The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 152: Establishing the Foundation, Qiu Chuji Meets Guo Jing

Wanyan Honglie approached him and whispered softly, "Tomorrow I will recommend you to serve as an official in Nanjing (Kaifeng) at the court meeting. You will be the general manager of a route for the time being, in charge of the troops of a route. You must do a good job in this matter. This is the retreat for us father and son, and also the retreat for the Jin Kingdom."

Working in Kaifeng?
Yang Kang was suddenly shocked. Jin Kingdom’s retreat? Was Jin Kingdom going to move its capital?
He looked at Wanyan Honglie in disbelief, shocked beyond words. Migrating south meant that all the beautiful mountains and rivers in the north would fall into the control of Mongolia, which meant that the dominant position would be transferred to Mongolia. Has the Great Jin Dynasty been in such a crisis?

He couldn't help but ask, "Father, will that day really come?"

Wanyan Honglie nodded tiredly, "I hope I am overthinking, but the situation in the north is critical now, I have to make plans early and prepare for a rainy day. However, the situation in the north is critical, and the war in the south has been eliminated, which is a good thing. Otherwise, if the north and the south go to war at the same time, my Great Jin Kingdom will be in danger."

He arranged for Yang Kang to be the chief general and lead the troops in order to occupy a position first and gain more political capital. As for why he did not become a civil servant, Yang Kang's scheming could deceive ordinary people, but how could he possibly outsmart those old foxes in officialdom? In comparison, although the situation in the army was complicated, Wanyan Honglie had led the military operations against Song Dynasty and had some foundation in the southern army, which would allow him to gain a foothold.

Today's Jin Dynasty is like a bloated fat man. It looks tall and strong on the surface, but it is actually weak on the inside. It has size but cannot gather strength and transform it into military power.

The Song Dynasty had a deep understanding of how strong the Jin Dynasty was. It was beaten by the Jin Dynasty time and time again. How could it not be strong? However, the Jin Dynasty was suppressed by the Mongols and had no power to fight back. It was defeated again and again on the front battlefield. The vast north was left to the Mongol cavalry to gallop and stir up a mess.

After Genghis Khan captured Juyong Pass, the northern gate was wide open, and the main Mongolian army entered through it. They divided their troops to surround Zhongdu, causing unrest in the Jin Dynasty.

The walls of Zhongdu were high and deep, making it impossible for cavalry to conquer it. The Mongolian cavalry had not yet reached their peak condition, and various siege equipment had not yet appeared. Facing a big city like Zhongdu, they were helpless.

Genghis Khan then ordered Jochi and others to lead the right-wing army to march south along the Taihang Mountains, plunder the western, southeastern and northern routes of Hebei, and reach the Yellow River; his brother Jochi Khesar and others led the left-wing army to plunder Ji, Ping (now Lulong, Hebei), and Luan states.

He personally led the central army with his youngest son Tolui, plundered the eastern route of Hebei, the eastern route of Shandong, and the western route, and also reached the Yellow River. Together with Guo Jing's troops in Shanxi, the four Mongolian armies slaughtered and looted in the eight areas north of the Yellow River.

In this war, the Jin Dynasty suffered further blood loss and its ruling foundation was greatly weakened. On the other hand, the Mongols once again expanded their tribal population and financial resources through looting, and became stronger and stronger.

More importantly, they looted a large number of craftsmen during the war, who brought advanced technology and greatly enhanced Mongolia's national strength.

Xijing City.

After Guo Jing captured Xijing City, he did not let the Mongolian cavalry enter the city. Instead, he ordered them to camp outside the city, leaving infantry to garrison there while he himself entered the city with 8,000 elite troops.

He knew the nature of the Mongolian cavalry very well. Once the Mongolian cavalry were allowed to enter the city, the city would become a living hell. Post-war massacres were commonplace for them. Almost all the soldiers under Genghis Khan were of this character.

But Guo Jing could not let them do this, because it would be extremely detrimental to his future management. Before, he had no available soldiers and horses, and he was unable to restrain the Mongolian cavalry, so he could only turn a blind eye to what they did.

But it is different now. He has Han cavalry and Han infantry under his command. The 8,000 cavalry sent by Genghis Khan dare not attack at all. They know very well how powerful this young commander is on the battlefield.

After Guo Jing entered the city, instead of sending troops to plunder, he maintained order and killed many rioters. The surrendered soldiers in the city were also taken over by him and confined to the military camp.

After taking over the city, he ordered officials to notify the wealthy families in the city to pay tributes of money and grain.

The wealthy people in the city were all terrified, but they were trapped in the city and couldn't escape.

Who could have thought that Hu Shahu was such a fool, he lost so miserably when he had 50,000 troops against 30,000. But when they learned that Guo Jing would not massacre the city, they suddenly felt like they had survived a calamity. There was no way, as the war broke out, the Mongols' deeds spread, making people fear them like a tiger and had to be afraid.

While Guo Jing was transporting money and food outside the city to appease the Mongolian cavalry and his men, he also sent a battle report to Genghis Khan.

After taking over Xijing City, Guo Jing realized that he had made a huge profit. Not only was there abundant food and grass in the city, but also the weapons and armor he urgently needed. These things were consumables, and his craftsmen could not make much even if they worked around the clock.

Not all the cavalrymen under Genghis Khan were armored at the beginning. It was only after they defeated Western Xia and the Jin Dynasty and carried out large-scale looting that the armor rate was gradually increased.

After this great victory, the seized supplies were enough for the entire army to be equipped, and could also support his further expansion of the army. There were also official offices for manufacturing military equipment in the city. This place was originally an important military town. The Jin people invested a lot of money here. In later generations, it was also one of the nine border towns of the Ming Dynasty.

After taking Xijing City, he left Lu Guanying to garrison and continued to attack cities with his troops. Eventually, he suffered a small loss under the city of Taiyuan and had to retreat to Xijing.

In this way, Guo Jing was stationed in the city of Xijing. While expanding his army, he also contacted the wealthy families in Shanxi. Because he did not send troops to plunder, the wealthy families and Han landlords looked up to him as a Mongolian general.

There is no way, everything is the result of comparison. In addition, due to Guo Jing's Han identity, these Han landlords all gathered together and moved closer to him. These Han powerful people are extremely powerful. They have both soldiers and people. They are almost the epitome of small warlords. The Jin Dynasty was able to rule the north thanks to the surrender and cooperation of these Han landlords.

Now, times have changed, Mongolia has risen, the Jin Dynasty is in turmoil, the flags on the city walls are changing, and these people, seeing that the situation is not good, have long thought of jumping off ship. They cannot afford to be buried with the Jin Dynasty.

While Guo Jing was in contact with these families, he asked them to send their children to join the army. This was an imitation of the Qiexue Army founded by Genghis Khan. This army was composed of the descendants of Mongolian tribal nobles and served as the Khan's personal guard.

Such a request was not excessive. To surrender, one must have a letter of surrender. These people were both hostages and transactions. If they gave their people, they had to contribute their efforts. As a senior figure in the Mongolian army and the son-in-law of Genghis Khan, Guo Jing gave them political protection.

It can be said that this wave is a win-win situation for both sides.

……

Time passed slowly. Guo Jing stood on the wall of Xijing, looking at the golden rice and the farmers who were harvesting in the fields outside the city. He was filled with emotion. In this chaotic world, such scenes were rare.

After his unsuccessful attack on Taiyuan, he retreated to Xijing City, captured the surrounding counties and military strongholds, and occupied one-third of Shanxi. At this point, his fiefdom on the border was connected with Shanxi.

To this end, he even brought his family over and acted as if he was going to live here permanently.

Genghis Khan did not force Guo Jing to attack Taiyuan after learning that he had failed. After all, taking Xijing was a pleasant surprise. It was one of the five capitals of the Jin Dynasty and had a special political status. The Mongols had taken Shangjing long ago, and Jebe had invaded Dongjing (Liaoyang) and plundered it. Now Guo Jing had taken Xijing (Datong), and the Jin Dynasty only had Zhongdu and Nanjing left.

During these short few months, Genghis Khan plundered the north on a large scale, and he completed further expansion of the army in Xijing, and the 30,000 soldiers and horses swelled to 40,000, which was the result of his reduction in scale.

However, the arrival of an unexpected guest broke the tranquility.

In the hall, Qiu Chuji held a whisk in his hand and carried a sword on his back. He bowed to Guo Jing and said, "I am the Changchunzi of the Quanzhen Sect. I am here to greet General Guo."

Guo Jing sat in the main seat and raised his hand, "Master Changchun, there is no need to be polite. Please take a seat."

Afterwards, servants served tea and snacks.

Qiu Chuji stroked his beard lightly, his face flushed, and he acted like a master. "Along the way, I heard that wherever the Mongolian army passed, no grass grew, and the people suffered. However, the general was able to control his soldiers, protect the country and the people, and save countless lives. This is a great merit."

Guo Jing was unsure of Qiu Chuji's origins, so he continued, "Master, you are joking. I am just doing what I can. The dead cannot be resurrected. Since we won the battle, it is a good thing that fewer people died."

"Speaking of which, Quanzhen Sect has been kind to me in teaching. When I was still in Mobei, the Taoist Priest Danyang of Quanzhen Sect taught me internal skills. Later, I learned that they were the internal skills of Quanzhen Sect. This skill has helped me a lot. I wonder how Taoist Priest Danyang is doing these days?"

Seeing that Guo Jing acknowledged this friendship, Qiu Chuji felt a little relieved and his evaluation of him increased a bit. This matter was something that could be acknowledged or not, after all, there were only two of them involved. If Guo Jing denied it, Quanzhen Sect would have no choice. Now that he took the initiative to bring it up, it was obvious that he acknowledged this favor.

With this friendship, I believe that subsequent things will be much easier.

Of course, he did not dare to take advantage of this favor and call himself a senior in front of Guo Jing.

Are you kidding? The Quanzhen Sect is a gang of underworld people, but Guo Jing is no small fry. He is now the commander-in-chief of a faction with a large army under his command. Even if Ma Yu is here, he would not dare to be arrogant.

Even if Guo Jing is not leading the troops now, his identity as a Mongolian prince consort alone is enough to make people take him seriously, just like how Qiu Chuji valued his relationship with Wanyan Honglie back then.

Qiu Chuji immediately got straight to the point and stated his purpose. "In recent years, the world has been in turmoil. Senior Brother has inherited the will of our master and is in charge of Quanzhen Sect. However, the war in the north has not stopped, and many Quanzhen Taoist temples have also been affected. I am traveling north this time to seek an audience with the Mongolian Khan and preach the scriptures."

"I wonder if General Guo could help me by introducing me to him?"

Is the Quanzhen Sect going to change its sect?

Guo Jing was guessing in his mind and shook his head, "Not yet. The Khan is conquering cities in the north and has been busy with the war. I'm afraid he won't have time to see you. Only after the war can you see the Khan after recuperation."

"When that happens, I can personally introduce you to the Khan, and I will certainly let you see him. What do you think?"

Qiu Chuji also knew that speed was of the essence in war. Genghis Khan had to lead his troops into battle and was naturally very busy, so it was normal that he could not see him. This was exactly what he wanted. He also wanted to observe from close range what kind of person Guo Jing was.

As the conversation started, the atmosphere became more harmonious and the two of them had a very pleasant conversation.

Qiu Chuji's arrival did not bring much change to Guo Jing's ordinary life, just like throwing a stone into a calm lake.

Guo Jing had no time to care about him. He was stationed in Xijing and had several states under his jurisdiction. Many government affairs required his approval. Every day, he was busy dealing with government affairs from all directions.

Fortunately, with the cooperation and appeasement of local Han nobles, his rule did not cause too much unrest. These places have restored order and continuously provided him with resources to feed his army.

However, although Guo Jing did not send troops to attack other places, his soldiers were not idle. He sent his cavalry to Shaanxi to plunder the population and supplement his fiefdom. These places are still the territory of the Jin Kingdom, and there is nothing wrong with him plundering places. Unlike Shanxi, he has already planned to take root there, and it is not good to attack his own people.

Of course, even if he didn't take action, he still collected taxes and food. Even after maintaining order, the taxes he collected were even faster than when he plundered. In addition to the taxes from the lower classes, there were also protection fees from the wealthy and powerful.

As long as no one is killed, everything is fine. With the example of others massacring a city before him, Marshal Guo is really too kind and easy to talk to.

……

Qiu Chuji was walking on the street, looking at the people coming and going. There was a different light in his eyes, and he became more convinced that Guo Jing was no ordinary person.

Now, order has been restored in Xijing. After entering the city, Guo Jing ruthlessly dealt with a large number of Jin nobles to make an example of them. Without the Jin nobles' plundering, and with the submission of the Han local tyrants, his rule is actually better than that of the Jin Dynasty.

Especially Guo Jing's efforts to win over Han nobles and form an army, which was actually pulling them onto his chariot and binding them to him. He might not dare to say this about other places, but he had already taken root in Xijing.

It took less than a few months in total. He was able to use this method of pulling one group together and beating another and uniting the majority of people. Who would believe that he was only 20 years old? Yet, in his leadership, there was no major chaos in this one-third of Shanxi, and it was still very stable overall.

Guo Jing was not born with these skills. He benefited from the experience he had accumulated from establishing his own fiefdom, as well as Su Ming's teachings over the years. He was able to find corresponding examples and countermeasures in history for many policies and methods of handling things.

This is true in politics and even more so in military affairs.

Qiu Chuji also discovered that Guo Jing was constantly training infantry in the city, a considerable number of whom were heavily armored infantry, apparently intending to use the infantry as the main force. This method of warfare was completely different from that of the Mongolian cavalry.

Yue Fei has already given the answer to the question of whether cavalry can travel farther or the coordinated operations of infantry and cavalry are more powerful.

(End of this chapter)