Chapter 125: The Gentry

"Your Highness, with our Great Jin Kingdom raising four hundred thousand troops and having Temujin, a local, as our guide, the destruction of the Mongols is imminent. It is a pity that this military merit belongs to Wanyan Honglie. I wonder if this merit will allow Wanyan Honglie to rise from the dead." Inside the Third Wang Fu of the Great Jin Kingdom, after Zhang Xiaofan finished speaking, Wanyan Hongxi smashed the teapot onto the ground.

"That Wanyan Honglie intended to make a Han person the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom. Everyone of the Wanyan family despises him. I thought this fellow would be abandoned by all, yet so many gentry stand on his side. Now, even a savage from beyond the passes knows his virtuous reputation and intends to help him reclaim the throne. This Great Jin Kingdom belongs to our Wanyan family, not theirs." Wanyan Hongxi's eyes were filled with venom towards Wanyan Honglie and his supporters.

Since childhood, Father Emperor doted on Wanyan Honglie's mother, that base Han woman Li Shier. After Wanyan Honglie was born, Father Emperor's favor was almost entirely given to him alone; us brothers were completely dispensable.

Not only did Father Emperor dote on him, but civil and military officials vied to kiss Wanyan Honglie's stinking feet, blowing his virtuous reputation throughout the court. He was jealous of Wanyan Honglie. Why could he receive Father Emperor's favor and the support of a hundred officials, while I would only be able to be an idle prince in the future?

No matter how he tried to win Father Emperor's favor, Father Emperor hardly glanced at him. This resentment, once he kicked Wanyan Honglie out of the court, turned into a purge against Wanyan Honglie's faction.

Not only would he kill Wanyan Honglie's faction and supporters, but anyone who walked closely with Wanyan Honglie or praised him must die.

That Temujin who delivered military merit to Wanyan Honglie must die, and the several thousand Western Xia troops he brought must also die.

After receiving Wanyan Hongxi's order, the local defending general drove the troops led by Temujin to live in the stables. When Wanyan Honglie tried to stop them, the general produced the imperial transfer order from the court.

Wanyan Honglie truly could not fathom that the entire Wanyan family, to prevent his rise to power, spared no effort to fully support Wanyan Hongxi simply because the bodies of Bao Xiruo and Yang Kang had not been found.

If killing an Imperial Prince did not have such a huge impact, they would absolutely have drawn their blades and killed him.

"Your Highness, these tactics must be the work of those people. Shall we just sit and wait for death?" Temujin asked in a rage.

You must know that the soldiers under his command followed him thousands of li to a foreign land and had already suffered many grievances. If I let them live in stables with my own eyes open, the people's hearts will easily scatter.

"With matters at this point, everyone of the Wanyan family has done everything possible to cut off my path to the throne; I truly cannot stop them." After Wanyan Honglie finished speaking, he sighed, his expression filled with helplessness.

"No, although the Wanyan family does not support you, on this land there is a deeply rooted force bound to you. If you wish to make a desperate struggle, this force will become your great aid." Temujin said with absolute conviction.

After deep observation and careful understanding during this period, Temujin truly comprehended the immense power possessed by the gentry class. This class not only numbers many but also occupies a pivotal position in the social structure. They possess broad knowledge, deep cultural heritage, and extensive social connections, making them important participants and influencers in politics, economy, culture, and other fields.

The power of the gentry class is not only reflected in their social status and influence but also in the cultural traditions and values they represent. They adhere to traditional moral principles and cultural inheritance, serving as an important force for maintaining social stability and promoting social progress.

Temujin deeply understood the importance of the gentry class. He realized that only by establishing good relations with this class could he better promote his cause and the development of his nation. Therefore, he actively communicated and cooperated with the gentry class, respected their opinions and suggestions, and strove to win their support and trust.

In this process, Temujin also deeply recognized his own shortcomings and areas needing improvement. He constantly learned and grew, striving to improve his quality and ability to better cooperate with the gentry class in the future.

However, deep in his heart, Temujin understood very clearly that his positioning in the eyes of these people was merely that of a savage from the grasslands. Compared to him, Wanyan Honglie, a descendant of the Jin people who had settled in the Central Plains for a hundred years, had been deeply influenced by Confucian learning since childhood. With elegant manners and profound knowledge, he naturally won their favor and respect more easily.

Although Temujin possessed a strong physique and the heroic aspirations of the children of the grasslands, in the eyes of those who revered etiquette and learning, he ultimately lacked the elegance and substance of a scholar. Wanyan Honglie, not only inheriting the bloodline of the Jin people, but also shaped by the influence of Central Plains culture, had formed a unique personal charm. Every action of his revealed a refined temperament that made people unable to help but fall for him.

If Temujin had the support of this force, he would have to make a struggle no matter what, rather than letting them prune his wings, which would cause his followers to lose confidence in him.

"But although these gentry have great influence, they have no army, no military power. Without these, how can we fight?" Wanyan Honglie hurriedly asked.

"Did they have military power at the beginning? They had no money and no people at the beginning, yet they were willing to walk step by step to the present to defeat you. Think about it: if the Great Jin Kingdom perishes in your hands, how can you face the ancestors of your Wanyan family?"

"Your Wang Fu guards plus the troops I brought will strike first. With the support of the gentry, we can surely quickly take control of the national government."

Temujin knew that time was not on his side. Now that Guo Jing had led his army to unify Western Xia, once he completely integrated the forces of Western Xia, they would have a population of three million and three hundred thousand elite soldiers.

The revolutionary army of the nation will also grow larger with the passage of time; I have no time left.