I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 275 The Jin Man Actively Requests Investiture, Discusses the Situation of the World in the Palace
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In the Battle of Chuhedian, the Jurchen soldiers fought against ten men each, charging bravely and inflicting a crushing defeat on the Liao army, which was routed.

Upon hearing of the defeat of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, Xiao Fengxian feared that his younger brother Xiao Sixian would be punished. He said to Yelü Yanxi, "Now that the army has been defeated, if they are not pardoned, I fear they will plunder and cause chaos, making the disaster even more severe."

Yelü Yanxi listened to Xiao Fengxian's slander and pardoned Xiao Sixian, Xiao Tabuye, and the defeated soldiers.

From then on, the Liao army was "dead in battle without merit, and escaped without crime," and military discipline gradually deteriorated.

On the other hand, the Jin army captured a large number of carts, horses, and armor. Wanyan Aguda incorporated Liao prisoners into his army, expanding his forces to over ten thousand, and officially rose to power.

Subsequently, the Jin army split into three routes and captured Binzhou, Xiangzhou, and Xianzhou in succession.

By the end of December of the tenth year of the Hongwu reign, the Jin dynasty had controlled most of Northeast China, including the Heilongjiang and Songhua River basins and the Changbai Mountains area, with only the Liao River basin remaining under the Liao dynasty.

On the first day of the first month of the eleventh year of Hongwu's reign, Wanyan Aguda declared himself emperor and established the Jin dynasty. On the fifth day, he captured Huanglongfu and returned.

Huanglongfu was the Liao Kingdom's national treasury and military stronghold, and its fall enraged Yelü Yanxi.

Yelü Yanxi ordered Yelü Erduo to assemble 200,000 cavalry and 70,000 infantry at Dalugu City, intending to crush the Jin army in one fell swoop. He also sent Sengjianu to negotiate peace, saying that if the Jurchens stopped fighting, they could remain a vassal state of Liao.

When the Jin army approached Yizhou, upon hearing that the Liao army was gathering, Wanyan Aguda resolutely turned around and headed straight for Dalugu City.

When Sengjianu saw this, he conveyed Yelü Yanxi's intention to negotiate peace.

Wanyan Aguda said, "If you want peace, you must return Ashu, move Huanglong Prefecture, and allow the Jurchens to be independent. Otherwise, there is no point in talking."

As the Jin army approached Dalugu City, Wanyan Aguda climbed to a high point to observe the battle. Seeing the Liao army scattered and disorganized, he said to his men, "The Liao soldiers are disunited and cowardly. Although they are numerous, they are not to be feared!" He then ordered the Jin army to occupy the high ground and launch a cavalry charge.

Jin generals such as Wanyan Zongxiong, Wanyan Zonggan, Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Yinshuke, and Wanyan Zonghan fought bravely, and the Liao army was defeated and retreated into their camp, where they were surrounded by the Jin army.

At dawn the next day, the Liao army broke out of the encirclement, and the Jin army pursued them to Alougang, annihilating their infantry and seizing thousands of farming tools—it turned out that the Liao army originally intended to settle and cultivate the land there, but unexpectedly suffered this surprise attack.

In February of the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign, the Jin army returned to rest and reorganize, and trained by hunting and shooting willows.

In August, Wanyan Aguda attacked Huanglongfu again.

The city was well-fortified and was one of the six prefectures of the Liao Dynasty, controlling a vital passage in the northeast.

Wanyan Aguda adopted the strategy of Wanyan Loushi, the most valiant general of the Jin Dynasty, to first besiege the city and then clear the surrounding area.

A month later, the city's garrison was isolated and without support, so they abandoned the city and fled. The Jin army entered and occupied the city, seizing a large amount of supplies.

Upon hearing the news of the loss of Huanglong Prefecture, Yelü Yanxi personally led an army of over 100,000 men (claiming to be 700,000) eastward from Changchun Prefecture, intending to engage in a decisive battle with Wanyan Aguda.

At this time, the Jin army numbered only over 20,000, far fewer than the Liao army.

Wanyan Aguda summoned his generals, cut his face with a knife, and cried, "We rose up because of the tyranny of Liao and wanted to establish ourselves. Now that the Liao emperor is personally leading the campaign, we have no choice but to fight to the death. Otherwise, you may kill our entire clan and surrender to avoid disaster."

The generals wept and bowed, saying, "We will obey your command."

In early December, when the Jin army arrived at Yaoci, the generals suggested: "The Liao army is said to number 700,000, and its strength is unstoppable. Our army has come a long way and is exhausted. We should wait for them here with deep trenches and high walls."

Wanyan Aguda agreed, leaving Wanyan Digunai and Wanyan Yinshuke to guard Dalugu, while he personally led the main force of the cavalry to meet the enemy.

On the tenth day of the twelfth month, the vanguard of the Liao army crossed the Duck River. Deputy Commander Yelü Zhangnu suddenly led two thousand men in a rebellion and fled to the capital at night, intending to establish Prince Yan, Yelü Chun, as the new ruler. They claimed that Yelü Yanxi was incompetent and tyrannical, having first been defeated by Zhao Yu and then caused the Jurchens to rebel, and was therefore unworthy to be the ruler of the Liao Dynasty.

Upon hearing the news, Yelü Yanxi was greatly alarmed and lost all will to fight. He hastily ordered his troops to return and quell the rebellion.

On December 12th, the Jin army captured the Liao governor and learned that the Liao army had retreated westward for two days. They then pursued them with light cavalry and caught up with them at Hubudagang.

Wanyan Aguda climbed to a high place to observe the battle: "They outnumber us, so we cannot divide our forces. The central army is the strongest, and the Liao emperor must be there. If we attack them, we can win."

The Jin army then charged into the Liao army's central camp, fighting bravely.

The Liao army fought hastily, suffering heavy casualties, and fled towards Changchun Prefecture. Corpses littered the fields for over a hundred miles, and all their supplies were lost.

Yelü Yanxi fled five hundred li day and night, and when he returned to Changchun Prefecture, he had only three to five hundred guards left.

After this battle, the Liao army lost all its prestige and never recovered, suffering defeat after defeat.

Yelü Zhangnu's rebellion was a heavy blow to Yelü Yanxi, disrupting his plans to conquer the Jurchens and plunging the entire Liao Kingdom into chaos.

On the first night of the first month of the twelfth year of the Hongwu reign (1380), a dozen or so unruly youths in the Liao capital of Tokyo, fueled by alcohol, scaled the wall of the garrison headquarters with sharp blades and stabbed to death Xiao Baoxian (also the younger brother of Xiao Fengxian), the garrison commander of Tokyo. Taking advantage of the chaos, Gao Yongchang, a deputy general of the Bohai cavalry, rebelled and occupied Tokyo. He proclaimed himself emperor of the Great Bohai Kingdom, and more than fifty prefectures in Liaodong, except for Shenzhou, rebelled against Liao and sided with Gao Yongchang.

Yelü Yanxi ordered Zhang Lin, the prime minister of the Southern Prefecture, to recruit troops and go to Tokyo to quell the rebellion.

Zhang Lin recruited 28,000 disgruntled soldiers from the refugees in Liaodong, but his attack on Liaodong failed, so he retreated to Shenzhou.

Gao Yongchang sent someone to contact the Jurchens, requesting a joint attack on the Liao Dynasty.

Wanyan Aguda saw through Gao Yongchang's outward strength but inner weakness, so he appointed Wanyan Hanlu, the younger brother of the prime minister Wanyan Sagai, to command all the armies inside and outside the capital and lead them to capture Shenzhou.

Subsequently, Wanyan Aguda sent an envoy to Liaodong (present-day Kaifeng) to order Gao Yongchang to relinquish his imperial title.

Gao Yongchang refused to obey orders, so Wanyan Aguda issued an edict to punish Gao Yongchang.

Enraged, Gao Yongchang killed the Jurchen envoy.

Upon hearing the news in Shenzhou, Wanyan Hanlu was furious and immediately led his troops to launch a fierce attack on Liaodong.

Knowing he was no match for the enemy, Gao Yongchang abandoned the city and fled.

On Changsong Island in the Bohai Bay, Gao Yongchang was captured by the Jin army and subsequently executed. As a result, all the prefectures and counties of Liaodong Prefecture surrendered to the Jurchens.

Wanyan Aguda had many generals under his command, and conquering cities and seizing territories was no problem for him, but establishing and consolidating his regime required a large number of cultural talents.

Wanyan Aguda was well aware of this, and he began to recruit intellectuals, especially those from the Bohai people. In his view, the Bohai people and the Jurchens were originally one family, and therefore more politically reliable.

At this time, a man named Yang Pu came to surrender.

Yang Pu was from Tiezhou in Liaodong. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) of the Liao Dynasty and rose through the ranks to become a proofreader. He was well-versed in the classics, erudite, generous, and resourceful. He initially followed Gao Yongchang in rebelling against the Liao, but after Gao Yongchang's defeat, he defected to the Jurchens.

Yang Pu said to Wanyan Aguda: "Your Majesty, in your efforts to build up your army, you should transform your family into a state and strive to dominate the world. You should plan to establish a state with ten thousand chariots, not a state with a thousand chariots. Throughout history, heroes have either received the abdication of the emperor or sought investiture from a powerful state to establish their own kingdoms."

Subsequently, Yang Pu suggested that Wanyan Aguda send envoys to the Zhao Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty to request investiture.

Wanyan Aguda immediately recalled the powerful Song army he had seen under the walls of Yanjing when he was still an insignificant nobody, as well as the blurry figure of Zhao Yu in the distance.

That scene was unforgettable for Wanyan Aguda, who then believed that if he could gain Zhao Yu's support, he would surely be able to overthrow Yelü Yanxi's rule.

Therefore, Wanyan Aguda accepted Yang Pu's suggestion and sent envoys across the sea to the Zhao Song Dynasty to request investiture, and also sent envoys to the Liao Dynasty to negotiate investiture.

Thus, peace talks began between the Liao and Jin dynasties. They sent envoys to each other multiple times to negotiate the matter of investiture. At the same time, Jin envoy Helu and deputy envoy Dadiwu, dispatched by Wanyan Aguda, crossed the sea to Dengzhou of the Zhao Song dynasty.

Unlike Dengzhou in history, under Zhao Yu's deliberate guidance, Dengzhou at this time had become the largest seaport in the north of the Northern Song Dynasty.

When Helu and Dadiwu arrived in Dengzhou, they saw:

The docks stretched for over ten miles, their dark sails obscuring half the sky. The newly built piers along the shore were paved with smooth, even bluestone slabs, polished to a shine by the footsteps of passersby. Piles of cargo boxes were stacked on the piers, some bearing the vermilion seal of "Great Song Imperial Kiln," others bound with linen from Goryeo, and still others with merchant names written in Persian. Several Arabs wearing pointed hats directed porters loading goods onto camels; the camels' copper bells jingled crisply amidst the noise, while the wooden bicycles and tricycles characteristic of the Song Dynasty, laden with goods, sped along.

The streets beside the docks were even more bustling than the prefectural capital of the Liao Dynasty. Song merchants in round-necked robes were haggling with Goryeo people in turbans, their abacuses clicking away. Fair-skinned, beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed women from the Hu region were beckoning customers to their hotels in broken Chinese. Squads of Song soldiers in cotton armor patrolled by, their steps precise and their spikes gleaming coldly in the sunlight, showcasing the majesty and power of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

In the bustling city, cheers from the street performers rose and fell, attracting crowds to watch. A storyteller, holding a folding fan, vividly recounted how Emperor Zhao Yu personally led an expedition to defeat Yelü Yanxi, bravely seizing the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and reclaiming the annual tribute extorted by the Liao Dynasty. The audience listened with rapt attention, bursting into applause from time to time.

The most eye-catching feature is the Maritime Trade Office in the center of the dock, with its blue bricks and red walls, and two stone lions standing in front of the gate, making it even more imposing than the government offices in Liaodong.

Several minor officials in green robes were checking the goods in ledgers. The ledgers recorded items such as "glass from the capital", "soap from the capital", "porcelain from Mingzhou", "brocade from Sichuan", "silk from Suzhou", "ginseng from Korea", "sulfur from Japan", and "carpets from the Arab world". The ink was dripping, and the sound of gold and silver could be heard between the lines.

Yellow paper with the trade regulations written in Chinese characters was posted on the bulletin board next to the government office. A group of merchants and translators fluent in various languages ​​were gathered around it. They were communicating rapidly in a language that neither Helu nor Dadiwu could understand.

The sea breeze, carrying moisture, lashed against his face. Helu gazed at the enormous treasure ship unloading cargo in the distance—a colossal vessel taller and larger than the largest palace in Huanglong Prefecture, its sails embroidered with the dragon flag of the Zhao Song Dynasty, fluttering in the wind.

Helu swallowed hard, thinking, "No wonder Aguda looked so awe-inspiring when he talked about the Song Dynasty, and told us two that we must never offend the Song Emperor!"

Helu and Dadiwu brought the gifts that Wanyan Aguda had given to Zhao Yu to the Dengzhou government office and explained their purpose.

Lu Yihao, the prefect of Dengzhou, immediately sent someone back to the capital to report the matter.

Zhao Yu never expected that the Jin dynasty would take the initiative to send envoys to request him to bestow titles upon them.

This has deviated significantly from history.

Zhao Yu didn't know whether Wanyan Aguda's purpose in sending someone over was simply to ask him to bestow a title upon him, or whether he was planning to establish an alliance similar to the historical "Alliance at Sea," aiming to unite the Song and Jin dynasties to destroy the Liao dynasty and divide its territory.
The key point is that history has changed. The Liao Dynasty is weaker than it was in history, and the Zhao Song Dynasty is not as outwardly strong but inwardly weak as the Northern Song Dynasty in history.

In this situation, Zhao Yu truly didn't know whether he should choose to ally with the Jin to destroy the Liao, or with the Liao to destroy the Jin.

Just then, the imperial examination was about to begin, so Zhao Yu set out a policy essay on "the strategic relationship between the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties" to see if there were any internationally strategic talents among the candidates.

At this moment, the hall was filled with the smoke of incense, and about seven hundred desks were neatly arranged, each with a writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, the ink in the inkstone gleaming with a dark luster.

The seven hundred or so candidates took their seats in order of their ranking.

Zhao Yu sat upright in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor, which swayed gently in the breeze, mirroring the fluctuating thoughts of the candidates at that moment.

Zhao Yu said loudly, "Now the Liao dynasty is declining while the Jin dynasty is rising, forming a tripartite balance with our Great Song dynasty, which is crucial to the foundation of the Great Song dynasty for the next hundred years. I hereby order you to speak freely on the topic of 'the strategic relationship between the Song, Liao and Jin dynasties.' Whether you advocate alliance or rejection, war or peace, your words must be substantial and your strategies well-founded."

As soon as Zhao Yu finished speaking, the candidates picked up their brushes, dipped them in ink, and the rustling sound of the brush tips touching the paper instantly filled the hall. At first, it was a few scattered notes, but it gradually merged into a continuous sound, like spring rain falling on green tiles.

Inside the main hall, time seemed to stand still, with only the rustling of ink on paper, the occasional soft cough, or the sound of robes rustling, weaving together a tense and solemn scene. The scholars were either deep in thought or writing furiously, their faces filled with concern for the current situation and hope for the future.

Zhao Yu watched this scene quietly, pondering to himself how these young scholars would interpret this complex situation.
Soon, Zhao Yu's gaze fell on the three boys, who were only eleven or twelve years old, in the last row.

Seeing Zhao Shou, Zhao Kai, and Zhao Cheng all diligently writing, Zhao Yu felt both pleased and expectant.

'The Empress has diligently educated the Crown Prince for eleven years; I wonder what she has taught him?'

"The third son of Emperor Huizong, Zhao Kai, whom Consort Wang educated in history, once topped the imperial examinations, almost becoming the number one scholar. I wonder if Zhao Kai, with my genes implanted in him, would achieve even greater success?"

'What level will Zhang Chun's son, educated using the methods of educating Qing Dynasty princes combined with later educational methods, reach? Will he surprise me?'

Zhao Yu turned his gaze away from his three sons and onto Zhao Ji.

There sat Emperor Huizong, confident and composed, his brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes, each dot as delicate as a peach blossom, each stroke as sharp as a knife. Even without reading the content, the sheer artistry of his calligraphy was breathtaking. His brushstrokes exuded a transcendent ease, as if he were not in an examination hall, but rather wielding his brush amidst mountains and rivers, writing about the fate of the nation from the heavens. This composure and confidence drew even Emperor Huizong's attention.

Zhao Yu looked at Zhao Ji and thought, 'You can even give up the title of king, how can I trust you...'

……

(End of this chapter)