I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 282 Decisive Action

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Zhao Liangsi, Ma Zheng, Ma Kuo and his son, along with translator Hu Yanqing, were ordered to accompany Jin envoys Helu and Dadiwu to the Jin Kingdom to confer the title of Great Sage Emperor upon Wanyan Aguda.

Zhao Yu specifically instructed that Zhao Liangsi and his entourage travel to the Jin Kingdom on five treasure ships, carrying with them five ships of goods including glass, porcelain, soap, silk, tea, spices, sugar, wool textiles, ivory, rhinoceros horn, gemstones, and pearls, as well as daily necessities such as pots and pans, some Song-made armor, and various fruits and vegetables that could be stored for a longer period of time, which would be escorted by the Pinghai Army.

The envoys sent by Zhao Yu this time, apart from Zhao Liangsi who was a scholar, were all military men, including Ma Zheng, Huyan Qing, and even the fourteen-year-old Ma Kuo.

Before setting off, Zhao Yu had given these people a secret order: if the Jurchens dared to attack the delegation, they must be dealt with decisively; those who won would be rewarded, and those who lost would be executed.

This wasn't because Zhao Yu wanted to cause trouble, but because the Jurchen people were inherently barbaric and only admired the strong. If you respected them, they would think you were weak and easy to bully. If you beat them or even killed them, they would instead feel awe towards you.

In other words, dealing with barbarians like the Jurchens was not going to work with the etiquette of a civilized society. They were more receptive to the Han envoys' approach, which was to subdue them by force to win their hearts and minds.

Zhao Yu knew that this mission was not only about the face of the Song Dynasty, but also a deep test of the Jin Dynasty, and would affect the future relationship between the two countries. Therefore, the delegation he sent not only demonstrated the wealth and civilization of the Song Dynasty, but also served as a military deterrent.

After several days of rough seas, Zhao Liangsi and his party finally saw the Liaodong coastline, where a large expanse of silvery-white sand beach stretched out.

Zhao Liangsi asked Helu and Dadiwu, "Where is this?"

Da Diwu replied, "This is Suzhou territory, but I don't know the name of this bay. Bays like this are everywhere, and they all look pretty much the same."

As they drew closer to the shore, Zhao Liangsi prepared to tell Hu Yanqing to launch the small boat and find a suitable port to dock at.

Meanwhile, Hu Yanqing was also preparing to send several small boats to find a place to land.

Suddenly, a group of Jin soldiers patrolling the sea emerged from behind a pile of black rocks on the east side of the beach. There were more than a dozen of them, and they shouted at the Zhao Song Dynasty's fleet.

Everyone on the ship noticed the group of Jin soldiers.

Ma Zheng asked, "What are they talking about?"

Helu said, "They told us to go ashore immediately. It's alright, I'll negotiate with them."

Zhao Liangsi said, "Okay."

Before Helu could even speak, arrows from the Jin army whizzed across the ship. One arrow, with a whoosh, pierced right past Dadiwu's ear, making Dadiwu turn deathly pale: "Father!"

Upon seeing this, Huyan Qing remembered Zhao Yu's instructions before his departure, so he ordered, "Fight back!"

Upon hearing Huyan Qing's order, the ballistae on all five treasure ships fired simultaneously!
In an instant, dozens of "short spears" shot out!

The crossbow bolts used by the ballista had wooden shafts and iron fletchings, and were known as "one spear, three swords" bolts.

This arrow was actually a fletched spear, which was very destructive.

To be honest, using dozens of ballistae to shoot at a dozen Jin soldiers is like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito.

The Jin soldiers were caught completely off guard by the sudden and fierce attack, and they fell one after another. Some were impaled by short spears and lay in pools of blood; others were pinned to the ground by short spears, howling in agony. The beach was instantly thrown into chaos, the shouts of the Jin soldiers mingling with the whistling of arrows, creating a gruesome scene.

Upon seeing this, Helu and Dadiwu's expressions changed drastically.

Helu hurriedly shouted in Jurchen to try to stop this unnecessary conflict.

But the Song army acted too quickly. In just one volley of fire, only two of the dozen or so Jurchen soldiers remained; the rest were either killed or wounded.

Upon seeing this, Huyan Qing stopped the Song soldiers who were preparing to continue firing, and ordered them to remain vigilant and be ready to deal with any possible larger-scale conflict.

Ma Zheng was tall and robust, with a resolute and confident expression. He had fought on the battlefield in the Northwest and experienced life-or-death trials. At this moment, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes blazing as he scanned his surroundings to prevent any Jin soldiers from taking advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack.

Ma Kuo, though only fourteen years old, was fearless. Standing beside his father, his gaze was firm, ready to join the battle at any moment.

Zhao Liangsi frowned, thinking to himself, "I hope His Majesty's judgment of the Jurchens is correct."

Helu and Dadiwu were surprised that the people of the Zhao Song Dynasty would be so decisive and tough. In their minds, the people of the Zhao Song Dynasty were known for their refined manners, and even their military generals were mostly skilled in both civil administration and military affairs, rarely displaying such thunderous and unquestionable decisiveness.

Dadiwu's face was deathly pale, his hands clenched tightly, clearly stunned and speechless by the sudden violent conflict. Helu, standing beside him, quickly composed himself and waved for the remaining two Jin soldiers to retreat immediately to avoid further collateral damage.

Seeing this, Zhao Liangsi was inwardly troubled, but he maintained the composure and calmness of a scholar. He slowly walked to the side of the ship and said to Helu, "Ambassador, please do not be alarmed. We did not intend to provoke a conflict. It was only because they fired arrows without cause and almost injured the deputy envoy that General Huyan ordered a counterattack in self-defense. We had no other choice."

Upon hearing this, Helu's expression softened slightly, but doubt still lingered in his eyes. He knew the importance of this mission and was unwilling to let a minor, unexpected conflict ruin the atmosphere for peace talks between the two countries. Therefore, he forced himself to remain calm, quickly exchanged a few words with the remaining Jin soldiers in Jurchen, and then turned to Zhao Liangsi, saying:
"Ambassador Zhao, please do not worry. There must be some misunderstanding. We are willing to explain on your behalf and guarantee that such an incident will not happen again. Please order the ship to stop so that we can go ashore and discuss the matter in detail, so that we can resolve this matter as soon as possible."

Zhao Liangsi nodded, signaling Hu Yanqing to order the boat to stop and dispatch a small boat to ferry Helu, Dadiwu, and the others ashore.

As soon as Helu and Dadiwu landed, a group of Jurchen soldiers patrolling the sea quietly turned around from the foot of the mountains to the west. After discovering the situation on the beach, they quickly dispersed and ran up the mountain to occupy the high ground, raising their bows and arrows to aim at the group of people of unknown origin.

Helu immediately shouted in Jurchen: "I am Helu of the Huiba tribe, sent as an envoy to the Song Dynasty by order of the Emperor, and now I am returning with the Song envoy..."

Upon hearing Helu's shout, a fierce warrior rushed up to communicate with Helu.

After both sides confirmed their identities, Meng Anbo Jilie looked at the Jin soldiers who had died tragically and asked Helu and Dadiwu, "Why are the Song people so warlike? Is it a blessing or a curse to befriend them?" He made no mention of the fact that they were the ones who fired at the Zhao Song Dynasty's ships first.

After communicating with Dadiwu and Menganbo, Helu came to discuss the matter with Zhao Liangsi and others.

Ultimately, the group decided that Zhao Liangsi, Ma Zheng, Ma Kuo, and Hu Yanqing would accompany Helu and Dadiwu to meet Wanyan Aguda, while the others would remain on the ship to await orders.

After more than ten days of bumpy travel, passing through more than ten prefectures and covering a distance of about three thousand miles, the group finally stopped in front of a village.

This village is called "Azhichuan".

A river flows slowly from the southwest of the village to the northwest; this river is called Lai Liu Shui.

Wanyan Aguda now lives in this village.

There were no city walls or palaces here, only tall wooden houses scattered about, each named something like Emperor's Village, Prime Minister's Village, and Prince's Village. Looking at the scene before them, Zhao Liangsi and his companions were astonished; they could hardly believe it: the Jin emperor lived here? Could this be the capital of the Jin dynasty?

Jurchen houses are generally built along valleys, with courtyards enclosed by fences made of connected wooden poles. The roofs, several feet high, are not covered with tiles but rather with planks, birch bark, or dry grass. The walls are all wooden, and the main doors face east. Inside, there are earthen beds called "kang" on all four sides, where people sleep, eat, and live. In winter, they use firewood to heat the kang.

They had no rules of etiquette or laws, and no regard for ethics or morality. The ruler and his subjects could bathe in the river together, or meet on the road with their arms around each other. Commoners could even invite their ruler to eat with them after killing a chicken.

The Jurchens practiced levirate marriage, meaning that if the father died, the wife would marry the mother; if the brother died, the wife would marry the sister-in-law; and if the uncle or aunt died, the nephew would also marry the brother. Therefore, regardless of social status, a person could have multiple wives.

In short, Zhao Liangsi and others, especially Ma Zheng, Ma Kuo, and Huyanqing, who knew nothing about the Jurchens, were truly surprised that the mighty Jin Dynasty was so backward.

They even began to doubt Zhao Yu's judgment, 'Could such a Jin state pose a threat to the Liao state?'

They were still thinking, 'His Majesty actually wants to bestow the title of Great Sage Emperor upon a minor chieftain of such a backward place, and even brings him a five-treasure ship as a lavish gift, this…'

After ascertaining that the Song envoy had come to confer the title of Great Sage Emperor upon Wanyan Aguda and had brought five large ships full of gifts for their Great Jin Kingdom, Wanyan Zonghan returned directly to the Emperor's Village and reported to Wanyan Aguda.

Wanyan Aguda was overjoyed, but he was also somewhat incredulous: "Does the Emperor of the Great Song really intend to bestow upon me the title of Great Sage Emperor?"

It's no wonder that Wanyan Aguda was so surprised. His request for the title of "Great Sage Emperor" from Zhao Yu was simply an outrageous and unreasonable demand.

It's important to understand that during this era, there were only two emperors in this surrounding land—the emperor of the Song Dynasty and the emperor of the Liao Dynasty.

Apart from that, everyone was either a king, a ruler, or a khan; no one dared to call themselves emperor anymore.

At present, the Jin Dynasty, in terms of both size and foundation, is far inferior to the Song and Liao Dynasties. Wanyan Aguda's self-proclaimed emperorship is merely a matter of empty rhetoric to boost the morale of his subordinates. He never dared to truly hope that Zhao Yu would be so magnanimous as to actually bestow upon him the title of "Great Sage Emperor," a title of equal status. Crucially, Zhao Yu's first act was to present him with a five-treasure ship of gifts, far surpassing the meager offerings of pearls, raw gold, sable fur, ginseng, and pine nuts that he had sent.

Zhao Yu's charisma filled Wanyan Aguda with deep awe, who thought to himself, 'He can do what others cannot; the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is truly a hero of our time!'

Wanyan Aguda and the others listened to Helu and Dadiwu describe their experiences, especially the part about the prosperity and power of the Zhao Song Dynasty, which made them even more in awe of Zhao Yu.

Helu and Dadiwu then took the initiative to tell Wanyan Aguda and others how the Liao Kingdom had traded with the Zhao Song Dynasty over the years, ensuring that the Liao people had no shortage of food and supplies.

Helu and Dadiwu's words made Wanyan Aguda and the others' eyes light up!
Years of war have led to severe shortages of various resources in the Jin Dynasty, especially food. The Jin Dynasty is already showing signs of famine; if it doesn't find a way to obtain food, countless people may die this winter.

The Prime Minister, Wanyan Sagai, asked Helu and Dadiwu, "Does the Great Song Dynasty have any intention of forming an alliance with our Great Jin Dynasty?"

He Lu shook his head: "Neither His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song nor the Song envoy mentioned this matter. Perhaps it is because our Great Jin has not expressed this intention. Therefore, the purpose of the Song envoy's visit is to confer titles, not to form an alliance."

Wanyan Aguda and the others were somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.

Da Diwu said, "However, His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty knows that the Khitan have exploited and made things difficult for our Jurchens. He deeply sympathizes with this and believes that the Khitan's actions are truly unjust. He said that Your Majesty's leading the people to rebel against Liao is a heroic act. I believe that although he did not take the initiative to mention the alliance, he has great understanding and support for our Jurchens' resistance against Liao."

Dadiwu's words made all the golden men overjoyed.

Wanyan Xie also said, "In this way, it may be possible to facilitate an alliance between our Great Jin and Great Song, and have them sell some grain to me to relieve my urgent needs."

As for the matter of the Song army killing a dozen or so Jin soldiers, since they needed the help of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and more importantly, since it was the Jin side that provoked them first, Wanyan Aguda and others chose to handle the matter quietly.

Of course, the impact of this incident is still there.

Because of the Song army's decisive counterattack, the Jurchens, who admired strength, received Zhao Liangsi and others with very high-level etiquette, instead of imprisoning them first and then slowly negotiating, as was done in history.

Shortly after the two sides met, Zhao Liangsi and others, in accordance with the investiture ceremony, conferred upon Wanyan Aguda the title of Great Sage Emperor.

Next, Zhao Liangsi asked Wanyan Aguda to send someone with Ma Zheng and Huyan Qing to receive the gifts that Zhao Yu had given to Wanyan Aguda.

During this process, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Yinshu came to Zhao Liangsi to test whether the Song and Jin dynasties could form an alliance.

Zhao Liangsi shook his head, indicating that there was a peace treaty between the Song and Liao dynasties, and that their Song emperor was a man of his word, so the Song dynasty would not easily initiate war with the Liao.

This answer greatly disappointed the Jin people.

Then, the Jin people lowered their expectations and expressed their desire to buy some grain and weapons from the Zhao Song Dynasty.

To the delight of the Jurchens, Zhao Liangsi, representing the Song Dynasty, readily agreed, though of course, the price was not cheap.

The Jurchens went back and did the math, and felt a bit of a pain in their wallets. So they came back to ask if they could do business with the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Liangsi readily agreed, except that the price the Song Dynasty paid for the Jurchen specialties was a bit low, only slightly higher than the price the Liao Dynasty paid for the Jurchens.

This displeased the Jurchens.

The problem is, this is a monopolistic transaction, or they asked the Song Dynasty for it, so the price can only be set by the Song Dynasty.

Just as Wanyan Aguda and his men were hesitating, unsure whether to make a deal with the Zhao Song Dynasty, the people who went to receive the gifts that Zhao Yu had given to Wanyan Aguda returned.

Only then did Wanyan Aguda and the others realize just how vast Zhao Yu's ambitions truly were.

To be honest, Wanyan Aguda had no interest in luxury goods, but he was very fond of daily necessities and armor that could improve the lives of the Jurchens.

Seeing that the lives of the Jin people could be greatly improved by trading with the Zhao Song Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda made up his mind to trade with the Zhao Song Dynasty, at least in the early stages of the Jin Dynasty's development.

However, there is now a problem.

That is, Zhao Yu sent so many things to Wanyan Aguda and conferred upon him the title of Great Sage Emperor. The key point is that the Jin Dynasty also wanted to trade with the Zhao Song Dynasty, so Wanyan Aguda definitely had to return the favor to Zhao Yu.

Wanyan Aguda asked some knowledgeable people and learned that although most of the gifts Zhao Yu gave him were not very useful, they were worth more than five million strings of cash.

This left Wanyan Aguda momentarily at a loss as to what kind of return gift to give Zhao Yu...

……

(End of this chapter)