vrcanaries Chapter 303 The Song-Jin Agreement
Chapter 303 The Song-Jin Agreement
"Although Zhao Liangsi still requested to return to Xijing, Hepingzhou, and Yingzhou for the sake of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was too late."
"By the way, Pingzhou is near the important pass Yuguan, also known as Shanhaiguan. It was at this pass that Wu Sangui led the Qing army into the country at the end of the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: (｀へ′)
"Tell me, is this place important or not? Emperor Huizong's imperial edict directly caused the Song Dynasty to lose the initiative in negotiations."
"He didn't even consult with his court officials before unilaterally deciding to transfer the annual tribute intended for the Liao Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty."
"This is tantamount to throwing all our trump cards to Wanyan Aguda. The Northern Song only wants to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The Liao Dynasty is a kind of barrier between the Song and Jin. If the Liao is destroyed, the Song Dynasty will soon be next."
"Judging from the results of the subsequent battles, the Song Dynasty was not even as strong as the Liao Dynasty before its demise. Therefore, in the later negotiations with the Jin Dynasty, it had to back down again, making it even more difficult to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."
"Actually, think about it. The first five emperors were considered to be of decent quality. Even they couldn't reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. How could you, an artist, possibly reclaim them?!"
"Of course, when I say 'take back,' I don't mean buying it back! I mean taking it back openly and legitimately!"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "In the end, it wasn't that they fought back, but that they bought it back!!!"
Fang Xuanling of the Tang Dynasty: It's a pity that he made the wrong decisions time and time again!
An official from the Ming Dynasty said: "He's going to squander all the wealth left by his father and brothers!"
……
In another timeline, Zhao Kuangyin almost suffered a heart attack again. What a bastard Zhao Ji did!
He really wanted to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but definitely not in this way!
Besides, the country is about to perish, what use would it be for you to take back all of this?!
What was he thinking?! How could he have made such a mess of things?!
……
Lin Ke's voice rang out again in the live stream.
"On another note, the division of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun was a subject of ongoing debate between the Song and Jin dynasties. As mentioned earlier, Wanyan Aguda sent envoys to the Northern Song to finalize the details."
"However, this envoy was detained by the Song army in the Northern Song Dynasty. At this time, the Song Dynasty was embroiled in the Fang La Rebellion, and Tong Guan and others were sent to quell the Fang La Rebellion."
"And the Liao Dynasty learned of the cooperation between the Song and Liao armies, realizing that their own brother state had betrayed them and joined forces with the Jin Dynasty!"
"Shortly afterward, the Jin envoy was summoned and presented with a letter of state to Wanyan Aguda. However, the contents of this letter were the same as before: the Song Dynasty wanted the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."
"To be honest, if I were Wanyan Aguda, I would also feel speechless. It was precisely because of the disagreement over the division of this area last time that we sent people to continue the negotiations."
"As a result, the Jin envoy not only detained the goods but also made no different decisions than last time. I must say, I have seen emperors on diplomatic missions before, but I have never seen one this bad!"
Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: How come I didn't realize he was this kind of person back then?!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: If he wants to negotiate the destruction of Liao, he should negotiate properly. From the beginning until now, he has not made any good decisions!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "I always lament: 'If only Emperor Zhezong had lived longer!'"
An old farmer from the Han Dynasty said: "There are treacherous officials in the court again, and we common people are suffering terribly!"
A Qing Dynasty official: Now people believe his son could pull off something as miraculous as opening the city gates and performing a shamanic ritual! After all, the father isn't much better!
……
People from other timelines stared wide-eyed in disbelief upon hearing this—could an emperor have done such a thing?!?
The agreement required you to talk first, but you didn't talk properly. What are you trying to do?!?
……
Lin Ke continued, "After the Jin envoy returned, the Jin state launched a full-scale attack on the Liao Dynasty within a few months. Judging from this, it happened in December of that year."
"In other words, Wanyan Aguda may have temporarily shelved the alliance because Emperor Huizong of Song still wanted the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which had not been agreed upon in the negotiations."
"Therefore, the Jin state unilaterally launched a war against the Liao dynasty, and its advance was unstoppable, forcing the Liao emperor Tianzha to flee. As Tianzha fled, Wanyan Aguda pursued him all the way."
Emperor of Deceit: ...I'm running away! (｀へ′)
Wanyan Aguda: Damn it! How can this guy escape so easily?!
"Although the Jin Dynasty's cavalry was capable, the Liao Dynasty was still stronger than the Song Dynasty in this regard. As a result, the battle lines of the two armies were stretched out, which was unfavorable to the Jin Dynasty's war situation."
"In the end, the Jin Dynasty forced Yelü Chun, a member of the Liao Dynasty's royal family, and Empress Dowager Xiao Puxian to establish the Northern Liao. It seems that the script is pretty much the same: if you can't fight, you have to retreat!"
Zhao Kuangyin, who possessed the script of the Southern Song Dynasty: ...
Zhu Yuanzhang, who possessed the script for the Southern Ming Dynasty: ...
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: It seems that the rise of the Jin Dynasty is inevitable.
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: But I am indeed a little curious! It seems that the Jin Dynasty didn't even need the Song Dynasty's help to defeat the Liao Dynasty so decisively!
All emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty: (?°?д°?)……
On the other side of the screen, the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were embarrassed; they had no confidence to answer that question!
It's all that damned Emperor Huizong's fault! He initiated the Alliance at Sea, and then he's the one who messed up the negotiations!
There's really no reason not to blame him for this!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
"As for Emperor Huizong, several court officials strongly opposed the alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao. First of all, the Treaty of Shanyuan was between the Song and Liao, and doing so would be tantamount to betraying their ally."
"But the civil officials did not act in the best interests of the country; they were only targeting Tong Guan and others, using strong language to say that he was ambitious and kept a private army!"
"In fact, this might have been a good opportunity for the Song Dynasty to attack the Liao, but the top officials of the Northern Song Dynasty were still scheming against each other, and Emperor Huizong was a really bad emperor!"
"Ultimately, this sowed the seeds of future trouble for the Northern Song Dynasty, albeit with a rather comical and absurd twist."
"In the first year of the Xuanhe era (1119 AD), Goryeo sent a letter to Emperor Huizong of Song, stating:"
"The Liao people are like brothers to us; they can keep the border peaceful here. But those Jin people are no good!"
"But this guy is showing signs of switching sides. A few years ago, when the Jin Dynasty defeated the Liao army, the King of Goryeo sent a congratulatory message and also made a request to protect the state."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: On one hand, they befriended the Song Dynasty and refused to associate with the Jin Dynasty, while on the other hand, they themselves maintained good relations with the Jin Dynasty!
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: Hahahaha, this King of Goryeo is a bit too calculating, hahahaha!
A Qing Dynasty official: Not to be rude, but back in the Song Dynasty, officials were still fighting amongst themselves. What was all that fuss about?!
……
Qin Dynasty
Upon hearing this, the First Emperor probably had a general idea of the Song Dynasty, and at the same time, he was quite speechless.
A thriving cultural economy does not equate to strong military reserves.
If it were him, he would definitely have prioritized military development, instead of letting us get beaten like this!
It's not like we lack warlike soldiers, so why choose to remain in a corner of the world?!
……
"As for Tong Guan, after suppressing Fang La, he and Wang Hou had previously led the Northern Song Dynasty's Hehuang region, so his morale was high and he was full of ambition!"
"While the choice of the Northern Expedition may not necessarily be the right one, what's outrageous is that this Northern Expedition was actually proposed by a group of treacherous officials."
"So while Wanyan Aguda was attacking the Liao, the Song Dynasty was not idle either. It caught up with the Jin Dynasty and prepared to attack the Liao as well!"
"As early as the seventh year of the Zhenghe era (1117 AD), Tong Guan brought up the matter of the Northern Expedition. He even consulted the oracle before the expedition, and the divination result was auspicious."
"But this 'Record of the Northern Expedition' also mentions things like the flag falling, a white rainbow piercing the sun, and even more fantastical events like the birth of the Black Tortoise and the deaths of the snake and tortoise beasts."
"However, this mystical claim might be due to the later failure, and it might have been added during the writing process. But even so, it must be said: feudal superstition is unacceptable!"
"However, when Tong Guan arrived at Gaoyang Pass and saw the scene, he was dumbfounded; the reality was not what he had imagined!"
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: ...That place hasn't seen war for so long, how could a battle possibly break out?!
A Ming general said: "With the troops lax in their defenses, we know we're doomed to lose!"
A skilled farmer from the Tang Dynasty: No wonder the Song Dynasty has always been perceived as weak!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: The key point is that Emperor Huizong of Song was just the beginning of his incompetence; his son Zhao Gou was even more incompetent!
……
Tong Guan hadn't expected Gao Yangguang; the Hebei region hadn't seen any war for a century.
"Therefore, the garrison was lazy and its military preparedness was lax. Even the Tangbo defense line, which was originally built to block the Liao Dynasty cavalry, had dried up and become useless."
"But Tong Guan had no choice. He had already made the promise, so he could only grit his teeth and continue forward."
"To make matters worse, the cooperation between the Song and Jin dynasties was already out in the open, so when Tong Guan sent envoys to the Liao army camp, they basically never returned."
"The Liao army even shouted that the Song Dynasty had broken its promise, which left Tong Guan and others speechless."
"Although Tong Guan still wanted to salvage the situation by posting imperial edicts to encourage the Han people in Liao to return to the Song Dynasty, it was clear that the Han people in Liao did not have the same mindset as the Song people and had become accustomed to the Liao Dynasty's rule over the Han people."
"So this move failed. At that time, Zhong Shidao was a famous general in the Northwest. He believed that the Song Dynasty, as an ally, was launching an attack on Liao without a legitimate reason and was an unjust army."