You have truly caused me great suffering!

The victorious army surrendered.

With the fall of Wangdu, Guo Yaoshi was now truly all alone.

However, he still did not choose to surrender.

Dong Zhongsun, who went to Longshan to request reinforcements, has not yet returned.

At this point, Guo Yaoshi suspected that he had either escaped or surrendered to the Dingnan Army.

Given the current situation, those who don't want to die are all looking for a way out.

But Guo Yaoshi was unwilling to give up. He wanted to lead his last troops to surrender to the Jurchens. At this point, surrendering to the Jurchens was the only option; he figured he wouldn't have a good ending with Chen Shao.

The Jurchens are currently at a disadvantage. If they surrender to the Jurchens, they certainly won't kill them.

He will most likely use his popularity in Liaodong to continue leading the Ever Victorious Army and fighting against the Dingnan Army.

Even now, Guo Yaoshi still thinks about preserving his military power and his influence.

In the past, the Jurchens would certainly have killed him, and might even have tortured him to death to vent their anger.

But at this point, they were also struggling to protect themselves.

Upon hearing the news of Wangdu's loss and Yang Keshi's death, Guo Yaoshi immediately knew that he had to leave.

The Dingnan Army will arrive in less than a day.

Trapped here, committing suicide would be the cowardly act of Yang Keshi; I would never do such a thing.

Guo Yaoshi stepped out of the main tent, looking at the troops gathered around him. He was full of vigor, and with his hand on his sword, he shouted: "We are the Ever-Victorious Army, our name is Ever-Victorious, but we are not truly ever-victorious. So what if we lose? What's the big deal?"
When we came out of Liaodong, what did Yelü Chun call us? "Resentful Army!" He treated us like enemies. And what happened? Yelü Chun died, his whole family was killed, and his Liao Dynasty was destroyed. But we brothers are still alive and well!

Yelü Chun, Yelü Chun! If your soul hasn't wandered far, hurry up and come see who the hell is the culprit!

At Longshan, tens of thousands of Jurchen soldiers under Zongwang are waiting to rescue us! You know Wanyan Zongwang, right? Last time we surrendered to Wanyan Zonghan, and they are our mortal enemies. They need us just in time! Everyone pack your things. That Dingnan army is constantly on the move, fighting and retreating these past few days. They want to chase us? No need to fight, they'll exhaust those damned Western barbarians... If we just hold on a little longer, Zongwang at Longshan will send troops to help us retreat!
Of all the Jurchen troops, only Zongwang is the most capable fighter. He personally promised that when we arrive, we'll receive a lavish reward, a table full of wine and meat, and perhaps even a few beautiful Khitan women!

As Guo Yaoshi shouted, he suddenly drew his sword from his waist and pointed it north: "My comrades, I, Guo Yaoshi, am with you! We'll fight our way out! We've shared joys and sorrows in this chaotic world for so long, and we will continue to live today! Go! North! North!"

Amidst shouts, he had already spurred his horse northward, followed closely by dozens of personal guards.

He didn't even take stock of his troops. Gathered together, the ever-victorious army of Guo the Pharmacist slowly began to move.

The soldiers unconsciously followed in Guo Yaoshi's footsteps, forming ranks on their own and rolling northward.

Everyone kept looking at Guo Yaoshi's back as he rode ahead. At this moment, the entire Changsheng Army placed all their hopes on Guo Yaoshi!
When Guo Yaoshi turned around, the smile on his face was gone. His face was gloomy, and he said in a low voice to his personal guards, "Pass down the order, hurry up, even faster!"

When he went to surrender, he couldn't contact Zongwang at all; perhaps Zongwang simply ignored him.

Zongwang was only happy to see him fight against the Dingnan Army in Pinglu.

But Pharmacist Guo was out of options.
-
After Zhu Lingling captured Wangdu, he didn't even enter the city.

A few days ago, the Prince of Dai sent a letter saying that he wanted to solve the problem of the lack of manpower in Liaodong.

These victorious soldiers, without fathers or mothers, without homes or jobs, were just right.

Leave some people behind to take charge of the city and reorganize the surrendered soldiers.

Zhu Lingling cracked her whip and led her men toward Pinglu.

Halfway there, his scouts kept reporting that Guo Yaoshi had abandoned the city and fled.

Most of the Ever Victorious Army followed him, while others chose to remain in the city and surrender.

Zhu Lingling was extremely excited, not because she had captured Pingzhou City, but because Liaodong had now been recovered.

According to the Prince of Dai's plan, he will soon declare himself emperor!

Zhu Lingling thought that he was guaranteed to be a Duke, and might even be granted the title of Prince.

Among the three main players, his achievements were comparable to Han Shizhong's, but he had an advantage.

Han Shizhong sought refuge with the Prince of Dai alone, and it was even the Prince of Dai who helped him buy an official position.

He himself led the Qiang tribes of Hengshan to join him, and in fact, at that time, his army was larger than that of the Prince of Dai.

Li Xiaozhong arrived late, only taking office after the Prince of Dai had conquered the Northwest. Although he had made advance contact with Yingzhou and Shuozhou, which was indeed a great achievement, he did not fight as many battles as I did afterward, and he cannot be compared with me and Han Shizhong.

On the contrary, Wu Jie should be included. Wu Jie had the merit of destroying the Western Uyghurs and the Qinghai-Tibetan, and he also made great contributions when destroying the Xia.

This time, we're going to conquer Jiaozhi again.

In terms of military merit, it was a contest between myself, Han Shizhong, and Wu Jie.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhu Lingling wished she could catch Guo Yaoshi immediately and then take him to Bianliang to present him as a captive.

This old guy is really restless; even at this point, he's still struggling.

If you obediently surrender with your troops, you'll save several major battles and reduce the number of deaths on both sides. Given the King's magnanimity, he certainly won't kill you.

Being a wealthy man in the future wouldn't be so bad, would it?

After the Ever Victorious Army arrived in Liaodong, it did acquire a considerable number of horses, but in terms of numbers and archery skills, it could not compare with Zhu Lingling's forces.

Yokoyama was originally a pasture, and these people grew up on horseback.

When Zhao Guangyi once sent men to quell a rebellion in the northwest, the Song army could not catch up with the Qiang people, and in the end they could only retreat with tears in their eyes.

At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty's imperial guards were the elite forces that had personally ended the Five Dynasties period; they were a powerful army that had emerged from the military men of the Five Dynasties.

Faced with the elusive Dangxiang Qiang people, all they could do was sigh in vain. Just moments ago there were many people in front of them, but suddenly only the Gobi Desert remained.

Now, Zhu Lingling is leading a cavalry with high morale, chasing after Guo Yaoshi. These men have brought their horsemanship skills to the extreme.

Finally, on the banks of the Qinglong River, they saw the rear guard of the Ever Victorious Army.

Upon seeing the banner of the Dingnan Army, many of the ever-victorious soldiers turned around, revealing expressions of panic. After these several major battles, only a little over three thousand remained surrounding Guo Yaoshi.

The wind sweeping across the riverbank lifted Guo Yaoshi's cloak, and he reined in his horse to look back.

Countless cavalrymen were charging forward like madmen.

Guo Yaoshi closed his eyes, and darkness temporarily enveloped him. Then, he let out a long sigh, spurred his horse, and galloped away to the north.

The Ever-Victorious Army was his courage and support in chaotic times, his reliance, and his capital.

It's all over now.

His only hope was that the Jurchens would take him in and allow him to start over.

The entire Ever Victorious Army couldn't help but let out a shout.

They did not choose to wait for death, but quickened their pace and walked towards the riverbank. The leading group had already stepped onto the riverbank.

They were only six or seven hundred paces from the river. They dared not fight the pursuing Dingnan army to the death. They only thought about escaping into the river and seeing if they could struggle to save their lives!

At that moment, the pursuers suddenly shouted, "Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"Surrender without killing!"

Some chose to turn back and fight to the death, some knelt down and raised their weapons, and some jumped into the river.

The last bit of strength of the Eighth Battalion of the Resentful Army finally dissipated on the land of Pinglu.

More of the Dingnan Army bypassed them and went to hunt down Guo Yaoshi.

One by one, Guo Yaoshi's personal guards were shot down, and it seemed that he himself had also been shot in the back.

But at this moment, he felt no pain at all. His chest burned as if he were about to suffocate, yet he still ran forward with all his might.

Liu Shunren, the last confidant by his side, shouted loudly, "We can't escape! Since we're all going to die anyway, let's give our lives back to Guo Dalang today!"

He turned around after saying that, but before he could even engage the enemy, he was riddled with bullets.

Guo the Pharmacist remained unmoved, his heart as cold as iron, without the slightest hesitation, and without even glancing at her.

But suddenly his horse stumbled and threw him off. When Guo Yaoshi looked at his prized horse, which had been with him for many years, he saw that its hind leg had been pierced by an arrow.

He cursed angrily, "Useless beast, get up! Get up!"

The horse struggled a few times, but its hind legs were unable to lift.

By this time, the pursuers had arrived, and Guo Yaoshi realized that these soldiers had even taken off their armor in order to catch him.

They coldly surrounded Pharmacist Guo.

Suddenly, Guo Yaoshi threw down his weapon, knelt on the ground, and said, "I, Guo Yaoshi, am willing to surrender!"

Everyone was overjoyed; capturing him alive was an even greater achievement!

At this moment, the soldiers chasing behind saw that Guo Yaoshi was on the ground. If he were to be subdued by him, then there would be nothing left for them to do.

Eager to make a name for himself, he thrust his spear forward.

Upon seeing this, the others panicked and drew their guns.

Seven or eight spears pierced him and pinned him to the ground.

Guo Yaoshi looked at the long spears all over his body in disbelief. At this moment, the Dingnan Army had already dismounted and started beating and cursing the soldier who had tried to steal the credit.

His head lolled to the side, and he knelt on the ground, his upper body supported by a gun, and died on the battlefield.

All ambitions, with the passing of life, vanish like a gentle breeze.
-
Guo the pharmacist is dead.

Jinzhou, besieged on both sides, also surrendered. Taking advantage of this, Zhang Shuye went out of the pass, and Xianzhou, Changqing, Yongle, and Yingzhou surrendered.

The entire territory of Pinglu was recovered.

Qu Duan conquered most of Liaodong, and Goryeo took the opportunity to demand that the Yalu River be used as the border.

The Yalu River was never part of Goryeo's borders, but it was always their target.

Historically, after they submitted to the Jin Dynasty, they continuously sent people to the Jin Dynasty to demand the return of Baozhou and Dingzhou.

The Jin state was not particularly attached to its territory. Seeing that Goryeo was very submissive, they didn't care about those few cities and simply handed them over to Goryeo.

Now, Goryeo is also demanding Baozhou and Dingzhou from Qudan, and using the Yalu River as its border. Qudan refuses, saying he will report to the court.

When the military report reached Bianliang, Chen Shao did not appear in person, but instead sent Zhao Huan to issue the imperial edict.

After receiving instructions from Chen Shao, Zhao Huan decreed that Goguryeo, despite having sent troops, had not engaged in battle with the enemy and had no record of contact with them, and therefore would not be granted the city.

The two sides remained adjacent to the original boundary (red line). The Song Dynasty gave Goryeo a certain amount of wealth and bestowed upon Wang Kai the titles of "Grand Master of the Palace, Grand Commandant and Chancellor, Pillar of the State, and King of Goryeo". He was also granted a nine-chapter crown and was specially permitted to wear a twelve-chapter dragon robe and a nine-tasseled jade ornament when offering sacrifices to Heaven.

As for Baozhou, Dingzhou, and Xuanzhou, no rewards will be given.

The Goryeo envoy expressed his dissatisfaction and protested repeatedly.

Zhao Huan bestowed further rewards upon Wang Kai's empress, who was deposed after the coup because she was the daughter of the treacherous minister Li Ziqian.

Zhao Huan agreed to select a woman from the Zhao Song imperial family to be the queen of Goryeo, and allowed young men from Goryeo to come to the Imperial Academy in Bianliang.

Startled, Wang Kai hastily established a new queen and reported to the Song Dynasty that he already had a queen, thus politely declining Zhao Huan's offer.

Your Zhao Song dynasty is about to collapse. Bringing in a woman from the imperial clan will only alienate our Goryeo and the new dynasty of the Dai king.

As for the territory, the Goryeo rulers and their ministers realized they couldn't get it, and since their troops hadn't actually participated in the war, they had no choice but to give up.

The Song court further granted Goryeo the title of a country exempt from invasion, promising never to wage war again, and would send eminent scholars to Goryeo to travel and teach. (End of Chapter)