Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 183 Jin Kingdom: No, buddy, you promised to resist the Mongols, did you just give up?
Shortly thereafter, the Song court made four decisions.

First, it was announced that the Song state had suffered a minor defeat at Xianren Pass at the hands of Zhao Shuo, and Meng Gong was ordered to quickly lead 10,000 loyal and obedient troops to withdraw from Bianliang, the capital of the Jin state, to strengthen the defenses of Sichuan.

Secondly, Zheng Qingzhi was to be sent as an envoy to meet Zhao Shuo at Xianren Pass and agree to his five conditions. Once the agreement was signed, Zheng Qingzhi, in his capacity as a high-ranking official, would announce Zhao Yun's "Edict of Self-Reproach" in Sichuan. Five days later, when the news reached Lin'an, the court would officially announce the "Edict of Self-Reproach" and publish it in the court gazette.

Thirdly, under the pretext of selecting an empress for Emperor Zhao Yun, beautiful women from all over the Song Dynasty were chosen to enter the palace. Six months later, Zhao Yun would naturally appoint an empress. However, the three most beautiful women would be presented to Zhao Shuo to bewitch him and make him a Li Cunxu.

The Song court officials did not know what kind of beauties Zhao Shuo liked, so they selected three of the most beautiful women of various styles to make Zhao Shuo completely intoxicated.

Fourth, he secretly ordered the Song army on the border to prepare for war, in order to prevent the Jin people from becoming enraged upon learning the news and attacking the Song state.

Zhao Shuo's decision to grant the Song state an extension of time was reasonable.

Zheng Qingzhi was a civil official, and over fifty years old, so he couldn't keep up with the speed of the urgent 800-li delivery.

He rushed as fast as he could, and by the time he arrived at Xianren Pass on the fourteenth day, his old bones were almost broken from exhaustion.

"Your Majesty, I am Zheng Qingzhi, the Vice Chancellor and Associate Privy Councilor of the Great Song Dynasty."

"No gift."

Zhao Shuo still had some goodwill towards Zheng Qingzhi, the Song Dynasty prime minister who advocated an alliance with the Mongols to destroy the Jin Dynasty, according to historical records.

Although the Song Dynasty was ultimately destroyed by the Mongols in history, would it have been safe if the Song Dynasty hadn't allied with the Mongols to destroy the Jin Dynasty?
To put it bluntly, in historical records, the only assistance the Song Dynasty provided to the Mongols was when it joined forces with the Mongol army to conquer Caizhou, the last capital of the Jin Dynasty.

At that time, the Jin Dynasty was doomed, so why didn't the Song Dynasty settle things quickly first? If the Song Dynasty didn't dare to take revenge at that point, then the Song court was simply devoid of men.

Zhao Shuo asked, "Did the Emperor of Song send you here because he's come to a realization?"

Zheng Qingzhi bowed slightly and said, “Your Majesty is wise. My Emperor has now repented and is willing to agree to Your Majesty’s five conditions to unite with the Mongols to destroy the Jin. Not only that, our Great Song is now selecting beauties from Jiangnan. After the selection, we wish to present the three most beautiful women to Your Majesty as a sign of respect. However, before that, there is one thing our Great Song does not understand, and we ask Your Majesty to enlighten us.”

Zhao Shuo nodded slightly and said, "Go ahead."

"If the agreement is reached, will our Great Song Dynasty be considered to have formed an alliance with Your Majesty? After destroying Jin, Your Majesty guarantees that you will not send troops to invade our Song Dynasty within five years?"
"You could think so."

To conquer Sichuan, an army would suffice. But to take over the entire Song Dynasty, Zhao Shuo would need to build a navy capable of defeating the Song navy.

Building warships alone would take several years, and training naval officers and soldiers would also be necessary, so Zhao Shuo was not in a hurry.

When the time comes, the entire army will march south, advancing by both land and water, and it will not be too late to take over the territory of the Song Dynasty.

Zheng Qingzhi was overjoyed and said, "In that case, our Song Kingdom will agree to all of Your Majesty's conditions. I will personally deliver the decree regarding the cities in the eastern and western routes of Lizhou and the garrison at Jianmen Pass. The handover of all these places must be completed within one and a half months. The officers and soldiers stationed in the cities who wish to submit to Your Majesty may stay, while those who wish to join our Great Song Kingdom may withdraw to Sichuan. What does Your Majesty think?"

"can."

"The families of those captured by Your Majesty will all be sent to Hanzhong within two months. Before New Year's Day each year, our Song Kingdom will send valuables worth 17 million strings of cash to Jingzhao Prefecture. Or, after Your Majesty destroys Jin, they will be sent directly to Bianliang."

"can."

"Your Majesty is leading your army to attack the Jin Kingdom. All military provisions in Hanzhong will be handled by Gui Ruyuan, the Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan. Upon reaching Jinghu and the Jin Kingdom, Your Majesty's logistics will be handled by Chen Xi, the Pacification Commissioner of Jinghu of our Song Dynasty. If Meng Gong can successfully retreat to our Great Song, he will lead 20,000 loyal troops to join Your Majesty in destroying the Jin Kingdom."

"What about the 'Edict of Self-Reproach'?"

"As long as we sign the peace treaty today, when I go to persuade the cities of Hanzhong to surrender tomorrow, I will read out His Majesty's 'Edict of Self-Reproach'. At the same time, the Sichuan Provincial Administration Commission will announce His Majesty's 'Edict of Self-Reproach' to the world. Five days later, His Majesty will formally read out the 'Edict of Self-Reproach' in the Lin'an court and publish it in the official gazette so that the people and soldiers of the world will know about it."

"So good."

Although the Song state's bureaucratic system was incompetent in warfare, its administrative capabilities were quite outstanding.

Zheng Qingzhi made detailed arrangements on how to implement Zhao Shuo's five conditions, assigning them directly to specific individuals and setting detailed dates.

Zhao Shuo was very satisfied with Zheng Qingzhi's arrangements, wrote all the agreements down in black and white, and affixed his seal.

The agreement was made in duplicate, and Zheng Qingzhi also affixed his seal. Only after it was sent to Lin'an and stamped with Zhao Yun's imperial seal was the peace treaty officially concluded.

However, this agreement had already begun to be implemented before Zhao Yun used the seal.

Over the next two months, Zhao Shuo was stationed in Xingyuan, the capital of Hanzhong, to take control of Hanzhong and Jianmen Pass, and to reorganize his army.

The State of Song agreed to provide logistical support, and the soldiers originally used for transporting grain and fodder were freed up.

Zhao Shuo decided to leave a Han army Eight Banners Ten Thousand Households and 50,000 soldiers stationed in Hanzhong.

After all, although the State of Song is currently behaving submissively, it is still necessary to maintain a degree of vigilance. Only with the Hanzhong region secure can Zhao Shuo be free from worries about his rear.

The Eight Banners Ten Thousand Households stationed in Hanzhong were newly established by Zhao Shuo, who named them the Second Ten Thousand Household of the Plain Black Banner of the Han Army.

The head of this household was named Li Ting.

Li Ting was the first Jin warlord to surrender to Zhao Shuo when Zhao Shuo conquered Hebei for the second time, and Zhang Hui's former superior.

The surrendered Song army numbered 96,000, including 45,000 elite soldiers and 51,000 local troops.

Of these 45,000 elite soldiers, Zhao Shuo selected 17,000. Among them, the 8,000 most valiant and courageous were added to the original Han Chinese Eight Banners.

The remaining nine thousand men were incorporated into the 20,000th household of the Bordered Black Banner, which was originally under Li Ting's command and was centered around the Han Army's thousand-household commander, to guard Hanzhong.

As I said before, as long as the equipment and logistics are up to par, there is no Han Chinese army that cannot be defeated.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, countless Ming armies collapsed at the first contact, whether facing the Qing army or peasant armies.

Once they submitted to the Qing Dynasty, they became a ruthless and vicious army, slaughtering countless people.

It wasn't that they were more willing to be loyal to the Manchus, but rather that the Qing Dynasty genuinely paid soldiers, provided land, and gave women.

The Song soldiers selected by Zhao Shuo were roughly one-third of the Song Dynasty's elite troops, and were not much weaker than the Han Chinese Eight Banners.

Moreover, the Eight Banners soldiers under Zhao Shuo's command received far better treatment than those in the Song army. Zhao Shuo was not worried about their loyalty.

Of course, necessary measures were still in place. All families of surrendered Song soldiers with ten or more households were to be sent to Hebei.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Shuo implemented the equal-field system in Hanzhong, distributing the land there. At this time of transition between old and new powers, the various local tyrants and powerful families were both uneasy and had no connection with the officials of the new power, making it the most suitable time to distribute the land.

At this time, implementing the equal distribution of land would also make it easier for Zhao Shuo to arrange for the surrendered Song soldiers and their families.

Those Song soldiers who surrendered but were not selected by Zhao Shuo to join the Eight Banners were to be stationed in Hanzhong and Shaanxi for ten years. They were required to pay 60% of the tribute, which was half again as much as ordinary people.

It would take some time for the soldiers originally transporting military provisions from Hebei to be transferred to Hanzhong.

In short, with a multitude of matters at stake, Zhao Shuo stayed in Hanzhong for two months after the agreement was reached. During those two months, the Jin emperor, Wanyan Shouxu, experienced the extremes of life.

Inside the main hall of the imperial palace in Bianliang City.

"Your Majesty, please drink it!"

"No, Your Majesty, please don't drink hers, please drink mine!"

……

The sounds of pipa and string instruments filled the air as thirty-six beautiful women, dressed only in light veils, danced gracefully.

While enjoying the songs and dances of these beauties, Wanyan Shouxu also enjoyed the attentive service of the two beauties on his left and right.

The one on the left is surnamed Zhang, and the one on the right is surnamed Wang; they are both his newly acquired beauties.

To be fair, although Wanyan Shouxu was fond of sorghum, he could not be called a tyrannical and incompetent ruler.

Hasn't the Jin Kingdom just weathered a deadly crisis? Shouldn't they be allowed to relax and enjoy themselves?
Back then, Zhao Shuo seized all of Shaanxi and attacked Tongguan. The Jin Kingdom was on the verge of collapse. Wanyan Shouxu couldn't eat or sleep well, and he even lost interest in those beautiful women.

As a result, by some miracle, Zhao Shuo's attack on the Tongguan defense line resulted in the loss of over ten thousand soldiers, yet the Tongguan defense line remained unmoved.

Wanyan Shouxu was overjoyed.

Afterwards, Zhao Shuo wanted to borrow a route from the Song state to attack the Jin state, but the Song state not only refused, but also wanted to "ally with the Jin against the Mongols". Zhao Shuo was furious and led his army into Hanzhong, which made Wanyan Shouxu even happier.

Although the envoy from the State of Song said that there had been a minor setback at Xianren Pass, Meng Gong's 10,000 troops had been recalled.

But so what?
It's just a minor setback. Once Meng Gong leads the Zhongshun Army to reinforce Xianren Pass, Zhao Shuo won't be able to gain any advantage.

Moreover, once Zhao Shuo's troops are bogged down in the fortified city, Wanyan Shouxu's main force in Tongguan can send troops to Shaanxi to cut off Zhao Shuo's retreat, and a great victory will be just around the corner!
Even if Zhao Shuo makes good progress, so what? The Song Dynasty has a vast territory and many strategic passes. Let him take his time to conquer it!
Who knows, one day Zhao Shuo might fall seriously ill and die suddenly.

Perhaps, if the war drags on, or if one of his generals rebels, or if some place in the west is annexed by an enemy country, Zhao Shuo will have no choice but to retreat and clean up the mess.

Who knows, one day internal conflicts in Mongolia might erupt, and Ögedei Khan might lead the Mongol army to raid Zhao Shuo's stronghold!

Since Zhao Shuo took control of Shaanxi, Wanyan Shouxu has been hearing nothing but good news. He felt that his luck had completely turned in his favor and began to indulge in pleasure. This situation has lasted for more than two months.

Just then, someone came to report that Yilapua was requesting an audience.

"Let him in."

"Yes."

When Yilapua entered the palace, the singing and dancing inside had not yet stopped, and Wanyan Shouxu was also slightly drunk by the two beauties.

"My dear minister Yila, you've come at the perfect time," Wanyan Shouxu said casually. "Come sit down and have a few drinks with me."

Yilapua was Wanyan Shouxu's most trusted confidant. Wanyan Shouxu was very approachable in front of him and even invited Yilapua to drink and make merry with him.

However, Yilapua's face was full of panic as he said, "Your Majesty, please stop the music and dance! This...this is terrible!"

"What terrible thing could have happened? It can't be that Zhao Shuo broke through the Immortal Pass, can it? So what? There are still countless dangerous passes in Sichuan, and the Jinghu region of the Song Kingdom is full of elite troops and generals. Minister Yila, there is no need to panic."

Wanyan Shouxu was still confused about the situation, drinking wine while exploring below Wang Meiren's neckline.

However, Yilapua's next words sent a chill down his spine, and he lost all interest in Consort Wang!

"Zhao Shuo has done far more than just break through the Immortal's Barrier!"

Yilapua said bitterly, "We've been tricked by the Song Dynasty! Zhao Shuo had already decisively defeated the main Song army in Sichuan at Xianren Pass and made demands of the Song Dynasty, asking them to ally with the Mongols against the Jin! Now, the Song Dynasty has not only agreed to let us pass through, but has also ceded the Hanzhong region and Jianmen Pass in Shu to Zhao Shuo. In addition, they pay Zhao Shuo a tribute of seventeen million strings of cash every year!"

"This...how is this possible? Didn't the Song state say that there was a minor setback at Xianren Pass? They even transferred Meng Gong's 10,000 troops...Damn it! At that time, the Song state was already preparing to negotiate peace with Zhao Shuo! Their claim of a minor setback was just a way to smoothly transfer Meng Gong and those 10,000 loyal troops back."

"Your Majesty is wise! This is the Song Emperor's 'Edict of Self-Reproach,' which has now been officially proclaimed throughout the land, declaring an alliance with the Mongols to destroy the Jin!"

"What?! There's also a 'Self-Reproach Edict'?!"

Wanyan Shouxu took the self-reproach edict handed over by Yilapua and glanced at it. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him in the dead of winter, chilling him to the bone.

Zhao Shuo successfully obtained passage through the Song Dynasty. It would have been one thing if the Song Dynasty couldn't defeat them, but why did they ally with the Mongols to destroy the Jin Dynasty?

One minute he's allied with the Jin against the Mongols, the next he's allied with the Mongols to destroy the Jin. He even issued a "self-reproach edict" and paid tribute of 17 million strings of cash every year. Does Zhao Yun have any backbone at all?
Doesn't he have any shame?

Don't any of the ministers in the Song Dynasty have any shame?!

And most importantly, what do we do now?
With the Song Dynasty granting passage, the Tongguan defense line is practically non-existent. How can the Jin Dynasty withstand Zhao Shuo's military might? Moreover, there's not just Zhao Shuo now, but also the Song Dynasty!
With the Song Dynasty providing logistics and Zhao Shuo providing strong troops, even the Jin Dynasty at its peak couldn't stop them!
The Great Jin Kingdom is on the verge of collapse!

"His Majesty!"

Yilapua, seeing Wanyan Shouxu in a state of confusion, quickly suggested, "In my opinion, the best course of action now is to leave no elite troops at Tongguan, but only conscripted soldiers to guard it."

"and then?"

"Then, the imperial court mobilized all its forces in Bianliang. Bianliang was a well-fortified city with ample food supplies, and was further garrisoned by elite troops. Zhao Shuo's idea of ​​destroying our Jin Kingdom won't be so easy!"

"I'm afraid... it's not that difficult, is it?" Wanyan Shouxu said with a wry smile, "If he leaves a force to guard Bianliang and attacks the other cities of my Jin Kingdom, my Jin Kingdom will still perish in two or three years."

"Then what your Majesty means is..."

"No matter how unworthy I am, I am still far superior to those vile worms of the Song Kingdom!"

To reiterate, Wanyan Shouxu cannot be considered a tyrannical and incompetent ruler; he was simply somewhat fond of pleasure and easily influenced.

They can still stand firm in critical moments.

He took a deep breath and said, "Issue my decree: It has been ten years since the court moved south!"

"The people of my Great Jin have destroyed their fields and houses, sold their wives and children to support the soldiers. Today, Zhao Shuo's army is coming. If I cannot fight back and can only try to protect the capital, even if Heaven protects Bianliang from falling, how will the people of the world view my Great Jin, and how will they view me?"

"My mind is made up. If the Great Jin is destined to perish, then let it perish! I would rather die standing than live on my knees like the Song emperors and ministers! Order all officers and soldiers of the Great Jin, except for the necessary garrison troops, to rush to Tang and Deng prefectures to intercept Zhao Shuo."

"If necessary, we will engage him in a decisive battle. Let's see whether destiny belongs to our Great Jin or to Zhao Shuo!"

(End of this chapter)