Chapter 311: Great Song

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Since the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were ceded to the Khitans by Shi Jingtang during the Five Dynasties period, they became an enduring obsession for every Song emperor.

At the founding of the dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin placed the recovery of Yan and Yun on his agenda. He understood that the Central Plains, having just endured war, needed rest and recuperation, and was unwilling to rashly resort to arms; thus he established the "Fengzhuang Treasury," intending to use accumulated wealth to buy back Yan and Yun from the Khitans—if the Khitans agreed, he would pay them; if they refused, he would use the funds to build up the army and forcibly reclaim the region.

Unfortunately, Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly before realizing this plan, and the idea of the "Fengzhuang Treasury" was shelved.

After ascending the throne, Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi adopted a more aggressive stance toward recovering Yan and Yun. He viewed the Khitans' occupation of the region as a humiliation to the Central Plains dynasty, and believed that if the Khitans controlled Yan and Yun, the Central Plains would have no natural defenses left.

Thus, after conquering Northern Han, Zhao Guangyi ignored his troops' exhaustion and immediately launched a northern campaign, advancing straight toward Youzhou.

Initially, the Song army made steady progress and even besieged Youzhou, but Khitan reinforcements arrived swiftly and crushed the Song forces at the Gaoliang River; Zhao Guangyi was wounded by an arrow and fled in panic, ending the first northern campaign in catastrophic defeat.

Thereafter, Zhao Guangyi remained undeterred and organized another large-scale northern campaign, but due to poor command and lack of coordination among the various armies, he was again defeated by the Khitans, and the famed general Yang Ye was captured and killed in this battle.

These two catastrophic defeats severely weakened the Song dynasty; Zhao Guangyi was forced to abandon the idea of militarily reclaiming Yan and Yun and shifted to a defensive strategy.

By the reign of Emperor Zhenzong Zhao Heng, the Khitans launched a major southern invasion, advancing directly toward Chanzhou, causing panic throughout the Song court.

At the strong urging of Chancellor Kou Zhun, Zhao Heng personally went to the front to oversee the battle; Song morale surged, and they repelled the Khitan offensive.

Subsequently, the Song and Liao signed the Treaty of Chanyuan, stipulating that the Song would pay annual "tribute" to Liao, while Liao recognized the Song's legitimate status, and both sides ceased hostilities.

Although the Treaty of Chanyuan brought nearly a century of peace between Song and Liao, it also meant the Song temporarily abandoned its claim to recover Yan and Yun, exchanging money for temporary security.

During the reigns of Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen and Emperor Yingzong Zhao Shu—especially the former—the imperial court was sidelined by the bureaucratic and scholar-official elite; they lacked the bold ambition of their ancestors to unify the realm. Their reigns saw relatively stable relations with Liao, with occasional friction but no large-scale war.

During the reign of Emperor Shenzong Zhao Xu, he supported Wang Anshi's reforms, attempting to enrich the state and strengthen the military in preparation for reclaiming Yan and Yun, but internal strife caused by the reforms and failures in foreign wars prevented success; he ultimately left behind only this phrase: "He who recovers Yan and Yun shall be king."

By the time of Emperor Zhezong Zhao Xu, although the Song achieved some victories against the Western Xia, it remained powerless to alter the fact that Yan and Yun remained under occupation.

The reason Song emperors were so obsessed with Yan and Yun was fundamentally strategic: the region, rich in mountains, served as the natural barrier protecting the Central Plains from northern nomads; without Yan and Yun, northern cavalry could charge straight in, threatening the heartland. Economically, Yan and Yun were agriculturally prosperous and densely populated, a vital source of wealth and conscripts. Symbolically, Yan and Yun had been ancestral territory of the Central Plains since antiquity; its cession to the Khitans was a profound disgrace, and its recovery was a crucial symbol for Song emperors to affirm their legitimacy and demonstrate the dynasty's strength.

Precisely because of these reasons, every Song emperor regarded recovering Yan and Yun as their duty—from Zhao Kuangyin's "Fengzhuang Treasury," to Zhao Guangyi's two northern campaigns, to later emperors' patience and preparation—this obsession ran through the early dynasty period, becoming a pivotal factor shaping Song-Liao relations and the Song dynasty's fate.

Only when Zhao Yu ascended the throne, after more than a decade of diligent governance, did the Zhao Song dynasty finally fully recover Yan and Yun, completing the great unification, never again to be mocked as a fragmented regime clinging to a corner.

Today's Zhao Song dynasty differs from the late Great Ming only by lacking Yunnan and Liaodong, but possesses the Hetao region instead—its actual territory is nearly identical.

Now Zhao Yu could finally call the Zhao Song dynasty "Great Song."

In fact, this had always been Zhao Yu's obsession. Because Yan and Yun had not been recovered, he had never dared call the Zhao Song dynasty "Great Song," for he felt it did not deserve the title.

Upon receiving news that Zhang Jue led over thirty thousand troops out of Pingzhou, passed through Yugu Pass, and marched north into the Liaoxi Corridor, and that the Tiger Guard had taken control of all fortresses and key passes—including Pingluan, Sanzhou, Yugu Pass, and the Liaoxi Corridor—and that Song Jiang and Wu Yong had already begun deploying the "Guan-Ning-Jin Defense Line" according to Great Song's pre-established military plan, Zhao Yu and all Great Song ministers were elated.

The one person Zhao Yu trusted least during this personal campaign was Zhao Ji; no one could threaten Zhao Yu's throne or Great Song's security, so Zhao Yu brought Zhao Ji along.

For extra precaution, Zhao Yu even brought Zhao Ji's only son, Zhao Huan.

When the war between Liao and Jin was still uncertain—even when Liao held overwhelming advantage—Zhao Yu had already concluded that the victor would be Jin.

Zhao Yu used this as grounds to strip Zhao Ji of his Zhuangyuan title.

To be honest, Zhao Ji was deeply resentful then; he thought Zhao Yu was far too hasty—how could the Jurchens, mere backward savages, possibly defeat the mighty Liao Empire?

Remember, Liao had once been a power so formidable that the Northern Song trembled at its name! Its iron cavalry swept across the northern frontier, making the Central Plains dynasty quake under its shadow.

Yet history proved Zhao Yu's foresight correct.

The Jurchens rose with thunderous force, defeating Liao and then advancing like a flood, nearly swallowing Liao's entire territory.

This was utterly beyond Zhao Ji's expectations.

Looking back now, Zhao Ji realized how wildly wrong he had been.

If he had been emperor of Great Song, he would have chosen to ally with Jin to destroy Liao, hoping to recover Yan and Yun.

In that case, Liao would surely have fallen, and Great Song would have become neighbors with Jin—with no buffer zone between them—and Jin, having absorbed the entire Liao realm, would have grown unprecedentedly powerful.

Now, observing Jin's conduct after its rise—burning, killing, looting, desecrating graves—it was clear they were beasts devoid of humanity: greedy, cunning. To be neighbors with them would mean Great Song would know no peace.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ji felt a chill of dread and silently rejoiced that he was not the one forced to make such a decision.

Zhao Ji gazed at Zhao Yu seated on the dragon throne, his heart filled with mixed emotions. His younger brother was farsighted; every decision seemed to foresee the future, guiding Great Song onto a surer path—indeed, over the years he had planned flawlessly, moved troops without delay, and secured the empire's foundation.

Just as in this instance: Zhao Yu not only fully exploited the Liao-Jin war to recover Yan and Yun, but also established a buffer between Great Song and Jin. Most crucially, if Great Song managed affairs well, Liao and Jin would remain locked in mutual exhaustion, while Great Song reaped the benefits as the bystander—truly, it gained both substance and prestige.

Even more admirable to Zhao Ji was that, up to this point, Great Song had paid minimal cost, preserving its strength entirely, ensuring it would remain invincible in the coming tripartite struggle.

Only now did Zhao Ji truly submit to Zhao Yu and finally admit that Zhao Yu's succession to Zhao Xu's throne had been far superior to his own.

With his inner conflict resolved, as a member of the Great Song imperial clan, Zhao Ji was unquestionably one of the beneficiaries of Great Song's strengthened position after recovering Yan and Yun.

Thus, Zhao Ji was also delighted, and in his excitement, he proposed to Zhao Yu: "Your Majesty has now recovered the entire Yan and Yun region and completed the great unification—a momentous joy. I humbly suggest a grand banquet to celebrate, with ministers and sovereign rejoicing together."

Although Zhao Yu disliked banquets, Zhao Ji's suggestion held merit; having achieved great unification, he must celebrate—especially since many, many, many tasks still lay ahead.

Thus, Zhao Yu accepted Zhao Ji's proposal and ordered Li Shicheng to arrange a banquet in the Yaochi Palace.

Outside the Yaochi Palace lay the Yaochi Lake, its azure waters rippling, the scenery charming and distinct. Yaochi was a beautiful lotus lake, vast and horseshoe-shaped, located at the heart of the Yanjing imperial palace complex. In the lake stood a small island called Yao Island, upon which the Yaochi Palace was built.

Zhao Yu and his ministers drank, exchanged poetry, composed verses, sang, performed, and enjoyed themselves here.

Attendees included not only Great Song's Zhao Ji, Cai Bian, Tong Guan, and other imperial clan ministers, but also "Liao figures": Xiao Puxian, Xiao Sese, Yelu Aoluowan, Yelu Hulua, Li Chuwen, Xiao Fengxian, Liu Yanzong, and Shi Li'ai.