Chapter 286: Tonight, I Shall Fight Ten

…

After the Jin envoys, including Wanyan Yinshuke, were led to Cai Jing's residence, Cai Jing ordered them to perform the qu ting ritual. He had heard that Wanyan Yinshuke was a military general, and in the Zhao Song dynasty, military officers were required to perform the qu ting ritual when meeting their superior officers.

But Wanyan Yinshuke refused, insisting on meeting as equals, without the qu ting ritual.

Cai Jing immediately realized that Wanyan Yinshuke was no ordinary man, and he became extremely cautious.

Cai Jing said: "Your Majesty has already approved the grant of grain and arms to your state. Our Great Song always keeps its word. We can sell them to you, even deliver them to Liaodong—but transporting them from Jiangnan to Liaodong, across the Liao state, is arduous. Thus, each shi of grain costs ten taels of silver or one tael of gold, and the arms…"

When Cai Jing finished quoting the prices, Wanyan Yinshuke's temples throbbed; his mind was filled with the word "black," and he cursed the Zhao Song dynasty for taking advantage of their plight.

Since ancient times, the barbarians have always lacked grain and iron tools—this has been the weakness of all barbarian peoples.

In ancient times, Han Wu Di of Han, Liu Che, seized upon this weakness of the Xiongnu: by cutting off their supply lines, they were forced to make arrowheads from bone.

Didn't the Xiongnu love Han silk? Then trade horses for it.

Thus, the Han could exchange five hundred bolts of silk for three thousand warhorses.

Through economic warfare alone, the Han drained the Xiongnu's resources.

Later, Han Wu Di sent Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, armed with the warhorses acquired from the Xiongnu, to destroy the Xiongnu's homeland.

Wanyan Yinshuke was no ordinary barbarian without economic sense—he understood Han culture and was a man of great wisdom.

Seeing how exploitative the Zhao Song dynasty was, Wanyan Yinshuke instantly realized: the Zhao Song dynasty intended to emulate Han Wu Di of Han and wage economic warfare against their Jin state, taking advantage of their vulnerability.

Wanyan Yinshuke even felt that the three hundred Jin royal, clan, and noblewomen, along with all the gifts they had carefully prepared for Zhao Yu, had been wasted—because the Zhao Song dynasty clearly intended to weaken Great Jin through economic warfare, not to join forces with Great Jin in a pincer attack on the Liao.

'This is a problem!' Wanyan Yinshuke thought.

After hearing Cai Jing's prices, Wanyan Yinshuke did not immediately haggle; instead, he requested another three thousand shi of salt and two thousand kǎo of green vitriol…

Whatever Wanyan Yinshuke asked for, the Zhao Song dynasty had—and would sell it all, but at prices starting at ten times the market rate.

Wanyan Yinshuke fully understood: the Zhao Song dynasty intended to profit from this war.

At that moment, Wanyan Yinshuke resolved: he would never allow the Yan-Yun region to be fully returned to the Zhao Song dynasty. Otherwise, the Zhao Song dynasty would not even need to fight—economic warfare alone would exhaust Great Jin. Only by holding Yan-Yun, where they could launch southward at will, could Great Jin threaten Zhao Song's security and force Zhao Song to reliably supply them with all the goods they lacked.

Only after forming this understanding did Wanyan Yinshuke begin to haggle with Cai Jing.

In response to Cai Jing's exorbitant prices, Wanyan Yinshuke merely stated that without these supplies, Great Jin could not withstand the Liao's encirclement and would be unable to help Zhao Song weaken the Liao.

Or he implied that the Emperor of Great Jin had married his three daughters to Zhao Yu, and had sent countless royal, clan, and noblewomen to Zhao Yu, and had exhausted the nation's resources to prepare gifts for him—truly, they had spent all their wealth to win Zhao Yu's favor. If Zhao Yu refused to grant Great Jin preferential treatment, who would still acknowledge Zhao Song as the Celestial Dynasty and maintain relations with it?

Having said this, Wanyan Yinshuke forced Cai Jing to seek Zhao Yu's instruction.

Zhao Yu considered it and agreed: Wanyan Yinshuke was right—killing the goose for the golden eggs now would be counterproductive. He ordered Cai Jing to lower the prices somewhat.

In the end, the Zhao Song dynasty sold Great Jin everything it wanted at roughly three times the market price.

Though still expensive, it was within Great Jin's acceptable range.

Thus, both sides reached an agreement.

Then Wanyan Yinshuke proactively asked: "In the future, as our two states maintain friendship, should we regard each other as brothers, as uncle and nephew, or as close friends?"

This was a matter of great concern to small states, especially emerging ones—because they could use such titles to legitimize their internal rule.

On this issue, Zhao Yu and his ministers finally gave Wanyan Yinshuke and the Jin envoys one moment of satisfaction: Cai Jing replied without hesitation, "Our two states are both great powers. Between great powers, the proper form is the ritual of close friends."

Wanyan Yinshuke and the Jin envoys were all pleased to hear the Zhao Song dynasty recognize Great Jin as a great power.

After finalizing the details, Zhao Yu, having been repeatedly requested by Wanyan Yinshuke for a flower banquet, and upon Zhao Liangsi's report that the Jin Emperor had praised Wanyan Yinshuke with the words "treat him well," issued a special edict to hold a spring banquet.

According to Zhao Song court protocol, imperial banquets typically awarded ministers three types of flowers. First, on the Emperor's birthday banquet, if Liao envoys were present, silk flowers were used indoors to signify frugality—this was ancestral custom. Second, during the spring and autumn banquets, silk brocade flowers were awarded—these were very beautiful. Third, during sacrifices to Heaven or Earth, the Yuanwu Festival spring outing, or after viewing the jade flowers at Jinming Pond, the Emperor held a small banquet with his ministers, called dui yu.

The Zhao Song Emperor awarded flowers according to the rank of the minister, with strict limits on quantity. The most abundant flower was the drop-powder-carved-gold flower, several times more than others, because the spring banquet was the pinnacle of flower banquets.

The spring banquet was held in Jiyin Hall.

After the banquet ended, Wanyan Yinshuke took leave of Zhao Yu, kowtowing and saying: "Thank Your Majesty for your hospitality. May our two nations enjoy generations of friendship and shared peace and prosperity. I also beg Your Majesty to treat our Jin women well."

Zhao Yu replied: "They are already my consorts; I shall treat them well. Inform your Emperor to rest assured. As for our two nations sharing peace and prosperity—that is also my desire. Let us move toward each other, not away."

After Wanyan Yinshuke and the Jin envoys withdrew, Zhao Yu asked Cai Jing and others: "What do you think of the Jurchens?"

Cai Jing said: "The Jurchens are greedy and violent, driven solely by profit. If denied, they will provoke conflict—this cannot be ignored."

Zhao Yu nodded inwardly, thinking: 'Cai Jing is still sharp—he saw through the Jurchens' nature at once.'

Cai Bian said: "We must combine benevolence with authority toward the Jurchens; otherwise, they will look down on our Great Song."

Su Shi said: "With Your Majesty having reclaimed Qingtang Tubo, Western Xia, and the Eleven States of Yan-Yun, the Jurchens dare not act rashly. Otherwise, border troubles would be unpredictable."

Zhao Yu concluded: "The Jurchens are greedy, violent, cunning, and reckless—they will be our Great Song's greatest enemy. Remember this, and remain ever vigilant."

Cai Jing and the others bowed together: "Yes!"

…

To be honest, Zhao Yu did not look forward to the Jurchen maidens.

According to Zhao Yu's knowledge, wealthy Jurchens adorned themselves with pearls and jade, wearing black fur and fine cloth or garments of marten, sable, fox, or badger. The poor wore clothing made of cow, horse, pig, sheep, cat, dog, fish, or snake hides. On New Year's Day, they worshipped the rising sun and congratulated each other. On the fifth day of the fifth month, they held grand archery-at-willow ceremonies and worshipped Heaven and Earth. They had no calendar system; they counted years by the greenness of wild grass.