Chapter 428: The Treaty

By the Hutuo River in the afternoon, the sunlight was bright and the spring breeze brushed gently. If not for the dense rows of corpses outside Zhending City and the occasional broken banners and bodies floating in the rushing waters of the Hutuo River, it would be hard to imagine that just two days ago, on the opposite bank, a battle had erupted that would decide the century-long fate of two vast nations.

Beneath the dragon banner fluttering in the wind, the atmosphere was slightly tense. The casually dressed Zhao Jiu had been staring blankly up at the banner overhead, causing many to look up as well, and many others to dare not raise their heads at all.

"It needs a wash," Zhao Jiu finally lowered his head after a long while, then pointed at the dragon banner above and spoke to Shao Chengzhang, the Director of the Inner Palace Service, at his side. "It's a bit stiff... the holes should be mended too."

Even Shao Chengzhang, known for his steady and stern demeanor, was momentarily taken aback before hurriedly responding.

Having settled that matter, Zhao Jiu, seated on a camp stool, finally looked at the group of men standing before him with clasped hands, and ultimately fixed his gaze on the foremost one: "You are Eluguan? The sixth son of Wanyan Aguda, the Jin Emperor?"

"The surrenderer is indeed Eluguan, ranked sixth, formerly the garrison commander of Datong Prefecture." Like many behind him, Eluguan finally let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. After a moment's hesitation, he refrained from kneeling, merely bowing deeply with clasped hands amidst the surrounding armored soldiers. "Today, I have come specifically to pay homage to Your Majesty, and to request..."

"No princely title?" Zhao Jiu clearly did not care much about these formalities, but frowned and pressed further. "I recall that in recent years, the Jin Kingdom lavishly bestowed princely titles, did it not?"

"Yes." Interrupted, Eluguan quickly responded with clasped hands. "Let Your Majesty know, that is indeed the case. But at that time, it was to win over hearts and minds across the land. My eldest brother once told me... that we brothers should not seize the titles of others."

"That does make some sense." Zhao Jiu nodded, unconcerned. "But it was probably also to establish hierarchy and emphasize the authority of you three elder brothers among the siblings, right? You have over a dozen brothers..."

This sounded somewhat like a challenge to Eluguan's standing, and the Sixth Prince himself was momentarily unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, the official before him did not dwell on the matter but quickly got to the point: "Eluguan, I actually did not want to come today, but I came anyway. Do you know why?"

"Your Majesty is benevolent and forgiving." As a member of the imperial family who grew up after the founding of the state, Eluguan, though not comparable to the current Jin ruler, still possessed basic cultural literacy. Coupled with the fact that the other party had not forced him to kneel, his words were particularly soft.

"It's not about benevolence or forgiveness. I didn't want to come because I've been in low spirits since the battle two days ago... Think about it, after ten years of hardship, almost like sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, now that success has come in one morning, I can entrust almost all major affairs to my marshals and lie back in comfort, watching the sweeping momentum unfold... It naturally feels a bit empty." As he spoke, Zhao Jiu pointed towards Zhending City not far away, where Han Shizhong's banner had already entered the city with his bronze-masked soldiers. "To be honest with you, I even wrote a fan inscription about 'the empty-hearted gentleman' yesterday... but felt ashamed and tore it up."

Eluguan was speechless for a moment, but could only grit his teeth and praise: "Your Majesty has refined tastes."

"As for why I came today," Zhao Jiu ignored him, continuing to gaze calmly towards Zhending City and explain, "one reason is that you showed sincerity, saving me a lot of trouble. You must understand, since Taiyuan, my gunpowder supplies have been insufficient. At most, it's enough to blow up Yanjing City once, and I certainly wouldn't waste it here in Zhending. Yet Zhending City happens to have so many stores... Under these circumstances, since you are willing to surrender with courtesy, I naturally must reciprocate. Besides that, there is another reason: Minister Lu Xiang, who accompanied me, caught a chill watching the battle in the rain two days ago and has been bedridden ever since. His health has been failing since the Northern Expedition began, and I fear delaying his return to Yanjing... Before the Song-Jin war, he was the Grand Coordinator of Yanshan Circuit."

This sounded both sincere and serious, but to Eluguan's ears, it seemed more like a direct discussion of peace terms.

After all, regarding gunpowder, what Zhao Jiu claimed he had was one thing; whether the Jin Kingdom dared to believe it was another. And as for the bond between him and Minister Lu Xiang, only the two of them truly knew... But both matters directly touched upon Yanjing, forcing one to take them seriously.

After all, the Yanshan Circuit was the root cause of the war between the two nations, and also the core territory that the Song had the strength to take but had not yet taken after this battle... From any angle, it was the central condition for peace negotiations. And from the perspective of today's surrenderers, since they were preparing to surrender and negotiate, they had already tacitly accepted this option in their hearts.

However, tacit acceptance was one thing; admitting it verbally was another... Because it was the capital city, Eluguan had no authority to make promises. On the contrary, he had to do his utmost to defend and preserve Yanjing to appear credible.

Of course, since they had already surrendered, objections were futile. For now, it was certainly not wrong to listen to Zhao Jiu's terms.

"Your Majesty!" With this thought, Eluguan on the ground quickly produced the words he had prepared. "Yanjing is our nation's capital, not something I, a garrison commander who has lost his post in Datong, can speak of..."

"I know." Zhao Jiu waved his hand impatiently. "Eluguan... I never expected a surrenderer like you to broker any real peace talks, nor did I hope to take what I want through mere words. But since you initiated the talks, listen to what capital I still have and what my true intentions are... so that those who truly hold power in your country can make a decision when necessary."

"Yes." Eluguan grew increasingly relaxed, and the Jin civil and military officials standing cautiously behind him also felt relieved, for this official was indeed straightforward and clearly had no intention of making things difficult for them.

"Then listen carefully." Zhao Jiu continued, his tone suddenly turning serious. "Do not interrupt without permission."

After a moment's thought, Eluguan once again led the Jin officials behind him in a bow with clasped hands, then rose and stood respectfully with hands clasped.

"First." Zhao Jiu sat on the camp stool, not looking at the other party, but speaking calmly to the empty ground before him. "The war began over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The Jin Kingdom must withdraw south of the Yanshan Mountains... This is a fundamental condition."

No one around spoke, only the dragon banner rustled overhead, harmonizing with the sound of the Hutuo River beside them.

"Second, Liaodong and Liaoxi have been directly under the Central Plains since ancient times... Shun divided the land into five garrisons and twelve prefectures, and among them, the northern garrison's Mount Yiwulu is in Liaoxi... This is truly 'since ancient times,' and there is no reason to abandon it." Zhao Jiu glanced at the suddenly pale Eluguan, then looked at Liu Yan, who had closed his eyes at some point, and continued calmly. "Therefore, the former Liao Central Capital Circuit and the area south of Huanglong Prefecture in the Eastern Capital Circuit, a total of thirty-eight prefectures, must all be returned."

Eluguan now felt as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat, but like many of the Zhending civil and military officials behind him, though shaken, he could only stand with clasped hands in silence due to the official's clear warning against interrupting.

"Third." Zhao Jiu pointed to Yelu Yudu, who stood silently at attention nearby. "I also intend to reclaim the Yinshan region and attach it to Ningxia Circuit. In its place, a Khitan Autonomous Circuit will be established around Linhuang Prefecture... I have already appointed the first Grand Coordinator: General Yelu Yudu... The Jin Kingdom must cede the ancestral lands of the Khitan and Xi tribes east of the Great Pine Forest, that is, your Linhuang Prefecture Circuit."

"I am infinitely grateful." Yelu Yudu did not hesitate, kneeling and kowtowing to express his thanks. The surrounding Khitan descendants also knelt directly.

Eluguan's face grew even paler.

"Fourth." Zhao Jiu nodded to Yelu Yudu, signaling him to rise, then continued calmly. "All gold, silver, and people plundered during the Jingkang Incident must be returned."

At this point, Zhao Jiu slightly stretched his foot, causing Eluguan and the others to think the words were finished and stir slightly.

But soon, as Yelu Yudu and the other Khitan rose, the official continued: "The above four articles are about how to end the war; they are external matters for the Jin Kingdom. But if the Jin Kingdom wishes to continue, it must not only conclude this war but also reform its internal affairs and return to the Chinese system. Therefore, besides the four external articles, there are four more."

Eluguan's face was ashen. Though still afraid to speak, he could not help but angrily turn back to look at Hong Ya. However, Hong Ya met his gaze with a calm expression, which only made the Sixth Prince panic momentarily before lowering his head again to listen.

"First, the Jin Kingdom must re-establish its status with the Great Song..." Saying this, Zhao Jiu sighed deeply. "My eldest son died of fright during the chaos of the Jingkang escape. If he were alive, he would be only seven or eight years younger than your ruler. So, I mean, why not let him take my son's place and become my adopted son? When he comes of age next year, he can come before me in person, just like the Eastern and Western Mongols, and I will personally crown him... Only then can I convince my marshals and generals not to always think of striking straight at Huining Prefecture and wiping out your nest."

Eluguan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and was left utterly numb.

"Second, the Jin Kingdom must observe proper rituals and protocols. Since it is a father-son state, it must obey orders and sweep away all northern resistance for me and the Great Song." Zhao Jiu continued with conviction. "Third, the system must continue to be Sinicized... Therefore, without my permission, you may not arbitrarily change the ruling prince or the governing chancellor."

At this point, Zhao Jiu finally looked directly at Eluguan: "Specifically, the Sixth Prince must inherit your third brother's princely title, participate in overseeing major military and state affairs, and the positions of Qin Gui, Hong Ya, and Wanyan Xiyin as chancellors must be secured."

Eluguan was dazed, and Hong Ya behind him also looked up in shock. Amidst their stunned silence, there was even a hint of eagerness stirring.

"Finally." Zhao Jiu paused, then spoke each word deliberately. "Wushu must be killed before peace can be made!"

The response to Zhao Jiu was a long silence, punctuated by many heavy breaths.

"I have finished speaking." Zhao Jiu waited a moment, then finally turned fully around to face them. "Sixth Prince... what do you think?"

Perhaps the information was too overwhelming. It took Eluguan a long time to digest before he uttered the inevitable words: "Your Majesty... surrenderer... I find these eight internal and external articles too harsh."

"Times change," Zhao Jiu replied seriously. "During the Jingkang era, you were harsher. At least I'm not trying to wipe out your Wanyan clan, am I? I've left you the Jurchen ancestral lands and the Supreme Capital Circuit around your old capital, Huining Prefecture. That's more than generous."

Eluguan, dejected, was left speechless.

"Of course, I also know that the battle two days ago has not yet spread its impact. Only when the corpses here are buried, the fugitives are hunted down, the surrenderers are dealt with, the army is fully rested, the news spreads and shakes the world, and you weigh what you have left, will you truly consider peace negotiations. And I've said it before: I never expected to decide the fate of the world with words." Zhao Jiu's gaze passed over Eluguan, fixing on the large group of surrenderers behind him who were playing dead. "But I hope you understand what my true intentions are. When your scattered soldiers are all captured, when your last few tens of thousands of new troops are defeated again, when Yanjing is taken by my Imperial Camp Army, you might pause and think again about my eight articles today, and see if you can accept them. As long as you are willing to accept them in full, you can come and talk to me at any time... Of course, by then, they might be revised again."

Eluguan said nothing, only lowered his head and wept.

"What about you all?" Zhao Jiu knew the man was evading and could not be bothered with him, instead addressing the crowd of surrenderers behind him. "Does anyone have anything to say?"

"Your Majesty." Just as most were imitating the Sixth Prince in silence, one person suddenly stepped forward with clasped hands. It was the pale-faced Taishinu. "If the Fourth Prince were here, he would surely agree to peace talks. Your Majesty may have misunderstood!"

"No misunderstanding!"

Zhao Jiu raised his voice and sighed. "This has nothing to do with whether to allow peace or not. It's that Wushu, from the Huai River to Nanyang, from Nanyang to Yaoshan, from Yaoshan to Hedong, from Hedong to Huolu... repeatedly defeated yet repeatedly fighting, he can be called a remarkable man. So, to put it nicely, as long as this man lives, I cannot rest. To put it bluntly, after so many battles, I need to kill someone to vent my anger!"

Having said this, Zhao Jiu swept his gaze over all the surrenderers once more and reiterated: "I want him dead. If you negotiate peace, you kill him. If you don't negotiate peace, I will send troops to kill him myself!"

Everyone fell utterly silent.

"Let's go!" Zhao Jiu suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeve decisively, and headed straight towards Zhending City, where Han Shizhong had already secured control with the Imperial Camp Left Army.

Beneath the dragon banner, the crowd hurriedly followed. The Jin Sixth Prince Eluguan and the fifty or sixty surrenderers below him dared not lag behind and prepared to rush after them.

However, after taking two steps, Zhao Jiu turned back and said coldly: "Sixth Prince... I told you to go, not to follow me into the city. I meant that since business is done, you should return early to Yanjing and report my eight internal and external articles."

Eluguan and the others were stunned, only then realizing that the other party intended to let them go. In fact, not only Eluguan, but even Hong Ya, who had been commanding the scene last night, was dumbfounded... Yet none of them dared to utter a single word.

"Go now!" Zhao Jiu urged one last time. "You came to see me today for two things: first, to surrender the city and save your lives; second, to negotiate peace on behalf of the Jin Kingdom. For both, you should be allowed to leave early. However, warhorses are precious, and I cannot give you a single one. Find your own transport. As for the surrendered troops in the city, do not think of taking them lightly."

After speaking, this official directly set off without looking back, and the surrounding generals, soldiers, and close ministers all followed one after another... A moment later, only some armored soldiers remained at the riverside surrender site, moving back and forth as they escorted the surrendered troops from Zhending.

Elugu and the others initially dared not move, waiting for a long time until they were sure no one was paying them any attention, then they dazedly skirted around Zhending city and headed north toward Xinle... As for Hong Ya, after hesitating for a long time and seeing that indeed no one paid him any heed, he could only stamp his foot and follow with gritted teeth.

And would you believe it, after circling around Zhending city and confirming they had escaped with their lives, the surrendered men from Zhending, about fifty or sixty in number, though without horses, were all swift as flying. By evening that day they had reached the Zishui River to the north, and despite their exhaustion, they hurriedly found a bridge to cross, only then relaxing somewhat.

Then the group found a small village by the river that was still empty, and after inviting the Sixth Prince to take the seat of honor, they followed the orders of the barely rousing Hong Ya, Vice Minister Hong, as they lit fires and searched the village for a few clay pots to boil some hot water, intending to rest briefly before pressing on to cross the Sha River that very night and reach Xinle.

No matter what, not being a prisoner and continuing to be above others was always excellent.

But just as they had started boiling water, suddenly the sound of horse hooves rang out, and nearly a hundred horses appeared from the north in formation.

The group was half wary, half hopeful.

And what was baffling was that although the approaching riders seemed numerous, it was because each man had three horses; the riders themselves were only about twenty or thirty in number, and they were extremely bedraggled, wearing no armor, carrying no long weapons, only some simple bows, crossbows, and short blades. They were clearly not the familiar Song Jun or Jin Jun.

"They are Mongols!"

Watching them ride straight toward the campfire, under the glow of the setting sun, the Sixth Prince, who had long been stationed in Datongfu, suddenly guessed who they were, then relaxed. "The Mongols are all under Zhao Song's command, so nothing should go wrong... That official is not one to break his word."

"But there's no need to stir up trouble." Hong Ya, who had been uneasy ever since they set out again, spoke in a low voice. "These men clearly come from the north and may not know we've been pardoned... And we're all in single-layer clothes, without armor or weapons, tired and hungry... If they harbor ill intentions, we'll just be targets for their arrows."

The Sixth Prince immediately nodded in agreement.

However, the Sixth Prince and Hong Ya were clearly overthinking things. These Mongol cavalrymen were obviously also on urgent business and equally exhausted. They hurried to the campfire, and among them, a few who understood Chinese stepped forward on their own, first asking where the bridge across the Zishui River to the south was, and then simply begging for some hot water to mix with mare's milk, planning to rest and replenish themselves briefly.

As for the surrendered men from Zhending, they included both civil and military officials, but because of their surrender, they had left the city alone in single-layer clothes with nothing. After walking the entire afternoon, they were also exhausted. When they saw the mare's milk, some took the initiative to strike up a conversation and beg for a share.

The Mongols opposite were quite friendly and directly gave out a great deal of mare's milk, and the atmosphere between the two sides became even more harmonious.

However, whether it was the Sixth Prince or Hong Ya, these people who had gone to face the Zhao Song official to surrender were all accustomed to fine clothes and rich food in normal times. So after one mouthful of the sour and pungent mare's milk, they were immediately overwhelmed by the smell, and many made a fool of themselves... which in turn drew loud laughter from the Mongols.

But it was at this moment that Taishinu, who had been keeping silent all along, was revealed, because he drank the mare's milk without any difficulty at all.

"Aren't you Taishinu?"

Suddenly, a rider dressed as a Mongol but who understood Chinese recognized him by the remaining light and the firelight. "Weren't you following the Fourth Prince of Jin? How are you here?"

Taishinu was slightly startled, looked up, and indeed found the other's face familiar. After a pause, he realized something: "Are you Saba? Yelu Saba?"

"It's me!" Saba sighed deeply. "I never thought the two of us would meet again in this life..."

Halfway through his words, Saba's voice grew softer and softer until he finally stopped. He glanced at a short, sturdy Mongol warrior beside him and said something in Mongolian in a low voice. Then the Mongol warrior, who had been drinking mare's milk with his head down, looked up and swept his gaze over this group of surrendered men from Zhending like a wolf.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Hong Ya sensed trouble and immediately stood up to explain: "Generals of the Mongols, please do not misunderstand. We have been personally pardoned by the Zhao official. We are not escapees—you can tell from our condition—and we have nothing to do with the Fourth Prince... The Fourth Prince has been south of the Hutuo River since the battle... Taishinu just happened to be with us."

The people around came to their senses, immediately became solemn, and chimed in with agreement.

Even Taishinu, under the Sixth Prince's gaze, had no choice but to hurriedly stand up and offer a brief explanation.

And Saba faithfully translated.

But unexpectedly, by the firelight, after understanding the whole story, the Mongol warrior had Yelu Saba convey a reply that was both baffling and chilling to the bone.

"My... chieftain says... even if the Zhao official has pardoned you, he cannot let you go." Yelu Saba swallowed. "He must leave behind eight or ten heads, so that he can show the Zhao official that he dared not slack off and let suspicious persons go!"

The listeners' scalps went numb, and they could only look toward the Sixth Prince and Hong Ya.

At this point, the two knew they could no longer hide things. Hong Ya stood up and revealed everything: "You cannot kill indiscriminately... This is the Sixth Prince of Jin, who previously guarded Zhending. He has received the Zhao official's word to go to Yanjing to discuss peace."

Yelu Saba hurriedly turned to translate.

But unexpectedly, after hearing Hong Ya's words, the Mongol warrior instead stood up directly, stared fixedly at Elugu across the campfire, and said through gritted teeth: "I thought you looked familiar, but I never imagined it was you?!"

Elugu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly jolted awake and also stood up hastily: "Is it Khabul Khan?"

"Of course it's me." This lightly armored Mongol warrior, none other than Borjigin Khabul, shook his head repeatedly. "A pity, Sixth Prince, that it had to be you. If it were anyone else, it might be forgivable, but since it's you, I cannot let you off easily... Because if I hadn't let you escape back in Datong, why would I have had to come all this way in such hardship to apologize to the Zhao Song official?"

Elugu forced himself to ask: "What do you mean by 'cannot let you off easily'? Didn't Khabul Khan just hear? I am going to Yanjing on the Zhao official's orders to discuss peace!"

"I know." Khabul suddenly grinned fiercely. "I won't kill you either... But no matter what, I have to take you back to show the Zhao official that I had no intention of letting you go privately..."

"If that's all, I'll just go with you again." Elugu was utterly resigned.

"How could it be that easy?" Khabul directly drew his bow and nocked an arrow, pointing it at the other, then spoke coldly. "Since you were personally pardoned by the Zhao official, he must know your exact number. So this time, I can only kill about seven or eight out of ten and bring more heads along! What does the Sixth Prince think?"

Once these words were spoken, silence fell by the campfire. From Elugu on down, nearly every surrendered man from Zhending felt their legs go weak, while the surrounding Mongol warriors each drew their bows and gripped their blades, waiting for Khabul to loose his arrow so they could all act together.

And what broke the silence next was not Khabul's whistling arrow, but the realization that the arrow might well turn toward him, prompting Vice Minister Hong Ya to shout with all his might: "You cannot kill me! I am the Zhao official's appointed future chief minister of Jin! My position is as important as the Sixth Prince's!"

But it was precisely these words that directly triggered the slaughter.

Halfway through his speech, Khabul was slightly startled. Seizing this opportunity, Taishinu and a dozen or so military officers among the surrendered men from Zhending suddenly scattered and turned, trying to seize the Mongols' horses to flee, while the Mongols hurriedly acted on their own... Although neither side had armor or long weapons and were equally exhausted, the Mongols, carrying daggers and bows, were undoubtedly at an absolute advantage.

Bowstrings twanged, blades glinted in the fading light. Although a few of the military surrendered men from Zhending escaped with their lives, more were easily slaughtered by the Eastern Mongols by the campfire.

After killing about seven or eight out of ten, Elugu and Hong Ya were bound and placed on horseback. Lifting their heads, they could see the heads of their acquaintances placed behind the other warhorses.

The owners of these heads had never imagined that the Zhao Song official had not killed them, yet they would suddenly lose their lives because of some absurd reason—a Mongol wanting to 'strike a pose.'

"Sixth Prince."

As they crossed the Zishui River again, Hong Ya, on horseback, could not help but speak to the Sixth Prince Elugu not far away. "When an army is defeated, human lives are like weeds. You and I are both like stray dogs by the roadside... We must make peace!"

In the gradually darkening twilight, Elugu did not respond.

Then, at the second watch, Khabul, after a hard journey, arrived outside Zhending city. Following Yelu Saba's earlier 'guidance,' he announced his name and reason for coming, then directly stripped off his clothes and, in the middle of the night, knelt outside the north gate of Zhending city with a horsewhip on his back.

"One after another, why are they all trying so hard?!" Although he had been greatly invigorated during the day by acquiring Zhending's treasury, being woken up by Liu Yan and Shao Chengzhang, the Zhao official could not help but be somewhat exasperated. "Can't they just lie down and let me slaughter them?"

PS: Thanks to the new leader, classmate Youxiong Lai, this book's 216th leader.