Chapter 120: The Escape Route

Xiao Sixian had a dream in which an immortal instructed him on how to defend against the Jurchen attacks. Not only that, but the immortal also revealed that Aguda himself had been killed by this very same miraculous weapon.

When Xiao Sixian awoke, he was astonished to find an improved version of a "Heaven-Shaking Thunder" bomb sitting on his table.

Xiao Sixian was highly superstitious; he firmly believed it was the divine guidance of the immortal. After testing the explosive's power, he immediately ordered it to be mass-produced and buried across the vast fields outside Huanglong Prefecture.

The old immortal had told him that the Jurchens would soon launch another offensive, and this device was the most effective weapon against Jurchen cavalry.

The Jurchens were indeed preparing to strike. This time, however, it was not to conquer territory, but purely to force the Liao Dynasty to hand over a specific person.

Following a chaotic night of fighting in Huining, the Jurchens had suffered countless casualties. Once they realized Zhao Yu had disappeared, even Wanyan Xieye, despite his slow reactions, understood that they had fallen for Zhao Yu’s cunning scheme.

For this reason, Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Zonggan had to set aside their prejudices and temporarily overlook the fact that Wanyan Xiyin had schemed against them.

The Jurchen leadership, while cleaning up the aftermath in Huining, followed the proposal of Wanyan Xiyin and Wanyan Zonghan to enthrone Aguda’s youngest son, Wanyan Hehu, as the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty.

In truth, everyone understood that the priority was not to attack the Liao Dynasty, but to rest and recuperate, striving to restore their strength as quickly as possible.

However, to prevent the Liao from perceiving their weakness, they had to first strike fear into the Liao army, and then negotiate for the handover of Zhao Yu.

Just as Zhao Yu had anticipated, even with Wanyan Xiyin’s intellect, he never imagined that Zhao Yu would flee to Goryeo.

To this end, the Jurchens dispatched over a dozen parties to hunt down Zhao Yu and his companions, while simultaneously blockading all roads leading to the Liao territory.

Yet, Zhao Yu knew that there was no such thing as an airtight secret; the Jurchens would eventually learn that he had escaped into Goryeo.

But everything takes time, and in an ancient era with underdeveloped communication, as long as they made good use of this time gap, Zhao Yu and his group could escape safely.

All roads lead to Rome; the undeveloped wilderness offered paths everywhere. The ice and snow had begun to melt, and the stubborn grass was growing impatient. The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and fresh greenery, which was enough to lift anyone’s spirits.

After Aguda founded his dynasty, he had not yet had the chance to deal with Goryeo, so they were currently considered brotherly states. Historically, it was not until the reign of Wuqimai that the Goryeo people were completely subdued and forced into a tributary relationship.

The Goryeo people, true to their characteristically shameless nature, took advantage of the fierce fighting between the Jurchens and the Liao to push their influence to the banks of the Yalu River.

However, Wang Yu was self-aware enough not to provoke the Jurchens excessively; he did not station a large army by the Yalu River, but merely sent small patrols to traverse the river from time to time.

The Yalu River had not yet completely thawed, and occasionally, one could see people traveling directly across the ice.

Zhao Yu reined in his horse by the riverbank and, pointing toward the land on the opposite shore and the rolling mountains in the distance, said to Han Shizhong and Yan Qing, "Do you know? That land was once the territory of our Han people. I once saw a map drawn by the Goryeo people, and on that map, everything north of the Yangtze River was marked as Goryeo territory."

Han Shizhong was no mere brute who only knew how to fight; he had studied the thousands of years of history of the Middle Kingdom.

Hearing Zhao Yu’s words, he couldn't help but retort, "Are the Goryeo people having delusions? Ever since the Great Han, the Korean Peninsula has been our territory. It was only when the Central Plains grew weak that they had the opportunity to establish a kingdom. When did the majority of the Central Plains ever belong to them?"

"Hehe! The Goryeo people have done plenty of shameless things. You just need to remember never to trust them. Look! A merchant caravan is crossing the river; let's go join the fun."

With that, Zhao Yu spurred his horse toward the caravan that had already stepped onto the ice.

The current King of Goryeo, Wang Yu, known by the Goryeo people as Yejong, was a very cunning fellow. He maintained good relations with both the Great Song and the Khitan, and after the rise of the Jurchens, he struck up a relationship with Aguda as well, all while secretly building up his military strength, waiting for the right moment to lay his hands on the Central Plains.

Yet, no one expected that Zhao Yu’s act of fleeing for his life would teach the Goryeo people a harsh lesson, showing them what it meant to be hoist with one's own petard.

Not far across the Yalu River lay Baozhou, which had been renamed Yizhou after being occupied by the Goryeo people.

This merchant caravan had just returned from the Mongolian steppes. Their goods consisted mainly of furs, as that was what the Mongolian steppes produced during this season.

The leader was a Han man named Wu Qian. Having traveled extensively throughout the northern regions for years, he had good relationships with various northern city-states.

Due to the constant warfare in the north, bandits and outlaws were numerous. To protect the caravan, Wu Qian employed armed escorts, with their numbers reaching up to a thousand at their peak.

This time, entering Goryeo, he had only brought about a hundred guards to avoid unnecessary trouble. Including the drivers and others, the caravan consisted of about five hundred people.

The sudden appearance of Zhao Yu and his two companions immediately aroused Wu Qian’s vigilance. At this time, the Jurchen arrest warrant had not yet fully spread, so Wu Qian did not know that this smiling young man was a wanted criminal whom the Jurchens hated to the bone.

"Who goes there? Halt!"

"Gentlemen, we are ginseng hunters from the mountains. This is our first time, and having no experience, we were swindled out of all our money. Then, caught in the middle of the war, we hoped to try our luck in Goryeo. Who is the head of this caravan? Might you be able to look after us?"

The lie had been prepared long ago, but unfortunately, he had encountered someone who was not easily fooled.

Wu Qian signaled for the caravan to continue moving while steering his horse toward Zhao Yu. After looking him up and down, he said, "I have traveled north and south for many years, but this is the first time I've seen such delicate-looking ginseng hunters. Say what you have to say, and don't try to play tricks in front of me."

Caught in a lie in public, Zhao Yu didn't even blush. He gave a chuckle and said, "As expected of a seasoned traveler. Since you've seen through it, I won't hide it from you. Our hometown was occupied by the Jurchens, and we cannot go to the Central Plains, so we hoped to try our luck in Goryeo. Would you mind giving us a ride? Don't worry, we won't be freeloaders; we can handle any rough or menial work."

His words left Wu Qian half-convinced. The brutality of the Jurchens was well-known, especially toward the Han people, so Zhao Yu’s story carried a high degree of credibility.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You may follow behind our caravan, but you are not to enter it. If any trouble arises, it will have nothing to do with us."

This old man was quite vigilant, but Zhao Yu and his companions didn't really need to join the caravan; they only wanted to use it for better concealment.

After nodding in agreement, the three men on their three horses followed behind the caravan. Anyone who didn't know better would have assumed they were part of the caravan's guards.

Wu Qian paid no more attention to Zhao Yu and his group, and after ordering his men to be on high alert, he spurred his horse toward the front...

Meanwhile, at Wanyan Xiyin’s residence in Huining:

After sending men to attack the Liao army in Huanglong Prefecture, Wanyan Xiyin and the others began to analyze the intelligence fed back by the teams tracking Zhao Yu...