Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 499 When disaster strikes, we all fly away

Contrary to Lu Jin's lenient assessment of the enemy, the Imperial Guard did not send a messenger to Dadu on the sixth day, but on the eighth day, before Chang Yuchun's army arrived at Taiyuan!

However, he was right about the speed of the message delivery. It really did take three days to travel more than 800 li. In other words, Xiao Tieguo only learned about the main force of the Holy Martial Army approaching Taiyuan on September 11. This news immediately caused an uproar in the Yuan court's central government in Dadu.

Due to the severe collapse of the world situation, Lu Jin has basically swept away the south and the Central Plains, and has also conquered Shandong in the north. The next step is almost a certainty for the Holy Martial Army to launch a northern expedition. It's just a matter of time. Therefore, Xiao Tieguo has long lost the desire to play.

He had been thinking about moving the capital since the end of last year, but he was unwilling to go to Shangdu and instead wanted to go to Goryeo. One reason was that Shangdu had no soldiers or food, and it would be impossible to organize troops to fight back if he went there. Once he went there, he would probably never be able to return to the Central Plains. Without the land in the Central Plains, the Great Yuan Dynasty would be dead in name only.

Secondly, his childhood experiences in Goryeo instilled in him a strong sense of belonging to Goryeo; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to make a Goryeo palace maid the empress.

Xiao Tieguo's initial plan was to move the capital to Gaeseong in Goryeo and use the Goryeo royal palace as his own residence. Moreover, Goryeo had a considerable number of troops and, although its food supplies were not plentiful, it was at least self-sufficient. He also hoped to use Goryeo's troops to fight back. Of course, this was just his own idea.

However, King Gongmin of Goryeo was not happy about this. He thought, "Well, now that you are in Dadu, I can still respect you as my suzerain from afar. At least I can still call the shots in Goryeo and continue to be my local emperor."

But if you come to Kaesong and I hand over the palace to you, what will I become? Which of my ministers will listen to me then? They'll probably all be trying to curry favor with you, the great emperor, and no one will respect me anymore.

Wang Zhuan wasn't stupid; how could he possibly agree to such a thing? However, he didn't dare to refuse outright, so he could only make up various reasons, saying how difficult it was. Finally, he said that he was willing to build a palace for Xiao Tieguo on Jeju Island. It was located in the middle of the sea, so the rebels would definitely not be able to reach His Majesty. His Majesty could stay on the island and remotely command troops all over the world. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Even the cost of building the palace didn't have to come from the Yuan Dynasty. Wang Zhuan patted his chest and said, "I'll pay for the palace. I just ask that Your Majesty not come to Kaicheng to compete with me for the position."

Xiao Tieguo was naturally dissatisfied, but the Yuan Dynasty was weak and completely suppressed by the Red Turban rebels. Even the grain for Dadu had to be smuggled in from the south by Fang Guozhen. If it was delayed by a few months, people in Dadu would have to resort to cannibalism. Given the state of the nation, he couldn't be tough on Goryeo even if he wanted to. It was no longer the early days of the dynasty when the Mongol army launched nine campaigns against Goryeo. So he could only grit his teeth and agree to Wang Zhuan's suggestion.

It's fair to say that if the situation hadn't been so dire and the conditions hadn't been so unfavorable, Shangdu would never have been an option for Xiao Tieguo. In the original history, he went to Shangdu only because he had no other choice.

But now...
When news of the Holy Martial Army's expedition to Taiyuan reached Dadu, Toghon Temür was initially terrified, then enraged. He immediately summoned Hama, threw the report from the Shuo Sijian in his face, and questioned him on the spot.

"Didn't you say that the bandit Lu was going to attack Fujian and Guangdong this year? Why did the supervisor report that the bandit army of tens of thousands of men suddenly arrived at Jining Road (Taiyuan) and moved so quickly that the supervisor didn't even receive news of when the bandit army would march north before being attacked right under his nose? How do you explain this?"

"This..." Hama was also a little confused at this moment. He had just learned of this news. He immediately picked up the memorial on the ground, looked at it, and then cried out that he was wronged.

"Your Majesty, this must be a scheme by the rebels. That Lu traitor is a master of trickery and as cunning as a fox. Now that I think about it, how could Lu traitor not know that Fang Guozhen, the head of the maritime transport, could buy so much grain in Jiangsu and Zhejiang? He must want to keep this line in order to send false information to the court at a critical moment and mislead the court's judgment."

"Your Majesty, I am truly innocent! This was a feint attack by the traitor Lu. I did not intend to conceal anything."

Good heavens, Hama still believes that Fang Guozhen has nothing to do with Lu Jin, but was only used and deceived by Lu Jin.

Of course, even if he knew, he certainly couldn't admit it. In the past two years, Hama had sold so many horses to Fang Guozhen, and Fang Guozhen had also provided him with a lot of grain. The two sides had a win-win relationship. If he admitted that he knew Fang Guozhen had problems but still indulged him, wouldn't that be aiding the enemy?
However, Toghon Temür only sneered and questioned again, "Not intentionally concealing anything? Then tell me, what has happened in the south these past two months?"

"This, I truly cannot."

"Say!"

With a crash, Toghon Temür grabbed the teacup in front of him and smashed it in front of Hama, shattering the porcelain on the floor. Startled, he dared not hide anything any longer and stammered, "Your Majesty, in the south, the traitor Lu usurped the throne in Jiqing Road last month, proclaiming himself emperor and establishing the false state of Great Ming."

Toghon Temür stared at him expressionlessly and said coldly, "If I don't ask today, how long do you intend to keep this a secret?!"

Hama hurriedly defended himself, "Your Majesty, in the south, the traitor Xu first established a false state and proclaimed himself emperor. There are countless other traitors who have usurped titles. This traitor Lu is just one of many traitors. I did not want Your Majesty to worry too much, which is why I did not report this matter to Your Majesty."

Seeing that Xiao Tieguo remained silent with a cold face, Hama quickly spoke again, “Your Majesty, now that the rebel army has already sent a large force to Jining Road, and deliberately deceived us by feigning an attack from the south to the north, and advanced so rapidly that Shuo Sijian was unaware that they had already reached the city gates, it shows that they had prepared for this northern expedition in advance, just to deliberately lull us into a false sense of security and make the court lower its guard.”

"At this moment, since they have already sent troops to the Shanxi Circuit Pacification Commission, it is hard to guarantee that they will not divide their forces into multiple routes. There must be other rebel armies on the northward expedition. Although Dadu has not yet received the news, the south is not like Shanxi and there is no natural defense. In order to prevent the Jining incident from happening again, the rebel army will suddenly appear under the walls of Dadu."

"I still believe that the most urgent task is for Your Majesty to make a tour of Shangdu as soon as possible, send capable troops to guard all the passes, and then summon troops from all directions in Shangdu to quickly enter the capital to defend the emperor."

"Enter the capital to defend the emperor? That sounds nice, but in the present situation, where in the world are there any soldiers capable of fighting to enter the capital to defend the emperor?" Toghon Temür said dejectedly.

Hama hurriedly said, "Then let's set off for Shangdu first. We can always find a way if we think about it. Even if the rebel army really breaks through Dadu, the court still has Lingbei Province, Shaanxi Province, Liaoyang Province, and Zhengdong Province. Especially Liaoyang and Goryeo, they will definitely be able to gather troops to take back Dadu!"

Upon hearing this, Toghon Temür immediately said, "Then why bother going to Shangdu? Let's go directly to Liaoyang, and then decide whether to go to Shangdu or Goryeo depending on the situation."

Hama thought about Queen Ki, his political ally, and her maternal family, especially her elder brother Ki Cheol, who held immense power in Goryeo and was the leader of the pro-Yuan faction.

If we could take Toghon Temür and the Crown Prince to Goryeo, and leverage Kiche's influence, we might actually be able to force Toghon Temür to ​​abdicate and support Ayushiridara to ascend the throne.

In this way, the new emperor's uncle is a high-ranking official in Goryeo, so he can mobilize all the power of Goryeo. The new emperor himself still has the legitimacy of the Yuan Dynasty, and can also mobilize all the military and political power of other provinces. The young emperor has no experience in ascending the throne, so in the end, won't it be up to me, the prime minister, to decide?

With this in mind, Hama immediately made up his mind to go to Korea!
Previously, due to the urgent situation, he had not found a suitable opportunity to launch a coup. Now that Lu Jin has suddenly launched a northern expedition, it may be another opportunity for him!

The Yuan Dynasty was a dilapidated ship. For once, the emperor and the powerful ministers reached a consensus. After the news spread in the palace, Empress Qi and Crown Prince Ayushiridara also agreed to go to Goryeo. Now, the top leadership all had the same idea.

So Hama immediately began organizing his escape, telling the outside world that he was going to visit Shangdu. After all, the Yuan Dynasty's system of visiting both capitals had been in place for so long. Last year, he didn't go to Shangdu only because of the tense situation. This year, the emperor was going to resume the system of visiting the two capitals, so no one could say anything about it.

However, inside the palace, people were packing up anxiously. Little Iron Pot was also busy, arranging for the situation of those left behind in Dadu after his escape.

At this time, only Prince Yi, Hundu Timur, was still in Dadu, so Xiao Tieguo ordered Prince Yi to stay in Dadu to oversee the country.

In military matters, in order to secure his future position and increase his leverage, Hama also planned to leave himself some options. He suggested to Xiao Tieguo that his own brother Xuexue lead the Kheshig army to escort the emperor, which would also make it easier to control Xiao Tieguo at any time.

Then, let Grand Commandant Yue Kuocha'er guard Dadu. If things really don't work out, he should lead his troops to abandon Dadu and retreat to various passes in the Yanshan Mountains. He must block the enemy army and prevent them from advancing north of the Yanshan Mountains and attacking Shangdu or Liaoyang.

The troops on the front lines in Shandong and Hebei were placed under the full command of Nasuladin, the military councilor. His task was simply to hold off the rebel army as much as possible and buy time for the central government to relocate.

But Xiao Tieguo wasn't stupid. He could tell at a glance that Hama's arrangement was malicious. How could the Kheshig, such a powerful imperial guard, be handed over to Hama's brother? Hama was already the prime minister. If he handed over the most important military power of the imperial guard to his brother, wouldn't he, the emperor, become a mere figurehead?
However, given the critical situation, he couldn't afford to turn against Hama at this time, so he only took a soft approach and did not agree to Hama's suggestion.

Xiao Tieguo used the excuse that Xuexue was still serving as the Privy Councilor, and that the country was in danger and at a time when military force was needed. How could the Privy Councilor leave Dadu? He should stay in Dadu to command all the troops. So he left Xuexue in Dadu and put him in charge of the city's defense.

The Kheshig soldiers who accompanied and protected the emperor were entrusted to He Weiyi, whom he trusted.

He Weiyi's ancestral home is Xi'an. He is a Han Chinese, but his father, He Sheng, was once the commander of the Yuan Dynasty's imperial guards. He was later implicated in a wrongful case and killed, but during the reign of Emperor Taiding, He Sheng's case was overturned, his reputation was restored, and He Weiyi was allowed to inherit his father's position.

In other words, He Weiyi already led his personal guards, but they were not quite the same as the Imperial Guards like the Kheshig. This time, he was essentially given command of the Imperial Guards as well, which was a promotion for him.

In the original history, after Hama and Xuexue were executed, Emperor Yuan Shundi promoted He Weiyi to the position of Left Chancellor of the Central Government. However, He Weiyi refused the proposal on the grounds that the Yuan Dynasty had an ancestral rule that Han people could not serve as chancellors. So Emperor Yuan Shundi gave him a Mongolian name, "Taiping," and then He Weiyi became chancellor, but only for three years.

This was tantamount to giving him a promotion ahead of schedule. Unexpectedly, He Weiyi refused Xiao Tieguo again for the same reason in history, saying that Han people could not lead the Kheshig Imperial Guard. Then Xiao Tieguo gave him a Mongolian name, "Taiping," and He Weiyi reluctantly agreed.

Hama was furious at Xiao Tieguo's actions and decided to launch a coup as soon as he arrived in Goryeo. However, he decided to hold back for now, as they still needed Emperor Yuan Shundi's banner to command the people.

At noon on September 12, the Yuan court's central government was finally ready. The massive imperial procession headed east towards Tongzhou and Yutian, intending to first go to Liaoyang via the coastal road (Liaoxi Corridor), and then decide where to go next based on the situation.

Meanwhile, also on September 12th, Yu Tonghai's Second Army Group, which had been sailing against the wind on the Bohai Sea for almost two days after departing from Dengzhou, finally saw the coastline of Jinzhou.

When the soldiers and civilians of Jinzhou saw countless large ships approaching from the sea, they were terrified. The people fled into the city in droves, and the city's garrison immediately closed the city gates, keeping many people outside.

However, they did not forget to send messengers to Dadu to report on the situation of the enemy encountered in Jinzhou.

At Jinzhou Wharf, while everyone was rushing into the city, a group of people went against the flow of people to the wharf. Upon seeing the fleet arrive, they immediately raised a bright red flag and waved it on the wharf to guide the army. Under the red flag on the wharf was Guan Tianjie, the station chief of the Liaodong intelligence station sent by the intelligence bureau.

Guan Tianjie, under the guise of being the manager of the Shen family and a horse merchant, had been operating in Liaodong for a year. He had been lying low for so long, waiting for this day. Of course, after operating for so long, he had also made a lot of preparations in Liaodong. He had not only taken over a shop at the dock and a horse farm for transporting livestock, but also planted many spies in Jinzhou City. He was fully capable of cooperating with the main force to launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside and seize the city.

Standing on the flagship's deck, Yu Tonghai saw the red flag suddenly raised on the dock and immediately shouted, "It must be the people from the Liaodong intelligence station who are responsible for receiving us. Pass on my military order to move over immediately. Attention all ships, the dock is in our hands. Disembark in order and take turns. Don't mess up the formation!"

"Yes!"

Boom! A command cannon fired from the flagship, and immediately a flag bearer signaled the various detachments to approach the shore in turn, while other ships were instructed not to get too close and to wait at the seaside.

A moment later, with a bang, the flagship docked at the Jinzhou pier. Yu Tonghai immediately leaped ashore, and Guan Tianjie stepped forward and asked, "Is this General Yu, the commander of the Third Army?"

"Indeed, you are Guan Tianjie, the head of the Liaodong intelligence station?"

"It's the lower official."

After Guan Tianjie and Yu Tonghai each took out their tokens to identify each other, Guan Tianjie said, "General, do you intend to take Jinzhou first? This is a defense map of Jinzhou, as well as a map of the streets and alleys in the city."

"I have arranged over a hundred skilled men near the north gate of the city, stockpiled armor and grenades, and bribed a Yuan army centurion guarding the north gate. If you want to take Jinzhou, you only need to fire a grenade from outside the north gate into the city, and the inside agent will immediately open the city gate and let the army in."

"Furthermore, I have three thousand warhorses here, purchased from various places in Liaodong. They haven't been transported south yet and are currently at the horse farm near the dock. General, you may use them if needed." Upon hearing this, Yu Tonghai took the map and exclaimed excitedly, "Three thousand horses? That's wonderful! I was just worried about not having enough cavalry and scouts for the army. Do you have any saddles, bridles, or other such items?"

"Yes, there are some, but they are all crudely made in Liaodong. They are fine for temporary use, but they are definitely not as good as the military equipment made by the imperial court."

"That's fine too, as long as it works. You've done a great job this time!"

As Yu Tonghai spoke, he immediately pulled out a secret edict from his pocket, "His Majesty's edict, Guan Tianjie, receive the edict!"

Upon hearing this, everyone from the Liaodong intelligence station immediately knelt down on the dock, and Yu Tonghai then began to read.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Guan Tianjie, the station chief of the Liaodong intelligence station, has led the station's work effectively, has been lying in wait in Liaodong for a long time, and has made great contributions. He is loyal and brave."

"Now that our army has set foot in Liaodong, and a thousand miles of land have been incorporated into our territory, the Liaodong intelligence station has accomplished its great task. From this day forward, we shall abolish the Liaoyang Province established by Hu Yuan and establish the Liaoning Province by combining the prefectures and counties of Liaoyang and Daning."

"Because Guan Tianjie has made meritorious contributions as a spy and is familiar with the situation of the military and civilians in Liaodong, he is hereby promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of the Liaoning Province, acting as the Provincial Governor. The provincial government is located in Liaoyang, and he is fully responsible for all civil affairs of the Liaoning Province. All other officials of the Liaodong Intelligence Station will be rewarded. This is the imperial decree!"
"Vice Minister Guan, receive the imperial decree."

Guan Tianjie quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

After he stood up and accepted the imperial edict, Yu Tonghai said, "Congratulations! Station Chief Guan has been undercover for so long, collecting intelligence for the court and purchasing warhorses for it. He has worked hard and made great contributions. Today, he has finally achieved his goal."

"But your work isn't finished yet. I'm going to Songzhou next, and you're going to Liaoyang to take up your post. You'll have to wait here at the dock for now, until Liu Futong's Provisional Eleventh Army Group arrives. You'll have to lead them to attack Liaoyang. You can only take up your post after Liaoyang is captured."

Guan Tianjie immediately clasped his hands and said, "General, please rest assured. We've already made it through more than a year, so what's a few more days? General, please proceed with your troops to Songzhou. I will be stationed at the dock, waiting for General Liu to arrive."

"Well then, I won't say any more. Thank you for your three thousand warhorses. After the battle is over, I will host a banquet for you."

"Then I'll be waiting in advance. Take care, General."

After exchanging instructions, Yu Tonghai immediately organized the army to land in an orderly manner. Once two divisions of troops had gathered on the shore, he followed Guan Tianjie's instructions and launched a feigned attack on the east gate, while focusing his main force on the north gate. A grenade exploded on the city wall outside the north gate, and the junior officer guarding the city immediately opened the city gate from inside. More than a hundred spies who had been lying in wait inside the city also came out, fully armed and carrying a large number of grenades, to assist in the defense of the city gate.

Taking advantage of the situation outside the North Gate, Yu Tonghai led his troops in and quickly brought Jinzhou under his control.

As more and more troops landed, Yu Tonghai summoned messengers and riders from various armies and, together with the intelligence station personnel, went to the horse farm to fetch two thousand horses. He even reserved one thousand horses for Yang Jing and Liu Futong in case the subsequent troops needed them.

After everything was prepared, Yu Tonghai left Wu Fu's 130th Division to guard Jinzhou, while he, Zhang Desheng, and Cao Liangchen, along with the other three divisions and two thousand scouts temporarily formed, went upstream along the Xiaoling River, rushing westward to Fushu, Daning, and Songzhou. In just two days, they covered two hundred li and arrived in Fushu (southwest of Chaoyang City) on September 14.

After leaving Cao Liangchen and a division to attack the city, Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng continued to lead the remaining troops to advance towards Daning.

Meanwhile, just three days after the Eastern Route Army landed in Jinzhou, and also three days after Xiao Tieguo fled from Dadu, at noon on September 15th, the massive imperial procession had only just reached Yutian County in Tangshan when they encountered a messenger who had traveled a long and dusty journey from Jinzhou to deliver a message via the 800-li express courier.

Upon learning that the Holy Martial Army had dispatched troops to Jinzhou, He Weiyi, who was in charge of commanding the Imperial Guards accompanying the emperor, immediately rushed to the elephant carrying Xiao Tieguo to report.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! An urgent report from Jinzhou has arrived! On the 12th of this month, the bandit Gongshu sent a large army by sea to sail north. On the same day Your Majesty left the city, at noon, they landed in Jinzhou. Tens of thousands of troops are now at the gates of Jinzhou. The sea route is blocked by the bandits, and we cannot proceed further!"

Toghon Temür, along with Empress Qi, the Crown Prince, Hama, and others, were all utterly shocked upon hearing this. Empress Qi, in particular, exclaimed in panic, "What should we do? What should we do? Can we find a ship to escort His Majesty across the sea to Goryeo?"

"This," He Weiyi immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, let alone finding a ship now, even if we could, the Bohai Sea would definitely be full of enemy naval warships. If we were to cross the sea to Goryeo by ship, we would probably be surrounded by enemy naval forces on the ship, and it would be difficult to escape."

"."

The group was stunned by what they heard. Prince Ayushiridara panicked and asked He Weiyi from the back of the elephant, "What should we do now? We can't go to Liaoyang and Goryeo. Let's turn around and go to Shangdu right away?"

After saying that, he turned to look at the small iron pot beside him, ready to hear what his father, the emperor, had to say.

He Weiyi hesitated for a long time before finally giving his analysis.

"Your Majesty, this traitor Gongshu is skilled in using schemes. First, he used Fang Guozhen to send false intelligence to the court, which lulled the central government into a false sense of security and made the court lower its guard. Then, he deceived everyone and launched a surprise northern expedition by feinting to the east and attacking in the west."

"Judging from the way the rebel army is deploying troops this time, one is advancing from Henan to Shanxi Xuanwei Division, and the other is crossing the sea from Shandong to land in Jinzhou. However, in Jizhou, Hejian and other places on the front, we have not heard a word about the rebel army's northern expedition."

"Shanxi and Jinzhou are located in very important positions. After occupying Jining (Taiyuan), the rebel army can continue to move north, break through Yanmen Pass, move north to Datong, and move east to Xinghe Road (Zhangjiakou), blocking the westward escape route of Dadu."

"From Jinzhou, we can also attack and capture Daning and Songzhou nearby to the west, block the escape route of Dadu from the north of Yanshan, cut off all passages from Dadu to Shangdu and Liaodong, and even the Bohai Sea, where the rebel army has a large navy."

"This is clearly a two-pronged encirclement and flanking maneuver, followed by frontal pressure, aiming to achieve a complete victory in one battle and wipe out the imperial court. Gongshu is ruthless, vicious, and full of tricks."

"The only solution now is..."

"Only what? Tell me quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Toghon Temür trembled with fear. He never imagined that Lu Jin would employ such a tactic in the Northern Expedition, leaving him absolutely no way out.

I've heard that that scoundrel has never treated the Mongols as human beings. He always claims to be a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and the legitimate successor of the Zhou Dynasty, while regarding the Yuan Dynasty as barbarians. None of the Yuan royal family members who fall into his hands have had a good ending. If I were to fall into his hands, how could I possibly have a good ending?

He Weiyi then frowned and said seriously, "The rebel army arrived at the city of Jining (Taiyuan) on the eighth day of the ninth month. It will definitely take some time to fight its way to Yanmen Pass, then to Datong, and then to Xinghe Road (Zhangjiakou). The rebel army landed in Jinzhou on the twelfth day of the ninth month. It will also take time to fight its way from Jinzhou to Songzhou (Chifeng). It is only the fifteenth day of the ninth month now. The rebel army should not have had time to occupy Songzhou yet."

"The only way to escape this predicament is to immediately abandon the main force, travel light, and lead only cavalry from Gubeikou or Xifengkou, day and night, to break through towards Shangdu. If we are fast enough, we may be able to escape to Shangdu ahead of the enemy. If we are any later, it may be too late."

"Your Majesty, make a decision now, without the slightest hesitation."

Upon hearing this, Little Iron Pot seemed like a drowning person who had seen a straw floating on the water above his head. He quickly grabbed it and cried out in a panic, "Prepare, prepare horses! Quickly prepare horses for me!"

"Yes!"

"Father, what should I do?" Crown Prince Ayushiridara asked hurriedly.

"You will ride a horse with me and help me break through the encirclement," Little Iron Pot immediately said.

But Hama, who was standing next to him, rolled his eyes and immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the best course of action now is to protect the country and its people. Perhaps I should escort the Crown Prince through the Jundu Pass. The roads in Shanxi are difficult to travel. Perhaps the enemy army will not be able to break through from Xinghe Road and head to Shangdu. Then we can meet up with Your Majesty in Shangdu."

"If one of the routes encounters misfortune, at least the country can preserve one foundation."

These words were blunt enough, yet they sent chills down the spines of both the Crown Prince and Little Iron Pot. This was a gamble with their lives; whoever escaped would become emperor, while those who were captured would be left to their fate. But from a slightly more rational perspective, this was indeed the safest option, at least offering a glimmer of hope and preventing the emperor and crown prince from being wiped out. If such a thing were to happen, the Great Yuan Dynasty would truly be finished.

In the end, Xiao Tieguo managed to suppress his shock and anger with reason, and then said, "Then you will escort the Crown Prince through Jundu Pass to Dadu to meet with Zhen."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly protect you." Hama immediately agreed.

Empress Qi watched as the father and son went their separate ways, and then looked at the massive imperial procession before her. She immediately asked, "Your Majesty, what shall I do?"

He Weiyi had just brought over a few horses when he heard this and immediately said, "Your Majesty, why not let the imperial carriage continue eastward along the coastal road? It might be able to lure the enemy army and delay their advance."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tieguo immediately turned his gaze to Empress Qi, who exclaimed in horror, "No, Your Majesty and the Crown Prince must go with me. I will never go to Liaodong alone."

"Then you may ride a horse and come with me."

Empress Qi reluctantly dismounted from the elephant and mounted the horse. However, as a former palace maid from Goryeo, she was most skilled at tea ceremony and knew nothing about riding a horse. The horse snorted and pawed a few times, which frightened the woman so much that she cried out in panic, "Your Majesty, save me! I am not good at riding a horse!"

"Then you can stay here, giddy up!"

Xiao Tieguo immediately cracked his whip, summoning He Weiyi and three thousand Kheshig soldiers to turn north, leaving Empress Qi standing there stunned, crying out in terror, "Your Majesty, don't leave me behind!"

“Mother, why don’t you come with me to the west? Prime Minister, please go and find some camels for you quickly,” Ayushiridara said immediately upon seeing his mother being abandoned by his father.

Hama's eyes flickered upon hearing this, his mind racing with thoughts. In an instant, he thought of many things. Now he had chosen to follow the Crown Prince along the Xinghe Road (Zhangjiakou) instead of the Emperor, and even said that if one of their routes were lost, the other route could still preserve the foundation of the Great Yuan. This clearly showed that he wanted to be bound to the Crown Prince.

In this situation, perhaps it would be really appropriate to bring Empress Qi along. With this woman, they would have connections with Goryeo, which would be a great help. Whether they could restore their kingdom in the future, or even whether they could go to Goryeo and find a place to settle down after Lu Jin's Northern Expedition, would depend on this woman.

With that thought in mind, he finally decided to bring the woman along.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go and fetch the camels."

(End of this chapter)