Chapter 280: Who Helps the Weak to Foster a Struggle Between the Snipe and the Clam

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On the second day after the Jin envoys He Lu and Da Diwu arrived in Dongjing Bianliang, the reception official Zhao Liangsi was ordered to tell them: "The court is currently holding the imperial examinations to select talent for the state; His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Song, has no time to receive you these days. You may rest at the Tongwen Pavilion or go out for a stroll to clear your minds."

He Lu and Da Diwu naturally chose the latter.

Thus, Zhao Liangsi led He Lu and Da Diwu around the capital every day, showing them sights.

First, they climbed the Mingtang to overlook the imperial avenue.

The Mingtang was where the Zhao Song dynasty issued edicts, received tribute, and sacrificed to heaven and earth; it stood east of the Daqing Hall and behind the left side gate of Xuande Tower. The Mingtang formed its own courtyard, surrounded by covered walkways, with gates on all four sides: the North Gate was Pingshuo, the East Gate was Qingyang, the South Gate was Yingmen, and the West Gate was Zongzhang. The square before the Mingtang was the center of Dongjing, the most prosperous place in the city, and also the most prosperous place of the Zhao Song dynasty.

They saw the imperial palace halls towering majestically; painted pavilions and embroidered towers with pearl curtains and brocade doors; carved chariots racing, jeweled horses galloping; gold and jade glittering, silk skirts drifting with fragrance.

The two Jin envoys stood atop the Mingtang, dazzled and stunned—they had never imagined the Zhao Song dynasty could be so prosperous.

They also visited Yuan Qingcheng's agricultural base, the Hu Street where foreigners gathered, various luxury shops, glass workshops, and soap workshops.

In Dongjing, residential and commercial districts had broken through the boundary; commercial activity had no time restrictions, with both night markets and morning markets.

The development of commercial economy promoted the growth of urban entertainment. Dongjing had many goulan washa venues, crowded with spectators, bustling beyond measure.

He Lu and Da Diwu loved Dongjing—they admired not only the imperial palaces but also the daily lives, diets, and entertainments of the common people; yet what interested them most were the rich luxurious goods of the Zhao Song dynasty: beautiful glass mirrors, glass windows that lit up entire rooms when installed, soap that left the body fragrant after washing, and the abundant goods brought by Hu merchants.

After observing, He Lu and Da Diwu concluded that the Zhao Song dynasty was the true Celestial Kingdom, with myriad nations paying tribute, immensely wealthy.

Zhao Liangsi told He Lu and Da Diwu that the goods they had seen were traded between the Zhao Song dynasty and the Liao. The Liao exchanged gold, silver, horses, cattle, sheep, ginseng, furs (fox, marten, etc.), fish from the northeast (such as freshwater fish from the Liao River basin and the Jurchen specialty salmon), wild animals (deer, bears, etc.) and their products (deer antlers, bear bile), honey, pine nuts, mushrooms, and other mountain produce for these goods, daily necessities, and even grain from the Zhao Song dynasty.

The speaker was "unintentional"; the listener was attentive.

Upon hearing that many of the goods the Liao traded with the Zhao Song dynasty were Jurchen specialties, He Lu and Da Diwu thought: "If the Khitans can trade with Great Song, why cannot we?"

He Lu and Da Diwu silently calculated, their eyes gleaming with unprecedented light; they realized this was not merely a simple diplomatic mission, but a crucial opportunity to open trade routes for their Great Jin state.

He Lu and Da Diwu knew that although the Jurchen tribes were sparsely populated and vast in territory, their resources were extremely abundant; if they found a suitable market, it would greatly promote the prosperity and development of their tribes, ultimately securing victory over the Liao.

The next day, Zhao Yu received the Jin envoys in the Chongzheng Hall.

He Lu and Da Diwu knelt and reported: "Your humble subjects pay homage to His Majesty, the Emperor of Great Song. When we departed, our emperor instructed us to convey to His Majesty: because the Khitan ruler is corrupt and unjust, we have raised an army to punish Liao, and have already achieved great victories. We humbly request His Majesty to bestow a title upon our emperor."

They then presented the state letter.

Zhao Yu took the state letter offered by the eunuch, unrolled it, and read carefully. The wording was earnest, yet concealed the sharp ambition of a rising power—it expounded the "great righteousness" of punishing Liao, listed Yelu Yanxi's folly, declared Jin's consecutive victories, and concluded with the core demand: "We humbly beg His Majesty's great grace to grant us a noble title."

Zhao Yu's fingertips lightly tapped the rice paper; he raised his eyes to He Lu and Da Diwu below the steps. Though dressed in coarse cloth and martial attire, their brows carried the fierce boldness of men forged in the wilds; now kneeling in submission, they appeared respectful, yet their eyes betrayed unhidden anticipation.

"I have heard of your emperor's successive victories over the Liao ruler," Zhao Yu said, his voice low but bearing the steadiness unique to an emperor. "The Liao house has lost virtue and oppressed the Jurchens too harshly. Your lord's righteous army rising against them accords with heaven's will and the people's heart."

He Lu immediately kowtowed: "Your Majesty is wise! Our emperor often says that Great Song is the Celestial Kingdom; if granted your imperial investiture, he will be like an eagle gaining wings, and will swiftly crush the Khitans and restore peace to the northern frontier!"

Da Diwu echoed: "We have spent many days in Dongjing and have seen the wealth of your people, the strictness of your laws; only now do we understand what 'legitimacy' truly means. Great nations act in harmony with heaven and the people's will. Our emperor longs to forge a marriage alliance with Great Song, jointly pursue development, open mutual trade, and share in this glorious era of peace. We humbly beg Your Majesty, mindful of the Jurchens' long suffering under Khitan oppression, to grant us investiture, so that our Great Jin may be properly recognized and bring welfare to all under heaven."

Zhao Yu nodded slightly, his gaze deep—as if weighing advantages, as if gazing into the future: "Friendly relations between our two states, mutual trade—these are matters beneficial to both nations and peoples."

A newly established regime seeking investiture from a great power is fundamentally a strategy to consolidate its legitimacy and gain practical benefits by leveraging external authority; the early Jin dynasty's pursuit of investiture from either Zhao Song or Liao was typical.

At the outset of a new regime, the ruling foundation is often unstable; it must use "investiture" as a form to prove its legitimacy to its own people, tribes, or other powers.

Moreover, the East Asian world long maintained a "tributary system" centered on the Central Plains dynasties, where "investiture" symbolized a regime's recognition by heaven and its legitimacy.

For minority regimes, receiving investiture from traditional great powers (such as Song or Liao) sends a signal to their own people that their rule conforms to the universal order, reducing internal doubts.

The Jurchens had long been under Liao rule; after Wanyan Aguda rebelled against Liao and founded his state, seeking investiture from Zhao Song or Liao would allow Jurchen tribes and other conquered groups to acknowledge his leadership and prevent internal fragmentation.

Furthermore, in ancient interstate relations, "investiture" was a crucial method to establish mutual status. A new regime, through investiture by a great power, could be incorporated into the existing international system and gain recognition from other powers.

Without investiture, a new regime might be viewed as "rebellious" or "barbarian," facing the risk of joint suppression by other powers. Conversely, recognition by a great power reduces the likelihood of external military intervention, creating space for its own development.

Today, although Jin has won successive military victories, it still needs such recognition to demonstrate to surrounding tribes that it has been acknowledged by a great power, enhancing its deterrent power.

Crucially, investiture often comes with tangible political and economic benefits:

Economically: after investiture, one may legitimately engage in trade with the great power (e. g., exchanging tribute for imperial gifts, or entering its markets), acquiring urgently needed goods such as ironware, silk, and grain.

Politically: one may gain indirect military support (or at least non-interference) from the great power, or even leverage its strength to check other rivals.