I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 404 Dilemma
...

Wanyan Aguda already knew that the Song army had taken Yongming City by sea and then launched a surprise attack on their Jin capital, Jin Shangjing.

The capital of a country, especially in ancient times, is the anchor of the world and the lifeline of the nation—it is the place where emperors and ancestral temples are located, the dwelling place of the gods of the state, and the core of power where the eyes of all people are focused.

For the Jin Dynasty, Jin Shangjing was not only the place where Wanyan Aguda led the Jurchen cavalry to rise to power, but also the root of the Jin royal family's genealogy and a symbol of the Jurchen tribe's cohesion.

In terms of practical function, the city was home to the relatives and descendants of Jurchen noble families, as well as the grain and wealth that sustained the Jin state.

When the capital falls, the ancestral temples are burned and the state is overthrown.

When the Song army breached the capital of the Jin dynasty, and when the Jin royal family, clan members, Jurchen nobles, and their families were taken out of the city, what was destroyed was not only the city walls and bricks, but also the dignity and foundation upon which the Jin dynasty depended. When the princes were captured, the tribes became disaffected; when the ancestral temples were burned, the sacrifices were interrupted; and when the imperial seal was stolen, the legitimacy was lost.

In short, as long as the capital was in power, Wanyan Aguda could still command the people and gather troops to launch a counterattack; but when the capital fell, the people's hearts collapsed and the country ceased to exist. Even though Wanyan Aguda still had hundreds of thousands of cavalry, they became homeless and destitute.

What's more troublesome is that if they don't come to their aid, the Song army will definitely take the opportunity to march north and strike directly at the heart of the Jurchens, completely occupying their ancestral homeland and destroying their foundation.

This means that the Song army will have to defend the city if they attack it.

The problem is that Wanyan Aguda cannot withdraw his troops yet.

It should be noted that Wanyan Aguda personally led this expedition to block Song troops from the south, east, and even west.

—The Song army has been employing a strategy of gradual, incremental advances against the Jin state from the south and east, nibbling away at its territory. Now, the Song western army has also circled around from the west, launching surprise attacks on the Jin army from time to time.

If any of these three routes cannot be stopped, it will be extremely difficult, even fatal, for the Jin Kingdom.

Wanyan Aguda then mobilized all the capable soldiers in the Jin state, intending to make a desperate gamble.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu did not play by the rules. Relying on his ships, soldiers, and money, he unprecedentedly sent his army, which had swept across Jidi, to launch a surprise attack on Yongming City, and then beheaded the capital of the Jin Dynasty.

Wanyan Aguda was caught in a dilemma.

The candlelight licked at the borders on the map, and Wanyan Aguda's figure twisted like a trapped beast against the tent wall.

Return to provide aid?

The Song army will surely encircle the Jin state like a tidal wave.

At that time, those prefectures and regions that had just been forcibly conquered by the Jurchen cavalry and originally belonged to the Liao Kingdom would surely rise up in response, and the territory of the Jin Kingdom would inevitably disintegrate within a few months.

If that's the case, even if they recapture the capital of Jin, they will lose half of the Jin kingdom's territory, or even more.

Not going to send reinforcements?
The sobbing sounds coming from outside the tent seemed to be the wails of the imperial relatives in the capital, and the burnt smell of the ancestral tombs seemed to drift to the central command tent along with the hooves of the post horses.

With the country gone, the ancestral temples burned, and his relatives captured, how could this Great Jin Emperor still have the nerve to command the world?

The key is that those tribes that once submitted to the Song Dynasty will surely turn against their own people when they see their ancestral homeland fall; and the soldiers under their command will collapse in an instant upon hearing of the misfortune befalling their families. At that time, even without the Song army's encirclement, their own people will be in chaos first.

Wanyan Aguda looked at the red arrows marked by the Song army on the map. To the north, there was the desperate situation of the fall of Jin's capital, Shangjing, and to the south, there was the encirclement of three Song armies. He was caught in a dilemma, a dead end with no solution.

Wanyan Xie also said in a deep voice: "Shangjing is the foundation of the dragon's rise, and the imperial family is the lifeblood of the nation. How can we abandon it! I request to lead 30,000 iron cavalry to return to the aid of the Song invaders overnight, break through the siege of the Song invaders, and save our relatives from the fire and water! Even if the Song army on the southern front takes advantage of the situation to invade, our Great Jin iron cavalry can turn back and resist again. There is absolutely no reason to let the land of the dragon's rise fall into foreign hands!"

Wanyan Wulu stroked his beard and shook his head: "The Song army is surrounded on three fronts. If our army divides its forces to return to reinforce, they will surely take advantage of the situation! We should hold the front line, break the Song army's encirclement first, and then gradually plan to recover Shangjing. This is the most secure strategy."

Wanyan Wulu's sons almost all died in the wars during the rise of the Jurchens. His only son was still by his side. He had no family in the Jin capital, only some wealth. Of course, he could talk big, but others could not.

Wanyan Zhong's entire family of nearly a hundred people were in the Jin capital. How could he bear not to go and rescue them?

Wanyan Zhong kowtowed with tears in his eyes: "Your Majesty! Many of the soldiers' families are in Shangjing. Upon hearing that the city has fallen and they have been captured, the morale of the army has been shaken! Last night, more than a dozen soldiers deserted. If we do not return to reinforce them, I fear that the morale of the army will be shaken and they will collapse without a fight! I am willing to lead my troops as the vanguard and fight to the death in Shangjing to stabilize the morale of the army!"

Wanyan Salihe also had relatives in the Jin capital, but he always considered himself a national hero. How could he disregard the overall situation because of his own family?

Therefore, Wanyan Sali glared and retorted: "The morale of the army is important, but the territory is even more important! If we lose half of the country, even if we rescue our relatives, we will have nowhere to live! Moreover, the Song army has already captured Shangjing for two or three days, and it will take them four or five days to return. In seven or eight days, if the Song army really intends to sweep the city, how can we save it?! The best course of action now is to strictly order the army that anyone who dares to suggest returning to reinforce the city will be executed. We must first join forces to defeat the western Song army, intimidate them, and prevent them from following us. Only then can we turn the tide and reverse the critical situation!"

Wanyan Xishi stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. We can send a small number of light cavalry to make a show of force and return to reinforce, thus delaying the Song army's northward advance; we can also order Yelü Yudu to lead the Khitans to contain the Song army on the eastern route; Your Majesty can personally lead the main force to launch a fierce attack on the Song army on the western route, breaking through one of its flanks, and the encirclement will be lifted. After the western front is secured, we can then send the entire army back to reinforce Shangjing, thus protecting our territory and saving our relatives, which may be a win-win situation."

Yang Pu shook his head: "Now that the capital has fallen, the ancestral temples are gone, and the legal system has been damaged. If we do not rescue it quickly, the various tribes will surely harbor rebellious intentions. I believe that we should leave a small force to attack from a distance, using time to buy space. We should then send ministers to pacify the various prefectures, instructing them to fortify their defenses, enforce martial law, and clear the fields of the people. This will prevent the enemy from advancing and from plundering. Their army will be exhausted and demoralized, and they will not dare to advance unimpeded. Your Majesty should lead the main force back to reinforce the capital and fight a decisive battle with the Song rebels. If we can reclaim the capital, the people will be at peace, and the territory can be defended."

Han Qixian nodded and added, "What Lord Yang said is very true. Currently, the people in the former Liao territory of our Great Jin are restless. If the Song army attacks, they will surely rise up in response. At this time, the Song army is arrogant and unstoppable. If our army goes out, they will collapse upon seeing the enemy, which is what military strategists fear. I believe that we can rely on past favors and instruct the generals of each prefecture to hold their ground and temporarily block the Song army's northward advance. Your Majesty should return to the capital to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. Only then can we restore the prestige of our nation. Otherwise, beset by internal and external troubles, we will surely perish!"

Yelü Yudu said in a deep voice, "It's probably difficult to have both sides in this matter. It would be better to abandon the south and retreat north of Shangjing..."

The ministers argued endlessly, and inside the golden tent, the flickering candlelight illuminated Wanyan Aguda's ashen face. He suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up, saying in a deep voice, "Enough!" The tent fell silent instantly.

Wanyan Aguda swept his gaze across the assembled officials and said, word by word, "If we send reinforcements, our territory will be in danger; if we do not, the very foundation of our nation will perish. Lost territory can be recovered, but if the foundation of our nation is destroyed, there will be no hope of recovery! Wulu and Xieye are leading their troops to harass and attack, creating a false impression and containing the Song army; I will personally lead the main force back to the capital to annihilate the Song traitors!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers bowed their heads and accepted the order: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Wanyan Aguda stepped out of the central command tent, gazing up at the northern sky. Where the lights of the capital should have shone, only a heavy, inky darkness pressed down on the horizon. 'What will become of my Great Jin?' he thought.

They learned that Wanyan Aguda planned to withdraw his troops.

Wanyan Salihe reminded Wanyan Aguda: "The Song army is currently at its peak and has captured our capital. Our army has returned empty-handed, demoralized and exhausted. If the Song army knows that our army intends to retreat, they will definitely follow up with an attack."

Wanyan Aguda knew that Wanyan Salihe was right, so the matter of withdrawing the troops still needed to be considered in a long-term manner.

In the main tent of the central Song army, Liu Fa read the telegram sent to him by the imperial court and learned that Song Jiang and his men had captured the Jin capital. Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers judged that Wanyan Aguda would definitely withdraw his troops to reinforce the Jin capital.

Liu Fa laughed loudly: "If Aguda were to escape so easily, wouldn't that be a disgrace to my lord's divine wisdom and strategy?"

Liu Fa immediately summoned his trusted general Liu Guangshi and gave him instructions.

That afternoon, Liu Guangshi led his men to quietly circle around to the rear of the Jin army and lay in ambush on both sides of the main road south of Songyi Town. — This was a crucial route for the Jin army to transport supplies.

As evening fell, Wanyan Huonü, the Jin general in charge of protecting the grain, led several hundred cavalrymen and escorted several hundred wagons loaded with grain and fodder, slowly making their way from north to south along the post road.

Wanyan Huonu was the eldest son of Wanyan Loushi, the most famous general of the Jin Dynasty, and also a renowned general of the Jin Dynasty. At the age of seventeen, he followed his father in attacking Ningjiang Prefecture, where he fought bravely and was wounded. He once defeated Yelü Foding and his troops at Shenzhou, and also followed Wanyan Zonghan in attacking Xi Wang Xiamo, achieving a victory against overwhelming odds.

Historically, after Wanyan Loushi's death, Wanyan Huonu succeeded Hezhameng'an as the head of the Huanglong Prefecture, rising to the rank of Left Military Supervisor and being enfeoffed as the Prince of Guangping, with the posthumous title of Zhenji. He was a renowned general in the early Jin Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, Wanyan Huonv suffered a mishap this time. Not only did Liu Guangshi rob her of her grain supplies, but she was also captured by Li Qiong, a fierce general under Liu Guangshi.

At Liu Guangshi's command, all of the hundreds of grain carts were set on fire.

Before long, flames shot into the sky, crackling and popping, the firelight soaring into the heavens as bright as day, and the Jin army's food supplies were burned to ashes.

Upon hearing that the grain carts had been burned by the Song army, Wanyan Aguda was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly convened a meeting of his generals that very night and said, "Now that the grain has been burned by the Song army, the remaining food will only last for seven or eight days. This place is far from the rear, and the supply lines are not easy to protect. If we stay here for too long, there may be trouble in the army. The withdrawal should not be delayed any longer. What do you think?"

The generals nodded in agreement, indicating their obedience to Wanyan Aguda's decision.

Wanyan Xie was also somewhat worried: "The Song army burned my supplies, they probably don't want me to retreat easily, I'm afraid I still have to fight the Song army..."

That night, Liu Guangshi ordered his men to blindfold Wanyan Huonv, leave him in the outer room of his tent, and remove the sentries outside the tent, deliberately giving him a chance to escape.

At midnight, Liu Guangshi said to Li Qiong, "Yue Fei and others have captured Shangjing City and taken all the Jurchen crown prince and the families of the Jin army. The Jin army will surely retreat soon. How can we let them have their way? The commander has already sent someone back to the Song Dynasty to ask for help. Once the army from within the pass arrives, I will divide my forces into left and right wings to encircle the Jin army and use elite troops to attack their central army. We will light fires as a signal. They will lose Shangjing first, then their food supplies, and we will surely annihilate them in one fell swoop."

Wanyan Huonv heard Liu Guangshi's words clearly from outside the tent.

Wanyan Huonu seized the opportunity, quietly untied the ropes binding her hands, removed the black cloth covering her face, and tiptoed to the tent entrance. Seeing that no one was outside, she bent down and quietly slipped away along the side of the tent.

Wanyan Huonu ran more than ten miles overnight and arrived at Wanyan Aguda's central army tent.

At this moment, Wanyan Aguda was sitting on a white tiger-skin chair in the central command tent, deep in thought with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside the tent. Just as Wanyan Aguda was about to ask what was going on, the tent door was suddenly pushed open, startling him.

Wanyan Huonu rushed in and shouted, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Liu Fa has already asked the Song Dynasty for help, and the Song army inside the pass will arrive soon to prevent me from returning to Shangjing."

When Wanyan Aguda saw that it was Wanyan Huonu, he was furious. He shouted, "First you lost military rations, then you spread rumors and disrupted morale. Now you shall be punished for both crimes. Guards, drag her out and behead her!"

Upon hearing Wanyan Aguda's words, two Jin soldiers entered, grabbed Wanyan Huonu's arms, and dragged her out.

Wanyan Huonu struggled free and knelt down with a thud, crying out, "I risked my life to escape from the Song army just to deliver a message to Your Majesty. This is absolutely true. I hope Your Majesty will be on guard. As for my dog's head, if Your Majesty wants it, I will have no objection."

Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Huonu, father and son, were Wanyan Aguda's direct subordinates when he rose to power. The father and son made countless contributions, especially Wanyan Loushi, who can definitely be called a hero of the Jurchen people.

Even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least care about the Buddha. How could Wanyan Aguda really kill Wanyan Huonu?

Wanyan Aguda waved to the two Jin soldiers, signaling them to leave, and then asked Wanyan Huonu, "How did you know about such an important matter?"

Wanyan Huonu immediately recounted his experience to Wanyan Aguda, embellishing it with extra details.

Wanyan Aguda did have suspicions that Wanyan Huonu had been deceived by Liu Guangshi.

However, Wanyan Aguda originally intended to withdraw his troops and return to rescue the Jin capital.

Secondly, the Jin army's supplies were burned by the Song army, forcing the Jin army to retreat.

Now, news has arrived from Wanyan Huonu.

Wanyan Aguda felt that regardless of whether the matter was true or false, it was best to be cautious.

Therefore, after discussing with his ministers, Wanyan Aguda decided not to wait any longer and retreated overnight.

That night, Wanyan Aguda ordered the generals on all four sides to sound the drums and gongs, and at the same time ordered the troops to withdraw.

This was opposed by Wanyan Xieye, Wanyan Wulu, Wanyan Salihe, and others. They argued that it was already the middle of the night, and the troops were fast asleep. If they suddenly ordered a retreat, it would likely cause chaos. Even if they were to retreat, they should wait until dawn to give the order.

Wanyan Aguda agreed.

Unexpectedly, at dawn, fires suddenly broke out in all directions within the Song army.

Some people judged that the Song army was about to attack.

Wanyan Aguda hurriedly returned to the central command tent and ordered: burn the camp and supplies, and the entire army retreat northward.

Fearing pursuit by the Song army, Wanyan Aguda ordered Wanyan Xieye to personally lead his elite troops to cover the rear.

Upon receiving the order, each army immediately burned its tents and destroyed its supplies; all that could be heard was shouting and neighing, a scene of utter chaos.

Seeing the Jin army in such disarray, Wanyan Xie was so anxious that he stamped his feet. He quickly gathered his more than 20,000 elite troops to cover the rear.

Wanyan Xie also sensed that his elder brother might be about to make a serious mistake. 'What if the Song army suddenly attacks now?'

Wanyan Xie guessed correctly as well.

Liu Fa and Liu Guangshi were forcing the Jin army to retreat hastily; otherwise, how could they have launched a surprise attack on the Jin army?

……

(End of this chapter)