I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 366 Queen of Goryeo
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The people of Gaegyeong already knew that the Song army was attacking from the sea.

No.

It should be said that from the moment King Wang Yu and his ministers chose to cooperate with the Jin Dynasty in fighting against the Song Dynasty, they knew that sooner or later the Song Dynasty would seek revenge on Goryeo.

However, at that time, King Yu and his ministers believed that with the Jin Dynasty blocking the north of Goryeo, they could wait for the Jin Dynasty to be defeated before surrendering. After all, Goryeo's way of survival was to serve the powerful with the weak and waver between the two sides. When the Central Plains dynasty was strong, they would submit to the Central Plains dynasty, and when the steppe dynasty was strong, they would submit to the steppe dynasty.

On the other hand, they also considered that the Song Dynasty might attack from the sea.

However, apart from the north of Goryeo, the other regions of Goryeo were separated from the Song Dynasty by the sea, which was difficult to cross in that era. If they were to attack from the sea, the cost of the war would be too high and it would be too much of a test of national strength. From their own perspective, even if the Song Dynasty attacked from the sea, they estimated that they could only send 10,000 to 20,000 troops, and it was unlikely that there would be more Song troops.

Based on this assessment, they made ample preparations in Licheng Port and Licheng City, believing they had left enough troops and were fully prepared.

Unexpectedly, they waited and waited, but the Song Dynasty did not send troops to attack from the sea.

And so, they waited for more than two years.

Just as they were beginning to relax their guard and even transferred some of their troops from Licheng Port and Licheng City northward to help the Jin Dynasty fight, the Song army attacked from the sea.

Moreover, far beyond their expectations, the Song Dynasty sent 100,000 troops, along with ample supplies and provisions, all at once.

What surprised them even more was that the Song Dynasty did not choose to act recklessly, but instead chose to win over the common people of Goryeo and liberate the slaves of Goryeo, using Goryeo people to fight against Goryeo.

This means that the Song army was now far more than just 100,000.

What's more troublesome is that the Song Dynasty made a clear choice right from the start: it chose the Goryeo commoners and slaves, who made up the largest portion of the Goryeo population, and turned its attention to the Goryeo rulers, making it impossible for them to even negotiate peace.

Goryeo is in grave danger!

Faced with this critical situation, the new king of Goryeo, who was not yet ten years old, summoned his ministers to discuss strategies to deal with the invasion of the Song Dynasty.

As mentioned earlier, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang led their army to Gaegyeong, Goryeo, captured King Yejong of Goryeo, and used the emperor to control Goryeo.

A country cannot live without a ruler for a day.

After the Jurchen troops withdrew, a group of Goryeo ministers, led by Yi Ja-gyeom and Kim Bu-sik, supported the seven-year-old Crown Prince Wang Gae to ascend the throne, and remotely honored King Yejong of Goryeo as the Retired Emperor.

When Wang Kai ascended the throne, he was even younger than in history, only seven years old. His uncles harbored ambitions to follow in the footsteps of their father, King Sukjong of Goryeo.

Unexpectedly, Li Ziqian was more cunning. He decisively married his third and fourth daughters to Wang Kai, firmly grasping Wang Kai's hand and seizing power by supporting Wang Kai's ascension to the throne.

After Wang Kai ascended the throne, he appointed Li Ziqian as a meritorious minister who helped secure the country, Grand Tutor, Chancellor, and Marquis of Shaocheng. In October of the same year, he was further enfeoffed as Duke of Hanyang.

In December, Li Ziqian, using the pretext that Han Anren, Wen Gongmei, and others were plotting to support Prince Fu of Daifang, purged a group of opponents, thereby consolidating his power.

Not long after, Yi Ja-gyeom abdicated due to his mother's death. Wang Kai sent an envoy to reinstate him, bestowing upon him the title of "Duke of Joseon," and appointing him concurrently as the head of three provinces, as well as the Minister of Justice and the Minister of War. He was granted the authority to establish his own residence and build a palace. Wang Kai personally delivered the imperial edict outside the gate of the Gwandeok Palace. All the officials first went to the palace to offer their congratulations, and then went to Yi Ja-gyeom's residence to offer their congratulations. The etiquette he received was comparable to that of the Crown Prince, and his birthday was also called "Insoo Festival" like that of an emperor. It can be said that he had reached the pinnacle of a minister's position.

However, Li Ziqian's glory did not last long, as the Jurchens returned.

The Jin people, especially high-ranking officials like Wanyan Aguda, realized the importance of Goryeo after seeing that the Song Dynasty was clearly going to wage a war of attrition against them.

In addition, the Goryeo people at that time were somewhat rebellious against the Jin people and unwilling to serve as cannon fodder for the Jin state. Wanyan Aguda, a ruthless and ambitious leader, decisively sent Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang to lead troops to the gates of Gaegyeong once again to strengthen control over the Jin state.

This time, after extorting Goryeo again, the Jurchens married Wanyan Wugumai's eldest daughter, Princess Wanyan Wule of Chu, to Wang Kai, making her his queen.

Wang Kai's original queen, who was also Wang Kai's third aunt, was demoted to the head of Yande Palace, and Wang Kai's fourth aunt was demoted to the head of Fuchang Courtyard.

At the same time, the Jin people left Wanyan Zongfu, the third son of Wanyan Aguda, and his Jin army in Gaegyeong to intimidate the Goryeo people.

From then on, power in Goryeo fell into the hands of Wanyan Zongfu and his sister Wanyan Wule.

Not to mention that Wang Kai, who is only nine years old, is now sidelined, even the old fox Li Ziqian has to obediently lie low and temporarily accept the rule of the Jurchens.

Faced with a formidable enemy, the ministers of Goryeo held differing opinions and offered conflicting advice regarding Wang Kai's fate. Some advocated that Wang Kai should avoid the enemy's advance and leave Gaegyeong immediately; others argued that Wang Kai should hold the capital and await reinforcements.

Nine-year-old Wang Kai wavered back and forth, hesitant and unable to make up his mind.

The key point is that this matter is not up to Wang Kai, this puppet, to make decisions about, nor is it something he can run away from whenever he wants.

A Goryeo minister said, “The Song Dynasty now wants to seize our slaves, causing unrest among the people. If they are allowed to stir up this frenzy, Goryeo will be unstable, and war will be inevitable. The Song army is currently arrogant and unstoppable. If our army goes out, they will surely collapse upon seeing the enemy, which is what military strategists fear. I hope Your Majesty will go north to Xijing, gather the troops of the whole country, and ask the Jin Dynasty to send reinforcements. Select generals and lead the army in four routes to drive the Song army out of Goryeo and restore our Goryeo lands.”

A Goryeo minister said, “The capital is the foundation of the nation. If the foundation is shaken, how can the nation be supported? The capital still has tens of thousands of soldiers. If we urgently conscript and distribute them, it will not be difficult to gather another one or two hundred thousand troops. We can then fortify our defenses, enforce martial law, clear the fields and pacify the people, so that the enemy cannot advance and has nothing to plunder. Their army will be exhausted and demoralized. When the army that comes to the aid of the emperor arrives, we will form a pincer movement from within and without. At that time, besieging the Song army will be like driving a flock of sheep. The Song Dynasty will surely beg for mercy.”

Jin Fushi, a scribe in the Imperial Secretariat, disagreed with both of these views, saying, "Neither of these views is a good strategy. In the past, the Khitan, with an army of a million, marched straight to the Great Song's Chanyuan. If they had listened to the requests to avoid the capital and the advice to fortify the city, would the world have enjoyed more than a hundred years of peace? Later, the Great Song emperor personally led the expedition. After the imperial carriage crossed the river, the morale of the Song army soared, the enemy general Talan was shot and killed, and the morale of the Liao army plummeted. They then sent envoys to sue for peace, and the Great Song was able to recover Hebei. The situation today is similar. I urge Your Majesty to emulate Emperor Zhenzong of the Great Song and personally lead the expedition. This matter should be handled quickly and cannot be delayed."

Zuo Zhengyan and Zheng Zhichang disagreed with Jin Fushi's suggestion, and he sarcastically said: "What Jin Fushi said is all just the words of a scholar on paper."

Kim Bu-sik retorted without hesitation: "You do not believe or heed the students' words, which has led to this passive situation. How dare you argue in court today?"

When the Jurchens first invaded the south, Kim Bu-seok opposed surrendering to the Jurchens, believing that the resistance in the south should be withdrawn and that the Jurchens should unite with the Song Dynasty to gradually recover the lost territories.

Most civil officials shared this view. They all felt that they should overcome the temporary difficulties and form an alliance with the more powerful Song Dynasty.

However, the powerful ministers Li Ziqian and Tuo Junjing said: "Jin was a small country in the past, and it served Liao and us. Now it has risen suddenly, destroyed Liao, and its government is well-governed and its army is strong. It is becoming stronger every day, and it is adjacent to our borders. We have no choice but to serve it. Moreover, it is the way of the former kings to compromise and seek peace first, since it is a small country to serve a large country."

At that time, Yi Ja-gyeom's power was already enough to threaten King Yu (think about it, even the crown prince of Goryeo was being groomed by Yi Ja-gyeom). In addition, the Jin army was indeed powerful, and if they did not negotiate peace, Goryeo would be at risk of being destroyed. King Yu had no choice but to listen to this advice and send Yi Ja-gyeom's son, Yi Ji-mi, to the ancestral temple to divine the issue of war or peace with Jin. The result was naturally that the decision was to go with Jin.

At that time, Zheng Zhichang was one of the people who supported Li Ziqian and Tuo Junjing.

Now that Kim Bu-sik has brought this up, he is clearly blaming Li Zi-gyeom and Zheng Zhichang for choosing to surrender to the Jin and go to war with the Song Dynasty, which led to all of this.

At that moment, a pleasant voice rang out from behind the curtain behind Wang Kai. She spoke in somewhat broken Korean, "Does Lord Kim think that Goryeo shouldn't be part of our Great Metal Kingdom?"

Faced with Wanyan Wule's threat, Kim Bu-seok remained unmoved and instead spoke eloquently: "The calamity that Goryeo is in today is the result of what happened in the past. If we do not face it squarely, how can we resolve it? The Queen is the Queen of Goryeo, not just a princess of the Great Jin. If today's matter is not properly resolved, given the habits of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song, when the nest is overturned, how can the Queen remain unscathed?"

Upon hearing Jin Fushi's words, everyone present, including Wanyan Wule, fell silent.

Kim Boo-seok's words were unpleasant to hear.

But everyone has to admit that Kim Boo-seok was telling the truth.

If Zhao Yu had conquered Goryeo, given his penchant for collecting the wives and daughters of his enemies, Wanyan Wule would undoubtedly have become his plaything.

This is something everyone knows perfectly well.

In the past, this would have been fine; no one wanted to hear the truth, and everyone could have glossed over the truth.

But now that a formidable enemy is at hand, if we continue to bury our heads in the sand, Goryeo may be doomed.

Most importantly, Kim Bu-seok advocated not betraying the Jin and surrendering to the Song, but rather having Wang Kai personally lead the army, that is, to fight the Song army with all his might.

Wanyan Wule knew that Jin Fushi had ulterior motives; he wanted to gain some power for Wang Kai and Goryeo so that they could break free from Jin's control and so that Wang Kai could rule in his own right when he grew up.

But that's for the future. If they can't get through this current hurdle, what future will they have?

Having thought all this through, Wanyan Wule asked in a deep voice, "Please explain in detail, Jin Sheren."

When Wanyan Wule asked him to elaborate, Jin Fushi didn't hold back. Instead, he analyzed that the Song army's arrival was quite impressive, and their political slogans of winning over civilians and liberating slaves were quite clever. However, one point could not be ignored: the Song army was fighting on foreign soil, and they would have to engage in a decisive battle with the Goryeo army, who were familiar with everything about Goryeo, right from the start. As long as the Goryeo army could win this decisive battle, no matter how powerful or wealthy the Song Dynasty was, or how skilled the Song army was, it would be useless. They would only be able to slink back to the Song Dynasty by sea.

As soon as Kim Boo-seok finished speaking, Wanyan Zongfu, who had already deployed his elite troops to Gaegyeong, walked up to the main hall and said, "What Minister Kim suggested is indeed a wise plan to save the country. There is no need for further discussion. Let His Majesty and the Empress personally lead the expedition. I am willing to be the commander-in-chief and gather all the forces of our Great Jin and Goryeo to fight the Song army to the death, so that not a single Song dog can escape with a single horse..."

……

(End of this chapter)