rong was furious when she saw the words "Princess Keshang" on it, but her wisdom still allowed her to see very clearly that this was definitely a huge trap!
If Guo Jing actually obeys and attacks Li Ke, then the Guo family will definitely be in trouble! If anything goes wrong, Guo Jing will most likely be killed!

But looking at Guo Jing's expression, she knew she couldn't persuade him.

Contrary to many people's perception that Huang Rong was the dominant figure in the couple, Huang Rong would never object to Guo Jing's decisions, as long as his expression darkened.

Therefore, upon seeing Guo Jing's somber expression, Huang Rong knew that she could not possibly dissuade him.

"Life is tough these days..."

Guo Jing sighed. He was unwilling to serve as an official in the court because he didn't want to deal with the intrigue and power struggles among these people. He knew he was loyal to the Song Dynasty, but the emperor and others didn't believe him.

"Rong'er...this time, your husband..."

He looked at Huang Rong's lower abdomen. Huang Rong had become pregnant again these days. He wanted to stay here to accompany Huang Rong, but he also had to find out about Li Ke's situation. Therefore, he could not continue speaking halfway through his sentence.

He knew much more about the situation in the capital than the imperial court did. After all, the beggar there showed no signs of anything unusual, and his information network was more extensive than that of most people in the world.

The Beggars' Sect disciples told Li Ke everything he had done: Li Ke provided free medical care and food to those unable to work, and put those who had lost their livelihoods into workshops, providing them with two full meals a day and easy work. He also provided free housing and warm clothing to those who had nowhere to stand.

Moreover, the other party was well-versed in astronomy, geography, and various trades, and easily found many coal mines. After hiring people to dig them out, he gave them away to the residents of Dadu for free, saving the people of Dadu the money to buy firewood.

Therefore, Guo Jing couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Compared to Li Ke, the emperor of the Song Dynasty is truly a useless person."

Indeed, Guo Jing genuinely believed that although the current emperor was not as incompetent as those emperors like Wanyan Gou, he was still a complete waste of space.

If the other party hadn't been incompetent, and if the entire court hadn't been so preoccupied with corruption, bribery, and infighting, he would have already entered officialdom and handed Xiangyang over to the court long ago. It's just a pity...

This has always been Guo Jing's unspeakable secret.

However, he was ultimately loyal to the Song Dynasty, so although it was a pity, he was powerless to do anything about it, hence the conflicted look on his face. Huang Rong noticed this, so she gently took Guo Jing's hand.

“That Li Ke claims that the Mongols, the Jurchens, and the Song people are all people born on the Central Plains, all sons and daughters of China… You don’t need to feel sorry for such an arrogant person. Brother Jing, you just need to go and fulfill the emperor’s wish. As for Xiangyang… I will defend it for you!”

Huang Rong's face was resolute, her heart as cold as iron, but Guo Jing couldn't help but shake his head.

What he said actually makes a lot of sense...

Guo Jing couldn't help but think of his life on the grasslands, and he had no objection to the claim that the Mongol invaders were all jackals.

However, Guo Jing would absolutely not agree that all Mongols were bad people.

If all Mongols were bad people, how could he and his mother have survived in the desert?
Therefore, he greatly disdained the claim by many Song people and officials that the Mongols were wolves, and Li Ke's statement was the most appropriate one for him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see any possibility of Li Ke's success.

The hatred between the Song, Jin, and Mongol people ran too deep. Even if Li Ke was a god descended to earth, how could he possibly make the three races live in peace?
Moreover, how could a single city possibly withstand the Mongol army? It would be better to persuade Li Ke to surrender to the Song Dynasty and serve the Song Dynasty together with him!

Therefore, Guo Jing had no intention of joining Li Ke's side; he simply patted Huang Rong on the shoulder.

"I will try my best to persuade Li Ke to surrender this time. This would be a good thing for both our Song Dynasty and him."

Guo Jing was in high spirits, feeling that with Li Ke's abilities, seeing the current situation clearly wouldn't be a big problem, so achieving his goal wouldn't be too difficult.

But for some reason, Huang Rong had a bad feeling when she looked at Guo Jing, who was full of vigor again!

(End of this chapter)