Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 107: The Selection is All Depends on the Husband (Part )
Early morning of August 7th.

Kaifeng Prefecture in Nanjing of the Jin Dynasty, which was once the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, Tokyo Bianliang, had now become a huge military camp.

Since Wanyan Liang usurped the throne, the center of rule has been moving south. On the one hand, this was to become the emperor of China and bring the Han people in the Central Plains under effective rule; on the other hand, it was to break away from the traditional territory of the Jurchens and use this method to drive out conservative opposition forces from the center.

From the perspective of later historians, the Jin Dynasty was a small tribe facing a big country, like sitting on a volcano about to erupt. Ethnic conflicts were extremely fierce from the very beginning, and civil unrest never stopped. Sooner or later, a major war would break out.

This is the reason why there is no country that can last a hundred years.

What Wanyan Liang took over was such a crumbling country.

If Wanyan Liang did not carry out reforms, did not bring Han people into the army, and did not give the Han people corresponding political power, then at the latest ten years later, the best outcome for the Jurchens would be to be driven back to their hometown in Liaodong by the rebellious Han people.

Once Wanyan Liang carried out reforms, the power of the Jurchen nobles would be affected, and he would have to kill a group of stubborn elements, such as old ministers and generals like Wanyan Salihe.

It's not that he was bloodthirsty, but it was the custom of the Jurchens. There was no such thing as exile or dismissal in political struggles. They always resorted to direct violence.

There is no way, there is really no way.

All I can say is that the Jurchens' tribal way of governing the country really doesn't work.

Or in other words, sinicization has always been the only way to establish stable rule on the land of China.

Whether it was the shift of the ruling center to the south or the prestige required for reform, it all led to one result.

He conquered the Song Dynasty in the south and unified the world.

These things were not difficult to understand for Wanyan Yuanyi, the Minister of War of the Jin Dynasty.

In fact, he had figured out the twists and turns here when Wanyan Liang ordered him to change back to his original name, Yelu Yuanyi, a few years ago.

Although he felt wronged at the time, thought that the national surname bestowed by the previous emperor was an honor, and thought that Wanyan Liang was too indifferent to the face of his confidants, he still quickly changed back to his original surname, Yelu.

Then, Yelu Yuanyi watched Wanyan Liang kill people based on their surname, and each kill represented an entire household register. Only then did he realize that this was his lord's way of protecting him.

After the killing was over, Wanyan Liang gave Yelu Yuanyi a surname again, and Yelu Yuanyi became Wanyan Yuanyi again. The feeling is hard to describe.

At the very least, Wanyan Yuanyi showed only gratitude towards the emperor.

Wanyan Yuanyi inspected the military camp last night. After handling some military affairs, it was already late, so he simply stayed in the camp.

There was no grand court meeting on the second day, so Wanyan Yuanyi went directly to the Ministry of War. After quickly washing his face, he sat in the chief officer's seat and began to review documents.

From time to time, clerks and assistant officials would come forward to take away documents that had already been reviewed, or deliver newly arrived documents.

The southern expedition had been decided. Apart from the Marshal's Office, which had a high status, the busiest department was the Ministry of War. However, Wanyan Yuanyi, who was 45 years old at the time, was no ordinary man after all.

This man was both civil and military. In history, he once held the position of Pingzhang Zhengshi, or deputy prime minister. When Wanyan Liang conquered the Song Dynasty, he was in charge of the central army as the chief commander of the Shenwu Army. He defeated the Song army in Zhegao, Zhaoguan, and Hezhou, and made their horses drink water from the Yangtze River.

Of course, Wanyan Yuanyi is most famous for being the first to turn against Wanyan Liang and kill him when he forced the army to cross the river at all costs. He later ordered the assassination of Wanyan Liang's crown prince, Wanyan Guangying, with his ruthless methods.

That was all later, and at this point, Wanyan Yuanyi was still a loyal minister with a heart full of gratitude, a heart full of love and a light in his eyes. So, when he flipped through a document, he was stunned.

After flipping through the document a few times as if in disbelief and carefully looking at the seal on the document, Wanyan Yuanyi could no longer sit still. After putting on his official robe, he went straight to the government hall.

The Zhengshi Hall was the seat of the Shangshu Province of the Jin Dynasty. Because it was located on the south side of the palace, it was commonly known as the Southern Court. Because it was built in the style of a hegemon's mansion, it was also called the "Government".

The Jin Dynasty's Secretariat generally consisted of nine high-ranking officials: the Minister of the Chancellery, the Left and Right Prime Ministers, the Left and Right Prime Ministers, the Left and Right Ministers of State Affairs, and the Left and Right Assistant Ministers. The head of the Secretariat was the Minister of the Chancellery, the head of the civil service. Because of its high position and power, it remained vacant for a long time after Wanyan Liang's usurpation of the throne. Specific matters were handled by the other eight officials.

At this time, the Shangshu Zuocheng who was in charge of military affairs was Hesheli Liangbi.

Although Wanyan Yuanyi was not an ordinary person, compared with Hesheli Liangbi, he was like a dim star compared to the bright moon in the sky.

Hesheli Liangbi's father was Hesheli Taiyu, the patriarch of the Hesheli tribe, who participated in a series of founding wars of the Jin Dynasty.

Although the power of the tribal leaders had been diluted after repeated centralization, Hesheli Liangbi, as the tribe leader, still had great appeal in the Hesheli tribe.

Hesheli Liangbi's teacher Wanyan Xiyin was an even more remarkable figure.

Wanyan Xiyin was not only the founding prime minister of the Jin Dynasty, but also the creator of the Jurchen script. He, Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Yinshu were collectively known as the three horses of the Western Route Army.

The then commander-in-chief of the Western Army, Wanyan Nianhan, had the confidence to drag the second emperor of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Wuqimai, off the throne and spank him. Wanyan Xiyin made an indispensable contribution to this.

Even if Wanyan Wushu wanted to take control of the government, he had to get rid of Wanyan Xiyin first.

So, even though Hesheli Liangbi is only 42 years old this year, he is not lacking in either prestige or ability.

In real history, the reason why Wanyan Yong was able to resist the Song army and the Khitan uprising army outside and quickly stabilize the government inside was that he used the right two people.

The one who was in charge of external affairs was the commander-in-chief Pushan Zhongyi.

The one in charge of internal affairs was the left prime minister Hesheli Liangbi.

Who would dare to look down on such a person?

Not to mention Wanyan Yuanyi, even Wanyan Liang himself would have to think about it.

Therefore, although Wanyan Yuanyi saw the seal of the Secretariat clearly, he did not dare to send a written inquiry. Instead, he came to the Council Hall in person and formally paid a visit to the Minister of the Left, Hesheli Liangbi.

Hesheli Liangbi seemed to know Wanyan Yuanyi was coming. He waved his hand and dismissed the doctors and assistant doctors from the left and right offices from behind his desk. He then stood up and stepped forward to greet him, smiling and calling him by his Khitan name. "Yite Nian, you are so busy with official duties, how did you find time to come and see me?"

Hesheli Liangbi was dressed in a plain Taoist robe, with his hair tied up in a high crown and three long strands of beard under his chin. He gave people the impression that he was not a Jurchen prime minister, but more like a Taoist monk of the Han Dynasty.

This not only doesn't fit in with the surroundings, but the style of painting is also a little different.

For example, Wanyan Yuanyi did not shave his head, but also tied his hair up and wore a high crown, but he also wore traditional Jurchen clothing to prove his identity. How could he be like Hesheli Liangbi?
Except for his name, this guy is completely Han Chinese!
This is not surprising, because Hesheli Liangbi's teacher Wanyan Xiyin was himself the first Jurchen high-ranking official to accept sinicization.

How early is it?

Before the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, Wanyan Xiyin was already thinking about sinicizing the Jurchen tribes.

However, Wanyan Yuanyi hadn't come here to discuss Sinicization. He simply tore open the document, pointed to a few lines, and asked, "Left Prime Minister, are you aware that the Song army has launched a northern expedition, Haizhou has fallen, and the Haizhou governor, Gao Wenfu, has died for his country?"

As if he was worried that someone would hear what he said, even after all the left and right officials were driven out, Wanyan Yuanyi still lowered his voice.

Hesheli Liangbi nodded and said, "Of course I know. To be exact, I was the one who suppressed the news."

Wanyan Yuanyi's mouth opened wide, his eyes became round, he was speechless and was literally stunned.

(End of this chapter)