Chapter 1: The Awakening of Shin Wang...

  "What's your name?" Zhao Qing'er was apparently interested in the young Zhao Chen, who was much younger than her. As someone who spent all day dealing with a bunch of martial artists, she found them quite annoying. It was rare for her to see a refined and courteous young man like him.

  Zhao Qing'er sat down on the grass opposite Zhao Chen with a smile. "Liang Shi Ba." "Where are you from?" "From the mountains."

  "What's in the mountain?" Zhao Qing'er furrowed her delicate eyebrows, and her bright eyes blinked twice as she said, "Don't you know that there's a war going on outside the mountain? The Golden Dog Army has marched south, and yet you still dare to come down from the mountain at a time like this?"

  For this girl, Zhao Xun did not want to mention his own family background. Although he was on guard, Zhao Qing'er's smiling face made him feel warm and comfortable. He found that Zhao Qing'er's skin was very fair, her beautiful melon-shaped face was even whiter with a hint of red, her lips were tender and luscious, and her eyes were full of spirit, feeling like the flowers and grass in the valley, beauty hidden in fearless wildness. Her eyelashes were very long, lightly trembling in the sunlight, as if playing the strings of a zither, giving people endless reverie.

  What a beauty! Purer and more lovely than the stars of the previous generation. Zhao couldn't help but think that such a beautiful woman was rarely seen, although due to her young age, her figure had not yet fully developed, but that pure charm was unstoppable. Such a woman shouldn't be in this poor mountainous area, let alone with a group of evil bandits. Was she kidnapped by the bandits? It must be so, poor girl, she must have been ruined by the bandit leader. In this era, the wife of a bandit leader is just a "mountain-pressing lady"... What a pity, beauty is short-lived... Zhao thought to himself.

  "It's better if you don't leave," said Zhao Qing'er. "Nowadays, it's chaotic everywhere and nowhere is safe. It's better for you to stay with us, so you'll be safe and we can protect you..."

  "I won't be a bandit." Zhao Xun said resolutely: "Although I'm not talented, I don't want to be a bandit who kills and robs people. Bandits plunder the mountain villagers, and the mountain villagers all hate bandits." Zhao Xun wanted to change Zhao Qing'er's mind, not to mix with the bandits, and if possible, he also wanted to take this beautiful girl away from the bandits' den.

  "Bandits?" Zhao Qing'er looked at him in surprise and said, "You say we are bandits?" Zhao Chen also sensed that he seemed to have made a mistake somewhere, and asked doubtfully: "Aren't you the wife of the bandit chief who is suppressing the village?"

  "Zhenzai lady? Me?" Zhao Qing'er's face suddenly turned cold, saying: "What nonsense are you talking about?" "That big bearded man is the bandit leader, and you are the Zhenzai lady..." Zhao Chen felt that he might have said something wrong, because he saw Zhao Qing'er's expression change suddenly, and immediately stopped his words.

  Although he hadn't finished speaking, his meaning had already been conveyed. Zhao Qing'er let out a cry of anger and slapped him. Zhao Chen had actually reacted early on, but his body was too slow to react in time, and before he could dodge, he received a solid slap. Next, Zhao Qing'er jumped up and kicked him, shouting angrily: "You damned little brat, you're looking for death..."

  Zhao Qing'er's hand wasn't too heavy after all, but Zhao Ke knew he had misspoken and pretended to cry out in pain, falling backwards. Zhao Qing'er wouldn't let up, taking another step forward and aiming a kick at Zhao Ke. With his hands tied behind him, there was no way for him to dodge, so he took the kick and immediately let out a series of pained yelps.

  "I came to thank you, how dare you insult me, watch me not kill you." Zhao Qing'er was furious, scolding and punching and kicking at the same time, but she had a good sense of proportion, only venting her anger. And Zhao Chen acted with the best Oscar-winning actor's effect, showing that he was extremely painful, wailing like a wolf, making Zhao Qing'er think that she had gone too far, so she became gentler and gentler.

  At this time, Wang Jin stared at them with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. When the two were talking, he woke up too, thinking of listening to what they said, so as to understand the situation and find an opportunity to escape. Who knew that before the two had spoken a few words, Zhao Qing'er suddenly turned against him. It's strange that you still have your life in someone else's hands, but instead of trying to please them, you're actually talking nonsense and making wild guesses, it's simply seeking stimulation.

  He had wanted to speak out and stop it, but Zhao Qing'er was a young girl, looking like she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and she didn't seem too bad off. She even came over to thank him voluntarily. Adding to that, he was afraid that his concern for Xing Wang would be perceived by the other party, so it wasn't good to say much more. Moreover, both of them were being manipulated by someone else's hands, so it wasn't easy to persuade her. Looking at the young girl's kind heart, and how she was becoming gentler with each passing moment, he could only stand by and watch as his master was bullied.

  The two of them made such a ruckus that they woke everyone up. The other captives were silent as cicadas in winter, shrinking their heads and not even daring to breathe loudly, fearing that they would be affected by the trouble. Zhao Qing'er's companions, on the other hand, were speechless with laughter, pretending not to have seen anything, and continued to lie down and sleep.

  Zhao Zhuo lay on the ground, only to be beaten, his body kicked more than a dozen times. Exhausted from beating him, Zhao Qing'er said with hatred: "You dare to curse again, I'll flay your skin." After finishing speaking, he turned around and left.

  Upon seeing this, Wang Jin secretly let out a sigh of relief. This girl was not bad; she hadn't made a move to poison him, or else Zhao Chen would probably be unable to even breathe now.

  Zhao Zhuo silently lamented his bad luck, thinking to himself that it was all because of this mouth of his that he had gotten into trouble and was now getting beaten up for no reason. Just as he was feeling sorry for himself, Zhao Qing'er suddenly turned around and came at him again with another kick, seemingly still not satisfied. Zhao Zhuo was so scared that he curled up into a ball, preparing to endure the next round of blows.

  "We are not bandits, none of us are...!" Zhao Qing'er grabbed Zhao Chen's collar and pulled him up, shouting at him in anger, "Listen to me carefully, I am a righteous army, we are all righteous armies resisting the Jin army. My father is Wu Wing Daifu Zhao Bangjie, our leader is the original Baoyuan Road Liwen Envoy Ma Kuangjiang, that big bearded man, he is the commander-in-chief of the Wuma Mountain Righteous Army, not a bandit chief! Did you hear me?!"

  Zhao Zhu was shocked after hearing this, and he couldn't quite believe the little girl's words. Could it be that he had so easily encountered the Ma Kuo who was destined to meet him?

  Thinking of this, Zhao Xun's brain turned around and said: "Really unlucky, with your character, you still want to be a righteous army? The righteous army must have the appearance of a righteous army, and Ma Kuo and Zhao Bangjie are deceiving people." Zhao Xun intentionally said these words in order to hear whether Xiaoyazi was telling the truth or not.

  "How dare you call me a cheat?" Zhao Qing'er suddenly glared with wide eyes, her pale face instantly flushing red with anger. "I am the daughter of Wu Wing's great officer Zhao Bangjie and also the child of a Song Dynasty official. You insulted the family member of an imperial court official, what crime should you be punished for?!"

  Zhao Qing'er's face was as cold as frost, her lips pursed and her teeth clenched, she said word by word, "Even if you are a Han person, I will still kill you now." As she spoke, she actually picked up a knife.

  Zhao Zhuang was frightened at this time. He didn't know if the girl's real intention was to kill him or not, but he knew that the woman in front of him was terrifying.

  Staring at the gleaming blade, Zhao Xun was now out of options. In his anxiety, he took advantage of Zhao Qing'er's momentary distraction and suddenly used all his strength to charge forward with a crash.

  The two were close at hand, Zhao Qing'er held a knife in one hand and grabbed Zhao Chen's collar with the other. She was originally trying to scare Zhao Chen, but without any defense, she only heard a "thud" sound, and the two heads collided together.

  Zhao Qing'er let out a miserable cry, and her hands immediately released Zhao Chen. She subconsciously covered her head with her hands. Zhao Chen fell to the ground, lifted his legs, and kicked Zhao Qing'er's stomach. After all, it was just resistance, not a mortal enemy or a golden soldier, so Zhao Chen spared her vital points and only wanted to kick Zhao Qing'er away. However, Zhao Qing'er was caught off guard by the kick, flew through the air, and landed with a thud, unable to get up again.

  Things have gotten out of hand, how can Zhao Qing's brothers let her suffer a loss? The crowd is enraged, and everyone rushed over in an instant. One person shouted: "Kill that damned thief!"

  At this time, Wang Jin secretly called out in distress. Things changed too fast, he wanted to stop but it was too late. The two people, Zhao Bangjie and Ma Kuo, were officials of the Song Dynasty. Especially Ma Kuo, who was the main envoy sent by the Song Dynasty to the north to ally with the Jin against the Liao, and was also the first official to propose precautions against the Jin country with foresight.

  Wang Jin and Zhao Chen also learned through inquiry that Ma Kuo is now the leader of the Anti-Jin Righteous Army in Wuma Mountain. If what Zhao Qing'er said was true, then this team was indeed a righteous army, and he and Zhao Chen would not be in danger of their lives by relying on Zhao Chen's imperial clan name. But now that things have been stirred up for Zhao Chen, it's hard to say what will happen. Even if they claim to be members of the imperial clan, others may not believe them.

  At this time, the two people who were rushing to the front had already approached Zhao Song, holding shiny war knives in their hands, with a fierce momentum, looking like they must chop off Zhao Song's head to vent their anger.

  Seeing Zhao Chen's life in danger, Wang Jin was greatly shocked and lost his color. In his anxiety, he rushed to Zhao Chen's side, pulling at his throat and shouting: "I am also a righteous army! I am also a righteous army!" The two men with knives stopped. If they were both brothers of the righteous army, then this head could not be cut off.

  "Drag him up and interrogate him carefully." Someone shouted. Several strong men rushed forward, lifted Wang Jin up, and asked him non-stop in a cacophony of voices.

  When asked, Wang Jin didn't know the current situation of the righteous army and his answer was irrelevant. Seeing that the group of men were about to kill them, Wang Jin hastily said: "I am a fourth-rank imperial guard with sword from the Great Song Dynasty's Imperial Palace, the head of the guards at the Prince of Faith's residence, I am Wang Jin."

  Ma Kuo's face turned stern as he shouted, "All the imperial relatives except for His Majesty have been captured and taken north. Who are you trying to deceive? You claim to be a palace guard? Palace guards should be fighting against the Jin in the south, not running around in this godforsaken place! You're spouting nonsense, are you spies?! Guards, take them down!"

  Ma Kuo had suffered a lot at the hands of traitors, to tell the truth, although the righteous army was better than bandits in terms of military discipline and had their own noble beliefs, they were not good people either, killing someone was very normal. The righteous army claimed to be just, but their military discipline was very loose, and because of this, under the same circumstances, they were not a match for the Golden Army. Moreover, Ma Kuo did not believe Wang Jin's words, or had other reasons, so on the surface, Ma Kuo shouted that he would kill the two men. However, Wang Jin did not notice that although Ma Kuo was shouting loudly, under his eye signal, his subordinates did not make any moves.

  Wang Jin, in his anxiety, spoke the truth. He shouted hoarsely: "He is Xiang Wang, cannot be killed! If you kill him, you will be a sinner! If you kill Xiang Wang, all the people of Da Song will hate you. You have done what the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty wanted to do but couldn't, killing him would make you a traitor to both the righteous army and Da Song."

  Upon hearing Wang Jin's words, Ma Kuo was shocked and hastily raised his hand to shout: "Quickly, quickly untie the two of them. Untie them for me at once."

  In the faith of all anti-Jin Dynasty righteous armies, there was hope for the only Han-dominated Zhao royal family. At that time, any prince or son of the imperial family was a symbol of resistance against Jin for everyone. In the current Han army, only the princes of the Zhao family can have the prestige to lead everyone to defeat the powerful Jin army. Faced with the powerful Jin army, the main force of the uprising army that is still unfolding in a fierce and intense war is the legacy of the Great Song Dynasty, which has been passed down for 200 years. Now, the people who are loyal to the Zhao family almost cover the entire Central Plains, which is where people's hearts are headed.

  Ma Kuo looked at Zhao Chen, then at Wang Jin, his expression extremely solemn. After a moment's thought, he slowly walked to the front of Zhao Chen and examined him for a long time. Then Ma Kuo's sidekick, Zhao Qing'er, whispered to him: "Just now when I was talking to him, I knew his name was Liang Shi Ba. Uncle Ma, you can't kill him, even if he deceived me, but he also saved me, and just now I was joking with him."

  Ma Kuo, after all, was a general who had experienced wind and rain, and he was unmoved by the plea of Zhao Bangjie's daughter. What moved him was Zhao's identity. He looked at the two people for a long time, then turned his head to look at Wang Jin, and asked in a deep voice: "Who are you?" "I am Wang Jin, a fourth-grade imperial guard with a sword." Wang Jin said proudly.

  At the mention of Wang Jin's name, a burst of exclamations erupted from the crowd. "What do you have to rely on?" Ma Kuo said: "What evidence do you have to prove it? If not, chop it up and feed the dogs."

  "I have the royal family's jade pendant on me, when the golden dog escorted me, he didn't find it, come and see." Zhao Xun said, then searched around his chest for a while, and took out a dragon-tiger shaped jade pendant.

  Ma Kuo carefully looked at the two characters "Xin Wang" on the jade pendant, which was finely carved. In ancient times, dragon-shaped decorations were not allowed to be owned by ordinary people except for emperors and princes, otherwise it would be a capital offense. Moreover, Ma Kuo also recognized that this was indeed a palace object, and only the Zhao royal family could own such a jade pendant.

  Recognizing the jade pendant, Ma Kuo was somewhat surprised. At this time, Princess Xinfeng, who had just finished washing by the river, hurried over and said to Ma Kuo: "He is indeed Prince Xinfeng, I am Princess Xinfeng, I have a phoenix jade hairpin given by my mother, which can serve as proof."

  Seeing the testimony of Princess Xin, Ma Kuo no longer doubted and immediately knelt down and said: "It's really King Xin Wang, I, Ma Kuo, pay homage to King Xin Wang." As he bowed, the other righteous army members also followed suit. Ah, King Xin! What a great reputation! Now they have something to strive for.

  "Let's dispense with the formalities! These are special times, no need for excessive courtesy." Zhao Xun also felt a sense of belonging and smiled as he spoke. Ma Kuo stood up, looked around at everyone, waved his hand, then turned to Zhao Qing'er and said: "You go prepare some wine and meat, hurry up."

  Zhao Qing'er gazed at Wang Jin and Zhao Chen, her face filled with adoration. She said: "Hey, are you the legendary King Xīn? Were you ever captured by the Golden Dog?"

  With the help of several righteous soldiers, Zhao Xun's bonds were untied. He turned around and saw Zhao Qing'er, and a surge of resentment suddenly rose up in him. The temper left behind by his deceased father momentarily got out of control, and he blurted out: "The lady's gift, I will never forget even if I lose all my teeth."

  At this time, Zhao Qing'er's head was hurting, her stomach was also hurting, and she originally had a fire in her heart. Hearing these words made her even angrier, and she cursed in a low voice: "Little rascal! Little villain......"

  At this time, Ma Kuo did not tolerate Wu Yi Da Fu Zhao Bangjie's daughter again. His face turned black and he shouted loudly, "Didn't you hear what I said? This is the trusted king, our master! Why don't you go quickly!"

  Zhao Qing'er turned her head and made a face at Ma Kuo, sticking out her tongue in dissatisfaction. She then glared at Zhao Chen with hatred before walking away with a swagger.

  Zhao Zhu felt aching all over, after all, this small body was too weak, even if Zhao Qing'er didn't use too much force, after a round of tussling, he couldn't take it anymore.

  In the valley, there was a small stream, and Wang Jin washed away the bloodstains on his face and beard with the icy water. Zhao Chen crouched beside him, watching, but in her heart, she felt a wave of confusion - how could one survive in this chaotic world? Just ordinary survival, for someone like Zhao Chen who was proud inside and full of ability, was simply laughable. Whether it was her personality from her past life or her desire for revenge in this life, if Zhao Chen wanted to live, she had to live a life that was earth-shattering and extraordinary. Either she would take revenge on her enemies or die on the battlefield.

  At this time, Ma Kuo stood respectfully behind him, his eyes fixed on him, but Zhao Chen appeared to be very calm, seemingly not worried about the situation in front of him at all.

  After washing and cleaning, Wang Jin sat down with Zhao Chen on the grass in the valley. Ma Kui sat cross-legged opposite the two of them and asked: "Prince Xing, after you escaped from the Golden Camp, have you been hiding in the nearby mountains all along?"

  "It's been several days since we came down from the mountain, and I know that the righteous army's great flag has never fallen." Wang Jin sighed and continued: "Huizong and Qinzong must be very pleased to know that you are still carrying on the anti-Jin resistance, fighting against the Jin dogs one after another."

  "Since you know our righteous army's great flag has not fallen, why haven't you come to find us?" Ma Kuo asked. "We couldn't find you," Wang Jin said with a glance at Zhao Chen, recalling the hardships of the Zhao imperial family, his face showing sorrow. With tears in his eyes, he said: "The humiliation of the imperial family is the shame of all Great Song citizens, we must take revenge and launch a northern expedition!"

  Ma Kuo's expression turned cold and solemn as he said, "Xin Wang, you are now a great banner. With you here, the various righteous armies of Jingzhao Prefecture Road and Hebei and Hedong Roads can form an alliance, join forces, and launch a major campaign to attack the Jin army in the north."