I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 138 The Jurchens Were Indeed a Trick
"Hebei is so desolate. For hundreds of miles along the way, the fields are barren and the people are displaced. It's too tragic."

One day in early May, as Zhao Zicheng and his party were about to arrive at the Bazhou front line to assist Tong Guan in negotiating with the Jin people to redeem Yanjing.

The scenery they saw along the way became increasingly desolate and shocking.

Especially the last stretch of road from Xiongzhou to Bazhou, about a hundred miles long, was almost completely deserted. Bones were exposed in the wilderness, and not a rooster crowed for a hundred miles.

Xiongzhou was the stronghold where Tong Guan retreated after his army's defeat in the attack on Yanjing last year. The land north of Xiongzhou had been occupied by Yelü Dashi of the Liao Dynasty in a counterattack. Although the Liao people were also exhausted at that time, they only made a brief appearance and left, taking everything they could, but the damage they caused was already severe enough.

Between Bazhou and Xiongzhou, countless corpses of Song soldiers, auxiliary troops, and civilians lay scattered. More than half a year passed, and many remains remained unburied. The flesh and blood must have long since rotted away, leaving only bones.

Because there was no meat, even wild animals like wolves and dogs were hard to find. Only the occasional vulture lingered, seemingly hoping that the rotting marrow from a human thigh bone that had escaped the net would give these carrion-eating birds a few more sips.

When Zhao Zicheng came to this place, he brought with him a personal guard of two or three hundred men, roughly the size of a cavalry battalion. His soldiers were used to seeing life and death, and they didn't seem to care about such a tragic scene.

As for the civil officials and their staff, apart from Hu Yanqing, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, the others didn't look too good, and some even felt disgusted.

Zhao Zicheng came to Hebei with his wife. Murong Qiu had been pampered since childhood and was not good at martial arts. She was physically weak and almost vomited several times when she saw the many broken bones.

Fortunately, her husband was very considerate of her feelings. Zhao Zi often held her in his arms beforehand to prevent her from seeing the terrible scene outside the car. He also had someone prepare some dried grass similar to mugwort to fumigate the car and remove the odor that drifted into it.

"Alas... When the country prospers, the people suffer; when it falls, the people suffer. Once this is over, we must relocate as many displaced people as possible to Goryeo to restore production. For at least the next few years, Hebei will not be able to be self-sufficient. The more people who remain here, the more resources will be needed from the people of Henan and Shandong to transport to maintain Hebei."

Zhao Zicheng looked out through the carriage curtain at everything outside, muttering to himself with emotion.

Murong Qiu's eyes were glazed over. She hadn't expected her husband's casual remark to be so profound, revealing his deep concern for the people and, most importantly, his lack of ostentation. He simply reflected silently on the plight of the common people. How could such a compassionate and righteous hero not be dedicated to saving the world's inhabitants?

……

After arriving in Bazhou City, Zhao Zicheng quickly settled his family and guards, and then took Huyan Qing to pay his respects to Tong Guan.

This was the first time Zhao Zicheng had met Tong Guan in person. Although the two sides had interacted and cooperated during the campaign against Fang La in Jiangnan, Zhao Zicheng had never personally visited Zhenjiang; they only exchanged battle reports and imperial orders.

After Fang La was driven away and Hangzhou was recaptured by Zhao Zicheng, Tong Guan, fearing that the credit for the final blow would be stolen, hurriedly sent someone to Muzhou in western Zhejiang. He did not come to Hangzhou to lord it over others, and Zhao Zicheng avoided him.

This time, there was no escaping it. Even though Zhao Zicheng didn't want to have anything to do with the "Six Traitors," he had no choice but to reluctantly go along with it.

Upon closer examination, Zhao Zicheng had met with three of the six traitors: Zhu Mian, Liang Shicheng, and Tong Guan. However, Zhu Mian had already been killed by him, and Zhao Zicheng certainly couldn't do anything about the two powerful eunuchs, Liang Shicheng and Tong Guan. Fortunately, there probably wouldn't be any direct conflict of interest in the future, so Zhao Huan could deal with them himself after Zhao Ji abdicated.

Zhao Zi said that as long as he kept a proper distance and ensured that he wouldn't be implicated in the "friendship with Liang Shicheng and Tong Guan" category during the six months after Zhao Huan ascended the throne, he would be fine.

"I am deeply honored to have met with the Grand Chancellor and have been appreciated by him. He has even allowed me to participate in the negotiations with the Jin. I am truly humbled."

Upon meeting Tong Guan, Zhao Zicheng had to first admit that he was not good at this job, and this was not just modesty.

Tong Guan didn't stand on ceremony with him and said directly, "This is not because of the Prime Minister's appreciation, but because of the Emperor's will. If anyone should express gratitude, it should be to thank Heaven."

Zhao Zicheng then cautiously inquired about the current status of the negotiations, since he had only intervened halfway through the process. Tong Guan had already sent others to negotiate with the Jin state, and Zhao Zicheng was only there to provide assistance.

Tong Guan waved his hand gently, and several civil officials and staff members who had been standing by stepped forward one after another to introduce the situation.

The leader, a man in his forties with a large beard resembling that of a non-Han Chinese, recounted the main points:
"It is good that you, Lord Xiu, know that our Great Song Dynasty and the Jin people have already discussed the ownership of Yanjing two or three times. The first time, the Jin ruler was very tough, saying only, 'Those who gain it shall keep it. Yanjing was obtained by me, so it should belong to me.' Later, after further discussions, the Jin ruler reluctantly agreed, 'If the Southern Dynasty insists on taking it, I will reward the army with silver and silk.'"

However, in the next two negotiations, the amount of silver and silk could not be agreed upon. Instead, the negotiations increasingly angered the Jin ruler, who initially asked for one million, and later for two million. Moreover, the Jin ruler demanded that the Song Dynasty transfer the annual tribute originally intended for the Liao Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty.

"I have long heard that Lord Xiu is also skilled in dealing with foreign tribes. Just a month ago, he subdued Goryeo, making them willingly acknowledge the lands our Great Song Dynasty had acquired from pirates. In comparison, I am truly ashamed. With Lord Xiu's arrival, surely he can help our Great Song Dynasty negotiate a more favorable deal."

It turns out that this person was Zhao Liangsi, the Song envoy who spearheaded the maritime alliance, who was originally Ma Zhi, the Guanglu Qing of the Liao Dynasty. Ma Zhi was his original name when he served as an official in the Liao Dynasty. After he voluntarily surrendered to Tong Guan and returned to the Song Dynasty, he was given the surname Zhao by the emperor.

Zhao Zicheng was also aware of the other party's deeds. Strictly speaking, this person had not done anything to betray the Song Dynasty, and the pretext for the war between the Song and Jin dynasties was not Zhao Liangsi's doing. However, because the Song Dynasty was eventually destroyed by the Jin Dynasty, half of its territory was destroyed. The court said that Zhao Liangsi was the initial trigger for the war by persuading the emperor and Tong Guan to recover Yan and Yun, so Zhao Liangsi was killed.

Zhao Liangsi's current official position is quite high, holding the titles of Academician of the Dragon Pavilion and Grand Master of the Palace, roughly equivalent to the rank of Bao Zheng in his time. This is also diplomatic practice; officials responsible for negotiating with major powers are generally of high administrative rank.

Therefore, strictly speaking, Zhao Zicheng should have acted as a subordinate in front of him, letting Zhao Liangsi be the master and Zhao Zicheng assist him.

However, Zhao Liangsi's surname Zhao was bestowed, while Zhao Zicheng was a legitimate member of the imperial clan and was enfeoffed as a duke for his merits.

Zhao Liangsi, a "naturalized person" who desperately wanted to establish a connection with the Zhao family, didn't dare to put on airs in front of Zhao Zicheng, and the two appeared to be exchanging ideas on equal terms.

After reviewing the previously agreed-upon terms, Zhao Zicheng quickly realized that they were highly inappropriate. He then offered a candid analysis to Tong Guan and Zhao Liangsi: "In my opinion, the Jin people are being utterly unreasonable. How can they keep raising their prices? Are they threatening our Great Song Dynasty? Moreover, this price increase is completely without justification."

Zhao Zicheng immediately thought of a certain Trump mad dog he had seen on the news before he transmigrated. Wasn't that just making up cards out of thin air to intimidate people?
In order to threaten other countries, he would put on an act of "the more you bargain, the higher I will ask! It's also a crime to be slow to agree! The longer you drag it out, the worse your life will be!" As long as he could scare the other party and make them believe him, he would have achieved his goal.

Unfortunately, although Wanyan Aguda was also creating cards out of thin air, the officials in charge on the Song side were too cowardly. Tong Guan was too eager for quick success and surrendered too quickly, fearing that the mission would not be completed and the secret would be exposed if it dragged on for too long.

In this situation, the Jurchens seized his weakness, so how could they let go of this opportunity to make exorbitant demands?

Tong Guan also knew that this matter was shameful, so he did not want to say much directly. He simply remained silent, implying that Zhao Liangsi should be more pragmatic and find an explanation for Zhao Zicheng.

Zhao Liangsi was used to doing this kind of thing, so he was naturally flexible and quickly explained his reasons: "The client has a reason to ask for more money. He feels that stationing troops in Yanjing year-round requires money and supplies."

If Yanjing ultimately falls to our Great Song Dynasty, then during this period, he has been helping our Great Song Dynasty defend its territory. Therefore, the longer the troops are stationed there, the more military expenses will be required, which is proportional to the negotiation time.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zicheng quickly assessed the situation and knew that the two million taels were definitely not going to be saved—because those in the Song Dynasty who were obsessed with money didn't care about the actual cost; what they cared about was face. Just like Cai Jing had been encouraging Zhao Ji to be extravagant and show off his "abundance and prosperity" all these years.

Wanyan Aguda has already found an excuse for you to spend money, saying that the two million is not a reparation, or even a "ransom", but a "military expense" to hire troops and station them. It is not shameful for the Song Dynasty to pay it. How much determination can Zhao Ji have to oppose it?

Moreover, to be honest, the Song Dynasty's military strength is indeed inferior to that of the Jin Dynasty. To truly turn against them would certainly be a sin, and Zhao Zicheng did not want to be an unrealistic and delusional person. With the entire court indifferent to this matter, his individual provocation would not change the outcome.

Historically, the Northern Song Dynasty had completely agreed to the two million taels of silver in reparations, plus annual tribute.

After much deliberation, Zhao Zicheng concluded that if he could at least slightly resolve the humiliation of paying tribute, that would be a tremendous achievement. As for the one-time military expenses, that was simply beyond his control.

So he cautiously said, “It seems that reducing military expenditures is indeed unlikely. The main problem is that we cannot get the support of the court and the government. What use is it if we are willing to die rather than submit? But the annual tribute can definitely be negotiated. The Jurchens have no reason to demand it. Military expenditures have always been a one-time thing. How can we expect to receive it every year? As long as we argue our case and can get the annual tribute waived, it will be a victory for the country and the people.”

"I humbly request the Grand Council's permission to accompany Scholar Zhao on a mission to Yanjing to reason with the Jin people and strive to have the annual tribute waived!"

Tong Guan was quite surprised to hear this: "You are so confident? Although the annual tribute is not as much as a one-time military expenditure, it is paid every year. Are the Jin people willing to give up such a long-term benefit that is like a steady stream?"

Tong Guan's surprise was entirely genuine. Anyone with a modicum of math knowledge would know that tribute was far more valuable than a one-time indemnity. If they could actually waive the tribute, what a tremendous achievement that would be!
However, Zhao Zicheng is not very confident at the moment. The reason he dares to say this is because he just had a flash of inspiration and remembered an important piece of historical knowledge. This piece of historical knowledge had been used many times before when he was planning to attack Goryeo and had guided his decision-making. That is, if nothing unexpected happens, Wanyan Aguda should die in the middle of this year.

Tong Guan was unaware that Wanyan Aguda was dying. Lacking this crucial information, Tong Guan was genuinely frightened by the Jurchens, believing that the Jurchens were not afraid of dragging things out, while the Song Dynasty could not afford to.

However, knowing that the Jin state might experience a change of supreme power and instability gave the Song state much more confidence.

Zhao Zicheng knew his eloquence wasn't enough to change the Jin people's attitude, but he knew that when Wanyan Aguda was near death, the Jin might soften their stance to expedite the treaty. He only needed to stall, dragging things out until that day came, forcing the Jin to concede even slightly.
In this way, he preserved both the face of the Song Dynasty and his personal reputation—he could then spread the truth to the people, letting them know that before Zhao Zicheng intervened in the negotiations, the Jin Dynasty demanded both military expenses and annual tribute. After Zhao Zicheng arrived, the annual tribute was reduced or waived.

Zhao Zicheng's merits were at least greater than those of Cao Liyong during the Treaty of Chanyuan under Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

Since that's the case, I might as well take the plunge and shoulder this responsibility.

However, the boundaries of responsibility need to be clearly defined: military spending has nothing to do with him; that was a mess left behind before Zhao Zicheng intervened. He only needs to argue his case regarding the issue of tribute.

Tong Guan was overjoyed to see Zhao Zicheng's sense of responsibility and immediately gave instructions on the division of labor for the negotiation in his capacity as the Grand Chancellor. He assigned Zhao Zicheng to be responsible for negotiating the annual tribute with the Jin people, and said that he would not be responsible for anything else.

Of course, Tong Guan's division of labor depends on whether Zhao Liangsi is willing to accept it and whether he is willing to divide responsibilities in this way. Otherwise, if Zhao Liangsi feels that he is taking too much blame, he may cause trouble and backlash.

Fortunately, Zhao Liangsi also realized that "negotiating the annual tribute was far more difficult than negotiating a one-time military expenditure," making it a hot potato. Since Zhao Zicheng was willing to take on the most problematic part, what else could Zhao Liangsi possibly object to?
He immediately accepted the division of labor, and everything was fine.

……

In the following days, Zhao Liangsi, Zhao Zicheng, and several other mission staff members engaged in verbal sparring with the Jin Dynasty.

The specific content of the wrangling was nothing more than bargaining and each side demonstrating their determination.

The specific diplomatic wording is not important and need not be elaborated upon—because Zhao Zicheng is well aware that whether or not an agreement can be reached in the end depends on actual interests, the situation, and who can hold back first, rather than on which side's rhetoric is more eloquent.

In terms of eloquence, the Jin people were certainly inferior to the Song people. But the Song Dynasty had so many eloquent scholars, yet for over a hundred years, they still frequently suffered defeats in negotiations and paid tribute.

Therefore, in terms of negotiating wording, Zhao Zicheng said that it was enough to simply rely on his own instincts and speak freely.

His wife, Murong Qiu, also came to the Hebei front to broaden her horizons. Since the negotiations were held in Bazhou City, where the Jin people were also staying, Zhao Zicheng could return to his home base and discuss things with his wife after each day's talks.

In this era, there wasn't such a strict rule that "women were not allowed to participate in government affairs." It was quite normal for officials to go home and discuss official matters with their wives privately behind closed doors, seeking inspiration. Only the emperor had to be mindful of the issue of "the empress's interference in politics."

Murong Qiu is intelligent and well-read. Zhao Zicheng can discuss with her and learn from her wording, so why not learn from her?

In any case, these statements themselves are not important, as long as they are spoken nicely and do not humiliate the dignity of the Song Dynasty in public.

After talking like this for three to five days, Murong Qiu also felt a little strange, because she realized that her husband was simply using her as a secretary. In fact, her husband himself did not put any thought into the careful consideration of these diplomatic terms, which made her feel a little frustrated.

That night, after another day of fruitless negotiations, Murong Qiu couldn't help but ask privately:

"Does my husband not really care about the wording of these arguments, or is he just wasting time?"

I've been reviewing and summarizing these past few days, and we've simply been using the excuse that 'money is a small matter, but our Great Song and the Jin Kingdom were originally allies with no disputes, so paying tribute for a long time would be an insult to the dignity of our Great Song' to keep clinging to it.

Does my husband really believe that repeating these words will change the outcome and force the Jin people to back down?

Seeing that his wife had realized the problem, Zhao Zicheng didn't intend to hide it from her. He simply continued to comfort her while telling her the truth: "My wife is indeed intelligent; she actually figured it out. That's right, I was just stalling for time."

Murong Qiu's eyes widened slightly: "What's the use of stalling for time?"

Zhao Zicheng couldn't very well make definitive predictions about history, so he pretended that it was something he had observed indirectly over the past few days, combined with some reasoning, and said:

"After observing these past few days, I've noticed something: the King of Jin may be... terminally ill. Although I can't be completely certain, if this drags on any longer, it won't cause any more harm to our Great Song Dynasty."

The capital city of Yanjing had already been looted and emptied by the Jin dynasty. There was nothing left to plunder. Even if the Jin dynasty occupied it for a few more months, our Great Song dynasty would not suffer any further losses.

In contrast, sending troops to occupy the area before winter would only increase garrison expenses. With the local population gone and no one farming, the rest of the year would be a pure loss with no income, whereas in the past everyone had to be fed by transporting grain from other places.

Therefore, for our Great Song Dynasty, since the farming season in the seven prefectures surrounding Yanjing has already been completely disrupted this year, there won't be any further losses for the Song Dynasty if we delay until winter. However, for the Jin Dynasty, delaying until winter will bring too many changes and require even more expenditure on stationed troops. So, for the next six months, they should be the ones in a hurry. Only after six months, if it drags on until next year, should it be our Great Song Dynasty's turn to be in a hurry.”

Zhao Zicheng couldn't say too much without evidence, so he could only focus his arguments on the core issue of the timeline.

Just like international negotiations in later generations, when the relative strength of the two sides does not change much in the medium to long term, the key factor affecting the negotiations becomes "who is more anxious in the short term".

If the Song Dynasty doesn't need to rush until the end of the year, but the Jin Dynasty's national debt is due at the end of June (oh, I mean Aguda died), then the Jin Dynasty should give back a little something to those who are anxious about it.

Murong Qiu had never thought of such a grand long-term vision, but after being reminded by her husband, she seemed to suddenly realize a whole new world.

However, she was clever after all, and soon, following her husband's inspiration, she thought of a new question:
“But if my Great Song only has my husband who sees things so clearly, but the Chancellor is impatient and the Emperor is not clear about the urgency, wouldn’t that still lead to trouble? Has my husband ever thought about how to reassure the people above, how to find irrefutable evidence, and how to make the Emperor and the Chancellor believe that Aguda is not long for this world?”

Furthermore, if Aguda is truly nearing death, would the Jurchens' negotiations with us be genuine? What if they are merely feigning cooperation to appease our Song Dynasty because Aguda is dying? Once their rule is secure, won't they find another excuse to turn against us?

Murong Qiu's words, spoken by an outsider with a clearer perspective, immediately enlightened Zhao Zicheng.

Bao! After the second generation of Jin rulers stabilized the situation, Bao will find an excuse to turn against them!

Wait a minute... It seems I can take this opportunity to gather more solid evidence of the Jin people's corruption, so that when the Jin dynasty turns against us in the future, the Song dynasty won't fall into the same morally passive and chaotic state as it did in the original history.

Zhao Zi suddenly realized that this round of verbal negotiations wasn't so boring after all.

(End of this chapter)