Chapter 435: Looking Back

In March, after deep reflection, His Majesty the Imperial Court resumed his serial, but this time it was certainly not a short essay; he dared not even touch *Water Margin* now, replacing it with *Miscellaneous Notes on the Journey to the West Subduing Demons*... That short essay also stopped as usual at the level of Zhao Jiu, Hu Yin, and the Commandery Prince of Jingse.

But even *Miscellaneous Notes on the Journey to the West Subduing Demons* was halted after only two or three thousand words, because by this time, a large volume of important post-war feedback from multiple directions began to pour in densely.

It must be understood that at this point, it had been just over a month since the Battle of Huolu, and given the current transportation conditions, the broad influence of the war could at most cross the Yellow River, perhaps not even reaching the Yangtze River. This was because the common people needed to see soldiers returning victorious, hear specific stories, and even witness large numbers of memorial tablets for the fallen and wounded before they would believe and confirm the news from the front, only then forming a true popular trend.

If feedback was now coming back, this could already be considered first-time feedback, completely different from the reactions within the core power structure of the court, which relied on military stations and fast horses.

Even the attitudes were completely different.

Frankly speaking, after the battle, things were too rushed—there was a need to pursue the enemy, to besiege Zhending Prefecture, and on top of that, Lu Yihao was in poor health, bedridden multiple times. So the post-war handling was essentially a one-man show by His Majesty the Imperial Court, with at most some polishing by the civil officials below, going with the flow and letting things be as they may... The heavy ministers at the court in Dongjing mostly simply echoed him, without room for interference or discussion.

But this dense feedback now contained many fierce words.

Some Imperial Academy students submitted memorials demanding that all Jin Jun prisoners be executed and turned into a skull pyramid to intimidate the Jin state.

Some marginal imperial clan members submitted memorials demanding that they must strike straight at the Yellow Dragon, annihilate the Jin state to the last, uproot their nests and sweep their caves, and exterminate the Wanyan clan entirely, and absolutely not negotiate peace.

Beyond this, there were also various retaliatory proposals forwarded by some local officials from areas that had suffered city massacres, and by officers who had found the families of certain confirmed fallen Imperial Guard members—such as decimating Jin Jun prisoners, harshly punishing those who surrendered, and so on.

Even the Retired Emperor Daojun's congratulatory memorial specifically mentioned the past humiliation at Wuguocheng, requesting that "His Majesty" seek revenge.

Overall, in the Central Plains region south of the Yellow River, popular sentiment was clearly leaning toward a hardline stance, and they were very sensitive to His Majesty's "peace negotiations," which even Hong Ya could see were mostly about sowing discord.

To be fair, Zhao Jiu was not surprised by this, but he still had to be cautious.

So on the tenth day of the third month, after a brief discussion with Hu Yin, His Majesty the Imperial Court immediately turned back to Hejian Prefecture, preparing to formally discuss this matter with Lu Yihao, the Chancellor of the Traveling Court. And it was during this period that the public opinion advocating for strong retaliation, now that the war had decided everything, began to enter the bureaucratic system on a large scale, including similar voices emerging within the Imperial Guard system.

"Your subject knows what Your Majesty is thinking."

Lu Yihao's body was growing weaker day by day, but by resting in Hejian Prefecture and temporarily handing matters over to Fan Zongyin and others, he could still muster the spirit. Now, leaning on his cane under a tree in the rear courtyard of his residence, he understood the concerns of the visiting Imperial Court at a glance.

"What Your Majesty is thinking is nothing more than that the Hebei region, which was the first to be poisoned, actually has less resentment, and then you worry about what the trend will be when the news spreads further south to the Southeast and Jingxiang... Am I right?"

"You, Chancellor, know me well."

"Then what does Your Majesty think is the reason for Hebei, and what reaction do you expect from the Southeast?"

"I think Hebei does not hate the Jin people less, but first, spring plowing is urgent; second, after this Song-Jin upheaval, they are shocked and uncertain; and third, and most crucially, with five hundred thousand troops from both sides and a million conscripts moving back and forth for a winter and half a spring... the people of the Two Rivers truly loathe war," Zhao Jiu said straightforwardly. "As for the Southeast, I boldly guess... most will oppose continuing military action, because the taxes and levies in the Southeast have not been lifted yet... every day the front uses troops, the Southeast, Jingxiang, and Bashu must contribute a day's effort."

"What Your Majesty says is extremely thorough and gets to the root," Lu Yihao nodded in agreement. "But in my view, the root is the root, yet what ultimately manifests may not be as clean and thorough as Your Majesty's analysis..."

Zhao Jiu had some guesses, but having learned from past mistakes, he dared not play riddles and directly sought verification: "Do you mean that under the great victory, the scholar-officials in the Southeast dare not speak of peace again, while the common people's sentiments in Hebei cannot be expressed, and in the Central Plains, because the capital is there, the central authorities dare not take any popular opinion lightly?"

"Exactly that," Lu Yihao expressed earnestly. "Popular opinion is popular opinion, but it cannot be expressed directly; it is transmitted by officials..."

Zhao Jiu instinctively exchanged a glance with Hu Yin, who had followed him. Both felt a sense of admiration—the older, the wiser.

Before coming, the two had discussed it, but no matter how they talked, they could not match the thoroughness of Lu Yihao's words.

And Chancellor Lu just continued casually, as if unconcerned, sitting in place: "Officials vary by region—some places have many, like the Central Plains, especially around Dongjing; some have few, like the Southeast; some places now have almost none, like the Two Rivers. Therefore, popular opinion is most pronounced in the Central Plains, next in the Southeast, and almost nonexistent in the Two Rivers unless you see it with your own eyes."

"Beyond this, officials also have to worry about their own official caps, so they watch the situation."

"For example, now, with a great victory at the front, the entire court knows this is Your Majesty's long-cherished wish. The officials in the Southeast have already suffered setbacks for opposing the northern advance—how dare they still oppose continuing northward as before?"

"Or take the central officials—the heavy ministers think about post-war rewards and titles, and also worry about estrangement between the Imperial Presence and Dongjing. Would they not have reservations when transmitting information?"

"As for Hebei, it goes without saying—either they are surrendered people or officials just released from the military by Your Majesty. Who would go against Your Majesty's wishes?"

"In other words... the same popular opinion is shifted, obscured, and amplified layer by layer by officials. The higher the official, the greater the shift. Your Majesty's own attitude has the greatest effect... without even speaking yourself, those below will shift according to Your Majesty's intent." Lu Yihao concluded. "The reason the Central Plains is agitated, advocating a hardline stance, and opposing Your Majesty's peace talks is not to sing a different tune. On the contrary, they see that Your Majesty's peace talk itself is absurd, guess that Your Majesty is only provoking and threatening, not genuinely seeking peace, and then act based on Your Majesty's past attitudes."

At this point, Lu Yihao raised an eyebrow slightly: "If it were not so, how would the Retired Emperor Daojun dare to speak of this matter?"

Zhao Jiu rarely gave a wry smile.

Instead, Lu Yihao turned the question back: "But what does Your Majesty actually intend to do with the Jin state?"

"I will give the Jurchens a way out," Zhao Jiu had to answer seriously when facing Lu Yihao. "Because the Jurchens are an indigenous ethnic group of the Liao lands, impossible to exterminate completely—there are still wild Jurchens beyond the civilized ones. But whether the Jin state has a way out depends on whether they are willing to recognize reality, whether they are willing to cleanse the old Jin state for me, and whether they are willing to help me integrate future Jurchens into China... That would be to destroy the old Jin state and establish a new one, wouldn't it?"

"So, the previous peace talk was indeed just provocation?" Lu Yihao frowned and pressed.

"Not necessarily," Zhao Jiu spread his hands. "For example, if they come to seek peace today, after more than thirty days, the conditions will naturally change... This time, they must also kill Han Fang, the three sons of Zuo Qigong, and the three sons of Liu Yanzong, and also send the four fleeing Wanhu—E'lu Bu, Jiagu Wulibu, Yelu Ma Wu, and Pucha Huzhan—to me for disposal."

Lu Yihao thought for a moment, then stroked his beard and nodded: "After a delay of over thirty days, only asking for eleven more lives—that is reasonable enough."

Zhao Jiu smiled knowingly: "I just hope Yanjing doesn't drag it out any longer. If they want peace talks, regardless of the conditions, they should come and discuss it with me."

"With popular opinion from the rear arriving, the front should also be unable to hold out," Lu Yihao finally shook his head, then looked up at the sky, momentarily lost for words, as if wanting to say something more but not knowing where to start.

Now, having an old minister in the state was always reliable. In the following days, none of Lu Yihao's judgments failed.

First, popular opinion in the Central Plains surged, with a firm hardline stance advocating revenge, finally shaking the central authorities. Then the Secret Pavilion held a public discussion, requesting that His Majesty be cautious in peace talks, exterminate the enemy completely, and not seek a reputation by imitating the Overlord.

As the Secret Pavilion's official documents spread, in the Two Rivers region, all generals, local civil and military officials, also submitted memorials urging against peace talks.

Within just a few days, Hebei seemed to reach a consensus, all demanding complete eradication of evil. Even the surrendered people submitted documents weeping and recounting the atrocities of the Jin state.

For a time, except for the most distant southern popular opinion yet to arrive, the national trend was almost set everywhere—opposing peace talks and demanding that His Majesty Zhao Jiu fulfill his promise to annihilate the Jin state and uproot the Jurchens' nests and sweep their caves.

Of course, amidst this chaos, there were also some flashy and cheap goods... For instance, starting slightly after mid-March, many Han troops from the Yan-Yun front suddenly defected and were sent by Han Shizhong to Hejian.

Additionally, Zhao Jiu finally received a personal letter from the Goryeo Chief Chancellor and Marshal, Kim Bu-sik.

The letter was sent from Gaegyeong, written on the road just after Kim Bu-sik became Marshal, and it arrived at Hejian almost without stopping by boat or horse... According to Kim Bu-sik, he would, following His Majesty's wishes, eliminate the anti-Sinicization National Style faction in the country, that is, the Seogyeong Yangban, and then raise thirty thousand troops to march west into the Liao lands, to complete His Majesty's strategy of "closing the door to beat the dog."

The words were so earnest that if Zhao Jiu did not already know that the Seogyeong Yangban, where Jeong Ji-sang belonged, was the pro-war faction within Goryeo, he would almost have believed this old rascal's lies.

However, although the old rascal was dishonest, he still hit Zhao Jiu's weak spot in a strange way—it didn't matter who sent the troops; Goryeo had no choice but to send troops at this time. But the previous pro-war faction was not equivalent to the pro-Song faction, and the pro-peace faction was merely a choice made under the principle of serving the greater power when the Jin state was stronger... Compared to this, the Seogyeong Yangban's so-called National Style faction, wanting to pursue cultural independence, was far less pleasing to the ear than Kim Bu-sik's Sinicization faction.

It must be understood that even if Zhao Jiu allowed Goryeo political and military independence, he would never allow Goryeo to pursue cultural autonomy—that was a matter of uprooting the foundation.

Of course, there was no need to dwell on this issue now, because, based on His Majesty's shallow ability to judge people, if it came to armed conflict, Jeong Ji-sang would be lucky to bite off half a finger of Kim Bu-sik before dying.

At the same time, a more important point was that since Kim Bu-sik's letter had arrived and the great clans of Yan-Yun at the front could no longer hold out, then, given the speed of military communication, Yanjing should also send someone.

Sure enough, within just two days, Wulinda Zanmo appeared before Zhao Jiu.

"Has the Sixth Prince been enfeoffed as a prince?" Zhao Jiu, who was prepared, received Wulinda Zanmo at the military camp shooting range outside Hejian Prefecture. But after taking the formal state letter, this Imperial Court, who had just worked up a sweat shooting arrows, did not open it directly. Instead, he pinched the hardbound state letter and asked a bizarre question.

"For Your Majesty's information," Wulinda Zanmo's expression was deep, his eyes showing slight fatigue, but he still forced himself to reply seriously. "The conferral of princely titles in our state is an internal affair of our state..."

"Then there's nothing to discuss." Zhao Jiu, who had just sat down on a camp stool, directly threw the state letter back at the other's feet. "My conditions from over forty days ago have not even been met—how can we talk about peace?"

Wulinda Zanmo's eyes widened, staring fixedly at the seated man before him, but this immediately drew the vigilance of Yang Yizhong and the Personal Guards beside him, who subtly separated him. Even Minamoto no Yoshitada at the shooting range gate, seeing the commotion, eagerly turned around.

Wulinda Zanmo was utterly helpless, could only lower his head to pick up the state letter, and then earnestly pleaded: "Your Majesty... this foreign minister was rude, but our state is indeed sincere in seeking peace... And since it is peace talks, there must be room for discussion."

"Discuss what?" Zhao Jiu appeared extremely impatient. "Minister Wulinda, you have experienced all the foreign affairs between Song and Jin... How did Yanhan and Wolibu reply to Emperor Yuansheng outside Dongjing City back then? When a state is on the verge of destruction, what conditions are there to discuss? Now, your hastily established tribal confederation state has had its entire army wiped out—what do you have to negotiate peace with me? The conditions I gave you were already generous enough, and the rear is already very dissatisfied... What more do you want?!"

"Your Majesty, our country still has tens of thousands of troops, enough to fight a battle." Wulindai Zanmo mustered his courage to reply.

"Worthy of a single strike?" Zhao Jiu grew even more impatient. "Do you think I deliberately let you gather these forces without knowing it? Before this, you didn't know whether I still had the strength to advance, so you watched from the sidelines. Are you still dreaming now?! Should I show you the letters of allegiance from Jin Fushi and the great clans around Yanjing?! I'd like to see, once my Prince of Qin has swallowed up all the prefectures around Yanjing, and the Dongjing Circuit and Zhongjing Circuit are locked down by the Mongols and Koreans, how many days those tens of thousands of new troops you've gathered in Yanjing can hold out before they collapse on their own?!"

"Your Majesty!" Wulindai finally knelt helplessly and knocked his head, revealing his bottom line. "If you can spare the Fourth Prince from the death penalty and allow the Jurchens among the captives to return north, our country is willing to negotiate peace according to Your Majesty's general terms! Even if the ruler himself comes to see Your Majesty and call you father, that is acceptable!"

"Too late." Zhao Jiu turned his head to look at the blue sky, white clouds, and black earth on one side, his gaze drifting. "I have my calculations... Twenty days is enough for the Sixth Prince to travel between Yanjing and Hejian. After twenty days, even if you sincerely obstruct, the previous terms will no longer suffice... At thirty days, when I discussed it with Chancellor Lu, I had to add the lives of the three Zuo brothers, the three Liu brothers, plus Han Fang, and the four ten-thousand-household commanders who escaped—E'lu Bu, Jiagu Wulibu, Yelu Ma Wu, and Pucha Huzhan—eleven men in total! And today has already passed forty days, so I must also add the life of your eldest prince, Wanyan Woben! Then I must also add Wanyan Talan as a ruling prince, sharing military command with E'lu Guan."

Hearing these words, Wulindai had already lost his composure and wept midway. Barely making it to the end, he finally looked up and shouted: "Your Majesty never had any sincere intention to negotiate peace!"

"Minister Wulindai, don't say that. Hejian is only three hundred li from Yanjing, and the road is flat. If you keep changing horses and gallop back to Yanjing, then ride back quickly, you can bring back the acceptance of the peace terms before the conditions change again on the twenty-fifth day of the third month, which is the fiftieth day... And if by then all the terms are accepted, how could I break my word and not agree?!" Zhao Jiu turned back, his face full of sincerity.

Wulindai Zanmo thought on the ground for a moment, but no matter how much he racked his brains, he could find no way to respond. He could only stand up, clasp his hands in a salute, and prepare to stagger away.

"Minister Wulindai, wait." Zhao Jiu called him back again, at the same time turning to signal Yang Yizhong.

Wulindai Zanmo turned back in confusion, only to see Yang Yizhong, clad in silver armor, wave his hand toward the rear. From a distance, a soldier still wearing a mask in the height of spring came running quickly, carrying a wooden bucket.

Seeing this, the Jin Minister of Rites almost instantly understood, and his face turned deathly pale.

"Minister Wulindai, we have known each other for a long time. Though we are not truly lord and minister, we have observed the rites between foreign lords and ministers—it counts as a relationship... This is your brother's head... I guessed early on that it would be you who came. Now that the head has been inspected, take it back and bury it!" Zhao Jiu tried hard to endure the stench as he spoke.

Wulindai stood sideways seven or eight paces in front of Zhao Jiu, watching the bucket draw closer and closer, his expression growing more panicked, tears streaming uncontrollably. When the bucket arrived before him, he instinctively staggered, reaching out to take the wooden bucket.

But he only moved half a step before Wulindai Zanmo jerked his hand back as if burned. Then, beside the bucket, he saluted Zhao Jiu dazedly: "The foreign minister thanks Your Majesty for your great grace... But my brother was a general of the state, and died in a national war—that is only natural... And as an envoy of the state, how could I take my own brother's head back privately while other officers have yet to return? The foreign minister will take his leave first..."

Having said this, without waiting for Zhao Jiu to say anything more, Wulindai Zanmo fled directly, covering his face... leaving only the stench of rot filling the entire shooting range.

PS: Thanks to the three big shots Zhihēizhīyuè, Fàngsìdepàngpí, and Lǐkkkk for becoming patrons. These are the 223rd, 224th, and 225th patrons of this book. Also thanks to classmate sneakkk, classmate děngrén, and classmate heinousk for another patron.

Finally, sincere thanks to big shot Liúlíqín for the golden alliance... I won't go into detail about my gratitude here; words are meaningless.

I can only say that for everyone, besides gratitude, I also feel very ashamed.

Good night, everyone. Happy one-hundredth birthday.