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

Chapter 196 The World Cultivator's Surrender? The Kong Family is Definitely Going to Be Cuckolded!

"What?"

Meng'an snorted coldly, took out a scroll of yellow silk imperial edict from his bosom, and said, "Duke Yansheng Kong Yuancuo, receive the edict!"

"Long live my emperor!"

Everyone in the courtyard, along with Kong Yuancuo, knelt to receive the imperial edict.

Na Meng'an loudly proclaimed: "The Emperor, by the grace of Heaven and the righteousness of Heaven, decrees: I have heard that sacrificing oneself for one's country is the will of a gentleman. Today, the world is in turmoil, and the nation is in peril. The soldiers and civilians of the world should naturally sacrifice themselves for the country and relieve the suffering of their families. The Duke Yansheng, a descendant of the sage, should set an example for all people and should take the lead. So be it!"

Then, Meng'an put away the imperial edict with yellow silk and said, "Duke Yansheng, did you all hear that clearly? His Majesty has decreed that sacrificing one's family to relieve the crisis should begin with your family!"

Kong Yuancuo felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head in the dead of winter, chilling him to the bone. He stammered, "So...so, the court wants to confiscate my property to pay Zhao Shuo that sum of gold and silver?"

Na Meng'an said, "Duke Yansheng is wise! All gold, silver, and bronze utensils in your residence, including women's hairpins, must be handed over to the court. Livestock, cloth, antiques, beams, silk clothing, wine, and meat are also subject to confiscation by the court!"

"And the Great Liang?"

Kong Yuancuo was on the verge of tears, saying, "This isn't just confiscating our property, it's demolishing it! If you tear down our house, where will our whole family live?"

"Don't worry. King Zhao Shuo doesn't just take any beam; it has to be over four feet in diameter. I estimate that half of your house will still be left."

"My family is large, and there's no room for the other half!"

"Don't worry, there won't be that many people left soon. The young women in the Duke Yansheng's residence are also among those to be confiscated."

"No! The imperial court can't treat me like this, they can't treat me like this!"

Despite the financial loss, Kong Yuancuo could still remain rational in the face of the armored soldiers' swords and spears, but now he simply couldn't bear it any longer.

If his wives, concubines, and daughters were all offered to Zhao Shuo by the Jurchens to reward the Eight Banners soldiers, what face would Kong Yuancuo have left to call himself Duke Yansheng? What face would he have left to lead the scholars of the land?

Is it because his hat is particularly green?
Kong Yuancuo's eyes turned red with anger, and he roared, "I am the Duke of Yansheng! I am a descendant of the sage! If the court treats me like this, what will the scholars of the world think of the Great Jin Dynasty? What will they think of His Majesty? I don't believe this is true! You must be forging an imperial edict! I must enter the palace! I must see His Majesty!"

As he spoke, Kong Yuancuo disregarded everything and headed towards the gate.

However, how could Meng'an let him leave like that?

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Meng An grabbed Kong Yuancuo by the collar and began slapping him hard across the face, delivering over a dozen blows before stopping. Kong Yuancuo was bleeding profusely, and two of his back teeth were knocked out.

Then, he said fiercely, "Duke Yansheng, calm down! Don't even mention your wives, concubines, and daughters. Even His Majesty's eldest daughter, Princess Lu, who is only fourteen years old this year, will be sent to Zhao Shuo for a thousand taels of gold! What, are your wives, concubines, and children more noble than His Majesty's princess? Furthermore, His Majesty's son will also be sent to Zhao Shuo's central army as a hostage!"

"His Majesty's son? Prince Cao, Wanyan Eke?"

Such shocking news actually calmed Kong Yuancuo down.

Wanyan Eke is a very common name among the Jurchen people. "Banzi Eke" and "Caohuo Eke" are both Wanyan Eke.

Emperor Wanyan Shouxu's only son is also named Wanyan Eke, and he is only seven years old this year. He is just too young to be named crown prince yet. Although he has no title of crown prince, he has the power of one.

If the emperor had sold his daughter to Zhao Shuo and sent his son to Zhao Shuo's military camp as a hostage, then Kong Yuancuo really couldn't complain. Wanyan Shouxu's treatment of him, the Duke of Yansheng, was far too harsh.

But is this true?

Kong Yuancuo asked, "Is that really the case? This wasn't one of the seven agreements reached between the court and Zhao Shuo!"

Meng'an said resentfully, "Isn't it that Yelü Chucai?! He said that of the seven agreements, all the other clauses are easy to implement. The only one is the clause that forbids the relocation of Han people to Bianliang. What if we go back on our word? So, we have to send the Prince of Cao as a hostage to ensure the implementation of this clause."

"So the imperial court agreed?"

"What can we do if they don't agree? There are many wise men in our Great Jin. Even if they can't figure it out for a while, they will eventually understand. Zhao Shuo has stopped attacking our Great Jin, but he didn't say that the Song Kingdom is not allowed to attack. Perhaps, if Cao Wang is sent to Zhao Shuo's camp, he can still preserve a bloodline for His Majesty."

"Why...why bother?" Kong Yuancuo said bitterly, "How long can the court endure this humiliation and hardship? It would be better to fight a great war."

Meng'an shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true. If the Song people attack our Great Jin alone, although our Great Jin might still be destroyed, it's not certain! If our Great Jin soldiers rise up and fight to the death, we might be able to defeat the Song army, and even expand our territory, and even collect the annual tribute to Zhao Shuo!"

"But...but..."

Kong Yuancuo wanted to say more, but Meng An couldn't wait any longer and said, "Alright! There's no 'buts'. Someone come here!"

"exist!"

"Take all the wealth and women from the Duke Yansheng's household!"

"Yes."

In fact, the people who planned to raid Kong Yuancuo's home were not just these armored soldiers.

With a command from Meng'an, five hundred armored soldiers rushed into the residence of the Duke of Yansheng, first gathering everyone, men and women, into a large courtyard.

Then, they began to collect all the valuables that could be used as collateral for money from Zhao Shuo, but the houses were to be demolished last.

All the young women were selected, a total of 139, and they were driven out of the door by the Meng'an, weeping and wailing.

"Die for your cause! You must die for your cause!"

"You should find a chance to commit suicide!"

"Death is a small matter, but losing one's integrity is a great matter! You must find an opportunity to die, and make sure you tarnish the reputation of my Confucius family!"

"The women of my Kong family are all chaste and virtuous... Ah! Ah! Ah!... Waaah..."

Kong Yuancuo screamed hoarsely, making a final effort to protect his cuckolded status. However, how could the Jin soldiers allow him to bewitch them and kill the woman who could easily pay the indemnity?

Meng'an then slapped Kong Yuancuo hard several times, and stuffed a rag into his mouth.

"Father, don't waste your energy."

Kong Yuancuo's daughter, Kong Ximei, shattered his last hope with a single sentence: "I will not commit suicide. I still want to live. There's nothing wrong with marrying a Manchu soldier. Besides, don't you understand now? There will be no more Kong family. You don't need to worry about the Kong family's reputation being damaged."

"After King Zhao Shuo occupied Qufu, why didn't he grant the title of Duke Yansheng again, and why did he divide up the land of the Kong family? Why are you not on the list of twenty-seven people? Why is the proportion of the imperial examinations on the classics decreasing?"

"I'm afraid King Zhao Shuo thinks that Confucianism is not very useful for governing the country and maintaining peace. Although the Sage Confucius was great, the blessings of a virtuous person end after five generations. His descendants have enjoyed the benefits for more than ten generations. Now, it's time for an end to this."

"Moreover, my Kong family has branches in the south and north, and my uncle Kong Yuanyong has been left in Qufu. It's nothing more than a cunning rabbit having three burrows. Who in the world with discernment can't see that? I'm afraid my Kong family can't even be called loyal ministers and filial sons, can we? What benefit do we bring to the court?"

"Furthermore, King Zhao Shuo commands not only the Central Plains but also vast territories beyond. What do these people know about Confucianism? What do they know about the Sage Confucius? Do you think he cares about the opinions of scholars throughout the land? Does he need to keep my Confucian family around just for show?"

Pfft!
Kong Ximei's words completely shattered Kong Yuancuo's psychological defenses.

He stopped struggling, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

In fact, from the moment Zhao Shuo entered Shandong and disregarded Confucius's reputation by dividing up the Kong family's land, Kong Yuancuo had already vaguely sensed that Zhao Shuo probably had little respect for the Sage Confucius.

However, he still harbored a glimmer of hope, believing that given time, as Zhao Shuo's circle of Confucian officials grew, their views on the Confucian school would gradually change. Zhao Shuo's task of having Yelü Chucai draft a list of civil officials further fueled his hopes.

Now, that hope has been completely shattered by her daughter's words!

Yes, what use is the Confucian school? What use is Confucianism?

If the Confucian school were useful, we would still be in the Han Dynasty! If Confucianism were useful, would the Song Dynasty have suffered the Jingkang Incident at the hands of the Jurchens who couldn't read or write?
Now, with so many changes of dynasties, the Kong family has been submitting to the emperor for generations, and even loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness are out of the question!
The Kong family is finished!
He's definitely going to be cuckolded!

Moreover, if he stays in Bianliang, he will likely be used as a reserve grain, and he will inevitably face the fate of being dismembered and eaten!

Boom!
Kong Yuancuo became increasingly depressed as he thought about it, and then everything went black before his eyes, and he fainted.

In any case, the Jurchens went to extreme lengths to raise the "three million taels of gold and thirty million taels of silver" military funds for Zhao Shuo.

Emperor Wanyan Shouxu and Duke Yansheng Kong Yuancuo paid such a high price, let alone others.

Finally, after two and a half months, the cost of various supplies and women was converted into cash, enough to satisfy Zhao Shuo's extortion of "three million gold and thirty million taels of silver".

The Jurchen people of Shanxi also all moved to Bianliang City.

Although a large number of young women in Bianliang were sold to Zhao Shuo by the Jin court, the city's total population still reached 2.3 million.

Logically, at this time, the military and civilians should have been dispersed to farm and revive the economy. But wasn't this a predatory threat from the State of Song?

Another fierce battle to defend Bianliang is about to begin!
The Jin state now places its only hope on defeating the Song army and seizing a large amount of wealth from the Song to pay Zhao Shuo's annual tribute.

At this time, the State of Song had also completed the troop mobilization.

Ten thousand elite troops from Lianghuai were added, ten thousand elite troops from Sichuan were also transferred, thirty thousand elite troops from Jinghu were added, and another one hundred thousand elite Xiang Army troops were added.

Adding to Meng Gong's 15,000 loyal troops and the previous 50,000 troops from Lianghuai, the total force reached 215,000.

The commander of this 215,000-strong army was Xue Ji, a confidant of Shi Miyuan and a Privy Councilor.

Xue Ji was, of course, a civil official and knew nothing about military affairs.

However, how could the Song state command the nation's elite troops without civil officials?

Moreover, the Jin dynasty was already at its end, and the restoration of its old capital was just around the corner. Such a great achievement should surely be claimed by one of Shi Xiang's trusted confidants, right?

Half a month later, an army of 215,000 men besieged Bianliang City!
Inside the central command tent of the Song army.

"Haha! Good, good, good! This is all the hard-earned money of the Han people, and now it can be considered that it has been returned to its rightful owner!"

Xue Ji nodded repeatedly, praising the string of sparkling pearls.

This necklace was one of the burial objects discovered by Meng Gong in the tomb of Empress Minghui, the mother of Emperor Wanyan Shouxu of the Jin Dynasty.

Such a precious necklace is probably worth five thousand strings of cash!

The entire burial goods in Empress Minghui's tomb are conservatively estimated to be worth over 400,000 strings of cash. If we excavate more tombs of Jurchen nobles, wouldn't we cover the military expenses for the Song army's expedition?

Moreover, digging up the tomb of the Jin emperor's mother was truly satisfying!

Of course, it was only natural and reasonable for Prime Minister Xue to take the opportunity to make a fortune.

Meng Gong saw right through Xue Ji's intentions, but he was already used to the corruption of Song Dynasty civil officials and felt no unease.

His biggest concern right now is how to attack Bianliang City.

Immediately, taking advantage of Xue's high spirits, Meng Gong asked, "General, what do you think our army should do to attack Bianliang City?"

"That's easy," Xue Ji said confidently. "According to intelligence from the Imperial City Guard of our Great Song Dynasty, the main force of the Jin Kingdom was completely annihilated by Zhao Shuo in the Battle of Sanfeng Mountain. Now, only about 20,000 elite troops remain. Meanwhile, our Great Song Dynasty has more than 100,000 elite troops to attack Bianliang. As long as our soldiers fight bravely, Bianliang will be captured in no time!"

"General, you mustn't!"

Meng Gong was afraid of this, so he quickly advised, "Bianliang City has a circumference of 48 li and a moat 7 zhang wide built by diverting water from the Yellow River. There are more than 2 million soldiers and civilians in the city, making it extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"Moreover, what qualifies as elite troops? As long as rewards and punishments are clearly defined, ordinary conscripts will become elite troops after many battles. If our army launches a forced attack and it drags on for a long time, not to mention the heavy losses, we may not even be able to break through Bianliang City!"

Xue Ji was very unhappy that Meng Gong disagreed with his opinion.

These soldiers only need to fight on the battlefield. How can they compare to him, a scholar who passed the imperial examination and is now the prime minister, in terms of strategic planning and planning?

Xue Ji frowned and asked, "How do you think our army should break through Bianliang?"

“Build another city, completely surrounding Bianliang in the center. The city gates will only allow two people to pass side by side, and we will only defend and not attack. In this way, no matter how many brilliant plans or schemes the Jin Kingdom has, they will not be able to carry them out.”

As he spoke, Meng Gong took out a blueprint he had drawn up long ago and said, "It should be built like this. Anyway, our Great Song Dynasty has no shortage of food, and Bianliang City definitely cannot store enough food to feed more than two million soldiers and civilians for long. In time, we can conquer Bianliang without bloodshed!"

"How is that possible?"

Xue Ji immediately became anxious and said, "The Jin Kingdom can hold out for half a year, right? Are we going to besiege them for half a year? More than 200,000 troops are on a distant expedition. Can we make up for the losses incurred in half a year by looting the Jurchen tombs?"

"Furthermore, if this goes on for too long, the people of Bianliang will be eaten up by the Jurchens. Do you want me to have an empty city?"

Meng Gong argued, "Most of the people in the city are Jurchens. If they die, so be it. Why should the Commander-in-Chief worry about them? Besides, military strategy says: 'It is better to subdue the enemy without fighting than to win a hundred battles.' Therefore, first make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable. Invincibility lies here, vulnerability lies there. This is indeed the safest method. Please, Commander-in-Chief, understand!"

"Book of war?"

Meng Gong's casual remark enraged Xue Ji, who retorted, "Meng Gong, are you saying that I, the commander, am a civil official and know nothing about military affairs?"

"The general will not dare!"

"If you dare not, then you should just obey my orders!"

Xue Ji sneered and said, "Tomorrow, you will lead the Zhongshun Army to fill in the moat of Bianliang!"

"General, please forgive me. Filling the river is the job of the local militia. The Zhongshun Army is an elite force; good steel should be used where it's needed most!"

"Of course I know that the Zhongshun Army is an elite force. But with hundreds of thousands of elite troops of the Great Song Dynasty here, do we really need your less than 20,000 Zhongshun troops?"

Snapped!
Xue Ji slammed his hand on the table and said, "This commander is going to crush the arrogance of the Zhongshun Army and teach Meng Gong a lesson for the whole army! You'd better fill the moat for three days first!"

In Xue Ji's view, the Song Dynasty's policy of using civil officials to control the military was the wisest of all.

The more arrogant and fierce a general is, the more he needs to be suppressed. Only in this way can one command his soldiers with ease and achieve victory in every battle. Back then, Han Qi's words, "Only those who are called out outside Donghua Gate are true men," led to the execution of the meritorious general Jiao Yong, which in turn subdued Di Qing, making him serve the Song Dynasty diligently.

His actions today are reminiscent of the famous minister Han Qi!

(End of this chapter)