Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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The Ming cavalry, of course, did not hold back, and in unison drew their bows and nocked their arrows, ready to fire as soon as they received the order.

The atmosphere was tense, ready to explode at any moment.

If a battle breaks out today, regardless of the outcome, the two countries will inevitably go to war.

Zuo Guangqing could no longer care about saving face for the Jin Kingdom, and hurriedly bowed and said, "It's all a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

"We will need the general's escort to return home."

Immediately afterwards, he turned around and pressed down on Wanyan Gouying's right hand: "Calm down, calm down."

"Humph!"

Wanyan Gouying sheathed his sword; he knew, of course, that he couldn't fight.

Leaving aside the question of whether it would provoke a war between the two countries, it would be difficult to win even if the consequences were disregarded.

The Jin Dynasty delegation consisted of only a few dozen people, including civil servants, while Yan Ping's cavalry force numbered three hundred.

Both sides sheathed their weapons and headed north through the snow.

The Jin delegation walked in front, followed closely by Ming cavalry, ready to shoot them in the back at any moment.

Chapter 3362 The Envoy of the Jin Kingdom

They rested at post stations along the way. Due to a lack of rooms, the Jin envoys often slept in straw huts and fell asleep every night smelling of horse manure.

Every now and then, Yan Ping would make sarcastic remarks, clearly trying to provoke the other party.

From the chief and deputy envoys to ordinary soldiers, the entire Jin delegation was seething with anger.

By the time we arrived in Haiyang (Qinhuangdao), it was already springtime.

The Jin delegation suffered from poor food and sleep, and didn't even get a hot bath along the way. When they arrived outside Haiyang City, they were practically beggars.

"Strengthen defenses, the Ming Dynasty may send troops!" Wanyan Gouying said to the garrison commander of Haiyang.

Before the Ming Dynasty, there was no Shanhaiguan Pass, only Yuguan Pass.

Yuguan refers to a military defense system, not a specific pass.

The vast area stretching from Shanhaiguan in the east to Funing in the west all belonged to the Yuguan Pass area, which was used during the Sui and Tang dynasties to defend against Goguryeo.

After the establishment of the Liao Dynasty, Yuguan was transformed into Yuguan Post Station, which, in addition to transmitting military intelligence, was mainly used to collect tolls.

The fortress collapsed long ago and has never been repaired.

At this time, in order to block the coastal route, the Jin state stationed a large number of troops in Haiyang (Qinhuangdao) and reinforced the city of Haiyang.

There were also dissenting voices within the Jin state. Wanyan Zonghan planned to abandon the Liaoxi Corridor and retreat directly to Jinzhou to garrison troops, which would be more advantageous for combat.

However, this proposal was rejected because if the Liaoxi Corridor were lost, the flanks of the Jin state's Lizhou and Jianzhou would be exposed.

After taking a good bath in Haiyang, Zuo Guangqing and Wanyan Gouying each rode their fast horses towards Harbin.

...

Jin Dynasty, Shangjing.

"Why is Father drinking again? Can't he pull himself together and fight them?"

Wanyan Zongpan was furious at his lack of ambition.

Wu Qimai laughed heartily: "Come over and have a drink."

Wanyan Zongpan snatched the wine cup, thinking angrily, "You told me to be patient, but you yourself have lost your ambition."

“The men under Nianhan’s command are becoming increasingly arrogant and domineering, and many nobles are willing to side with us.”

"How can one indulge in drinking and pleasure every day at a time like this?"

Wu Qimai sighed, "You can't win, don't make trouble for yourself."

Wanyan Zongpan stared at his emperor father, wanting to know whether Wuqimai was faking it or had truly surrendered completely and was at the mercy of others.

The internal strife in the Jin Dynasty seemed to have eased, but in fact it had become more complicated, and the lineage of Emperor Shizu had already fallen apart.

The largest force was the military meritocracy led by Wanyan Zonghan, with military leaders from various ethnic groups banding together.

The second largest force was the Taizu faction, led by Wanyan Zonggan, whose core members were Aguda's sons, and which received support from Han and Bohai civil officials.

The third major force was the Taizong faction, led by Wanyan Zongpan. Its core members were Wuqimai's sons, as well as Jurchen nobles who had been marginalized and some civil officials from various ethnic groups.

In addition, the Taizu faction also subtly split into other factions, such as the aristocratic faction led by Wanyan Zongfu.

They held partial military power in Liaodong and Liaozhong regions, and while nominally belonging to the Taizu faction, they actually showed signs of semi-independence.

Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zonggan joined forces, trying to ease the factional conflicts.

But it simply can't be suppressed!

One reason was that the military meritocracy was arrogant and domineering. As Wanyan Zonghan led his troops into the capital, he had constant conflicts with the top nobles of the Jin Dynasty.

Secondly, Wanyan Zonggan cultivated his own faction in an attempt to completely control the court, which aroused dissatisfaction among many Jin nobles.

These two individuals each had their own interests, and while they appeared to be tolerating each other for the sake of the country, they were actually joining forces to seize power.

Where some seize power, others lose it.

The Jurchen nobles who were marginalized all turned to Wanyan Zongpan.

However, their strength is still relatively weak, and they dare not make any big moves openly, so they can only lie low and coordinate in secret.

The positions of Wanyan Zongfu, Wanyan Zongbi (Jin Wuzhu), and others became increasingly awkward.

They generally supported Wanyan Zonggan, but were dissatisfied with his power grabbing, so they led their army to become a semi-independent faction.

Such a makeshift team was able to maintain restraint purely because of the existence of the Ming Dynasty as an enemy.

In an effort to ease tensions, the various factions held several meetings to reach a compromise. Wanyan Zongpan was also granted the title of Bojilie, which allowed him to represent the emperor and the Taizong faction at the conference.

"Let's go, it's time for a meeting!" Wanyan Zongpan pulled Wu Qimai, who reeked of alcohol, out the door.

The scene of the Bojilie Conference.

Wu Qimai sat in the main seat, followed by Wanyan Zonggan, then Wanyan Zonghan, then Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Zongfu, Wanyan Zongbi...

Wanyan Zonggan's high status was due not only to his status as Aguda's eldest son born out of wedlock and the support of many nobles, but also to the fact that the Jin Dynasty's crown prince was raised in his household—after Aguda's eldest legitimate son died, his legal wife and son were adopted by Wanyan Zonggan.

In other words, the current crown prince of the Jin Dynasty is actually Wanyan Zonggan's stepson.

“Tell me about your experiences in the Ming Dynasty,” Wanyan Zonggan asked.

Zuo Guangqing said, "We arrived in Kaifeng before autumn, but we did not see the Ming emperor until after the winter solstice."

"I demanded the return of the traitorous generals and fugitives from the Ming emperor, but he flatly denied it. I then said that this would provoke war between the two countries."

Chapter 3363 The Mongols

"The Ming emperor considered this a threat and expelled us all from the Sifangguan..."

"It was snowing heavily in Kaifeng. We didn't even have a place to stay, so we had to hide in a cave to keep warm."

"On the way back home, the southern barbarians insulted us in every way, and even made us sleep in hay sheds and stables..."

Wanyan Gouying recounted the humiliating things that had happened to him.

Zuo Guangqing was relatively restrained, but Wanyan Gouying exaggerated the situation.

After the two finished speaking, the group of Bojilie did not get angry.

Wanyan Zonghan said, "If the Ming Dynasty wants to start a war, they will definitely send troops this year or next."

Wanyan Zonggan said, "We have also stored up some grain and fodder. If we can hold out until the autumn harvest, we can fight a major war for half a year without any problem."

Despite constant famine and rebellions, the Jin dynasty did not stop stockpiling grain and fodder.

Wanyan Zongfu asked, "How many troops can you muster?"

Wanyan Zonghan said, "If we include Yunzhong and the grasslands, we can send at least 120,000 troops."

"But the Han Chinese in the clouds, the Khitans on the grasslands, and those Tanggu tribes, who have been conscripted to the battlefield, may rebel and defect."

“Especially among the Tanggu tribes, there are Ming spies active, colluding with tribal leaders to betray the Jin and defect to the Ming.”

"The captured spy was subjected to severe torture and interrogation. He said that all the tribal chiefs were willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty."

This was caused by the oppressive policies of the Jin Dynasty, which had excessively exploited the Tanggu tribes.

Not to mention betraying the Jin and joining the Ming, some even joined the Western Xia and helped them seize the Baotou region.

Wanyan Zonghan continued, "If the war goes smoothly, I can ensure they will not rebel."

“If the war goes against us, I’m afraid many troops will defect.”

"No matter what, we must fight with all our might," Wanyan Zongfu said.

Wanyan Zonghan said, "We cannot fight alone, nor can we simply retreat and defend."

"My idea is to abandon the coastal road and retreat to the Jinzhou area."

"Liaozhong, Liaodong, Liaonan, Jinzhou... focus on defense and do not send troops out recklessly, because the Ming army may launch a surprise attack across the sea at any time."

“Yunzhong (Datong) is also mainly defensive, with many formidable passes there. Even if the Ming army manages to break through one of them, it will not have a significant impact on the overall battle situation.”

"Our main force will seize the opportunity to move south from various parts of the Yanshan Mountains."

"Instead of fighting for a single city or territory, they plunder and harass everywhere, luring the Ming army to exhaustion, and finally seeking an opportunity to encircle and annihilate them."

"If we can annihilate one force, we should do so. If it's too difficult to capture, we should immediately lift the siege and flee far away, luring the Ming army to pursue us..."

Wanyan Zongpan snorted coldly: "You gave the land of Youyan to the Ming Dynasty, and now you want to fight there again."

"What do you know?"

Wanyan Zonghan sarcastically remarked, "That place is flat, sparsely populated, and barren. If we continue to occupy it, there will be no natural defenses, and we will have to station troops everywhere to guard against it."

"Now the situation is reversed; the Ming army is on guard everywhere, while we can come and go as we please."

"Moreover, the Ming Dynasty relocated Han Chinese and cultivated the land there for two years, allowing our army to plunder grain everywhere."

"The land is dead, but people are alive."

"It would actually be more advantageous for us to cede the land to the Ming Dynasty."

"Da da da da..."

Before the Bojilie Conference had even ended, a fast horse galloped into the capital, and soon an official came in to report: "The Niren Mongols have rebelled!"

Genghis Khan's great-grandfather formally launched a rebellion against the Jin Dynasty!

.....

Before launching their rebellion, the Mongols had already sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty seeking cooperation.

They first arrived in the territory of the Ongud tribe, then crossed the Daqing Mountains, passed through the Western Xia and entered Shaanxi Province, arriving in Kaifeng two days before New Year's Day despite the snow.

Before personally receiving the Mongol envoy, Wen Huanzhang asked in confusion, "Does Your Majesty have any impression of this Mongol envoy, Khutula?"

"I have more than just a vague impression of him, he's absolutely famous."

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "In the Mongol history books, the sound of the Khutula is like thunder, which can resound through thousands of mountains and valleys."

"His hands were like bear paws, and he possessed immense strength, capable of splitting a living person in two with a single palm strike."

"They can eat a whole sheep in one go, and they drink mare's milk by the bucket."

"What the hell?" Wen Huanzhang's forehead creased with annoyance.

Zhao Yuan's smile faded, and he said seriously, "He is Genghis Khan's fourth great-uncle, and the next Great Khan of the Mongols."

Wen Huanzhang was taken aback upon hearing this: "Have we already reached Genghis Khan's timeline?"

"What are you thinking about? Genghis Khan's father wasn't even born yet," Zhao Yuan said.

Wen Huanzhang asked, "Why did these Mongols suddenly betray the Jin?"

Zhao Yuan didn't know much about Mongolian history, only some famous figures.

However, Ma Kuo's previous mission to the northern desert brought back a lot of information, which could make up for Zhao Yuan's lack of knowledge about Mongolia.

"You know Yinshan, right?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Wen Huanzhang nodded: "We will not allow the barbarian horses to cross the Yin Mountains."