red by the Jie tribe and bullied by the Xianbei tribe. By running to the east and fleeing to the west, they endured untold hardships. During the Great Tang dynasty, the military strength of your Han people is at its peak. In those days, incalculable numbers of my Khitan young warriors were butchered and immeasurable amounts of my Khitan young ladies were kidnapped. Today, the military strength of your Han people is tottering. My Khitan people are coming to invade and kill you instead. By taking turns to kill each other, when will we ever balance this blood debt?”

Xuan Du became silent. After a short while, he chanted: “Amituofo. Amituofo.”

Guiding his horse, Duan Yu was approaching them and overheard the second part of their conversation. Sighing once, he recited: “The flames of war never ceases; battles are fought without an end; deaths arise from conflicts; the dying horses groan in agony; the birds feed on corpses; and perch on withering trees; soldiers die and dirty the land; the general’s win is meaningless; despite knowing weapons are murder tools; even the saints have to employ them.” Xiao Feng praised: “Despite knowing weapons are murder tools; even the saints have to employ them. My good Brother, your poem is excellent.” Duan Yu corrected: “I am not the author. This is the work of Li Bai, the accomplished poet of Tang dynasty.”

Xiao Feng recalled: “During the time I spent in this region, I often heard my countrymen sing a particular song.” He then raised his voice and sang out loud: “By destroying my Mount Qilian, my livestock cannot reproduce. By destroying my Mount Yanzhi, my women lived in fear.” Xiao Feng is bursting with energy and his song is able to reach a far distance. However, the song is filled with connotations of sorrow and pity.

Duan Yu nodded his head and enlightened: “This is a song composed by the Xiongnu tribe. That year, Emperor Wu of Han launched a massive invasion against the Xiongnu and conquered vast amounts of territory. The people of Xiongnu suffered untold hardships. To think that this song has been passed on until today.” Xiao Feng remarked: “My Khitan ancestors were like the people of Xiongnu back then. Both of them went through indescribable sufferings.”

Xuan Du sighed once and theorized: “When all the Emperors and Generals take up Buddhism and adopt compassion as their guiding principle, there will no longer be tragedies such as war and killings.” Xiao Feng mused: “I wonder when will the world reach this level of maturity and achieve complete peace.”

As everyone travelled westwards, it is clear to them that there are signs of burning from the three directions of East, South and North. As the fires did not subside, it is apparent that the Liao Army is burning every household along its path. Furious, the groups of heroes cursed them relentlessly and could not wait to fight the Liao Army to death.

Fan Hua suggested: “The Liao Army is catching up to us; soon, we would no longer have any room to retreat. Based on Brother’s (my) opinion, why don’t we split into four different routes? This will confuse the Liao Army and they would not know which group to pursue.”

Wu Changfeng loudly protested: “Isn’t that as good as admitting defeat? Minister Fan, you should stop overrating the enemy and belittling ourselves. Whether we win or lose, it must be a fight to the death with the Liao dogs.”

As he spoke, the air was pierced with a ‘sou’ sound as a feathered arrow flew over from the southeast direction. A Beggar’s Sect disciple was struck by the arrow and he collapsed onto the ground. The next moment, a company of Liao soldiers emerged from the back of a hill and charged towards them, shouting at the top of their voices. It turns out that this specific company of Liao riders has been riding non-stop from the back of the mountain range to launch a surprise attack. Therefore, they managed to avoid the ambushing heroes planted by Fan Hua. This surprise attack party of Liao soldiers consists of more than five hundred men. Wu Changfeng roared: “Attack!” and was the first to dash towards the enemies. The heroes have been stifling their frustration for a long time and everybody fought bravely, trying to take down as many enemies as possible. In terms of numbers, there are more heroes than Liao soldiers. In addition, the heroes are far more skillful in terms of martial arts. Amidst the sounds of loud battle cries, the Liao soldiers were surrounded and chopped to death so rapidly it is as if the heroes are chopping fruits and vegetables. Within an hour, more than five hundred Liao soldiers were utterly killed and dismembered. There were ten odd Khitan warriors who turned around and climbed the mountain in order to escape. Nevertheless, they were pursued by the Qing-gong experts from the Central Plains heroes and killed accordingly.

After scoring a victory, the heroes were happily cheering and their morale increased by leaps and bounds. Fan Hua, on the other hand, secretly communicated to Xuan Du, Xu Zhu, Duan Yu and the others, warning: “This encounter is merely a small company of Liao soldiers. Now that the first wave is over, the second batch of Liao soldiers would soon engage us. We must speedily retreat towards the West!”

His sentence barely ended when loud rumbling ‘hong long long hong long long’ can be heard coming from the eastern direction. When the heroes turned their heads towards the east instantaneously, they could see that plenty of dust and soil has been stirred up. Like the gathering of stormy clouds, half the sky has been engulfed by these dust clouds. In a split second, the heroes glanced at one another in complete silence as the ‘hong long long hong long long’ reverberated in the far background like the sounds of muffled thunder. From the noise produced, it is evident that an immense army of Liao soldiers is riding towards them and their numbers must be in the tens of thousands. The heroes are used to violence and bloody fights in the martial arts world, however, this is the first time they are facing a massive army charging at them at full speed. Compared to the army outside the Southern Capital City, this present Liao army is probably several times bigger. Although each hero is a bold and dauntless individual, when faced with this unexpected earth-shattering show of military might, each of them could feel their hearts beating at a faster rate and their palms dripping with cold sweat.

Fan Hua called out: “Fellow Brothers, the enemy is overwhelmingly strong, there is no value in a tragic death. By preserving our lives, we are opening ourselves to endless possibilities. Today, let us temporarily avoid a direct confrontation. When there is an opportunity, we would definitely launch a counterattack.” The heroes instantly mounted their steeds and drove their horses westwards with a strong sense of urgency. Still, from behind them, the rumbling sounds of ‘hong long long’ continue to resonate endlessly.

This particular night, nobody stopped for a rest. Aware that Yanmen Pass is gradually getting closer and closer, the heroes pressed their horses consistently. Once they have crossed Yanmen Pass and took up a defensive position, they would be able to keep danger at bay. The invading army may be great in numbers but the Pass is not easy to overcome. Along the way, horses started to collapse and die of exhaustion. Some heroes activated their Qing-gong to travel while some horses are forced to carry two riders. By dawn the next morning, Yanmen Pass is less than five kilometres away and the heroes are able to heave a sigh of relief. They dismounted their horses and held them by the reins. By slowing down the pace, these beasts of burden are allowed to regain their stamina. However, from their backs, the ‘hong long long hong long long’ rumbling generated by tens of thousands of galloping horses became louder and louder.

Xiao Feng strolled down a ridge and came to a hillside. Out of nowhere, he noticed a giant rock and his heart shuddered once: Years ago, under the leadership of Abbot Xuan Ci, Chief Wang (Beggar’s Sect) and many heroes of the Central Plains ambushed my Father, killed my Mother and many of my Khitan Warriors at this spot.

Taking a sideways glance, he could identify the obvious streaks left by an axe on a cliff wall; it is Xuan Ci’s attempt to deface the inscribed message of Xiao Yuanshan.

Xiao Feng slowly turned around and caught sight of a flowering tree. In his ears, he could almost hear the voice of Ah Zhu speaking out from behind the tree where she was hiding: “Master Qiao, if you continue to exert your heavy blows, even this mountain peak will be shattered by you.”

Although Xiao Feng is in a daze, the heartfelt words of Ah Zhu clearly manifested in his brain: “I have been waiting for you right here for five days and five nights. My only fear is you failing to show up (due to death). You… You came after all. I thank the Heavens for their protection. At the end of the day, you are well and unhurt.”

His eyes brimming with hot tears, Xiao Feng walked over to the tree and caressed the trunk with his outstretched hand. Compared to the past occasion when he met Ah Zhu here, the tree has grown much taller. In that moment, Xiao Feng was utterly heart-broken and he completely forgot about his present predicament.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice screamed out: “Brother in law, quickly retreat! Quickly retreat!” Ah Zi ran towards Xiao Feng and tugged at his sleeve.

Xiao Feng raised his head and scanned the distant environment. From the three directions of East, North and South, the long pikes of the Liao army are pointing to the sky like the branches of a thick forest. They have been surrounded by the Liao soldiers. Xiao Feng nodded his head and acknowledged: “Very well, let us speak further after we have retreated into Yanmen Pass.”

By this time, the heroes have already gathered in front of Yanmen Pass. As Xiao Feng and Ah Zi rode side by side and arrived at the Pass, the doors of the Pass are still tightly shut. Standing at the top of the Pass, a Song Military Captain loudly announced: “By the orders of General Zhang, the Commander responsible for defending Yanmen Pass, please take heed of this notice: Since the group of you are citizens of Central Plains, it is your right to enter the Pass. However, you could be spies who are in cahoots with the Liao army. Therefore, everyone must abandon your weapons and allow our army to conduct a thorough search. For those who are unarmed, General Zhang will grant a special allowance and allow you to enter the Pass.”

The minute he finished his speech, the heroes started rioting loudly at once. Some exclaimed: “We have travelled for thousands of kilometres and are doing our best to fight against the Liao soldiers, how could you suspect us of being spies?” Some explained: “We are armed as we require these weapons to assist General (Zhang) in his fight against the Liao army. If we discard our weapons, how could we fight against the Liao army?” Some of the ill-tempered heroes began to curse: “D@mn it, you are preventing us from entering the pass? Everyone, let’s attack them!”

Xuan Du hastily calmed everyone down. Facing the Captain, he begged: “I have to trouble Captain to report to General Zhang: We are Song commoners who are loyal to our country. The enemy forces will be arriving soon. If we spend time conducting a search, the delay would cause us to miss the ideal timing for entering the Pass. If the doors of the Pass are opened later, it may no longer be safe.”

The Captain already heard the various cursing by several heroes. Furthermore, he noticed that many of the people present are dressed in strange clothing with odd designs; they are definitely not from the Central Plains. He hollered: “Old Monk, you mentioned that everyone of you is a loyal citizen of Central Plains, I bet that many of them are not from Song, right? Fine! I shall compromise. The citizens of Great Song can enter the Pass but the foreigners are not allowed to enter. ”

Exchanging looks with one another, the heroes were infuriated. The followers of Duan Yu are naturally the Officials and warriors of DaLi country. For Xu Zhu, his followers are a melting pot of different tribes and races, with warriors from Xiyu, Xixia, Tubo, Gaoli, etc. If the Pass is only opened to the citizens of Great Song, the majority of the heroes, namely, the convoys of DaLi country and Lingjiu Palace, would be shut out.

Xuan Du pleaded: “General, please judge for yourself. We have many friendly warriors among us; some of them are DaLi citizens, some of them are Xixia citizens. By joining forces with us, we fought the Liao Army as a united team. Why is there a need to differentiate if they are from Song or not?” On this northern expedition, Duan Yu kept his identity confidential. He must never reveal his true status as the Ruler of a country. This is to prevent the officials of Song dynasty from hatching some evil plot, such as kidnapping him as a hostage. Although DaLi is extremely far away from Liao country, it is not wise to publicly declare war on them. Therefore, Xuan Du did not mention that a VVIP from DaLi country is present at the Pass.

The Captain angrily scolded: “Yanmen Pass is a strategic checkpoint for Great Song’s northern border, what else is more important than this? The massive army of Liao soldiers and cavalry is arriving any minute. If I opened the Pass haphazardly and gave the Liao soldiers an opening to break through, it would be a total disaster. Who can answer for this mistake?”

Wu Changfeng cannot tolerate the bickering anymore and loudly roared: “If you had talked less and opened the Pass earlier, wouldn’t all these issues have been avoided?” The Captain furiously berated: “You old beggar, in front of Official (me), how dare you speak up?” With a wave of his right hand, on the battlements, more than a thousand archers appeared with their arrows notched onto their bows and they were aiming at the bottom of the Pass. The Captain barked: “Quickly get lost. If the group of you continue to stay here and spread baseless rumours, causing the soldiers to waver, I shall release the arrows.” Xuan Du let out a long sigh and was at a loss.

Yanmen Pass is wedged between two mountain peaks that are so tall, they seemed to penetrate the clouds. This Pass is named ‘Yanmen’ (Goose Door) because when the migratory geese fly southwards, even they have to fly between the two mountain peaks. It can also be inferred that the area outside Yanmen Pass is a hostile terrain. Within the group of heroes, there are obviously some Qing-gong experts who can easily scale the peaks and make their escape. However, for those who lack this expertise, certain doom awaits them. Without a doubt, they would be annihilated in front of the Pass by the Liao army.

Limited by the mountain terrain, the Liao army is forced to gradually narrow down their frontline from the east and west convoys. Only the northern convoy can approach the Pass in a frontal confrontation. Except for the galloping sounds of hoof beats, the clanking sounds of armour and the fluttering sounds of the flags being blown by the wind, there is not a single sound uttered by the soldiers. Such is the strict military discipline of their elite training. Row by row, the Liao army took up the formation suitable for attacking the Pass. Reaching the line where the arrows from the Pass will not hit them, the army marched to a standstill. From afar, many flags are seen fluttering from the three directions of east, west and north. However, the actual number of Liao soldiers is hard to estimate.

Xiao Feng loudly proclaimed: “Gentlemen, please stay put in your original position and do not move at all. Please wait for me to explain to the Emperor of Liao.” Without giving allowance for Duan Yu, Ah Zi or anyone else to protest, he rode forward as a single rider. Lifting both his hands high above his head to prove that he is not hiding any weapon or bow and arrows, Xiao Feng vociferously bellowed: “Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Liao country, Xiao Feng has something to tell you. May I invite you to show yourself.” As he hollered these words, he charged them with his profound internal energy, causing the words to ring through the air and travel a considerable distance. Among the tens of thousands of Liao generals and soldiers, no one failed to hear his message clearly. At the same time, the generals and soldiers could not help but turn pale.

After some time, within the Liao army, an outburst of drumming and blaring of horns erupted. Like splitting a wave, tens of thousands of Liao soldiers and riders separated into two sections. Holding eight giant fluttering flags made from golden yellow cloth, eight riders emerged from the gap. Behind the flag bearers, (military) divisions of pike men, axe men, archers and shield bearers swiftly rode out and formed into two rows. Finally, escorted by ten high-ranking generals dressed in armour and brocade, Yelu Hongji made an appearance.

The Liao army loudly roared: “Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!” Their roaring reverberated in all four directions of the wilderness and echoed throughout the mountains and valleys.

From the top of the Pass, the Song soldiers witnessed the impressive military display of the enemy troops and were terrified at what they saw.

Using his right hand, Yelu Hongji raised his jeweled sabre high up in the air and the Liao army instantaneously became silent. Except for the occasional neighing sounds from the war horses, no other sound is produced. Lowering his jeweled sabre, Yelu Hongji boisterously laughed: “Khan Xiao, you promised to trick them into opening the Pass doors for the Liao army, why are the Pass doors still closed?”

Once he made this statement, the interpreter at the top of the Pass translated the meaning and informed General Zhang, the Pass Commander for Yanmen Pass. On top of the Pass, the Song soldiers instantly reacted passionately. Pointing to Xiao Feng, they wildly gesticulated and cursed at him.

Xiao Feng knew that Yelu Hongji’s words are aimed at sowing discord, destroying his chances of entering the Pass controlled by Song soldiers. Feeling a slight tinge of sourness in his heart, he jumped off his horse at once. Taking a few steps forward, he pleaded: “Your Majesty, Xiao Feng did not live up to your expectations. Despite your deep acts of kindness, I have let you down. Currently, Your Majesty has to take the trouble to come here personally. I truly deserve death. I truly deserve death.”

His words barely ended when out of nowhere, two human silhouettes flashed past him like two bolts of lightning. Ferociously zooming towards Yelu Hongji, the two silhouettes are actually Xu Zhu and Duan Yu in motion. Once the two brothers deduced that the circumstances are unfavourable, they realised that the only way to resolve the predicament is to kidnap the Emperor of Liao and hold him as a hostage. Moreover, it would guarantee the safety of everybody else. Signalling to each other, they flew towards Yelu Hongji separately from the left and the right.

When Yelu Hongji decided to lead the expedition personally, he took extra precautions against Xiao Feng as he feared that he may repeat the same incredible act of kidnapping and killing the King and Prince of Chu. Therefore, his personal bodyguards are prepared for such contingencies. The Imperial Commander Du shouted a command and the three hundred shield bearers rapidly assembled close to one another, using their three hundred shields to form a wall-like formation, blocking the front of the Liao Emperor. The pike men and axe men clustered tightly together behind the wall of shields.

The Xu Zhu of today has gained the essence of Tianshan Tonglao’s prowess and also fully mastered the intricate martial arts carved in the stone chamber of Lingjiu Palace. His martial arts has developed to an amazing stage of invincibility, with his energy and strength at his beck and call; in short, he is an unstoppable force.

For Duan Yu, after he has absorbed Jiumozhi’s lifetime of cultivated energy, his total accumulated energy is extremely abundant and has surpassed every practitioner since the beginning of time. When he activated his ‘Surfing Nimble Steps’, how could any of the Liao generals or soldiers catch hold of him?

Slithering to the east or sliding to the west like a slippery eel, Duan Yu forcefully squeezed himself through the less-than-one-feet gaps between the pike men and axe men. Many of the Liao soldiers tried to stab him with their long pikes but not only did they fail to hurt him, due to the close proximity with one another, their weapons stabbed their own comrades instead.

Both his hands outstretched, Xu Zhu is busy grabbing Liao soldiers by their vests and tossing them aside, gradually making his way towards Yelu Hongji. Two of the high-ranking generals urged their horses forward for a charge, with both their spears aiming at Xu Zhu’s chest for a combined attack. Xu Zhu abruptly leaped up and used both his legs to divert the two spear tips. The two Liao generals roared in unison and maneuvered their spears, trying to shake Xu Zhu off. Utilizing the kinetic energy from the shaking spears, Xu Zhu jumped up high into the air, plotting his descend on the top of Yelu Hongji’s head.

One slippery like an eel and one swooping down like a flying bird, the two brothers launched such perfect attacks that Yelu Hongji was greatly alarmed. Raising his jeweled sabre, he swiftly chopped at Xu Zhu who is still descending in mid-air.

Xu Zhu’s left palm zipped out and latched onto the blunt side of Yelu Hongji’s jeweled sabre. Using the momentum, he slide downwards and with a flip of his palm, he has seized Yelu Hongji’s right wrist. In the same breath, Duan Yu has tunneled out from the mass of soldiers and placed an iron grip on the left shoulder of Yelu Hongji. The two men instantaneously barked: “Move!” Dragging Yelu Hongji’s towering frame off his horse, they turn around and speedily fled.

All around them, the Liao generals and soldiers personally witnessed their own Emperor being captured by the enemy and exclaimed in shock. For a few seconds, they stood there at a loss and in a daze. Dozens of Imperial bodyguards struggled to rescue their Emperor with all their might but were sent flying by Xu Zhu’s and Duan Yu’s powerful kicks.

Having captured the Emperor of Liao, the two men were overjoyed. Abruptly, they saw Xiao Feng flying towards them and both of them called out in unison: “Big Brother!” Unexpectedly, with two sounds of ‘hu hu’, Xiao Feng executed two palms strikes and separately attacked the two of them. Observing the powerful palm attacks approaching them with the impact of a tsunami, the two men had a bad fright and were forced to meet the palms with their own. With two ‘peng peng’ sounds as the four palms collided, the force of the palms split the air around them. Xiao Feng dived forward and took this opportunity to pull Yelu Hongji towards himself.

By now, the Liao army and the heroes from the Central Plains began to charge southwards and northwards respectively. One side wishes to rescue their Emperor while the other side wishes to lend assistance to the three men, Xiao Feng, Xu Zhu and Duan Yu.

Xiao Feng loudly roared: “Nobody is allowed to move. I have some words I wish to say to the Emperor of Great Liao.” The Liao army and the group of heroes stopped advancing at once. Both sides are afraid of hurting their own leaders by accident. Everyone resorted to shouting from afar and dare not charge forward or worse, release any arrows.

Xu Zhu and Duan Yu took a few steps back and remained at the back of Yelu Hongji. This is to prevent him from escaping back to his army and also to intercept any Khitan experts who may try to mount a rescue.

By now, the face of Yelu Hongji is completely devoid of colour. He thought: Xiao Feng has a strong character. Since I confined him in a lion cage and tortured him, he must have turned against me. Now that I am at his mercy, he would go all out in his revenge and would no longer spare my life.

To his surprise, Xiao Feng introduced: “Your Majesty, these two gentlemen are my Sworn Brothers. You can rest assured that they will not hurt you.” Yelu Hongji snorted once and turned his head around, scanning Xu Zhu once and Duan Yu once.

Xiao Feng added: “This is my Second Brother Xu Zhu Zi, the owner of Lingjiu Palace. Third Brother is Mister Duan from DaLi. Official has mentioned their existence to Your Majesty before.” Yelu Hongji nodded his head and praised: “Truly phenomenal.”

Xiao Feng pleaded: “We will release Your Majesty back to the army at once. However, we desired a reward from Your Majesty.”

Yelu Hongji almost cannot believe his own ears. He thought: Is there such an excellent bargain under the sky? Ah, I got it, Xiao Feng has changed his mind and wanted me to appoint the three of them as officials.

His face breaking out into smiles, he welcomed: “What is your request? There is nothing I cannot fulfill.” Initially, he was speaking in a trembling voice but when he said these two sentences, he portrayed the dignity of an Emperor.

Xiao Feng reminded: “Your Majesty is the captive of my two Sworn Brothers. According to the tradition of our Khitan race, Your Majesty must redeem yourself with a prized possession.” With a slight frown, Yelu Hongji questioned: “What do you want?” Xiao Feng remarked: “Lowly Official will take the liberty of representing my two Brothers to make the request. All we need is a promise from the golden lips of Your Majesty.” Yelu Hongji laughed once and described: “Under the sky, there are not many things that are beyond my abilities. Go ahead and ask for the moon.”

Xiao Feng replied: “We want Your Majesty to promise an immediate withdrawal of the Liao army; during Your Majesty’s entire lifetime, not a single Liao soldier is permitted to violate the border between Song and Liao.”

When Duan Yu heard this request, he was instantly thrilled. In his mind, he thought: Since the Liao army cannot cross the Song-Liao border, they naturally cannot fly over and invade my DaLi.

He quickly agreed: “That is right. Once you agree to these terms, we would release you at once.”

But then he thought: Second Brother contributed more effort than me in the capture of the Liao Emperor. I wonder if he has any requests?

Facing Xu Zhu, he enquired: “Second Brother, do you want anything from the Khitan Emperor to redeem his freedom?” Xu Zhu shook his head and affirmed: “My terms are exactly the same.”

Yelu Hongji’s face turned sinister. In a deep voice, he challenged: “The lot of you actually possess the courage to blackmail me? What if I refuse these terms?”

Xiao Feng clearly declared: “In this case, Official and Your Majesty shall perish together, resulting in an undiscriminating double death. After all, when the two of us swore to become brothers, we also made a vow to die on the same year same month and same day.”

Yelu Hongji shuddered once and contemplated: “This Xiao Feng is a desperado who fears neither the heavens nor the earth. He is someone who sticks to his words and does not make false promises. If I refuse to accept his terms, he would unquestionably offend me. It is definitely not worth my while to die under the hands of this boorish and uncultured fool.” Therefore, he laughed once and clearly indicated: “Using my Yelu Hongji’s life to exchange for decades of peace between the two countries of Song and Liao; my good Brother, you certainly placed an enormous value on my life!”

Xiao Feng reasoned: “Your Majesty is the Ruler of Great Liao. Under the sky, how can there be anything more valuable than the life of Your Majesty?”

Yelu Hongji laughed again and reflected: “Going by this logic, in the past, didn’t the Nuzhen Tribe fail to get their money’s worth when they only demanded thirty wagons of gold, three hundred wagons of silver and three thousand fine steeds?” Xiao Feng made a slight bow and did not answer him.

Yelu Hongji turned his head to the back and could see that the troops nearest to him were more than a hundred steps away and there is absolutely no way they can save him from this predicament. After weighing the pros and cons, he concluded that there is nothing more precious to him than his life. Thus, he retrieved a condor-feathered wolf fang arrow from his quiver and bent it with both hands. With a ‘pai’ sound, the arrow broke into two. Discarding the arrow onto the ground, Yelu Hongji swore: “I agreed to your terms.”

Xiao Feng bowed and professed: “Many thanks to Your Majesty.”

Yelu Hongji turned his head around and was about to lift his leg to take a step. However, he noticed that the four eyes of Xu Zhu and Duan Yu are still staring at himself. From their body language, he could tell that they have no intention of making way for him. Turning his head back towards Xiao Feng for a hint, he saw that Xiao Feng was keeping silent too. Yelu Hongji immediately understood their unspoken intention, realizing that the three men are fearful that he would go back on his word. He pulled out his jeweled sabre at once and raised it high above his head. At the top of his voice, he decreed: “The three armies of Great Liao, receive my command!”

Within the Liao army, the drums thundered once and halted instantly.

Yelu Hongji ordered: “The entire force shall return towards the north. The southern invasion is hereby cancelled.” After a pause, he added: “In my lifetime, not a single Liao soldier is permitted to violate the border between Song and Liao.” Ending his speech, he lowered his sabre and the Liao army started beating their drums again.

Xiao Feng bowed and remarked: “We honourably invite Your Majesty to return back to the army.”

Xu Zhu and Duan Yu moved sideways to the left and right, gradually making their way to