Diqin Designer

Chapter 515 Ten Years of Effort Wasted in an Instant (Marshal Yue's History)
In particular, the line "With lofty ambitions, we will feast on the flesh of the barbarians; with laughter, we will drink the blood of the Huns" was very much to the liking of the First Emperor and others.

The First Emperor praised, "From this poem, we can see that Yue Fei was an upright and loyal man!"

But then the First Emperor changed his tone, saying, "It's a pity that the Song Dynasty cannot tolerate such loyal and upright men."

Given the treacherous practices of the Song Dynasty, such loyal and patriotic individuals were like lotus flowers in sewage; if they refused to conform, they would be poisoned by the sewage.

Meng Tian mocked, “The generals in the court all know that ‘the shame of Jingkang has not yet been avenged. The hatred of the subjects will never be extinguished.’ Yet Zhao Gou, as the emperor of the Song Dynasty, does not know this and instead insists on making peace with the Jin people.”

This is precisely what makes the Song Dynasty so hateful and shameful. The Song Dynasty had the opportunity to defeat the Jin people and recover lost territory, but it was cowardly and groveled before the Jin people.

"The Jin people also realized that the situation was turning, and they and the puppet Qi they established planned a large-scale invasion southward. However, they were blocked by Marshal Yue, Han Shizhong and others and could not cross the river. At this time, Wu Qimai fell seriously ill, and Wanyan Chang, Wanyan Zongbi and others had to rush back to seize power. They had no intention of going south again."

"After Wuqimai died, Wanyan Dan, the eldest grandson of Emperor Taizu of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, ascended the throne. However, Wanyan Dan was not old at that time, and Wanyan Zongwang, Wuqimai, Wanyan Zonghan and others died one by one. The power of the Jin state was controlled by Wanyan Chang and others, and Wanyan Chang advocated making peace with Zhao Song."

"In fact, the internal strife among the Jin people was quite fierce, not much less so than the internal struggles within the Song Dynasty. Even during the Jingkang Incident, the Jin people were still fighting amongst themselves, but the benefits they had plundered from the Song Dynasty temporarily suppressed the conflicts."

This involves diverting internal conflicts through war, transforming existing contradictions into a war against the Song Dynasty, and then suppressing those contradictions by obtaining benefits from the Song Dynasty.

Even if there are still conflicts, we will continue to fight for power and profit in the future. But today we have seized the Zhao Song dynasty and obtained a lot of wealth and beauties from it. Let's divide up these benefits first, and then continue to fight after we have divided them up.

Meng Tian said speechlessly, "Even the Jurchens, who were fighting amongst themselves, were able to destroy the Song Dynasty."

Li Nian laughed and said, "You can't say that. Although the Jurchens were fighting for power internally, their fighting strength was indeed formidable. The fall of the Northern Song Dynasty was inevitable. It's just that if these people had worked together, the Northern Song Dynasty would have fallen even faster."

"But the internal strife among the Jurchens also depleted their strength, and as the older generation of Jurchens aged and died, their strength declined further."

"Upon learning that the Jin people were willing to negotiate peace, how could the Jin people, who had been waiting for this for so long, not agree? They quickly found Qin Hui, who had been 'never to be reused,' and reinstated him to preside over the peace negotiations with the Jin people."

Zhao Gou was truly determined; no matter what, he hoped that his Jurchen father would take a look at him and be willing to negotiate peace.

"But the Jurchens looked down on the Song Dynasty, especially since Zhao Gou kept shamelessly trying to make peace with them, which made the Jurchens despise him even more."

Meng Tian said, "If it were me, I would also look down on those who are single-mindedly seeking peace."

Li Nian continued, "The news of negotiating peace with the Jin people also caused a great uproar in the Song Dynasty. Although the Song Dynasty had shameless people like Zhao Gou and Qin Hui, there were also many loyal and upright people. There was a lot of opposition, but Zhao Gou was determined to negotiate peace with his Jin father. Anyone who opposed him would be dismissed."

"Zhao Gou dismissed and demoted many officials, and some officials resigned in anger, ashamed to associate with Zhao Gou, Qin Hui and others. As a result, some prime ministers were dismissed by Zhao Gou, but Qin Hui was given important positions by Zhao Gou. Because other prime ministers were dismissed, Qin Hui became the sole prime minister."

Does this "peace" necessarily mean negotiating with the Jin people?

For Zhao Gou, this was indeed the case; it seemed that if he could not negotiate peace with his Jurchen father, his life would lose its value.

"Although Zhao Gou, Qin Hui and others were very respectful to the Jin people and were full of expectations for peace talks, the Jin people were very humiliating to the Zhao Song. In the peace edict, they did not recognize the Zhao Song directly, that is, they did not consider the Southern Song to be the Song state, but referred to it as the 'Jiangnan State'."

"The Jin people's intentions are very clear. The Song state has already been destroyed by them. The existing Southern Song is no longer a continuation of the Song, but only a remnant separatist force. It has no right to call itself 'Song' anymore."

"Since the Southern Song Dynasty was no longer qualified to be called 'Song,' Zhao Gou was naturally no longer qualified to be the Song Emperor. This was the Jin Dynasty directly slapping Zhao Gou and the Song Dynasty in the face!"

"At the same time, in the edicts of the Jin people, the term 'recruitment' was used to refer to the Zhao Song dynasty. This is the term used by a superior state to refer to a inferior state, or by a ruler to a subject. The Jin people did not place the Zhao Song dynasty on an equal footing, but rather treated it as a subject, and wanted Zhao Gou to become the puppet emperor of the Jin state."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian laughed and said, "Hasn't Zhao Gou always regarded the Jin Dynasty as his father? Now his Jin Dynasty father has really come to acknowledge him as his son. I wonder if he's happy about it?"

Li Nian replied, "He wasn't so happy. Zhao Gou also felt that his Jin father had bullied him too much. Of course, despite not being so happy, given Wanyan Gou's loyalty to the Jin, he still wanted to negotiate peace with the Jin."

Meng Tian didn't want to say anything more; it was too shameless!

"The Jurchens originally intended for Zhao Gou to kneel and receive the imperial edict, but Zhao Gou refused, citing his mourning for Emperor Huizong of Song. He instead had Qin Hui receive the edict on his behalf."

Wang Ben said, "Whether it's him or Qin Hui who takes the call, what difference does it make? It's nothing more than burying one's head in the sand (it's said that in the new textbooks it has been changed to 'burying one's head in the sand')!"

Wang Wan said, "That is still different. Although Qin Hui received the edict from the Jin people on behalf of Zhao Gou, he was not the emperor, so he still preserved a bit of face for the Song Dynasty."

Meng Tian scoffed, "The Zhao Song dynasty has long since lost its dignity thanks to these people. What dignity does it have left?"

"Although Zhao Gou, Qin Hui and their ilk tried their best to promote peace talks, even at the cost of being humiliated by the Jin people, the peace talks did not succeed."

"The reason is that the Jin state was embroiled in internal strife again. Wanyan Chang, who advocated peace talks with the Song dynasty, fell from power, and Wanyan Zongbi, who advocated war with the Song dynasty, came to power. Naturally, the peace talks could not continue."

"In the tenth year of Shaoxing, Emperor Xizong of Jin, Wanyan Dan, launched a southern invasion. The Jin army, led by Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Gao, once again attacked the Zhao Song. In just one month, the prefectures and counties of Henan and Shaanxi fell into the hands of the Jin people."

"However, this time, the Zhao Song Dynasty was not the same as before. It had generals such as Marshal Yue and Liu Qi. Liu Qi achieved a great victory at Shunchang, and Marshal Yue was even more powerful. He fought all the way north and defeated the Jin people. In the novel, Marshal Yue defeated Wanyan Zongbi without any resistance."

"Faced with Marshal Yue leading the Yue Family Army, the Jurchens could only suffer repeated defeats. They could defeat the Jurchens, who were said to be invincible if they had less than 10,000 men, and that their Iron Pagodas and cavalry were invincible and could not be fought head-on. The Yue Family Army's formidable fighting power made the Jurchens fear them!"

"In the Battle of Yancheng, for example, Wanyan Zongbi led 15,000 Jin troops to confront Yue Fei's army north of the city. Wanyan Zongbi used the Iron Pagoda Cavalry as the main force for a frontal attack, with the 'Hooked Cavalry' on the left and right flanks as support. Marshal Yue Fei ordered his son to lead over 8,000 Beiwei and Youyi troops to meet the attack." "The two sides fought from late afternoon until nightfall. The Jin soldiers were known for their fierce attacks and unwavering fighting spirit, but in this battle, they were utterly routed by Yue Fei's army, with corpses strewn across the battlefield. The Jin people were not as invincible as they seemed!"

Wang Jian stroked his beard and laughed, "The Song people are no worse than the Jin people; the only difference is who they are under."

"After the Battle of Yancheng, the Jin people were unwilling to accept defeat, and Wanyan Zongbi organized and launched the Battle of Yingchang. This time he mobilized 100,000 infantry and 30,000 cavalry. According to later speculation, Yue Fei's army may have only numbered 30,000. Even if the Jin people exaggerated their numbers, they should still have been more than Yue Fei's army!"

"Yue Family Army was fearless and valiant. Historical records state that 'General You Yi and General Yun fought at Beiwei in the west of the city. Yun led 800 cavalrymen to fight the decisive battle, and the infantry followed on the left and right flanks, killing and wounding many.' Yue Family Army killed so many that men and horses were covered in blood, achieving great results, killing more than 5,000 enemies, capturing more than 2,000 enemies, and seizing more than 3,000 horses."

"After this battle, the morale of the Jin people was severely damaged, and they were especially afraid of Marshal Yue and his army. Wanyan Zongbi, who was originally arrogant and overbearing, was defeated by Marshal Yue and began to lament. Some Jin generals sent envoys to the marshal to surrender."

"Meanwhile, the marshal's morale soared, and he was overjoyed, saying to his generals: 'Let's march straight to Huanglongfu and drink with you all!' This is the origin of the idiom 'to strike straight at Huanglong'!"

"It's a pity that, just as Zhuge Liang failed to restore the Han Dynasty and reach Chang'an in his lifetime, Marshal Yue Fei also failed to reach Huanglongfu. Huanglongfu is where the Jurchens once imprisoned Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan!"

The Jin people's mentality had been broken by Yue Fei's army. They would feel fear when facing Yue Fei's army and would find it difficult to exert their full combat power. If Marshal Yue Fei had continued to lead Yue Fei's army to attack the Jin people, it would not have been difficult to take back the Northern Song territory occupied by the Jin people, if not to reach Huanglongfu.

Li Nian sighed, "Unfortunately, the outcome of a war is sometimes not determined on the battlefield, but also on what happens outside of it."

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor and others knew that Zhao Gou and Qin Hui, those scoundrels, were up to their old tricks again.

Yue Fei led his army to defeat their Jin dynasty so badly; as sons, how could they not avenge their Jin dynasty father?

We absolutely cannot let Yue Fei actually destroy our Jin Dynasty father, otherwise how will they continue to fawn over him? Even if Yue Fei succeeds and recovers lost territory, or even reclaims the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and achieves unification.

"Marshal Yue's advance was going smoothly, and he was about to recapture Bianjing. Just then, Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and others made their move. Qin Hui had his subordinates report to Zhao Gou, saying, 'Our troops are few and our generals are few, the people are exhausted and the country is weak. If Yue Fei goes deep into enemy territory, wouldn't it be dangerous? We beg Your Majesty to issue an edict and order the troops to withdraw.' Zhao Gou listened to this and issued an edict ordering Marshal Yue to withdraw his troops."

Meng Tian sighed, "We have already reached the walls of the old capital and are about to recapture it. How can we possibly retreat? Zhao Gou and Qin Hui are a foolish and treacherous ruler!"

The First Emperor and others also felt deep regret, and at the same time, they were extremely disgusted with Zhao Gou and Qin Hui. These scoundrels were good for nothing, but they were very good at doing bad things.

When the first imperial edict to withdraw the troops arrived, Marshal Yue did not immediately withdraw his troops. Instead, he submitted a memorial to argue that this was the opportune moment, when the time was right, the place was favorable, and the people were united. The mission was nearing completion, and the opportunity would not come again.

"While awaiting the new imperial edict, Yue Fei's army continued its advance. The vanguard of Yue Fei's army reached Zhuxian Town, and Wanyan Zongbi was so frightened that he abandoned Bianjing and fled. However, Marshal Yue received twelve imperial edicts delivered in gold inscriptions in one day, ordering the marshal to withdraw his troops!"

The First Emperor said, "Twelve imperial edicts to withdraw troops in one day. It seems that Zhao Gou is really anxious to make Yue Fei withdraw his troops."

Feng Jie said, "The capital of the Song Dynasty and Yue Fei's army should be quite far apart. These twelve imperial edicts for the return of the troops should not have been issued when Yue Fei's army had already arrived in Bianjing."

Li Nian nodded: "Later generations have researched and concluded that these edicts ordering the troops to return to their posts were issued after the news of Marshal Yue's victory in recapturing Xijing was delivered. In other words, Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and others only issued the edicts ordering Marshal Yue to return to his posts after they knew that he had won the battle."

Feng Quji said: "Zhao Gou intends to seek peace with the Jin people. He will not be happy because of Yue Fei's victory. On the contrary, the more Yue Fei wins, the more he will be wary and resentful. He will think that Yue Fei is hindering his peace with the Jin people."

It's quite an eye-opener to see such an outrageous ruler in the world, who, because he wants to make peace with the enemy, sees the continuous victories of his own generals as an obstacle.

Wang Wan added: "Moreover, this is also related to the Song Dynasty's long-standing policy of 'emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs.' Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and their ilk did not want to see Yue Fei win every battle. For them, whether they won the war or not was irrelevant, whether they recovered lost territory or not was irrelevant, but they had to be wary of military men and prevent them from becoming too powerful."

Li Nian said, "Marshal Yue was a very loyal man. Although he could have recaptured Bianjing immediately, he still accepted the imperial edict to withdraw his troops. The marshal was extremely grief-stricken and, looking southeast, wept and bowed, saying, 'Ten years of my efforts have been wasted in a single day! It is not that I am incompetent, but the powerful minister Qin Hui has truly misled Your Majesty.'"

"Marshal, you are wrong about that. It was not Qin Hui who misled Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou did not need anyone else to mislead him."

"When the marshal returned to his capital, the people blocked his way, hoping that he would stay. However, the imperial edict to return to his capital was hard to disobey, and the marshal, despite his great reluctance, was powerless to do so. After the marshal returned to his capital, Wanyan Zongbi returned to Bianjing and reorganized his army to recapture the areas that the marshal had recovered."

With Yue Fei gone and the Yue Family Army gone, Wanyan Zongbi (Jin Wuzhu) can finally stand up again.

"After the victory, the marshal had the idea of ​​returning to the countryside, but Zhao Gou did not allow it. The following year, Wanyan Zongbi led his army south again, and the marshal once again led his troops to resist the Jin. With the resistance of the marshal and others, the Jin army failed to attack the Song."

"Having been defeated once again, the Jin people both hated and feared their marshal, and thus negotiated peace with the Song Dynasty..."

The First Emperor and others understood perfectly well the Jin people's intention to restart peace negotiations with the Song Dynasty at this time. Meng Tian sighed and said, "The Jin people will definitely make the execution of Yue Fei a condition for peace, and Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and other shameless scoundrels will definitely agree!"

"What a pity! This great general, who did not die on the battlefield against the enemy, died at the hands of his own people!"

The First Emperor and others conceived the idea of ​​capturing Zhao Gou, cutting open his skull, and ripping out his heart to see what this scoundrel was thinking, killing their own best general in order to make peace with the enemy.

Moreover, this general was not only able to beat the enemy to a pulp, but he was also very loyal. Instead of keeping him around to intimidate the enemy, these bastards took the initiative to kill him.

This is not something a normal person would do!
Li Nian said, "Just as General Meng said, the Jin people know that with the Marshal around, they cannot destroy the Song Dynasty. The Marshal is an obstacle they cannot overcome on their own. They fear the Marshal and are terrified of the Yue Family Army he leads. Therefore, the Marshal must be eliminated!"

In his letter to Qin Hui, Wanyan Zongbi clearly stated that if the Song Dynasty wanted to negotiate peace, it was necessary to kill the marshal: "You plead for peace day and night, while Yue Fei is plotting to conquer Hebei and has even killed my son-in-law. This cannot go unpunished. Only by killing Yue Fei can peace be achieved."

(End of this chapter)