Chapter 349: Autumn Wind

In the seventh month, the Fire Star moves westward.

For now, the region south of the Yellow River might not yet feel the change in temperature, but here in Yanjing, the passing of summer was already clearly perceptible.

Still, this was probably a good thing.

Because for the common people of this era, summer heat and bitter cold were no laughing matter—they still meant life or death. Of course, though spring and autumn had pleasant temperatures, they also brought the busy farming season… equally toilsome.

Conversely, for the true nobles of various tribes within Yanjing city and some wealthy folk, the change of seasons seemed a purely good thing.

The autumn sky was clear and the air crisp, the temperature pleasant. Men of letters could indulge in melancholy autumn reflections, composing a couple of poems to present to the young monarch, hoping for future favor; while sons of various tribes could gallop out for autumn hunts, displaying their martial prowess before the Jurchen nobles… at any rate, they no longer had to spend all day as idle young masters fanning themselves.

Returning to the present, early that morning, Qin Hui, having changed into riding clothes, emerged from his home. On the vacant ground before the gate, several dozen servants and household retainers, plus over a dozen Han Chinese warriors, were already waiting. Upon seeing their master come out, they split into two groups… the former, after the master nodded, directly led several carts of different types toward the north of the city; the latter, universally clad in leather armor, mounted their horses along with Chancellor Qin, and then, surrounded by attendants, headed toward the Department of State Affairs.

Along the way, similar groups with mounted warrior escorts kept appearing. Seeing that it was Qin Huizhi—a current grand councilor, a confidant of the Prince of Wei, and always known for his amiable manner—not only ordinary officials and Han personnel, but even some Jurchen generals and high-ranking dignitaries were polite, making way, yielding slightly, or even falling in behind him.

During this time, Qin Huizhi first encountered the brothers Wulinda Zanmo, Minister of Rites, and Wulinda Taiyu, a Myriad Household Commander; then he met Han Fang, a Hanlin Academician, with his entire family; and finally, as expected, he ran into Hong Ya, Chief Commissioner of the Capital Secretariat, and Zheng Xiunian, Vice Minister of Rites, who had been waiting halfway. The assembled group—the Wulinda brothers bringing nearly a hundred iron-armored knights at the largest, and someone like Zheng Xiunian bringing seven or eight leather-armored attendants at the smallest—nearly blocked the entire street.

"Minister Wulinda."

After riding a few more steps, Qin Hui, positioned in the middle of the mounted group, looked around and took the initiative to speak with a smile. "There are too many of us. How about we stretch the column out and all keep to the right, to avoid blocking anyone's way?"

Hearing this, before Wulinda Zanmo could respond, his brother, Myriad Household Commander Wulinda Taiyu, was the first to dismiss it: "Chancellor Qin is excellent in every way, but he's too cautious… When we lot are walking, if any of the great princes come, we'll naturally dismount and yield together. But if it's not the great princes, who exactly are we afraid of?"

This statement carried considerable weight coming from Wulinda Taiyu's mouth.

You see, the Wulinda clan, as vassals of the Wanyan clan, had initially been absorbed by Wanyan Nianhan, making them part of his faction. But since they had their own tribe, they had become one of the supporting pillars of the Wanyan regime quite early on. Nianhan's downfall did not severely impact their clan's status.

On the contrary, having already killed the male members of Nianhan's family and driven away the monarch and his son, the three sons of Aguda, in order to maintain stability, deliberately sought to win over the highly representative Wulinda clan.

For instance, Wulinda Zanmo, the de facto leader of the Wulinda clan, had a wife who was the wet nurse for Nianhan's grandson's child. Naturally, he was somewhat panicked after the coup at the Department of State Affairs. But it was Qin Huizhi who proposed the strategy of betrothing the eldest son of the former Third Prince, now Prince of Jin, Wanyan Eliduo, to Wulinda Zanmo's daughter.

From then on, the Wulinda clan leaped to become a core pillar of Aguda's direct lineage.

And having become part of the inner circle, the Wulinda clan had recently advanced even further… It all started with the coup at the Department of State Affairs. After Nianhan was executed and, as promised, Wanyan Balisu was promoted to actual commander of the Western Route Army and Taiyuan Defender, in order to prevent the Yinshu brothers from becoming too powerful, and also to retaliate against Yinshu's hesitation during the coup, Yinshu's post as Yanjing Defender was, 'as a matter of course,' directly abolished after Yanjing became the sole capital.

Thus, the Yanjing region was merely given a foundation of four other Hezha Meng'an from the Great Jin, plus remnants of Yinshu's old troops to form the core of an Imperial Guard, with no additional troops stationed.

However, just two months ago, Wulinda Taiyu, a Myriad Household Commander of the Eastern Route Army stationed around Zhending Prefecture, received an order to transfer his own Myriad Household directly to the south of Yanjing city and establish a large camp. He himself was subtly taking the place of Wanyan Yinshu, becoming the new commander of the Yanjing garrison.

Such a prominent clan was, in theory, not afraid of anyone.

But fear aside, Wulinda Zanmo, the clan's chieftain, had a background in diplomatic work and was far more tactful than his brother. After a moment's thought, he interrupted his brother's complaints and personally turned back to order his armored men to clear the way.

Interestingly, no sooner had they made way than several dozen Jurchen armored cavalry indeed galloped past from behind, not even glancing at this group of Yanjing nobles as they overtook them mid-road.

The group was completely stunned at first, but quickly recovered. Looking at the banners, the one who had just passed was none other than Wulinda Zanmo's archrival, Wendun Sizhong… Given his temperament, seniority, and status as a confidant of the Fourth Prince, it would have been more unusual if he hadn't acted this way upon seeing the Wulinda clan's banner ahead.

However, unlike Wulinda Taiyu's blazing anger and Zheng Xiunian's trembling fear, the other four—Qin Hui, Hong Ya, Han Fang, and Wulinda Zanmo—exchanged glances after recovering.

For no other reason than that Wendun Sizhong should not have been in Yanjing—he had been posted out to Hezhong Prefecture for a full year.

For someone like him to return to Yanjing at this time meant there was likely trouble at court!

But in such a public setting, and with their differing positions, it was hard to discuss. They could only suppress their various suspicions, force cheerful expressions, and arrive at the Department of State Affairs on time.

Upon arrival, they saw that the Department of State Affairs was already packed with people, inside and out. Ceremonial guards, armored soldiers, and banners were densely arrayed, and Yanjing nobles were everywhere.

Of course, Qin Huizhi and his party didn't have to wait outside. They abandoned their escorts together and entered the Department of State Affairs, proceeding directly to the main hall to pay homage to the monarch and two of the three ruling princes.

Immediately afterward, the Prince of Jin and Chief Minister of the Capital Secretariat, Wanyan Eliduo, and the Prince of Wei and Chief Minister of the Privy Council, Wanyan Wushu, together invited the monarch, also in full military dress, to leave the hall.

The uncle and two nephews came outside, mounted their horses on the open ground before the hall. Then the Vice Chief Minister of the Capital Secretariat, Wanyan Xiyin; the Vice Commissioner of the Privy Council, Qin Hui; along with Wanyan Yinshu, Wanyan Talan, Wanyan Wuye, Wanyan Pujianu, Wulinda Zanmo, Wulinda Taiyu, Han Fang, Hong Ya… and so on—Jurchen nobles, high-ranking central officials, and even mid-level civil and military officials like Zheng Xiunian—each mounted their horses and clustered around the three. The monarch was slightly ahead, the two princes half a horse-length behind, and together they left the Department of State Affairs.

Outside, tribal chieftains, Yanjing nobles, and military officers of various ranks who had been waiting there drew their blades, bared their steel, and cheered and shouted.

In the end, led by the Imperial Hezha Meng'an, they gradually fell into order. First, they shouted in unison, wishing the monarch to live one hundred and twenty years; then they shouted, wishing the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Wei to be blessed, the former never to fall ill, the latter never to be wounded.

After making a racket for a while, two Hezha Meng'an led the way. Various clans and tribes followed with their own warriors, and they all proceeded north along Yanjing's main thoroughfare, exiting the city.

Then, the logistics teams waiting outside the city fell in at the proper time. Meanwhile, Wulinda Taiyu had already slipped out of the column early, circled around the west of the city, and, leading the five Meng'an he had prepared, caught up with the imperial procession, heading north.

It turned out that the young monarch's birthday was in early autumn. Once this birthday passed, he would be fifteen by nominal age. And since he had reached fifteen, as the Great Jin Emperor, who founded his state on military might, he had to display some martial prowess.

And today, all this fuss was precisely to accompany this Great Jin Emperor on his first departure from the capital for an autumn hunt.

To ensure the success of this autumn hunt, the Prince of Liao, Grand Preceptor and Chief Minister of the Chancellery, Wanyan Oben, who had partly raised the monarch, had already left earlier with the remaining two Hezha Meng'an to make preparations.

The so-called Prince of Jin and Chief Minister of the Capital Secretariat, Wanyan Eliduo, also turned back directly after leaving the city for ten li.

Finally, the Prince of Wei, Wanyan Wushu, assisted the monarch, leading the massive autumn hunt procession, heading north all the way—the first stop on this autumn hunt was not the old Great Jin capital of Huining Prefecture in the northeast, nor Liaoyang Prefecture, but the old Liao capital, commonly known as Shangjing, the seat of Linhuang Prefecture.

That is, Yelu Dashi's hometown.

In fact, this move was somewhat expected… In the past, the Liao emperors constantly visited Jurchen chieftains to maintain stability; today, the Jurchen emperor naturally had to visit Khitan chieftains for the same reason.

Courtesy demands reciprocity.

Especially now, considering the increasingly active and growing Mongols west of Linhuang Prefecture, and even more so considering the aggressive diplomatic encirclement and alliance policy of the Zhao court to the south, going there at this time should greatly intimidate the Eastern Mongol King, Khabul, and the Khitan tribes of Linhuang Prefecture, as well as those fence-sitters caught between Khabul's Eastern Mongol alliance and Linhuang Prefecture.

The autumn sky was clear and the air crisp. The reputation of the Jurchen armored cavalry was still formidable, and military discipline still held. Moreover, this was the monarch's first time leading troops in military dress at the age of fifteen, carrying immense political significance. So during the northward journey, few dared to cause trouble.

Thus, in just a few days, the imperial procession safely arrived at the strategic frontier area of Xinghua (modern-day Chengde area) and encamped by the Luan River.

That evening, the Prince of Wei, Wanyan Wushu, presided over a 'pre-imperial military council,' where it was decided to abandon the route through Dading Prefecture in the northeast and instead proceed directly along the open terrain of the upper Luan River toward Linhuang Prefecture. There were three reasons:

First, to avoid such a massive procession disturbing the populace in prosperous areas, especially interfering with the autumn harvest;

Second, the open terrain along the upper Luan River was suitable for marching and also suitable for hunting;

Third, staying closer to the western side would make it easier to intimidate the Mongols, while reaching Linhuang Prefecture quickly would make it easier to intimidate the Khitans.

The Prince of Wei spoke with such compelling logic—who dared to oppose?

Naturally, it was passed unanimously.

You must understand, since Wanyan Wushu's humiliating retreat from Xijing last year, quite a few old-school frontier nobles had taken the opportunity to attack the Prince of Wei under the banner of tribal democracy… But no one expected that not only the Eastern Route Army generals, who were always part of the Wanyan brothers' direct lineage, but also the Western Route Army generals, would all support Wanyan Wushu.

From Balisu on down, the Western Route Army generals joined the Eastern Route Army generals in submitting memorials, stating in essence that this time it really wasn't the Prince of Wei's fault. It was just that the Zhao Song monarch opposite had always been a calculating man, who happened to seize the moment when the Great Jin was preparing for a strategic withdrawal. Taking advantage of the window when the Great Jin couldn't make up its mind to cross the river for a decisive battle, he launched a major offensive, making it seem like the Song people had gained a great advantage.

In truth, those places were already chicken ribs that the state had planned to abandon.

The only problem was Western Xia. They were supposed to be given these chicken ribs to secure the flank, but Western Xia brought disaster upon themselves, and there was no time to save them.

In short, the Prince of Wei had made no mistake. The officers and men of the Western Route Army were still valiant. It was just that their allies were too rotten, and the enemy on the other side too cunning.

Even Wanyan Huonü, who had returned to Hedong, submitted a memorial expressing his approval of Wanyan Wushu… This was not incomprehensible, because Wanyan Wushu had originally gone out to resolve Huonü's separatist problem, and throughout the process, he had treated Huonü with great leniency, effectively pardoning Huonü's separatist actions several times.

In response, although Wanyan Huonü didn't know the story of seven captures and seven releases, he was somewhat convinced and grateful.

And since the upper and lower ranks of the two field armies, east and west, had all expressed their support, those beyond the passes could only grumble and sneer, powerless to do anything. Moreover, by waving the banner of tribal democracy, they had angered the young monarch, the native Yanyun faction that had risen to power with the new monarch's accession, and surrendered men like Qin Gui.

Therefore, after a round of turmoil, contrary to what those people had imagined, thanks to the support of the army, the native Yanyun forces, and the surrendered men, and because among the three brothers, the Prince of Jin, Wanyan Eliduo, was increasingly devoted to Buddhism and his health was gradually failing like that of Wanyan Loushi's generation, the actual power and position of the Prince of Wei, Wanyan Wushu, rose instead of falling.

Turning back to that evening, the military council passed without any surprise, and the central officials naturally returned to their own camps to rest.

By this time, people like Hong Ya and Zheng Xiunian, unaccustomed to the long march with the army, were already utterly exhausted and simply lay down.

But the Vice Commissioner of the Privy Council, Qin Gui, was an exception. In his youth, he had been nicknamed "Long-Legged Qin," and later he had even experienced being captured and taken north, so he had long since adapted to this kind of jolting on horseback. Therefore, after returning, instead of resting, he roused several of his household guards and, carrying lanterns and torches, ignoring the rising autumn wind, made a brief patrol of the camp... If he encountered anyone lacking something, he always tried to help out a bit; if he encountered anyone who had suffered a grievance on the road, he never failed to offer some comfort... After making the rounds, he could actually talk amiably with Jurchens, Yanyun Han children, Bohai people, Xi people, and Khitans alike.

However, after finishing his patrol and returning to his own tent, this Lord Qin was astonished to find that someone had already arrived early and was waiting for him inside his tent, and it seemed they had been waiting for quite some time.

That's right, the visitor was none other than one of the most powerful figures in the world today—the Great Jin's Prince of Wei and Privy Councilor, Wanyan Wushu.

"Lord Qin, have you read all those dispatches from the south?"

Wanyan Wushu, who had been reading the dispatches, sat unceremoniously on Qin Gui's couch. Hearing the sound, he looked up, his slightly bearded, fair face illuminated by the lamplight, facing Qin Gui.

"This subordinate has naturally read them."

Facing the increasingly imposing Wanyan Wushu, Qin Gui carefully cupped his hands, then sat down calmly yet somewhat cautiously on a small stool opposite his own bed.

"So, Lord Qin, what are your thoughts?" Wushu put down the dispatches and asked seriously.

"This subordinate believes that while the sovereign in the south is indeed a martial lord, he is somewhat too impatient. This time, many of his actions have a flavor of deviousness, not what an enlightened ruler would do..." Qin Gui said with an utterly sincere expression.

"What is 'deviousness'?" Wushu continued to press seriously.

"So-called deviousness means taking shortcuts using cunning and deceitful methods." Qin Hui remained sincere.

"Is this deviousness?" Wushu pointed to the dispatches at the head of the bed, still pressing for an answer.

"Of course it is." Qin Hui insisted firmly. "Stopping at nothing for thirty million strings of cash—how is that not deviousness?"

Wushu frowned slightly and said nothing.

Perhaps sensing what Wushu was thinking, this Lord Qin took the initiative to explain further: "However, these matters in the dispatches are only deviousness from the perspective of the Zhao sovereign, because he is, after all, the emperor of a great state, ruling over hundreds of millions of subjects. If someone else did them, it wouldn't be considered deviousness... Even here, it would only be deviousness if our monarch did them after coming of age."

Wushu's brow relaxed slightly, and he slowly nodded, but still had some doubts: "Must the governance of a great state's emperor be as open and upright as deploying regular troops?"

"Exactly." Qin Gui did not hesitate for a moment. "Because the most important thing for a great state's emperor is his identity as emperor. With this identity, the most crucial thing is that everyone under heaven recognizes it... Take the Zhao sovereign, for example. In the past, during the Jingkang Incident, he was panicked and helpless, almost like a homeless dog. But once he took charge, Li Gang, Lü Haowen, Han Shizhong, and Zhang Jun all followed him. Getting rid of Huang Qianshan was like swatting a fly, killing Liu Guangshi was like killing a chicken... Why was that? Wasn't it because he was the sovereign of the Great Song, the Son of Heaven! Everyone recognized his identity!"

Wushu nodded repeatedly: "I understand what Hui Zhi means... The Great Song is too big, its scholars and common people too numerous, its own strength too diverse. To mobilize that strength to get things done, no method is as useful in the long run as his identity as sovereign. So maintaining his prestige and authority is the most reasonable and appropriate method... And these actions of his—selling his own private property, seizing the maritime merchants' business, and the matters in Goryeo where Jin Fushi personally came to report about bullying envoys and forcing trade—while they can quickly raise some money, they actually harm his prestige. In the long run, the gain does not outweigh the loss. Is that what you mean?"

"The Prince of Wei sees clearly." Qin Gui quickly nodded in agreement.

"But what if he successfully raises those thirty million strings in the short term, then directly launches a northern expedition, and the northern expedition succeeds?" Wushu suddenly frowned. "His current imperial prestige mostly comes from the battlefield, right? If he consumes some of it to exchange for silver and money, then goes to war again, and if he wins again, wouldn't he not need to worry about long-term prestige?"

"What the Prince of Wei says is very true." Qin Gui seemed to have anticipated this question, but instead stroked his beard and countered: "But what if he loses? Wouldn't he have to pay back the principal with interest?"

"So, it still comes down to a decisive battle on the battlefield?" Wushu frowned even more. "But I feel like Lord Qin has said a lot without really saying anything?"

"The Prince of Wei is joking." Qin Gui quickly shook his head and smiled wryly upon hearing this. "This subordinate is already on the southern wanted list. I share the glory and disgrace of the Great Jin. Why would I play word games with the Prince of Wei? Compared to that, I have a question to ask His Highness the Prince... Your Highness has always known military affairs. Dare I ask Your Highness whether you think it would be better for the Song army to cross the river sooner, when their strength is weaker, or later, when their strength is greater? Doesn't the Great King want the other side to come sooner?"

To this seemingly simple answer, Wanyan Wushu remained silent, then fell into a long silence.

After a long while, this Great Jin's ruling Prince of Wei finally spoke slowly from his couch: "To be honest with Hui Zhi, before this, I was set on reforming the military system, wanting to restore the former strength of the Jurchen army. But these days, trying to do this, I've realized that many other things must be done first before it's possible—there are too many entanglements... And with the south pressing like this, I've indeed become a bit hesitant. Tell me, if I strive to reform and fail, causing unrest and panic, and then the south crosses the river, wouldn't that be making things worse? And if I don't reform, watching the south grow stronger while we become more and more chaotic, wouldn't that be waiting for death?"

"Fourth Prince, this is the situation of a life-and-death struggle between great states. The slightest mistake will lead to eternal damnation... Please abandon your old mindset of the Great Jin dominating the world and taking whatever it wants." Qin Gui opportunely changed the form of address. "The south has similar difficulties! You and that Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou are actually facing each other on equal terms this time!"

Wushu was slightly startled.

And Qin Gui lowered his voice, becoming completely serious: "Moreover, why think about things three years from now? The current situation is that the sovereign in the south, as always, whether by devious or orthodox means, has pushed things through against all odds! And what will the Fourth Prince do? Will you just wait here idly?"

Wushu finally let out a long breath, then patted the couch and sighed in response: "How could I just wait idly? Though I'm hesitant in my heart, I've been watching everything, and I haven't dared to stop for a moment... The south wants to expand its army, so I set up a system of conscripted troops as reserves, and I'm trying to recruit raw Jurchens from beyond the passes to establish a new army. The south wants to form alliances, so I sent envoys to Eastern Mongolia and summoned Goryeo envoys as a countermeasure. The south wants to send troops to suppress some Jiangnan Dao school, so I prepared this autumn hunt to suppress the rear. The south has come up with all sorts of schemes to raise funds, and I'm gritting my teeth to clean up those increasingly chaotic Meng'an and Mouke in the Two Rivers region... Hui Zhi, ever since I returned from the Western Capital, I haven't dared to hesitate for a moment, haven't dared to be at ease for a moment!"

Qin Gui nodded repeatedly: "The Prince of Wei's hard work is seen by all of us, high and low."

Seeing this, Wanyan Wushu finally decided not to stay any longer. He stood up directly and said to Qin Gui: "Lord Qin, you've worked hard. Rest early... It was I who forbade bringing maidservants along. Please don't take offense, Lord Qin!"

Qin Gui stood up as well and immediately smiled wryly: "Even if the Prince of Wei permitted bringing maidservants, how could this subordinate possibly bring any?"

Wanyan Wushu, who had already stood up, was slightly taken aback, then seemed to remember something. He said no more, simply clasped his hands behind his back and headed out. Qin Gui followed closely behind, preparing to see him off.

However, just as he was about to exit the tent, Wushu suddenly turned back to look at him and said calmly: "Lord Qin, this autumn hunt will probably be quite strenuous... Your household is quite large now. I'll give you twenty armored soldiers; keep them under your command."

Qin Gui was slightly startled, then immediately realized something, and promptly lowered his head in acknowledgment.

The autumn wind of the seventh month began to rise, and the night passed without incident.

PS: Thank you to the big shot Dream Hero for the reward, and also to the big shot Maybe Future for the reward. Maybe Future has been rewarding continuously, and before I knew it, they became a Silver Ally. I am deeply grateful.