[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-220":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558386,2024,"Chapter 220: Slap","shao-song-chapter-220",220,"\u003Cp>\"Woliyan (Loushi's childhood name, original name) heard that the Emperor was about to die, so he came specially from Shanxi, wanting to see the Emperor one last time... He came late, afraid he would never see him again in this life.\" Wanyan Loushi, fully armored, held the hand of Emperor Wuqimai and spoke thus, immediately causing a stir in the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, these words were too evocative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several young \"princes\" thought this was Nianhan overreaching, that bringing Wanyan Yinshu and Wanyan Xiyin (Wanyan Gushen) into the central government was not enough, and that he was now trying to emulate the Southerners with some kind of \"military remonstrance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, neither Nianhan nor Wuqimai, nor the Great Prince Wanyan Woben, nor the Right Vice-Marshal of the Grand Marshal's Office Wanyan Talan, nor the new Yanjing Garrison Commander Wanyan Yinshu, nor Wanyan Xiyin (Gushen), who was promoting bureaucratic reform and about to become Chancellor—none of these slightly older powerful nobles had such a thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they knew that, unlike the others present, this man who had suddenly arrived would not actively meddle in such matters. His coming here must be for official business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the commotion in the hall was almost instantly suppressed by the glances of a few elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Emperor Wuqimai, embarrassed and unsure of the other's intentions, could only pretend to be foolish and smile bitterly: \"Woliyan (Loushi's original name, childhood name), I don't even know how I am about to die. How do you know? Have you heard some wrong information?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to the Emperor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Loushi stared into the other's eyes and continued to answer in that resonant yet calm voice. \"Your servant guessed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Wuqimai was completely at a loss for words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just then, a young nobleman, richly dressed and almost indistinguishable from a Han or a Jurchen, seemed to see the Emperor's embarrassment and stood up to rebuke: \"Loushi, where is the subject who presumes to guess that the Emperor will die? For this alone, you deserve twenty strokes of the rod...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone followed the sound and saw that it was none other than the current Emperor's legitimate fourth son, Wanyan Alubu, who was only in his twenties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as soon as Alubu opened his mouth, he indeed relieved the Emperor's predicament... Wuqimai, as if granted a great pardon, immediately released Loushi's hands, dashed over to his son in a few strides, grabbed the other's silk collar with one hand, and repeatedly slapped him with the other, directly delivering over a dozen slaps to his own son's face in the main hall of the Yanjing Department of State Affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh, here we must add a bit more. Alubu, who got what he asked for, was not theoretically disgraced, because according to the glorious traditions of the Jurchens, the former tribal alliance leaders and the current Emperor had the right to slap others during deliberations, just as others could drag the Emperor down and beat him with rods... these were all standard fine traditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor receiving a rod beating was called unity between superior and subordinate, enforcing the law like a mountain; and the Emperor slapping others also had its reasoning—it was meant to maintain order and demonstrate authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, no matter what, this kind of slap itself had no intention of deliberately insulting one's dignity; on the contrary, it even represented trust and intimacy to some extent, and Wuqimai was only using this action to change hands this time... Wasn't it Alubu himself who eagerly came to be this tool to ease the awkwardness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem is, what era is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People like Alubu grew up in a nest of wealth and honor, and were steeped in Han culture from a young age, yet unlike slightly older peers like Wanyan Wushu, they lacked rich military experience... Wanyan Wushu joined the army in his teens and was among the last batch of imperial clan members to participate in the Jin's rise to power. Those younger than him could not be considered founders of the nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was another important reason why the Fourth Prince Wushu's campaigns were always unsuccessful, yet he could still get closer and closer to the core power of the central government—even Wushu was now a founding general with seniority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, back to the present, Alubu suffered a beating for nothing, filled with shame and anger, but could only lower his head and sit down. However, except for a few young nobles like Wanyan Wushu who showed a hint of sneer, most of the powerful nobles in the hall paid no attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone just wanted to hear what Loushi had to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Woliyan (Loushi).\" Nianhan, sitting in the upper seat, saw this and spoke at the right time. \"Although Alubu is ignorant of etiquette, your words are indeed strange... The Emperor is in good health, with no sign of any problem. How did you guess he was going to die? You must have some basis, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not only the Emperor, but I think the Marshal is also about to die.\" Loushi bowed sincerely to his superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nianhan was stunned for a moment, let out a laugh, but then immediately withdrew his smile, said nothing, and directly reached for the tea on the table before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn't all. Loushi then turned to his old friends Yinshu and Wanyan Xiyin beside him, his voice still resonant, his tone still sincere: \"Not only the Marshal, but I also came this time to see you, Yinshu, because I'm afraid you are also about to die... As for the Right Army Supervisor (Wanyan Xiyin), you are skilled in both civil and military affairs, with a good temperament cultivated, perhaps you will live a long life.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yinshu and Wanyan Xiyin looked at each other, but said not a word... There was no helping it; they knew Loushi too well. They knew from the start that this man would only talk about military matters, so they just listened to his earlier words and would not bother until a military issue arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Loushi had no intention of being mysterious. Seeing that he had a quiet opportunity to speak, he turned back to Wuqimai and continued sincerely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Emperor, I am not speaking recklessly... Think about it. Last year, the Anban Bojilie Xieye (Wanyan Xieye, Imperial Younger Brother) died of illness, and the Xijing (Datong) Garrison Commander Shemu also died of illness. And last year, your servant's health also gradually deteriorated. On rainy days, my whole body aches unbearably, as if being tortured. I can see I have no more than a year or two left to live... So your servant presumes to guess that we, who once galloped before the late Emperor's horse, are now in our forties and fifties, and are gradually unable to hold on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Wuqimai stood by his son, Nianhan held his tea motionless, and the few older founding heroes in the hall were all momentarily dejected... The entire hall fell into dead silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because these people knew very well in their hearts that what Loushi said was the absolute truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not just two uncles?\" In the midst of the heavy silence, it was the Fourth Prince Wanyan Wushu, who had shaved his beard and looked much younger, who broke the silence first. His sitting posture was strange, but his words were sincere, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. \"Back then, Second Brother (Wanyan Wolibu, Eastern Route Army Commander) was only in his thirties when he suddenly died of illness; another uncle, Wosai, I remember he was the great commander on the western front against Goryeo, and General Loushi was just a soldier under him back then, and he also died of illness in his thirties; and my eldest cousin Moulianghu, whom my father once promised to make a marshal, and who was the best to us brothers, didn't he also die before he was forty? My eldest brother even married his wife to take care of her...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One familiar name after another drifted past their ears, and the many Jurchen nobles in the hall grew increasingly sorrowful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what could be done about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first generation to rise up, what hardships did they suffer in their youth? What did they eat? What did they use? Who hadn't starved or frozen? How many visible and hidden injuries did they sustain in battle? Living to thirty or forty and dying was already common; dying at forty or fifty was probably considered a happy funeral!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So logically, if they died, they died!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now, with wealth, honor, power, and profit all before their eyes, and life not what it used to be, everyone was simply unwilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of which, at this point, we must first sort out the internal turmoil within the Jin state over the past year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, it must be confirmed that the Jin state truly had no intention of moving south last year; it was not some kind of pretense. Even this military campaign during the New Year was truly a solo operation driven solely by Wanyan Loushi; the Eastern Route Army had not even been mobilized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the reason lay in the Jin state's internal and external troubles, with numerous problems occurring intensively within a year...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most obvious one was naturally the sudden severe illness and subsequent death of the Imperial Younger Brother Wanyan Xieye, which left the position of heir vacant, triggering a three-faction struggle for the succession. This need not be elaborated on; it was a struggle for the foundation of the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the succession struggle was ongoing, the Mongols also raised an army and declared war;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also the great defeat of Liu Yu's puppet Qi army in Jingdong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also the collective petition from the Meng'an Mouke in the northern region in the autumn, demanding the expansion of their territorial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And an even more serious external threat was that Yelu Dashi had completely consolidated the remaining Liao forces in the Western Regions during this very year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This former Liao imperial clan general and Khitan jinshi, once captured by Wanyan Loushi, had maneuvered through the Western Regions with his two hundred cavalry remnants, using seven years to string together an eighteen-tribe coalition army, consolidate the entire Western Regions, and raise the banner of the Great Liao once more. And just last autumn, he began to assemble his troops on a large scale, clearly preparing for a major move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the news arrived, even with the Mongols or the Western Xia in between, the words \"Khitan,\" \"Great Liao,\" and \"Yelu\" were still taboos that the Jurchen Great Jin Wanyan clan had to treat with utmost seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, following an unexpected incident, the Khitan nobles in Xijing Datong suddenly rebelled in response to Yelu Dashi and the Mongol Khan Khabul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the incident during the New Year when all the ferry boats at Xiaowusao were lost...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These events, one after another, made it perfectly reasonable for the Jin central government, overwhelmed and exhausted, to decide to temporarily slow down their southward advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, returning to some of the fundamental issues behind the situation, the gradual decline of the founding generation that Loushi mentioned was an undeniable factor contributing to their current predicament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the succession issue that intensified the three-faction struggle was not caused by the sudden collapse of the Imperial Younger Brother Xieye's health, which completely invalidated the succession order arranged by Wanyan Aguda and subsequently broke the balance among the three factions?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, during the succession struggle, what caused the entire situation to become unbalanced was none other than the death of Shemu, another brother of Aguda, Wuqimai, and Xieye, who was the Xijing Datong Garrison Commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden death of Wanyan Shemu from illness had consequences no less severe than the death of the Imperial Younger Brother Xieye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was the Army Supervisor that Aguda had placed in Nianhan's Western Route Army. He had outstanding military achievements and was theoretically Loushi and Yinshu's superior. He had been the Left Army Supervisor of the Grand Marshal's Office since its inception and was one of the few close imperial clan generals in the Western Route Army who could effectively check Nianhan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, when Talan used a scheme to rise in power, Shemu was relieved of his post as Left Army Supervisor and reassigned as Xijing Datong Garrison Commander. But he still sat in a capital city, enjoyed a very high political status, and remained like a dagger firmly pressed against Nianhan's back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Nianhan had already successfully consolidated and expanded his authority by driving up the price between Aguda's direct line and Wuqimai's line before Shemu's death, Shemu's death left Nianhan completely unconstrained politically and militarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Yinshu's promotion from Taiyuan Garrison Commander to Yanjing Garrison Commander, and Wanyan Xiyin (Gushen) being ordered to enter Yanjing to announce political reforms—these were all direct consequences of Shemu's death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn't all. The great Khitan rebellion in Xijing Datong was undoubtedly another direct consequence of Shemu's death, and it was Loushi who later cleaned up the mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, before his death, Shemu had always supported Aguda's eldest son, Wanyan Woben. His presence and steadfast attitude kept Aguda's direct line, one of the three factions, tightly united. But when this imperial uncle suddenly died of illness, everyone in Yanjing knew that the Third Prince, Wanyan Eriduo, had developed his own ambitions for the succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, not to mention that this dispute was unresolved and almost farcical, nor that the fundamental issue of the throne was something no one was willing to relax about, the successive deaths of the brothers Xieye and Shemu had already brought this fierce struggle to a point where Nianhan was in a position of complete victory!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, Loushi's sudden arrival and single sentence made everyone in the hall realize... the matter had become so dire that it wasn't just the two lingering maladies since the founding of the state—namely, the inability to establish a proper imperial succession law, plus the problem of three major factional rivalries—behind it all, there was also a direct connection to the large-scale generational turnover beginning at the highest levels of the Jin state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the time Aguda effectively unified the Jurchens to the present, it hadn't even been twenty years, but because of the harsh living conditions in their youth, the founding elders were indeed withering away day by day, and the rise of new men was unstoppable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the juncture of old and new, if things went poorly, it might shake the very foundation of the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, over the past half year, this farcical, naked political struggle had already effectively shaken the state's foundation, but they were simply unwilling to admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Woliyan (Loushi) has been thoughtful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuqimai, after a moment of gloom, came back and grasped Loushi's hand again. \"But although my body also has its ailments, it's not yet to that point. On the contrary, you—are you truly already beyond help?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I were to lie at home and rest, I might still have two or three years to live.\" Loushi's words were as calm as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the people around mostly smiled bitterly, because those who truly knew Loushi understood that this man could never go home to enjoy his leisure; he would die in the army camp. And with that thought, Yinshuke and Wanyan Xiyin (Gushen), two comrades familiar with Loushi, had already begun exchanging glances, vaguely guessing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there something you need to entrust?\" Wuqimai, after a moment's thought, asked seriously. \"Or is there something you wish to request? Speak freely...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed there is,\" Loushi replied earnestly. \"My two sons at home, Hunü and Mouyan, are both unpromising. And now, I will die, but I fear they will come to no good end in the future...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuqimai couldn't help but turn his head to glance at the silent Nianhan behind him, and for once felt a rare excitement—although this Jin ruler knew full well that Loushi's visit likely carried great significance, no matter what was behind it, since the conversation had reached this point, he was determined to bestow this favor over Nianhan's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Wuqimai simply replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Woliyan, your toils and merits are great. I have long wanted to grant you a death-exempting gold tablet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for the great favor, but my two sons are not the type to break the law or rebel. Your Majesty's gold tablet is fine, but of little use.\" At this point, Loushi finally gave a wry smile. \"And I will not hide it from Your Majesty—what I fear is that even if my two sons cause no trouble, they may still one day face death and the extermination of their clan...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When these words were spoken, the Jurchen nobles in the hall fell into an awkward silence again... because these words sounded all too much like a mockery of the excessive infighting in the central government over the past half year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That won't happen.\" Wuqimai also gave a dry laugh to cover it up, then looked around. \"Even if we all die, dare I ask the young men in this hall today—who would touch Woliyan's sons? Why speak of death and clan extermination...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Song people will! That Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou will!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Loushi was about to get to the point, Wanyan Wushu once again spoke up first, causing Loushi to stare fixedly at this young Fourth Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Wushu, paying no heed to Loushi, directly stood up and turned around, sweeping his gaze over the many Jurchen nobles in the hall before pointing to the sky and continuing loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not just Woliyan's sons—your sons will also be killed by him! Your wives, your daughters will be seized and taken to Dongjing, just like the women of the Zhao clan, to be given to Song soldiers! You spend all your days here fighting for power and position, utterly ignoring the great affairs of state. I ask you, using General Loushi's visit today—when the Great Jin state is no more, how will your descendants avoid death and clan extermination?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wushu once again acting madly and speaking absurdly, the ruler Wuqimai, Grand Marshal Nianhan, First Prince Wolian, and Third Prince Eliduo—the only four people present with the authority to restrain Wushu—almost all stood up at once, ready to rebuke him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuqimai even let go of Loushi and turned around, perhaps to slap Wushu again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, at that moment, Loushi suddenly spoke: \"Let Your Majesty, the Marshal, and the princes know... what the Fourth Prince said is precisely what Woliyan must say today. If we continue like this, the Great Jin may not be a match for the Song in the future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuqimai, who had already taken three or five steps, froze on the spot. Nianhan, Wolian, and Eliduo, who had all risen, were also stunned as if struck by a paralysis spell. Even many of the nobles around were momentarily dazed... because the same words, spoken by different people, were entirely different things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, even Wushu was a bit stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, the first to make a sound was Wanyan Yinshuke. This newly appointed Yanjing Defender couldn't help shifting his seat, revealing his unease... after all, if there was one person in the world whose military judgment Yinshuke would unconditionally trust, it could only be Wanyan Loushi standing in the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yinshuke was frightened, and so were the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Wanted to sleep, didn't fall asleep... still typed it up and posted it.\u003C\u002Fp>",3268,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","72b904fa5266d53a9c63d186e2adcaaed2c6e5217f2887834bc25ceb82d86a8a","shao-song-chapter-221","shao-song-chapter-219",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]