Chapter 314: Taking Sides, If You Disagree, Then Fight

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The Battle of Ulanbutong between the Liao and Jin ended in defeat for the Liao army.

Even more tragically, before the battle, Yelu Chun and others had only considered victory and never prepared for defeat; thus, once defeated, they were utterly at a loss, unsure how to salvage the situation.

This led to the complete collapse of the Liao army's front lines.

Fortunately, the Jin army also suffered heavy casualties in this battle; they were simultaneously recruiting captured Liao soldiers to replenish their ranks and tending to their own wounds.

Yelu Yudu, following Wanyan Aguda's orders, raised a banner to recruit defectors and absorbed many scattered Liao troops.

After incorporating these Liao deserters, the Jin army's strength did not diminish—it increased.

Of course, this was merely a surface phenomenon.

In reality, this battle had killed or wounded ten to twenty thousand Jurchens, a loss that could not be compensated by simply absorbing more foreign populations.

By the way, after this battle, many Liao people who had once wished to restore the Liao state came to realize the brutality of war, and also realized that restoring the Liao seemed impossible. As a result, many Liao people regretted their earlier impulsiveness and decided it was better to remain loyal subjects of Great Song.

Zhao Yu did not completely shut the door on these Liao people. After all, Zhao Yu had always sought only to deplete the steppe's population—whether they died or were absorbed and fully sinicized made no difference.

Of course, now that these Liao people wished to join Great Song as "Han," it would no longer be as easy as before. They must first serve as laborers for Great Song for one year, proving they truly wished to settle down, before being allowed to return as Han citizens.

——During that year, Great Song would not only feed them but also pay them wages.

In short, with the Liao army's defenses entirely lost, cities still under Liao control fell one after another, forcing the Liao army to retreat beyond Song Ting Pass to regroup.

Xiao Gan, Yelu Dashi, Zhang Jue, Guo Youshi, and others retreated southward while sending envoys everywhere, locating many lost and directionless units.

Upon learning that the Liao army had retreated beyond Song Ting Pass, these units overcame all difficulties and gradually withdrew to the regions along the pass.

Yelu Chun counted the numbers and was astonished to discover that the forces gathered beyond Song Ting Pass still numbered over two hundred thousand men!!!

This figure revived Yelu Chun's spirits; he entered the ranks, visited the wounded and the dead, conducted self-criticism, selected capable officers for key posts, and gradually stabilized morale.

Thus, the Liao army stabilized its position and regained its momentum.

At the same time, Yelu Chun sent envoys into the pass to petition the Liao court, requesting that the Liao court ask Great Song for grain to stabilize troop morale.

This matter naturally fell to Empress Xiao Pu Xian and Empress Seeing Xiao Sese, the two Liao empresses.

After communication between Xiao Pu Xian, Seeing Xiao Sese, and Zhao Yu, Great Song provided the Liao state with one hundred thousand shi of grain, along with numerous tents and essential supplies.

Thus, the two hundred thousand Liao troops settled temporarily beyond Song Ting Pass.

Meanwhile, the Song and Liao states began negotiating subsequent arrangements.

Originally, Yelu Ao Luan and his ministers had scripted a plan: the Liao army would march north to reclaim lost territory—at least some of it—and offer Zhao Yu certain benefits, such as sending him beauties (since Zhao Yu favored them), then propose that Liao and Great Song part ways, with Yelu Ao Luan and the Liao court leaving Yanjing to establish a new base in Liao's own territory, where Yelu Ao Luan would become a true Liao emperor, and the entire Liao state would unite to restore their nation…

Who could have expected that, before even two months had passed, the Liao army suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Jin, collapsed entirely, and lost all strategic space?

Yelu Ao Luan's grand ambitions, like a banner suddenly snapped by a gale, instantly lost their former vigor and upright posture. He gazed toward Song Ting Pass, where over two hundred thousand Liao troops still stood, yet his heart sank to the bottom of a valley, filled with resentment and helplessness.

'Six to seven hundred thousand troops could not defeat the Jurchens—what use are these twenty thousand broken remnants?'

Once, Yelu Ao Luan truly believed he could carve out a future for Liao in this chaotic age, reviving the former glory of the Great Liao. He and his ministers meticulously planned the northern campaign to reclaim lost lands, dreaming that upon success, he too would become a revered emperor, remembered through history.

He had even imagined that, once Liao grew strong again, he would turn back and settle accounts with Zhao Yu.

But reality struck like a heavy slap, shattering all of Yelu Ao Luan's dreams. He knew that, given the current state of the Liao army, marching north to reclaim lost territory was pure fantasy. Yet he could not bear to abandon his cause, could not bear to watch Liao perish under his hands.

Zhao Yu summoned Xiao Pu Xian, Seeing Xiao Sese, Yelu Ao Luan, Yelu Chun, Yelu Hu Lu Wa, Li Chuweng, Xiao Fengxian, Liu Yanzong, Xiao Gan, and Yelu Dashi to discuss Liao's future.

It was clear that Yelu Ao Luan and Yelu Chun were disheartened and had nothing to say.

But Xiao Gan and Yelu Dashi were unconcerned; one shouted that with a little time to rest and regroup, they could fight again; the other declared that though the Liao army had suffered defeats, its spirit was not broken—given the chance, they could still turn defeat into victory.

Perhaps this was the difference between false heroes and true heroes?

Xiao Gan and Yelu Dashi desperately wished to carve out a Liao world within the gap between Song and Jin. This was their dream, their goal. Even if they ultimately failed, they would never regret it, never retreat.

Zhao Yu thought: 'No wonder historically, one founded the Da Xi Empire and the other the Western Liao, while Yelu Chun and Yelu Ao Luan accomplished nothing.'

Zhao Yu looked at Xiao Gan and Yelu Dashi and said: 'Since the Great Liao wishes to fight, I shall grant the Great Liao one more chance.'

Upon hearing this, the Liao officials all bowed to thank Zhao Yu.

At that moment, Song Jiang from Pingzhou suddenly reported that Wanyan Aguda had dispatched envoys Wuxie and Gao Qingyi to visit.

Zhao Yu guessed that Wanyan Aguda must now be sending envoys to gauge his stance.

Zhao Yu appointed Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo as reception officers to host Wuxie and Gao Qingyi, bringing them to Yanjing.

Wuxie was a Jurchen, tall and burly, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a forthright personality; upon meeting Zhao Yu, he instinctively bowed with a simple grin.

Yet Zhao Yu would not underestimate Wuxie because of this, thinking him merely a crude and foolish man. On the contrary, Zhao Yu knew that in this turbulent age, anyone entrusted by Wanyan Aguda as an envoy must possess exceptional ability.

Gao Qingyi was a Bohai man, deeply familiar with Song culture and sharp-witted; he was an old acquaintance of Zhao Liangsi, having served as interpreter beside him during Zhao Liangsi's negotiations with Wanyan Aguda in the Liao capital the previous spring.

Zhao Yu knew that Gao Qingyi was a formidable figure; historically, he had served as Wanyan Zonghan's strategist and devised many of his schemes.

After arriving in Yanjing, Wuxie and Gao Qingyi presented Wanyan Aguda's letter to Zhao Yu, in which he wrote:

'The Emperor of Great Jin writes to the Emperor of Great Song:

The Khitans are unjust; their governance imposes heavy taxes and corvée, leaving the people destitute; their military has no discipline, and border garrisons are neglected. My Great Jin arose from the white mountains and black waters, originally a vassal of the Khitans, yet the Khitans treated us as slaves and servants, demanding endless tribute and repeatedly humiliating us.

I could endure no longer, and raised righteous troops to punish them—not out of personal grudge, but to fulfill Heaven's will and relieve the people from their suffering.'