Just as the tide of battle was turning in their favor, after the victory of Commander Gak Hui, Emperor Sung Kao Cung unexpectedly ordered Gak Hui's troops to retreat! Sung Kao Cung, under the influence of Prime Minister Jin Kui, not only feared the deteriorating relations with the Kin kingdom but also worried about Gak Hui's growing power with the support of the common folk. They were concerned that this might spur Gak Hui to rebel and jeopardize the Emperor's position.
The Emperor was unaware that Jin Kui's advice to make peace with the Kin faction was spurred by an alliance he had formed with the enemy! Jin Kui was colluding with, and being manipulated by, the Kin Kingdom. Whatever the Kin faction commanded, Jin Kui obeyed.
In 1411, General Kin Wu Cu wrote a secret letter to his ally, Jin Kui, stating, "You desire peace, yet Gak Hui is attacking Hupei. If you don't kill Gak Hui soon, peace will never be achieved!"
So, Jin Kui persuaded the Emperor, who promptly penned a letter ordering Gak Hui to withdraw his troops to the border and return to the royal city. The summons for Gak Hui was signed by the emperor himself. By then, everyone knew that the Emperor was being manipulated and influenced by Jin Kui. Many commanders, including Gak Hui's own children, warned him against answering this summons, fearing it was a trap set by Prime Minister Jin Kui.
However, Commander Gak Hui was a man fiercely loyal to the kingdom and the emperor. He ignored all advice and insisted on heeding the emperor's call! His deceased mother's words, written on his back, encouraging him to remain loyal to the emperor until death, were not in vain. Gak Hui bravely embarked on his journey back to the royal city.
As feared by all his friends and children, upon arriving in the royal city, Gak Hui was arrested and imprisoned for disobedience and audacious attacks in the north, ignoring the emperor's prohibition! Of course, all of this was orchestrated by Prime Minister Jin Kui.
Seeing this, the sons and allies of Commander Gak Hui tried to free him. They stormed the prison, even managing to break down the door to Gak Hui's cell and urged him to escape.
But what was Gak Hui's reaction? He was furious with his followers and children, "I swore to be loyal to the kingdom, to be loyal until death, and you are rebelling and trying to free me? I will not run away!" he said.
His subordinates, friends, and children pleaded repeatedly. "Father," Gak Liu, one of his sons, said. "If you don't want to leave, you're seeking your own death. Jin Kui won't be satisfied until he sees you dead!"
"Unfilial son. Dare you advise your father to become a rebel? It's not Jin Kui who controls me, but His Majesty the Emperor who commands all this! How can I defy the Emperor's orders? Know this, all of you. I am willing to die for the Kingdom, and if the Emperor wants me to die, then I will die! Now, leave before I help the kingdom arrest you all!"
With heavy hearts, all those swordsmen left the prison they had stormed. They had to fight their way out safely, as the troops had surrounded them. Several swordsmen fell and died. But Gak Liu managed to escape, his heart heavy at the sight of his father refusing help.
And with his cunning deception, Jin Kui managed to forge a death sentence from the emperor for Gak Hui. In the fake command, the emperor sent a bowl of poisoned wine for Gak Hui. Without a moment's hesitation, Gak Hui accepted it, knelt, and drank the poisoned wine to the last drop. He died standing tall.
After Gak Hui's death, the Kingdom of Sung's resistance with its troops came to a halt. The Emperor established a peace agreement that was highly humiliating and degraded Sung's dignity with the Kin Kingdom. New boundaries were drawn, and a vast area between the north of the Huai River and Tasan-kuan in Shen-si fell into the hands of the Kin Kingdom! Additionally, the Sung Kingdom had to pay a tribute of two hundred and ten thousand Taels of silver and two hundred and fifty thousand rolls of fine silk every year!
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Even though the Sung Kingdom had surrendered and made peace, the patriotic swordsmen continued their resistance. For this, the Kin Kingdom formed special troops to exterminate them. The situation along the border became a battlefield for guerrilla warfare.
0odwo0
Such was the state of the Sung Kingdom, entirely unknown to Tiong Li, who was diligently learning from his two teachers. The Kin Kingdom also pressured the Sung Kingdom through their ally, Prime Minister Jin Kui, to eradicate the patriotic swordsmen who formed civilian militias that disturbed the Kin Kingdom along the border. Emperor Sung Kao Cung gave Jin Kui the power to lead the extermination of these "rebels".
In such a state, the people were always anxious. On one hand, they were secretly aiding the fighters, and on the other hand, they were afraid of the government troops' cleansing operations, including occasional Kin troops' pursuits into the Southern Sung Kingdom, violating the border.
The people were gripped with fear of the guerrilla warfare that could break out at any moment. Even in the royal city itself, people were restless as Prime Minister Jin Kui did not hesitate to carry out purges, arresting those who were suspected.
In such a situation, slander spread rampantly. Anyone could accuse anyone else who was their enemy or someone they disliked. Once someone was reported as a suspected spy for the fighters, that person would be arrested and tortured for confession, sometimes tortured to death! So, panic spread among the people, and this opportunity was often taken advantage of by the officers to intimidate the people to extract large bribes.
They would approach a wealthy person, threaten them, and only leave after receiving a bribe, even though that person was not involved in the resistance. Involved or not, if they were arrested, their chances of returning alive or unscathed were slim.
It was a dark and silent night. The air was rather cold, and in the late hours, the people of the royal city were nowhere to be seen. It was better to stay inside, close to a fireplace in such weather. Especially if wandering outside and bumping into a security patrol could lead to unforeseen and harmful consequences.
Suddenly, in the silent and dark night, a shadow was seen darting. The shadow moved quickly and had already jumped over the wall surrounding the large house belonging to Prime Minister Jin Kui! But as soon as he entered the courtyard, five guards immediately surrounded him, and they lit torches.
"Stop! Who are you to enter this yard without permission?" barked one of the guards.
"Humph, it's me who's entered. Quickly, take me to the Prime Minister!" said the tall and large man.
The guards brought their torches closer to see who the visitor was. The torchlight illuminated a terrifying, dark-skinned face. And they all recognized him well because he often visited and was a close acquaintance of the Prime Minister.
"Oh, it's Hak-sicu who's come. Why surprise us by jumping over the wall and not going straight to the guard post outside the gate?"
"It's better this way, so no one will see me!" replied the man. His name was Hak Bu Cu, and anyone who had ever met him would instantly recognize him as the man who claimed the title Si Golok Naga!
Hak Bu Cu was actually a master from the Kin Kingdom, and he was dispatched by the Kin Kingdom to be a liaison with Prime Minister Jin Kui. He and Jin Kui had arranged for the theft of Mestika Golok Naga, intending to sow discord among the martial world, and thus weaken the position of the patriotic swordsmen. Hak Bu Cu was the one who carried out the theft and killed the leaders of the four major parties. The sword was handed over by Hak Bu Cu to his supervisor, General Wu Chu of the Kin Kingdom. And he himself carried a fake sword, an exact replica of Mestika Golok Naga, to deceive anyone who sought to recover the original. Hak Bu Cu was an incredibly skilled man, knowledgeable about many martial arts, and he was the right-hand man of General Wu Chu.
The guards promptly escorted Hak Bu Cu in and reported to Prime Minister Jin Kui, who was still awake, enjoying himself in the garden being entertained by his concubines and maids with dances.
On hearing the guard's report that Hak Bu Cu had arrived and wanted to see him, Jin Kui immediately ordered all his concubines and maids to leave. He then instructed the guard to invite his guest into the garden, where there was a small open building used for watching the dance performances.
After meeting, Hak Bu Cu paid his respects to Jin Kui, who immediately rebuked him. "Ah, Hak-sicu, what wind brings you here this late at night? Come, sit here, Hak-sicu."
After paying his respects, the towering black man, Hak Bu Cu, sat in front of Jin Kui, separated by a table full of food and drink. Jin Kui poured wine into an empty cup and handed it to his guest. "Thank you, taijin. I was sent. by Wu-ciangkun to see taijin. First of all, Wu-ciangkun sends his respects, and secondly, he instructed me to discuss important matters with taijin," Hak Bu Cu then drank his wine.
"Hmm, what important matter, sicu? Quickly tell me."
"Well, taijin. Lately, Wu-ciangkun has been troubled by the emergence of a group of fighters who seriously disturb us with their operations on the border. This group is very formidable and led by a sturdy man who is reportedly the son of the late Commander Gak Hui, named Gak Liu."
Glossary
- Panglima Gak Hui: The leader of the Sung kingdom's army, a character known for his loyalty to the kingdom and the emperor.
- Sung Kao Cung: The Emperor of the Sung Kingdom, easily manipulated by his prime minister, Jin Kui.
- Jin Kui: The Prime Minister of the Sung Kingdom, secretly in cahoots with the enemy kingdom, Kin.
- Kin Wu Cu: A general from the enemy kingdom, Kin, who is in alliance with Jin Kui.
- Gak Liu: The son of Panglima Gak Hui, who leads a group of fighters against the Kin kingdom.
- Hak Bu Cu: A master from the Kin Kingdom, known as Si Golok Naga, who is an ally to Jin Kui and responsible for stealing the Mestika Golok Naga.
- Mestika Golok Naga: A highly coveted sword stolen by Hak Bu Cu to create discord among the martial world.
- Si Golok Naga: The nickname or title claimed by Hak Bu Cu. It translates to "The Dragon Saber".
- Wu Chu: A commander in the Kin kingdom, who is the supervisor of Hak Bu Cu.
- Taijin: A term of respect, equivalent to "your excellency".