I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 371 Sometimes Women Are More Decisive Than Men
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Before Zheng Zhichang came to see Wanyan Wule, he was already 80% certain. He didn't believe that the Jurchens would just sit idly by and wait for their doom without trying to save themselves.

As expected, Zheng Zhichang went to see Wanyan Wule, and Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya immediately summoned him.

Upon meeting, Zheng Zhichang bluntly revealed to Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya that Wang Kai and his ministers were plotting to use the Jurchens as a pledge of allegiance to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty.

Before Zheng Zhichang could finish explaining Wang Kai and his ministers' plan to protect themselves by betraying the Jurchens, Wanyan Wule raised her hand to interrupt him, preventing him from continuing. Her gaze was sharp as a knife: "Grand Scholar, there's no need for further words. I only ask you, what good plan do you have to save our lives?"

These words put Zheng Zhichang's mind at ease.

'The Queen must also know that her father-in-law, Kim Bu-seok, and others are plotting to harm her and the Jurchens.'

This is quite normal, considering that Wanyan Wule had controlled the Goryeo government and Wang Kai for more than two years. How could he not have planted spies among the Goryeo high-ranking officials?
Zheng Zhichang bowed and said in a steady voice, "As long as Her Majesty the Queen agrees, I will immediately go to talk to the Song Dynasty envoy and tell Her Majesty that she is willing to detain the nobles of Goryeo and surrender the city."

What made Zheng Zhichang even more certain was that, upon hearing his words of surrender, Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya did not utter a word of rebuke, nor did they even change their expressions.

It is not difficult to see from this that the Jurchens, including Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya, also intended to surrender.

After a moment's hesitation, Wanyan Zongya said in a deep voice, "Has our assistance to the Song Dynasty yielded any benefits?"

Zheng Zhichang said in a deep voice, "Your subject will do everything in his power to protect the lives and wealth of the Jin people in the city, to secure the title of Imperial Concubine for the Queen and a fiefdom for the Wolf Lord."

Wanyan Zongya looked into Zheng Zhichang's eyes and asked, "Do you know that my Great Jin and his Great Song are sworn enemies, bound to fight to the death?"

Zheng Zhichang smiled and said, "If I am not mistaken, this enmity is between the Great Jin and the Great Song, not between the Great Song and the Great Jin. If the Queen and the Wolf Lord are willing to let go of their hatred, where is this enmity?"

Fearing that Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya would not believe him, Zheng Zhichang took the initiative to say, "His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty is a man of great talent and ambition, magnanimous and generous, good at recognizing and employing people, and people are happy to serve him. If the Queen and your brother and relatives make great contributions, how could they not tolerate a Meng'an Jurchen?"

Feeling that this explanation was still not convincing enough to persuade Wanyan Wule, Zheng Zhichang then presented facts and reasoning:

"The Queen should have heard of the Song Emperor's character and know that he has a penchant for taking the wives and daughters of his enemies into his harem. If the Queen is willing to enter his harem to protect her people and seek the position of Noble Consort, it may be difficult. However, it should not be difficult for her to seek the position of Virtuous Consort. After all, the Queen is the rightful Queen of Goryeo, and her status is rightful. Moreover, the Queen can offer him all the daughters of the Goryeo royal family and the royal clan. This will surely please His Majesty the Song Emperor. According to the principle of rewarding merit, the Queen should be richly rewarded. Otherwise, who will surrender to the Song in the future?"

After a pause, Zheng Zhichang continued, "If Your Highness does not wish to enter the Song Emperor's harem, then that would be troublesome. A beautiful and virtuous lady is sought after by gentlemen. To persuade him to give up the Queen, I fear he would need a compelling argument. Moreover, if Your Highness does not enter his harem, who can guarantee the safety of the Wolf Lord and Your Highness's clan? Indeed, if Your Highness is determined not to enter his harem, I will also try to persuade Your Highness. However, in that case, whether it succeeds or not is another matter entirely."

Wanyan Wule understood that Zheng Zhichang still hoped she could enter Zhao Yu's harem and become their protector and political backer.

Even his brother Wanyan Zongya and most of her clansmen thought the same way.

Wanyan Wule had long heard that Zhao Yu had taken all the royal daughters and imperial clan daughters of the Qing Tang, Western Xia, and Liao kingdoms into his harem after conquering them. In particular, the empresses and Zanmen of these kingdoms had become important concubines of Zhao Yu.

Therefore, Wanyan Wule firmly believed what Zheng Zhichang said.

Moreover, Wanyan Wule also knew that Zhao Yu had even sent Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese back to the Liao Kingdom to serve as empress dowagers and rule from behind the curtain.

It is clear from this that surrender does not mean there is no chance; only stubborn resistance is truly courting death.

It was precisely for this reason that Wanyan Wule had the idea of ​​surrendering to the Song Dynasty and persuaded her brother Wanyan Zongya, who shared the same father and mother, to surrender as well.

Wanyan Zongya said, "These are just empty words. Shouldn't the Song Dynasty give us a guarantee? Otherwise, if they go back on their word after the deed is done, wouldn't we be..."

Unexpectedly, before Wanyan Zongya could finish speaking, Wanyan Wule interrupted him, saying, "This matter is not urgent."

Zheng Zhichang realized that this King Shan was even more eager to surrender than their queen, and the matter was almost settled.

Wanyan Wule looked at Zheng Zhichang and asked, "What is your opinion, Scholar Zheng, on the war between our Great Jin and its Great Song?"

Zheng Zhichang thought to himself, 'It seems the Queen's concern still lies in the survival of the nation; I must put an end to her hopes.'

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhichang said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is wise. If you let me see for myself, the Jin Kingdom will surely perish!"

Before Wanyan Wule could ask for the reason, Zheng Zhichang took the initiative to analyze it for her:
"In the past, when the Central Plains conquered the grasslands, the difficulty lay in transporting provisions and supplies. Now, the Great Song Dynasty has over ten thousand ships and the marvel of the railway, so transportation is no longer a problem. Moreover, the Great Song is gradually eroding the Jin Dynasty's territory through shallow-water attacks and fortifications. The Jin Dynasty's demise is only a matter of time, not a question of whether it will happen. Furthermore, our Goryeo is on the verge of collapse. If Goryeo did not provide the Jin Dynasty with provisions, supplies, and manpower, how could the Jin Dynasty resist the Great Song? On the contrary, the Great Song has gained wings from the provisions, supplies, wealth, and manpower accumulated by Goryeo over two hundred years. Goryeo also has the geographical advantage of being adjacent to the Jin Dynasty. I ask you, under such circumstances, how can the Jin Dynasty survive?"

These words struck a chord with Wanyan Wule, who in fact thought the same thing.

Furthermore, seeing is believing.

The Jin Dynasty and Goryeo were long-time enemies. After Wang Geon established the Goryeo regime, Goryeo actively expanded its territory northward, bordering the Jurchen tribes living in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula and causing conflicts. The two sides fought for more than 160 years.

It can be said that Goryeo and Jurchen were sworn enemies almost from the very beginning of the founding of Goryeo.

Leaving aside the distant past, and even the fiercest battle between the two sides, the Battle of Helandian, let's just talk about the two Jin invasions of Goryeo. Goryeo fought some decent blocking battles on both occasions, inflicting certain casualties on the Jin army.

When it was the Song Dynasty's turn, it only took them a little over half a month to cripple Goryeo, and they were ready to break through Goryeo's capital, Kaesong, at any moment. This terrifying fighting power was undoubtedly the strongest in the world at that time.

From this perspective, the Jin dynasty was doomed to perish sooner or later.

In this situation, even if these Jurchens burned all the grain and supplies in Kaijing, it would only prolong the Jurchen state's life by a year at most, which would not help the overall situation and would be of little significance.

The key question is, even if the siblings wanted to sacrifice themselves for the Jin Dynasty, would the Goryeo people let them succeed so easily? Even the Jin people under their command might not obey their orders. In the end, they might just sacrifice themselves in vain and change nothing.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to surrender honestly, which would preserve a branch of the Jurchen people and prevent them from being wiped out in the end.

As for seeking to return to the Jin Dynasty? They didn't burn the grain and supplies in Kaesong, and they even surrendered with the Goryeo people. Returning to the Jin Dynasty would certainly not end well for them.

Having figured this out, Wanyan Wule's last trace of hesitation vanished. She turned to Wanyan Zongya and said in a deep voice, "Brother, things have come to this point. If we don't surrender, we will all have no way to survive. Why don't we strike first?"

Wanyan Zongya nodded, then said to Zheng Zhichang, "Then I'll ask the Grand Secretary to mediate."

Wanyan Wule remained silent, clearly acquiescing to Zheng Zhichang's initial proposal: to secure a concubine position for Wanyan Wule under Zhao Yu and a fiefdom for Wanyan Zongya.

Having persuaded the Jin people, Zheng Zhichang was overjoyed. He bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Lord Wolf, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

After saying this, Zheng Zhichang prepared to turn around and leave, heading straight for the residence of Wang Lun and the other Song envoys.

Unexpectedly, Wanyan Wule spoke up, "Wait." Zheng Zhichang, puzzled, asked, "Does the Queen have any further instructions?"

Wanyan Wule said, "Now that the matter has been settled, let's not drag it out any longer. At that time, you and I will split up. You go and communicate with the Song envoy, while I will take direct action here and not give them any opportunity to take advantage of us."

Zheng Zhichang was taken aback! He hadn't expected that sometimes, this woman could be more decisive than a man.

Zheng Zhichang thought about it again and understood why Wanyan Wule dared to take direct action, while Li Ziqian, Jin Fushi, and others did not.

This was mainly because the Jurchens held the heart of Kaesong. As long as they sealed off the capital, no one could enter for a short period of time, and they could quickly take control of Goryeo's central government.

Furthermore, the granaries and warehouses in Kaijing were always under the control of the Jurchens, so even if there was chaos in Kaijing, they could still give an account to the Song Dynasty.

Not long after Zheng Zhichang left the city, Wanyan Zongya summoned four Jurchen generals and said to them, "You four, quickly take your men and go to seal off a gate. Anyone who enters or leaves, no matter who they are, must be arrested. Anyone who dares to resist, kill them without mercy!"

Wanyan Zongya then sent people to control the Censorate, the Privy Council, and the Ministry of Personnel, ordering them to trap all the officials in their respective offices in place.

After receiving their orders, the group of Jin generals turned around and led their armored soldiers away, the heavy clanging of armor plates fading into the distance outside the hall.

At this moment, Wanyan Wule looked at Wanyan Zongya and said to him, "Brother, you go and arrest His Majesty, Li Ziqian, Jin Fushi, and others yourself. I will stay here and control the inner palace."

At this moment, the Buddha King abandoned all self-cultivation. He nodded, picked up his sword, and left.

Although Wanyan Zongya seemed quite resolute, Wanyan Wule still instructed him: "If anyone resists, kill them without mercy! There is no time to hesitate, or things will change."

Wanyan Zongya nodded, then left without looking back.

Before half an incense stick could burn, sporadic sounds of armor being slapped and shouts of warning could be heard inside and outside the imperial city...

The Jurchens already controlled the defenses of the imperial city of Kaesong and had planned this all along, so they acted with complete control.

The Jurchens responsible for sealing off the Ministry of Personnel had just arrived outside the government office when they broke in under the pretext of "inspecting defenses." They trapped the Goryeo officials who were holding a meeting inside the hall, and the crisp sound of sword sheaths striking the ground instantly silenced all the officials in the hall.

Meanwhile, Wanyan Zongya led his armored soldiers straight into the Goryeo royal palace. Wang Kai, Li Ziqian, Kim Bu-sik, and others were discussing how to capture Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya and use the siblings to force the Jurchens to lay down their weapons, and then use the Jurchens as a gift to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty, when the Jurchens broke down the door and entered.

Wang Kai was so frightened that he slumped onto the dragon throne. Being so young, he was even so scared by these savage-like Jurchens that he wet himself.

It's no wonder Wang Kai was so timid; the two beast-like Jurchens rushed to his side, held knives to his neck, and one of them even said in broken Korean, "If you dare to move, I'll kill you!"

Those Goryeo generals who had just drawn their swords immediately hesitated to act rashly, and as a result, they were all captured by the Jurchens.

Li Ziqian and Jin Fushi, one wanted to use his status to mediate, and the other wanted to show his loyalty and bravery, but as soon as they took action, they were knocked to the ground by two Jin soldiers.

This is like a scholar encountering a soldier—he can't reason with him.

In no time at all, all the leaders of Goryeo were captured by the Jurchens.

Within an hour, the Kaesong Imperial City was completely controlled by the Jurchens. The key political figures of Goryeo, such as the Privy Councilor and the Minister of State, were either trapped in their offices or captured in their homes and imprisoned in a side hall on the west side of the Imperial City. Wang Kai, Yi Jagyeom, and Kim Bu-seok were taken to a separate palace and imprisoned, guarded by forty Jurchens.

It is easy to see just how well the Jurchens prepared for their capital, Kaijing.

Before long, Zheng Zhichang invited Wang Lun over.

Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya personally arrived outside the Goryeo royal palace to greet Wang Lun.

After the two sides met, Wanyan Wule stepped forward and said in a respectful but dignified tone: "Gaegyeong is now under our control. The Goryeo royal family and officials are all here. We are willing to surrender the city to the Song Dynasty."

Wang Lun laughed and said, "The Queen is decisive and capable, and her abilities are second to none. His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty admires such an extraordinary woman as the Queen the most."

Wang Lun then turned to Wanyan Zongya and said, "I have heard of the name of the Buddha King in the Song Dynasty. He is indeed a wise and capable leader. The Song Dynasty will definitely provide the Wolf King with a fertile land so that your tribe can thrive and multiply."

Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya understood that the Song Dynasty had agreed to all their requests.

This gave Wanyan Wule and Wanyan Zongya a sigh of relief; at least their wealth and status were preserved.

Wanyan Zongya asked, "Then, what should we do next?"

Wang Lun readily agreed, "I have already sent men out of the city to invite Governor Chen and Marshal Zhong. Tomorrow at noon, as long as we open the city gates and welcome them in, we will be credited with the greatest achievement. Until then, stability is paramount..."

Wanyan Zongya immediately declared on behalf of all the Jurchens that they would completely obey Wang Lun's command.

Wang Lun didn't stand on ceremony and ordered Wanyan Zongya to immediately strengthen the guards of the granary and all the warehouses.

Subsequently, Wang Lun went to meet Wang Kai, Li Ziqian, Jin Fushi, and others.

Wang Kai and his ministers immediately expressed their willingness to surrender to the Song Dynasty unconditionally.

Wang Lun reassured Wang Kai and his ministers, telling them not to worry, and that the Song Dynasty was a land of propriety and would not deny them a chance to argue their point.

As dawn approached, Wang Lun instructed Wang Kai and his ministers to issue a proclamation stating that, for the sake of the lives of all the people in the city, the imperial court had decided to lay down its arms and surrender. The proclamation stated that the Song Dynasty would send troops to take over Kaesong at noon, and that all soldiers should hand over their weapons and warhorses to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, and so on…

To ensure everything went smoothly, Wang Kai and his ministers even sent men on horseback to shout messages throughout the city.

It was noon.

Zhong Shizhong personally led three thousand elite troops into Kaijing City.

The capital of Goryeo fell...

……

(End of this chapter)