Me and countless me.

Chapter 627 The Decision to Destroy the Song Dynasty
Sometimes, a young man's blush can speak louder than any words. Li Ke's face was red at this moment, because he was angry at his system.

But from other people's perspectives...

"So General Li is still a novice?"

Seeing Li Ke like this, Huang Rong assumed it was because he had never been close to women. Considering that Li Ke had once been an uninitiated Taoist priest of the Quanzhen Sect, she felt that this was not impossible.

So she grabbed Guo Fu, who was kneeling on the ground, and made Guo Fu lie on top of Li Ke as well.

As a result, Li Ke became even more popular.

But at that moment, Li Ke saw that the Fierce Tiger King was about to say something, so he decisively spoke up.

"We'll discuss this matter later. And you, Tiger King, shut your mouth!"

The Tiger King obeyed and shut his mouth, but judging from his flickering red eyes, Li Ke knew that he must have a lot to say.

However, Li Ke was too lazy to say anything. Instead, he waved his hand, and Huang Rong and Guo Fu instantly felt a gentle force push them apart. But Guo Xiang, who was behind Huang Rong, was picked up by Li Ke, who continued to use his internal energy to nurture and heal the child.

"Let's go, Mrs. Guo, I have a gift for you."

Li Ke turned and left. He had already planned to kill the envoy sent by the Song Dynasty to express his sincerity to Huang Rong.

As for the idea that killing envoys is tasteless, that only applies when the two sides are relatively equal in strength. Therefore, the ominous nature of killing envoys also has its prerequisites.

That is, the envoy came for justice, was not afraid of death from the beginning, and did not excessively insult his host.

Moreover, small countries that usually say this are basically those that existed during the Han and Tang dynasties, an era when, if you weren't careful, envoys from the Celestial Empire would start showing you their talents.

Things like sleeping with the Empress Dowager or conspiring with your concubines to murder you are usually only used to trigger the warning that killing an envoy is inauspicious.

Because killing him would truly bring bad luck!
As for these envoys from the Song Dynasty...

It's not that there aren't any good ones, but unfortunately, none of them came to persuade Li Ke this time.

Li Ke led his entourage back to the main hall. Looking at the trembling Song Dynasty officials before him, Kublai Khan couldn't help but laugh, for at this moment, these envoys were shaking like leaves, completely lacking any composure.

At this moment, Li Ke sat back in his seat with an air of authority, looked at the envoys in front of him, and said one sentence.

"I now intend to take in General Guo's widow and launch an attack on the Song Dynasty. Give me a reason not to kill you."

If any of these people have backbone, Li Ke will release them and give some of his troops to Huang Rong to attack Xiangyang City. He will then fight off any potential Mongols who might come. After taking Xiangyang, they will continue to develop their forces and wait until everyone is equipped with true qi armor before considering other options.

After all, his men are very valuable, and if they only wear full suits of armor, there will still be a high casualty rate.

But if even the envoys don't have a shred of backbone, then he will leave the rear to Muqali and lead Kublai Khan and his imperial guards to conquer the entire Song Dynasty!

The Song Dynasty envoys looked at each other in bewilderment, and then Li Ke saw the envoy who had previously been indignant and told him that he would perish if he did not unite with the Song Dynasty kneel down on the ground.

"General, you are wise and mighty; how could you not know the inauspiciousness of killing envoys? Moreover, in times of war, envoys are not to be killed. We beg you to spare our lives. Furthermore..."

As the envoy finished speaking, he saw Huang Rong, dressed in mourning clothes, lead Guo Xiang in and lean directly on Li Ke's shoulder, as if looking at her daughter being held in Li Ke's arms. In reality, it was an act of affection. He immediately understood, and the meaning of his words changed.

"...The commander-in-chief has just taken a new concubine, so it's really not a good time to resort to violence. Besides, I have no grudge against Commander Guo. Even if the general is seeking revenge, it's because His Majesty has been misled by treacherous people, and it certainly has nothing to do with us! We will definitely report to His Majesty later to investigate thoroughly and restore justice to General Guo! In my opinion, the general has no reason to kill us. If the commander-in-chief is short of rations, I can also report to His Majesty to provide the general with more military supplies to show our loyalty to the Great Song Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Li Ke felt his head buzzing. He had thought about the extent to which the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty were personified many times, but he never expected that they would be personified in this way.

If the other party rebukes or even insults him, and disregards the rules of life and death, and is solely for the sake of the Song Dynasty, he will truly release them, just like Guo Jing's self-inflicted death. He may not understand it, but he respects it and will give them final dignity.

After all, the Chinese people still value this, but unfortunately, in the end they were still shifting the blame, and even said things like "newly taking a concubine".

But Li Ke still decided to give him a chance, and suppressed her anger as she asked another question.

"As far as I know, the Song Dynasty is currently facing financial difficulties, so how can you provide me with more military supplies?"

Upon hearing Li Ke's words, the envoy felt hopeful of surviving and immediately spoke confidently.

"General, there is no need to worry. Our Great Song Dynasty is exceptionally wealthy. It will only require us to collect more grain and provisions. If you can help us resist the Mongols, with the strength of our Great Song Dynasty, we will surely win your favor!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Rong, disregarding that they were in the council hall, immediately grabbed Li Ke's arm, letting him feel her panic and helplessness, because she was truly afraid that Li Ke would agree! She secretly gripped her dagger, deciding that if Li Ke agreed, she would stab him to death with the dagger and then commit suicide!

But when she held Li Ke, her heart inexplicably softened, and tears kept flowing. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and the murderous intent towards Li Ke disappeared from her heart.

"If even someone like Li Ke is greedy for wealth and glory, then I will never have the chance to avenge Guo Jing in this lifetime. I might as well end it all myself, so that Li Ke can keep Fu'er and Xiang'er and prevent the Guo family bloodline from being cut off."

Tears streamed down her face, and Li Ke patted her arm to comfort her. Then, looking at the Song Dynasty envoy before him, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"It seems we really can't keep you around."

An envoy who would utter such words as, "With the strength of my Great Song Dynasty, I am sure I can win the general's favor!" has no reason to live.

Such a Song Dynasty did not deserve a dignified end.

So Li Ke drew his sword. After obtaining the True Qi Metal, he reshaped its components, using the True Qi Metal as the core and combining it with several other metals forging. So at this moment, when Li Ke circulated his inner energy, the sword's effect was as if a portion of the Milky Way in the sky had been cut off to forge it. Not only did it shimmer with the light of stars, but the light of these stars was also constantly flowing!

"This sword is my command sword, Madam Guo. Use this sword to kill them. Let this lowly man serve as a temporary sacrifice for General Guo! And as a sacrifice for the flags of my three armies!"

After saying this, Li Ke handed the sword to the delighted Huang Rong, and then looked in the direction of Kublai Khan.

"Kublai Khan, prepare your troops and mobilize the Imperial Guards. We will conquer the Song Dynasty in three months! Furthermore, I allow you to expand your army and recruit soldiers. As long as you abide by military discipline and regulations, I will appoint you to any position and provide you with the corresponding rations and pay as many men as you can recruit. If you can recruit 100,000 men, the position of Supreme General is not out of the question!"

He genuinely hadn't planned to attack the Song Dynasty so soon. After all, he still had too few subordinates. His original plan was to garrison troops and cultivate the land for three or four years, training enough basic cadres before launching an attack. But now it seemed that during those three or four years of garrisoning, countless Song citizens would die. The Beggars' Sect had 300,000 members—a truly alarming number. Keep in mind that the Song Dynasty only had 30 to 40 million people; on average, one in every hundred was a beggar. Moreover, these 300,000 people represented 300,000 families, making the total even more terrifying.

"I will obey your orders!"

Kublai Khan was trembling with excitement, and so were the military leaders under his command. The position of Supreme General was something everyone who had heard of the Chu-Han Contention or the story of Han Xin knew.

At this moment, Li Ke stood up and looked at the generals under his command.

There were Mongols, Jurchens, and Khwarazmians among them, but the majority were Han Chinese.

"It's impossible to bestow kingships in the Central Plains, but if you are outstanding enough to expand your territory, then I will grant you a kingship based on the land you conquer! I will provide you with the corresponding provisions and stipends! Under my command, there is no distinction between North and South, no ethnicity! Apart from officials being forbidden from practicing religion or engaging in commerce, there are no other restrictions or taboos, not even regarding changes in clothing or appearance. Because in my eyes, you are all descendants of the Chinese people, the children of Yan and Huang. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Li Ke gripped his sword sheath, looking at his men, who were all formidable figures in the original history. Rather than letting them fight for power in the Celestial Empire in the future, it would be better to send them out to expand the territory.

Especially Kublai Khan, Li Ke could believe that his ambition was definitely not low, it was just that he was able to keep him in check...

But Li Ke wanted to explore new technologies and manage domestic affairs, so naturally he had to entrust the task of development to those who were willing to do so, which is why he asked this question.

"I will finally understand!"

Kublai Khan immediately knelt down and clasped his hands in greeting. The officials and generals in the hall also knelt down and shouted their understanding. Some even took out yellow dragon robes from their bosoms, but Li Ke noticed them immediately and gave them a death stare.

The official gave an awkward smile, then quietly stuffed the yellow robe back into his pocket. Li Ke had already given, or rather, painted, enough promises; there was no need for anyone to drape the yellow robe over Li Ke to increase his credibility.

After kneeling to show that he understood, Kublai Khan smiled at Li Ke.

"To demonstrate my resolve, I, Kublai Khan, beg the General to change my name to Fan! This will show my determination!"

In ancient times, changing one's name was a very solemn matter, as it often represented one's determination and what one was going to do, and was therefore very common.

Kublai Khan requested to change his name to Fan to prove that he would be as loyal as Fan Kuai.

But as Li Ke looked at him, he thought of some anecdotes from later generations, and then looked at the Han army generals behind Kublai Khan, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"Fan Kuai is nothing but a chicken-killer and dog-slaughterer. You are my future General Who Conquers the West and a strong candidate for the King of the Great West. You should take the surname Liu."

Before Li Ke could finish speaking, he saw Kublai Khan's surprised expression.

"How did Your Majesty know that I am of Han descent?"

His bewildered and innocent expression stunned Li Ke for a moment, leaving her speechless!

"what?"

However, in that instant, Kublai Khan pulled out a yellow robe from his robes and draped it over Li Ke's shoulders! He then immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Li Ke.

"Your subject Liu Bilie pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Then, a large group of people behind him began to kowtow and worship in a thunderous roar.

"Long live our emperor! Long live our emperor!"

Then, mixed in with the shouts of "Long live!" were some quiet cheers.

"Long live the Emperor of Heaven!"

Li Ke was stunned. Despite all his precautions, he never expected that Kublai Khan, this round-faced man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would pull this trick on him!
At this moment, with the yellow robe already on his body, Li Ke had nothing to say. Amidst Kublai Khan's ecstatic gaze, he took out his imperial seal from his robes, then looked at his subordinates and spoke in a subtle tone.

"Long live... I might actually live to be a million years old."

However, Li Ke's words only brought a smile to everyone's faces. After all, they all thought that Li Ke was a deity who had come down to face a tribulation, so how could he possibly live for ten thousand years in the human world?

But in their eyes, Li Ke was no different from a god, so they all smiled and looked at him. Kublai Khan continued to speak in his pragmatic tone.

"Then we will follow Your Majesty for ten thousand years! If Your Majesty lives for ten thousand years, we will follow Your Majesty for ten thousand years; if Your Majesty lives for ten thousand years, we will follow Your Majesty for ten thousand years."

After they finished speaking in unison, they saw Li Ke reveal a strange expression, a peculiar smile, and utter a soft, eerie sound.

"This is what you said."

"We will certainly carry it out!"

Kublai Khan and others would slap themselves in the face when they recalled this event 10,000 years from now. Li Ke didn't know this, but the Song Dynasty envoys were all killed by the berserk Huang Rong at this time, without delaying Li Ke's ascension to the throne and acceptance of the loyalty of his subjects.

After all, this is the most important thing right now. Who cares about the envoys from the Great Song Dynasty?

As for Li Ke's claim of conquering the Song Dynasty in three months, they felt no psychological pressure whatsoever. In fact, they felt it was a gift of merit, and each of them was considering whether to kill some of their clansmen as war casualties or to send Li Ke enough beautiful women, otherwise they would not feel at ease accepting this credit.

Therefore, Huang Rong was well aware that it was time for her to show her sincerity.

That very night, Huang Rong quietly slipped into Li Ke's room. The dozens of guards Li Ke had specially arranged, all wearing true qi armor and with an average combat strength equivalent to 3.5 times that of Guo Jing, didn't hear a sound or see anything. It wasn't until the next day, when they saw Guo Fu and Huang Rong leave satisfied, that they were terrified and went to Li Ke to beg for punishment.

Then, the guards, who had secretly changed their designations to Heavenly Emperor's Guards, saw Li Ke grabbing a wolf with a scarred face and wearing an orange-yellow hat by the neck...and chest, frantically questioning it. Beside them, a mother wolf dressed in clothes and wearing a crown, and a wolf cub wearing strange pants, were trembling.

"I ask you, what do you mean by saying that as long as you give me mutton, you can build a time machine for me in this era?! I ask you, what do you mean by saying that as long as you give me enough mutton, you can handcraft a chip out of sand?! What do you take physics for?! Answer me!"

(End of this chapter)