The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 239 Supervising the Country
In the Prince of Yan's residence in Tokyo, Zhao Ti and Huang Shang were sitting opposite each other, drinking tea.

Little Huang Mo was playing with the giant eagle on the side. He had become familiar with the eagle, and the eagle allowed him to touch it, but he always wanted to ride on the eagle's body. The eagle was unhappy and overturned him several times, but he was happy to do so, and the two rolled around together.

Seeing this, Huang Shang said angrily, "Didn't you see I was talking to the king? Go play somewhere else."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "It's alright, ignore them, Scholar Huang, please continue."

Huang Shang said, "This unfilial son is really infuriating. Where was I? Oh right, the more scriptures I read these days, the more I want to combine the strengths of various schools of thought and compile a complete book."

Zhao Ti nodded: "When compiling a book, there must be some bias. Otherwise, the Daoist scriptures are vast and the project is enormous. Even if Scholar Huang were to spend his whole life studying them, he might not be able to complete it."

Under normal circumstances, Huang Shang's compilation of the Wanshou Daozang was commissioned by Emperor Huizong of Tang. It took eight years and involved several officials and Daoists from various regions, totaling several hundred people, to complete.

Now he wants to compile a scripture all by himself, but without the support of the court or anyone to assist him, if he doesn't focus on something, he may never succeed even if he dies.

"Your Majesty, I have considered this matter, so I..." Huang Chang pondered, "I have decided to focus on the methods of internal alchemy cultivation."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "Internal alchemy and external alchemy are just two halves of alchemical cultivation in terms of methods. They are also countless and numerous."

Huang Shang said, "This humble official is working on compiling the method of internal thunder in internal alchemy."

Zhao Ti looked at him and said, "Although it has been further subdivided, there are still quite a few. However, it may not be impossible. Lin Lingsu's Shenxiao Dao also specializes in thunder magic, both internal and external. You can refer to it."

“Shenxiao Dao…” Huang Shang hesitated and said, “I think this person is all talk and no action, and seems to have no real ability. He just wants to use this to make money and gain fame.”

Zhao Ti shook his head slightly: "This person's martial arts are quite good. Since you want to learn martial arts on your own, you might as well take a look at the scriptures he compiled in the Shenxiao Dao."

"Your Majesty, is his martial arts skill very good?" Huang Shang asked in surprise, "Could it be that he also gained enlightenment from Taoist scriptures?"

Zhao Ti said, "I don't know. Perhaps it's related, but since you specialize in thunder magic and possess both internal and external thunder magic, Scholar Huang might as well learn from other sources for reference."

"I understand," Huang Shang said. "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

Zhao Ti smiled and looked at him leisurely, saying, "Scholar Huang has to walk his own path. I can't really help him much."

As he spoke, he got up, went outside the pavilion, and waved to the giant eagle.

The giant eagle swayed and hopped as it came over. Zhao Ti picked up Little Huang Mo and put him on its back. Then, with a gentle pat, the eagle ran a few feet before taking flight.

Little Huangmo felt a dizzying sensation as it rode the eagle. The next moment, looking closer, it realized the eagle was several stories high, and it excitedly shouted...

Autumn turned to winter in the blink of an eye, the weather gradually turned cold, and the first snow fell in Tokyo.

The entire capital city was covered in silver, a pristine white landscape, with a fresh and refined scenery that brought immense joy and happiness, as if all worries had been washed away by the pure white snowscape.

At this time, the emperor also received a report of victory from Longyou. The Xihe army had cleared all obstacles around Qingtang City and surrounded it. It was estimated that they would soon capture this pearl of the plateau.

During this time, Zhao Ti visited Murong Longcheng in the military prison several times, but there was no sign of him waking up.

The troops outside the city continued their daily training, with some already undergoing their second round. Zhao Ti instructed Wang En, Zhong Pu, and Zhang Zhen not to slack off, and not to be lazy even if the Imperial Guards complained bitterly. In fact, these soldiers were not incapable of enduring hardship, but had developed a habit of not liking to suffer. As long as they persevered, everything in the world was about perseverance.

As time passed, it was already the twelfth lunar month. Zhao Ti was practicing his martial arts in the bathhouse of the mansion. It was already freezing cold outside, and the swirling Yin Qi inside made it even colder, like an ice cellar.

The two silkworms were overjoyed and flitted about in the bathing room, like two streaks of white light, their forms invisible.

Azhu's little face was red from the cold. Holding the crystal bottle, she watched Zhao Ti turn into a big block of ice in the pool without blinking.

Zhao Ti, standing in the ice, said, "Why don't you go back to your room? If you catch a cold from the cold, I'll have to treat you."

Azhu said, "The ice silkworm will absorb the cold and won't get sick."

Zhao Ti stopped talking and continued practicing his skills. Now he could move freely on the first floor of the twelfth floor with his Illusory Yin True Qi, and his internal strength was becoming more and more profound.

The Longevity and Immortality Technique has now been mastered. This technique belongs to the extreme Yang category and is a method for accumulating Qi at its most extreme Yang level.

This technique requires drinking fresh blood because the practitioner's body is filled with true qi. Qi is yang and blood is yin. Too much qi and too little blood will lead to yang excess and yin deficiency. In order to balance yin and yang, Tong Lao chose the extreme method of drinking fresh blood.

But Zhao Ti didn't need to do that. He mainly practiced Yin techniques, so he didn't need to use the Illusionary Yin Scripture. He could harmonize the Yang energy of the Everlasting Spring Technique with just the Cold Ice True Qi, making his cultivation ten times faster than that of the Child Granny.

As for the biggest flaw of this technique—reverting to childhood every thirty years and losing all its power—that's nothing to him. The so-called "reversion to childhood" means restoring his appearance and physique to the state he had when he first mastered the technique.

The old woman started practicing martial arts at the age of six and achieved mastery at the age of eight or nine, so she reverted to her appearance at the age of eight or nine.

Later, she had figured out the way to reverse the situation, but she was frightened by Li Qiushui and went mad, which is why her figure remained unchanged at that time.

If Zhao Ti were to experience this event thirty years later, he would return to his current state, without any difference in appearance.

As for the complete loss of his internal energy, that doesn't exist for him either. He doesn't only practice the Eternal Youth and Longevity Technique; even if he loses that internal energy, he has others.

Even if this technique is powerful and might suppress other techniques, the Illusionary Yin Scripture can transform meridians and hide other techniques, so it can deceive it.

As dusk approached, Zhao Ti finished his training, and A Zhu brought him clothes to change into. Afterward, they left the bathing room and went to the main hall for dinner.

A few days later, around the time of the Lunar New Year, another battle report arrived from Longyou: Qingtang City had been captured.

The court meeting lasted all day. Zhao Xu was extremely excited and issued several imperial edicts to reward the generals who had made meritorious contributions at the front. He then brought up the matter of waging war against Western Xia in the court.

The officials had few objections, after all, just last month the Western Xia had harassed the border of Huanqing Road, killing people, stealing goods, and running away.

However, there were many contradictions regarding how many troops to mobilize, how to formulate the battle plan, whether to launch a lightning strike, to press in with a large army, or to advance from fortified positions and conquer layer by layer. The court officials were divided into several groups and argued endlessly until dark without reaching a conclusion. In the end, Zhao Xu had no choice but to dismiss the court.

However, Zhao Ti did not leave. He and Zhao Xu left the Zichen Palace and went to the Imperial Study to sit down.

Zhao Xu, still brimming with excitement, asked, "What does the Prince of Yan think? What is the best military strategy against Western Xia?"

Zhao Ti said, "My meaning is the same as last time. To take Longyou, we need to launch a large-scale attack from all sides to achieve victory in one fell swoop. Otherwise, if we launch a lightning strike or advance from the fortified camps, we won't need to take Longyou."

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "A blitzkrieg is difficult to achieve. As for the fortified village method, although it is a steady and reliable approach, the slower it goes, the more likely something will go wrong. After all, we still have to guard against the Liao Kingdom interfering, and I... don't want to wait that long."

Zhao Ti asked, "In that case, does Your Majesty have any specific plans in mind?"

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Of course there is. This time, we must mobilize all the generals of the Western Army and make even more elaborate arrangements than the late emperor's five-pronged attack on Xia. Learning from past mistakes, we will certainly not allow those errors to be repeated."

Zhao Ti pondered and said, "I believe we should be cautious about this matter. After all, even the most meticulous plans can have oversights. The merit of conquering Western Xia is countless times greater than that of conquering Qing Tang. If there is no suitable person to balance and suppress it, internal strife is inevitable. The matter of Western Xia cannot be controlled by those without prestige, such as Yang Jian."

Zhao Xu paused for a few moments, then said, "I have already decided on the commander of the armies. Such an important matter may not be accomplished by a high-ranking official, nor may it be accepted by the masses by someone with great merit. Even if one's name is recorded in history, I fear that each person will harbor their own thoughts, be resentful and envious, and it will be difficult to coordinate them. I cannot guarantee that each person will have their own agenda."

Zhao Ti said, "That's right. Now that Your Majesty has decided on a candidate, who will you send as commander-in-chief to lead the fierce generals and strong soldiers of the Western Army?"

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ti and slowly said, "What does the Prince of Yan think of me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows. When he returned to the capital from Longyou to see Zhao Xu, Zhao Xu had mentioned wanting to travel and see the outside world. He also mentioned how he greatly admired Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong for personally leading their armies. He never expected that this was not just talk, but that Zhao Xu would actually lead his own army into battle.

He stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I believe this is not advisable. Your Majesty is of inestimable worth and should not sit under a dangerous roof. How can you possibly go out on a personal expedition?”

Zhao Xu said, “What’s wrong with that? Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong could do it, so why can’t I? Besides… the two late emperors may have lost, but I may not necessarily lose.”

Seeing the loneliness in Zhao Xu's expression, along with a hint of excitement and eagerness, Zhao Ti couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, although the army's attack on Western Xia can delay the Liao Kingdom and prevent it from acting rashly on the border, it is still uncertain whether Qi Yi can be secured. If Your Majesty is in court, it will be fine, but if Your Majesty is not in the capital, it is not certain that you can hold off the Liao Kingdom."

Zhao Xu smiled slightly and said, "What's so difficult about that? I will personally lead the expedition, and the Prince of Yan will oversee the country."

"Regent!" Zhao Ti was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, his brows furrowing. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Xu continued, "I am at ease with the Prince of Yan acting as regent. Even if the Liao Kingdom threatens and intimidates us on the border because of my absence, does the Prince of Yan have no way to deal with it? Even if we confront them, what can they do to me?"

Zhao Ti took a breath and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible. I... refuse."

Zhao Xu looked at him and shook his head, saying, "It's no use for the Prince of Yan to refuse. My mind is made up. I will issue an edict at the grand court assembly after the New Year. I am tired. The Prince of Yan should also go back and rest."

He yawned as he spoke, got up and left through the back door of the Imperial Study, disappearing in an instant.

Zhao Ti remained motionless in the study for a long time. Tan Zhen walked over and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has made up his mind. Please return."

Zhao Ti lowered his eyes slightly, took a slow breath, and then walked out, his expression extremely solemn.

(End of this chapter)