Volume 6 Chapter 24 Looking Back
In March, after deep reflection, Emperor Zhao resumed serialization, but this time it was definitely not a short story. He didn't even dare to touch "Water Margin" now, and replaced it with "Miscellaneous Records of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"... As always, that short story stopped at the level of Zhao Jiu, Hu Yin and Prince Jingsai.
But even the "Miscellaneous Records of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was stopped after only writing two or three thousand words, because at this time, a large amount of important post-war feedback began to pour in from many directions.
It must be understood that it was just over a month since the Battle of Huolu, and given current transportation conditions, the widespread impact of the war would at most cross the Yellow River and might not even reach the Yangtze River. This was because the common people needed to see the victorious soldiers returning home, hear specific stories, and even see a large number of tablets of battle victims and wounded soldiers before they would believe and confirm the news from the front line, and then a real folk trend could be formed.
If there is feedback again, it would be considered as the first-time feedback. This is completely different from the reaction of the core power structure within the court that was formed by military stations and fast horses.
Even the attitudes are completely different.
Frankly speaking, the post-war situation was too rushed as the enemy needed to be pursued and Zhending Prefecture needed to be surrounded. In addition, Lu Yihao was in poor health and was bedridden many times, so the post-war arrangements were basically made by Emperor Zhao himself. At most, the civil officials below would polish the situation a little and then let it go. Whatever happened, it was what it was... and the important officials of the court in Tokyo simply agreed, leaving no room for interference or discussion.
But the intensive feedback at this time contained many harsh words.
A student of the Imperial Academy wrote a petition, requesting that the Jin army captives be executed together with the others, and that a Jingguan be built to intimidate the Jin Empire.
Some marginal clans wrote to the emperor, demanding that they must attack Huanglong directly, annihilate the Jin Kingdom, and destroy all the clan members of the Wanyan clan, and that no peace talks be held;
In addition, there were various retaliatory proposals submitted by some local officials in the areas that had suffered the massacre, as well as officers found by the families of some imperial camp victims who were confirmed to have died... such as killing Jin army prisoners with eleven strokes of the whip, severely punishing surrendered people, etc.
Even the congratulatory letter from the Emperor Taishang Daojun specifically mentioned the humiliation suffered by the Five Kingdoms City in the past and asked the "officials" to take revenge.
In general, in the Central Plains south of the Yellow River, the public's voices tended to be tough, and they were very sensitive to Emperor Zhao's "peace talks", which even Hong Ya could see was mostly provocative.
To be fair, Zhao Jiu was not surprised by this, but he still had to be cautious.
Therefore, on the tenth day of March, after a brief discussion with Hu Yin, Emperor Zhao immediately returned to Hejian Prefecture to discuss the matter with Lu Yihao, the acting Prime Minister. During this period, public opinion advocating that a war would determine the outcome and that a strong revenge should be taken began to enter the bureaucracy on a large scale, including in the imperial camp system.
"I know what the emperor is thinking."
Lu Yihao's overall health was getting weaker day by day, but if he stayed in Hejian Prefecture to recuperate and temporarily left things to Fan Zongyin and others, he would still be able to hold on mentally. At this moment, he was just leaning on a crutch and sitting on a stone bench under a tree in the backyard of his residence. He understood the concerns of the visiting official as soon as he heard it.
"What the emperor is thinking is that the Hebei region, which was the first to be harmed, has less resentment. Then he thought about the future spread of the incident to the south, and wondered what the trend would be in Jingxiang in the southeast... Is that right or not?"
"The one who knows me is you, my lord."
"What do the officials think is the reason for Hebei, and what will be the reaction of the southeast?"
"I think Hebei doesn't hate the Jin people, but first of all, spring ploughing is important. Second, after the change of Song and Jin, people are worried. Third, and the most fatal one, is that the two countries have 500,000 people and millions of civilians traveling back and forth for a whole winter and half a spring... The people in the two rivers really hate war." Zhao Jiu said what he meant. "As for the southeast, I boldly guess... most people are still against continuing to use troops, because the local taxes in the southeast have not been removed... Every day of military action in the front requires the southeast, Jingxiang, and Bashu to contribute."
"What the emperor said is very thorough and clear." Lu Yihao nodded in agreement. "But in my opinion, the root is the root, and the final result may not be as thorough and clear as the emperor's analysis..."
Zhao Jiu had some guesses, but he learned from his mistakes and did not dare to be a riddler. Instead, he sought verification directly: "Does it mean that after the great victory, the scholars and officials in the southeast dare not talk about peace, and the people in Hebei cannot express their thoughts. Even in the Central Plains, because the capital is there, the central parties dare not disregard any public opinion?"
"That's exactly what I mean." Lu Yihao expressed earnestly. "Public opinion is public opinion, but public opinion cannot be expressed directly. Instead, it is conveyed by officials..."
Zhao Jiu instinctively exchanged a glance with Hu Yin who was following behind him, and both of them felt something in their hearts, which was - the older you get, the wiser you get.
The two had discussed this before coming here, but after all, nothing they said was as thorough as what Lu Yihao said.
And Lu Xianggong just sat there and said casually, "As for the matter of officials, some places have more, such as the Central Plains, especially around Tokyo; some places have fewer, such as the southeast; some places now have almost none, such as the two rivers... Therefore, the public opinion in the Central Plains is the most obvious, followed by the southeast, and the public opinion in the two rivers is almost non-existent unless you go and see it with your own eyes."
"In addition, officials also have to consider their official hats, so they will also consider the situation."
"For example, right now , the frontline has won a great victory, and everyone in the court knows that this is the emperor's long-cherished wish. Officials in the southeast have already suffered a lot for opposing the advance northward, so how dare they still oppose the advance northward as they did in the past?"
"For example, the officials at the central government and the important ministers are thinking about the rewards and status after the war, and they also have to worry about the estrangement between the emperor and Tokyo. Don't they have any concerns when conveying the message?"
"As for Hebei, let alone here, they are either surrendered or just released from the army by the government. Who would go against the government's wishes?"
"In other words... the same public opinion is shifted, obscured, and amplified by officials. The higher the official, the greater the shift. The official's own attitude has the greatest effect... He doesn't even have to say anything. The people below can shift according to the official's wishes." Lu Yihao concluded. "The reason why the Central Plains is in turmoil, advocates toughness, and opposes the official's peace talks is not to sing against the official. On the contrary, it is because they see that the official's peace talks are ridiculous, guess that the official is just provoking and intimidating, not really negotiating peace, and then consider the official's previous attitude."
At this point, Lu Yihao raised his eyebrows slightly: "If not, how dare the Supreme Dao Emperor say this?"
Zhao Jiu rarely smiled.
Lu Yihao, on the other hand, asked: "How exactly does the emperor plan to deal with the Jin Kingdom?"
"I will give the Jurchens a way out." Zhao Jiu could only answer seriously to Lv Yihao. "Because the Jurchens are an indigenous ethnic group in Liao, they cannot be killed off. If there are no cooked Jurchens, there are still fresh Jurchens... But whether the Jin Kingdom can survive depends on whether they are willing to face reality, whether they are willing to help me clean up the previous Jin Kingdom, and whether they are willing to help me integrate the future Jurchens into China... In this way, it can be regarded as destroying the old Jin Kingdom and establishing a new Jin Kingdom, right?"
"So, the previous peace talks were indeed just a provocation?" Lu Yihao asked with a frown.
"That's not the case." Zhao Jiu spread his hands. "For example, if they come to ask for peace again today, after more than 30 days, the conditions will certainly change... This time, Han Fang and the three sons of Zuo Qigong and Liu Yanzong will be killed, and the four Wanhu who escaped, Erlubu, Jiagu Wulibu, Yelu Mawu, and Pucha Huzhan, will also be sent to me for disposal."
Lu Yihao thought for a moment, then nodded, "It has been delayed for more than thirty days, and only eleven more lives have been lost. This is reasonable."
Zhao Jiu smiled knowingly: "I just hope that Yanjing won't drag it out any longer. If you want to negotiate peace, no matter what the conditions are, you should come to me to discuss it."
"The public opinion behind has come, and the front can no longer hold on." Lu Yihao finally shook his head, then looked up at the sky and was speechless for a while, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.
It is said that it is always appropriate for a country to have old ministers. In the following days, Lu Yihao's judgments were all correct.
First, public opinion in the Central Plains was surging, and the tough attitude of insisting on revenge was undoubtedly revealed, which finally shook the central government. Then the secret cabinet held a public meeting and asked the emperor to be careful in negotiating peace, eliminate the enemies as much as possible, and not to seek fame by imitating the tyrant.
As the secret document spread, generals and local civil and military officials from all sides in the Mesopotamian region also submitted petitions urging them not to negotiate peace.
Within a few days, Hebei seemed to have reached a consensus and everyone wanted to eradicate all evil. Even the surrendered people submitted written reports in tears describing the atrocities committed by the Jin Kingdom.
For a time, except for the farthest south where public opinion had not yet arrived, the rest of the country had almost determined the trend of opposing peace talks and demanding that Emperor Zhao fulfill his promise, annihilate the Jin Kingdom, and wipe out the Jurchens.
Of course, there were some sluts in the chaos… For example, starting from slightly after mid-March, many Han troops from the Yanyun front suddenly came over on their own initiative, and were then sent to Hejian from the front by Han Shizhong.
In addition, Zhao Jiu finally received a handwritten letter from Kim Bu-sik, the Prime Minister and Marshal of Goryeo.
The letter was sent from Kaesong. It was written by Kim Bu-sik on the way just after he became the marshal. He traveled almost non-stop by boat to Hejian... According to Kim Bu-sik, he would follow Emperor Zhao's wishes and eliminate the Guofeng faction in the country that opposed sinicization, namely the Xijing Yangban, and then lead an army of 30,000 to march west to Liao to fulfill Emperor Zhao's strategy of closing the door and beating the dog.
His words were so earnest that if Zhao Jiu had not known long ago that the Xijing yangban, to which Zheng Zhichang belonged, was the pro-war faction within Goryeo, he would have almost believed the old man's lies.
However, although the old man was not honest, he hit the weak spot of Emperor Zhao in a strange way - it didn't matter who sent troops, Goryeo had no choice but to send troops at this time, but the previous pro-war faction was not equivalent to the pro-Song faction, and the pro-peace faction was just the choice made by the greater Jin Dynasty under the principle of great powerism... In comparison, the Xijing Yangban was a national style faction, wanting to engage in cultural independence, which was not as pleasing to the ear as Jin Bushi's Han style faction.
You must know that even if Zhao Jiu allowed Goryeo's political and military independence, he would not allow Goryeo to have any cultural autonomy. This would be a matter of digging out the roots.
Of course, there is no need to think about this issue now, because based on Emperor Zhao's shallow understanding of people, if it really comes to a fight, it would be difficult for Zheng Zhichang to bite off half a finger of Jin Bushi before he died.
At the same time, the more important point is that since Jin Bushi's letter has arrived and the Yanyun clan in the front suddenly can no longer hold on, then according to the speed of military communication, Yanjing should also send people.
Sure enough, within two days, Wulindazanmo appeared in front of Zhao Jiu.
"Has the Sixth Prince been crowned king?" Zhao Jiu, who was well prepared, met Wulindazanmo at the military camp shooting range outside Hejian Prefecture. However, after receiving the official letter of credence, the official, who had just been sweating from archery, did not open it directly. Instead, he held the hard version of the letter of credence and asked an incredible question.
"So that His Majesty knows." Wulinda Zanmo's face was deep and his eyes were slightly tired, but he still forced himself to answer seriously. "The king's reward is the country's internal affairs..."
"Then let's not talk." Zhao Jiu, who had just sat on the stool, threw the letter back to the other party's feet. "The conditions I set more than forty days ago have not been met, so how can we talk about peace?"
Wulindazanmo opened his eyes wide, staring at the person sitting in front of him, but this immediately attracted the vigilance of Yang Yizhong and the other squad members beside him, who separated him from the others. Even Yuan Weiyi, who was in front of the shooting range, turned around impatiently when he saw the movement here.
Wulinda Zanmo was completely helpless. He could only lower his head to pick up the letter and then plead earnestly: "Your Majesty... I am sorry for being so rude, but our country is indeed sincere in negotiating peace... and since it is a peace negotiation, there must be discussion."
"What are you discussing?" Zhao Jiu seemed extremely impatient. "Wulin Daqing, you have experienced all the foreign affairs of the Song and Jin countries... What did Nianhan and Wulibu say to Emperor Yuansheng outside the city of Dongjing that day? What terms are there to discuss when the country is about to be destroyed? Now, your country, which was hastily established by a tribal alliance, has been completely defeated. What can you use to negotiate peace with me? The conditions I have given you are already generous enough, and the rear is already very dissatisfied... What else do you want?!"
"Your Majesty, our country still has tens of thousands of people, and we are ready to fight." Wulindazanmo mustered up the courage to confront him.
"Can you withstand a blow?" Zhao Jiu became increasingly impatient. "You can gather all these forces, isn't it because I let you gather them on purpose? Before, I didn't know if I still had the strength to make progress, so I just waited and watched. Are you still dreaming now?! Do you want me to show you the letters of loyalty from Jin Fushi and the big families around Yanjing?! I want to see, after all the states around Yanjing are swallowed up by my King Qin one by one, and Dongjing Road and Zhongjing Road are locked by the Mongols and Goryeo people, how many days can the tens of thousands of new troops you gathered in Yanjing hold out without collapsing?!"
"Your Majesty!" Wulinda finally knelt down helplessly and kowtowed, revealing his bottom line. "If you can spare the Fourth Prince's death and allow the captured Jurchens to return to the north, our country is willing to negotiate peace according to your rough conditions! Even if the king comes to see you in person and calls you father, it's fine!"
"It's too late." Zhao Jiu turned his head to look at the blue sky, white clouds and black earth, his eyes wandering. "I have a plan in mind... Twenty days is enough for the Sixth Prince to travel between Yanjing and Hejian. After twenty days, even if you are sincerely obstructing us, the previous conditions will not be sufficient... On the thirtieth day, I discussed with Prime Minister Lu, and we will add the three brothers of the Zuo family and the three brothers of the Liu family in Yanjing, plus Han Fang, and the 40,000 households of Erlubu, Jiagu Wulibu, Yelu Mawu, and Pucha Huzhan who escaped, a total of eleven lives! And today has passed forty days, so we have to add the life of your eldest prince Wanyan Oben! And then we have to add Wanyan Talan as the ruling prince, and he will be in charge of the army together with Erluguan."
Wulinda lost control and burst into tears when he heard these words. He barely listened to the end and finally raised his head and shouted: "The government has no sincerity in negotiating peace!"
"Don't say that, Lord Wulin. Hejian is only three hundred miles away from Yanjing, and the road is flat. If you change horses frequently, gallop back to Yanjing, and then come back on a faster horse, you will be able to bring back a promise of peace before changing the conditions on March 25th, which is the 50th day... And if all the conditions are met by then, how can I go back on my word and not agree to it?!" Zhao Jiu turned around with a sincere look on his face.
Wulindazanmo lay on the ground thinking for a while, but after thinking a lot, he could not come up with any idea of how to respond. He could only stand up, bow, and prepare to stagger away.
"Wulinda, please stop." Zhao Jiu called out to the other party again, and at the same time turned his head to signal Yang Yizhong.
Wulindazanmo looked back blankly, but saw Yang Yizhong, wearing a silver helmet, waving his hand behind him. From a distance, a soldier wearing a mask in the middle of spring came running towards him carrying a wooden barrel.
Seeing this, the Jin Dynasty's Minister of Rites came to his senses almost instantly and his face turned pale.
"Lord Wulinda, we have known each other for a long time. Although we are not truly king and subject, we still have the etiquette of foreign kings and subjects, so we can be considered to be interacting with each other... This is your brother's head... I have long guessed that it would be you who would come. Now that the inspection is over, take it back and bury it!" Zhao Jiu tried hard to endure the stench.
Wulinda stood sideways about seven or eight steps in front of Zhao Jiu. Seeing the bucket getting closer and closer, he became more and more panicked and tears kept pouring down his face. When the bucket was delivered to him, he instinctively staggered and wanted to reach out to take the barrel.
But after only half a step, Wulindazanmo hastily retracted his hand as if he was burned by fire, and then saluted Zhao Jiu in a trance beside the barrel: "Your Excellency thanks the emperor for his grace... But my brother was a general of the country, and it is normal for him to die in the national war... And as an envoy of our country, how can we take back our brother's head for personal gain before other soldiers have returned? Your Excellency will leave first..."
After saying this, without waiting for Zhao Jiu to say anything else, Wulindazanmo simply covered his face and fled...leaving behind only the stench of foul smell throughout the shooting range.
