Volume 6 Chapter 25 Conspiracy
"Wulinda, how dare you bring such conditions back to Yanjing?!"
After changing five horses, it took Wulindazanmo just over two days to travel a distance of 300 miles to reach Yanjing. In the Shangshutai Hall filled with Jin Dynasty dignitaries, when he tried his best to explain the newly added conditions and time limits of a certain official, he was immediately greeted with a condescending roar.
The person who yelled at him was an old official of the royal family, Wanyan Talan, who was designated by Emperor Zhao as the ruling prince together with the Sixth Prince Eluguan.
Or, it could be said that it was because he was Wanyan Talan that he had no choice but to yell like that.
However, after Talai finished yelling, everyone just looked at each other coldly without saying a word in agreement, and Wulindazanmo was so tired that he didn't bother to pay any attention.
"Minister Wulinda, please take a break." After a while, the eldest prince Wanyan Oben, who was designated to die, broke the awkward silence with a dark face. "You have worked hard on the journey."
"yes."
The exhausted Wulinda Zanmo bowed with all his strength, turned back to his seat and slumped down. Then, at the signal of another ruling prince, Wuzhu, an attendant immediately served him tea and steamed cakes, and Wulinda had no scruples and ate a few bites right there in his seat.
"Uncle, take a break too." Wanyan Oben saw Wulinda Zanmo sitting down, and then turned to look at Wanyan Talan who was already extremely embarrassed. "No one here suspects you..."
Talan could only cover his face and return to his seat.
However, this small relief did not help the overall situation at all. Everyone sat down and began to carefully consider the conditions of the Zhao Song officials, but they were really powerless.
"I definitely can't agree to that."
In the silence, Wanyan Xiyin suddenly spoke up. Only he could let go of his composure and have a fair discussion. "Why do we ask for peace? Isn't it just to preserve something? The heads of the ruling prince, the children of the core aristocratic families, and the generals of the army were chopped off and sent to the enemy country, and the king called the emperor of the enemy country his father... Even if there is still a Jin country, it is another country... Why ask for peace?"
"I think what Mr. Xi Yin said is very good."
Prime Minister Qin Hui suddenly interrupted. "Since we have come to this point today, let's make it clear... What is the situation of the Great Jin Kingdom? It was Taizu, Taizong, the princes, and the kings who were all of the same lineage, with the royal Wanyan tribe as the leader and the Jurchen ethnic group as the main body of the army to build a core... Then the Yanyun Han people, us Han people who came from the south, Bohai people, Korean people, surrendered Khitan people, and Xi people, everyone revolved around the core branches of the Wanyan clan and the Jurchen nation, either above or below, or supporting or relying on, each doing their own job, forming a whole, and then we had the great country of thousands of miles before... In the final analysis, it is not impossible to negotiate peace, but we must first figure out whose Great Jin Kingdom this is?! Isn't it the Great Jin Kingdom of the Wanyan clan and the Jurchen nation?!"
Hearing this, everyone present nodded... After all, this is the truth, and everyone, whether they are civil or military, Han or Xi, knows it very well. But they have to admit that if they really analyze it carefully, the two gentlemen said it more clearly and directly.
Whose was the Great Jin Dynasty? Wasn't it the Wanyan family and the Jurchens? Now, two of the three leaders of the Wanyan family died, the one who had just come of age became a son, and the main remaining generals of the Jurchens also died. Then the Great Jin Dynasty was no different from being destroyed.
"I've said it before, Emperor Zhao probably has no sincerity in negotiating peace." Hong Ya glanced at the silent Sixth Prince Erluguan and continued speaking. "It's just a strategy to sow discord... There's no need to go again."
Everyone agreed more and more.
"You are right, but if we don't negotiate peace, where is the way out?" But at this moment, Wuzhu, who had been sentenced to death more than 40 days ago, suddenly bowed his head and spoke, causing the noise in the room to stop immediately. "The foundation of the country, the foundation of the country, Wanyan and Jurchen are of course the foundation of the country, but Wanyan is also divided into the Wanyan clan and the Wanyan tribe, and the Jurchen also has the Jurchen army and the Jurchen people... I am a defeated man, a sinner who destroyed the foundation of the country in a battle, I should not say more, and I don't want to say more... Today I only have one thing to say, if the country needs my life, you can take it at any time, don't have any scruples."
Having said that, Wuzhu struggled to get up, bowed slightly to the young king who had not said anything, his own nephew, and then, without communicating with anyone else, he limped out of the Shangshutai Hall where he had reached the peak of his power.
The vast majority of people remained silent from beginning to end, and the young king, who was already eighteen years old this year, wanted to stand up and say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Everyone just watched as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei walked out of the hall alone.
This is not to say that everyone is cold-blooded. On the contrary, the coldest-blooded person is undoubtedly Wuzhu himself... Because when everyone was still having to deceive themselves and others because of their own positions, the King of Wei directly exposed everyone's true colors.
After Wuzhu left, everyone was depressed and didn't know what to do. They could only agree to make the final decision early tomorrow morning and then go their separate ways.
Everyone left, and Hong Ya went to see Qin Hui as a matter of course... At this time, the city of Yanjing had become a city on a bomb, and the fuse had been lit... There was no need to take care of anything.
"What do you think?"
After entering the Qin Mansion and going to the backyard, Hong Ya was furious as soon as he entered the house. "Today, I threatened others on behalf of the eldest prince in the palace... At this point, it is better to be a long-term husband in a vassal state thousands of miles away than to go back, right?! After all, we are surrendered people. After we go back, if we offend anyone, a county magistrate can deal with us!"
"Of course I know this truth!"
Qin Huizhi suddenly turned around and looked back, and his emotions were obviously out of control. "But can't you see? That official is really playing tricks on Yanjing. The Jin Kingdom is going to be destroyed in all likelihood! Our so-called Jiuyuan Xianggong is just a title... He is really trying to sow discord!"
How could Hong Ya not understand this principle? He had no idea how to respond for a while. The two of them just sat in the room.
However, the two of them knew very well that sitting there would be tantamount to waiting for death, and they had to discuss a result.
"We have to sort it out." After a while, Hong Ya spoke first. "Brother Huizhi, let's not talk about others. The people who surrendered to the south in Yanjing are all grasshoppers on the same rope. You and I are even more likely to share the good and the bad. At this time, we must work together to find a way out... Otherwise, the result is that the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die!"
At this point, without waiting for the other party to speak, Hong Ya said: "First of all, as you said, the government appears to be lax on the surface, but in fact, it is taking both internal and external measures, determined to destroy the Jin Kingdom... Even if there is a future, it is equivalent to establishing a new country outside the Great Wall... Therefore, we must jump off this sinking ship as soon as possible!"
"But where to jump?" Qin Huizhi seemed to be refuting, but in fact he was thinking quickly along the other party's line of thought. "The Emperor Zhao will not accept us...anything other than this ship, such as Goryeo, Mongolia, and Khitan, is the Emperor Zhao's ship!"
"If there is no big ship, we need to find a small boat, a small boat tied to this ship." Hong Ya said. "We will take it one step at a time."
"That is to say, we need to find a force in Yanjing that can protect itself, and then see if the government will allow this ship to be rebuilt outside the Great Wall for the sake of balancing the power outside the Great Wall." Qin Hui immediately translated. "Re-board the ship..."
Having said this, the two looked at each other and felt a little relieved.
"Is the Yanyun Clan feasible?" Hong Ya slapped his hand on the table and followed the plan. "At this time, the Yanyun Clan has the most troops in Yanjing City, and the surrounding areas are also..."
"No." Qin Hui shook his head. "Yanjing is the place that the government wants to settle, and it is very important to it. It even waited for 40 to 50 days to let the Mongols and Koreans take the rear road and force the people to flee on their own. It is to take this city without fighting... and the Yanyun clans have their roots in Yanyun, how can they get on this ship?"
"That's right." Hong Ya then confirmed. "Even if the government's intention to deal with the Liu, Zuo, and Han families today is obvious, they can't easily abandon their family property. At most, Han Fang and Liu Zuo and other brothers will take a few people to follow the king to the north..."
"Not necessarily." Qin Huizhi suddenly interrupted. "Since the official over there has obvious ill intentions, and Liu Yanzong's youngest son died in Zhending, Han Fang is determined to be his imperial tutor and minister, and the remaining two Liu brothers and three Zuo brothers are all young, they might pull the king together and prevent him from evacuating, and tie up Yanjing and destroy everything..."
Hong Ya sneered: "Perhaps so, but it's not that I look down on them. If it really comes to a life-and-death situation, they will fight directly. Although these people are numerous and powerful, they may not be the opponents of those veterans..."
At this point, Hong Ya was slightly startled: "Speaking of which, the government made a mistake. The third of the three Liu brothers died in Zhending a long time ago."
"Perhaps it was a mistake, but it may not be a mistake. It was deliberately used to anger the Liu brothers." Qin Hui shook his head slightly. "Anyway, the Yanyun clan cannot be relied upon... What about the generals who were withdrawn? Are they reliable?"
"I think they are reliable for now." Hong Ya sighed. "These guys are veterans. Although they have fewer soldiers, they are veterans who have escaped back. Moreover, each of them has his own guards. Except for Yelu Ma Wu, the other four also have roots outside the Great Wall. Even if they are on the official list, why not borrow a boat to travel with them and kick them out when they get to the Great Wall?"
Qin Hui nodded: "Write this down first... What do the first, fourth, and sixth princes say? Do they have a place to stay?"
"Looking at the Fourth Prince's behavior today, he has lost his spirit. Although the Sixth Prince's position is closest to ours, he seems to be frightened by the emperor in Zhending and is bent on peace talks. But he is just a waste and is of no use at this critical juncture. The First Prince, on the other hand, is the king's adoptive father and the eldest son of Taizu. Moreover, he escaped back to Qianba Hezhameng'an this time. He can be said to be the most powerful in both name and reality..." Hong Ya stopped talking suddenly in the middle of his speech.
"So what?" Qin Huizhi was puzzled for a moment.
"The government has miscalculated again." Hong Ya was dumbfounded. "Not only did the three Liu brothers make a mistake , Wan Hu... Wan Hu seemed to have made a mistake as well... Five Wan Hu escaped, but the government only wanted four lives!"
"Has your name been called?" Qin Hui was also startled, then quickly asked.
"It's ordered." Hong Ya recalled the words of Wulin Dazanmo in the Shangshutai Hall. "Ma Wu, Erlubu, Pucha Huzhan, Jiagu Wulibu..."
"Hesheli Taiyu is missing!" Qin Hui suddenly felt a little lost. "Is this intentional? The Hesheli tribe is a Jurchen tribe on par with the Pushan tribe, second only to the core tribe of the Wanyan tribe... Moreover, Pushan Beilu and his son both died, while Hesheli Taiyu and his son both survived; the Pushan tribe was in Posu Road, next to Goryeo, and was almost inevitably spared, while the Hesheli tribe's base was in the north of Huanglongfu, around Shangjing... Did this official plan to this extent?!"
"Maybe he just forgot." Hong Ya tried to persuade him, but he himself was beginning to be suspicious. "Heshelie Taiyu is not a veteran general, but a reinforcement from the rear two years ago, just like Pushan Beilu. He has not fought as many battles with the official as the other four..."
"Hesheli Taiyu...Hesheli tribe..." Qin Hui stood up as he spoke, walked around the room with his hands clasped, and then suddenly stopped. "Minister Hong!"
"What?" Hong Ya also gasped.
"What if the emperor did it on purpose?" Qin Hui asked in a panic. "That makes sense... Just like deliberately mentioning the dead third son of the Liu family to anger the Yanyun clan and ruin the situation in Yanjing, deliberately leaving behind a powerful Hesheli tribe with a retreat route to let the Jurchens fall into chaos, which is also ruining the situation in Yanjing... Isn't that possible? Moreover, have you ever thought that if this is the case, then the emperor's anticipated reaction is even more normal... Is he hinting that we should help Hesheli Taiyu?"
"Isn't it a bit weird?" Hong Ya was panicked.
"This is not a question of whether it is bizarre or not. First, it is better to believe it than not." Qin Hui said seriously. "Second, if it is a mistake, what would Hesheli Taiyu think? Is this a huge flaw and opportunity?"
"What chance?" Hong Ya clasped his hands together and frowned.
"All the soldiers and horses have been lost, and the people are in a panic. With the army approaching, Yanyun cannot be defended. The Mongols are out of Zhongjing Road, and Goryeo is out of Dongjing Road. The retreat will be cut off... Emperor Zhao is now forcing us like this, and Yanjing will soon be in chaos!" Qin Hui approached him and lowered his voice. "No matter what the Yanyun clan is thinking, they are definitely unwilling to let the king leave, and the soldiers outside the Great Wall are not willing to wait at all, and just want to go back... There is no need to wait until tomorrow morning, there will be chaos tonight!"
"Mr. Qin, tell me something that I don't know." Hong Ya raised his head and stared at the other person's pale face, responding coldly.
"If we can join forces with Hesheli Taiyu, can we take advantage of the chaos to gain greater benefits with smaller ones... and make the conditions for peace talks a reality during the chaos?" Qin Hui said in an exceptionally gentle tone.
"How to do it?" Hong Ya, sweating profusely, seemed to be meeting . "Do you know what you mean? This is not the same as the day when Zhending City fooled a useless Sixth Prince... The various forces are entangled, and each family has outstanding people... We are just two scholars who are powerless!"
"I naturally know the situation." Qin Hui panted, but at this time. "As for how to make it happen..."
At this point, even Qin Hui felt a little flustered and hesitant... As the other party said, this was not a way to fool the Sixth Prince in Zhending City surrounded by corpses and wounded soldiers.
"How can we make it happen?!"
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the house, which frightened the two of them and made them jump in a mess, almost as if they were caught committing adultery. But they soon relaxed because the people who came were Qin Huizhi's wife Wang and Wang's cousin Zheng Xiunian.
And the person who spoke was actually Wang.
Wang walked into the house proudly, glanced coldly at her husband and Hong Ya, then looked back at her cowering cousin. She was so angry that she simply took out a dagger from her sleeve, then took a piece of cake from the plate on the table, cut it open with a knife, threw the dagger away, and turned back to look at Qin Hui with the two pieces of cake in her hand:
"How can you make it real? Isn't it enough to just do it this way? Seeing that there will be chaos within a day, not to mention wealth and honor, even your life and property will be in danger. You are still hesitating here... What kind of person is this?!"
Qin Huizhi hesitated for a moment and dared not say anything.
Wang took the cakes and looked at Hong Ya again: "Minister Hong, my son Sanlang is a loser. It was my fault that I met him. But why is Minister Hong so ridiculous today?"
Hong Ya was frightened for a while, and then was hit in the face by Wang. He finally got angry and stood up and said, "Madam Wang! If you are not as ridiculous as your Sanlang, how could you have surrendered together and ended up like this together?!"
At this moment, after closing his eyes for a moment, facing his wife's urging, Qin Hui suddenly gritted his teeth and made a decision: "No matter what, let's test Heshelie Taiyu! If we don't say it firmly, then... No, let's go find Erlubu and the others."
Hong Ya hesitated to speak, but ultimately he could not object.
