Chapter 315: The Peak Battle of the Three Kingdoms

…

More than ten days later, Wuxie and Gao Qingyi arrived again at Pingzhou; the garrison commander of Yuguan, Yang Zhi, reported that the Jin emperor, Wanyan Aguda, had sent envoys to pay a visit.

Song Jiang dispatched messengers to Yanjing to notify Zhao Yu, and others to escort Wuxie and Gao Qingyi to Pingzhou.

Soon after, the field headquarters assigned Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo as guest hosts to receive them, sending them to Pingzhou to meet Wuxie and Gao Qingyi.

Wuxie and Gao Qingyi handed Wanyan Aguda's declaration of war to Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo; the letter stated:

"The Emperor of Great Jin writes to His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Great Song:

Having received your letter and heard your envoy's words, we find your sincerity in alliance unfulfilled, and your arguments against avoiding conflict unconvincing. If the two empires cannot accommodate each other, war is inevitable. If so, not only will calamity deepen, but countless lives may suffer ruin. Hence we send envoys, awaiting your gracious reply. The reason is this: Your Majesty has sheltered the Khitan emperor and aided him in replacing his throne, seeking to ally with Khitan against our Great Jin. Moreover, your letter implies further negotiation is possible, urging compromise—yet you show no sign of repentance…"

Wanyan Aguda was saying this: If neither side can convince the other, Great Jin and Great Song must fight—and the victor decides. I, Wanyan Aguda, am a civilized man: before I strike, I warn you. I strike because you shield the remnants of Liao from my destruction; I have already warned you, yet you stubbornly refuse to repent. I had intended to treat you fairly, given your willingness to trade, but you spurned my goodwill—do not blame me if I show no mercy. I ask you once more: will you surrender Yelu Yanxi and his son, and all remnants of Liao? If you still defy reason, do not blame me for my ruthlessness.

This was a clear declaration of war.

Logically, Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo should have returned immediately to Yanjing to deliver Wanyan Aguda's war letter to Zhao Yu.

Yet Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo opened Wanyan Aguda's war letter to Zhao Yu right before Wuxie and Gao Qingyi.

This was, of course, Zhao Yu's prior instruction.

In truth, Zhao Yu and his ministers had already anticipated this war between Song and Jin, and had already mobilized troops and prepared for battle.

Certainly, conservative ministers of Great Song had advised Zhao Yu not to fight the Jin, even claiming this was a Khitan-Jin conflict unrelated to Great Song.

Others argued that Great Song had reclaimed Yan and Ping only by leveraging Jin's strength, and that Wanyan Aguda had treated Zhao Yu with respect and goodwill: he had married all three of his daughters to Zhao Yu, given him three hundred noble Jin women, and presented over three hundred beautiful Khitan women—implying Zhao Yu should not repay kindness with betrayal and provoke this new neighbor.

Zhao Yu knew well: those who urged him not to fight the Jin were, on one hand, conservative and unwilling to risk war; on the other, they profited from trade with Jin, which now controlled the north and brought great wealth to Great Song—and to them.

Zhao Yu ignored these short-sighted men. He understood clearly how cunning, ruthless, and greedy the Jurchens were; without a crushing blow, they would forever covet Great Song's wealth and women—more than even Liao or Xia ever had.

Thus, Zhao Yu overruled all opposition and decided: strike one punch open, to avoid a hundred more.

Therefore, before Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo met Wuxie and Gao Qingyi, Zhao Yu had granted them full authority to handle Jin's challenge, without wasting time on back-and-forth envoys and letters.

After reading Wanyan Aguda's war letter, Zhao Liangsi said: "Affairs between two great states must be negotiated—why resort to such threats?"

Wuxie replied: "Troops are already marching—what is there to negotiate?"

Gao Qingyi tempered his tone: "If you hurry, negotiation is still possible—but your court must hand over all Liao people from Aguda downward, and pay additional tribute, to preserve your Song ancestral temples and state."

Zhao Liangsi asked: "Why does your emperor speak so readily of raising armies?"

Wuxie answered: "Troops are already moving; no negotiation remains. Great Jin now advances south in two columns, forbidding slaughter, merely issuing proclamations to pacify—your court need only prepare for battle."

Zhao Liangsi said: "Many matters were agreed upon between our two states—why now raise armies without even a warning? What principle is this?"

Gao Qingyi replied: "Only because your court has lost the Way, has this come to pass."

Ma Kuo said calmly: "Weapons of war are instruments of doom; heaven abhors them. Your state seized vast Khitan lands by relying on our court's prestige and aid. Now, abandoning past oaths and alliances, you strike first—you have already courted death. And do you not realize that once war begins, when will the spears and shields ever cease?"

Wuxie said: "If our Jin emperor feared your court's strength, we would not dare to wage war."

Gao Qingyi said: "The matter is settled—what use is further arguing? If your court refuses to surrender all Liao people and pay tribute to Great Jin, war between us is unavoidable."

Ma Kuo said coolly: "It seems your court listens to mad words and regards our state as a fallen Khitan—yet beware: you may soon bring ruin upon yourselves."

Wuxie smiled faintly, his face filled with self-satisfaction.

Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo saw further talk was useless—Jin was determined to fight Great Song—so they produced Zhao Yu's declaration of war to Wanyan Aguda:

"Declaration of War:

Threatening with arms is not the way of peace between two states. In the past, the Khitan-Jin conflict had nothing to do with Great Song. We permitted mutual trade to ease border tensions and avoid needless war. Yet I, moved by humanity, could not bear to see lives destroyed, so I intervened to seek peace among all three states, seeking no gain for myself.

Now you cite my aid to Liao as pretext to raise arms—do you think me too timid to fight?

In ancient times, Han Wu Di drove the Xiongnu into Mobei; Tang Taizong crushed the Turks across ten thousand li. Though Great Song governs with benevolence, our resolve to punish even distant aggressors against our might remains unchanged. If you persist in folly, I shall personally lead the campaign, overturn your courts and sweep clean your filth!

No more words. You want war? Then fight!

By the hand of the Emperor of Great Song."

Wuxie and Gao Qingyi had never expected Zhao Yu not only to reject Jin's "peace" terms, but to have already prepared a war letter—clearly, he had long planned to fight Jin.

Wuxie felt Zhao Yu held Great Jin in utter contempt; he grew furious and swore to give Zhao Yu a lesson.

Gao Qingyi sensed something was wrong. He knew Zhao Yu was not impulsive. Even if Zhao Yu were, Great Song's ministers were generally war-averse—how could Great Song so easily decide on war? Something was amiss. Gao Qingyi frowned, silently pondering: 'Could it be that Great Song has some hidden strength, making them so unafraid?'

Wuxie paid no heed. He immediately set the date and location of battle with Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo.

…

The battlefield agreed upon by Song and Jin was the Luanhe Valley.

Formed by multiple tributaries from the northern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains, the terrain was relatively flat, the valley wide enough to deploy, array, and maneuver armies of over a million troops—perfect for large-scale field warfare.

This region was the essential route northward from Songan Pass and Gubeikou, linking north to Zhang Zhongjing and south to Yanjing—both the vital corridor between north and south, and the core passage from Yan into Northeast China.

The Luanhe Valley had always been a key battlefield for Khitan southward raids and Song northern expeditions. For example, during the Northern Expedition of the Yongxi era, the eastern Song army attempted to advance north through this corridor toward Zhang Zhongjing; Khitan forces often assembled here, using the valley's terrain for offense and defense.

The region avoided the mountainous barriers beyond Juyong Pass and lay farther north than Gubeikou, situated in the transitional zone between Yanjing and Zhang Zhongjing Circuit.

Choosing this battlefield favored neither Song nor Jin.