Chapter 176

Song Dynasty.

Imperial Palace.

“Yue Fei has returned. Where is the emperor?” Yue Fei’s deep gaze fell on Cai Jing, Li Yan, and the others in the distance, his voice solemn.

Li Yan, feeling somewhat guilty under his gaze, couldn’t help but look away.

However, Cai Jing remained calm.

He said indifferently, “Yue Fei, you have committed a serious crime. How can you have the face to see the emperor?”

Yue Fei frowned. “How can I not know that I have committed a serious crime?”

Cai Jing sneered. “You had people hide notes in fish bellies to spread rumors and boost your reputation. You even had the people of the northern lands deliberately proclaim that if you could conquer the north, they would serve you as their lord. Do you really think the emperor knows nothing?”

Yue Fei’s eyes narrowed and he said in a deep voice, “This is clearly a plot by the enemy to frame me. If I had any intention of rebelling, why would I return?”

Li Yan, unable to contain himself, shouted from the side.

“Still trying to argue? Now there are rumors among the people that you are planning a rebellion. As the saying goes, ‘There’s no smoke without fire. You must have disloyal intentions, otherwise how could there be such rumors?”

“Besides, you didn’t report anything to the emperor about the front line. The enemy commanders tried to win you over, and you didn’t tell the Emperor a word about it. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s own sources, he might have fallen for your plan.”

Yue Fei was shocked when he heard this. He looked deeply at Cai Jing and Li Yan and suddenly understood.

These people were determined to put him to death without even considering presenting any evidence. He clenched his fists, his gaze sharp as a knife.

“I want to see the emperor...”

Cai Jing said indifferently, “The emperor will not see you. The emperor has already issued a decree. You have been dismissed from your position and will be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison as of today...”

Yue Fei’s eyes narrowed sharply in disbelief.

“How could the emperor dismiss me?”

“No, let me see the emperor. I must explain everything to him.”

Cai Jing frowned and shouted, “Yue Fei, are you going to defy the emperor’s decree?”

Yue Fei trembled and looked at Cai Jing and the others reluctantly, gritting his teeth.

Seeing that Yue Fei had stopped speaking, Li Yan smiled mischievously and waved his hand.

The guards beside him immediately stepped forward and said to Yue Fei, “General Yue, please.

They still respected Yue Fei, but the emperor’s decree could not be disobeyed.

Yue Fei clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He looked at everyone in the hall and felt a sense of sadness.

He wanted to save the country, but unfortunately, the court was filled with traitorous officials.

Moments later, Yue Fei left the palace, escorted by the guards.

Just as he stepped out of the hall, a soldier in a traveling costume approached him.

The soldier’s face changed when he saw Yue Fei. “General Yue...”

Yue Fei was taken aback. “You are...”

The soldier’s expression turned bitter. “I am a centurion under General Zhang Hu, one of your subordinates...”

Yue Fei was stunned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. “Why are you not at the front? How did you end up here?”

The soldier smiled wryly. “I came back with an urgent report to inform the emperor about the battle situation.”

“General Yue, the front line has been defeated. Our army has been completely routed.”

“What?” Yue Fei was shocked when he heard this. He looked at the soldier in astonishment. “How could we be defeated so quickly?”

The soldier’s face was grim. “General Yue, after you left, the enemy forces of Great Zhou immediately launched an attack. Our army was caught off guard and ambushed at night. After that... we were defeated.”

“Less than a hundred thousand of our troops managed to escape.”

Yue Fei took a deep breath and felt a shiver run down his spine. He was no fool and suddenly realized the truth.

This was all a plot by Great Zhou. Otherwise, why would they attack as soon as he left?

Everything that had happened in the past few days flashed through Yue Fei’s mind like scenes from a painting, sending shivers down his spine.

He realized... he had been walking into a trap for a long time.

The betrayal of his colleagues, the erosion of the emperor’s trust in him, the sudden rumors of his alleged ambition to establish his own rule, and the drastic change in Heichi Changzhi’s attitude towards him.

Yue Fei closed his eyes, his scalp tingling.

Could this ruthless and insidious plot to sow discord have come from the hands of the Great Zhou’s chief strategist?

Yes, it must be him.

Heichi Changzhi had lost to him many times in the past. But lately, it was as if he had become a different person.

It must have been that traitorous advisor who hatched the plan for him. Twenty thousand elite troops, so miserably defeated by the Great Zhou Army.

When Cai Jing had just announced his resignation, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart. As long as the army could defeat the Great Zhou Army, everything would be fine.

But now, he was completely despondent. The enemy’s plots were intertwined, trapping him in a deep trap.

The Song Dynasty was finished!

Yue Fei heaved a long sigh. He had not even faced this Great Zhou strategist directly, yet he had already suffered a crushing defeat.

Half a month later.

Great Zhou.

Qianyuan Hall.

“This is a letter of peace from Zhao Ji of the Song Dynasty. He claims that he was misled by Yue Fei, which led to the attack on our Great Zhou. Yue Fei has already been imprisoned, and now he is willing to offer a large sum of money to compensate our Great Zhou in exchange for peace...”

Wu Zhao raised her phoenix-like eyebrows, her clear black and white eyes flickering slightly.

“Minister Yang, you have once again rendered great service. I will promote you to the rank of Duke and bestow upon you the title of Jinzi Guanglu Daifu...”

Yang Yi remained calm and bowed his head.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Wu Zhao raised her delicate head slightly, her snow-white neck arched like a proud swan.

“Now that our Great Zhou has significantly expanded its territory, in light of this war with the Song Dynasty, I believe that our first priority should be to transform these annexed territories into our national strength. This is the foundation for becoming a great nation. What do you think, Minister Yang?”

Yang Yi smiled and said, “Your Majesty is absolutely right. Just like the Mongol Empire’s cavalry under Genghis Khan, which was considered the best in the world, defeated everyone in its path. However, despite the vast territory of the Mongol Empire, it did not establish an effective government. As a result, the Yuan Dynasty, though strong, could not consolidate its power...”.