Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Then, look for opportunities to encircle and annihilate the Ming army, or cut off the Ming army's supply lines.

Wanyan Zongfu said, "Liaoyang can cooperate, and should take the initiative to start a war. We cannot allow the Ming Dynasty to garrison troops and store grain in Baozhou."

"How do you want to fight?" Wanyan Zonghan asked.

Wanyan Zongfu said, "Because I am afraid of being attacked by the Ming army, I dare not build ships on the Yalu River."

"But I secretly built many boats on the lower reaches of the Hun River."

"Although they are much smaller than the Ming army's ships, they are still capable of fighting."

"I also built many small boats to be used as fire ships to attack the Ming navy."

"When the Ming fleet goes deeper into the Yalu River, we will launch a surprise attack with thousands of boats at once."

"No matter how many Ming ships we can burn, we must hold the Possuri Road after the war begins."

"Deploy troops to the mountain strongholds on the south bank of the Yalu River, plunder the villages of Baozhou under cover of night, burn down the houses and steal the grain before retreating back into the mountains."

"If the Ming army pursues, they will set up an ambush in the mountains!"

Chapter 3408 I Only Go One Way

"In this way, we can delay the Ming army's northward march from Baozhou."

Wanyan Zonghan nodded approvingly: "Excellent!"

The two factions, which were on the verge of falling out, actually came together again.

After the meeting, Wanyan Zongpan helped Wu Qibu back home.

Wanyan Zongpan said, "If Nianhan wins again, who will be able to control him in the future?"

Wu Qimai sighed, "Are you hoping he'll lose the battle?"

"If we lose this battle, my son and I will become prisoners of the Ming army."

Wanyan Zongpan said, "If he wins, he will be the one who calls the shots in the court, and everyone will have to obey him."

"Even those treacherous officials and scoundrels in the court have to obey him."

"What if he has malicious intentions again at that time?"

"What if he kills his father and becomes emperor himself?"

"He wouldn't dare,"

Wu Qimai said,

"He does not have the blood of the founding emperor."

"Not always,"

Wanyan Zongpan said,

"This battle is a matter of life and death. If he wins, his achievements will rival those of Emperor Taizu."

"He certainly wouldn't dare to openly murder the emperor, but it's possible that he could cause his father and the crown prince to die in an accident, without knowing why."

Wu Qimai remained silent, genuinely frightened.

After a long silence, Wu Qimai asked, "What do you want to do?"

Wanyan Zongpan said, "Secretly send someone to contact the Ming Dynasty and tell them about Nianhan's plan to lure the enemy."

"Take the opportunity to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and offer up the former territory of the Liao Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty."

"My father and I can still be emperors in the capital, only as emperors of a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Just like the Western Xia."

Wu Qimai was stunned: "You actually did something like this?"

"How will you explain this to the nobles in the country?"

Wanyan Zongpan said, "As long as Nianhan is defeated, the Ming army will surely advance unimpeded, and who in the Jin Dynasty can stop them?"

"At that time, I'm afraid the leaders of the various tribes will still urge Father to surrender to the Ming."

"Submitting to the Ming Dynasty is merely a matter of following the trend."

"What use would it be for the Ming Dynasty to take over the harsh and cold land of Shangjing?"

“If we surrender our territory early, they certainly won’t attack.”

Wu Qimai hesitated.

Wanyan Zongpan asked, "Father, would it be better to submit to the Ming Dynasty and become a puppet emperor, like the Western Xia?"

"Would it be better to remain a puppet, unable to even leave the palace, as we are now?"

"Is Father content to be a puppet?"

Wu Qimai pondered for a long time, then suddenly his mouth twisted, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed: "I...I'm paralyzed by a stroke, I...I can't take care of you..."

Wanyan Zongpan was overjoyed, but then cried out in panic, "His Majesty has suffered a stroke! His Majesty has suffered a stroke!"

Jin Dynasty, Shangjing.

Li Shi, the deputy envoy of Luoyuan, was drinking and listening to music. No matter how much food the Jin Kingdom lacked, the sons of the powerful families in Liaoyang could still indulge in debauchery.

Li Shi was not yet twenty years old when he became a hereditary chieftain of the Jin dynasty, and was subsequently appointed as a military commander.

For the past two years, he worked as a clerk alongside Jin Wuzhu.

Because of his frequent embezzlement and lack of ability, Wanyan Zonggan disliked him intensely and, taking advantage of Wanyan Zonggan's reform of the official system, reassigned him to the position of Deputy Minister of Ceremonies.

This year, thanks to the support of his brother-in-law (Wanyan Zongfu), Li Shi was quickly promoted to Deputy Envoy of Luoyuan.

This position is that of a high-ranking, prestigious military officer, who can be promoted and transferred to a remote area at any time.

In the midst of their drinking and revelry, a servant suddenly entered and whispered a few words in Li Shi's ear.

"You guys keep drinking, I'll be right back!"

Li Shi stood up unsteadily, said something to the guests, and then went to the backyard with the help of his servants.

Upon entering the study and dismissing the servants, Li Shi asked, "Brother, have you found out anything?"

His cousin, Li Jin, did not answer, but instead peered out the window.

He then closed the window and said in a low voice, "I have found out that the Ming army has stationed troops in various border cities."

“Baozhou has reinforced its troops to at least 30,000 to 40,000, and Luanzhou also has tens of thousands of troops.”

“Fleets arrive at Dengzhou Port in Shandong, China, every few days, presumably carrying military rations.”

"What do the other races think?" Li Shi asked.

Li Jin said, "I dare not ask too obviously, but I guess they are all planning to make their move when the opportunity arises."

"It would be best if we could assist the Jin in defeating the Ming army, but if the war is going badly, the priority should be to protect our family."

These powerful families in Liaoyang had all formed marriage alliances with the Jin dynasty nobles, and they would not betray them unless absolutely necessary.

However, they were already prepared to betray the Jin dynasty!

Li Shi asked, "Have you been in contact with Ming spies?"

What conditions did they offer?

Li Jin said, "As long as the Ming army besieges Liaoyang, my Li family can create chaos by setting fires in the city, thus protecting our houses, shops, and land."

"But the household servants must be released and new employment contracts must be signed."

"The serfs who till the land will also be released, and the Ming Dynasty will distribute land to these serfs."

"In addition, some clansmen need to be separated and relocated to Youzhou to farm."

"If the Li family can capture a city gate, they can recommend a member of their clan to be the magistrate of the Ming Dynasty."

"The fact that they explained things in such detail and were so meticulous shows that the Ming Dynasty is truly sincere," Li Shi concluded.

Li Jin asked, "Are you really going to surrender to the Ming?"

Chapter 3409: He did one important thing.

Li Shi said, "Of course we cannot surrender to the Ming easily. What if the Jin dynasty defeats the Ming army?"

"But if the Ming Dynasty really besieged Liaoyang, the Jin warriors would be unable to resist. At this time, surrendering to the Ming Dynasty would only be a pragmatic move."

Li Jin nodded and said, "This is the best course of action. No matter if it is Liao, Jin, or Ming, our Li family will never fall."

Historically, Li Shi only did one important thing in his entire life.

After Wanyan Liang's failed southern expedition, Li Shi, in alliance with major families in Liaoyang, raised an army to support his sister's coup, which enthroned his nephew as the emperor of the Jin dynasty.

Apart from that, he was just coasting along as an official, and he kept making mistakes.

For example, misappropriating grain from the official granary, or making a major mistake in diplomacy with the Western Xia.

But no matter how many mistakes he made, Li Shi always managed to retain his wealth and status.

Who can blame him when his nephew is the emperor?

He was even posthumously granted the title of Duke.

This person is mediocre in domestic affairs, military affairs, and diplomacy, but he knows how to assess the situation and is better at factional struggles, knowing when to make which choice.

If one were to marry into the Jin dynasty's nobility, would one not be allowed to betray the Jin and surrender to the Ming?

Haha, Li Shi's ancestor, Li Xianshou, was treated with the respect due to an uncle by the Liao emperor because he saved the Liao emperor's life, and was directly granted 100,000 mu of land.

And what happened? When the Jin army attacked, Li surrendered without hesitation.

The Liao Dynasty had shown the Li family immense kindness, and the Li family was willing to surrender to the Jin Dynasty.

The Jin dynasty hadn't shown the Li family that much kindness yet, so the Li family could certainly surrender to the Ming.

...

Changsong Island (Changxing Island).

A merchant ship that was originally heading to Baozhou broke away midway and went to trade with the Jin Kingdom.

They bartered, exchanging silk and linen from the Ming Dynasty for pearls and furs from the Jin Dynasty.

He was involved in smuggling and also acted as a double agent.

Jin officials not only ignored the situation but also sought to gain merit by obtaining information from merchants.

The Jin dynasty's governance policy was to let the people of Bohai govern Bohai.

From Liaoyang to Lushun, the officials were all from the Bohai ethnic group. Since they could do business with the Ming Dynasty, they naturally gave the green light all the way.

"Why is there only one shipload of goods?" asked the Bohai merchant in charge of receiving the goods.

The Ming Dynasty merchant looked troubled: "The two countries are about to go to war, and the government is cracking down harder and harder."

“If my husband weren’t a relative of Minister Qian, this whole ship of goods wouldn’t have been able to get here.”

The Bohai merchant sighed, "Oh well, whatever we have, we'll take it."

"Could you send some grain?"

"Grain prices in Liaoyang have skyrocketed in the past two months. As long as you transport the grain there, you can make a lot of money."

The Ming Dynasty maritime merchants waved their hands repeatedly: "We can't transport them here. I want to live a few more years!"

The two went to inspect the goods separately, and left after the loading was completed.

Just as they were inspecting the goods, a young man dressed as a laborer came over and said in a low voice, "My name is Gao Song, and I come from the Gao family of Chengzhou. My uncle is Gao Jingshan, a commander of ten thousand households in the Jin Kingdom."

The Ming Dynasty merchant was shocked: "Your uncle intends to surrender?"

"If we surrender, what promises does the Ming Dynasty make?" Gao Song asked.

The Ming Dynasty merchant said, "It depends on how you surrender. Will you set fire to Chengzhou as an inside agent, help capture the city gates of Chengzhou, or bring your army to surrender?"

"No matter what, we can ensure the safety of the Gao family in Chengzhou."

Gao Song asked, "What if you lead your troops to surrender?"

The Ming Dynasty merchant said, "If you are leading your troops to surrender, your uncle can continue to lead the army."