You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

On to the capital, at the execution ground.

This small area, once used for public executions, was now completely surrounded by a grim atmosphere and a dense, dark crowd.

The cold wind swirled with snowflakes, scraping against everyone's skin like a knife.

On the makeshift platform, Han Shizhong stood with his hand on his sword, his black armor gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the dim light.

His face was solemn, and his gaze swept across the audience like that of a hawk.

Hundreds of Jin officials, nobles, and their adult sons and nephews, with their arms bound behind their backs, stripped of their official robes, and dressed only in white prison clothes, were forced to kneel on the cold, muddy snow by the fierce Song soldiers, like lambs to the slaughter.

Among them were elderly nobles with white hair, who once held sway over the court.

There were generals in their prime, their hands stained with blood, and also pale-faced noblemen who, though not yet of age, had been implicated by their fathers and grandfathers.

At this moment, everyone's face was ashen, tears streaming down their faces. Some were covered in mud, some were sobbing softly, and some were howling in despair, cursing their fate or injustice.

An intense atmosphere of fear and despair, almost solidified, permeated the air above the execution ground.

All around were ordinary people from the capital who were allowed or even driven away to "observe the ceremony".

They were wrapped in tattered fur coats, shivering in the cold wind, their faces showing complex expressions.

There is a lingering fear of past oppressors, a sense of bewilderment about an unknown fate, and more than anything, a numb, almost cold, indifferent observation.

Many people have vacant eyes, as if everything in front of them has nothing to do with them.

Han Shizhong looked up at the sky; the time had come.

He stepped forward, took a deep breath of the cold air, and with a strong voice, though not particularly loud, it clearly drowned out the wind and the prisoners' cries, echoing throughout every corner of the execution ground:

"By order of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty!"

"A total of 473 traitors of the Jin Dynasty, whose ancestors and fathers repeatedly offended the Celestial Empire, slaughtered Han people, and committed heinous crimes that are too numerous to recount!"

"The blood of Bianliang is not yet dry, and the bones of those from the two rivers still weep!"

"Now the royal army is marching to comfort the people and punish the guilty, bringing peace to the world. These heinous villains are beyond redemption!"

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping across the ashen faces below the stage. His voice suddenly rose, becoming resolute: "To punish them according to the law, as a warning to others!"

"To comfort the departed souls and to uphold the law!"

"Execute!"

The word "execute" was uttered, and the command flag was lowered!

"Ha!"

On the stage, dozens of burly executioners, bare-chested, with red headscarves on their heads and carrying large, gleaming swords, exhaled in unison and unleashed a fierce slash!

"puff!"

"Pfft!"

"Snap!"

The dull thud of a sharp blade severing a neck bone and the sharp, slicing sound of flesh cutting through skin exploded almost simultaneously!

Blood shot into the sky! Hundreds of heads rolled to the ground, and headless corpses fell forward, their warm blood gushing out like countless small fountains, instantly staining the snow in the center of the execution ground a dazzling, viscous dark red!

The pungent, nauseating stench of blood spread rapidly with the cold wind!

"Ah! Father!"

"My son! My son!"

"You beasts! You will all die a horrible death!!"

After a brief silence, a sudden, heart-wrenching wail and curses erupted!

The families of the convicted officials who were not implicated and were allowed to collect the bodies cried out and tried to rush forward, but were blocked by a forest of spears and halberds. They could only watch helplessly as their loved ones' heads separated from their bodies and gradually grew cold in the pool of blood.

However, in stark contrast to the desperate wailing of the family members, some different voices gradually rose from among the Jin people watching around.

At first, it was a suppressed, tentative whisper:

"Good riddance... That magistrate, in order to seize my family's land, drove my father to his death..."

"That fat man was the grain requisition officer. Last winter, he forcibly took away our family's last bag of seed grain, and my mother... starved to death on the bed..."

The sounds grew more numerous and louder, eventually coalescing into a cacophony of cries mixed with a sense of ecstasy:

"Retribution! This is all retribution! Heaven has finally opened its eyes!"

"What a corrupt official! He bullies us all the time, even more ruthless than the Song people! He deserves it!"

"The Song emperor did a good job killing them! These parasites should have been killed long ago!"

"Yes! Kill all these corrupt officials! Only then will we have a chance to survive!"

Some even knelt down and kowtowed excitedly towards Han Shizhong on the high platform, crying out, "Your Honor! You have rid the people of this scourge!"

Han Shizhong stood on the high platform with his hand on his sword, the cold wind ruffling his short beard.

His expression remained cold and indifferent, but a faint sense of surprise crossed his mind.

He anticipated the fear, apathy, and even possible hatred of the Jin people.

Unexpectedly, at this moment of national subjugation, such intense resentment towards their former rulers and longing for a just and upright government would erupt in this way.

The will of the people can sometimes be so direct and cruel.

He now had a clearer understanding of His Majesty's strategies...

A swift and decisive approach to eliminating the stubborn resistance at the top may be a faster way to win back the hearts and minds of the disunited people at the bottom.

He ignored the chaotic scene below the stage and waved his hand, ordering: "Collect the corpses and display their heads to the public. Maintain order and prevent any disturbances."

……

More than ten days passed in a flash.

The situation in Beijing gradually calmed down amid bloody purges and initial appeasement.

Inside the Zhenbei Hall of the Imperial Palace, the air was warm and inviting as Lu Zuo listened to reports from Yue Fei and Han Shizhong.

"His Majesty,"

Yue Fei, dressed in light armor and standing upright, reported in a deep voice, "After this purge, there are very few who dare to openly resist in the capital and surrounding prefectures and counties."

"All the surrendered tribes have been re-registered and proclamations to reassure the people have been distributed."

"Our army has captured a considerable amount of money and grain from the Jin Dynasty's treasury, which is sufficient to support the army's subsequent operations."

Han Shizhong continued, tracing his finger across the massive map of northern China: "However, the Jin Kingdom's territory is vast, especially in Liaodong, Linhuang Prefecture, and the Northwest Circuit, where the mountains are high, the roads are long, and the tribes are mixed."

"Some border generals and local strongmen either hold their own troops and defend themselves, or they outwardly comply but inwardly defy orders, or even collude with the remnants of the grasslands."

"Although it is not a significant threat yet, if left unchecked, it may spread."

Lu Zuo sat behind his desk, tapping his fingertips lightly on the surface. His gaze swept over the marked areas on the map that had not yet fully submitted, and he said slowly, "In that case, we cannot give them a chance to breathe."

"The army has been resting for nearly a month. How is morale?"

"Is it possible to fight again?"

A glint flashed in Yue Fei's eyes, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Your Majesty, since the beginning of winter, our soldiers have won one victory after another, recapturing the capital, and their morale is high!"

"They train tirelessly every day, all saying their weapons are already thirsty for blood, hoping to wipe out the remaining rebels for His Majesty, unify the northern frontier as soon as possible, and achieve unparalleled feats!"

"We await only His Majesty's command!"

"Good!" Lu Zuo nodded, stood up, and said, "Issue my decree that the army shall assemble at the drill ground outside the South Gate at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow."

"I, the Emperor, will personally go to reward the troops and encourage the soldiers!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Yue Fei and Han Shizhong solemnly responded, their eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

……

The next morning, as dawn broke, the cold wind still blew.

In front of the huge square at the main gate of the palace, a royal carriage drawn by four magnificent black horses and decorated with black dragon patterns was ready to come to a stop.

The soldiers stood at attention, and the banners fluttered slightly in the morning breeze.

Lu Zuo walked out of the palace gate surrounded by eunuchs.

He was not wearing his usual clothes today, but had changed into a black military uniform with gold-embroidered arrow sleeves that was easy to ride, with a black cloak over it, which made him look even more heroic and upright.

Behind them, Wanyan Xue and Wulinda Mingke followed silently, the two women having changed into thicker brocade palace dresses.

Before the imperial carriage, a figure dressed in the lowest-ranking blue uniform of the Song army, with his neck hunched and holding the reins of a black lead horse, stood out conspicuously.

It was Wanyan Dan who was appointed as the "Imperial Carriage Driver".

He lowered his head, trying to hide himself behind the horse and the tall wheels, his body shivering slightly in the morning chill, whether from the cold or something else, he didn't know.

Upon hearing the footsteps, Wanyan Dan froze, his head drooping even lower.

He saw a pair of black boots embroidered with gold thread stop in front of him, followed by his sister Wanyan Xue's elegant dress, and...

Beside her was another, more familiar hem of clothing belonging to Consort Rou Mingke.

He was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of humiliation once again.

He dared not look up, but he could feel the gazes of those two eyes upon him.

Following the repetitive and humiliating procedures he had been subjected to over the past few days, he slowly and with extreme humiliation turned around, his back to the imperial carriage door.

Then, on the cold, hard bluestone ground, he knelt down and lay prone, using his back as a living "stirrup" for people to step on.

He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for that foot to step on him, waiting for that overwhelming weight and the feeling of crushing his dignity.

However, in the agonizing wait, he finally couldn't resist and secretly and very quickly lifted his eyelids a crack, glancing in the direction of his sister and Mingke.

That one glance sent a chill down his spine.

He saw his younger sister, Wanyan Xue, standing slightly behind Lu Zuo, her head bowed. But her gaze seemed fixed on Lu Zuo's tall, straight back. Her eyes, usually filled with sorrow and coldness, now held no trace of their former desolation; instead…

There seemed to be a very faint, complex expression on her face, one that she herself was unaware of, which was far more than just fear or resignation.

When Lu Zuo slightly turned his head and said something to her, he actually saw the corner of his sister's mouth curve upwards almost imperceptibly and extremely stiffly.

Although it recovered instantly, it was indeed a... rudimentary form of a smile?

That was a submissive, even slightly ingratiating, attitude!

What broke his heart even more was the look in Consort Rou Mingke's eyes.

She stood beside her sister, her posture seemingly straighter than when she was in the palace, her face lightly powdered to conceal her recent haggard appearance.

When his gaze briefly met Ming Ke's, which she had caught a glimpse of, Wanyan Dan did not see the sympathy, sorrow, or bittersweet feeling of shared suffering that he had expected.

What he saw was coldness.

It was a clear, undisguised contempt and disdain.

That look seemed to say: Look at your ugly, begging, servile appearance.

He dares to say he was once a king?

That gaze, like a poisoned ice pick, pierced through Wanyan Dan's last vestige of self-deception.

Ming Ke... she's changed.

She truly devoted herself to that conqueror, body and soul.

What she despised was perhaps not only his humiliating posture at this moment, but also his past incompetence and his failure as a monarch that led to today's outcome.

Wanyan Dan felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart tightly, the pain almost suffocating him, and his vision blurred.

All the frustration, anger, and resentment eventually turned into deeper despair and cold numbness.

So this is what it feels like to be abandoned by your own country, betrayed by your own subjects, and even despised by your own woman...

Just then, a foot landed firmly on his back.

It wasn't heavy, even light, but the force it possessed felt like a thousand pounds, completely crushing all his dignity, pride, and past into dust, merging him with the cold, dirty bluestone slab beneath him.

Lu Zuo used the momentum to calmly board the imperial carriage.

"Let's depart!" the eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out.

Wanyan Dan, like a real, soulless stirrup, mechanically and staggeringly got up the moment Lu Zuo left his back.

He didn't even bother to brush the dust off his robes before silently and obediently taking the reins, guiding the horse, and slowly pulling the imperial carriage that carried the conqueror and the woman who once belonged to him, toward the training ground in the south of the city.

Every step I take is on my own broken heart.

……

Outside the South Gate, the drill ground was filled with banners that blotted out the sun and a forest of swords and spears.

Tens of thousands of Song Dynasty elites, tempered by the blood and fire of the Northern Expedition, stood in neat and solemn square formations, completely silent except for the rustling of the cold wind as it swept past the corners of the flags.

The black armor reflected the dim winter light, converging into a chilling steel forest.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of the battle formation.

It remains a silent program.

Wanyan Dan silently knelt on the ground, serving as a stepping stone for disembarking. Lu Zuo stepped on his back, landing steadily as they walked towards the makeshift command platform.

Wanyan Dan stood up, lowered his hands, and stepped aside, like a true, insignificant servant.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his sister and Mingke standing quietly beside the imperial carriage, their gazes seemingly focused on the black-clad figure ascending the high platform.

Lu Zuo ascended the high platform, his gaze slowly sweeping over the boundless steel array below.

The cold wind whipped his cloak, making it flutter loudly.

"Soldiers!"

"Today, seeing your disciplined military bearing and soaring morale, I am greatly pleased!"

"Since last autumn, I and you have sworn an oath to launch a northern expedition, marching out of the Jianghuai region, capturing Bianliang, breaking through Dading, and reaching this very capital, Shangjing!"

"After a thousand miles of battle, with blood staining the mountains and rivers, we finally annihilated the Jin invaders, wiped away a century of shame, and restored the Han dynasty's territory!"

"This is an unprecedented achievement, worthy of shining in history and lasting for eternity!"

"However—"

"Though the Jin dynasty has fallen, its embers have not yet been extinguished!"

"Even in the vast northern frontier, some petty villains still stubbornly cling to their illusions, hoping to resist the heavenly army!"

"Even more sinister wolves lurk on the plains, watching the fire from across the river; their intentions are treacherous!"

"I ask you all—"

"Are the swords and spears in your hands still sharp?!"

"Is the blood in your chest still boiling?!"

"Is your desire to achieve great deeds, secure a high position for your wife and children, still burning brightly?!"

The three shouts were like thunderclaps!

"roar--!!!"

"roar--!!!"

"roar--!!!"

His response was a roar of tens of thousands of soldiers, like a landslide and a tsunami!

The sound waves converged and soared into the sky, making the distant city walls seem to tremble slightly!

Countless swords and spears were raised high, their cold light reflecting the sun, and a murderous aura filled the field!

"Excellent!" Lu Zuo swung his arm forcefully, his voice echoing across the land. "These are the elite warriors of my Great Song! These are the battle-hardened troops who have lived up to my expectations!"

"I, in the name of the Emperor, hereby bid you farewell!"

"From here, we will sweep away the rebels and annihilate their territories! Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, that is the territory of our Great Song Dynasty, and there shall be no place where the red flag flies!"

"I have prepared imperial wine in the palace, to celebrate your triumphant return with you!"

"May the Great Song Dynasty prosper!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"May the Great Song Dynasty be victorious! May it be victorious! May it be victorious!"

The frenzied shouts erupted again like a volcano, wave after wave, and the entire world seemed to be filled only with this deafening roar of loyalty and boiling fighting spirit.

Every soldier's face was filled with fervor and confidence, eager to break camp immediately and sweep away all stubborn enemies for His Majesty and for the Great Song!

Lu Zuo took one last deep look at the invincible army below from the high platform, then turned around and steadily walked down the platform amidst the deafening shouts of "Long live the King!"

As he passed the imperial carriage, he did not glance at Wanyan Dan, who was kneeling beside the carriage like a clay or wooden statue, but simply gave the following order:

"Return to the palace."