Chapter 1 Sunny Afternoon

The afternoon sun shone brightly on the banks of the Hutuo River, and a spring breeze stirred. If it weren't for the dense rows of corpses outside the city of Zhending, and the many tattered banners and bodies that occasionally surfaced in the turbulent river, it would be hard to imagine that just the day before, on the opposite bank, a battle had erupted that would determine the fate of two great empires for a hundred years.

Beneath the dragon standard, which swayed in the wind, the atmosphere was slightly tense. The Zhao Emperor, dressed in plain clothes, was staring blankly at the dragon standard above his head, causing many others to look up as well, and many more to avoid looking up altogether.

"It needs to be washed," Zhao Jiu finally said after a long silence, pointing at the dragon standard above him and speaking to Shao Chengzhang, the Supervisor of the Palace Attendants, who stood beside him. "It's a bit stiff... and the holes should be mended."

Even Shao Chengzhang, who was known for his calm and serious demeanor, couldn't help but be taken aback, before hurriedly responding.

Having finished this instruction, Zhao Jiu, who was sitting on a small stool, turned to face the group of people standing before him with their hands clasped, and finally looked at the leader: "Are you Elu Guan? The sixth son of Wanyan Aguda, the founder of the Jin Dynasty?"

"This prisoner is indeed Elu Guan, the sixth in line, and formerly the Regional Commander of Datong Prefecture." Like many others behind him, Elu Guan finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he refrained from kneeling, and simply bowed again amidst the surrounding armored soldiers. "Today, I have come to pay my respects to Your Majesty, and to ask for..."

"No title of Prince?" Zhao Jiu clearly didn't care about these formalities, and only frowned as he pressed the question. "Why do I remember that the Jin Dynasty lavishly bestowed princely titles a few years ago?"

"Yes," Elu Guan quickly replied with his hands clasped, having been interrupted. "To let Your Majesty know, this is indeed the case, but it was to win over the hearts of the people everywhere at the time. My eldest brother told me at the time... that it was not appropriate for us brothers to seize the titles of others."

"That makes some sense," Zhao Jiu nodded, not taking it to heart. "But there should also be a clear distinction, emphasizing the authority of you three elder brothers among the brothers, right? You brothers must number more than a dozen..."

These words sounded like a questioning of Elu Guan's importance, so the Sixth Prince himself didn't know how to respond.

Fortunately, the Emperor before him didn't dwell on the matter, but quickly moved on to the main topic: "Elu Guan, I originally didn't want to come today, but I came after all. Do you know why?"

"Your Majesty is benevolent and forgiving." As a member of the imperial family who grew up after the founding of the Jin Dynasty, Elu Guan, although not comparable to the current Jin Emperor, still had a basic level of culture. In addition, the other party didn't force him to kneel, so his words were particularly soft.

"It's not about benevolence or forgiveness. I didn't want to come because I've been feeling unwell since the battle the other day... Think about it, after ten years of hard work, almost like enduring hardship, now that success is achieved, I can entrust almost all the important matters to my marshals, and then lie back in the rear, watching the sweeping trend... of course, it feels a bit empty." As he spoke, Zhao Jiu pointed to the city of Zhending not far away. There, Han Shizhong's standard, along with armored soldiers wearing copper masks, had already entered the city. "To tell you the truth, I even wrote a fan inscription yesterday for the Empty Young Master... but I felt ashamed in the end and tore it up."

Elu Guan was speechless for a moment, and could only force himself to praise, "Your Majesty has fine artistic taste."

"As for why I came again today, one reason is that you are sincere and have saved me a lot of trouble." Zhao Jiu ignored the other party, and continued to calmly explain as he looked towards the direction of Zhending City. "You must know that since Taiyuan, my gunpowder has been insufficient. I estimate that it's only enough to blow up another Yanjing City, so I definitely wouldn't be willing to use it here in Zhending. But here in Zhending, there happens to be so much storage... In this situation, since you are willing to surrender with courtesy, I naturally want to reciprocate. Besides that, there is another reason, which is that Chancellor Lü, who accompanied me, has been bedridden again after being rained on while watching the battle the other day. His health has been deteriorating since the Northern Expedition. I'm afraid it will delay his return to Yanjing... Before the war between the Song and Jin Dynasties, he was the Pacification Commissioner of the Yanshan Circuit."

These words seemed both sincere and serious, but to Elu Guan, they sounded more like a direct discussion of the terms of peace.

Speaking of gunpowder, it was one thing for Emperor Zhao to say how much he had, but it was another thing whether the Jin Dynasty dared to believe it or not. Then, only the two of them knew how much affection he had for Chancellor Lü... The only two things that were directly mentioned were Yanjing, which made people take it seriously.

After all, the Yanshan Circuit was the fundamental reason for the war between the two countries, and it was also the core area that the Song Dynasty had the strength to take after this battle but had not yet taken... From any point of view, it was precisely the core condition used for negotiating peace... And from the perspective of today's surrenderers, since they were preparing to negotiate peace in addition to surrendering, it meant that they had already tacitly agreed to this option.

However, tacit agreement was one thing, but it couldn't be explicitly acknowledged verbally... Because that was the capital city, and Elu Guan had no authority to make promises. On the contrary, he had to do his best to maintain and protect Yanjing.

Of course, since they had already surrendered, rebutting would be ineffective. It was always right to listen carefully to Emperor Zhao's conditions for the time being.

"Your Majesty!" With this thought in mind, Elu Guan on the ground quickly uttered the words he had prepared long ago. "Yanjing is the capital of our country. It's not something that I, a Regional Commander of Datong who has lost his post, can speak about..."

"I know," Zhao Jiu impatiently waved his hand in response. "Elu Guan... I never expected that a surrendered person like you could facilitate any real peace talks, nor did I expect to take what I want with mere words... But isn't this what you主动想谈的主动想谈的吗？ And listen to how much capital I have left, and what my true intention is... so that those in your country who can really make decisions will have the determination when necessary."

"Yes," Elu Guan relaxed even more, and many of the Jin Dynasty civil and military officials standing carefully behind him were also relieved, because this Emperor was really straightforward, and he really didn't mean to make things difficult for them.

"Then listen carefully," Zhao Jiu continued, but his tone couldn't help but suddenly become serious. "Don't interrupt without permission."

After thinking for a while, Elu Guan once again led the Jin Dynasty civil and military officials behind him to cup their hands and bow, and then stood up again with their hands clasped, respectfully facing him.

"First," Zhao Jiu sat on the small stool, not even looking at the other party, but calmly said as he looked at the empty space in front of him. "The war started because of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The Jin Dynasty must withdraw from the area south of Yanshan... This is a fundamental condition."

Everyone around was silent, only the dragon standard above their heads fluttered in the wind, harmonizing with the sound of the Hutuo River next to them.

"Second, Liaodong and Liaoxi have been directly under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains since ancient times... Shun divided the world into five mountains and twelve provinces, and Mount Yiwulü, the northern mountain, is in Liaoxi... This is truly since ancient times, and there is no reason to give it up." Zhao Jiu glanced at Elu Guan, whose expression suddenly changed, and then looked at Liu Yan, who had closed his eyes, and continued calmly, "Therefore, the former Central Capital Circuit of the Liao Dynasty, and the area south of the Huanglong Prefecture of the Eastern Capital Circuit, a total of thirty-eight prefectures, must be returned together."

Elu Guan's throat was now constricted, but as with many of the civil and military officials of Zhending Prefecture behind him, although they were shocked, they could only clasp their hands in silence because of the Emperor's explicit warning not to interrupt beforehand.

"Third," Zhao Jiu pointed with his hand at Yelü Yu Du, who was standing silently beside him. "I am also preparing to take back the Yinshan area and incorporate it into the Ningxia Circuit. In its place, I want to establish a Khitan Autonomous Circuit around Linhuang Prefecture... I have already appointed the first Pacification Commissioner, General Yelü Yu Du... The Jin Dynasty must cede the former lands of the Khitan and Xi tribes east of the Great Pine Forest, which is your Linhuang Prefecture Circuit."

"This subject is extremely grateful." Yelü Yu Du did not hesitate, and knelt down to thank him, and some Khitan descendants around him also knelt down directly.

Elu Guan's face became even paler.

"Fourth," Zhao Jiu nodded to Yelü Yu Du, signaling him to stand up, and then continued calmly, "You must return the gold, silver, and population looted during the Jingkang Incident."

At this point, Emperor Zhao slightly stretched his leg, causing Elu Guan and others to think that he had finished speaking, and they moved slightly.

But soon, as the Khitan people like Yelü Yu Du stood up, the Emperor continued to speak: "The above four conditions are all about how to end the war, and they are all external affairs for the Jin Dynasty... But if the Jin Dynasty wants to continue, it must not only end this war, but also reform its internal affairs and return to the Chinese system... Therefore, in addition to the four external conditions, there are four more."

Elu Guan's face was ashen, and although he still dared not speak, he couldn't help but turn his head angrily to look at Hong Ya. However, Hong Ya met his gaze head-on, and his expression was actually calm, which in turn made the Sixth Prince feel a little flustered, and he lowered his head again to listen.

"First, the Jin Dynasty must redefine its relationship with the Great Song..." At this point, Zhao Jiu sighed deeply. "My eldest son died in the Jingkang Incident while fleeing, directly frightened to death by the military chaos. If he were alive, he would be about the same age as your Emperor, so what if I let him replace this son and become my adopted son? When he comes of age next year, he can also come to me in person, like the Eastern and Western Mongols, and let me personally crown him... Only in this way can I convince my marshals and generals not to always think about directly attacking Huining Prefecture and razing it to the ground."

Elu Guan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and had no reaction.

"Second, the Jin Dynasty must abide by the system... Since it is a country of father and son, it must obey orders and help me and the Great Song to sweep away the rebellious forces in the north." Zhao Jiu continued to speak with certainty. "Third, the system must continue to be sinicized... Therefore, without my permission, you must not arbitrarily change the ruling prince and the ruling prime minister."

Speaking of this, Zhao Jiu finally looked directly at Elu Guan: "Specifically, you must inherit your third brother's title of prince and participate in the important military and state affairs, and the positions of Qin Hui, Hong Ya, and Wanyan Xiyin must also be ensured."

Elu Guan was a little dazed, and Hong Ya behind him also looked up in astonishment. Under the stunned silence, he was actually a little eager to try.

"Finally," Zhao Jiu paused for a moment before saying, word by word, "You must kill Wushu before peace can be made!"

Responding to Zhao Jiu was a long silence, and countless heavy breaths.

"I have finished," Zhao Jiu waited for a while, and finally turned around completely to face them. "Sixth Prince... what do you think?"

Perhaps the amount of information was too great, and it took Elu Guan a long time to digest it before he said the obvious thing: "Your Majesty... this prisoner... I think Your Majesty's eight conditions, both internal and external, are too harsh."

"This is a different time, a different situation. You were even harsher during the Jingkang Incident. At least I'm not thinking of exterminating your Wanyan clan, am I? I've even left you the Jurchen ancestral land and the land around the old capital of Huining Prefecture in the Upper Capital Circuit, which is generous enough," Zhao Jiu said seriously.

Elu Guan was discouraged, and actually had nothing to say in response.

"Of course, I also know that the battle the other day has not yet spread... You won't truly consider peace until the corpses here are buried, the fugitives are tracked down, the surrendered soldiers are properly dealt with, and the news spreads out, completely shocking the world, and you have carefully weighed what you have left... Moreover, I said long ago that I never expected to use words to determine the situation." Zhao Jiu's gaze turned past Elu Guan, and he looked at the large group of surrendered soldiers behind Elu Guan who were pretending to be dead. "But I hope you understand what my true intention is... When your scattered soldiers are all captured, when your last few tens of thousands of new troops are defeated again, when Yanjing is captured by my Imperial Army, you may as well stop and think again about my eight internal and external conditions today, and see if you can accept them? As long as you are willing to accept them in full, you can come to talk to me at any time... Of course, it may have to be changed again by then."

Elu Guan didn't say a word, but lowered his head and shed tears.

"So what about you?" Zhao Jiu knew that this person was escaping, and didn't bother to pay attention to him. Instead, he continued to face the group of surrendered soldiers behind him. "Does anyone have anything to say?"

"Your Majesty," Just when the vast majority of people were learning from the Sixth Prince and not saying a word, one person suddenly cupped his hands and stepped forward. It was Grand Tutor Nu, his face pale. "If the Fourth Prince were here, he would definitely agree to peace... Your Majesty is probably mistaken!"

"No mistake!"

Zhao Jiu sighed loudly. "This matter has nothing to do with whether to allow peace or not. It's about the fact that Wushu, from the Huai River to Nanyang, from Nanyang to Yaoshan, from Yaoshan to Hedong, from Hedong to Huolu... has fought repeatedly and been defeated repeatedly, which can also be called a strange phenomenon... So, to put it nicely, it means that I cannot rest in peace until this person dies! To put it bluntly, after fighting so many battles, I have to kill someone to vent my anger!"

Having said this, Zhao Jiu once again swept his gaze over all the surrendered soldiers, and reiterated: "I want him dead... If you negotiate peace, you kill him. If you don't negotiate peace, I will send troops to kill him myself!"

Everyone was completely silent.

"Let's go!" Zhao Jiu suddenly stood up, simply brushed his sleeves, and then went directly towards the direction of Zhending City. There, Han Shizhong had already led the Imperial Army's Left Army to control the situation properly.

Beneath the dragon standard, everyone hurriedly followed, and the group of fifty or sixty surrendered soldiers led by the Jin Dynasty's Sixth Prince Elu Guan dared not neglect and prepared to catch up hastily.

However, after taking two steps, Zhao Jiu turned his head again and said coldly, "Sixth Prince... I told you to leave, not to follow me into the city... I meant that since the matter is over, you may as well return to Yanjing as soon as possible, and report my eight internal and external conditions."

Elu Guan and others were dumbfounded. Only then did they realize that the other party was actually going to let them go? In fact, not to mention Elu Guan, even Hong Ya, who was still influential last night, was stunned... But he really didn't dare to say a word.

"Hurry up and leave!" Zhao Jiu urged one last time. "The reason you wanted to see me today was for two things: first, to surrender the city to seek survival; second, to discuss peace with me on behalf of the Jin Dynasty... Combining the two, I should have let you go earlier... Only the warhorses are precious, and not a single one can be given to you. Find your own means of transportation; and the surrendered soldiers in the city cannot be easily let go, so don't think too much about it."

After saying this, the Emperor left directly, without looking back. The surrounding generals, soldiers, and close officials all followed... After a while, only some armored soldiers were left on the surrender site by the river, shuttling back and forth escorting the surrendered soldiers of Zhending.

Elu Guan and others still dared not move rashly at first. After waiting for a long time and confirming that no one was paying attention to them, they circled around Zhending City in confusion and went to Xinle in the north... Even Hong Ya, after hesitating for a long time and seeing that no one was really paying attention to him, stomped his feet and followed with gritted teeth.

You have to say, after bypassing Zhending City and confirming that they had escaped alive, the approximately fifty or sixty surrendered soldiers of Zhending, although without horses, were as agile as swallows. They arrived at the Zishui River in the north by evening, and then crossed the river over a bridge without regard for fatigue. Only then did they relax temporarily.

Then, everyone found a small village on the riverbank that was still empty, and then respectfully asked the Sixth Prince to sit in a high position. They also listened to Hong Ya, the Vice Minister Hong, who barely mustered his spirits, and set fire to the village while trying to find a few pottery jars to boil some hot water. They wanted to rest for a while, and then continue their efforts, and cross the Shahe River tonight to reach Xinle.

In any case, not being a prisoner and continuing to be a superior person was always extremely wonderful.

However, just as everyone had just started to boil water, suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and nearly a hundred riders came from the north in a regulated manner.

Everyone was half vigilant and half hopeful.

What was unbelievable was that although the riders were powerful, they were one person riding three horses, with only twenty or thirty riders. Moreover, they were extremely disheveled, without armor or long weapons. They only carried some simple bows, crossbows, and short blades, and were obviously not the Song or Jin armies that everyone was familiar with.

"They are Mongols!"

Seeing the other party rushing directly to the campfire, under the evening glow, the Sixth Prince, who had been stationed in Datong Prefecture for many years, suddenly guessed who they were, and then he was relieved. "The Mongols are all under the command of the Zhao Song, so there should be no problem... That Emperor is not a person who goes back on his word."

"But there is no need to cause more trouble." Hong Ya, who had been feeling uneasy since starting on the road again, said softly. "These people are obviously coming from the north, so they may not know that we have been pardoned... Moreover, we are all in single clothes, without armor or weapons, and we are tired and hungry... Once they have malicious intentions, we are just targets."

The Sixth Prince immediately nodded in agreement.

However, the Sixth Prince and Hong Ya were clearly overthinking it. These Mongol cavalrymen were obviously also busy, and were also extremely tired. They hurriedly came to the campfire, and a few people who spoke Chinese took the initiative to come out, asking for the location of the bridge across the Zishui River in the south, and only asked for some hot water to mix with mare's milk, preparing to rest and replenish themselves.

That said, the surrendered soldiers of Zhending had civil and military officials, but because of the surrender, they left the city alone in single clothes, without anything. Now, after walking for an entire afternoon, they were even more tired. When they saw mare's milk, some people took the initiative to talk to them, begging for some.

The Mongols on the opposite side were also kind, and directly gave out a lot of mare's milk, and the atmosphere between the two sides became even more harmonious.

However, those who could go to meet the Zhao Song Emperor to surrender, whether the Sixth Prince or Hong Ya, were all people who were used to wearing fine clothes and eating fine food. Therefore, after drinking a mouthful of sour and pungent mare's milk, they were immediately overwhelmed and embarrassed, which caused the Mongols to burst into laughter.

But it was at this time that Grand Tutor Nu, who had been silent all along, was revealed, because he drank the mare's milk without any hesitation.

"Aren't you Grand Tutor Nu?"

Suddenly, a knight who spoke Chinese but was dressed in Mongol clothes recognized him by the afterglow and the firelight. "Didn't you follow the Jin Dynasty's Fourth Prince? How are you here?"

Grand Tutor Nu was slightly startled, and raised his head. He found that the other party looked somewhat familiar. After a long pause, he realized what was happening: "Are you Saba? Yelü Saba?"

"It's me!" Saba sighed at that moment. "I never thought that the two of us would be able to see each other again in this life..."

Halfway through his words, Saba's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally stopped altogether. He looked at a short, stout Mongol warrior beside him, and whispered something in Mongolian. Then, the Mongol warrior who was drinking mare's milk raised his head and scanned the group of surrendered soldiers of Zhending like a wolf.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Hong Ya secretly cried out in his heart that things were going badly, and immediately stood up to explain: "Generals, please don't misunderstand. We were personally pardoned by Emperor Zhao, and we are not fugitives. You can tell by our appearance. Moreover, it has nothing to do with the Fourth Prince... The Fourth Prince has been south of the Hutuo River since the battle... Grand Tutor Nu is just here by chance."

The surrounding people realized what was happening and immediately became solemn and echoed.

Even Grand Tutor Nu had no choice but to stand up quickly under the gaze of the Sixth Prince and explain briefly.

Saba also honestly translated.

But unexpectedly, next to the firelight, after clarifying the situation, the Mongol warrior had Yelü Saba convey an unbelievable but chilling reply.

"My... chieftain said... even if Emperor Zhao has pardoned you, we can't let you go." Yelü Saba swallowed. "We must leave ten or eight heads behind, so that we can tell Emperor Zhao that we don't dare to slack off and let suspicious people go!"

Everyone's scalps tingled, and they could only look at the Sixth Prince and Hong Ya.

At this point, the two of them knew that they could no longer hide it, so Hong Ya had to stand up and reveal everything: "You can't kill indiscriminately... This is the Jin Dynasty's Sixth Prince who was previously stationed in Zhending. He has received Emperor Zhao's word and is going back to Yanjing to negotiate peace."

Yelü Saba quickly turned around to prepare to translate.

Unexpectedly, after listening to Hong Ya's words, the Mongol warrior stood up directly, stared at Elu Guan across the fire, and said through gritted teeth: "I thought you looked familiar, but I never thought you were the Sixth Prince... Sixth Prince, it's been many years since we parted in Huining Prefecture. You were still young then, weren't you?!"

Elu Guan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly woke up in a flash. He also quickly stood up and said, "Is it Qabul Khan?"

"Of course it's me." This lightly armed Mongol warrior, who was no other than Borjigin Qabul, shook his head repeatedly. "Unfortunately, Sixth Prince, it's you. It would have been fine if it were someone else, but since it's you, I can't easily let you go... Because if I hadn't let you escape in Datong before, why would I have worked so hard to come here and ask Emperor Zhao for forgiveness?"

Elu Guan tried his best to ask: "What do you mean by 'can't easily let you go'? Didn't Qabul Khan hear just now? I am going to Yanjing to discuss peace, on the orders of Emperor Zhao!"

"I know," Qabul suddenly grinned. "I won't kill you... But no matter what, I have to take you back so that I can show Emperor Zhao that I have no intention of letting you go in private..."

"If that's all, I'll just go with you again," Elu Guan said helplessly.

"How can it be so easy?" Qabul directly bent his bow and pointed it at the other party, and then said coldly, "Since you were personally pardoned by Emperor Zhao, then Emperor Zhao must know your numbers, so this time, we can only try our best to kill seventy or eighty of you, and bring more heads over! What does the Sixth Prince think?"

As soon as he said this, there was silence by the campfire. Almost all the surrendered soldiers of Zhending, including Elu Guan himself, were weak in the legs, while the surrounding Mongol warriors each bent their bows and held their blades, waiting for Qabul to shoot his arrow before they would all attack together.

And next, what broke the silence was not Qabul's whistling arrow, but Hong Ya, Vice Minister Hong, who, realizing that the arrow was likely to turn towards him, cried out with all his might: "You can't kill me! I am the future Chancellor of the Jin Dynasty appointed by Emperor Zhao! My position is as important as the Sixth Prince's!"

But it was this sentence that directly started the massacre.

Halfway through his words, Qabul was slightly stunned. Taking advantage of this opportunity, more than ten martial arts generals among the surrendered soldiers of Zhending, led by Grand Tutor Nu, suddenly turned around and tried to snatch the horses of the Mongols next to them and escape. The Mongols then quickly took action... Although neither side had armor or long weapons, and both were generally tired, the Mongols with daggers and bows and arrows were undoubtedly at an absolute advantage.

The bowstrings crackled, and the blades flashed in the remaining light of the evening. Although a few martial arts officials among the surrendered soldiers of Zhending escaped, more people were easily slaughtered by the Eastern Mongols beside the campfire.

After killing seventy or eighty of them, Elu Guan and Hong Ya were tied up and placed on horseback, and they could look up and see the heads of their acquaintances placed on the sides and backs of the other warhorses.

The owners of these heads never expected that Emperor Zhao of the Song Dynasty would not kill them, but that they would suddenly lose their lives for the absurd reason that a certain Mongol 'had to make a show of it'.

"Sixth Prince,"

When crossing the Zishui River again, Hong Ya on horseback couldn't help but speak to Elu Guan not far away. "Under defeat, human life is as worthless as grass, and you and I are like stray dogs on the roadside... Peace is still the way to go!"

In the increasingly dark twilight, Elu Guan did not respond.

Then, at the second watch of the night, Qabul arrived outside Zhending City after a hard journey, and then, according to Yelü Saba's 'guidance', he directly took off his clothes after reporting his name and origin, and knelt outside the north gate of Zhending City with a horse whip on his back in the middle of the night.

"Why are you all trying so hard?!" Even though he was greatly encouraged by obtaining the treasury of Zhending during the day, Emperor Zhao was still a little exasperated after being awakened by Liu Yan and Shao Chengzhang at this time. "Can't you just lie down and let me slaughter you?"

P.S.: Thank you to the new alliance leader, Comrade Youxiong Lai, the 216th cutie of this book.