Volume 4 Chapter 82: Return
The Jinhepo League held on June 6, the sixth year of Jianyan seemed extremely hasty and casual.
The altar was a stone altar built in one day. The sacrificial text was copied word for word from history books. There was not even a seal for enthroning emperors and kings, they could only be crowned, but even the golden crown for coronation was a second-hand item picked up from the battlefield of Western Xia.
As for territorial boundaries, trade terms and the like, they were only roughly stated orally, and I don't know how many lawsuits will be involved.
However, no one could deny the effectiveness of this alliance, because there were hundreds of thousands of troops and heads of various military and political entities present. These troops and these people were enough to give anything casual or even absurd a serious and even sacred nature.
Therefore, after the meeting, as a semi-passive participant, although the international friend Zheng Zhichang almost suffered from heatstroke and was a little flustered about some words in the sacrificial text, he still wrote down his experiences of the day as soon as he returned to the tent... He planned to organize his legendary experience of accompanying the Emperor of Zhao Song and compile it into a note as soon as he returned to China.
But it is inevitable to polish it yourself.
In addition, it is said that several cultural figures including Lu Benzhong, and even Yue Fei, Qu Duan, and Liu Yan, also recorded this alliance in detail in the form of notes.
Of course, Emperor Zhao would definitely disdain such low-end expressions. He was much more high-end. He did not record things... He just recorded his life insights in his notebook that night, lamented the misery of the Khitan people leaving their homes, and expressed his simple national feelings.
At the very end, he briefly pointed out the significance of his small work, such as constructing a unified Chinese consciousness and the concept of the Chinese nation through this alliance, and cleverly bypassing the military to inflict a huge blow to the Jurchens.
Without further ado, the alliance has been concluded, and there is unlikely to be any domestic shock in the next few days. Instead, the army will be disbanded in a boring and cautious confrontation.
The Song army first made a large-scale corresponding action. The troops began to disperse gradually in sizes of two to three thousand people under the leadership of various commanders, but they did not retreat all at once. Instead, some crossed the river and went outside the river, and some advanced forward to the capital of Dongsheng Prefecture. Those who went back did not retreat directly, but established withdrawal routes behind them.
However, perhaps the previous alliance had seriously stimulated the Jurchens, so although the logistical pressure was also huge, the Jurchens still took the opportunity to launch several small-scale exploratory attacks, but they were properly dealt with by Yue Fei, the commander of the Song army who was well prepared.
In this way, by late June, the Jurchens finally could not hold on any longer and began to move south in an organized manner to find food and settle down, while most of the coalition forces also officially carried out a large-scale retreat along the Hetao-Xingling Road.
After many years of war, the reward and punishment system of the imperial camp system has become very credible. According to past practice, there is indeed not enough material preparation around Hetao, so large-scale military merit statistics and rewards should at least wait until returning to Chang'an. However, there is an emergency. Qu Duan, who was the deputy commander in attacking Xingqing Prefecture and whose merits were second only to Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu, still received the imperial edict on the spot, becoming another general who was awarded the title of Jie after Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Li Yanxian, Zhang Jun, Zhang Rong, Wu Jie, and Wang Yan.
Taking into account that Wang Yan was transferred to a civilian position early on, and Qu Duan was a full-fledged military commander in the imperial camp system, it is safe to say that after several ups and downs, Qu Duan officially became the seventh general of the Song Dynasty in name only.
As for Wang De, he is also participating in the war as a deputy commander this time. With his resume and his status as the deputy commander-in-chief of the imperial camp, it is very likely that he will eventually be awarded the title of general and become the eighth commander-in-chief... But that will probably have to wait until the emperor returns to the capital, goes through the Privy Council, and is discussed by the prime minister before it can happen.
After all, he was one step slower than Qu Duan.
Of course, Yue Fei must also follow Han Shizhong's example and become a Jiedushi of three towns, but it is hard to say whether he will be granted the title of a prince, because Yue Pengju is too young after all, and he himself may not want this. There is some discussion between the monarch and his ministers.
Li Shifu, on the other hand, had made great contributions this time, and had been promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of the Imperial Cavalry at an early stage. However, he was too young, a Dangxiang, and had a hereditary military rank. It was really hard to imagine how he would be rewarded this time.
Of course, these are all matters for the future. There is a reason why Qu Duan was directly appointed as the governor . He will lead a considerable number of armored cavalry and Yelu Yudu to stay in the Hetao area.
On the one hand, it means to assist in defense and establish border defense, and on the other hand, it is also necessary to supervise the Khitans to hand over Khatun City to the Western Mongolian King Huerzahusi... In addition, there is also the intention of joining forces with Han Shizhong and Wu Jie's subordinates to search for Li Qianshun and his son, and there is also the task of obtaining food and war horses from this place, and recruiting Mongolian and Dangxiang soldiers who are good at riding and shooting to join the imperial camp cavalry.
At the same time, Wu Jie, who took over the Hewai defense zone, would cross the river directly from Jinhepo and lead his headquarters and Han Shizhong in the south to advance north and south to take over and control the six states outside the Hewai.
The six states outside the Yellow River are also very troublesome. Three of them are the former Khitan territories and are border areas. There are many remnants of the Liao Dynasty. In addition, the Khitan and Xi tribes gathered in Hengshan must be given to Yelu Dashi according to the alliance. However, Zhao Jiu cannot allow Yelu Dashi's army to stay in his own territory for a long time... At the same time, there is also the Zhe family in the other three states, which is extremely sensitive within the Song Dynasty and involves many basic political attitudes of the court. It must be controlled first and then the outcome can be determined.
What's more, they had to take into account the Jurchens who were across the river, and they also had to consider that the autumn harvest was just over a month away.
In short, the entire Northwest was a mess after the war. We couldn't go slow or fast, couldn't be impatient or delay.
Under such circumstances, Emperor Zhao neither paid attention to Zhe Keqiu's plea nor cared about Li Qianshun's life or death. He just returned with Yelu Dashi and the two Mongolian kings, and led the army to withdraw along the old Hetao Road, preparing to return to Guanzhong from Xingling.
Arriving at the Hetao Wulahai City, the two Mongolian kings were the first to say goodbye. Zhao Jiu couldn't help but hold their hands and see them off. His attitude was much better than Wuqimai's... and Qu Duan and Yelu Yudu also led part of the troops to stay.
At the end of June, in late summer and early autumn, Zhao Jiu and Yelu Dashi turned south together.
By the beginning of July, after the army entered the Keyi Gate, the surrendered Dangxiang soldiers had been properly divided. Emperor Zhao promised a temporary imperial camp of 10,000. Those who had made contributions and the elite among them were absorbed into the imperial camp system by Yue Fei, Wang De and Li Shifu, and the rest were gradually released according to their age, region and tribe. A small number of older and literate Dangxiang people were granted positions such as Tongpan and Acting County Magistrate.
However, more of those who served as the so-called "acting county magistrates", or even were directly appointed as acting military governors or acting prefects by imperial decrees, were the Jinshi scholars who had sufficient qualifications and military merits in the army... According to the public political commitment announced by Emperor Zhao at Keyi Gate, these Jinshi scholars who originally only had fifth-class scores in the palace examination and would never have had the possibility of entering a proper official career in their entire lives, would not be demoted as long as they could ensure the stability of the Xinna area and the operation of basic affairs such as the autumn harvest and taxation, even if the capital province later adjusted and merged small states and counties such as Xixia, they would be transferred to other places to serve as officials.
In other words, a considerable number of Jinshi who served in the army accumulated military merits and qualifications and actually officially entered the official career.
Not only that, as soon as they passed the Keyi Gate, Zhao Jiu once again officially issued an edict to dismiss Hu Hongxiu from his title of Assistant Minister of War and replaced him with the official post of Governor of Ningxia Road. He also redeemed the political promise he had made in the Wende Hall on the spot and conferred the title of Marquis Dingyuan on this civil servant who was a former Taixue student.
General Hu, who still had short hair, jumped from an almost marginalized editor of the Privy Council to the rank of general, and became the highest-ranking local official in the empire in just over half a year. Because of his title, he even surpassed his old boss Liu Ziyu, Lin Jingmo, who was the top civil official among his former close ministers, and Wang Yan, who once touched the threshold of becoming a general... This almost crazy thing, but no one opposed it.
Because everyone knows that the meritorious service rendered by this young soldier Hu is enough to make him go down in history and transcend the shackles of an ordinary official position.
When history books are written in the future, this almost legendary experience of his may take up more words than the life stories of some prime ministers.
Towards mid-July, the Song-Liao coalition forces arrived at Xingqing Prefecture.
Moreover, after hearing that Emperor Zhao had entered the Keyi Gate, Guanzhong sent a large number of accumulated documents, memorials, and notes. When they arrived at Xingqing Prefecture at this time, the densely packed memorials just came pouring in.
Yelu Dashi understood the situation and went into the city to sit down. Not only did he ask to stay the night outside the city, he also directly asked for leave to return to the west.
Of course Zhao Jiu knew that this was supposed to happen, and he had made preparations early on, letting Wang De stay behind to protect him, while Yue Fei led all the other troops to "escort" the Khitans out of Lanzhou... He also intended to take over the entire Lanzhou area and sweep the Xishou Baotai Military Division which had not yet been stabilized.
Of course, no matter what, as we said that day, after we say goodbye today, we don’t know when we will meet again. Besides, he is the emperor after all, so Emperor Zhao must personally go out of the city thirty miles to see him off.
But on the previous night, someone dared to wake up Emperor Zhao from his sleep as he was going to do some physical exercise the next day.
"Your Majesty!" Yang Yizhong, who had arrived overnight, bowed down in the old palace of Western Xia despite being exhausted.
"Just say it!" Zhao Jiu sat up from the couch. He just heard the voice and was unable to urge him under the candlelight that had just been lit.
"I am incompetent!" Yang Yizhong bowed his head in front of the couch. "I am so ashamed that I have not found any information. After careful investigation, I found that the names of several people who reported were all fake. I only found some distant descendants of Zhang Yongzhen's clan, and they couldn't explain it clearly... But Hou Dan has a legitimate cousin whose family is still alive. I took the initiative to find a child from his cousin's children and adopted him. The rewards and favors were also given directly according to the orders of the government."
"That's good... In fact, it's been six or seven years, and Lou Shi has gone to Yan'an twice, so it's normal that he can't find it. But cousin Hou Dan is lucky." Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then he laughed dryly.
"Yes." Yang Yizhong responded quickly.
"Those women and children who pretended to be Zhang Yongzhen's wives and children to look for you, you didn't cause any trouble for them, did you?" Zhao Jiu suddenly remembered something.
"No, I just scolded them and sent them back. Some of them were obviously deceived by their clans and husbands, so I took the initiative and dealt with the men."
"That's good. You've worked hard, go and have a rest!" Zhao Jiu couldn't urge her, and he didn't ask in detail, nor did he dare to ask in detail. "The local officials of Yan'an and Longxi can slowly and carefully search for this matter later."
"yes……"
"Is there anything else?" Zhao Jiu came to his senses.
"Just before I left, the Prince of Yan'an returned from the Jinning Army and held a grand banquet in the city for several days. He seized the spoils and stocks of Yan'an Prefecture and used them as rewards for his relatives and friends."
"Got it." Zhao Jiu nodded, his expression unchanged. "Anything else?"
"Only 20 to 30 percent of the registered permanent residents in Yan'an remain. The actual population is estimated to be 20 to 30 percent less."
"Anything else?"
"Yang Zheng..."
"Let's wait and see what Wu Jie has to say to me about this matter."
"Zhe Keqiu..."
"We'll talk about this when we get back to Beijing."
"yes."
"Anything else?" Zhao Jiu asked.
"There are always things to do." Yang Yizhong bowed his head. "But most of the remaining things can be attributed to Hu Caosi (Hu Yin)'s duties, but they are not enough to disturb the emperor's sleep."
"Then go down and rest early." Zhao Jiu said seriously under the candlelight. "Thank you for your hard work, Zhengfu."
Yang Yizhong bowed his head and left, while Zhao Jiu blew out the candle and lay back on the couch. Although he did not toss and turn, he kept his eyes open for half the night, staring at the dark ceiling, and was in a daze for half the night.
The next day.
Emperor Zhao stood up as usual, and because today was the day that the Emperor of Song Dynasty and the Emperor of Khitan parted, Lü Benzhong, Ren Baozhong, Zheng Zhichang, and even Hu Hongxiu, Yue Fei, Wang De and others had naturally made preparations early. Not to mention the military generals who had already made arrangements outside the city, several close ministers and civil officials came to see the emperor, but they ran into Yang Yi Zhong and Liu Yan who appeared together, and they were all frightened.
Ren Baozhong, in particular, had been with him for a long time and had long known that Liu Yan was a man of real power who held important positions in front of the emperor, but he was a serious and down-to-earth person. He had also heard long before that there was another General Yang who was more useful than Liu Yan, but he was several times more sophisticated... When he suddenly saw him this time, he naturally became more cautious.
Although Yang Yizhong looked majestic, his words were gentle, making people feel like they were in a spring breeze...but the more so, the more cautious Ren Baozhong became.
Of course, Emperor Zhao naturally couldn't pay attention to the little actions of his close ministers, because there was a Khitan emperor waiting for him outside the city.
It was the end of the first ten days of July, and the weather was clear and crisp. Zhao Jiu had breakfast and did not put on his armor. He wore a cloth shirt with closed sleeves and a gold belt, and led Yang Yizhong and other eunuchs out of the old palace of Xixia. Then, they all mounted their horses, first met Hu Hongxiu who was waiting not far outside the palace, then met Wang De at the city gate, and then came out of the west gate of Xingqing Prefecture. After passing the Tangqu Canal in the west of the city, which was restored to normal, and before reaching the coalition camp, Yue Fei had already led most of the Song army officers and soldiers, and Yelu Dashi had led all the Khitan officers and soldiers to prepare.
Zhao Jiu first met Yue Fei and others, and without stopping, he went to the Khitan army. After meeting with many Khitan officers including Yelu Dashi, as well as Bilege and others, the two emperors were not vulgar people. Yelu Dashi immediately bowed slightly, and Zhao Jiu returned the greeting slightly , then they rode side by side, leading countless soldiers and generals... They had been marching like this for more than a month.
The army was in great momentum, especially at this time when the autumn harvest was approaching at the foot of the Helan Mountains. The mountains were on the right, like galloping horses across the sky; the river was far away on the left, and flashes of light could be seen in the distance across the golden sea of wheat. The army still followed the strict military discipline as when Yue Fei was the commander, and only marched west to the foot of the Helan Mountains before turning south along the mountain. With the dragon flag in the lead, various flags meandered along the mountain along the way, but fluttered in the autumn breeze, which was truly spectacular.
At noon, Yelu Dashi tried to persuade them, but Zhao Guanjia grabbed his hand on the horse and insisted that after this separation, they didn't know when they would meet again, so he had to accompany them for a while. Yelu Dashi could not bear it and had to agree.
So, the two of them rode side by side and continued walking along the Helan Mountains for a while. In the afternoon, the sun had already set behind the tall Helan Mountains. When they reached a mountain pass, they suddenly saw the autumn sunlight shining through the yellow sand across the mountains, and they could not help but stop their horses.
At this point, both of them knew that it was not a good idea to send them down. Behind them, including Yue Fei, Xiao Wulila, and other generals and people also gathered together, waiting for the Emperor of Zhao Song and the Khitan Emperor to speak.
"His Majesty!"
Yelu Dashi, who was sitting on the right side of the two men, was wearing a cloth robe and a veiled hat, and a golden belt around his waist, which was a gift from Emperor Zhao. After looking at the magnificent scenery to the west for a while, he suddenly turned back and laughed, and was the first to speak. "Beautiful mountains, beautiful waters, beautiful places and beautiful scenery!"
"Who said it wasn't?" Zhao Jiu sat on his horse, pulling the reins and laughing. "It's just that the world is full of beautiful mountains and rivers, where is it not magnificent? We must do our best and not let these mountains and rivers down."
"Your Majesty has never betrayed the Song Dynasty!"
"Dashilin Ya has never betrayed his own country!" Zhao Jiu, with bloodshot eyes, smiled softly. "Please forgive me, Dashilin Ya, for calling me before I leave, but I've gotten used to calling you this."
"It's okay." Yelu Dashi replied with a sigh. "Today's Liao Lord, the past Lin Ya, how could we ever contradict each other? But the past is gone, even if there is success in the future, I have never betrayed my homeland, I am afraid I will still have regrets in my heart!"
"In life, eight out of ten things don't go as planned." Zhao Jiu also sighed. "Who doesn't have regrets? Just do your best and leave the rest to fate!"
Yelu Dashi nodded and was about to say goodbye, but for some reason, he almost burst into tears. He could only bow his head and hold back his tears. After a moment, he forced a smile and said, "That day by the lake, Your Majesty said, 'Ten thousand miles of Yinshan and ten thousand miles of sand'. Today, at the foot of the Helan Mountains, Dashi is really going to travel ten thousand miles. With Your Majesty's poetic talent, I wonder if you have any poems to give me? I can show them off in the future."
Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, then nodded, but then shook his head: "I've thought of an old poem a long time ago, which is very suitable for the occasion, but I feel a little guilty when I talk about it now."
"Why?" Yelu Dashi continued to laugh. "Is it because Dashi can't bear this word?"
"Neither you nor I can bear it." Zhao Jiu answered calmly. "The end of the poem is too ambitious, as if to capture dragons and tigers and sweep the world... Dashilin Ya is heading west to sweep the Western Regions. Although it is a desperate struggle to survive and establish a foundation, it is ultimately a partial peace; and although I have gained the upper hand this time, I will inevitably lose some confidence when I turn around to face the Jurchens who have not suffered any losses."
"That's right." Yelu Dashi nodded. "Your Majesty is right... Dashi's journey to the west is needless to say. The Jurchens seemed to have prepared to retreat back to the two rivers long ago. Their strength is not damaged at all. Your Majesty has restored the situation to this point. You must work harder and make every effort to govern. Otherwise, you really can't capture a dragon and tie a tiger."
Zhao Jiu smiled bitterly in response.
Yelu Dashi finally bowed and said, "Since this is the case, I will go west. Your Majesty, do you have any words to teach me?"
Zhao Jiu nodded solemnly, ignoring the fact that Bilege was right behind him, and faced him proudly: "The clowns of the Western Regions are vulnerable. Dashilin Ya does not need to be intimidated by them. Just do it. It belongs to China. I am the emperor. If you need me, I will do my best!"
Yelu Dashi nodded.
Zhao Jiu also continued to ask: "What about Dashi Lin Ya? Does he have anything to teach me?"
"Be careful of the Mongols!" Yelu Dashi said solemnly. "Since ancient times, the grasslands have risen and fallen, and hundreds of tribes have emerged... Whoever controls the grasslands, learns blacksmithing, knows the art of war, practices tactics, and has always been poor and tolerant, will naturally rise up, regardless of what tribe or race they are... Therefore, the Mongols are just another Jurchen tribe. Your Majesty must not catch a dragon with your left hand and release a tiger with your right hand."
After these words were spoken, Zhao Jiu was certainly impressed, and the civil and military officials behind him were also in awe.
At this point, the two of them finished their conversation and decided not to continue.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Jiu was about to bow to Yelu Dashi and then turn back to the city, but when he turned his head, he saw that the army beside him was marching southward while he was talking to Yelu Dashi, and the smoke and dust were rolling like a yellow dragon. In addition, there was a gap in the Helan Mountains, and the world's most famous heroes were right in front of him. Thinking about the fact that he had specially sent people to search for Zhang Yongzhen for several months, but could not find Zhang Yongzhen's wife and children, and thinking that this expedition was like a butcher cutting an ox, the victory was decided by the general situation. The official thought about it, reined in his horse, turned around and laughed:
"Although there is no poetry, there is an empty song, and I will bid you farewell with the big stone forest."
Everyone below Dashi was stunned, but soon they were relieved... Since this official is good at writing lyrics, he certainly knows music. He is probably afraid of being known for his talents, so he is unwilling to show off his talent for music. As for the ruler of one country singing music for the ruler of another country, there are some ancient etiquettes, but the coronation has already been done, and Yelu Dashi is going to leave, so who cares about these things?
It will just be a good story in the future.
So they all sat on their horses and listened attentively.
Zhao Jiu reined in his horse, without using any musical instrument or singing any lyrics, but just hummed a tune casually like an ordinary person... When the tune came out, although it was obviously unfamiliar and unstable, it was powerful. It started with a continuous rapid ascending tune, as if the Helan Mountains turned into war horses galloping; then it became gentle and majestic, as if the yellow sand rolled behind the mountain gate; later on, it was full of twists and turns, and heroic spirit gradually rose, and it was faintly integrated with the mountains and rivers, the wind, flags and horses, the army, soldiers and people, the family, the country, life and death, the victory and defeat, the gain and loss, this time passing through the desert, crossing the river, passing through the grassland, experiencing the fields, and with the experiences in the hearts of everyone this time, gradually becoming one.
Yelu Dashi and the surrounding civil and military officials were gradually absorbed in the music, and their expressions changed with the tune. No one knew what they were thinking about, such as life and death of their country, victory and defeat, and gains and losses. They were all listening to the music in a daze.
However, after humming the song, it suddenly stopped. Zhao Jiu did not say much, but simply bowed and said: "My heart is churning uncontrollably. I am sorry to have made Dashi Lin Ya laugh!"
Yelu Dashi was the first to react, and he just bowed and said, "May I ask your majesty, do you have the name of the song?"
"'Tie Xue Dan Xin'." Zhao Jiu blurted out.
"What a good name." Yelu Dashi raised his head and sighed, then laughed. After laughing for a while, he exclaimed loudly again. "What a good name! And what a good song! Just having this song as a gift is enough! Your Majesty, please go back!"
After saying this, the Western Liao emperor turned his horse's head and hummed the tune he had just heard, then rode south without looking back. The surrounding Khitan soldiers did not dare to neglect him and followed him at full speed.
Zhao Jiu also did not say anything extra. He just nodded slightly to Yue Fei who was going to 'escort' them, then turned around, reined in his horse calmly, and led the crowd away.
As the saying goes, it is July and the fields are golden. Although the sun is setting, we can slowly return from the foot of the Helan Mountains.
