Chapter 272 Crossing the River, Crossing the River

“Your idea is very bold.”

Nianhan clenched his fist as big as a bowl, paused for a moment and continued to add: "No matter whether Yang Chang and Yang Guo are the same person, we can be sure that they are in the same camp and are both the old enemies of our Great Jin Kingdom. My two sons died in their hands, and I will fight them to the death for the rest of my life!"

"Brother."

Ah Lan quickly took over the conversation and reminded him sternly, "Yang Changyuan is good at shooting and close combat. If he is the same person as Yang Guo, he also has the ability to stealthily assassinate. In addition, Lin Chong, Lu Junyi and others are both fierce generals. Be extremely careful when making enemies with them."

"Of course. I have fought for so many years and I never look down on the strong!"

"Brother, just save yourself the trouble. By the way, Yang Guo and Yang Chang have a close relationship, and they may be the same person. Should we tell Erlido about this? We can't just keep the Western Army taking on tough tasks. I don't believe they won't avenge Wuli."

"Xie Bao risked his life to get this information, so how could I let Erliduo stay out of it? Just wait and see, when we return to Zhending and join forces, we will crush his wishful thinking!"

Seeing that Nianhan was speaking passionately, A Lan stopped talking.

The next day, the Jin army continued to march northward, and Nianhan continued to lead the main force. He ordered A Lan to take the bodies of his two sons and rush to Zhending Prefecture first, bringing silent shock and warning to the Eastern Army that stayed out of the matter.

Last month, the Jin army surrounded Bian Jing. Nianhan led the Jin army in the west to actively attack the city, which put considerable pressure on the defenders at the time, while Erlido's side mainly used intimidation.

The reason why Erlido was passive and lazy was that, first, the soldiers of the East Route Army he brought with him had made enough money by following Olib last year, and now they had to think about sharing the spoils with the West Route Army in the face of the yet-to-be-recovered Bianliang City, so they had no enthusiasm at all; second, in order to justify himself, Zhao Gou took the initiative to send people to help the Jin Army contact internal support, which, if successful, would allow them to capture the city without bloodshed.

Zhao Gou originally planned to use internal help to break into the city, and the Jin people would naturally capture the entire royal family of Bianliang and send them all to the Jin rear for imprisonment. When he was the only descendant of the Zhao family left, he would be able to legitimately succeed to the throne, and then cede land to the Jin Kingdom, make friends and pay tribute, and start his own dynasty.

He thought that since he had helped Erlido so much, it would be no problem for him to bring his mother, wife and daughter back at the same time. Unfortunately, no matter how good the plan was, things could not keep pace with changes.

There were two changes. One was that the demoted Li Gang was summoned back to Beijing and was once again ordered to defend Tokyo. The other was that Yang Chang suddenly sent troops to Zezhou, and the Jin general Gushe sent people to ask for help from Nianhan.

Upon learning that Li Gang was re-employed by Emperor Qinzong, the people sent by Zhao Gou switched to the second plan, which was to exert pressure, intimidation and inducement openly, and secretly rescue Huizong from Longde Palace and then send him to the eastern military camp outside the city. As long as they had the retired emperor in their hands, they would have the initiative to depose and enthrone.

At that time, everyone's attention, both inside and outside the court, was on the defense of Tokyo and the diplomatic negotiations, which gave the people inside the city a chance to rescue people. Concubine Wei and Princess Xing both followed suit and sent out people.

As for the irrelevant Princess Xunde, she was the marriage partner that Erlido specifically requested.

The Jin people first demanded that the princess be married and the ministers be held as hostages. They also wanted to force Huizong, who had violated the alliance, to leave the city to discuss matters. At first, Qinzong refused to agree to any of them. In the end, seeing that there were too many traitors and the matter was done, he raised gold and silver to repel the enemy at the suggestion of the officials.

After Erlido got the important hostage, he became more passive about attacking Bianliang. However, Nianhan led the Western Route Army to attack for a long time but failed. He received an urgent request for help from Gushe, so he had to quit while he was ahead and choose to withdraw.

At the beginning of the retreat, Nianhan invited the Eastern Army to go to Zezhou together, but Erlido refused on the grounds of lack of hostages and food.

He crossed the Yellow River from Huazhou and detoured to Damingfu, passing through Mingzhou, Xingzhou, and Zhaozhou and returned to Zhending, intentionally staying away from Yang Chang's defense zone.

It was a favor for Erlido to help, and it was his duty not to help. Although Nianhan was very dissatisfied with this, the Shanxi area where Yang Chang was located was indeed under the jurisdiction of the Western Route Jin Army, and he could not find any reason to refute it.

When his son's body was transported back to Zhending, the Eastern Army was in an uproar. They were shocked and sympathetic.

In late August, Nianhan arrived with the main force of the Western Route Army. Erlido and a group of trusted generals went out of the city to greet them, and they comforted and counselled them on the way back to the city.

Nianhan responded calmly, but at the welcoming banquet that followed, he forcefully demanded that all the spoils be disposed of.

Taking the dead as the most important, Erlido originally planned to distribute as much of the wealth obtained in Bianliang as possible to the Western Route Army as war rewards. However, Nianhan wanted to bring everyone back to Shangjing, under the pretext of letting the Emperor Wuqimai decide their fate, which was a bit too much.

This time, the two Jin armies marched south to Bianliang and encountered almost no resistance along the way. They were also able to easily obtain wealth and prisoners, all thanks to Zhao Gou's secret help.

Erlido wanted to have long-term cooperation with Zhao Gou, so it was reasonable for him to hand over these captives. Moreover, Zhao Gou's envoys had already arrived in Zhending, just for Huizong, Concubine Wei and others.

"You should know very well where these prisoners came from."

"My western army of tens of thousands of people fought brilliantly at the two northwestern gates of Bianliang. Isn't that why the Song people were intimidated by the might of our army?"

Nianhan could tell that Erlido was unhappy, but he pretended to be ignorant.

"Deputy Marshal Zuo!"

Erliduo's tone became even more blunt, and he reminded them bluntly: "The Song Dynasty is not yet doomed. Before we withdrew our troops, we agreed to support Zhao Gou to check Zhao Huan. Now that you have used King Kang, you regret it. This is not what we Jurchen men should do. I do not agree to take the captives back to Shangjing!"

"What do you mean by regretting after taking advantage of us? Didn't King Kang take advantage of us? Who did the Right Deputy Marshal send Wang Zongchu's 100,000 soldiers to? This Marshal doesn't owe him any favors!"

"Uh"

Nianhan was indeed a veteran in this field, and he left Erlido speechless. However, he was able to take over as the Marshal of the Eastern Army and he had his own extraordinary abilities, so he quickly adjusted his mood and softened his stiff tone.

He smiled and said, "Marshal, fighting is indeed hard, but the Song Dynasty has a vast territory and a large population. We can no longer swallow up the Song Dynasty like we swallowed up the Liao Dynasty. Supporting Zhao Gou is beneficial to us."

"I didn't say I won't support him, but the people in the south are very cunning. Zhao Gou betrayed the Song Dynasty for power, so it's hard to say he won't betray the Jin Dynasty again. If we capture his family, we can prevent this from happening."

"But."

"Of course, this is just my personal suggestion. If His Majesty approves of sending him to the capital, he can still be returned to Zhao Gou."

Seeing that Nianhan brought up the emperor Wuqimai, Erlido's words were pale and difficult to express, so he shook his head slightly with a bitter face, secretly cursing Nianhan for having no martial ethics and saying that you deserved the death of your two sons.

Erlido saw that he could not win the argument, so he stopped arguing with Nianhan.

The prisoners were in his own hands. Couldn't he decide whether to send them back to Shangjing? It was thousands of miles from Zhending to Shangjing. It was reasonable for the escorts to be careless and the prisoners to escape midway.

This guy was thinking about it secretly when Nianhan next to him spoke again.

"I am 47 years old this year, but I lost two sons in this battle. The Right Deputy Marshal doesn't want me to have no descendants, right?"

"Ok?"

Erliduo was stunned and replied cautiously: "Deputy Marshal Zuo, you are joking. You are in your prime now. If you try a little harder, it will be easy to give birth to a son, right?"

"Haha." Nianhan nodded and expressed his request: "I think so too, but my wives and concubines are all old, and it is not easy to have children at this time, so I want to marry another girl. Can I give up Princess Xunde? She is only 28 years old, which is just right."

"Princess Xunde?" Erlido shook his head and said with a bitter face, "It's not that I don't want to give up, but Princess Xunde is missing."

"Missing?"

Originally, it was thought that Erlido intended to shirk the responsibility, but many people including Talai (Wanyan Chang), Erluguan (Wanyan Zongjun), and Wuzhu (Wanyan Zongbing) spoke out in agreement.

After listening to the details, Nianhan accepted the reality. He did not have a strong desire for women in his early years, and he had been fighting abroad for a long time in the past ten years, resulting in relatively limited offspring.

His newest concubine was Xiao Guige, the first wife of the Liao Dynasty. She was two years older than Nianhan himself. How could an old woman in her fifties give birth to a son for him?

"Is it possible that she was rescued by someone?"

"Rescue?"

Seeing Nianhan frowning and talking to himself, Erliduo responded seriously: "There are heavy troops inside and outside the house, who can rescue him quietly? Unless it is immortals, ghosts or gods." "And monsters!"

"What do you mean?"

"The day Xie Bao was murdered."

Nianhan shared in public what Alan had seen and heard, and all the Jin army generals in the east were astonished after hearing it.

“Old farmer riding a bull?”

"On the two days when Princess Xunde disappeared, a mad bull broke into the west gate of Zhending"

"Did Xiao Long Nu do all this?"

"So Princess Xunde was rescued by Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu?"

The Jin people's simple welcoming banquet ended in a heated discussion.

Erlido had just returned home after the banquet when he saw the envoy Geng Yanxi and others in the hall.

"marshal."

"Councilor Geng doesn't have to come every day. I will discuss the results with Marshal Nianhan and inform you as soon as possible."

"I just heard that Marshal Nianhan has returned. I wonder if there is any news at the welcoming banquet today."

"He just lost two sons. How can I bring this up right away? If Councillor Geng can't wait, he can go back to Jeju and report. I will have to give an explanation to King Kang."

Seeing Erliduo's impatience, Geng Yanxi hurriedly bowed and apologized, "Marshal, please don't blame me. I am really anxious. I will go back to the posthouse and wait. You should have a good rest."

"Wait a minute!"

Erliduo just waved his hand and stopped Geng Yanxi who was turning around. He frowned and asked, "The councillor came to deliver the message a few times before. It seems that there was a mage who could travel thousands of miles a day following him. I wonder if he came with you this time? I want to have a chat with him."

"Commander Dai has been busy with military matters recently. I am here on horseback. Is the Marshal interested in him?"

"I guess so. Can you tell me how he did it?"

"this one"

Geng Yanxi hesitated for a moment, then slowly explained: "Before Commander Dai performs the ritual, he will tie a magical vest on his legs."

Erlido lamented that there were many extraordinary people in the Central Plains, so he ordered the guards to send Geng Yanxi away. He planned to return to the Yanjing base and ask Guo Yaoshi about Xiaolongnu.

Although Geng Yanxi never came again, Erlido was afraid that things would get more complicated if the night went on, so two days after Nianhan arrived in Zhending, he decided to take the captives back to Yanjing and find an opportunity to hand them over.

However, Nianhan was extremely shrewd. He said he wanted to take his son back to Shangjing for burial and was willing to escort the prisoners on behalf of Erlido.

Seeing that Nianhan was not giving in, Erlido had no choice but to take Huizong and others to Yanjing first, intending to seek advice from his think tank Liu Yanzong before making a decision. Geng Yanxi had no choice but to follow them all the way.

At the end of August, at the Marshal's Office in Yanjing.

Liu Yanzong listened to the whole story, twisting his beard and muttering, "Nianhan has suffered the most casualties and contributed the most during his trip south, and he also has good reasons to detain people. If you insist on helping Zhao Gou, I'm afraid it will be difficult for Your Majesty. It's better to be patient for the time being. Even if they go to Shangjing, they can come back, right?"

"As long as Nianhan doesn't want to release them, he will have a reason to keep them if they go to Shangjing."

"In fact, what Nianhan said is not wrong. If Zhao Gou can betray the Song Dynasty, he can betray the Jin Dynasty as well. It is beneficial to control the hostages in hand."

"Benefits?" Erliduo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and asked with a stern face: "Zhao Gou has been secretly helping us for a long time. In the end, we detained his family. Isn't this forcing him to rebel? I still need him to stabilize Hebei and check Zhao Huan!"

"Zhao Gou wants to be the emperor. What he needs now is not a person, but a title that can convince the people. As long as Zhao Ji issues an edict to pass on the throne, I can guarantee that he will not rebel."

"Hmm? That makes sense."

After listening to Liu Yanzong's advice, Erlido suddenly became enlightened. He thought that since Zhao Ji could write an edict, he could write other edicts in the future. It seemed that staying in the Jin Kingdom would have more advantages than disadvantages.

Among the captives there were learned ministers who could help Zhao Ji draft a template first.

Erlido then put Liu Yanzong in charge, and he began to connect Song officials and Huizong that same day.

The next afternoon, the imperial edict written by Zhao Ji in the Slender Gold script appeared on the desk in the Marshal's Office.

Erliduo immediately summoned Geng Yanxi, frowned and said seriously: "I am really sorry, I can't convince Marshal Nianhan. The emperor and others are royal prisoners of war. According to the rules, they must be decided by the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty himself. We cannot make the decision on our own."

"You weren't like this before. You can't do this."

Geng Yanxi was stunned after hearing this, and was so excited that he couldn't speak clearly.

As he was questioning, Erlido picked up the yellow scroll on the table and said with a playful look on his face, "Please be patient, Councillor. This is the edict of succession from your Emperor."

"The imperial edict of succession?"

Geng Yanxi stepped forward timidly and unfolded the handwriting, which was clearly Huizong's.

Just as Erlido said, Zhao Ji accused Zhao Huan of treason and joined forces with Wu Min, Li Gang and others to force him to abdicate. Now he wanted to formally pass the throne to Prince Kang Zhao Gou.

Geng Yanxi failed to achieve his goal and followed Zhao Gou from Zhending to Yanjing because Zhao Gou's prestige had been affected recently and he urgently needed to bring Huizong back to resolve the situation, or there might be an imperial edict to clear his name.

In July, the Jin army marched southwards to Bianliang, but Zhao Gou transferred troops along the route to Shandong. Later, the Jin army returned north with a group of prisoners, and he strictly ordered all units not to pursue them. This made many soldiers who rushed to surrender doubt these actions.

In particular, when the Eastern Jin Army marched northward from Damingfu, Deputy Marshal Zong Ze, with his reduced 3,000 troops, disobeyed orders and rushed to the south bank of the Yellow River to pursue them. However, Zhang Shun refused to allocate ships for Zong Ze on the grounds that there was no military order.

Zong Ze wanted to kill the enemy but failed. He was so angry that he vomited blood and died. Before he died, he shouted twice: Cross the river, cross the river!

"With this imperial edict, I believe that Councillor Geng will be able to return and report. When you see Prince Kang, please tell him on my behalf that I will treat the Emperor and the Empress Dowager well."

"I don't know whether Concubine Wei or Princess Kang"

"You all have to go to Shangjing first. You've been in Hebei for a long time. Go back to Jeju soon."

"okay."

Geng Yanxi nodded in affirmation, then bowed and begged, "Before I leave, can I see the Emperor?"

"Yes, I agree."

(End of this chapter)