Chapter 290 The Three Kingdoms are unified, and the world is united! (Part )
The death of Yelu Hongji did not ease the tense atmosphere in Shangjing, and the war situation did not change at all.

On the contrary, because of the death of Yelu Hongji, the Khitan people were shrouded in the shadow of the collapse of their empire, and the entire Khitan nation became more and more sad.

At this time when the country was on the verge of collapse and the family was on the verge of ruin, Xiao Feng, the King of the Southern Court, thought for a while and then put forward his own views at the next meeting of regent ministers.

"The Jurchens are not more numerous than us Khitans. Although they are better at fighting than our Khitan warriors, war is not a contest of personal martial arts. We Khitans ended up like this because we lack the most important thing, which is courage! In the Battle of Hubu Dagang, there were not many Jurchens, but as soon as the enemy rushed into our central army, the 100,000-man army collapsed. Their will to fight was so weak." Xiao Feng concluded, "Over the past year, we have been defending the city and dared not fight the Jurchens in the field. If this continues, we will never win!"

"In my opinion, no matter how clever the plan or the layout is, it will be useless! At this point, if we want to win and save the fate of the Great Khitan Kingdom, there is only one way, and that is: the brave will win when they meet on a narrow road!"

Xiao Feng stood up and said in a resounding voice: "Instead of continuing to fight with the Jurchens, it is better to gather the last elite of our Khitan and fight the Jurchens in the field! This battle is a battle of life and death for the Liao Kingdom, a battle of courage! I will lead the army myself to prove that the bravery of our Khitan people is not inferior to that of the Jurchens!"

"Hit! Hit hard! It's better to die heroically than to perish in a cowardly way!"

"We have won the battle. From now on, the situation has changed drastically. The Great Khitan Kingdom has hope of regaining its strength!"

Among the ministers present, including Empress Xiao Guanyin and the new emperor Yelu Jun, there was not a single stupid person.

They all understood that what Xiao Feng said was reasonable.

If the Jurchens could not be defeated in a field battle, not only would the Khitans' morale continue to decline, but other ethnic groups would also continue to turn to the Jurchens. As a result, the Khitans would become a small tribe, and the Jurchens would become a large tribe.

The total number of the various Jurchen tribes was no more than 20,000 people, and the Wanyan tribe of the Jurchens had only more than 2,000 people at the beginning.

How did it grow so big in such a short time?
It was because the Jurchens fought so powerfully in the Battle of Hubudagan that the Liao Emperor Yelu Hongji was forced to flee in panic and the Liao army of 100,000 was defeated. This real victory in a field battle astonished the entire north.

As a result, a large number of Bohai people, Jurchens, Xi people, Han people, and even Khitans joined the Jurchens.

This is in line with the laws of politics and with human nature, that is, they will help whoever wins.

Many Khitan army generals, seeing that the Liao Dynasty was doomed, also turned to the Jurchens without any psychological grudges.

The strength of the Jurchens grew like a snowball and they gradually gained the upper hand.

And this year, although the Khitan, with the participation of Xiao Feng, was able to contain the Jurchens in a series of wars to defend the city and prevented the Jurchens from conquering the Liao capital Shangjing as easily as in history, they had never defeated the Jurchens in a field battle.

This made everyone look badly upon the Liao Dynasty, and it declined further as a result.

When Yelu Hongji was in power, he was just a guard dog. To be honest, he was frightened by the Jurchens and hid in the city without leaving.

Now that Yelu Hongji is dead, after deep thinking, Xiao Feng believes that only by inspiring the courage of the Khitans, allowing them to defeat the Jurchens in a field battle and breaking the myth of the Jurchens' invincibility, can the Khitan Kingdom be saved.

"But if this is the last bit of our Liao Kingdom's assets, it will be gone after the war!" said Yelu Yixin.

Xiao Feng said: "If we don't fight now, these elite troops will only be consumed slowly, and then the Liao Kingdom will still perish! War is all about courage! We just lack the courage to fight to the death! Because in the past, the Liao Kingdom was powerful and wealthy, just like rich people who dared not fight to the death! But we lost Liaodong and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun! We are already barefoot! We have nothing! If we don't fight hard, we can't even save our lives!"

At this time, King Jin Yelu Renxian stood up and said, "I support King Nanyuan! The Great Khitan State has come to this point and has no choice but to fight to the death! This battle will decide the outcome! I am willing to hand over all my troops, prepare a coffin, carry it to the battlefield, and fight side by side with King Nanyuan! This battle is indeed a battle of courage, a battle to save the fate of our Khitan State! This battle is inevitable! In the history books of the future, we will not be recorded as cowards! Is it good to perish like the Great Song Dynasty?!"

"If we win, everything will be fine!" Yelu Yixin refused to give in. "But what if we lose?"

"Then move west!" Xiao Feng knew that Yelu Yixin was afraid of death, so he said immediately, "If you lose, Prime Minister, you will take the Queen Mother and the Emperor to move west, and I, Xiao Feng, will cover your retreat! As long as I am alive, Khitan will not perish!"

Yelu Yixin was somewhat relieved, looked at Xiao Guanyin, and asked, "What does the Queen Mother think?"

Xiao Guanyin was the empress dowager, and actually represented both imperial power and empress power, making her the most important person among the Khitan regents.

When Yelu Hongji was dying, his expectations for her were Shulü Ping and Xiao Chuo.

Yelu Jun is not very good. Yelu Hongji hopes that Xiao Guanyin can exert the power of Xiao family bloodline and become a queen mother like Xiao Chuo!

When Zhao Guangyi raided the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom was frightened. Xiao Chuo led the army in person and defeated Zhao Guangyi's donkey cart, thus laying the foundation for the Northern Dynasty to be the big brother.

Therefore, Yelu Hongji gave Xiao Guanyin a lot of power, hoping that Xiao Guanyin could perform beyond his normal level, but obviously, Xiao Guanyin showed no signs of performing well.

Yelu Hongji was desperate and tried every possible means to cure his illness.

Xiao Guanyin trusts Xiao Feng very much. After all, Xiao Yuanshan was the coach of her Shushan Army, and Xiao Feng is also her clansman.

"Of course, I cannot be compared with the Holy Queen Xuanxian, but I also understand that it is better to die standing than to live on my knees. I support the King of the Southern Courtyard!" Xiao Guanyin said solemnly, "My Shushan Army will also be under the command of the King of the Southern Courtyard. My dear Xiao, this time, the fate of the Khitan people is entrusted to you!"

Emperor Yelu Jun said: "My mother is right. I also support the King of the Southern Courtyard!"

Xiao Feng bowed and said, "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will go through fire and water and swear to live and die with the Liao Dynasty!"

Thus, the decisive battle was decided.

The last elite troops of the Khitan gathered together again, abandoned many cities, and gathered in Shangjing.

There were as many as 30,000 elite soldiers among them alone.

There are another 70,000 people, who, although not elite soldiers, are enough to be used in battle.

Therefore, the Liao Kingdom recruited an army of 100,000.

Although Xiao Guanyin did not understand politics, he knew that this was a matter of life and death, so he opened the national treasury and distributed the last of the Liao Kingdom's assets to the soldiers to encourage them to defend their country.

Prime Minister Yelu Yixin planned to move westward.

He still did not look favorably upon the Liao Kingdom's war.

Everyone acquiesced. After all, if they couldn't win the battle, they would just retreat strategically. The Khitans were a nomadic people after all, so this was normal.

On the Jurchen side, Wang Jingzhong, Duke Chengguo of the Ming Dynasty, was also a military genius. He anticipated the Khitan's strategy from their various deployments.

He said: "Although Yelu Hongji is dead, the Khitans have become mourners. Now the Khitan Southern Court King Xiao Feng is a fierce warrior. Without Yelu Hongji to hold him back, he is like a tiger descending from the mountain."

"Now, it looks like the tiger is about to come down the mountain. We have a tough battle to fight, and we have to fight it!"

At that moment, Wang Jingzhong also summoned the Jurchen tribes and organized a large number of vassal troops. The army size reached 100,000 people, ready to meet the final counterattack of the Khitans.

Wang Jingzhong was full of confidence because Murong Fei and Fang La both promised that the Ming army would provide support. This battle would be the funeral of the Khitan Kingdom!
After more than a hundred years of existence, the Liao Empire, which had dominated the northern land, had already sounded its death knell.

On this day, the sky was clear and the snow in the north had stopped, leaving only a blanket of silver on the ground.

At the beginning of the second year of Hongwu, the north was still so cold. Outside the city of Shangjing, the Liao Kingdom and the Khitan army of 100,000 were facing each other. As the military music of both sides sounded, the drums of war rang loudly, and the shouts of killing also resounded throughout the battlefield:

"kill!"

Wang Jingzhong personally led 3,000 Iron Flotillas, the most elite army of the Jurchens. Most of them came from the Wanyan tribe of the Jurchens. They were a heavily armored cavalry unit, extremely brave and powerful. With only dozens of cavalry, they could defeat thousands of local troops.

"kill!"

Xiao Feng led the Khitan's most elite 4,000 Pi Shi troops, all of whom were heavily armored cavalry, and launched a charge towards the Jurchens.

The Pi Shi Army was the emperor's personal army formed by the Liao emperor selecting elite troops from various Khitan tribes.

Originally there were about 5,000 people. During the Yelu Hongji era, the number was expanded to 10,000, and the combat effectiveness inevitably declined.

However, during the nearly one year of war, the Pi Shi Army suffered severe losses, with 3,000 killed, 3,000 disabled or injured, leaving only 4,000 people.

These 4,000 men were all elite warriors who had experienced many battles on the battlefield. Especially those who had participated in the war against the Jurchens together with Xiao Feng, and who had survived to this day, could be said to be the last trump card of the Khitan.

This war is a battle of life and death, so naturally both sides will show all their cards.

However, Xiao Feng’s opponent is not Wang Jingzhong, but the leader of the Jurchen Murong tribe, the First Baturu, Murong Bo who transformed into Yan Longyuan.

Murong Bo's momentum and martial arts are now very strong.

Why?

Because his son Murong Fu not only succeeded in restoring the country, he was so ambitious that he had the potential to become the emperor of a unified empire. This was a great feat that Murong Wei, Murong Ke, and Murong Chui had failed to accomplish, but was to be accomplished in the hands of Murong Fu. Murong Fu had created a career that surpassed that of his ancestors!
Although the country is not called Dayan, the name is just a code name and the country is the reality. Today's Ming Dynasty has surpassed many Yan countries in history in terms of national prestige and territory, and it rules over wealthy and core areas.

This made Murong Bo very motivated. His lifelong wish had been fulfilled, and his morale was high, and his martial arts skills also improved.

Moreover, in the past year or so, his battles with Xiao Feng had only helped each other to achieve success.

Both of them become stronger as they fight!

At this time, Murong Bo, dressed in armor and wearing a mask that looked as ferocious as an angry King Kong, rushed straight towards Xiao Feng.

"Xiao Feng!"

"Yan Longyuan!"

"Yan Longyuan!"

"Xiao Feng!"

"This is a battle of life and death!"

"I will fight you to the death!"

The two men quickly fought together, and both of them made great progress in martial arts.

Xiao Feng watched the crumbling Khitan Kingdom and the bloodshed on the battlefield, which made him gradually understand the truth of "When dragons fight in the wild, their blood turns dark yellow". This greatly enhanced the power of his "Dragons Fight in the Wild" and also brought about the change of "their blood turns dark yellow".

Originally, Xiao Feng was already the best candidate for the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and he practiced it to an unprecedented level. Now he has gone a step further and combined his state of mind with martial arts. The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms has the same effect as Yang Guo's "The Desolate and Melancholy" in later generations. According to Xiao Feng's mood, the power of the moves will increase and decrease.

Yang Guo was in a gloomy mood, but Xiao Feng's heart was filled with longing for peace. The more he was in the midst of war, the more he saw the deaths and injuries of his compatriots and foreigners, the more Xiao Feng longed for peace. This was a vision of "I don't want to be a marquis, but I just hope the sea will be peaceful". Therefore, his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms combined compassion for the common people and the longing for peace, and its power was even greater.

At this moment, I am afraid that the founder of this set of Dragon Subduing Palm technique would say sincerely when he sees Xiao Feng: And you, my Xiao Feng, you are the real big brother!

But Murong Bo is not weak either.

Although Murong Bo did not integrate his state of mind into his martial arts, he obtained a lot of martial arts resources from Murong Fu. The Beiming Divine Art that he practiced also absorbed the internal strength of many shortsighted masters, making his skills far superior to Xiao Feng.

This battle is a perfect match between a worthy opponent and a talented general.

On this side is the King of the Southern Court of Liao, the greatest Barutu of Khitan; on that side is the great and wise teacher of the Jurchens, the most powerful general of Liaodong!
On this side, the power of Eighteen Palms can subdue a dragon, and the dragon roars into the sky and earth; on that side, the Three-Finger can traverse Dragon City, with a long-lasting aura!
On this side is a young man in his thirties who is as fierce as a tiger, and on that side is an old man in his sixties who is like a dragon.

It is hard to tell who is better between Guan Gong and Qin Qiong, while Wukong and Yang Jian are equally matched.

The two men's true energy overflowed with great strength, and the war horses were frightened and ran away wildly. The surrounding warriors died if they were touched, and were injured if they were brushed against, so they did not dare to get close.

The battle between the two was as tense as the battle between the Jurchens and the Khitans.

Xiao Feng was at the forefront, and the Khitans were not without other brave warriors. Yelu Renxian, the King of Jin, placed the coffin in the most conspicuous place and carried the coffin to the battle to inspire the courage of the Khitans.

Behind them is Shangjing, their last home. Naturally, they would defend their country and refuse to give in.

The Jurchens also honed their bravery in the bitter cold. The Iron Flotilla led by Wang Jingzhong was the strongest army in the world in the conventional sense. They were invincible and would fight to the death.

Therefore, this war was extremely cruel, with casualties on both sides, and those who died were all elite soldiers. The top leaders of both sides felt very painful.

This war goes on and on.

"I don't want casualty figures. Don't report casualty figures to me. I only want to know how many Jurchens were killed! Kill! Kill them hard! Kill them until the Jurchens are terrified!" Yelu Renxian said grimly, "Today, I will bleed with you all! We will not stop fighting until the blood is dried!"

Wang Jingzhong was not at all nervous, and said to Wang Jingyi (formerly Wanyan Wuqimai, changed his name to Wang Jingyi) who wanted to call for support from the Ming Dynasty:
"Don't count on the Ming Dynasty. We are its subjects and vassals! If we can't fight, the Ming Dynasty won't look up to us! We, the Wang family of Langya in Liaodong, are determined to destroy the Liao Kingdom to prove our worth! Only in this way can we have a place in a strong Ming Dynasty! Kill them! The Khitans are already at the end of their strength. If we hold on, we can win!"

Both sides fought with real anger and refused to give in, and both suffered heavy casualties.

The continuous fighting made Murong Bo breathless and Xiao Feng looked exhausted.

At this moment, a sharp charge horn sounded:

“Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.”

Then, the earth shook, and the flags of the sun and the moon appeared on the distant horizon.

It’s the Ming army, the Ming army has arrived!

(End of this chapter)