Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 976 Offering sacrifices to the ancestral temple, a testament to the sage's filial piety.

"Hongwu? Hongwu? What does that mean?"

In the Hall of State Affairs in Yanjing, Shi Ju was muttering to himself, stroking his beard and frowning, seemingly deep in thought.

During this Northern Expedition, Shi Ju did not personally go to the battlefield, but instead organized laborers and supplies in the Daming Prefecture area to provide for the military needs at the front.

Shi Ju had always been confident in Liu Huai and had no doubt that Liu Huai would win in the end, but the speed of Liu Huai's victory still far exceeded his expectations.

Everything happened too fast. They set out in September, fought the final battle in October, and swept away the remnants of the Eastern Jin by the end of November, perfectly demonstrating the phrase "invasion as fierce as fire."

Shi Ju couldn't help but feel a surge of relief.

Fortunately, he rebelled against the Jin dynasty because of their inhumane behavior. Had he changed his mind and chosen to fight to the death, wouldn't he, Shi Ju and Shi Zimei, have become a defeated general and a prisoner?

Being able to enter Yanjing as a victor is purely due to the blessings of my ancestors and the protection of Heaven.

Just as Shi Ju was muttering to himself, a man in his sixties beside him said impatiently, "What else could it be? This must be the King of Han showing off his military might to create a spectacle."

Shi Ju glanced at the fellow and said without any politeness, "Yang Boxiong, if you continue to act without thinking, you should go home and retire now. My recommendation of you is just asking for trouble!"

Yang Boxiong showed no intention of asking for favors: "Brother Zimei, you should put away that arrogant attitude. I don't believe you don't need me to protect you!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Ju did not refute it, but merely snorted coldly and continued to ponder.

Although Yang Boxiong was nearly ten years older than Shi Ju, he served as Shi Ju's deputy for a long time and became his political successor.

The reason is quite simple: this guy was in really good health. Despite being a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and having served as a civil official, he had the physique to tear apart tigers and leopards. He lived more than ten years longer than Shi Ju in history, passing away at the age of ninety (Note 1).

Yang Boxiong was from Gaocheng, Zhending. He, Shi Ju, and Liang Su were all Han Chinese from Hebei and had known each other for a long time. However, because he served as a civil official in the core of the Jin state for a long time, he missed the best opportunity to join the Han army. Liu Huai was ruthless in battle, and Yang Boxiong did not have time to make a decision before becoming a glorious prisoner.

Of course, Shi Ju would not disappoint his old friend. In fact, he was just missing such a thoughtful deputy.

Du Wuji, Xie Fuyao, and their group will eventually be sent to other posts, and Shi Ju can't keep them locked up forever.

"Brother Zimei, if you ask me, there's no point in you pondering this reign title." Seeing that Shi Ju was still deep in thought, Yang Boxiong shrugged and laughed again, "Maybe it's just a couple of words that the Prince of Han came up with casually? If you really care, why don't you go and ask the Prince of Han yourself?"

Yang Boxiong's smile faded: "But the matter of Duke Wei entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple is the most crucial thing. Zimei, you must step forward and offer some advice."

Shi Ju sneered again: "Xi Yun, if you don't know the inside story, you shouldn't talk nonsense. Otherwise, you might offend some powerful figure who will suppress you and prevent your family from ever recovering."

Yang Boxiong cupped his hands in greeting: "Then I hope Zimei can explain."

Shi Ju slowly said, “Our ruler may seem the most lawless, but he is the most law-abiding at heart; he appears particularly fierce, but he is extremely kind at heart; he may seem to be unorthodox, but he is extremely loyal and filial.”

Yang Boxiong scoffed in response: "Master Shi, let's not talk such empty words in private."

"You think this is nonsense?" Shi Ju retorted. "Then let me ask you, what is the best way to govern the Jurchens?"

Yang Boxiong suppressed his smile and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Naturally, all males over the age of eight should be killed, and children should either be sold into slavery or castrated to become maids. All women should be distributed to meritorious soldiers as wives and concubines."

"Of course, we can't say it like that on the official stage. We have to make the Jurchens rebel a few times first, and then have a stern-faced person step forward to kill them all in battle. Then the remaining ones can be used by us."

This is also a common method of dealing with foreign tribes. Do you really think that the Han people have acquired such a large territory entirely through gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality and humility?

Shi Ju sighed: "But the eldest son still chose the method with the most living people, which is also the most troublesome. The so-called registration of households, resettlement, and full Sinicization are all time-consuming and labor-intensive."

Yang Boxiong shook his head: "That's a bit too much of a woman's sentimentality."

Shi Ju glanced at the fellow and said, "If it weren't for this compassion, how could we Han people from Hebei feel at ease to submit to them?"

"Let's not even talk about you, Yang Xiyun. Back then, I commanded a large army, and the eldest son's army was exhausted. How could I sincerely submit? Wasn't it because the eldest son was merciful and unwilling to exterminate even the Jurchens that we Han Chinese from Hebei could still have some future by joining him?"

Yang Boxiong could only nod in agreement.

This is actually the principle of treating prisoners of war well. Exterminating prisoners forces the enemy to fight to the death, which will not only make the war more difficult, but also cause the cost of governance to skyrocket. Shi Ju continued, "So I have something to tell you, which is that you must not be deceived by the eldest son's outward appearance. Don't think that he is a cruel and reckless man just because he is brave and fearless on the battlefield."

Similarly, don't assume he's lawless just because he promoted the study of natural phenomena and suppressed the doctrines of the Way. Do you understand?

Yang Boxiong shook his head with a wry smile: "I still don't understand. Zimei, do you mean that although the eldest son rebelled against the Song Dynasty and established his own regime, he was a loyal minister?"

“Of course he is a loyal minister. It took me a long time to figure this out.” Shi Ju’s words were somewhat solemn. “However, what the eldest son is loyal to is not the Song Kingdom, which is content with its corner of the country, but a country that unifies the Han lands. If there is no such country, he will create it himself.”

After a moment of silence, Yang Boxiong looked surprised and asked, "You mean, the King of Han is loyal to... us?"

“It’s not us, it’s the common people, the mountains and rivers, the kings and generals, the scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, it’s everyone. What the King of Han is loyal to is the collective built by all of this.”

As if afraid that he couldn't express himself clearly, Shi Ju drew a large circle with his hand.

But when he saw Yang Boxiong, he was still somewhat bewildered, so he could only laugh and say, "If you don't understand, that's fine. Just remember it."

"Going back to what I said at the beginning, I know your considerations. It's nothing more than that after Wei Gong entered the ancestral temple, Wei Jiao and Wei Chang's status was awkward, but they had the power of the imperial clan. The Han princes had few heirs, and if a dispute arose over the succession, it would be just asking for trouble."

But I can also tell you frankly that if a close advisor says that the reign title 'Hongwu' is bad, as long as his argument is valid, the eldest son will not be stubborn. However, the matter of Wei Gong entering the ancestral temple is absolutely unchangeable; whoever steps forward will suffer the consequences.

For the eldest son, the kindness and righteousness of Duke Wei were as vast as mountains and as deep as the sea. Rather than having an unknown Liu family ancestor to worship, it would be better to have Duke Wei as the chief officiant.

After listening, Yang Boxiong could only sigh, "It really is a new dynasty; we have to learn everything from scratch."

"Study hard, the sea of ​​knowledge is boundless, there's never enough," Shi Ju said playfully, then turned serious and said, "This job of yours is one I got with great difficulty, do you know how to do it?"

When it came to official business, Yang Boxiong immediately became serious: "Of course I know. We need to translate all the Jurchen script classics into Chinese characters, and then burn the originals. Not a single word can be left."

“It’s far from enough.” Shi Ju shook his head: “Including the scripts of the Liao and Western Xia dynasties, as well as paintings, stone tablets, and pagodas, anything that is not in Chinese characters must be erased.”

At the same time, the King of Han would order the confiscation of all books written in languages ​​other than those of other ethnic groups. Of course, there would be those foolish enough to try and hoard these books, and a number of them would be severely punished.

Yang Boxiong became even more stern: "I won't ask why the King of Han has suddenly become so ruthless, I just want to know, to what extent is it required?"

"Ten years from now, no one will recognize the Jurchen script anymore. After this generation passes away, no one will be a Jurchen anymore."

Shi Ju's words were as cold as a gust of wind, and then he couldn't help but give a few more instructions: "Don't go too far, and don't dig up all the graves. There must be a limit."

Furthermore, when copying ancient texts, one must be careful. For example, aside from those well-known figures, all other Jurchens should be given Han Chinese names. In short, the message is clear: the Han king doesn't want to kill any particular Jurchen, but he intends to exterminate the entire Jurchen people!

Yang Boxiong nodded: "Then I understand. This matter is not difficult. Even the Jurchens themselves could not recognize many of the large characters invented by Gu Shen. After Wanyan Dan, even the official documents of the court used Chinese characters. Apart from some classics from the time of their founding, how many could they possibly have?"

Knowing his old friend's abilities, Shi Ju didn't give him any further instructions. He simply promised, "If you handle this matter well within two years, I will petition the King of Han for you to be appointed to a prefecture or county, or to a department as a court attendant."

Yang Boxiong was a respected official of the Jin Dynasty, and his talents were somewhat wasted on both the position of prefect and vice minister.

But what could he do when he was a banished official? He was given a heavy responsibility right from the start, which was much better than his colleagues who were sent to Shanxi to mine coal for two years for labor reform.

Yang Boxiong stood up and bowed to Shi Ju to express his gratitude for his old friend's support.

Shi Ju waved his hand: "In the end, it's you, Lao Yang, who proved yourself. I sacrificed my pride to get this opportunity, and you were able to handle things properly."

"He's much better than that scoundrel Tang Kuo Anli... oh, he should be called Tang Anli now. That fellow dared to defy the Prince of Han to his face; he's been sent to Xuzhou to smash rocks. Now I have to clean up his mess."

Yang Boxiong was somewhat taken aback: "Tang Anli? What did he do to offend him?"

“It’s alright to tell you, didn’t the State of Song declare the King of Han a traitor? The King of Han should have responded accordingly, and his response was extremely clever, but Tang Anli rejected it outright. Heh, this guy really doesn’t know what’s good for him, and I got dragged into this mess too.”

Yang Boxiong was itching to ask, "Zimei, please explain more clearly, what methods will the King of Han use to deal with the State of Song?"

"This is no secret; it's already spread. You'll hear about it if you stay a few more days." Shi Ju took a sip of tea before uttering two words: "Revising history."

(End of this chapter)