I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 290 Zhao Yu: You used them to force me to form an alliance?

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As long as the money is right, the Song Dynasty is still quite trustworthy.

After the Song and Jin dynasties agreed on the price, the large ships of the Zhao Song dynasty arrived at Shizikou one by one.

At this time, parts of the Dalian area were called Jinzhou, the Lushunkou area was called Laotieshan, and Haikou was called Shizikou.

After unloading the grain, the large ships of the Zhao Song Dynasty were loaded with gold, silver, cattle, sheep, and various local specialties from the Jin Dynasty. They then left Lion's Mouth and returned to the Zhao Song Dynasty, where they were replaced by another large ship to trade with the Jin Dynasty.

This process continues until both parties have fully completed the transaction.

Having obtained the most scarce food and purchased a considerable amount of cotton quilts and clothing, Wanyan Aguda and his ministers were greatly relieved. This winter, there would not be a large number of people freezing or starving to death in the Jin Kingdom, and the newly recovered areas would not be in turmoil due to hunger and cold, leading to a rush of rebellions.

On the other hand, seeing that the gold, silver, livestock, and special products that the Jurchens had worked so hard to seize were all being transported to the Song Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda and his ministers, especially the younger generation of the Jurchens, felt really bad.

It felt like the harvest of a year's hard work had been brazenly taken away by a neighbor who didn't work for it, leaving only bare branches and a heart full of resentment and helplessness.

The Jurchen people, especially the young Jurchens, felt not only a loss of material wealth, but also a blow to their dignity and pride. After all, this wealth was forged with blood and iron, every single piece soaked in the sweat and blood of the Jurchen people.

Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Zongwang, and others couldn't help but think that the reason they rebelled against the Liao Dynasty was because the Liao Dynasty was greedy and insatiable, cruelly exploiting and oppressing them, treating them like dirt, trampling on them at will, causing them to lose their dignity and freedom, which made them unable to bear it any longer, so they rose up in rebellion, established the Jin Dynasty, and vowed to take back everything that belonged to them from the Liao people.

Now, although they have defeated the Liao Dynasty and seem to be on the verge of overthrowing its tyranny, they find themselves caught in another seemingly civilized but equally ruthless vortex of transactions. While the Song Dynasty uses money as a medium for seemingly fair trade, in their hearts, this is nothing less than another form of exploitation and plunder—a more insidious yet more painful form of exploitation and plunder.

A burning resentment flickered in Wanyan Zonghan's eyes. He recalled the days of bloody battles against the Liao army, the Jurchen warriors who, outnumbered, repeatedly defeated the Liao forces with their indomitable will and valiant fighting prowess. Back then, their hearts were filled with the joy of victory and boundless hope for the future. However, the reality before them was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the fire in their hearts and forcing them to confront a cruel truth: even if they won the war, they might not be able to control their own destiny.

Wanyan Zongwang expressed his dissatisfaction more directly: "The Song people are treacherous, no less so than the Khitans. One day, I will make them pay a hundredfold!" His voice was powerful and resonated with the Jurchen youths present.

Many of the unruly young Jurchens had faces filled with anger and resentment, and they echoed Wanyan Zongwang's sentiments.

However, the Jurchens were adept at patience, and they clearly understood that their current enemy was the Liao Dynasty, not the Song Dynasty. If they were to antagonize the Song Dynasty now, it would undoubtedly place the still-fragile Jin Dynasty in a precarious position, handing over the fruits of their recent victory, and potentially plunging the entire Jurchen people back into utter ruin—a catastrophic consequence. This rationality, like cold chains, tightly bound their boiling blood and thirst for revenge. Therefore, although they were unwilling, they understood that the greater good was paramount, and could only temporarily suppress their anger and humiliation, transforming them into the driving force for progress.

Wanyan Aguda looked at these spirited young people of his tribe with great concern! He knew that if this discontent and anger were not properly guided, it would become a destabilizing factor within the Jin state.

Therefore, while Zhao Liangsi, the Right Compiler of the Imperial Academy, and Wang Huan, the Loyal and Instructor, were still trading with the Jin people, Wanyan Aguda decided to launch a major operation to intimidate the Song Dynasty. Ideally, he hoped to force the Song Dynasty to form an alliance with the Jin Dynasty and jointly divide the Liao Dynasty with the Jin. At the very least, he hoped that the goods sold to the Jin Dynasty in the future would be sold at an ally price, instead of always being sold at three to five times the original price. This would also allow the younger generation of the Jin Dynasty to regain some face in front of the Song Dynasty, so that they would not always feel aggrieved and unable to vent their anger, which would lead them to make foolish moves out of anger and offend the Song Dynasty, leaving the Jin Dynasty vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

Based on this idea, Wanyan Aguda decided to take advantage of Yelü Yanxi's surprise that he would launch a general attack on the capital of Liao, and capture the Liao capital city by surprise.

Without hesitation, Wanyan Aguda immediately devised a battle plan, personally commanding one army while Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Hanlugu each commanded another army, and they set off for the Liao capital, Shangjing.

Initially, Zhao Liangsi and the other Song envoys were completely unaware of this matter.

Once the Jin army was fully prepared, and even after Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Hanlugudu had set off with their troops, Wanyan Aguda summoned Zhao Liangsi and other Song envoys and said to them, "I intend to seize the Khitan capital in one battle. Are you willing to witness this historic moment together?"

At this moment, Wanyan Aguda rode a tall, chestnut-red horse, wearing a sable hat, a breastplate, and black leather boots. He was majestic, dignified, and exuded an aura that commanded respect.

This left Zhao Liangsi and the others somewhat speechless, and they also wanted to see what was so remarkable about the Jurchens who were valued by Zhao Yu.
Therefore, Zhao Liangsi and others accepted Wanyan Aguda's invitation and marched with the army.

Wanyan Aguda commanded a formidable cavalry force, which would sound horns and bugles every thirty li to bolster their morale.

A few days later, Zhao Liangsi followed Wanyan Aguda to a hillside south of the Liao capital.

This mountain is called Longgang. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, birds fly around, and the pine forests are lush and verdant. Standing on the top of the mountain, one feels refreshed and relaxed.

Gazing at the Liao capital city not far away, Zhao Liangsi was filled with a myriad of emotions. He knew this city well; back when he was still a Liao citizen, especially as a Liao official, he had visited many times. Unexpectedly, ten years had passed, time had changed everything, the city remained the same, but the people were no longer the same. He had unexpectedly returned here as an envoy of the Song Dynasty, accompanying the Jin emperor.

Wanyan Aguda said to Zhao Liangsi and the others, "Come down the mountain with me and see how I use troops."

Having arrived at this point, Zhao Liangsi and the others had no choice but to follow Wanyan Aguda's arrangements.

Therefore, Zhao Liangsi and others followed Wanyan Aguda down the mountain to personally go to the front line.

Wanyan Aguda ordered the Jin soldiers to beat drums to cheer them on.

In an instant, horns and war drums sounded in unison.

The cavalry, clad in swords and armor, roared away, followed by the infantry advancing in a surging, wave-like formation.

The siege began in the morning, and before noon, Jin general Wanyan Zhamu (Wanyan Aguda's half-brother) led his troops to scale the city walls and capture the outer city of Liao Shangjing.

Yelü Dabuye, the Liao general who was stationed in Shangjing, surrendered with his remaining troops, and the Liao capital was thus easily captured by the Jurchens.

After capturing the Liao capital, the Jurchens carried out extremely professional looting of the city.

They first divided the Liao capital into several regions. The Jurchens plundered the richest regions, followed by the Bohai people, then the Han people, while the Khitans and Xi people robbed the poorest regions.

During the robbery, people of other ethnic groups, even the Bohai people, only stole some small amount of money. Only the Jurchens committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities.

Not only that, the Jurchens also abducted and divided up all the Liao women in the capital city, and captured all the Liao men to serve as their slaves.

In addition, the Jin army not only carried out large-scale looting along the Shangjing Road, but also systematically excavated the imperial tombs of the Liao Dynasty. The Jin forces breached the Tianshan Hall in the Liao Shangjing Zuzhou, burning it almost entirely, excavating its gold and silver treasures, and destroying all above-ground buildings, attempting to sever the Liao Dynasty's "dragon vein" and bring about its complete demise. They also burned down all the ancestral temples of the Liao imperial family, the Yelü clan.

It is worth mentioning that, from the Jurchen perspective, their actions were perfectly justifiable and constituted their legitimate rights, much like how a boss in later generations would take someone who had contributed to a project to sing karaoke and get a massage after the project was completed.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the Jurchens, the most important significance of conquering a city was to benefit the brave warriors who led the charge.

Moreover, the Jurchens had a weak sense of national identity. When they went to war, they often brought their own soldiers, armor, and horses. Some Jurchens even incurred a lot of foreign debt in order to obtain soldiers, armor, and horses. They all hoped to recoup their losses and become rich through robbery.

To put it more vividly, the Jurchens treated this as a business deal.

Therefore, the most important thing after conquering a city is to burn, kill, loot, and make a fortune.

Anyone who dares to deprive the Jurchens of their benefits is likely to mutiny on the spot. Even Wanyan Aguda, the Jurchen hero and emperor of the Jin Dynasty, cannot change this, unless he is willing to pay the money.

In short, even with Song envoys like Zhao Liangsi present, the Jin army still carried out brutal looting of the Liao capital after capturing it.

This had a profound impact on Zhao Liangsi and the other Song envoys. They finally gained a deep understanding of the Jurchen greed that Zhao Yu had often described, and consequently, they were filled with greater vigilance and apprehension when dealing with the Jurchens. Looking at the scenes of carnage before them, they were filled with mixed emotions. They had once believed that even war should have its bottom line and rules, but the Jurchens' actions had completely overturned their understanding. The helpless cries of the captured Liao women, the despairing eyes of the enslaved Liao men, and the desecrated tombs all spoke of the cruelty and tragedy behind this victory.

Wang Huan stood beside Zhao Liangsi, his expression equally grave. He whispered to Zhao Liangsi, "Given the Jurchens' actions, our Great Song must be extremely cautious in our dealings with them."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liangsi nodded slightly, secretly pondering, 'The Jurchens are greedy and cruel by nature. To ally with them is tantamount to seeking a tiger's skin. Your Majesty's strategy of letting the snipe and the clam fight is far more prudent.'

Just as Zhao Liangsi was lost in thought, Wanyan Aguda, riding a tall horse, approached with a group of Jurchen generals on horseback. Their faces beamed with the joy of victory, and they asked Zhao Liangsi and the others, "How are the warriors of our Great Jin?"

Zhao Liangsi replied with a smile, "A top-tier military force in this era."

Wanyan Zonghan asked from the side, "How does it compare to your army?"

Zhao Liangsi said calmly, "Each has its own strengths."

Wanyan Zonghan pressed on, "Oh? Where is your army commanded?"

"This……"

This is a question that Zhao Liangsi really doesn't know how to answer.

Fifteen-year-old Ma Kuo calmly replied, "Our Song army excels at defense. If my family were to defend the capital, according to Li Jing's Art of War, based on troop type and combat mission, the fighting force would be divided into five combat groups: the Vanguard, the Cavalry, the Special Forces, the Vanguard, and the Garrison. The Vanguard would be used for offense, while the Garrison would be used for defense..."

Ma Kuo spoke eloquently, simulating how to defend a city from his perspective as the commander-in-chief.

As a result, the Jurchens discovered that if they defended the city as Ma Kuo had suggested, it would indeed be difficult for them to capture Shangjing.

The key point is that Ma Kuo is only fifteen years old. Although he's not young, it's not easy for him to have such insight. Wanyan Zonghan, standing to the side, said calmly, "It's just empty talk. I've heard that Song Dynasty officials only know how to write articles, not how to fight. Is that true?"

Ma Kuo explained: "Our Great Song Dynasty is a great country. Officials are divided into civil and military officials. Civil officials are tested on their writing skills, and military officials are tested on their martial arts skills. However, there are also military officials who are highly skilled in writing, and there are also civil officials who are proficient in military strategy. It is not appropriate to generalize."

Wanyan Zonghan then asked, "I heard you are a military graduate and serve as a military instructor. Do you know how to shoot arrows on horseback?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Kuo immediately understood that Wanyan Zonghan wanted to test his horsemanship and archery skills, and his words clearly contained a sense of contempt.

Ma Kuo smiled slightly: "The key to passing the military examination lies in the study of classics and policy essays; horseback riding and archery are just some additional features."

Wanyan Zonghan took off a powerful horn bow he was wearing and handed it to Ma Kuo. He pointed to a pile of snow in the distance and ordered Ma Kuo to shoot at it. He said to Ma Kuo in a commanding tone, "Please ride your horse and draw your bow so that I can see the shooting skills of the Song Dynasty people."

Ma Kuo silently took the bow, spurred his horse forward, and suddenly, he made a series of standard bow-drawing and shooting movements, responding to attacks from all directions with ease and skill.

Upon seeing this, Wanyan Zonghan's expression turned solemn.

Immediately, Ma Kuo nocked an arrow, mustered all his strength, and fired with unerring accuracy, hitting the target repeatedly.

Wanyan Aguda praised, "Excellent! Do all the archers of the Song Dynasty have your skills?"

Ma Kuo smiled modestly: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. However, my archery skills are still lacking. Due to my young age, my arms are weak, so the arrows I shoot are weak and feeble, not as good as those of the Imperial Guards in the capital. They each have their own strengths, and there are many divine archers among them. There are also archers in the various Imperial Guards, all of whom are skilled in martial arts. I am just a lowly instructor, and compared to them, I am not worth mentioning. My Emperor has a personal guard leader named Wang Shunchen, who shot over a thousand arrows in two hours, without missing a single one. He even shot so many that his fingers were broken and his arms were covered in blood. My Emperor bestowed upon him the title of 'Number One Arrow Under Heaven'."

The Jurchens were shocked; they never imagined that there was such a divine archer as Wang Shunchen in the world.

After the initial shock, the Jin people couldn't help but wonder, 'Does such a divine archer truly exist in this world?'

After inquiring about the matter, Wanyan Agu sat on his horse and pondered for a long time.

Suddenly, a yellow deer leaped up from the woods in front of them.

Wanyan Aguda gave the order: "All generals, do not shoot. Let the Song envoy shoot first."

Ma Kuo knew his time to test himself had come. He spurred his horse forward, and suddenly drew his bow to its fullest extent. With a whoosh, the wind blew and the bow sang, and an arrow struck the yellow deer squarely in the forehead.

The yellow deer fell headfirst to the ground and died instantly.

Wanyan Aguda clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent, excellent! Such rare skill! The military scholars of the Song Dynasty are indeed formidable."

Wanyan Zonghan also rode over, patted Ma Kuo on the shoulder and praised, "Instructor Ma's archery skills are indeed extraordinary, congratulations! I never expected that the Great Song Dynasty would have such a good archer."

Jurchen generals such as Wanyan Zonggan, Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Loushi, and Wanyan Zhamu all admired Ma Kuo's superb horsemanship and archery skills.

The Jurchens were a martial people who admired those with high martial arts skills and various other great abilities.

That evening, Da Diwu was ordered to come to the Song embassy and hand over seven precious items, including a sable fur coat, a brocade robe, and a rhinoceros belt, to Ma Kuo. With a smile on his face, he said, "Congratulations, Song envoy, you were able to shoot the prey on horseback. My emperor is very impressed and has bestowed these seven precious items upon you."

Zhao Liangsi and the other Song envoys all felt proud.

Later, Wanyan Sagai, the prime minister of the Jin Dynasty, specially received Ma Kuo and praised him warmly, saying, "Your archery skills are excellent and your reputation is far-reaching. I will give you a prestigious name. From now on, you can be called 'Yelima Li'."

—Yelimali is a Jurchen word meaning a skilled archer.

After this minor incident, Wanyan Aguda summoned Zhao Liangsi and other Song envoys and said to them, "The Yanjing area was originally Han territory, but it was occupied by the Khitan during the Five Dynasties period. Now, our Great Jin wants to form an alliance with your dynasty to jointly attack the Khitan. Our Great Jin will take the Zhongjing area, and your dynasty will take the Yanjing area. What does your dynasty think?"

Fearing that the Song Dynasty would not agree to the alliance, Wanyan Aguda said, "The Khitans are wicked and have been defeated by me. Logically speaking, all the Khitan prefectures and cities should belong to my Great Jin and are all my Great Jin's land. However, considering the good relations between our two countries and the fact that Yanjing was originally Han territory, as long as the Great Song is willing to join forces with my Great Jin to attack the Liao, the entire Yanjing area will belong to your Great Song. What do you say?"

Zhao Liangsi said, “The Khitan’s fate is sealed. If our two families attack from the north and south, what else can they do but perish? However, matters of state are not for us foreign ministers to decide. They must be decided by His Majesty the Emperor. I will convey His Majesty’s good intentions to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Wanyan Aguda was extremely shrewd, and he understood the meaning behind Zhao Liangsi's words very well. He said cheerfully, "That is indeed the case."

Wanyan Aguda added, “If the Khitans send someone to negotiate peace with my Great Jin, I will tell them: My Great Jin has already made an agreement with the Great Song to give Yanjing to the Great Song. Unless they give Yanjing to the Great Song, my Great Jin will never negotiate peace with them.”

Zhao Liangsi thought to himself that Wanyan Aguda's plan not only showed his sincerity and demonstrated the Jin state's firm stance, but also cleverly used the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun," which the Song dynasty most desired, as bait to lure the Song dynasty into an alliance with the Jin state. It also increased the difficulty for the Song dynasty to form an alliance with the Liao state, and even sowed discord between the Song and Liao dynasties. After all, Wanyan Aguda had already offered up the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun" as a bargaining chip. If the Liao state wanted to form an alliance with the Song dynasty, wouldn't it also have to give up the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun," which they could not possibly lose? Otherwise, why would the Song dynasty not ally with the Jin state but with the Liao state?

It can be said that Wanyan Aguda's plan killed many birds with one stone.

It could also be said that Wanyan Aguda went to great lengths to force Zhao Yu to form an alliance with him, dragging the Song Dynasty into this turbulent game in the north.

Zhao Liangsi bowed and said, "Your Majesty's noble character is truly admired by all under heaven. This humble subject will convey Your Majesty's intentions to my Emperor without missing a single word. I believe my Emperor will also deeply appreciate Your Majesty's sincerity. I only hope that our two countries can join hands to advance together, pursue great undertakings, and devise grand plans."

Hearing Zhao Liangsi's words, Wanyan Aguda was very pleased. He invited Zhao Liangsi and other Song historians to enter Shangjing City together to see the imperial palace of the Liao emperor. They rode side by side on horseback, entering the inner palace through the west side gate, and passed through the Jade Palace, Baozheng Palace, and other main palace halls in succession.

That evening, Wanyan Aguda hosted a grand banquet at Yanhe Tower to entertain a group of Jin generals and Song envoys, including Zhao Liangsi.

Zhao Liangsi and other Song envoys, along with a group of Jin generals, raised their cups in celebration, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Wanyan Aguda raised his wine cup and drank with everyone, enjoying the gathering together.

During the banquet, a beautiful woman from the Liao Kingdom danced gracefully to entertain them.

This Liao Dynasty beauty's dance was graceful and delicate, sometimes like a butterfly fluttering among flowers, sometimes like a water lily just beginning to bloom.

Wanyan Aguda asked Zhao Liangsi, "Do you recognize this woman?"

Zhao Liangsi shook his head: "This humble subject does not recognize you."

Wanyan Aguda said, "She is the Princess Consort of Zhao, and the daughter-in-law of Aguo."

Wanyan Aguda beckoned to Princess Zhao, and Princess Zhao Xiao Wuliyan immediately walked over shakily, extending her slender hand, holding a bronze wine pot, and poured wine cups for Wanyan Aguda and Zhao Liangsi in turn.

Zhao Liangsi knew that Prince Zhao, Yelü Xinilie, was the eldest son of Yelü Yanxi. If he hadn't been somewhat mentally challenged, he might have become the crown prince of the Liao Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, even Yelü Xinilie's queen was captured by the Jurchens.

'It seems the Liao Dynasty is truly doomed!'

The next day, Zhao Liangsi came to the army's main tent to bid farewell to Wanyan Aguda.

Wanyan Aguda hosted a banquet to bid farewell to Zhao Liangsi.

At the banquet, Wanyan Aguda and Zhao Liangsi toasted each other.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Wanyan Aguda once again brought up the alliance between the Song and Jin dynasties, asking Zhao Liangsi to convey a message to Zhao Yu, urging him to consider it carefully.

Zhao Liangsi was truly moved by Wanyan Aguda's sincerity, and he repeatedly raised his cup to toast Wanyan Aguda.

Wanyan Aguda had an enormous capacity for alcohol, accepting all drinks and drinking heartily.

However, Zhao Liangsi was not a strong drinker, and after a few cups, his eyes became blurry and he was drunk.

The following day, Zhao Liangsi went to bid farewell to Wanyan Aguda.

Before parting, Wanyan Aguda clapped his hands.

Immediately, someone carried in many boxes of gifts, along with more than a hundred Liao beauties, among whom was Princess Zhao, Xiao Wuliyan.

Wanyan Aguda laughed and said to Zhao Liangsi, "I've heard that your emperor is fond of beautiful women. I captured quite a few Khitan beauties in Shangjing and will give half of them to your emperor as a sign of my sincerity in forming an alliance with your emperor..."

……

(End of this chapter)