The palace, outside the sun is shining brightly.
Inside, Emperor Cheng of Liao's face was dark and fickle.
Chen Yun and Erlang God paid no attention to this at all; they sat there quietly sipping tea.
If it were through normal means, it would be almost impossible to persuade Yelu Deguang to launch a southward campaign.
Because everyone knows that after the Jin dynasty has been healing and building up strength for so many years, its military power is no longer much weaker than the Khitan.
If the Khitan really launched a war at this point, and openly broke relations with the Later Jin, it might result in a double defeat for both sides, and even give neighboring small countries an opportunity to take advantage.
A competent emperor will never make a hasty decision out of anger.
Chen Yun's only way at the moment is to use the strategy of provocation, causing Emperor Cheng of Liao to be filled with anger, so much so that he becomes irrational, and ultimately decides to launch a southward campaign.
By then, the words spoken with a golden mouth and jade tongue would be impossible to retract.
At this time, Yelu Deguang did not immediately respond to Chen Yun's words but sat there, constantly thinking.
Chen Yun couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He knew that Emperor Cheng of Liao was a man of great talent and strategies, and that his tactic of provocation might not easily anger the other party.
Erlang God naturally understood this, and he furrowed his brow.
As expected, Yelu Deguang smiled after a moment of silence and said, "I am not afraid of Later Jin at all. It's just that in recent years, my Khitan have been fighting everywhere and have not had a chance to rest our troops properly. If we were to start another war, the troops would probably be tired and lose easily."
Chen Yun smiled and said, "Your Majesty's words are sensible. The troops are indeed in need of a good rest. However, with the Jin dynasty acting as they are, if we the Khitan don't respond, the neighboring small countries might harbor resentment and think that we are afraid of the Jin dynasty. They might all turn to the south then. Your Majesty, by then, the strength of the Jin dynasty will surely increase greatly, which will be even more detrimental to us."
As Yelu Deguang was the dominant figure of the Khitan people, he remained unmoved and continued speaking in a calm tone, "What if the neighboring small countries all join the Jin dynasty? Once our Khitan have fully recovered their strength, we can conquer them at any time without needing to take them into account."
Chen Yun has figured out that Yelu Deguang currently has no intention of launching a southward campaign.
Then, no matter how he persuades further, it's unlikely to be effective.
Thinking about this, Chen Yun knew that he couldn't continue to persuade further, or else Yelu Deguang might suspect him and make it even more difficult to persuade him to send troops to attack the Jin dynasty in the future.
He simply grunted in response, "Your Majesty's words are wise. The neighboring small countries are not worth worrying about. Only the Jin dynasty is strong in troops and horses and needs to be defended. We need only to focus on maintaining what we have, waiting for the Jin dynasty to fall apart, and then launching a southward campaign."
Erlang God was taken aback, not understanding why Chen Yun stopped persuading.
Yelu Deguang saw that Chen Yun was not pressing him as tightly anymore, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
In fact, he really feared that the Grand Monk who protects the country would become angry and force him to launch a southward campaign.
By then, if he did not act accordingly, he would lose the assistance of a divine sage with great abilities and boundless magical power.
However, if he really was forced by Chen Yun to attack the Jin dynasty, he would indeed have no certainty.
Therefore, at this moment, the most hopeful thing for Yelu Deguang was for Chen Yun to stop pressing him.
Yelu Deguang had achieved his goal and changed the subject, "Mr. Chen, after leaving the Khitan for a year, may I ask where you went?"
Chen Yun did not conceal anything and said casually, "I went to a place called Moon and Sun Lake Daoist Retreat in overseas, where I collected some immortal fruits."
Yelu Deguang looked eagerly and asked, "Are these immortal fruits the ones that can make people live longer?"
Chen Yun smiled and said, "These immortal fruits are not only capable of making people live longer, but some of them can even revive the dead, and taking them can make one instantly become an immortal."
Yelu Deguang's eyes shone with endless light as he asked carefully, "I... may I see what kind of immortal fruits these are?"
Chen Yun waved his hand and said, "I originally had some immortal fruits prepared to present to Your Majesty, but there were some losses along the way, and I lost the fruits. It's a pity that Your Majesty cannot see them."
Hmm, this statement was purely an exaggeration on his part, but it was intended to leave a bit of psychological pressure on Yelu Deguang.
As expected, Yelu Deguang thought that Chen Yun was dissatisfied with his previous response and was now upset about not offering the immortal fruits.
Despite this, he still had not agreed to launch a southward campaign, only to regretfully say, "It's a pity. I really wanted to see the appearance of these immortal fruits."
At this point, Yelu Deguang looked at Erlang God and asked, "By the way, Mr. Chen, you just introduced Mr. Zhao and said he is a true divine being?"
Chen Yun looked at the other party with a half-smile, "My Zhao elder brother is quite a famous divine being. I didn't introduce him in detail earlier, but since Your Majesty is interested, I'll give you a detailed introduction?"
Yelu Deguang said, "Very well, please enlighten me."
Chen Yun said, "My Zhao elder brother's real name is Zhao Yu. He withdrew from the Qing City Mountain to study Daoism during the Sui Dynasty, and later became the governor of Jiaozhou in Sichuan. An old dragon frequently caused storms and became a scourge in the area. He held a sword and jumped into the river, disappearing into the water. He fought fiercely with the old dragon, finally holding its head with his left hand and his sword with his right hand, surging out of the waves. Thus, people of that region respected him greatly and worshipped him as a god. From that day onward, my Zhao elder brother renounced his official duties and devoted himself to Daoism until he achieved Daoist fruit of immortality. Now he guards the Guanyin Yeshan Temple."
Erlang God sat there calmly, as if these achievements were not worth mentioning.
Yelu Deguang listened intently and his eyes shone with excitement. He expressed admiration, "Mr. Zhao, are you not the extremely powerful and all-powerful Erlang God who is said to be the offspring of the immortal king of Chicheng in the southern region?"
Erlang God humbly said, "I dare not claim to be greatly powerful or all-powerful, but I am indeed the offspring of Chicheng King."
Yelu Deguang took a deep breath and hurriedly stood up to bow, "I am blind and unaware of the mountain, and it turns out that it is the noble Chicheng King who has descended upon the Khitan. This is truly a great fortune for our Khitan."
Erlang God waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty does not need to be so polite."
Yelu Deguang asked out of curiosity, "Why did the Chicheng King descend upon our Khitan today?"
Chen Yun took over the conversation and said, "It's not just the Chicheng King who has descended; after returning from Moon and Sun Lake Daoist Retreat, I heard that the Jin dynasty is being haughty and overbearing, daring to not take our Khitan seriously. I was quite angry about this, so I mobilized all my disciples and invited the Chicheng King to summon all the divine beings and heavenly soldiers from Guanjiang Erlang Temple to lend their support. It was to help Your Majesty conquer the Jin dynasty in the south. But unfortunately, Your Majesty has no intention of starting a war, so later on, I will respectfully send the Chicheng King and the Seven Sages of Meishan as well as many other divine beings back to Guanjiang."
Yelu Deguang's expression slightly changed, but he immediately smiled again, "Mr. Chen, you invited many divine beings such as Chicheng King and the Seven Sages of Meishan to help our Khitan conquer the southern Jin dynasty. I am very grateful for your concern over our Khitan's fate."
Chen Yun revealed intentionally or unintentionally, "It's not just the Chicheng King; for Your Majesty, I have mobilized a total of thirty-plus divine beings. Each of these divine beings holds high status and great honor... Well, Your Majesty has no intention of starting a war, so let's leave this topic aside for now."
Erlang God said not a single word the whole time, merely watching Chen Yun "perform."
Yelu Deguang did not expect Chen Yun to be so "reasonable" and have invited so many divine beings.
He asked out of curiosity, "May I ask Mr. Chen, which divine beings did you invite to come out and lend their support?"
Chen Yun blinked and said, "Some of the divine beings I invited now I am not able to mention. However, you should know that I am a disciple of the Chengyang Temple of the Mount Dragon Spring in Zongnan Mountain. My master is a disciple of the Eastern Lord, is that correct?"
Yelu Deguang took a deep breath and couldn't believe, "You have even invited the Eastern Lord to come out of the mountain?"
"Why not," Chen Yun shook his head slightly, "I have invited several divine beings to come out of the mountain, whose status and rank are even above my own ancestor."
What?
More revered than Eastern Lord?
In Yelu Deguang's mind, only the names of several sacred figures such as the Three Pure Ones and the Six Emperors came to mind.
Yelu Deguang was truly shaken by the information revealed by Chen Yun, and his heart was trembling.
Just as Yelu Deguang was about to ask more carefully,
Suddenly, Erlang God seemed to lose interest and said, "Chen brother, I'm tired. Accompany me back to the Laojun Temple to gather my brothers, and we'll return to the Guanjiang Erlang Temple."
Chen Yun stood up and said, "Very well, then I will escort Erlang God and the Seven Sages of Meishan back to Guanjiang."
Chen Yun looked at Yelu Deguang and said, "Your Majesty, I have some urgent matters to attend to. We can continue our discussion another day. Goodbye."
Having said that, Chen Yun and Erlang God vanished, disappearing from Yelu Deguang's sight.
...
Inside Laojun Temple.
The two of them used the skill of teleportation to return to the study room.
Erlang God had not even had a chance to sit down when he eagerly asked, "Brother, why did you telepathically order me to leave just now? We haven't yet convinced the Khan of Khitan to launch a southern campaign, have we?"
Chen Yun leisurely sat on the chair by the window, casually said, "Yelu Deguang obviously doesn't want to fight against Jin dynasty now, and if we continue to persuade him, it's likely to be in vain."
Erlang God sat opposite him, furrowing his brows and said, "Do you mean, Brother, that this war can't be stirred up, and I really have to take the brothers back to the Guanjiang Erlang Temple?"
"Not necessarily," Chen Yun smiled ambiguously, "That I can't convince you and Erlang God doesn't mean that others can't."
Erlang God's eyes lit up and said, "Brother, tell me?"
Chen Yun said, "I remember there are many southern traitors in the Khitan who hold important positions. There are two of them who are very eloquent and persuasive. If they were to speak out, there would be a higher chance of persuading Yelu Deguang to go to war."
Erlang God was puzzled and said, "You just said that Yelu Deguang has no intention to go to war. Even if we find two more people to persuade him, does that necessarily make a difference?"
Chen Yun laughed and said, "Brother, you don't know. Yelu Deguang doesn't want to go to war with Jin dynasty because their powers are similar. If we were to upset this balance and make Jin dynasty much stronger, what do you think Yelu Deguang would do?"
Erlang God, though not well-versed in political intrigue, had once served as the governor of Jiaozhou, and immediately understood the implication of Chen Yun's words.
Erlang God also laughed and said, "I understand now. I understand now. You used strategy, right? When you find people to persuade Yelu Deguang to join Jin dynasty later, will you pretend to spread the news that you want to defect to Jin dynasty?"
Chen Yun nodded lightly and said, "Yes, I will have someone spread rumors that Yelu Deguang is not a great sovereign who is capable of expanding his territory, making me feel genuinely disappointed and ready to seek out other great leaders to assist him in truly uniting this land."
Erlang God marveled and said, "No wonder you had to introduce my identity and emphasize the prestigious status of the divine beings you're trying to recruit; it was all part of your next move."
Chen Yun smiled and said, "Once this move is made, whether it's true or false, Yelu Deguang definitely won't dare to gamble that we won't defect to the Jin dynasty in the south. Otherwise, if we truly assist the Jin dynasty, there will be no way for Khitan to pose any threat to the Jin dynasty with the protection of the Purple Empress. He can only try to keep us from leaving in order to have a chance to resist against the Jin dynasty with the protection of Emperor Guan Yu."
This is a hundred percent certain. Although there are quite a few Daoist families in Northeast China, their combat power is relatively lower.
Even taking out the most powerful among the Horse Immortals, Hu San Taiye, he has only just reached the level of a true immortal.
Although there are some more powerful Daoist families in Northeast China, the strongest ones, in terms of power, are still on par with Hu San Taiye.
What kind of power has Chen Yun managed to mobilize so far?
Not to mention anything else, Erlang God is an immortal, and the Seven Sages of Meishan are also immortals.
In addition, some of the subordinates of Guanjiang Erlang Temple, the weakest ones, are also at the realm of earth immortals.
Not to mention the Eastern Lord and the Supreme Emperor of Jade, among other divine beings.
Most importantly, there is a significant gap in power between the immortals at different realms.
Taking Hu San Taiye as an example, he is indeed an immortal, but even one hundred of him combined would not be able to match Erlang God.
If Chen Yun truly brought such a massive force to defect to the Jin dynasty, the Khitan would have no chance of rising again. It's likely that they would not even be able to hold onto their current territory and could face total annihilation!
Chen Yun's strategy is called "using retreat as a strategy."
You don't want to go to war, do you?
Then I'll show that I'm defecting to another to fight against you. See if you'll go to war then!
Erlang God had finally figured it out and asked, "Which two of the traitors you mentioned earlier are particularly eloquent?"
Chen Yun replied, "Yang Guangyuan and Zhao Yan Shou."
Erlang God said, "What's special about these two?"
Chen Yun introduced, "Yang Guangyuan was once a subject of the Later Tang dynasty, but later helped Shi Jingtang seize the throne. However, since Shi Zhonggui took over, he has been suspicious and not put him to good use, leading to his rebellion and alliance with Khitan. He is deeply trusted by Yelu Deguang. As for Zhao Yan Shou, he defected to Khitan before the fall of the Later Tang dynasty and is now appointed as the prefectural governor of Youzhou and granted the title of Prince Yan, also enjoying Yelu Deguang's deep trust. If I can have these two come out and persuade him, it's likely that the matter will be resolved easily."
Indeed, historically, it was Yang Guangyuan and Zhao Yan Shou who convinced Yelu Deguang to make the decision to attack the Jin dynasty.
Erlang God furrowed his brow and said, "We have no personal relationship with them, and we have no regular contact with them. How can we make them go and persuade the Khan of Khitan?"
Chen Yun laughed and said, "That's not complicated at all. You and I, or the Seven Sages of Meishan, can randomly transform into a high-ranking scholar and offer divination services to the officials of high rank. As long as we predict accurately, Yang Guangyuan and Zhao Yan Shou will naturally seek us out. At that time, if we casually mention a few things in passing, do you think they won't voluntarily go to Yelu Deguang to discuss this matter?"
Erlang God blinked and said, "I know who to look for."
Chen Yun said, "Who?"
Erlang God said, "Hua Shan Sanlang, as the son of Jin Tianwang, enjoys showing his power and making friends in public. If he goes without disguising his identity, he can gain the trust of the high-ranking officials in Khitan. Then, as long as he reveals what we intend according to our plan, won't the plan be accomplished?"
Chen Yun said, "Good, then it is up to you, brother, to ask Third Brother to make the trip."
"Very well, I will go find Third Brother right away."
Erlang God said while standing up.
As he was about to leave, Erlang God suddenly thought of something. "Brother, this matter might take ten days or a month. In the meantime, what are you planning to do?"
Chen Yun smiled and said, "I obtained some precious materials for refining weapons from the Cave of the Sun and Moon in the Daoist realm. Since I have nothing better to do during this time, I will prepare to make a powerful treasure."
In the Cave of the Sun and Moon, there is absolutely no time to refine the "Cutting Immortal Gourd."
Now that he has some free time, Chen Yun will certainly refine this legendary weapon that slays gods and kills buddhas, strengthening his means of killing.
Once this artifact is refined, combined with the God-Killing Twin Pearl, Chen Yun believes he will definitely shine brightly in the upcoming Fushen (Enshrining of the Gods) War.
The premise is that his plan must be successful.
Hua Shan Sanlang can persuade Yang Guangyuan and Zhao Yan Shou to convince Yelu Deguang.
And that the persuasion would be effective, leading Yelu Deguang to truly make the decision to mobilize his troops and launch a southern campaign against the Jin dynasty.
Chen Yun doesn't know if Hua Shan Sanlang can complete the task well, but this is currently the only solution.
Therefore, he can only secretly hope that the plan he has devised will ultimately succeed.
As the saying goes, "Matters are in the hands of man, success is in the hands of heaven."
Chen Yun knows that no matter how much he thinks, it won't change anything.
It's better to use this time to improve his cultivation level instead.
And to refine the "Cutting Immortal Gourd" to enhance his combat power.
Chen Yun's gaze gradually drifted far away, "As long as Yelu Deguang is not an idiot, the likelihood of my plan succeeding should still be quite large."
