Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 921: Why don’t you follow Shi Jingtang’s example?
"Your Excellency, please return. Our Great Song Dynasty is determined to recover our lost territories, but if we lose even an inch, it is all due to the incompetence of our descendants!"
I will not agree to Wanyan Liang's conditions.

Yang Yuan gave him no room for negotiation, rejecting him outright and decisively.

Cai Gui, in a moment of anxiety, hurriedly said, "In that case, what if our lord is willing to return all the Central Plains to the Song Dynasty?"

"what?"

"There is no need for the Song Dynasty to continue fighting each other. Our Jin Dynasty will take the initiative to withdraw its troops and return the lost territory of the Song Dynasty."

"My Jin dynasty will henceforth retain only the former Liao territory and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. So what?"

Cai Gui's eyes were a little red, and he spoke his final bottom line in a trembling voice.

Will all the former territories of the Song Dynasty be returned without a fight?

This time, even Yang Yuan couldn't help but be tempted.

How many battles will be avoided, how many people will die, and how much damage will be reduced to the national economy?

but……

With a quick thought, Yang Yuan slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

The temptation is truly immense.

However, some baits are really not safe to eat!
Yang Yuan said sternly, "No! What was the purpose of my founding emperor establishing the 'Sealed Treasury' in the first place?"

"What was the purpose of my Emperor Taizong's Yongxi Northern Expedition?"

"The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were originally part of the Central Plains, but were ceded to the Khitan (Liao Dynasty) by Shi Jingtang and then taken away by the Jin people."

"Since Wanyan Liang is willing to regard the Song Dynasty as his father country, why not follow Shi Jingtang's example, cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and return the Central Plains to us?"

Cai Gui was so angry he was dizzy. "Have you no shame?"

What does Shi Jingtang's cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have to do with your Song Dynasty? Did those places ever belong to you?
Oh, so you're asking us for it now, as the sole heir to the Tang Dynasty's legal system?
We stole it from the Liao Dynasty, okay?
Besides, our Jin Kingdom was ruined by you, you bastard! Now it's split in two, and we have no way out!
If we still possess the Northeast, then retreating is acceptable.

If we return the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to you now, where will we go?
The problem is that Cai Gui cannot resort to cursing.

He suppressed his anger and said, "Prime Minister, once our Jin Kingdom returns the former Song territory, it will become a small country and will no longer pose a threat to the Great Song."

With the Jin state existing, and the new Jin state keeping each other in check, it would be entirely beneficial to the Song Dynasty. Why doesn't the Prime Minister reconsider...?

"No need. The loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun is a deep regret for the Han people. Our homeland must be reclaimed!"

Yang Yuan waved his sleeve and said, "I am currently studying the recapture of Luoyang and have important military matters to discuss. I have no time to receive your esteemed envoy. Please return."

Yang Yuan saw the guest off without hesitation.

At Yang Yuan's command, Yang Shou immediately stepped forward to drive the people away.

"Oh, right, you can leave, take your beauty with you."

Those paintings, calligraphy, and treasures originally belonged to our Central Plains; they must all be preserved.

Yang Shou thought to himself, "Can a beautiful woman also belong to my Central Plains?"

However, he stole a glance at Yang Yuan and saw that Yang Yuan's gaze did not linger on the three beauties, so he knew that his uncle really had no intention of making a move on them.

Yang Shou immediately picked up the hammer and said in a deep voice, "Lord Cai, please go back!"

……

After Yang Yuan drove Cai Gui away, the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed.

Xin Qiji laughed and said, "Prime Minister, those three beauties are really quite good. You could actually keep them."

“If I want it, I will take it myself. To accept someone’s gift but refuse their terms is such a shameless act that is a disgrace to the Han people.”

Yang Yuan smiled and replied, then ignored him.

A beautiful woman is indeed captivating, but to ask him to exchange his territory for her is a huge loss, not worth it at all.

Yang Yuan roused himself and said, "Gentlemen, Nanjing Road is almost entirely under our control. The only remaining major city is Luoyang."

Once our army captures Luoyang, it will put enormous pressure on the Shaanxi battlefield, which will help to recover the entire Jingzhao Prefecture as soon as possible.

Therefore, the Prime Minister decided to personally lead troops to attack Luoyang.

However, Luoyang is now an isolated city, and the surrender of Kaifeng by Yang Tang and Nalan Shuofeng has further shaken the resolve of the Luoyang garrison.

I thought that going to Luoyang would be a piece of cake.

Therefore, I do not need too many troops; just General Shao's force will suffice.

As for you..."

Yang Yuan looked at the generals Wu Ting, Yu Yunwen, Xin Qiji, Lu You, Yang Wanli, Fan Chengda, Deng Xun and others.

"We can use Bianliang as a base to discuss plans to attack Hebei North Road and Zhongdu Road."

Wu Ting asked in confusion, "Prime Minister, what about Shandong Road?"

Yang Yuan smiled slyly and said, "Xin Jin is currently engaged in battles all around Shandong East Road, so Shandong West Road can't spare any resources to deal with us."

Since that's the case, we don't need to worry about it for now.

Once I capture Luoyang, the day when I recover the entire Shaanxi province will not be far off.

At that time, we can take over the two routes east of the river and the two routes north of the river from the west, south and north.

As for the tough nut to crack on Yanjing Road, let Xinjin tackle it!

Upon hearing this, the generals couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

The Prime Minister's ambitions probably extend beyond simply recovering lost territory.

However, they were naturally happy to see this happen. The more battles there were, the more opportunities there were for military generals to demonstrate their abilities.

These newly rich officials all rose to power by following Yang Yuan in battle, so naturally they couldn't wait for Yang Yuan to become even more ambitious.

……

With the plan settled, Yang Yuan prepared to personally lead a large army to Luoyang.

Once Luoyang is recovered and the Song army blocks Tongguan, the Jin military and civil officials, as well as many powerful figures in Jingzhao Prefecture, will have to consider whether to perish together or surrender.

With the example of Yang Yuan's lenient treatment of many surrendered officials in the Central Plains, it is believed that most of the Jin officials would be able to make a wise choice.

After all, given Wanyan Liang's actions, especially his heinous habit of seizing wives and daughters of his subjects, it's hard to find many people who are truly loyal to him.

The army moved swiftly, with carts and horses constantly moving along the way. Supplies, siege equipment, armor, and weapons were continuously transported to Luoyang.

The streets were bustling with traffic, but thankfully it was covered in ice and snow.

Although traveling is inconvenient during the cold winter months, it also has its advantages:
That means the rammed earth road surface won't suffer too much damage; it's still quite solid under the frozen soil.

If it's springtime, when flowers are in bloom, or during the rainy season, it will bring a lot of trouble.

Even so, some sections of the road still needed repairs, so some laborers were recruited to specifically repair bridges and roads.

Most of these people were those who chose to leave their former masters after the "anti-slavery edict" was issued, or ordinary people who lost their livelihoods in the war.

This, in effect, provided them with a way to survive.

In the area surrounding Luoyang, there are still some small towns under the control of the Jin army.

However, the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty personally led a massive army to attack, and any attempt to resist was futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Even formidable passes like Sishui Pass and Hulao Pass were captured in just two days under the dual threat of cannon fire and overwhelming military force.

The correct course of action for the commander of Luoyang at this point would have been to gather all the Jin soldiers stationed in the small towns into Luoyang and strengthen its defenses.

However, Wanyan Tieli, the garrison commander of Luoyang, was worried that there might be Song spies among them, and also worried that too many people would flood into Luoyang and that the food supply would not be enough. Therefore, he firmly closed the city gates and refused to let them in.

As a result, even those Jin generals who still had the will to fight had no choice but to surrender to the Song army.

When Yang Yuan's vanguard army arrived near Luoyang, it was already around the Lantern Festival.

On this Lantern Festival, no one in Luoyang had the heart to celebrate; the entire festival was spent in utter desolation and unease.

The small towns surrounding Luoyang, such as Yongning, Yiyang, and Xin'an, fell into Shao Hongyuan's hands one after another, thus forming a siege around Luoyang.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Yang also led a large army to the scene.

When Yang Yuan arrived, the first thing he did was shoot the letter from the Jin state that Cai Gui had left behind into the city.

He drove Cai Gui away, but he found and kept the official letter bearing the seal of the Jin emperor.

Starting with Shao Hongyuan, one general after another arrived, and reinforcements were sent in. When the psychological pressure on Luoyang reached its peak, he once again unleashed this devastating weapon that destroyed morale.

His Majesty the Emperor is actually begging for peace with the Song people, and is even willing to return the entire Central Plains!

This naturally includes Luoyang.

So, we're fucking expendable pawns!

Yang Yuan deliberately chose a sunny day to personally visit the city of Luoyang, so that the city guards would see that it was the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty who had arrived before he could openly shoot the arrow at the city.

In this way, he could ensure that all the major officials in Luoyang knew the contents of the arrow message, and that it would not be intercepted by any of the generals.

Otherwise, if this person is determined to fight the Song army to the death, then this letter of state, which has the power to kill, will not have the effect it is meant to have.

When Yang Yuanbing entered Luoyang, he did not keep it a secret from the Jurchens.

The news that the Jin emperor intended to sue for peace and return all the Central Plains was widely circulated.

He even printed countless copies of Wanyan Liang's letter and distributed them everywhere.

It was truly unfortunate for Wanyan Liang to have such an unscrupulous opponent.

Shandong, Qingzhou Prefecture.

Wearing a warm headdress adorned with the rabbit motif of Zhaojun and a fur collar, Wanyan Ping stood beneath the plum blossoms in the snow, her smile radiant and charming, like a lotus reflecting the morning glow.

She had already heard that Wanyan Liang had sent three beauties—Wanyan Shaliguzhen, Wanyan Tongjia, and Keliyete Meiduo—to bribe Yang Yuan, but Yang Yuan had resolutely refused.

"That's right, those vixens are not good enough for my teacher. We should just get rid of them."

Wanyan Ping smiled broadly at Li Qinglu and said, "Our teacher's army is advancing into the Central Plains with unstoppable momentum. We can't be too spineless."

"Tomorrow we will lead our troops into battle again, and we must take Jinan Prefecture as soon as possible, to show our teacher what we are capable of!"

Before Yang Yuan personally led the expedition to Luoyang, the entire plan was naturally reported to the imperial court in Lin'an.

This involves the mobilization of military supplies and provisions.

Besides, he had just received the decree to "establish a state and establish a kingdom," and all the territories he had acquired were subject to his rule, so he had no choice but to behave more submissively.

The internal secretariat naturally received the news as well.

Duo Zi, Yan Ran, and Yu Ye, the three leaders of the inner secretariat, were all present.

Duo Zi asked, "What did eldest sister say?"

Yanran said, "Sister Luxi said that we should wait for the right opportunity to act."

Duo Zi nodded and looked at Fei Yuye: "This is a very important matter. How about Sister Yuye goes there herself?"

Fei Yuye nodded and said, "Alright, I will personally escort that item to Luoyang with Ji Xiang, Hua Yin, and Xiao Nai!"

(End of this chapter)