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

Chapter 202 Dealing with the Jurchens: The Southern Song Dynasty was led astray by Zhao Shuo!

But then again, why does it feel so awkward?
Oh, the Great Song Dynasty has recovered Henan and reclaimed the old capital! The entire nation, both military and civilian, rejoices. Even the ancestors of the Great Song Dynasty were pleased to offer Wanyan Shouxu's corpse as a sacrifice in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The beauties I set my sights on, I couldn't keep any of them; they all had to be offered to Zhao Shuo.

So everyone's satisfied, except for me, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, who's the only one injured?

Zhao Yun, his heart bleeding, nodded helplessly and said, "Alright, as my ministers have suggested, I will give both beauties Xie and Jia to Zhao Shuo."

Then, with a waning interest, he said, "What do you, my esteemed ministers, think should be done with those hundreds of thousands of Jurchens?"

Xuan Zeng said, "This is simple. Just sell them as slaves. As long as the court sells them cheaply, are you worried about finding buyers?"

"If it were that easy, why would Minister Zheng have mentioned this matter in his memorial to His Majesty?"

Qiao Xingjian said dismissively, "Our Great Song Dynasty has 80 million people, but only half of the land is in Jiangnan. It is inherently a case of too many people and too little land. The rich are happy to sell these Jurchens into slavery. But the tenant farmers who lose their land as a result will be a headache for the court."

Xuan Zeng said, "Then what does Prime Minister Qiao suggest we do? We can't just kill them all, can we?"

"Although we can't kill them all, it's almost the same as killing them all."

Despite advocating an alliance with the Jin against the Mongols, Qiao Xingjian harbored no goodwill towards the Jurchens. His initial proposal was merely for the benefit of the Song Dynasty.

As one of the most outstanding figures of his time, Qiao Xingjian had long since given deep thought to many of the problems that followed the war.

He explained carefully, “I think that using a honey trap to bewitch Zhao Shuo is just a casual move by the court. Whether it will work or not is anyone’s guess. If it doesn’t work, then I’m afraid the way out for our Great Song Dynasty will depend on these Jurchens.”

"What do you mean? These Jurchens can't beat Zhao Shuo now, but they'll be able to in five years?"

"It's not about sending them to fight Zhao Shuo."

The handsome old man stroked his black beard and said confidently, "Your Majesty, my ministers, do you remember the Jin Kingdom's plan to compensate for its losses in the north with its strategy of making up for them in the south? Back then, the Jin Kingdom couldn't deal with the Mongols, so it wanted to make amends to our Great Song. In the end, our Great Song is, after all, a great power in the world. The Jin Kingdom suffered heavy losses and gained nothing, which can be described as trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead."

Shi Miyuan seemed to vaguely realize something and pressed for an answer: "What does Prime Minister Qiao mean..."

"Fifty-four years ago, in the first year of the Chunxi reign, King Ly Thien Thu of Annam sent envoys to pay tribute to our Great Song Dynasty. At that time, Emperor Xiaozong was in power, and he bestowed upon Annam the name of his country and enfeoffed King Ly Thien Thu of Nanping as King of Annam. In August of the following year, he was also granted the seal of the King of Annam. So, it is correct to say that Annam is a vassal state of our Great Song Dynasty, isn't it?"

In fact, Annam had not paid tribute to the Southern Song Dynasty for more than 20 years. To say that Annam was still a vassal state of the Song Dynasty is somewhat of a stretch.

But wasn't there a tribute and investiture ceremony more than fifty years ago? What's wrong with saying "since ancient times"?
Shi Miyuan's eyes lit up, and he said, "Go on!"

"Eighteen years ago, King Ly Chan of Annam ascended the throne as Ly Hue Tong. He made his first wife, Lady Tran, whom he had married in Liujia Village, Hai Yi, his first wife. Lady Tran's brother, Tran Tu Khanh, was made Marquis of Chang Thanh. Ly Hue Tong was weak and incompetent, and the power of the court gradually fell into the hands of Tran Tu Khanh."

After Chen Siqing's death, his cousin Chen Shoudu became the "leader of the palace guards and protectors of the imperial court," becoming a powerful minister who controlled the Li family's court.

“Three years ago, King Li Huizong also passed away, and Tran Thu Du then had the seven-year-old Princess Li Fujin succeed to the throne as Queen Li Zhaohuang. Tran Thu Du also arranged for his cousin Tran Thanh's son, Tran Jiong, to marry Queen Li Zhaohuang.”

"The Queen was seven years old, and her husband was only eight. The government was still in the hands of Trần Thụ Đức. A few months later, Trần Thụ Đức forced Lý Chiụh to abdicate and made Trần Đức the King of Annam. From then on, Annam changed its surname from Lý to Trần."

After a pause, Qiao Xingjian snorted coldly and said, "The Chen family replacing the Li family, what is this if not a coup? Our Great Song Dynasty is a celestial empire, a land of propriety and etiquette. How can we allow a vassal state to act so recklessly? We should send troops to destroy the Chen Dynasty!"

Now that things have come to this, not only Shi Miyuan, but even Zhao Yun understands what he means.

He asked, "Does Prime Minister Qiao mean that, following the example of the Mongols, we should form the Balu Camp with these fierce Jurchen warriors to attack Annam? Even if our Great Song is no match for Zhao Shuo in the future, the lost territory can be taken back from Annam? Is this another plan to make up for the loss in the north by going to the south?"

"Why bother with such valiant people?" Qiao Xingjian smiled slightly and said, "Annam is weak and incompetent. Does that mean that the Jurchens, who are not valiant, cannot defeat the Annamese?"

Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment and said, "But I have also heard that Annam is hot and humid, and plagued by malaria. Although its military strength is not strong, it is not so easy to attack."

Qiao Xingjian retorted, "The Jurchens have a blood feud with our Great Song Dynasty. Your Majesty's decision not to kill them is already an act of great imperial grace. Are you afraid that they will attack Annam and cause too many deaths?"

"Wonderful!"

Zhao Yun suddenly realized.

Could hundreds of thousands of Jurchens have all been killed by the plague? Even if only tens of thousands of Jurchens remained, they would be enough to give the Annamese a hard time!

To put it bluntly, Qiao Xingjian's plan was a sure win for the Song Dynasty.

No matter how many Jurchens died in Annam, even if they all perished, the Song Dynasty would feel no pity. In fact, they would secretly rejoice!
The wealth and land they seized were real benefits that the Song Dynasty could actually obtain!

The Jin dynasty's strategy of recovering its losses in the north and then restoring them in the south was a terrible idea, especially considering the powerful Song dynasty. However, the Southern Song's use of the Jurchen-led Balu Camp to bully the small state of Annam was a brilliant plan!

Zhao Yun looked at Shi Miyuan and said, "Duke of Wei, what do you say?"

Shi Miyuan looked at Qiao Xingjian with admiration in his eyes and said, "This old minister believes that Prime Minister Qiao's words are very good. Now that the Mongols are rising and Zhao Shuo is being aggressive, our Great Song should no longer cling to the old ways and be too concerned with benevolence and righteousness. Since a powerful minister in a vassal state has usurped power, we should immediately send troops to punish him!"

Xuan Zeng quickly bowed and said, "Your subject agrees!"

"This old minister also agrees!"

Ge Hong, who had originally planned to never get involved in the murky waters of the imperial court again, quickly expressed his opinion in the face of such a win-win solution.

To put it bluntly, they were all corrupted by the Mongols and Zhao Shuo.

Historical records indicate that after Duanping entered Luoyang, the Mongols and the Song Dynasty quickly began a continuous war. Faced with the overwhelming pressure from the Mongols, the Song Dynasty could only focus all its efforts on resisting them and had no time to attend to other matters.

However, Zhao Shuo made a five-year agreement with the Song Dynasty, giving the Song court a chance to breathe.

What? If the Mongols could use the Balu Camp to attack fortified cities, why didn't the Song Dynasty use the Balu Camp composed of Jurchens to attack Annam?

If the Mongols could expand their power through westward conquests, then the Song Dynasty could not expand its power southwards, thus making up for its losses in the north by going south.
The replacement of the Li family by the Tran family in Annam provided the Song state with an excellent excuse!

"Aqin!"

At that moment, Annamite official Tran Thu Du sneezed.

He had just placed his seven-year-old nephew on the throne less than three years prior, replacing the Li family and establishing the Chen dynasty, and was preparing for the Chen family to last for thousands of generations.

He never dreamed that the monstrous wave stirred up by Zhao Shuo's butterfly effect would soon descend upon him.

The Jurchen army attacked Annam? Where's the justice in that?!
To his surprise, that very night, through the machinations of the remnants of the Li family, the north gate of Thang Long, the capital of Annam, was opened, and three carriages were released.

In the very middle carriage sat an elderly man over sixty years old and a twelve-year-old girl with delicate features, snow-white skin, and beauty like a porcelain doll.

The girl's name was Li Ying. She was the eldest daughter of King Li Huizong and the older sister of Li Fujin, who only reigned as empress for three months.

The old man was none other than Yi Deok-yun, a high-ranking official of the Joseon Dynasty royal family.

"Grandpa, where are we going?" Li Ying, only twelve years old, was ignorant of matters of state and asked with concern.

Li Deyin said, "Now that things have come to this, the princess has only one place to go, which is to seek refuge with Zhao Shuo in northern China and ask him to help our Li family restore the country."

"Why not the Song Dynasty? Wasn't the Song Dynasty closer to Annam?"

“Your Highness, you are unaware of this,” Li Deyin shook his head slightly and said, “Whether Song will send troops to help us is another matter. Once their army occupies Annam, this land will become Song territory. How can Annam then be restored to its former glory?”

"As for Zhao Shuo, he is separated from Annam by the Song Kingdom. We borrowed an elite army from Zhao Shuo and restored our country. Didn't Zhao Shuo still have to rely on the Li family's power to control Annam? My Li family was also able to take this opportunity to successfully restore our country."

To put it bluntly, for the Yi clan, King Yi Huizong had no sons, only two daughters: the eldest, Yi Ying, and the second, Yi Fujin.

Ideally, King Yi Hui-jong would pass the throne to a man from the Yi clan.

But isn't that right? The imperial court's military and political power was in the hands of the Chen family, so how could they not do it?
Now that the Chen family has successfully replaced the Li family as emperor, the only representative the Li family can put forward now is Princess Li Ying.

Even if Li Ying and Zhao Shuo's bloodline rules Annam, so what?

As long as Annam is nominally still the Ly Dynasty, the Ly clan will continue to be royal relatives and enjoy wealth and status.

Although the Chen family married Li Fujin, it's obvious to anyone that the throne they had painstakingly seized could not possibly be passed on to their offspring who had Li blood.
Although the Chen family still acknowledges the status of the Li family members as imperial relatives, this is merely a delaying tactic.

In time, the Li family will definitely suppress them severely. If things go wrong, once the Chen dynasty's throne is secure, they might exterminate the entire Li clan!

How could the Li family tolerate this?

Their only option was to join Zhao Shuo and use his power to restore their kingdom!
Moreover, there are precedents to follow!
The Kingdom of Bagration is now Zhao Shuo's fiefdom. Queen Rusudan has given birth to a son for Zhao Shuo; isn't his throne firmly in his grasp?
Of course, whether the Song Dynasty planned to use the Jurchens to establish the Balu Camp to attack Annam, or whether Princess Li Ying of Annam sought refuge with Zhao Shuo, it would be at least half a year later.

What currently has the greatest impact on Zhao Shuo is the battlefield in Goryeo.

"Pour me some wine! Quickly, pour me some wine!"

Inside the Mongol army's central tent outside the city of Guiju in Goryeo, Ögedei Khan was already drunk and urged his attendants to pour him more wine.

The wine inspector Chagatai had assigned to Ögedei knew that Ögedei was in a bad mood and dared not offend him, so he had already disappeared.

There was nothing they could do. Counting the days, Ögedei Khan had led 50,000 Mongol troops to besiege Guizhou for more than half a year, and the city still hadn't fallen.

Where does this leave him, the Great Khan of the Mongols, with his pride?

Moreover, there's no harm without comparison!

Yesterday, Ögedei received an urgent report that Tolui had led his army to capture Pyongyang (the capital of Goryeo), acquiring countless children and riches, which greatly boosted the morale of the Mongol army.

With similar military strength, Tolui was able to conquer Xijing, the second largest city in Goryeo after the capital Kaesong, while Ögedei failed to even conquer a single ordinary prefecture in Goryeo, making Ögedei even more humiliated.

He already had a drinking problem, and these past few days, feeling depressed, he's been drinking even more excessively.

Deng Deng Deng~~
Just then, footsteps sounded, and Zhenhai entered the central command tent, bowed slightly, and said, "Reporting to the Great Khan, there is news of Zhao Shuo Khan."

"News about Zhao Shuo?" Ögedei, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, asked, "Where in the Jin Kingdom has he advanced to?"

"Zhao Shuo Khan has already destroyed the Jin!"

"What? Zhao Shuo destroyed the Jin? How is that possible?" Ögedei shuddered, his drunkenness lessened considerably, and said, "Although Zhao Shuo annihilated the main force of the Jin army at Sanfeng Mountain, the Jin still had nearly three provinces of territory and millions of Jurchen people. How could they have been destroyed by Zhao Shuo so quickly?"

Zhenhai was fully aware of Ögedei's thoughts. Ögedei's attack on Guizhou was unsuccessful, and Zhenhai didn't want to provoke him with Zhao Shuo's achievements. As long as Ögedei didn't ask, Zhenhai wouldn't proactively report Zhao Shuo's progress. Therefore, Ögedei was unaware of Zhao Shuo's progress over the past six months.

However, given the immense importance of destroying the Jin dynasty, Zhenhai had no choice but to come and report immediately.

"Your Majesty is unaware of the truth. After the Battle of Sanfeng Mountain, the Jin Dynasty was at its wits' end and had no choice but to negotiate peace with Zhao Shuo Khan..."

He detailed how the Jin Dynasty negotiated peace with Zhao Shuo, and how it handed over the territory of two provinces, as well as three million taels of gold and thirty million taels of silver.

Then, the Song army failed to capture Bianliang, so they asked the Mongol army for reinforcements. They captured Bianliang and killed the Jin emperor, Wanyan Shouxu.

Ögedei was utterly dumbfounded. He said, "So, after the Battle of Sanfeng Mountain, Zhao Shuo acquired three million taels of gold and thirty million taels of silver with almost no troops? And he also obtained most of the Jin Kingdom's territory?"

"exactly!"

"This...this...this..."

If Tolui's capture of Pyongyang was a stimulus to Ögedei Khan, then Zhao Shuo's substantial victory was a stimulus to Ögedei Khan tenfold!

For the past six months, he has been attacking a state capital in Goryeo, but has not been able to capture it.

But Zhao Shuo directly destroyed a great power! A great power with a blood feud with the Mongols!

Compared to Zhao Shuo, this Mongol Khan was utterly useless!
Furthermore, Zhao Shuo's steppe warriors obtained so many rich spoils with almost no fighting. Compared to them, his steppe warriors practically gained nothing.

How could the steppe warriors view him as the new Khan?

What use is a Khan who cannot bring victory and rich spoils to the warriors of the steppe?

"No! The war against Goryeo cannot be delayed any longer!" Ögedei gritted his teeth and said, "Our army has been besieging Guizhou for half a year. The Goryeo people inside the city must have suffered heavy casualties and are exhausted. Zhenhai!"

"exist!"

"Go and convey my decree to the entire army: Tomorrow, I will personally oversee the battle, and we must capture Guizhou. Every soldier must fight bravely and strive to be the first. If necessary, I will personally lead the Kheshig army to attack the city!"

(End of this chapter)