The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 392 The Jin Kingdom is Weakening
Fu Songqing pulled Wang Lun aside and invited him to sit down.

This is just a pass, and a pass under construction at that. Concrete was just being mixed on the ground next to it, and there's a pile of wet, mushy concrete, a huge pile of river sand, and a huge pile of gray cement on the ground...

There were also workers washing the sand with water nearby.

In such an environment, Fu Songqing really couldn't properly entertain them, so he could only set up a table and sit down opposite Wang Lun.

Wang Lun's gaze swept around the pass twice: "I've been away from the Central Plains for five and a half years, and now that I'm back, I'm a little confused. What exactly is going on here? Why are they mixing sand and this mortar together?"

Fu Songqing: "Well, actually I don't know either. They say it will take more than ten days to see the effects."

Wang Lun: "..."

Fu Songqing: "Let's not worry about that for now. Lord Wang, tell me about the situation in the Jin Kingdom. How are the two emperors doing now?"

Wang Lun's eyes reddened at the mention of this: "The two emperors are having a very difficult time now."

Fu Songqing: "Huh?"

Wang Lun wept as he said, "The concubines and daughters of the two emperors were forcibly taken away by the Jin generals and made into slaves and concubines. Their lives were filled with unspeakable misery. Many of them could not bear the humiliation and committed suicide by throwing themselves into wells. The houses they lived in were very dilapidated, with wind blowing in through the broken doors. At night, there was only one oil lamp, and the Jin people told them to save oil and not to light more lamps... The cooks also skimped on their food... They could only eat one meal and go hungry at another..."

(Emperor Huizong of Song: "The west wind shook the door all night, and a single lamp flickered in the desolate inn.")
Fu Songqing was furious: "Damn Jin bandits! I will kill these traitors. Send out troops, let's send out troops and wipe out the Jin bandits."

Wang Lun quickly said, "No! The Jin Kingdom is powerful. Attacking them now would be like throwing an egg against a rock. Please be cautious."

After the two finished their conversation, they suddenly realized something was wrong!
Fu Songqing discovered that Wang Lun was a proponent of peace.

Wang Lun also realized: Fu Songqing is a proponent of war.

Their eyes sharpened...

Factions are no joke! You can't just mix people together.

Both of them chose to remain silent.

Just then, Shagen, who had always seemed foolish and like a farmer, spoke up: "Lord Wang, why did the Jin Kingdom choose this time to release you back to the Song Dynasty? Have you thought about this along the way?"

Wang Lun was startled and turned to look. He found that the man in front of him really looked silly and had the air of a peasant. However, the tone of his voice, his demeanor and his manner of speaking did not match his appearance. It was as if a wise sage lived in the body of a peasant.

He asked curiously, "And who is this?"

Fu Songqing introduced him with a little embarrassment: "This is the construction team leader from the Northern Song Dynasty, named Shagen."

Wang Lun: "..."

This identity and this name don't sound like someone who can discuss national affairs at all.

But Yue Wenxuan didn't care about all that. He took a stool and sat down at the table with Fu Songqing and Wang Lun, the three of them sitting in a triangular formation: "Lord Wang, the reason why the Jin Kingdom chose to release you back to the Southern Song at this time is actually because they are rapidly weakening."

Wang Lun: "Huh? Getting weaker?"

“That’s right! They’ve become weaker.” Yue Wenxuan laughed, “The rulers of the Jin Dynasty have probably realized that their battle lines are too long. They’re fighting the Song Dynasty in the south, the Liao and Western Xia in the west, and their territory stretches across the Shamo Grassland for thousands of miles… With the Jin Dynasty’s primitive-like internal affairs management capabilities, they’re already stretched thin and can’t keep up.” Wang Lun’s eyes lit up when he heard this. His impression of this seemingly foolish man immediately changed. How could a peasant say such things? This man is worth talking to.

He nodded: "That makes sense!"

Yue Wenxuan continued, "There must be political struggles within the Jin Kingdom now, right? Lord Wang has been in the Jin Kingdom for five and a half years, and he should have already felt the mutual exclusion between the various factions within the Jin Kingdom."

Wang Lun was startled: It's not surprising that someone like me, who has been in the Jin Kingdom for more than five years, knows about this. How do you, a Song person, know about it?
Yue Wenxuan: "The most crucial point is that the Jin Dynasty was terrified of our Northern Song Dynasty, so it wanted to show goodwill to the Southern Song Dynasty and get the Southern Song Dynasty to form an alliance with it so that the North and South could attack our Northern Song Dynasty together."

Wang Lun's brows furrowed deeply.

Although Wang Lun was a proponent of peace, he was not a capitulationist. His advocacy for peace was based on a judgment of the balance of power between the two countries, unlike Qin Hui, who was a traitor seeking personal gain.

Before each mission to the Jin Dynasty, Wang Lun would advise Zhao Gou, "You must seize the opportunity to wage war while I am on my mission to the Jin Dynasty, and do not worry about my life or death."

This person was completely different from Qin Hui and his faction of peace advocates.

After hearing Yue Wenxuan's words, he thought for a moment and looked up: "The Jin Kingdom is getting weaker... so they released me in order to negotiate peace! That... sounds somewhat reasonable."

Yue Wenxuan: "In any matter, you can tell who is behind the conspiracy by looking at who ultimately benefits. So, Lord Wang, think carefully: if you were to return to the Southern Song Dynasty, how would you advise Zhao Gou?"

Wang Lun said, "My original plan was to persuade Your Majesty to make peace with the Jin Kingdom temporarily because of its power, and then send troops to recover lost territory when a better opportunity is found."

Yue Wenxuan: "See, the answer is obvious."

Wang Lun suddenly woke up.

"Alright! I've said what I needed to say." Yue Wenxuan patted his bottom and stood up, then called out to the workers beside him, "Come on, I'll teach you a little technique."

He led a group of workers behind the wooden wall of the pass: "Today, I'll teach you how to lay the foundation for the cement wall! Come on, let's dig a foundation pit here first... The depth and width of this pit will depend on the height of the wall we're building... Hmm... We're building a fortified wall, it needs to be at least two or three zhang high for defense, so the foundation is important... Come here, start digging from here, one person digs to this point..."

He gestured on the ground...

The workers then began digging at the locations he specified.

The construction site was bustling with activity.

Wang Lun looked astonished: "Who exactly is this person?"

Fu Songqing shrugged: "Since Lord Wang advocates peace talks, then he is not on my side. I don't want to say any more. Lord Wang, please do as you see fit."

Wang Lun stood up blankly.

Fu Songqing then happily ran off to check on the foundation pit.

Wang Lun turned his head and saw Zhang Wei grinning at him: "Your Excellency, since you are an envoy, we will not detain you and will allow you to pass through the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty and return to the Southern Song Dynasty. However, I don't think there's much point in you going back. The Southern Song Dynasty is too weak, while our Northern Song Dynasty is very strong. You are a minister during the Jingkang era anyway. For you, with both emperors still alive, what difference does it make whether you are loyal to the Ninth Prince or the Seventeenth Prince? Why not reconsider?"

(End of this chapter)