Chapter 178 A Hundred Years

In March, after deep reflection, Zhao Guan Jia resumed his serialized writing, but this time it was definitely not short essays. Even *The Water Margin* was off-limits for him now. Instead, he started writing *Journey to the West: A Demon-Quelling Miscellany*… and the short essay, as always, stopped at the level of Zhao Jiu, Hu Yin, and the Prince of Jingse.

But even the *Journey to the West: A Demon-Quelling Miscellany* was suspended after only two or three thousand words, because at this time, a large amount of important post-war feedback from various directions began to flood in.

It must be understood that it was only a little over a month since the Battle of Huolu, and according to the current transportation conditions, the widespread influence of the war could at most cross the Yellow River, and might not even reach the Yangtze River. This was because the common people needed to see the soldiers returning victorious, hear specific stories, and even see the memorial tablets of many war dead and the wounded, before they would believe and confirm the news from the front, and then form a true popular trend.

If it was fed back again, then this was already considered first-hand feedback. This was completely different from the response of the imperial court's internal core power structure formed by military stations and fast horses.

Even the attitude was completely different.

Frankly speaking, the post-war arrangements had been too rushed. They needed to pursue the enemy, besiege Zhengding Prefecture, and with Lu Yihao's poor health, he was often bedridden. Therefore, the post-war arrangements were basically Zhao Guan Jia's one-man show. At most, the court's civil officials would embellish it a little, and it would go with the flow. Whatever happened, happened… and the important officials in Tokyo mostly echoed it simply, without any room for interference or discussion.

But the intensive feedback at this time was full of intense words.

Some imperial students submitted letters, demanding that the Jin prisoners be executed together and Jing Guan (corpses piled to form a pyramid) be built to intimidate the Jin state.

Some peripheral members of the imperial clan submitted letters, demanding that they must go straight to Huanglong (the Jin capital), exterminate the Jin state, and, in addition to razing the court and sweeping the caves, completely exterminate the Wanyan clan, and that there must be no peace talks.

In addition, there were some local officials from areas that had suffered massacres, and some military officers found by family members of the Imperial Guard who were confirmed to have died in battle, who forwarded various retaliatory proposals on their behalf… such as executing one in eleven Jin prisoners, severely punishing those who surrendered, and so on.

Even the congratulatory message from the Supreme Daoist Emperor specifically mentioned the humiliation suffered in the Five Kingdoms City in the past, and requested 'Guan Jia' to take revenge.

Overall, in the Central Plains area south of the Yellow River, the public voice was clearly becoming tougher, and they were also very sensitive to Zhao Guan Jia's 'peace talks,' which even Hong Ya could see were mostly provocative.

In all fairness, Zhao Jiu was not surprised by this, but he still had to be cautious.

Therefore, on the tenth day of March, after a brief discussion with Hu Yin, Zhao Guan Jia immediately returned to Hejian Prefecture, preparing to formally discuss the matter with Lu Yihao, the *xingzai xianggong* (traveling palace prime minister). And it was during this period that the public opinion, which advocated that one battle had settled the world and that strong retaliation should be taken, began to enter the bureaucratic system on a large scale, including similar voices beginning to appear in the Imperial Guard system.

"This minister knows what Guan Jia is thinking."

Lu Yihao's health was generally deteriorating, but at this time, if he recuperated in Hejian Prefecture and temporarily left things to Fan Zongyin and others, he could still hold on mentally. At this time, he was just leaning on a crutch on a stone bench under a tree in the backyard of his residence, and as soon as he heard it, he understood the visiting Guan Jia's concerns.

"What Guan Jia is thinking is nothing more than the fact that the land of Hebei, which was the first to be poisoned, does not have so much resentment, and then he thought about what the trend in the southeast and Jingxiang will be when things are passed south… is that right?"

"It is you, Xiang Gong, who knows朕(zhen, I, imperial use)."

"Then what does Guan Jia think is the reason for Hebei, and what will be the reaction in the southeast?"

"朕(zhen, I, imperial use) think that Hebei does not hate the Jin people, but firstly, spring plowing is important, secondly, they are surprised and doubtful after this Song-Jin change, and thirdly, and this is the most crucial, the two countries have 500,000 soldiers and millions of laborers coming and going for a winter and half a spring… The people of the two rivers are indeed tired of war." Zhao Jiu spoke frankly. "As for the southeast, 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) dare to guess… most of them should still oppose continuing the war, because the taxes in the southeast have not been removed… The day the front uses troops, the southeast, Jingxiang, and Sichuan have to contribute a day's worth of effort."

"What Guan Jia said is extremely thorough and points out the root cause." Lu Yihao nodded in agreement. "But in this minister's view, the root cause is the root cause, but the final expression may not be as thorough and clean as Guan Jia's analysis…"

Zhao Jiu had some guesses, but having learned a lesson, he did not dare to be a riddle-solver, but directly sought verification: "Are you saying that under the great victory, the scholar-officials in the southeast dare not talk about peace again, and the people in Hebei cannot express their thoughts, and in the Central Plains, because the capital is there, the various parties in the central government dare not slight any popular opinion?"

"That is exactly what I mean." Lu Yihao expressed sincerely. "Popular opinion is popular opinion, but popular opinion cannot be directly expressed, but is transmitted by officials on behalf of the people…"

Zhao Jiu instinctively exchanged glances with Hu Yin, who had followed him. Both of them felt a sense of emotion in their hearts, which was—old ginger is still spicier.

The two had discussed before coming, but what they said was not as thorough as what Lu Yihao said.

And *Xiang Gong* (Prime Minister) Lu just spoke casually from where he sat: "There are many officials in some places, such as the Central Plains, especially around Tokyo; there are few officials in some places, such as the southeast; and there are almost none in some places now, such as the two rivers… Therefore, the popular opinion in the Central Plains is the most obvious, followed by the southeast, and the popular opinion in the two rivers is almost non-existent unless you see it with your own eyes."

"In addition, officials also have to worry about their official hats, so they will also look at the situation."

"For example, at this time, the front line has won a great victory, and the entire court knows that this is Guan Jia's long-cherished wish. The officials in the southeast have already suffered a lot for opposing the northern advance. How dare they oppose the continued northern advance as they did in the past?"

"Also, central officials and important ministers are thinking about rewards and titles after the war, and they also have to worry about 御前(yuqian, the imperial presence) being separated from Tokyo. Wouldn't they have some concerns when conveying information?"

"As for Hebei, it goes without saying that they are either surrendered people or people that Guan Jia has just released from the army. Who would go against Guan Jia's wishes?"

"In other words… the same popular opinion is shifted, shielded, and amplified layer by layer by officials. The higher the official, the greater the shift, and Guan Jia's own attitude has the greatest effect… You don't even have to speak yourself, and the people below can shift according to Guan Jia's wishes." Lu Yihao finally concluded. "The reason why the Central Plains is in turmoil, advocating toughness, and opposing Guan Jia's peace talks is not to sing a different tune from Guan Jia. On the contrary, they see that Guan Jia's peace talks are absurd in themselves, guess that Guan Jia is just provoking and coercing, not sincerely seeking peace, and consider Guan Jia's past attitude."

Speaking of this, Lu Yihao raised his eyebrows slightly: "If not, how would the Supreme Daoist Emperor dare to say this?"

Zhao Jiu rarely smiled wryly.

Lu Yihao, on the other hand, asked in return: "But how does Guan Jia intend to deal with the Jin state?"

"朕(zhen, I, imperial use) will give the Jurchens a way out." Facing Lu Yihao, Zhao Jiu could only answer seriously. "Because the Jurchens are an inherent ethnic group in Liaodi, they cannot be killed. If there are no cooked Jurchens, there will be raw Jurchens… But whether the Jin state has a way out depends on whether they are willing to recognize reality, whether they are willing to help朕(zhen, I, imperial use) cleanse the previous Jin state, and whether they are willing to help朕(zhen, I, imperial use) integrate the future Jurchens into China… Would that be considered destroying the old Jin state and establishing a new Jin state?"

"So, the previous peace talks were indeed just provocation?" Lu Yihao frowned and asked.

"Not necessarily." Zhao Jiu spread his hands. "For example, if they come to seek peace again today, after more than thirty days, the conditions will of course change… This time, they will also have to kill Han Fang and the three sons of Zuo Qigong, the three sons of Liu Yanzong, and send back Elubu, Jiagu Wulibu, Yelu Mawu, and Pucha Huzhan, the four *wanhu* (ten thousand households), who escaped, for 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) to deal with."

Lu Yihao thought for a while, then stroked his beard and nodded: "After delaying for more than thirty days, only asking for eleven more lives is reasonable."

Zhao Jiu smiled knowingly: "I only hope that Yanjing will not delay any longer. If they want to negotiate peace, no matter what the conditions are, they should come and talk to 朕(zhen, I, imperial use)."

"The later popular opinion has arrived, and the front should not be able to hold on." Lu Yihao finally shook his head, and then looked at the sky for a moment, speechless, as if he wanted to say something, but did not know where to start.

It is said that an old minister of the state is always reliable, and in the following days, Lu Yihao's judgment was never wrong.

First, the popular opinion from all sides of the Central Plains was turbulent, and the tough attitude of insisting on retaliation was undoubtedly revealed, finally shaking the central government. Then, the Secret Pavilion held a public discussion, asking Guan Jia to be careful about peace talks, to eliminate the enemy completely, and not to seek fame like the overlord.

As the official documents of the Secret Pavilion spread, the generals and local civil and military officials in Hebei also submitted memorials strongly requesting that there be no peace talks.

In just a few days, Hebei seemed to have reached a consensus, all seeking to eliminate evil completely. Even those who surrendered presented documents with tears in their eyes, recounting the atrocities of the Jin state.

For a time, except for the popular opinion from the farthest south, which had not yet arrived, almost all other places had determined the national trend, which was to oppose peace talks, demand that Zhao Guan Jia fulfill his promise, exterminate the Jin state, and raze the Jurchen court and sweep their caves.

Of course, there were also some flamboyant bitches in these disturbances… for example, from a little later in mid-March, many Han troops from Yanyun on the front line suddenly defected and were sent to Hejian by Han Shizhong from the front line.

In addition, Zhao Jiu finally received a personal letter from Jin Fushe, the *shuxiang* (chief administrator) and marshal of Goryeo.

The letter was sent from Kaesong. It was written by Jin Fushe on the road after he had just become marshal, almost without stopping by boat or horse, and went directly to Hejian… According to Jin Fushe, he would follow Zhao Guan Jia's wishes, eradicate the *gukpung* (national custom) faction in the country that opposed Sinicization, that is, the Seo Gyeong Yangban (Western Capital Two Classes), and then send 30,000 troops to conquer the Liao land to complete Zhao Guan Jia's strategy of closing the door and beating the dog.

The words were so sincere that if Zhao Jiu had not known that the Seo Gyeong Yangban, where Jeong Jichang was located, was the main war faction within Goryeo, he would almost have believed this old bastard's words.

However, although the old bastard was not honest, he pointed out Zhao Guan Jia's weakness in a strange way—it didn't matter who sent troops, Goryeo could only choose to send troops at this time, but the previous war faction was not equivalent to the pro-Song faction, and the peace faction was just a choice made under *sadaejuui* (serving the greater) with the Jin state being bigger before… In comparison, what the Seo Gyeong Yangban were doing, wanting to create some cultural independence, was not as pleasing to the ear as Jin Fushe's *hanpung* (Sinicized custom) faction.

It must be known that even if Zhao Jiu allowed Goryeo's political and military independence, he would not allow Goryeo to engage in any cultural autonomy. This was the matter of digging up the roots.

Of course, there was no need to think too much about this issue now, because according to Zhao Guan Jia's shallow ability to recognize people, it would probably be difficult for Jeong Jichang to bite off half of Jin Fushe's finger before he died when it came to fighting with swords and guns.

At the same time, more importantly, since Jin Fushe's letter had arrived, and the Yanyun clans on the front line could no longer hold on, then according to the speed of military communication, Yanjing should also send someone.

Sure enough, after only two days, Wulindazanmu appeared before Zhao Jiu.

"Has the Sixth Prince been ennobled as a king?" Zhao Jiu, who had been prepared, received Wulindazanmu in the military camp shooting range outside Hejian Prefecture. However, after receiving the official letter of credence, the Guan Jia, who had just been sweating from shooting arrows, did not open it directly, but instead asked an incredible question while holding the hard-bound letter of credence.

"Let Your Majesty know." Wulindazanmu's face was deep, his eyes showed slight fatigue, but he still tried to cheer up and replied seriously. "This king's title is a matter of this country's internal affairs…"

"Then there's nothing to talk about." Zhao Jiu, who had just sat down on the *mazha* (small stool), directly threw the letter of credence at the other party's feet. "朕(zhen, I, imperial use)'s conditions from more than forty days ago have not been met. What is there to talk about in peace talks?"

Wulindazanmu's eyes widened as he stared at the person sitting in front of him, but immediately attracted the vigilance of Yang Yizhong and the other guards on his side, who subtly separated him. Even Yuan Weiyi, who was in front of the shooting range gate, turned around impatiently when he saw the movement here.

Wulindazanmu was completely helpless. He could only lower his head to pick up the letter of credence, and then pleaded earnestly: "Your Majesty… this foreign minister is rude, but this country is indeed sincere in seeking peace… and since it is peace talks, there must always be discussion."

"Discuss what?" Zhao Jiu seemed extremely impatient. "Secretary Wulinda, you have experienced all the foreign affairs between the Song and Jin countries… How did Nianhan and Wanyan Zongwang reply to Emperor Yuansheng outside Tokyo City that day? What conditions do you talk about when the country is about to perish? Now it is the same. Your tribal alliance hastily established a country, and the entire army has been defeated. What are you going to use to negotiate peace with朕(zhen, I, imperial use)? The conditions 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) have given you are generous enough, and the rear is already very dissatisfied… What else do you want?!"

"Your Majesty, this country still has tens of thousands of troops, enough for a battle." Wulindazanmu mustered up the courage to confront him.

"Enough for a battle?" Zhao Jiu became even more impatient. "Isn't it朕(zhen, I, imperial use) who deliberately let you gather these forces? Before, you didn't know if 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) still had the strength to advance, so you just watched and waited, but now you're still dreaming?! Do you want 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) to show you the documents of allegiance from Jin Fushe and those local clans around Yanjing?! 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) would like to see how many days those tens of thousands of new troops you gathered in Yanjing can last without collapsing when the states around Yanjing are swallowed up by 朕(zhen, I, imperial use)'s Prince of Qin one by one, and the Tokyo and Zhongjing circuits are locked by the Mongols and Goryeo!"

"Guan Jia!" Wulinda finally knelt down and kowtowed helplessly, saying the bottom line. "If the Fourth Prince can be spared the death penalty and the Jurchens among the prisoners are allowed to return north, this country is willing to negotiate peace according to the general conditions of Guan Jia! Even the *guozhu* (head of state) can come to see Guan Jia and call him father!"

"It's too late." Zhao Jiu turned his head to look at the blue sky, white clouds, and black earth on one side, his eyes wandering. "朕(zhen, I, imperial use) has a plan in mind… Twenty days is enough for the Sixth Prince to travel back and forth between Yanjing and Hejian. After twenty days, if you sincerely obstruct, the previous conditions will not be enough… After thirty days, 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) will discuss with *Xiang Gong* (Prime Minister) Lu, and we will add the three Zuo brothers and the three Liu brothers in Yanjing, plus Han Fang, and the four *wanhu* (ten thousand households) Elubu, Jiagu Wulibu, Yelu Mawu, and Pucha Huzhan who escaped, a total of eleven lives! And today it has been more than forty days, so we will also add the life of your eldest prince, Wanyan Wuben! Then we will also have to add Wanyan Talan as the executive prince, in parallel with Elu Guan in charge of the army."

Hearing these words, Wulinda had already lost his composure and shed tears halfway through. Barely hearing the end, he finally raised his head and shouted: "Guan Jia has no sincerity in negotiating peace!"

"Secretary Wulinda, don't say that. Hejian is only three hundred *li* (Chinese mile) away from Yanjing, and the road is flat along the way. If you change horses constantly and gallop back to Yanjing, and then quickly return, you will be able to bring back the acceptance of the peace talks before the fiftieth day, that is, before March 25th, when the conditions will be changed… And if all the conditions are accepted by then, how can 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) go back on my word and not agree?!" Zhao Jiu turned his head back, his face full of sincerity.

Wulindazanmu thought for a moment on the ground, but after all kinds of thinking, he could not find any way to deal with it. He could only get up, clasp his hands in a salute, and prepare to leave staggeringly.

"Secretary Wulinda, please wait." Zhao Jiu called out to the other party again, and at the same time turned his head and signaled to Yang Yizhong.

Wulindazanmu turned his head blankly, but saw Yang Yizhong in a silver helmet waving his hand to the rear. From a distance, a soldier still wearing a mask in the prosperous spring season came running quickly with a wooden bucket.

Seeing this situation, the Jin State's Minister of Rites almost instantly woke up, and then his face turned pale.

"Secretary Wulinda, we have known each other for a long time. Although we are not true rulers and subjects, we still have the etiquette of foreign rulers and subjects, which can be considered an exchange… This is your brother's head… 朕(zhen, I, imperial use) guessed early on that it would be you who would come. Now that the inspection of the head is over, take it back and bury it!" Zhao Jiu tried hard to endure the stench.

Wulinda stood sideways seven or eight steps away from Zhao Jiu, watching the bucket getting closer and closer, his expression becoming more and more panicked, and at the same time tears welled up. When the bucket was brought to him, he instinctively staggered, wanting to reach out to take the wooden bucket.

But after only moving half a step, Wulindazanmu hurriedly retracted his hand as if he had been burned, and then saluted Zhao Jiu dazedly next to the bucket: "This foreign minister thanks Guan Jia for his great kindness… But my brother is a general of the country and died in the national war, which is normal… And as a diplomatic envoy of my country, where is the saying that other soldiers have not returned yet, but I will first take back the head of my own brother for personal reasons? This foreign minister will leave first…"

After speaking, without waiting for Zhao Jiu to say anything more, Wulindazanmu directly covered his face and fled… leaving only the stench of decay in the entire shooting range.

ps: Thanks to 至黑之月 (Zhi Hei Zhi Yue), 放肆的胖皮 (Fangsi De Pangpi), and 李kkkk (Li Kkkk) for being Meng Lords. This is the 223rd, 224th, and 225th Meng Lords of this book. Also thanks to sneakkk and 等人 (Dengren), as well as heinousk for another Meng.

Finally, sincerely thank 琉璃琴 (Liuli Qin) for the Gold Alliance… This gratitude will not be expanded upon here, words are meaningless.

I can only say that in addition to gratitude, I am also very ashamed to everyone.

Good night everyone, happy 100th birthday.