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

Chapter 978 Empty Words of Henan's Restoration

Xuzhou, Pengcheng.

“It’s alright, the Song army is weak and not worth worrying about.” Xin Qiji spoke confidently to the military envoy: “Tell my eldest son that if the Song army comes with 100,000 troops, I will defend him; if the Song army comes with 30,000 troops, I will swallow them up.”

The military envoy nodded repeatedly, then said, "The King of Han also asked me privately to inquire whether you are satisfied with the title?"

Xin Qiji burst into laughter: "Reporting to the King of Han, the Duke of the Founding State naturally cannot demonstrate my abilities. After this battle, I, the eldest son, shall be granted the title of Prince!"

The military envoy's heart skipped a beat, and he could only nod repeatedly to show that he would definitely convey the message.

After the military envoy left, Luo Huaiyan came from the back hall, sat down in front of Xin Qiji, drank a cup of hot tea, and then sighed repeatedly: "Alas, what bad luck! If I had known that the eldest son was going to ascend the throne in Yanjing, I should have headed north as soon as I came back."

Xin Qiji comforted him, saying, "The world is not yet unified. Your Majesty's ascension to the throne at this time is merely to maintain composure in the face of the Song Dynasty. It's not that important."

I suspect that after unifying the world, there will be a very formal ceremony, and we won't be able to refuse to attend.

Luo Huaiyan nodded, then said seriously, "Fifth Brother, I've stayed in Xuzhou long enough, and the storm in Lin'an has probably passed. I'm here to say goodbye."

Xin Qiji frowned: "I think it's better to be careful. At least we should make sure we have a clear beginning and end in this battle before returning to Lin'an. That would be a little safer."

Luo Huaiyan remained silent for a long time, then asked an unexpected question: "Will the Song army really attack?"

"They will naturally attack; it's just a matter of where and how many troops they send. Even without spies in Lin'an, I can roughly guess what kind of state the Song Dynasty is in now. I don't believe that Zhao Gou, that eunuch, can live a carefree life without any political turmoil after he has effectively usurped the throne."

Xin Qiji expressed some disdain: "But if Zhao Gou could live peacefully with the North, wouldn't all his reasons for beating Minister Yu to death and imprisoning the minor official be considered lies?"

Just as Shi Hao said during the coup, without killing Yu Yunwen, the action would be without justification.

The current situation facing Zhao Gou is that if he does not attack the Han army, his actions will lack justification.

"In addition, the eldest son also used historical revisionism to suppress the legitimacy of the Song Dynasty. The two sides have already torn off all pretense of civility. If Zhao Gou does not respond, wouldn't that mean he has accepted the small court that is content with a corner of the country?"

Luo Huaiyan repeatedly agreed, saying that Fifth Brother's opinion was brilliant.

Before the two could exchange more than a few words, someone called out, "Report! An envoy from the Song Kingdom has arrived!"

Xin Qiji said with a smile, "The one who issued the challenge has arrived."

Luo Huaiyan frowned: "Fifth Brother, should I excuse myself? And while I'm at it, go and summon the soldiers and officers?"

"No need, it's nothing serious." Xin Qiji waved his hand dismissively: "Bring him in!"

A moment later, a man holding a tally entered the main hall of the government office. He was slightly taken aback when he saw that only Xin Qiji and Luo Huaiyan were in the hall.

"I am an envoy of the Great Song Dynasty, why are you treating me with such disrespect?"

After sizing up the newcomer, Xin Qiji exclaimed in surprise, "You're actually a Jurchen? A Jurchen acting as an envoy of the Song Dynasty? Which of you and Zhao Gou has lost your mind?"

"Hmph!" The envoy snorted coldly, "I am Yila Dao, the Imperial Censor of the Great Jin Dynasty..."

Xin Qiji interrupted the man again: "Do you know that your Jin Dynasty is already dead? The emperor, the crown prince, the marshal, and all the generals left behind have either died or surrendered."

If you wish to restore your kingdom on your own, I can only say you have commendable courage, and then I will deal with you on behalf of the King of Han.

Upon hearing this, Yila Dao finally became somewhat exasperated: "Xin Qiji, if you don't want to hear it, you can kill me now! Why humiliate me?!"

Xin Qiji thought about it. It seemed that Liu Huai had only said that there was nothing to talk about with the Jin state and that every envoy who came should be killed, but he had not said what to do with the Song envoys.

In addition, Xin Qiji was somewhat curious about what Zhao Gou might say, so he raised his hand to signal Yila Dao to continue.

Yila Dao suppressed his anger: "His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty wishes to make peace with Liu Huai, the Prince of Han, and establish a brotherly relationship, promising never to wage war again."

Xin Qiji was momentarily stunned, and then he saw that Luo Huaiyan was also somewhat amused and exasperated.

At the same time, a statement Liu Huai had once made came to mind for both of them.

Zhao Gou, a humanoid being, is simply beyond the comprehension of common sense.

All of Xin Qiji's analysis was based on the premise that Zhao Gou was a mature politician.

But in fact?
No normal person would do something as despicable as unjustly killing Yue Fei or beating Yu Yunwen to death!

Could it be that Zhao Gou became afraid after his initial show of force?

After a moment of stunned silence, Xin Qiji suddenly had an idea and looked at Yila Dao with a half-smile, saying, "Then what is the real situation?"

Yila Dao threw down his staff and said quite frankly, "Naturally, I want to lull you into a false sense of security so that the Song army can launch a surprise attack on Henan and gain the upper hand."

Luo Huaiyan was even more dumbfounded. Only then did Xin Qiji finally break into a smile: "Please sit down."

After Yila Dao sat down with an imposing air, Xin Qiji asked in a cryptic tone, "I guess you must have a lot to say."

"There are many."

“It’s okay, I have plenty of time. Just start with what you feel you can talk about.”

Seeing this, Yila Dao could only sigh: "In fact, I am one of the culprits who harmed Minister Yu. My lord sent me to find Zhao Gou to make contact..."

Yila Dao revealed the conspiracy between Dong Jin and Zhao Gou in just a few words, leaving Xin Qiji feeling both amused and exasperated once again.

There's no way around it; this process has already been repeated once in history, except that Qin Hui played the role of the relocation official back then.

If it weren't for Liu Huai and the Han army, Zhao Gou might have brought another twenty years of peace to the Song and Jin dynasties.

The key issue was that Liu Huai was too fierce in battle. He destroyed the Eastern Jin in just over two months, which made all of Zhao Gou and Wanyan Yong's plans seem like a joke.

"Originally, Zhao Gou wanted to send troops to take advantage of the situation to attack Henan and Shandong, but news of the destruction of the Great Jin Dynasty soon arrived." Yila Dao said this with a sense of helplessness: "Upon hearing this news, Zhao Gou once again backed down and tried to seek peace."

But who would dare come to Shandong?! The reputation of Han Wang Xi for killing envoys has already spread throughout the land. And these envoys were acting on Zhao Gou's orders. If Han Wang Xi were to find a pretext to kill them as traitors, they would be condemned in history, which would be a terrible injustice.

"After hearing the news of the fall of the Great Jin, I originally thought of restoring the country with the help of the Song Dynasty. But when I heard that even the crown prince had surrendered, I gave up on that idea and just wanted to return to Youzhou to reunite with my family. Even if I died, I wanted to die in my hometown. So I took on this job."

"However, just before I left, Zhao Gou seemed to be forced by the situation, or perhaps he had been assured by an outside general. In any case, he felt that he was in a very stable position. Instead, he told me that he had come up with a foolproof plan, which was for me to lull Henan and Shandong into a false sense of security, and then for the Song army to launch a surprise attack on Henan."

After succeeding, establish a great Jin dynasty in Henan, gather the former Jurchen troops, and install a close relative of the imperial family on the throne. From then on, the Song and Jin dynasties will forever be brother states. Of course, this time the Song dynasty will be the elder brother, and the Jin dynasty the younger brother.

At this point, Yiladao also had a somewhat helpless expression.

Upon hearing this, Xin Qiji initially found it absurd, but upon further reflection, he realized that this was Zhao Gou, and it would be strange if a normal person could keep up with his train of thought.

"I'm just curious about one thing: why would Zhao Gou tell you about these private tricks?"

"Naturally, it's because I am the first prime minister of the newly established Jin Dynasty. Zhao Gou wanted me to devote myself wholeheartedly to this cause, so he lured me with the promise of restoring the country and achieving great things, hoping to make me risk my life for it."

Xin Qiji was at a loss for words. After a rare moment of stunned silence, he shook his head repeatedly and asked again, "And what do you think?"

Yila Dao, as if he had prepared this in advance, replied frankly: "I naturally came to join the King of Han because Zhao Gou's words were too absurd. I have also carefully reviewed the Han army's policy against the enemy. Would you say I have made a significant contribution?"

"Haven't you thought of avenging your homeland? Besides, the Eastern Jin is gone, but the Western Jin still exists. Why don't you go and join the Western Jin?"

"Alas, if His Majesty, the Crown Prince, the imperial family, and the nation were all to perish, then I would naturally fight to the death. But now that the Prince of Han is so magnanimous, even sparing the Crown Prince, what spirit do I have left?"

"As for Wanyan Liang... Ha, this man is outwardly magnanimous but inwardly suspicious, unlike the Prince of Han, who is truly broad-minded. I have been opposing him for a long time, and to join him would be to seek my own death. Moreover, with the Prince of Han's current power, Wanyan Liang is nothing more than a man waiting to die."

Xin Qiji nodded repeatedly, but finally said, "What you said makes sense. Whether from the perspective of people's hearts or the general trend, what you are doing now is the optimal solution, but I still don't believe it."

I remember you once instigated infighting within the Taiping Army, causing Kong Duanqi and Shao Jin to betray Geng Jiedu. Did you ever consider that I, too, came from the Taiping Army?

Yila Dao remained unbelievably calm: "Of course I know, but I also know that you are the deputy to the King of Han, entrusted with important matters by the King of Han. As the saying goes, the King of Han is in the north, and you are in charge of affairs in the south. You can't let personal grudges ruin the King of Han's great policies."

Xin Qiji laughed and said, "You are indeed clever, but what I just said is the truth. You will stay here for the next few days and not go anywhere else."

If things are as you say, then what harm is there in giving you a major meritorious service? But if you dare to deceive me, then I will surely bury you next to Wanyan Yong, so that you can be loyal even in the afterlife!

Yiladao rose and bowed: "Then we shall do as Governor Xin says."

Having said that, Yila Dao stood up, but after taking two steps, he turned back and said, "There is one more thing, although it is just a rumor, I still want to tell Governor Xin."

"Then tell me."

"It seems that Prime Minister Yu had some backup plans for the Han army, and Zhao Gou seems to want to use them."

"As for what it is, I have no idea." After saying this, Yila Dao simply cupped his hands and left leisurely.

"Fifth Brother, how much of what this fellow said is true or false?"

After Yila Dao left, Luo Huaiyan finally spoke up to ask.

Xin Qiji was once again at a loss for words: "How did you get caught up in this? Regardless of which version you're talking about, are we really not going to be on guard against the Song Dynasty?"

Luo Huaiyan slapped his forehead, a hint of amusement creeping onto his face.

(End of this chapter)