I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 129 The Three Kingdoms Intervene in Goryeo, the Jin Dynasty Works for Us

Zhao Zicheng's order was quickly implemented. Just over ten days later, Wang Chengxun, a prominent merchant, led a fleet of trading ships loaded with cotton cloth and cotton-padded coats to the port of Jinren on the Liaodong Peninsula.

During the Xuanhe era, the coastal areas of the Liaodong Peninsula were still very underdeveloped. Places that later became deep-water ports, such as Dalian and Lushun, are now still desolate fishing villages.

The largest trading port in the Liaodong region, which was controlled by the Jin dynasty, was in the area of ​​Yingkou in later generations, which at that time belonged to Ningzhou, a newly established prefecture by the Jin dynasty.

Furthermore, Ningzhou covered a very large area, including what later became Panjin and Gaizhou. Therefore, there wasn't even a county town near Yingkou Port; there was only a small harbor town and a bunch of small fishing villages.

The Jurchens and the Liao people before them had no knowledge of navigation and almost no maritime trade.

When Wang Chengxun's fleet arrived, although he tried to keep a low profile, his ships were so large that they far exceeded the sand ships sent by the Song Dynasty, which quickly attracted the attention of the Jin Dynasty's Ningzhou officials.

He had only been trading at the port for two days when the news reached the ears of Gao Zhen, the highest-ranking local official of the Jin state in Ningzhou, who was stationed there.

"Oh? The Song people have sent an unprecedentedly large ship to Yingkou Town for trade? Take me to see it quickly. Maybe the Song people are using trade as a cover, and in reality they want to ask our Great Jin for military assistance."

After saying this, Gao Zhen personally led a team of staff and cavalry escorts straight to Yingkou Port.

Gao Zhen was originally a Liao general who surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, and he was a member of the Bohai ethnic group. Five or six years ago, when the Jurchens and the Liao Dynasty were at the height of their war, Gao Zhen's master, Gao Yongchang, rebelled against Emperor Tianzuo of Liao and established himself as emperor, occupying more than fifty prefectures and counties in Liaodong with the help of his former Bohai followers.

As a result, Gao Yongchang was too arrogant and dared to claim the title of emperor. He was shot down for being the first to stand out and was attacked from both sides by Emperor Tianzuo of Liao and Wanyan Aguda, the ruler of the Jurchen state.

Later, Gao Yongchang, terrified by the Jurchens, wanted to relinquish his imperial title and surrender to them. Wanyan Aguda initially intended to accept him, but Gao Zhen betrayed his former master and secretly went to the Jurchens to report that "Gao Yongchang is not sincerely surrendering, but merely using this as a delaying tactic." Therefore, Aguda changed his mind and used force to annihilate Gao Yongchang and his entire clan.

Gao Zhen was appointed as the "Commissioner of the Former Liao Dynasty's Tokyo Garrison" for his meritorious service in guiding the Jin Dynasty. This meant he was the second-in-command of the former Liao Dynasty's Tokyo region, which the Jin Dynasty had taken over from the Liao Dynasty.

However, this inflated appointment was merely a stopgap measure by the Jurchens to recruit traitors and defectors. In the long run, such traitors would certainly not be truly valued by the Jurchens.

Moreover, because Gao Zhen advised Aguda not to accept Gao Yongchang's surrender and insisted on exterminating him, Wanyan Hushabu, the envoy Aguda had previously sent to negotiate, was killed.

This is similar to the situation where "Liu Bang sent Li Shiqi to persuade the State of Qi to surrender, but Han Xin attacked Qi by force, causing the King of Qi to kill the negotiating envoy Li Shiqi in a fit of anger." In this case, Han Xin would definitely have to pay a price for Li Shiqi's death. In this case, Gao Zhen is equivalent to Han Xin, and Wanyan Hushabu is equivalent to Li Shiqi.

Therefore, Gao Zhen served as the Assistant Prefect of Tokyo for only a short time. After the Jurchens completely controlled Liaodong, he was demoted to a local official in Ningzhou. This made him, as a guide, very resentful, and he always wanted to find another opportunity to serve the Jurchens and seek promotion.

Gao Zhen was quite adept at seizing opportunities and was well-informed. Upon hearing that a Song envoy might be arriving, he eagerly and proactively sought him out.

On the way here, Gao Zhen thought to himself, "I heard that the Song Dynasty's Grand Commandant Tong Guan is not doing well in the Liao Dynasty's battle at Nanjing and has not yet crossed the Yi River. With the Song people's useless attitude, they probably just want to pay money to do things and secretly ask our Great Jin for help in the war. Humph, that's why they came disguised as maritime merchants, just to avoid losing face!"

Gao Zhen arrived at Yingkou Port quickly and then had his servants invite Wang Chengxun, who was doing business there.

"So you are the envoy from the Song Kingdom? Why did they send someone as ill-mannered as you as this time? Where is Huyan Qing?" When Gao Zhen met Wang Chengxun, he found that the man exuded the shrewdness and cunning of a true merchant, not at all like an official, and was immediately disappointed.

Wang Chengxun naturally followed Zhao Zicheng's instructions strictly, solemnly declaring that he was merely a maritime merchant who had come to Liaodong to sell cotton cloth and cotton-padded jackets.

Gao Zhen didn't believe it, so he took some of Wang Chengxun's samples to examine them. After looking at them, he found that they were indeed all good stuff.

The harsh climate of Northeast China means there's not much of a demand for silk from the south. Silk is lightweight, soft, and smooth, making it cool to wear, and what the Northeast needs least is coolness.

In contrast, cotton cloth was a genuinely needed commodity for people in Northeast China. It was just a pity that the cotton textile technology in the Song Dynasty was not advanced enough, and the cost of cotton cloth could not be reduced.

During the Song Dynasty, the money for one bolt of silk might not be enough to buy two or three bolts of cotton cloth. If silk was priced at one tael of silver or more, cotton cloth would cost at least four qian.

In contrast, during the Ming Dynasty, Songjiang cotton cloth rose to prominence, and a bolt of it could be purchased for 1.2 qian of silver, cutting the cost by at least two-thirds compared to Song Dynasty cotton cloth. By the late Ming Dynasty, when competition was at its fiercest, a bolt of Songjiang cotton cloth could be bought for just a few qian of silver, which is why Songjiang cotton cloth earned the reputation of clothing the world.

Moreover, Gao Zhen saw that the cotton cloth sold by the Song people was obviously very large in size and width, at least three times wider than normal cotton cloth. Little did he know that this was because of the improvement of the two-person large loom, which allowed a weaver to walk back and forth to throw the shuttle, so the width of the cloth was no longer limited by the weaver's arm length and could be woven very wide.

He cautiously inquired about the price of the cotton cloth, only to be pleasantly surprised to find that the cloth was actually sold for slightly less per unit area than the original narrow-width cotton cloth.

Better quality and cheaper, shouldn't I buy it right away?

Then he asked about the cotton-padded coat and learned that it was reasonably priced, at least not much more expensive than a sheepskin coat. After trying it on, he found that it was much warmer and softer than a sheepskin coat.

Gao Zhen believed that this batch of high-quality goods should be snapped up by local merchants without hesitation. He also encouraged Song merchants to continue selling goods to them.

However, out of caution, Gao Zhen still asked a few questions: "If you are just an ordinary maritime merchant, why do you have such a large ship? When the Song people sent envoys to negotiate before, they never had such a large ship."

Wang Chengxun quickly followed the lines Zhao Zicheng had taught him, deceiving Zhao Zicheng by saying, "Our Great Song Dynasty has always had such large ships, but we didn't originally use such large ships to travel the northern routes. The Yellow Sea is shallow, and it gets shallower the further north you go, so we don't need such large ships. We can safely travel to Liaodong with cheap and easy-to-build small ships."

These large ships were originally used to sail the trade routes between Japan and Korea. However, due to the current chaos in Korea, a band of Song Dynasty pirates named Song Jiang is plundering the Korean coast, tying down tens of thousands of Korean troops. Even the Song court cannot stop them, so we can no longer trade with Korea. Therefore, I have had to turn to the Jin Dynasty. This is my first attempt to see if anyone in the Jin Dynasty recognizes their value. If it sells well, we will naturally return next time.”

Gao Zhen originally wanted to make achievements and regain his promotion to make up for the demotion he received for indirectly causing the death of Wanyan Hushabu.

Upon hearing that the Song people intended to expand trade and that there was a military uprising in Goryeo, Gao Zhen immediately perked up.

However, Gao Zhen did not dare to act rashly, since he had no decision-making authority and could only collect intelligence, analyze it, and then report it to his superiors.

Therefore, Gao Zhen made two decisions:

First, he immediately dispatched cavalry from Ningzhou to move and expand reconnaissance in Baozhou, which was controlled by the Goryeo people, to see if the Goryeo people were really as the Song Dynasty merchants said, that their main force was tied down by the bandits, leaving Baozhou with unprecedentedly weak troops.

Secondly, Gao Zhen should also gradually question Wang Chengxun and find more sources of information, such as having spies talk to other captains and even sailors in the Song fleet to find out how the Song were doing on the Song-Liao front at the Yi River.

If the Goryeo people were truly vulnerable, and the Song army was making good progress on the Song-Liao front, and the Jin army was idle anyway, then of course he would write a flowery memorial urging the Jin ruler to seize this opportunity to wage war against Goryeo!

Even if we can't conquer Goryeo, it would be good to take back the Boju region.

Because Baozhou was originally the homeland of the Bohai people, a historical issue stemming from the Liao dynasty's cession of territory to Goryeo. From the Jurchen perspective, Baozhou should never have been occupied by Goryeo in the first place! This was an opportunity to reclaim lost territory!

Of course, for the Jin ruler to make this decision, Gao Zhen had to be certain of one major premise: that the Jin dynasty had no advantage to gain on the Song-Liao battlefield and that its army was idle anyway.

If there are tangible gains to be made on the Song-Liao battlefield in the west, then the few melons and dates on the Jin-Gao battlefield in the east are insignificant. We can't afford to lose the big picture for small gains.

Therefore, Gao Zhen spent several days gathering intelligence.

Finally, the intelligence sent back from Goryeo indeed showed that Goryeo's military strength in Baozhou was extremely weak! On the contrary, Goryeo used a lot of deception to put on a brave face. If the Jin Kingdom had not conducted in-depth investigations, dug deep, and even crossed the border to conduct scouting operations, capturing some Goryeo prisoners and torturing them, they would have almost been fooled by Goryeo!
On the other hand, Gao Zhen kept the Song Dynasty's maritime merchants in line and learned about the latest developments in Tong Guan's attack on Liao. The information he finally received was that "Tong Guan is making good progress and the Song people can easily take Yanjing on their own."

It's no wonder Gao Zhen was so careless in obtaining this information. After all, the Jin state didn't share a land border with the Song-Liao front lines, and the Jin people themselves didn't have ships to cross the Liao border and gather intelligence on the latest battle details along the Song-Liao border.

When Zhao Zicheng sent Wang Chengxun's merchant fleet, he even deceived his own people. Before setting sail, Zhao Zicheng repeatedly told all the captains, sailors and soldiers in the army that Grand Commandant Tong had won a great victory at the Yi River, had captured Xiongzhou and besieged Yanjing.

Therefore, every Song Dynasty sailor who came to Ningzhou genuinely believed that the imperial army was winning victory after victory.

Historically, after Tong Guan launched his attack in April, the stalemate did last for quite a while. It wasn't until the end of May that one of his troops collapsed, but Zhong Shidao's eastern army continued to hold on. It wasn't until mid-June that Zhong Shidao's army also collapsed, and the Song army suffered a complete defeat.

Zhao Zicheng took advantage of the time difference, boasting in advance and even deceiving his own people, which was so seamless that he temporarily fooled the Jin people.

Thus, the Jin high command, who were still waiting for news on the latest developments in the war between Song and Liao, were finally deceived by the false information sent by the fool Gao Zhen.

At that time, Wanyan Daguda had already driven Emperor Tianzuo of Liao into the "Jiashan" (near Yanjing, the Yanshan Mountains consist of two layers of mountains and the Great Wall, the inner layer being the Badaling/Juyongguan Great Wall line, and the outer layer being the Zhangjiakou Great Wall line. After Emperor Tianzuo fled Yanjing, he entered the area between the inner and outer Yanshan Mountains, which is the "Jiashan," that is, outside Juyongguan and inside Zhangjiakou). Since the Song people did not ask him for help, Nanjing should be left for the Song army to fight. At that time, Aguda had not yet thought of breaking the alliance and extorting the Song people, so he entered a window of opportunity where he was temporarily idle. This was not because Aguda was morally superior, but mainly because Aguda did not know the strength of the Song army at that time, and had not seen how the Song and Liao fought, so he did not want to offend anyone rashly.

If Aguda had truly seen how incompetent the Song army was and how the Song and Liao dynasties were locked in a battle of wits, he might have torn off his hypocritical mask of "morality" long ago.

At this moment when the main force of the Jin Kingdom was idle, Gao Zhen, the prefect of Ningzhou, suddenly provided him with a godsend, telling Aguda that there was a chance to make a quick and easy profit in Goryeo, a rare opportunity that would not cost much. Wanyan Aguda was naturally tempted.

As for whether the Jin Dynasty needed to find a diplomatic excuse to suddenly attack Goryeo, this was not a difficult question for them.

First, the Goryeo people had repeatedly obstructed the Song-Jin alliance against the Liao, and even sent envoys to the Song emperor to persuade him not to turn against the Liao. Although this matter was in the past, the Jin dynasty did not pursue it at the time.

However, as long as the Jin state is willing to use this as an excuse, and there are people from the Song state willing to testify, the Jin state can completely pretend that "the reason we didn't settle accounts with you before was because we didn't know. Now that the Song state has settled accounts with me, I know that Goryeo is a traitor, so I'm punishing you now."

As for who from the Song Dynasty could testify on behalf of the Jin Dynasty? Of course, it was Zhao Zicheng and Huyan Qing!
With the cooperation of various parties, it was only a matter of time before the main forces of the Jin and Goryeo armies were lured into a desperate battle.

The Jin army mobilized quickly, gathering a number of elite cavalry and many local Bohai warriors in less than half a month. They found a reasonable pretext for war on the diplomatic level and then poured into the territory of Boju in Goryeo.

Meanwhile, Goryeo received a prior, tacit warning from the Song Dynasty. Of course, the Song court and government would not engage in such divisive activities; it was all the work of some uncontrollable maritime merchants in the Song Dynasty.

The Song government, especially Zhao Zicheng, who was in charge of Dengzhou and Laizhou, was "completely unaware" of the situation.

Those Song Dynasty merchants, through a well-timed event, informed the Goryeo court that "the Jin Dynasty is about to invade Baozhou."

King Yejong of Goryeo, who was seriously ill at the time, was greatly alarmed upon hearing the news. He had no choice but to mobilize the entire Goryeo nation and urgently increase conscription to resist the impending invasion of the Jin Dynasty. At the same time, the main force of the Goryeo army, which had been transferred back to deal with Song Jiang, was redeployed to the front line of Baozhou to fight the Jin Dynasty to the death.

King Yejong of Goryeo was well aware that Song Jiang's forces were not yet strong enough to destroy the Goryeo Kingdom. However, if the Jin army were to break through the northern mountain defenses and enter the plains of central Goryeo, Goryeo would face the threat of national annihilation!

The main forces of the Jin and Goryeo armies were thus driven into a full-scale battle by Zhao Zicheng's cunning scheme of using maritime merchants to tip off the enemy and selling false intelligence, coupled with Song Jiang's meddling and stirring up trouble.

The Goryeo army held its ground at the front line in Boju, while the country mobilized desperately to fight the Jin army to the death. Because the mountainous terrain in the northern part of the Goryeo Peninsula was relatively rugged, it was not conducive to the large-scale maneuverability of the Jin army's cavalry. In addition, the Jin army's ability to attack and breach cities was not very strong at the moment. Therefore, the Goryeo people were able to hold out at the front line for a while.

Because the main force of Goryeo fought desperately to block the northern front, the pressure on Song Jiang's army in the Wengjin and Haizhou areas was suddenly relieved.

Song Jiang and Wu Jialiang were unaware of what had happened and had originally planned to launch a counterattack, attempting to invade the heartland of Goryeo.

However, just as Song Jiang was about to launch his attack, he encountered an envoy sent by the Song Dynasty court to Haizhou to negotiate amnesty.

This envoy was none other than Wang Chengxun, the most favored merchant under Zhao Zicheng.

Wang Chengxun, this businessman, could be said to have a hand in all four fronts. After going to Japan, he went to the Jurchens, then to Goryeo, and after contacting the Goryeo officials, he came to find Song Jiang. Within a month or two, he had traveled all over Northeast Asia, stirring up trouble everywhere.

The officer in charge of escorting Wang Chengxun and providing military deterrence was Li Jun, a commander of the Pinghai Army.

Song Jiang was originally very afraid of being hunted down by the imperial court, because last year he had been chased and killed by Zhao Zicheng.

Now that the imperial army has finally caught up with Goryeo, and Wang Chengxun's 800-ton sand barge is so huge, how could Song Jiang dare to have any intention of resisting?

When Song Jiang saw those large ships, he felt utterly hopeless. He knew that if the imperial court wanted to pursue him, they could easily send tens of thousands of troops, or even more, across the sea to join forces with the Goguryeo people in attacking him from both sides.

If they were only facing the imperial army, they might have a sliver of hope. But if they were surrounded by Goguryeo forces in front and Song troops behind, Song Jiang and his Liangshan army would be doomed.

In this desperate situation, Wang Chengxun, under Li Jun's protection, met Song Jiang, and his first words to him were straightforward:
"Chief Song, although you have betrayed the court and caused havoc in the region, considering that you are a Han Chinese and are currently fighting against the Koreans, Duke Xiu is willing to give you an opportunity to submit to the court and be granted an official title and rank."

If Duke Xiu had wanted to exterminate you back then, it would have been incredibly easy—just look at our army's massive 800-ton sand ships now, and you'll know how easy it would have been for him to kill you halfway across the sea.

However, Duke Xiuguo did not want to cause too much bloodshed in the Han people's civil war. Seeing that you were willing to show your power in foreign lands and compete with foreign tribes for land, he made an exception and gave you this opportunity.

Now, only by obeying the orders of Duke Xiu, acting according to his plans, and fighting the Goryeo people in the manner and place he requires, can you gain the court's forgiveness and be given important responsibilities.

As for the transportation and logistics of the army, you don't need to worry at all. As long as you follow the Duke of Xiu's request, the imperial court will naturally dispatch a large number of excellent large ships to help you transport troops, weapons, supplies, and provisions.

"If they don't comply, Chief Song should still remember the disastrous defeats of last year. This is a one-time opportunity; whether or not to give the brothers a future rests entirely on Chief Song's decision."

Faced with Wang Chengxun's threat, some of Song Jiang's hot-tempered subordinates immediately became enraged.

Suddenly, a burly, dark-skinned man wielding two broad axes leaped out, brandishing them up and down: "You scoundrel! How dare you be disrespectful to my elder brother! We haven't avenged the blood feud between the brothers of Peach Blossom Mountain and the Ruan brothers yet!"
"How capable that Zhao fellow is is none of my business. But you lot, daring to be so arrogant today, I'll chop you all up first! At worst, we'll just take over the mountains in Korea and become kings again. You think you can chase me to the ends of the earth then?!"

This person was none other than Li Kui. Upon closer examination, Li Kui's words were not entirely wrong.

They are still thinking about carving out cities, seizing fertile prefectures and counties from the Goryeo people, and establishing their own rule. But if Zhao Zicheng really chases them across the sea and pursues them relentlessly, they might as well give up the idea of ​​establishing rule and continue to live as mountain kings.

The further northwest you go on the Korean Peninsula, the more mountainous it becomes; there's always somewhere to hide. As long as he doesn't covet the richer lands, how could Zhao Zicheng possibly reach Changbai Mountain?

Li Kui's words, though seemingly crude, were actually quite shrewd. Although they were a rogue's act, they did somewhat reduce Wang Chengxun's threat to Song Jiang.

Wang Chengxun's arrogance was indeed slightly dampened, and he then changed his tune, saying, "Since Chief Song has no intention of serving the country, then let's pretend we never said anything. Don't regret it later."

He was, after all, a businessman, and when threatened like this, he became somewhat weak-willed and didn't want to talk anymore.

Li Jun stood guard with a knife in hand, staring intently at Li Kui. However, he was not confident at all. If a fight broke out, they, as negotiators, would only have so few people and could only try to slip away.

Li Jun's intuition told him that he was no match for this big black man in terms of land combat strength, but if they could get to the sea, this black guy would be no threat.

Fortunately, some of the Liangshan heroes were willing to negotiate. After Li Kui had acted as a troublemaker, another hero wielding an iron ruler quickly stepped forward to appease Wang Chengxun and Li Jun:
“We, the brothers of Liangshan, have always acted on behalf of Heaven, with a heart to serve the country and bring peace to the people. However, treacherous officials are in power, which is why we must sweep them away! If Lord Xiu is truly loyal and righteous and puts the people first, he should show his sincerity and let us believe that he is for the country and the people!”

Wang Chengxun and Li Jun had done their homework beforehand and knew that this person was Wu Jialiang. With his opening remarks, it was time to formally discuss terms. However, scholars still cared about their reputation, so they had to say some polite words.

"It seems Chief Wu wants to know the specifics of the cooperation. That's not difficult. Before I came, Lord Zhao did indeed offer you all very generous terms. As long as you work for the court, the court can provide you with warships and military equipment, which goes without saying, as I just mentioned."

Then, the imperial fleet will transport you to the south, temporarily away from the Goryeo people's capital region, so that the Goryeo people will think you are not a threat. Only then will their main force dare to be transferred north to fight the Jin people.

Then, you should first occupy a large island in the southwestern part of Goryeo, then maneuver along the coast to occupy a basin and seaport in the southeastern part of Goryeo, and gradually advance northward according to the court's pace. The court will send people to scout the situation on the Jin and Goryeo front lines, and once the main force of the Goryeo people has been almost annihilated by the Jin, you should then advance northward with full force.

The imperial court cannot openly use its military banner to seize Goryeo territory, so although it can send troops to fight alongside you, it cannot reveal its imperial military identity. After conquering Goryeo cities, the imperial court can share the spoils with you.

The forward-deployed cities directly bordering the Goryeo people will be under the command of the Song and Wu leaders. The rear-area cities not bordering the Goryeo people will be taken over by officials appointed by Lord Zhao. In general, 70% of the acquired land will be directly under the court's jurisdiction, and 30% will be under your control. After the war, Lord Zhao will also petition the court to grant you that 30% of land, with your people serving as prefects and magistrates.
This could be considered a way of clearing their names from the stigma of bandits, allowing them to become government officials and expand the territory for the Han people. They would also leave a good name in later historical records. Whether or not to cooperate rested entirely on the decision of the two leaders, Song and Wu.

The conditions offered by Wang Chengxun did indeed appeal to Song Jiang and Wu Jialiang, who had suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Zhao Zicheng.

However, they still had a concern: did Zhao Zicheng have the authority to fulfill such a promise?
If the land of Goryeo were to become prefectures and counties of the Song Dynasty in the future, what right would Zhao Zicheng have to make promises on behalf of the emperor and the officials in the court, and appoint bandits like Song Jiang as prefects and magistrates?

You have to understand that Zhao Zicheng himself is just a prefect; such a promise is way overstepping his authority.

Wu Jialiang, being a meticulous person, couldn't help but ask the question in the end.

“Mr. Wang, isn’t Lord Zhao’s promise a bit of an exaggeration? He himself is just a prefect of a region. What authority does he have to guarantee that we brothers will also become prefects in Goryeo in the future?”

(End of this chapter)