Chapter 288: I Just Wanted to Give All the Beauties a Home

…

After Yelu Yanxi sent Yelu Ya and three hundred Liao beauties to Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu, fearing that Liao would be instantly shattered by the Jurchens, ordered the Ministry of Commerce to immediately deliver to Liao all essential goods it needed—grain, weapons, and armor—and through Xiao Yixue, clearly told Yelu Yanxi: "Rest assured, fight the Jurchens—we, Great Song, will not interfere in your war."

With Zhao Yu's assurance, the Liao people's hearts grew steadier.

Yelu Yanxi dispatched Liao's ministers to relieve the disaster-stricken populace and recruited a new army of one hundred thousand using the grain and weapons sold to Liao by the Zhao-Song dynasty, training them rigorously.

Yelu Yanxi and his ministers planned to wait until this new army was fully trained, then crush the Jurchen rebellion.

Unexpectedly, the Zhao-Song dynasty then sold vast quantities of grain and weapons to the Jin.

The Jin army also used the grain and weapons sold by the Zhao-Song dynasty to expand its forces.

Next, the Liao and Jin began a full-scale war; along the Taizhou front alone, fighting lasted half a year.

Meanwhile, the Liao and Jin also clashed fiercely at Zilishan.

Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Hanlu were among the greatest commanders of the age; Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Zongfu, Wanyan Dhamu, Wanyan Yinshu, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Zongbi, Wanyan Chang, and Wanyan Salihe were all formidable generals who excelled in battle.

On the Liao side, no external support could alter the fact that it was a dynasty at its end. Though generals such as Xiao Yixue, Yelu Tanggu, Xiao Hudu, Yelu Yudu, Yelu Ma Wu, and Xiao Wulili were brave and skilled, the court was riddled with traitors, loyal ministers were repeatedly sidelined, internal contradictions plagued the realm, regional tribes hoarded troops, years of warfare had emptied the treasury, the people suffered, and the populace had lost faith in the court—morale was shattered, the state's foundation shaken.

This caused the Liao to retreat step by step while the Jin pressed forward relentlessly; as one weakened and the other grew stronger, Liao continued to lose territory and strength to Jin…

…

When the Jin beauties first entered the palace, Zhao Yu assumed they were ugly, crude, withered village girls.

Based on this preconceived judgment, Zhao Yu had truly felt no interest in the Jin beauties.

Moreover, Zhao Yu was eager to reassure the Liao people and thus focused more on developing Liao beauties.

But this time, Liao sent only three hundred beauties, and within two or three months, Zhao Yu had turned them all into married women.

At this point, the Liao side had largely come to believe that the Zhao-Song dynasty would not interfere in the Liao-Jin war, nor ally with Jin, and would not launch a full-scale war against Jin.

Zhang Chun, Xiao Yixue, and other ministers all reminded Zhao Yu that he could no longer ignore these Jin beauties, or it might harm Song-Jin relations and trade.

Forced by circumstance, Zhao Yu prepared to pick the best from among the Jin beauties—selecting a few important, visually appealing ones to visit, to avoid trouble.

The result proved Zhao Yu wrong—terribly wrong.

The Jin beauties were no less beautiful than the Liao beauties.

Among them, Wanyan Wulu, Wanyan Yine, and Wanyan Zhulan were not absolute beauties, yet each possessed unique charm and extraordinary grace. Wanyan Wulu was gentle as water, her brow exuding a calm, composed aura like a lily blooming quietly in spring—unassuming, yet profoundly captivating. Wanyan Yine was like stars in a summer night—bright but not harsh; her smile carried a playful, lively spark, unforgettable and instantly joyful. Wanyan Zhulan resembled a chrysanthemum in late autumn—resolute, elegant, and refined; her resilience and independence stood out uniquely among all the beauties.

Although these three daughters of Wanyan Aguda ranked only mid-tier among Zhao Yu's harem, their status granted them added value—considering their noble lineage, they were still top-quality playthings for Zhao Yu.

Crucially, while Wanyan Wulu and her sisters were not absolute beauties, that did not mean the Jin beauties as a whole lacked any.

The Wanyan, Tudan, Wugulun, Pucha, Tang Kuo, Shi Jingtang, and Pusan clans all had numerous absolute beauties; even the Jiagu, Heshilie, Wulinda, and Puxian clans possessed exceptional beauties; as for the great Bohai clans—Da, Li, Zhang, and Gao—they had sent Zhao Yu no shortage of absolute beauties.

They were either graceful and alluring, or fair-skinned and bright-eyed, or gentle and charming, or brimming with youthful vitality, or bold and spirited.

Among the finest: some possessed flower-like faces and moon-like beauty, skin whiter than snow, eyes like autumn pools that seemed to pierce the soul, their speech tinged with a faint sorrow that stirred deep pity; some were ethereally beautiful, gentle and magnanimous, masters of poetry and song, their verses brimming with profound emotion and philosophical depth; some had eyebrows like distant mountains veiled in mist, eyes like dew-filled autumn waters, every gesture radiating nobility and grace, their demeanor dignified, their speech refined—qualities that inspired endless admiration…

In short, just like the Liao beauties, the Jin beauties were each unique, with every type of beauty present—from plump to slender.

Upon reflection, this was perfectly natural, for the Jurchens also had nobility.

Originally, after the Heishui Mohe were conquered by the Khitans, Yelu Abaoji feared they might become a future threat, so he persuaded and compelled thousands of powerful clans to relocate south of Liaoyang, dispersing their power and severing their connections.

These relocated Mohe who became registered under Liao were called "tame Jurchens," also known as "Hesuguan" (in Jurchen, meaning "fence" or "barrier").

Additionally, northeast of Xianzhou, beyond the mountain passes to Sumo River, this region fell under the jurisdiction of the Xianzhou Military Command; the Mohe living here were neither tame nor wild Jurchens, and the Khitans permitted them to interact with their own people.

These two groups of Jurchens were no different from other Liao subjects; they had long intermarried with Han and other ethnic groups, becoming Jurchen nobility, their genes greatly improved.

After the Wanyan clan rose to power, they frequently intermarried with Jurchen nobility, further altering their own gene pool.

After all, these Jurchen nobles had existed for over a thousand years. Some scholars believe the Suishen were descendants of the Dongyi tribes, originally residing on the Shandong Peninsula, later migrating northward—some say crossing the Bohai Sea by land; others believe they were descendants of the Tungusic peoples, migrating eastward from Lake Baikal along the primeval forests into Northeast China. Regardless of origin, they had existed for over a thousand years, even longer.

In other words, these Jurchens' genes may well be those of the Khitans, Xi, Bohai, Goryeo, or even the Han.