All Heavens: Starting with Yang Kang playing Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King

Chapter 44 Reunion with Huang Rong, Yang Kang's Devilish Whisper

After a brief examination of Yang Kang, Genghis Khan seemed to have completely set aside his considerations as a ruler.

He was completely unconcerned about Yang Kang's potential threats and Yang Kang's terrifying martial prowess, which was enough to intimidate everyone in the tent.

He warmly invited the young man in front of him to join in the traditional Mongolian revelry.

Although the vast Mongol Empire had already begun various power struggles within itself, its short history and the godlike authority of Genghis Khan still lingered within it.

All the struggles have always been kept within a limited scope.

Even though Jochi and Chagatai had almost come to blows, they were still in complete agreement on upholding their fathers' authority.

When Genghis Khan ordered them to put aside all disputes and continue the banquet that night.

Under the influence of alcohol, everyone temporarily forgot about everything.

After a period of heavy drinking, all the high-ranking officials and generals of Mongolia fell asleep.

Guo Jing, feeling dejected, helped up his sworn brother Yang Kang, who also seemed to be intoxicated by alcohol, and headed towards his camp.

Thousands of miles away, the moonlight here is no different from the bright moon in the Central Plains.

The moonlight in the sky was equally bright, and the grassland scenery under the moonlight was equally beautiful.

Yang Kang abruptly removed his hand from Guo Jing's shoulder and casually shook it off.

He let out a soft hiss, exhaling a lingering smell of alcohol.

"You're not drunk?"

"I should have thought of that earlier. With your internal strength, you could have easily forced out the smell of alcohol using your internal energy."

Guo Jing said with a hint of surprise, then realized what he meant.

"Of all the heroes I have ever seen in my life, only Genghis Khan can be called the pride of his generation."

"Wouldn't it be a pity not to drink with someone like that?"

Yang Kang turned his head and laughed.

"Like a butcher, cutting open a pregnant woman's belly with a knife, just to take out the treasure."

"Can such a person be considered a hero?"

Guo Jing stared blankly at Yang Kang and asked, puzzled.

As the ancients said, "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."

"Kindness is always reserved for one's own people, not for one's enemies."

"Our Han Chinese rulers have always been like this, so how much more so Genghis Khan on the grasslands?"

"Genghis Khan led 200,000 Mongols on a campaign to conquer a country with a population of nearly 10 million."

"Besides victory, he also had to ensure that he plundered enough wealth and resources to feed his hungry and ravenous army."

"His mercy towards his own people and his army was already a luxury enough."

"You actually expect him to have any compassion for people in foreign lands?"

Yang Kang chuckled and casually stopped talking.

Guo Jing stared blankly at Yang Kang, as if he were seeing his brother for the first time.

"Brother Yang, I have heard that you have always been a man of benevolence and righteousness in Shandong."

"Everyone in the world praises you as a hero who stands up for the people."

"Why do you even think the Khan is right?"

"Was I wrong to advise the Khan against massacring the people of Samarkand?"

Guo Jing asked, his voice filled with pain and confusion.

"Brother Jing, you did nothing wrong."

"The reason he believed Genghis Khan was right was because they were essentially the same kind of people."

"Perhaps one day in the future, he will do the same thing as Genghis Khan."

From the tent behind him, a woman suddenly lifted the curtain and came out, speaking to Guo Jing.

That person was none other than Huang Rong, whom we hadn't seen for a long time.

Yang Kang was not surprised to see Huang Rong.

Feelings are mutual. It's not hard to understand why Guo Jing would give up all his wealth and status to travel far away for Huang Rong, and why Huang Rong would travel thousands of miles to find Guo Jing.

"It's been a long time, and Miss Huang is as sharp-tongued as ever."

Yang Kang clapped his hands playfully.

"Judging from Miss Huang's appearance, she seems to have experienced quite a bit of hardship."

"Why are you two still lingering here?"

"I remember when Brother Guo left Shandong, he said he would take Aunt Guo away from the desert and return to his hometown to find Miss Huang and get married."

Yang Kang looked at Guo Jing and Huang Rong and asked curiously.

"A year ago, Rong'er escaped from Peach Blossom Island and traveled a long way to the desert to find me."

"But I was unexpectedly captured by Ouyang Feng, who used Rong'er as a hostage to demand the Nine Yin Manual from me."

"I made up a story and tricked him by claiming that the Nine Yin Manual was fake, and that's how I got Rong'er back."

Guo Jing sighed.

Ouyang Feng has also arrived, Yang Kang thought to himself.

"As a key figure in the army, to leave during a major battle would not only be a betrayal of the Great Khan, but also a disregard for the lives of my soldiers."

"I was thinking that after the war was over, I would ask the Khan to dissolve Huazheng's engagement, and then return to Jiangnan with Rong'er and my mother."

Guo Jing spoke in a low voice, walked to Huang Rong's side, and still looked slightly disappointed.

Yang Kang smiled.

"I heard that you attacked Samarkand from a high vantage point using an airborne assault, which is how you captured the capital of Khwarazm."

"This ingenious strategy must have come from Miss Huang, right?"

Yang Kang looked at Huang Rong.

"The Khan said that as long as I conquer Samarkand for him, he will grant me any request I make."

"So Rong'er racked her brains to come up with ideas for me."

"However, it was also thanks to Brother Yang's gift of the 'Military Manual of Yue Fei' that we were able to conquer Samarkand."

Guo Jing smiled wryly.

"But after Samarkand was captured, you used your military achievements to blackmail Genghis Khan into not massacring the city and breaking off the engagement, didn't you?"

Yang Kang asked with a smile.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong both remained silent.

Under the moonlight, both of their faces were filled with a deep and unyielding sorrow.

Guo Jing sighed, lifted the curtain of the main tent, and invited Yang Kang into the tent.

"Brother Yang, what should I do?"

Guo Jing invited Yang Kang into the tent and asked him a question.

He was both angry at the brutality of the Mongol army and unwilling to stay, yet he could not bear to part with the kindness Genghis Khan had shown him, nor with the promise he had made to Hua Zheng.

Guo Jing himself was a man who valued promises more than life itself.

Yang Kang glanced at the bewildered and struggling Guo Jing, and then at Huang Rong, who had been mocking him from beginning to end.

A mischievous malice suddenly welled up in my heart.

"Brother Guo, I've heard that Genghis Khan once said that after he returns to the Central Plains and conquers the Jin and Song dynasties, he intends to appoint you as the King of Song, granting you control over all the lands of the Han people. Is that true?"

Yang Kang glanced at Huang Rong and suddenly asked.

"The Great Khan did indeed say such a thing."

"But I don't want these things at all."

Guo Jing said in a somber tone.

Huang Rong suddenly had a bad feeling and glared angrily at Yang Kang.

"The Mongol army was so brutal, saying that after conquering the Jin and Song dynasties, they would make Jingge the King of Song."

"What about the innocent civilians who were disemboweled and indiscriminately slaughtered, just like the people of Khwarezm, when the Mongol army marched south?"

"You are the ruler of Shandong, a hero of the Han people, don't you care about these things?"

Huang Rong asked angrily.

"So it turns out that Miss Huang does care about the lives of ordinary people."

"Not bad! Not bad! Much better than your father, the Eastern Heretic, who indiscriminately slaughtered innocent people."

Yang Kang replied sarcastically.

"What did you say? What does this have to do with my father?"

Huang Rong snorted coldly, almost unable to resist stepping forward to fight Yang Kang.

Guo Jing quickly pulled her back.

"Brother Yang, what do you mean by that?"

Guo Jing asked, puzzled.

"Putting aside the engagement between the Golden Knife Prince Consort and Hua Zheng, Brother Guo, do you know what kind of impact it would have if you, with your current status, left with Miss Huang?"

Yang Kang looked at Guo Jing, who remained oblivious to the importance of his identity, and sighed silently before speaking.

"I am just an ordinary Han Chinese. The Great Khan has so many talented and extraordinary people under his command, what difference would it make if I were gone?"

Guo Jing did not understand Yang Kang's meaning.

"You were one of the powerful commanders of a thousand households when Mongolia was founded."

"When Genghis Khan marched south to attack the Jin Dynasty, he entrusted the lives of his wife and children in the rear to you and several other generals."

"It is clear that in his heart, the trust he placed in you was no less than that he placed in Tolui and the sons he raised himself."

"In the western expedition, you conquered Samarkand and achieved unparalleled military exploits, earning you the title of Commander of the Left Wing of the Mongols."

"Apart from the four direct sons of Genghis Khan, namely Jochi, Chagatai, Ögedei, and Tolui, no one in the entire Mongol Empire can surpass you in terms of status and prestige."

"In terms of military power, you are the commander of the left wing, no less than Muqali, who was in charge of the Central Plains."

"In terms of status, you are the Golden Sword Prince Consort, Tolui's Anda, and a member of the Golden Family."

"The rewards Genghis Khan will bestow upon you in the future will only be higher, not lower."

Yang Kang paused at this point, then suddenly seemed to remember something and continued.

"If I'm not mistaken, Genghis Khan is preparing to groom you as a core member of the future Great Khan's team."

"Chagatai and Jochi have been confirmed to be stationed in the Western Regions and will not return to the Mongolian steppe."

"The future successor will inevitably be either Ögedei or Tolui."

"Ögedei Khan was likely the successor to the Mongol Empire."

"As Tolui was his favorite youngest son, the future conflict between Ögedei and Tolui would require a strong mediator to resolve it."

"This person cannot be too ambitious, nor too weak, and must be able to gain the trust of both Ögedei and Tolui."

"The members of the Golden Family are either too old, or lack the status and ability."

"And you are the only choice without any controversy."

"In Genghis Khan's eyes, you are already an indispensable part of the future of the Mongol Empire."

"And now you're giving up all of this just for Miss Huang? Don't you feel sorry for her?"

Yang Kang looked at Guo Jing and spoke in a slightly sharp tone.

"The Khan's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain."

"But I cannot help the wicked out of gratitude, nor can I abandon Rong'er."

"I'd rather die!!"

Guo Jing covered his face and cried bitterly.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect.

How could he not feel Genghis Khan's trust and affection for him?

At this moment, however, it was not yet time for Genghis Khan to harbor murderous intentions towards him.

At this point in time, Genghis Khan opened his heart to Guo Jing almost without reservation.

"It's precisely to prevent the indiscriminate killing of innocent people that you should stay, isn't it?"

"Once the Mongols turn back to the Central Plains and march south, it will inevitably cause boundless slaughter."

"Only by holding a high position and wielding power in the Mongol army can you best limit the Mongol army's indiscriminate killing."

"In the future, when Genghis Khan passes away, you will hold the position of a commander of ten thousand households, control the vast territory of the Central Plains, command countless talented individuals, and possess the legitimate status of the Golden Family."

"If you're willing, you could even try to compete for the future position of Great Khan of the Mongols; it wouldn't be out of the question."

Yang Kang's voice, like the whisper of a demon, lingered in the ears of Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

Guo Jing stared blankly at Yang Kang, never expecting the other to utter such shocking words, and was momentarily stunned.

Although Huang Rong was also shocked by Yang Kang's terrifying vision of the future, she was even more surprised by Guo Jing's bewildered reaction at this moment.

Could it be that her beloved Jing-gege really had his eye on what Yang Kang said?

"Good! Good! Good! Then Brother Jing, you will stay and become the son-in-law of the Golden Family, and in the future, you will become the Great Khan of Mongolia."

"Don't contact me again. Let's never see each other again."

Overwhelmed with anger and sorrow, Huang Rong's tears fell to the ground.

The next moment, she lifted the curtain and ran out.

Guo Jing immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after him.