Chapter 286: Tonight, I Shall Take Ten

…

After the Jin envoys, including Wanyan Yinshuke, were led to Cai Jing’s mansion, Cai Jing demanded they perform the court-bowing ritual, for he had heard Wanyan Yinshuke was a military officer, and in the Zhao Song realm, military officers were required to bow before their superiors.

But Wanyan Yinshuke refused, insisting on a meeting of equals.

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

Cai Jing said: “His Majesty has already agreed to supply your nation with grain and arms. Our Great Song always keeps its word—we may sell them to you, even deliver them to Liaodong, though transporting them from Jiangnan across Liao territory is arduous; thus, each shi of grain costs ten taels of silver or one tael of gold, and arms…”

When Cai Jing finished quoting the prices, Wanyan Yinshuke’s temples throbbed—he could only think of the word “black,” cursing the Zhao Song dynasty for exploiting their desperation.

Since ancient times, the barbarians have always lacked grain and iron—this has been their weakness.

In his day, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, seized upon this weakness: by cutting off the Xiongnu’s supply lines, they were forced to fashion arrowheads from bone.

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

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

Through economic warfare alone, the Han drained the Xiongnu’s wealth.

Later, Emperor Wu sent Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, armed with the horses acquired from the Xiongnu, to destroy their homeland.

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

Seeing how exploitative the Zhao Song dynasty was, Wanyan Yinshuke instantly realized they intended to emulate Emperor Wu of Han, waging economic warfare against the Jin, exploiting their vulnerability.

Wanyan Yinshuke even felt the three hundred Jin royal, clan, and noblewomen, along with all the gifts prepared for Zhao Yu, had been wasted, for Zhao Song clearly sought to weaken Great Jin through economic means, not to jointly encircle Liao with them.

‘This is troublesome!’ Wanyan Yinshuke thought.

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

Whatever Wanyan Yinshuke asked for, Zhao Song had—and would sell, but always at ten times the price.

Wanyan Yinshuke finally understood: Zhao Song intended to profit from the war.

At that moment, Wanyan Yinshuke resolved: he would never allow Yan-Yun to be fully returned to Zhao Song, for if it were, Zhao Song need not lift a sword—economic warfare alone could exhaust Great Jin. Only by holding Yan-Yun, with its ready access southward, could Jin continually threaten Zhao Song’s security and compel them to supply the very goods Jin lacked.

Only after this realization did Wanyan Yinshuke begin to negotiate with Cai Jing.

To Cai Jing’s exorbitant demands, Wanyan Yinshuke merely stated that without these supplies, Jin could not withstand Liao’s encirclement and thus could not assist Zhao Song in weakening Liao.

Or he implied that the Jin emperor had married his three daughters to Zhao Yu, sent countless royal, clan, and noblewomen to him, and exhausted the nation’s resources to prepare gifts—truly, he had spent all of Jin’s wealth to win Zhao Yu’s favor; if Zhao Yu refused to grant Jin preferential treatment, who would acknowledge Zhao Song as the Celestial Dynasty and still engage with it?

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

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

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

Though still expensive, it was within Jin’s tolerable range.

Thus, both sides reached an agreement.

Then Wanyan Yinshuke asked: “In future, as our two nations cultivate friendship, should we be brothers, uncle and nephew, or close allies?”

This was a matter of great concern to small, especially rising, states—for they could use such titles to legitimize their rule internally.

On this point, Zhao Yu and his ministers finally granted Wanyan Yinshuke and the Jin envoys one moment of satisfaction: Cai Jing replied promptly, “Both our nations are great powers. Between great powers, the proper form is that of close allies.”

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

After finalizing the details, Zhao Yu, having been repeatedly petitioned by Wanyan Yinshuke for a flower banquet, and upon Zhao Liangsi’s report that the Jin emperor had praised Wanyan Yinshuke as “well-treated,” issued an imperial decree for a spring banquet.

According to Zhao Song’s rites, court banquets typically awarded ministers three types of flowers: first, for the emperor’s birthday banquet, if Liao envoys were present, silk flowers were used to signify frugality, per ancestral precedent; second, for spring and autumn banquets, silk brocade flowers were given, which were exceptionally beautiful; third, after sacrifices to Heaven, the Spring Festival’s palace outings, or visits to the Golden Bright Pool to view the jade flowers, the emperor held a small banquet with his ministers, called “Facing the Emperor.”

The emperor awarded flowers according to rank, with strict limits on quantity. The most abundant were the drip-powder-gilded flowers, several times more than others, for the spring banquet was the pinnacle of flower banquets.

The banquet was held in the Jiyin Hall.

After the banquet, Wanyan Yinshuke took leave of Zhao Yu, kowtowing: “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 kindly.”

Zhao Yu replied: “They are already my imperial consorts—I shall treat them well. Inform your emperor he may rest assured. As for our two nations sharing peace and prosperity, that is precisely what I desire. Let us walk 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 must not be ignored.”

Zhao Yu nodded inwardly: ‘Cai Jing remains sharp—he sees the Jurchens’ true nature at once.’

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

Su Shi said: “With His Majesty’s recent reconquests of Qingtang Tibetan lands, Xia, and the Eleven Yan-Yun Prefectures as deterrence, the Jurchens dare not act rashly—otherwise, border troubles would be unpredictable.”

Zhao Yu concluded: “The Jurchens are greedy, violent, cunning, and reckless—they are our greatest enemy. Remember this, and remain ever vigilant.”

Cai Jing and the others bowed together: “Yes!”

…

To be honest, Zhao Yu did not greatly anticipate the Jurchen maidens.

As Zhao Yu knew, wealthy Jurchens adorned themselves with pearls and jade, wearing black fur, fine linen, or garments of marten, sable, fox, or badger; the poor wore clothing of cow, horse, pig, sheep, cat, dog, fish, or snake skin. On New Year’s Day, they worshipped the rising sun and exchanged congratulations. On the fifth day of the fifth month, they held grand archery-at-willow ceremonies and offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. They had no calendar system, counting a year by the greenness of wild grass.