Wulinda Zanmo saw this and sighed in his heart, but he said respectfully at the bottom of the stairs: "Your Majesty... things have come to this point. The country is broken and the family is ruined. The land is collapsing and the mountains are falling. This is simply beyond human control. Why bother to say more?"
Hela nodded slowly, finally loosened his hands around Xiyin, walked back, pushed open the half-open door, and happened to see his own queen standing behind the door. He then took her hand again and went in together.
But in just a moment, as the shouting and killing sounds in the distance gradually gathered and stabilized, the king rushed out again and came directly to the courtyard to look around: "Has the battle already started? Are you sure it's aimed at the King of Liao?"
Wanyan Xiyin stood in the wind without saying a word. Seeing this, the others just lowered their heads and remained silent like Qin Huizhi.
After a while, Erlubu was summoned by the eunuchs and hurried back from the periphery to report: "To let your majesty know that the Liao king is indeed surrounded and the battle has begun! But please rest assured, your majesty, the Liao king is defending very well..."
Wanyan Hela wanted to say something but stopped himself. After looking at Wanyan Xiyin who was standing still, he finally nodded and turned back.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Hela came out again and asked on the steps: "Why are the shouts and screams getting louder and louder?"
Xi Yin still did not move, but Erlubu hurried out and came back after a while to report: "Your Majesty, after crossing the river, many of the Khitan bandits plundered and lost their way. Now they are fighting, and their forces are gradually gathering, so the shouts and cries of killing are getting louder and louder."
Hela sneered and said angrily: "Are you sure that all those who gathered here are the bandits who crossed the river and scattered? And are they sure that they are Khitans?!"
Elubu was speechless and could only go to see Xi Yin... In fact, Hela was half right. Elubu was a veteran general after all. He could tell from outside that those who gathered there were probably not the scattered masses of the attacking troops, but more like the people inside the camp who were well prepared to provide guidance, attack and command.
But the situation was too chaotic, with fleeing families and defeated soldiers everywhere, and the matter was of great importance, so even if he already had suspicions in his heart, it was hard to say which family sent them.
As for the king, Prime Minister Wanyan Xiyin's attitude was so clear, and Elubu had also survived the most difficult choice at the beginning, and now he was just coping with it.
Turning back to the present, He La was furious but no one responded. He shook his head helplessly and could only return to the house again.
There was still a constant breeze in the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Elubu secretly sighed inwardly, and went out again to continue watching the battle from the periphery... He noticed that Pucha Huzhan had some unusual movements, but the lights on the troops he sent out completely dispersed halfway through, and finally there was no further dispatch.
This was as it should be, since Pucha Huzhan's nephew married the eldest daughter of the Crown Prince.
He also noticed that the bandit troops besieging the eldest prince quickly became organized after receiving support from the scattered troops in the camp. They dispersed from the northwest corner of the eldest prince's camp, but began to focus on setting fire from the southeast, trying to end everything with fire.
Seeing the fire about to start, Elubu knew that the king would come out soon, and he would probably have to make the final decision.
Frankly speaking, up to this moment, Erlubu still wanted to save the eldest prince, of course, on the premise that he would not bring disaster upon himself. Therefore, after a little hesitation, this Jurchen veteran and battlefield escapee suddenly turned his head and looked at the leader of his personal guards:
"You can go there with two or three people."
"What can two or three people do?" The leader of the guards was puzzled.
"There must be Khitans, the key is to see if there are any Jurchens among them?" Erlubu explained seriously. "No matter what the result is, don't tell anyone. I'm just curious and want peace of mind... Go quickly and come back quickly."
The leader of the guards nodded, and immediately hurried away with a few smart soldiers, disappearing into the night.
What surprised Elubu was that just as he was waiting for the king's summons again and was slowly getting down from the roof, his own guard leader came back... and then nodded slightly in front of the young eunuch who came to summon him from a distance.
Even if Erlubu was slow-witted, he knew that there must be Jurchens among them, and they were most likely acquaintances of his own guards, otherwise they would not have come back so quickly.
Although he had guessed it, the veteran Jurchen general still felt a chill on his scalp after confirming it.
"Reporting to Your Majesty."
Turning back to the courtyard, the numbness on his scalp had not yet subsided, and Erlubu could only force himself to recover. "Just as your majesty guessed, the Khitan bandits used fire attack. The summer weather is warm, and there is a constant breeze... They also took the initiative to open a hole in the river, which is like a three-sided encirclement and one-left... Your Highness the King of Liao is really in danger."
Hela, who was standing on the threshold, was struck by lightning. His body swayed for a moment before he held on to the door frame and stood firm. Then he immediately looked at Wanyan Xiyin's back with some expectation.
But Xi Yin still didn't move.
He looked at Elubu again, but Elubu just lowered his head.
I went to look for Qin Hui again, but the light and shadows in the courtyard were intertwined, and I couldn't find Qin Hui for a while.
Finally, he went to find Wulin Da Zanmo. Wulin Da Zanmo finally met the king's gaze, but he shook his head slightly.
Seeing this, Hela felt helpless, frightened and sad. Tears immediately streamed down his face and he could only cover his face and go back to his room.
Everyone in the courtyard, starting with Xi Yin who had a blank expression, almost everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But soon, a shrill female voice suddenly sounded from the room:
"Your Majesty, what is wrong with you? You were played around by others in Yanjing, and now you can only cry in front of me? As the king of a country, how can you be so cowardly even on the run?"
Everyone was concerned about the young Queen Pei Man. They also knew that the young queen was only fifteen years old. If she were the king, with her intelligence and experience, she would understand something in her mind. The young queen was just saying childish things.
But for some reason, even though they knew that those were the little queen's childish words, everyone in the courtyard couldn't help but be slightly moved, and then listened attentively.
Soon, the king's slightly choked voice was heard:
"You don't understand... This is not a matter of dignity for the king. I know that Xi Yin Xiang has good intentions, and I also know that the current situation is that I am at the mercy of others. It will be better for everyone if my uncle dies... I just remember the kindness of my uncle in raising me... and the kindness of Master Han in teaching me... and the kindness of my fourth uncle in supporting me... Master Han was too late to save me, and my fourth uncle was too late to save me... Now the last closest uncle can't even be saved! I am not ashamed to be a king, but ashamed to be a nephew!"
Everyone in the courtyard felt compassionate at the same time.
"If you are ashamed, why don't you save them?!" The little queen's shrill voice sounded again. "The country is in this state, what else is there to worry about?!"
"Xi Yin Xianggong won't let me divide my forces..."
"You are the grandson of Taizu, and you are skilled in archery and horse riding. If Lord Xi Yin does not allow the generals below to rescue you, can he stop you from leading the army in person? Didn't you put on armor from the beginning tonight? Are you just pretending?!"
Almost everyone in the yard looked at the half-open door at the same time, causing a sensation. Even Xi Yin was slightly startled.
But soon, Wanyan Xiyin returned to his previous appearance - calm, natural, as if nothing had happened.
Almost at the same time, Queen Pei Man's voice sounded again:
"Last time in Yanjing, I was frightened and hid behind you, and I felt ashamed... If you really care about the King of Liao's kindness in raising him, you should ride your horse and lead the remaining Hezhameng'an to rescue him! By then, not only will we rescue the King of Liao, but even the soldiers in the camp will be inspired by you and gather together!"
Xi Yin had already recovered, Qin Hui looked pale, and Elubu was sweating profusely. However, Wulinda Zanmo could not help but take a step forward, as if he was ready to persuade him.
Almost immediately, Empress Pei Man urged again in the room:
"I just heard clearly that the King of Liao was almost burned to death. He also had eye disease. It would be difficult for him to escape in such a fire and at night... If you dare to go, I will go with you... If we can save him, we will save him. If we can't, we will come back. Even if the enemy is powerful, my husband and I are good horsemen and can escape on horseback... At worst, we can just go downstream along the Huangshui River..."
Before he finished speaking, Hela, wearing armor and holding a sword, suddenly opened the door and appeared in the yard again. He took a deep breath, forced himself to stop crying, then glanced around and said through gritted teeth:
"I want to go and save my uncle myself! This is not a king saving his subjects, but a nephew saving his uncle! Mr. Xi Yin, I want to take the three hundred lilies and Zhameng'an with me!"
"These hundreds of Hezhameng'an and the hundreds of Hezhameng'an with His Royal Highness the King of Liao are the last bit of the country's foundation." Wanyan Xiyin's expression was almost indifferent. "In the daytime, with good armor and war horses, one can fight ten, but in this chaotic night, it is easy to lose life, military discipline and traces... Your Majesty, do you want to bury the last Hezhameng'an together with the King of Liao?"
"I am the grandson of Taizu."
Hela was silent for a moment, then mustered up the courage to face him. "These two Heza Meng'an were originally the private property of the direct descendants of the Wanyan family... My husband, there is no need to ask about it."
Xi Yin nodded, moved half a body distance away, and still stood with his hands behind his back in the fragrant breeze.
The meaning was very simple - if the king wanted to die, then let him go, and he would not stop him, but he would never participate or agree with it.
The civil and military officials around were all uneasy when they saw this situation... Some were indignant at Wanyan Xiyin's indifference and dominance, while others were angry and puzzled by the king's impulsiveness.
The current situation is that the country has actually collapsed, but the Great Jin Dynasty of the Jurchen Wanyan clan can maintain its political system thanks to the three people: the king Hela, the prime minister Xiyin, and the eldest prince Oben, who form a kind of symbolic union.
As for tonight's events, in essence, everyone hopes that the eldest prince will die and not delay the lingering peace talks.
But at this moment, the king is trying his best to save the crown prince, who is the biggest obstacle to peace talks. Xi Yin's foundation of life is obviously to be a minister and a prime minister, but he wants to part ways with the king!
From this we can see that the Great Jin Dynasty is really going to end!
Wanyan Hela couldn't seem to understand why Wanyan Xiyin acted so indifferent. His impression of Xiyin was not like that... But things had come to this point, and he was a king after all, an eighteen-year-old boy with his own frustrations in his heart. How could he stop there?
So, the man bowed slightly to Xi Yin and said, "Please ask the lord and General Erlubu to protect the queen here. I will be back soon."
After saying that, Wanyan Xiyin just nodded, and Hela could no longer bear it, and he directly raised his sword and went down. Several Moukes in Hezhameng'an looked at each other, and finally three of them chased after him, but the rest were like Elubu, they moved their steps once, but ultimately did not follow.
Xi Yin just stared at the other person's back without any extra expression.
As for the young Queen Pei Man, she was about to chase out wearing only a helmet, but with a wave of Wulin Da Zanmo's hand, she was pushed inside by the eunuch.
At the moment when Wanyan Hela remembered that he was Aguda's grandson and put on his armor to go into battle, his great uncle, Wanyan Woben, was completely in despair.
"Digunai, go away!"
The eldest prince Wanyan Oben had disheveled hair, one hand leaning on a hot knife, the other hand covering his eye that was constantly tearing up, and then staring at his son with the other eye. "They just want to kill me so that they can negotiate peace. You are still small and won't be deliberately hunted down... Break out from the northwest and take your two brothers to find Pucha Huzhan... He is your brother-in-law's uncle. Although he didn't save me just now, he is still trustworthy... I can't leave in this state."
Digunai burst into tears, holding his father's arm that covered his eyes, and it took him a long time to recover: "Son can go... but please tell me... who is it today? I will endure for ten or eight years in the future, and I will avenge my father."
"I don't know either."
Wanyan Oben shook his head repeatedly when he heard this. "I don't know... it could be anyone. There are too many people who want me dead! Everyone wants to negotiate peace!"
"There must be a guess, right?" Digunai became more and more mournful. "As a son, you must give me some hope, right?!"
"Maybe it was the work of the Hesheli tribe, maybe it was also Talai and Yin Shuke, maybe it was the civil officials around the king... Xi Yin, Qin Hui, Wulin Da Zanmo... maybe even Hela (king)... Anyway, it couldn't be Ma Wu." Oben said with a wry smile. "But after my father's death, you can't do anything to Xi Yin and Hesheli for the time being. Don't ask anyone to find out about this matter within ten years. Instead, insist that it was Ma Wu's work... Do you understand?"
"Understand!"
Digunai wiped away his tears and finally let go.
Oben sighed.
Just as Digunai was about to turn around, put on his helmet and break out, he turned back and grabbed his father's arm, then rushed forward and bit his father's ear through his hair. However, because he had been crying for a long time, he could not use much force and only bit out blood.
Oben understood what he meant and pulled out a dagger from his waist and cut off his ear in his son's mouth. Digunai held his father's ear in his mouth and did not take the opportunity to swear any blood oath. Instead, he kowtowed on the spot, then put on his helmet, turned around and broke through with several guards towards the northwest gap left by the enemy.
Over there, his two younger brothers were already waiting.
At the edge of the fire, Oben, whose body and face were covered in blood and black ash, watched his son leave with his ear in his mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief, put on his hot helmet, turned around and rushed to the east, which had not yet been engulfed by the fire but was surrounded by heavy troops. He then shouted Yelu Mawu's name loudly, asking him to come and confront him.
What greeted Wanyan Oben was cheers and a rain of arrows... It was obvious that someone on the other side recognized his voice.
But he had no time to care about these things. After he estimated that his son had escaped, Wanyan Woben turned around and rushed into the core area of ​​his camp like a madman, hacking and killing his two younger daughters and several concubines with a knife... And when he rushed into the room of his wife, Princess Tushan, and found that his wife and Digunai's biological mother, the Queen Mother, had already committed suicide, he finally came to his senses.
Then, he dragged the bedding and silk, and without waiting for the fire to come, he added a fire to the room himself. Then he felt his ribs, stabbed his heart with all his strength, and endured the severe pain, lying with his head back beside the two concubines.
The fire spread completely in a moment, and the last ruling prince of the Jin Dynasty managed to retain one ear without turning into ashes.
On the other side, Wanyan Hela rushed out of the core camp where he lived. At first, he was full of heroism and depression. He just wanted to rescue his uncle and then go back to see Wanyan Xiyin and others.
However, the huge camp was filled with chaotic soldiers, looting and killing. He carried the emperor's flag and led hundreds of Hezhameng'ans, but no one could hear his words and no one could see his flag clearly.
Not only that, the chaos and darkness seriously stimulated and affected his troops.
People disappear every moment... They are not necessarily fleeing on purpose, but more often they fall behind in a daze, or find it difficult to turn back after a fork in the road, or they suddenly encounter a small group of rebel soldiers and lose track of where they are after a hasty fight.
Wanyan Hela quickly understood the meaning of Xi Yin's previous reminder, but firstly, he was still angry, secondly, he really wanted to save his uncle, and thirdly, although there was chaos in the camp, there was a fire in Wanyan Oben's camp, so he didn't know where to go.
The price he paid for this was that when he approached the burning camp, there were only a hundred people left by his side.
However, even so, because of his status as the king and his open declaration, it still caused panic and loss of control among the "Khitan bandits".
Of course, Hela soon noticed the weirdness in this so-called Khitan bandit army... and similar to Erlubu's previous reaction, although he had guessed it long ago, after seeing some people near the fire with his own eyes, he still felt his scalp tingling and his feet weak, and he began to shake on his horse for a while.
"It's the King!"
In the chaos, someone turned around in panic and found his accomplice. "What should I do? He saw me, and I didn't wear a mask!"
"If that's the case, we can't just let it go this time... We killed Oben, just like he killed his father... Can we think of anything else?!" Someone always maintained a cruel calm. "Tonight is not like Yanjing!"
"My son is right."
The other person gritted his teeth, then put on a mask and was about to move forward to meet him.
"Father, please wait a moment. The son hides for the father. Please let the son do the regicide for the father!"
The man who had been a little calmer before took the initiative to grab his father, then took the other's helmet with a mask, jumped on the horse, and galloped towards him wearing only a light leather armor.
"Lord!"
After a while, Hela was trying to shout to drive away the thieves and promised to put out the fire and forgive their sins. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw the familiar man waving a war hammer and coming towards him.
The two sides met on horseback, and the war hammer smashed down with the help of the horse's momentum. He La hurriedly used his bow to block it, but still fell off his horse on the spot.
Then, the man ran away in a hurry and disappeared into the night.
Amidst the greater chaos, Hela stared at the familiar figure walking away, still unable to believe it... but there was no need to believe it... Just when several Heza Meng'ans tried to dismount to rescue the king, dozens of well-prepared riders swarmed in and dispersed the rescue troops. Among them, several riders, in order, did not hesitate to rein in their horses in front of Hela, lifted their horses' front hooves high, and then stepped down heavily again.
This happened repeatedly, and he finally escaped.
The fire was raging, the wind was blowing, the dust was rising, and the water was flowing like ink.
Before dawn, the Khitan bandits fled upstream, shouting the news that Wanyan Hela and Wanyan Woben had been killed.
Starting from dawn, Jin Dynasty Prime Minister Wanyan Xiyin waited for many people and many messages one after another.
The first to come were Hesheli Taiyu and his son, Wanyan Talai and Wanyan Yinshuke, who came with the "remnants of their tribe". They reported their hard work in assisting the eldest prince in the battle last night, and mentioned that Wanyan Woben might have died in the battle, and then asked in a vague way about the whereabouts of the king.
Secondly, a soldier brought the corpse of King Hela... The corpse had been trampled into a pulp, and the only reference was the candidate's armor and certain other features.
Although Xi Yin remained silent for a long time, he did not show too much grief, and even allowed the first group of people to doubt the corpse.
The one who cried the most was Queen Peiman, followed by Wulinda Zanmo.
Soon, the third group of people arrived... This time, they were Wanyan Oben's son Digunai and General Pucha Huzhan and their remnants.
"I know who did what happened last night!"
Digunai, who was in a mess, came to the courtyard, took out a human ear from his arms, and placed it next to the corpse of the king Hela. "My father made this matter clear before he died! Please ask Xi Yin Xianggong, the queen and several generals to make the decision for me and avenge the king!"
Wanyan Xiyin looked at the other person in silence, his eyes full of bloodshot.
Hesheli Taiyu and his son, Wanyan Talan and Wanyan Yinshuke all looked at Digunai in silence, waiting for him to continue.
"There were many people who killed the king and my father last night, but my father can only identify two people." Wanyan Digunai swept his eyes over everyone in the courtyard, and finally stared at one of them fiercely. His expression was so ferocious that blood oozed from his dry lips. "It should be Prime Minister Qin Hui who planned and instigated Yelu Ma Wu to do it!"
Everyone was stunned.
Even Xi Yin was stunned for a moment.
Qin Hui was in a trance for a moment before blurting out: "Your Highness is ridiculous! Why would I kill the king?"
"The Song government promised that your position as prime minister would remain unchanged after the peace talks, but my father is the biggest obstacle to the peace talks, and the king regards my father as his own father, and will never allow the peace talks to be made easily!" Wanyan Digunai answered seriously. "Isn't that enough?"
Qin Hui was confused and panicked... He was really panicked... Because what happened last night really had nothing to do with him, and even most people should have known that this matter had nothing to do with him.
But the more this happened, coupled with Wanyan Digunai's confidence, the more flustered Qin Huizhi became.
Because it means that the other party suddenly becomes unreasonable and does not care about reasons. Once the enemy becomes unreasonable and does not care about reasons, he really does not know what to do.
Seeing Xi Yin, Queen Pei Man who had been widowed at the age of fifteen, and everyone in the courtyard coming to see him, Qin Huizhi suddenly made a fatal mistake in his panic.
In other words, it was a fatal mistake that was compounded...because without this mistake, he might have been fatal today.
"General Hesheli... I am wronged, you know me!" Qin Hui's heart was beating fast. He looked directly at Hesheli Taiyu and bowed.
The latter nodded, but suddenly smiled and shook his head directly: "Prime Minister Qin, you were so skilled in manipulating people's hearts in Yanjing back then, and you persuaded me to work with Marshal Talai and General Yin Shuke to oppose the King of Liao, but in the end you turned around and became difficult to support... The King of Liao believed that you were a troublemaker before he died, I'm afraid it wasn't wrong, right?"
Qin Huizhi was silent for a moment, because after calming down a little, he finally realized the problem.
Furthermore, during the incident in Yanjing, he relied on his keen political sense and strong caution to successfully escape from the vortex at the last moment and avoid the same fate as Hong Ya... However, he also offended both the Crown Prince and Hesheli.
At that time, the only thing he could rely on was the alliance of the Fourth Prince, Xi Yin, and the King. However, ever since the Fourth Prince went south, this balancing alliance had become extremely fragile, so much so that he became uneasy when he heard that the Fourth Prince had tied himself up and went south.
And now, with the complete collapse of the situation, Digunai, unable to retaliate against other people, or simply not knowing who his enemy is, first took him, a man with a criminal record in the Yanjing Incident and a Han Chinese without any foundation, as the target of venting and revenge. It seemed natural.
"Xi Yin, my Lord." Qin Hui found the only person he could count on, or the only person who could save him. "You know, I was here all night, so I couldn't be the one who planned the chaos."
Wanyan Xiyin glanced at the other party calmly, then looked at Hesheli and his sons, passed by the king's body, Oben's ears, and the crying little Queen Peiman, and finally stared at Wanyan Digunai:
"Digunai, after dealing with Qin Huizhi, will you be willing to temporarily put aside your hatred and hurry on your way as soon as possible?"
"Yes!" Digunai answered with a grim smile.
Qin Huizhi felt like he was falling into an icy cave.
"What about you?" Wanyan Xiyin looked at the four people of Hesheli again.
"Yes." Hesheli Taiyu glanced at his son, and when he saw the other party nod slightly, he immediately responded.
"I clearly didn't do it..." Qin Hui knew that he had reached the last moment, and tried to defend himself. "You guys are causing trouble, why are you putting the blame on me?"
"What did the Queen say?" Xi Yin ignored her and continued to look at another key person.
Little Queen Pei Man wiped away her tears and glanced at Xi Yin angrily: "Isn't it my husband who has the final say in the current situation?"
Wanyan Xiyin didn't care at all and looked at other people again... Seeing that no one refuted, the last person to object was Qin Hui.
Qin Hui felt his whole body go limp, and then he knelt on the ground, begging earnestly: "Xi Yin Xianggong... I have served the Great Jin Kingdom for many years and have made great contributions. Why do you want to punish me for a lie that you and I both know?"
"Is this the first day you know how we Jurchens deal with this kind of thing?" Xi Yin smiled slightly self-deprecatingly. "Prime Minister Qin... you might as well use the words in the previous peace talks from Emperor Zhao that you must be prime minister and cannot be replaced to protect yourself!"
"Yes." Qin Hui suddenly realized, and like a desperate man, he hurried to see Heshelie and his son. "Everyone... Emperor Zhao promised me to be the prime minister of the Kingdom of Jin for life!"
Everyone frowned slightly.
However, Digunai became more and more impatient and drew a knife from his waist. Although the people around him were on guard, no one stopped him from approaching Qin Huizhi.
After all, he is just Qin Hui.
Qin Hui saw Digunai coming at him with a sharp blade, and he had no strength to stand up. He was terrified and confused, thinking that his life was ridiculous. But for some reason, when he was facing the blade, he suddenly remembered something, and then he looked up and said sincerely:
"It was all my wife Wang's idea!"
Digunai was stunned for a moment, then nodded and stabbed out with a knife. He stabbed Qin Huizhi two or three times in a row, venting his anger by stabbing him eighteen or nineteen times. Blood splattered all over his body. The others just stood there and watched, and no one stopped him. Even the young Queen Pei Man did not react in front of the miserable corpse of her husband.
I don't know how many times he stabbed me. Digunai took a few deep breaths and turned around to ask:
"Where is Wang?"
In the silence of the whole courtyard, Xi Yin pointed directly to a location: "It's in the third courtyard on the west side."
Digunai nodded, cut off Qin Hui's head with all his strength, and then carried the head to the other courtyard. When he reached the third courtyard, he asked the gatekeeper, "Which room is Qin Xianggong's wife Wang in?"
The guard was already panicking and could only point with difficulty.
Seeing this, Digunai nodded slightly again and went straight to the front of the house. He saw that the window was wide open and there was a middle-aged woman sitting in front of the window fiddling with something. He asked again:
"But Mrs. Qin Wang?"
Wang responded instinctively, but when she looked up, she saw a head flying towards her. She was already stunned. When she saw clearly that it was her husband's head, and the short man coming from the door with a knife, she wanted to escape directly through the window.
But how can a woman who is so frightened move flexibly?
Digunai immediately stepped forward and stabbed the man's chest with his knife from the back, but he was too lazy to chop more. He rested for a while before drawing his knife to chop off the man's head. Then he tied the two heads together, returned to the middle courtyard, and placed them next to his father's ear.
The others were fine. Xi Yin looked at it and immediately urged: "So, is it possible to get back on track?"
This time no one said anything.
Since the so-called Qin Xianggong and his wife have betrayed their country and nation and relied on the Jurchens for everything, they are now nothing more than a bargaining chip for a crazy Jurchen noble to vent their anger.
Who cares about them?
They themselves don't care.
Back to the present, since Qin Hui and his wife were killed for no reason, Xi Yin did not deliberately come to prove the body of Hela, but just found a Khitan man, asked him to see Yelu Ma Wu, and asked him to return the Sixth Prince Eluguan and scold him... Everyone knew that this was because of Yelu Ma Wu's loyalty and bravery for many years, so he was asked to stay away for a while and not really chase them, which would then cause such embarrassment to Qin Hui and his wife.
Then, the only remaining husband acted as if nothing had happened. He gathered his troops, assembled the team, and desperately urged the exiled team to cross the river to the north and then turn east.
Of course, he had to make an agreement with everyone to arrive at Huanglongfu to discuss the matter of the new emperor and seek peace with the south.
After twelve days, the exiled court of the Jin Dynasty finally crossed the wasteland north of the Huangshui River in the midsummer of May and arrived at Huanglongfu (now Nong'an area), the heartland of the Jin Dynasty.
At this time, the size of the exile team was only one-tenth of what it was when they left Yanjing.
However, there was another thing that made some of them feel even more uneasy. That was that as soon as the team arrived in Huanglong, Wanyan Wulu, the fourteen-year-old son of the deceased Third Prince Erlido, led the remaining people of the Wanyan tribe to greet them.
Moreover, after Erlido's death, his wife was a devout Buddhist and did not want to remarry according to the Jurchen customs, so she returned to Liaoyang to become a nun. Wanyan Wulu also returned to Liaoyang... Now the Song and Goryeo troops have arrived together. Liaoyang, as the capital of Liaodong, has no chance of survival. As a member of the Wanyan family with the most noble status outside the Great Wall, it is normal for him to lead the people back to Huanglongfu to meet Xi Yin and his party.
But, aren’t Wanyan Ouben and Wanyan Hela dead?
Wasn’t it agreed that the new ruler would be decided at Huanglong Mansion?
Wanyan Wulu's well-rested, strong and timely appearance made Wanyan Digunai, whose power was greatly reduced after his father's death, and the Hesheli clan, who had already made preparations, feel uneasy.
This anxiety soon reached its peak because there was evidence that Wulu's appearance here, including his timely return to the north with the Jurchen tribes in the southern part of the Great Wall, was due to direct orders from Xi Yin.
But no matter how uneasy they were, no one dared to resist.
This is because Xi Yin himself is recognized as the wisest man of the founding of the Jurchens. He has all kinds of qualifications and prestige, and is the person with the highest rank at the moment... He is the only prime minister... and a distant branch of the Wanyan clan. Now that he has returned to Huanglongfu, where the Wanyan clan has great influence, almost no one can resist him.
Apart from anything else, Wanyan Loushi's second son, Wanyan Mouyan, the hereditary Meng'an of Huanglongfu, stood on Xi Yin's side without hesitation.
It was only because Wanyan Loushi entrusted Mou Yan to Xi Yin that he was able to inherit the hereditary Meng'an of Huanglongfu.
Therefore, when they arrived at Huanglongfu in the afternoon, they had no time to greet each other or even to ask about the situation on the front line. Following Wanyan Xiyin's order, the Jurchen nobles outside the Great Wall and the remaining Jurchen nobles in Yanjing gathered together.
"I have a few words to say."
Wanyan Xiyin didn't even change his clothes, and stood in the middle of the hall of the Huanglongfu Military Command with a stench of sweat all over his body. Wanyan Mouyan stood behind him like a guard.
The rest of the people, whether they were close or distant relatives of the Wanyan clan, such as Talai, Yin Shuke, Pu Jianu, or leaders of other Jurchen tribes, such as Hesheli, Peiman, Pucha, Wulinda, Tushan, Shima, etc., or direct military generals such as Elubu, Pucha Huzhan, and Jiagu Wulibu who actually survived, could only sit and listen.
"Three things."
Wanyan Xiyin was brief and to the point. "First of all... is there any objection to negotiating peace with Song?"
It’s not that there were no small tribal leaders outside the Great Wall who were ready to make a move, but in the end no one said a word… The peace talks were decided by the Battle of Huolu, and as long as Emperor Zhao left a door open, this would be the only way.
The rebellion in Yanjing and the rebellion in Huangshui were inevitable.
Now that the eldest prince is dead and the king is also dead, there is no need to worry about peace talks...peace talks have long been a consensus.
"Well, then, let's negotiate peace." Xi Yin nodded. "The second thing is actually connected to the peace negotiation... The king died on the road, killed by the Khitans, so we have to elect a new king... Who has any ideas about electing a new king?"
"The new king should marry my daughter." This was not a surprising statement made by the father of the young Queen Pei Man.
"Okay." Xi Yin stood there calmly. "Anything else?"
"My father is Taizu's eldest son, and I am his eldest surviving son. It is right for me to succeed to the throne as the eldest son." Wanyan Digunai knew that the critical moment had come, and he stood up without hesitation.
"Not bad." Xi Yin nodded in response. "Are there any other suitable candidates?"
"How about Wulu?" Wulinda Zanmo pointed out a candidate who was no less qualified. "Although Digunai is a descendant of Taizu's eldest son...but Wulu's family background is not bad, and he often lives outside the Great Wall, so he is more familiar with the local situation than Digunai."
Xi Yin nodded immediately: "Okay."
"I won't marry the daughter of Pei Man's family." At this moment, Wu Lu suddenly blushed. "I have an appointment with the daughter of Wu Linda."
Everyone sneered, and Wulinda Zanmo was even more confused for a moment... He really didn't know anything about this matter.
"We can appoint two concubines or queens." Xi Yin put the matter to rest with one sentence. "Are there any other candidates?"
"The country is in turmoil, why not appoint an elder?" Yin Shuke suddenly interrupted with a sneer. "How about Marshal Talan? He is Taizu's cousin."
Everyone looked at each other... Many people actually hesitated for a moment, even Talai seemed a little confused and dazed... It seemed that it was not impossible.
"She must call the Zhao Song emperor her father, and she must marry Pei Man... and she must not be over 20 years old." Xi Yin stopped the new waves with just one sentence, and then looked at the person sitting in front of him nonchalantly. "Are there any other suitable candidates?"
The person being looked at was Hesheli Taiyu. Hearing this, he was slightly moved. In addition, he was unwilling to give in, so he asked tentatively: "How is my son Loushi?"
"Liang Bi?" Someone immediately reacted fiercely. "Of course the king is Wan Yan, how can Liang Bi be allowed?"
"I think it's OK." Before the debate could start, Xi Yin, who was standing in the middle of the hall, interrupted them impatiently. "After all this, the six major tribes are no longer in a situation where the Wanyan clan can suppress the other five tribes in one fell swoop... They are just backup options for the time being, so why not?"
"I still think it's inappropriate." Unlike before, this time some people immediately expressed their opposition, including Xi Yin's long-time ally Wulin Da Zanmo. "The country has reached this point, and stability is what we need. A hasty transfer of the country's leadership will cause chaos...Xi Yin, you should consider this."
Xi Yin was silent for a moment, then asked again: "Do you really not understand or are you pretending not to understand? Who told you that it is me or you who decides who will be the king?"
There was a moment of silence in the hall. Many people felt a slight movement in their hearts and then realized something.
"I just said that this matter is related to the peace talks." Xi Yin explained seriously. "The country is in a complete defeat and wants to negotiate for survival. At this time, the ruler is vacant. The one who decides on the candidate for the ruler is of course the Zhao Song official who is waiting on Chrysanthemum Island... Why do you think we decided it here?"
There was still silence in the hall.
"Liangbi was chosen to prevent the Emperor Zhao from having any intentions to destroy the Great Jin in name and abroad, and replace it with a ruler other than the Wanyan clan." Xi Yin continued to explain calmly. "If you ask me, it's not just this. If they change the Great Jin into Great Tin, Great Lead, or Great Copper, you have to be prepared...
"When the time comes, we will tie up Liu Yu, Fu Liang and other rebels from Huining Prefecture as gifts, along with the remaining gold and pearls... If Qin Hui is still alive, we will tie him up and send him over as well...
“Then send the three of them over and let the official choose for himself!
Only in this way can we express complete submission, make the people of Song feel that the humiliation of Jingkang has been avenged, and make the peace talks successful."
"If that official wanted to kill us, why not just chop the three of us to pieces together?" Yin Shuke seemed to sense a hint of danger and couldn't help but refute.
"Chop them off, then chop them off. Three half-grown kids, isn't it worth it to learn about the Zhao Song government's true attitude towards us?" Xi Yin glanced at Yin Shuke, then at the three candidates, including Liangbi, his personal student, and his expression became increasingly tired. "Besides, he won't really chop them off...
"Although I am dull, I can guess that, with the intelligence and temperament of that official, he might change the name and the system, but he will never really destroy us...
"Because in the northeastern Liaodong region, there are more than 200 Jurchen tribes alone, and countless Jurchens, so he can't kill them all... Therefore, he must set up a Jurchen country. No matter what the name is, it is a Jurchen country anyway, just like he must pinch his nose and set up a Khitan Autonomous Road to appease the Khitans and the Xi people...
"Besides, there are Mongols, Khitans, Xi people, Bohai people, Koreans, and Jurchens outside the Great Wall. A balance must be maintained outside the Great Wall. No one can dominate alone. The Jurchens, who are already in decline, are of certain use to him and the Song Dynasty."
After saying this, Xi Yin suddenly seemed to be on the verge of collapse, perhaps because he was too tired. The other Jurchen dignitaries at the table were talking about it, but they didn't know how to refute it.
"If you have no objection, let the three of them go see Emperor Zhao...is that ok?" Xi Yin's breathing gradually became heavier, and he seemed to be more impatient.
Of course, it was impossible for everyone to accomplish such a major event all at once, but it was obvious from the reactions that no matter whether it was the returnees from Yanjing who were frightened by the defeat, or the Jurchen tribal leaders outside the Great Wall who were more concerned about "it's just a Jurchen country anyway"... no one had any special opposition, or those who had opposition did not have the corresponding strength and courage to oppose.
Therefore, after waiting for a while, seeing that the incident was about to pass, Xi Yin raised his voice again: "The third thing has not been mentioned yet!"
Wanyan Mouyan patted his weapon impatiently, causing the hall to become quiet again.
"The third thing." Xi Yin's tone suddenly calmed down again, but for some reason, his breath became heavier. "No matter what, I brought back the remnants of the Great Jin Kingdom from Yanjing... Maybe there is nothing left, maybe there is still something... But it doesn't matter, I brought it back to Huanglong Mansion! Brought it back... Brought it back!"
Everyone was confused for a moment, because this didn't sound like a big deal.
But soon, they understood each other's meaning.
After Xi Yin finished speaking, he said nothing, his face calm, and directly pulled out the sword from Wanyan Mouyan's waist behind him. Then, without any extra words or reactions, he ruthlessly cut the artery in his neck.
As everyone stared in amazement, blood gushed out like a fountain, and the instigator, Xi Yin, threw away his sword without a word, staggered back to the seat behind him, and then lay motionless.
After a moment, the first person to react was Xi Yin's student, Hesheli Liangbi, one of the three candidates for the position of king.
He rushed out of his seat and fell to Xi Yin's side. He instinctively tried to cover the other's wound, but his mind was filled with only one thought... why? Why did his teacher have to die?
Why?
Countless thoughts flashed through Liangbi's mind - the country was lost, the master died, the Wanyan clan lost its dominant position in the Jurchens, he personally arranged a humiliating peace, the master died suddenly on the road, years of institutional reform collapsed in one day, the student he trusted and liked the most became a villain who plotted to kill the king...
There are so many things like this that can be remembered quickly that it is impossible to count them all at once.
Each one seems to be a reason for suicide, but each one seems not enough.
Because it has come to this!
Just as Xi Yin said himself, we have returned to Huanglongfu, we have already returned to Huanglongfu!
I've gotten through it all!
The helplessness of failing at the last hurdle, the despair of winning the Lu Campaign, the destruction of the country, the brutal infighting that was easily provoked... we have endured everything.
You don't have to die!
However, my teacher committed suicide so decisively and quickly after arriving at Huanglongfu!
Without any hesitation, even a little impatient.
Why?
Full of doubt and confusion, this was the first reaction of Liangbi and everyone present.
But soon, unlike others, suddenly, as Hesheli Liangbi realized that he could not cover the other party's wound at all, and realized that the gushing of his teacher's blood could not be controlled at all and had dyed half of his body red, he also noticed that something equally uncontrollable was surging from his chest and directly flowed to his nose and eye sockets.
Then, he began to cry loudly in the blood, hugging his teacher, in front of everyone in the classroom looking stunned.
In May of the tenth year of Jianyan, Wanyan Xiyin, who seemed to have no reason to die, suddenly died, and it seemed that his death was even easier than that of Qin Hui.