It is said that Ma Zhi met Jia Shizhong by chance on his way back to Ningbian Prefecture from the Adian tribe. The two became like old friends when they met. They immediately worshiped heaven and earth and became sworn brothers. The two also agreed that Ma Zhi would resign his official position and return to Youzhou at a convenient time.
That night, Ma Zhi, Jia Shizhong and others spent the night on the grassland.
Early the next morning, Ma Zhi and Jia Shizhong said goodbye to each other, and one returned to Ningbian Prefecture to take up his post; the other drove hundreds of horses back to the southern suburbs of Youzhou.
Two flowers bloom, one on each side. Let's not talk about Jia Shizhong driving the horses back to Youzhou, but just say that Ma Zhi returned to the governor's office in Ningbian Prefecture and hurriedly went to see the governor Xiao Wuna.
Xiao Wuna was overjoyed to see Ma Zhi come back and hurriedly greeted Ma Zhi to his seat.
Ma Zhi sat down opposite Xiao Wuna, and the two began to talk about the Jurchens and some recent events in the court.
Ma Zhi said to Xiao Wuna: "My benefactor is above. In the name of buying horses, I went to the Aden tribe of Shengnuzhen and met the leader of Dut. The leader of Dut was very interested in the identity of the Southern Dynasty merchant who I pretended to be. I also very much hope to reach an agreement with the Southern Dynasty on the sale of horses, so I highly respect you and entertain you generously. I am my benefactor, and in the process of interacting with the leader of Dart, I discovered a problem, which will directly determine the future of the imperial court. The enemy is the entire Jurchens, not the Wanyan tribe of Jurchens."
Hearing this, Xiao Wuna nodded and said, "Why do you see it? Just keep talking."
Ma Zhi said: "In front of my benefactor, I don't need to be tactful when speaking. I have to speak straightforwardly."
Xiao Wuna said: "But it doesn't matter."
Ma Zhi said: "Thank you so much. I have discovered that there are some conflicts between the Jurchens, but these conflicts between them are nothing more than minor conflicts between the same clans, which can be easily resolved by each other; between them and our Daliao people The biggest contradiction is the contradiction that cannot be resolved. The benefactor is above, not because I am disrespectful to the court, but there are some things that must be reported to the benefactor truthfully. "
Xiao Wuna said: "There is nothing worth hiding between you and me, just say it."
Ma Zhi clasped his hands and said, "Thank you so much, my benefactor. Before this, the imperial court's suppression of the Jurchens had sown seeds of hatred. Now, these seeds of hatred planted by the imperial court have taken root, blossomed, and borne fruit." .Through my conversation with the leaders of Dut, I found that they hate the Khitan to the core, and everyone regards us as the Khitan’s enemy. Therefore, when we, the Daliao, fight with other Jurchen tribes, the small conflicts between them will be put aside. On the contrary, we unite together to fight against our Daliao. For our benefactor, this is the most thorny issue for the court at present."
When Xiao Wuna heard this, he nodded frequently to express his agreement.
Seeing this, Ma Zhi was encouraged and continued: "My benefactor sent a subordinate to inquire about the situation, so as to drive a wedge between the Jurchen tribes and provoke conflicts between them; but judging from the current situation, this is impossible, because They recognized the cohesion between their own clans and the imperial court. In addition, the Jurchens were fierce and competitive, armed with swords and guns, and practiced martial arts constantly. Once formed into a whole, their fighting power was very strong; Wanyan Jiedushi was also very alert. Among the people, the Wanyan family is the dominant one. If they unite the Jurchen tribe in the future, they will pose a great threat to the imperial court."
Xiao Wuna nodded and said: "That's right! Seeing that the current situation is very bad, the imperial court is hiding its ears and refusing to face it."
Hearing this, Ma Zhi was surprised and opened his eyes wide to look at Xiao Wuna.
Xiao Wuna also looked at Ma Zhi and said: "Your Majesty has been ill since last year. Since this year, the situation has become more serious. I am afraid that he will not survive this year. In the past, the crown prince was killed by Yelu Yixin, leaving only The emperor's grandson Aguo. The emperor's grandson has been my assistant since he was a child. I know his situation very well. He has a violent temperament and is greedy for hunting. He is more than bold and unrestrained, but not sophisticated enough. He does not take the Jurchens at heart. , If this happens, I’m afraid that the Jurchens will take advantage of the situation and rise to the point where they can’t be suppressed!”
Ma Zhi asked in surprise: "My benefactor, if this is the case, what should we do?"
Hearing this, Xiao Wuna spread his hands on his seat and said helplessly: "We have no choice but to do our best."
Ma Zhi said warmly: "My dear benefactor, I think of Daliao. It has a history of two hundred years. It has a vast territory and strong soldiers and horses. Is it possible that there is no way to defeat the Jurchens?"
Xiao Wuna said: "Of course there is a way, but your Majesty does not have the courage. If your Majesty had the courage, he would not spend all day wandering around hunting and hunting, being extravagant and lustful, addicted to wine and music, chasing away the loyal and good, and appointing young men. The situation can be stabilized by focusing on developing national strength, strengthening military armaments, vigorously suppressing the Jurchens and carefully appeasing them."
Ma Zhi heard this and said: "Even so, I should give advice to Your Majesty."
Xiao Wuna smiled when he heard this and shook his head helplessly.
Ma Zhi asked again: "My benefactor, how should we deal with the current situation?"
Xiao Wuna said: "There is no other way. It is just to keep an eye on the movements of the Jurchens secretly. If there is any trouble, report it to the court immediately, and the court will send troops to suppress it."
Ma Zhi said: "This is very passive and makes people very unhappy."
Xiao Wuna said: "There is no other way. Who let us end up with a majesty who doesn't want to make progress?"
After Xiao Wuna and Ma Zhi talked for a while, they went back to their homes to rest.
Since then, Xiao Wuna has been in charge of Ningbian Prefecture, monitoring and suppressing the Jurchen tribe to prevent them from doing evil things.
A few months later, on the eleventh day of the first lunar month of the seventh year of Shouchang in the Liao Dynasty, Xiao Wuna suddenly received an order to immediately go to Hun Tongjiang Yuying to meet him; the political affairs of Ningbian Prefecture were temporarily handled by Ma Zhi. Apart from this, there is no other content in the edict.
When Xiao Wuna heard the edict, he had doubts in his heart, because on the first day of the first lunar month, Yelu Hongji, who was seventy years old, appeared to be seriously ill when he received congratulations from all officials of the court, including Xiao Wuna, and envoys from various countries in the Qingfeng Hall in Shangjing. , why did you go to Hun Tongjiang again now? Has His Majesty's condition improved or recovered?
Although Xiao Wuna had doubts in his heart, he couldn't inquire about it, so he handed over the government affairs of Ningbian Prefecture to Ma Zhi and told him to handle it carefully and to wait and see the Jurchens first, and not to take the initiative to avoid causing trouble at the critical moment.
After explaining this, Xiao Wuna and the imperial envoys rushed to Yeluhongji's imperial camp in Huntongjiang River to meet Yeluhongji.
What is so urgent? It turned out that Yelu Hongji had been seriously ill since the twelfth lunar month. On the first day of the first lunar month of the seventh year of Shouchang, Yelu Hongji barely supported his illness and accepted the worship of hundreds of officials and envoys from various countries in Qingfeng Hall. However, because it was already the peak hunting season in winter, Yelu Hongji, after resting for the night in Qingfeng Palace, led his grandson Yelu Yanxi and many ministers to the Huntong River regardless of his age, frailty and serious illness. Hunting.
When we arrived at Yeluhongji in Huntongjiang River, we managed to hunt for a day, but we were hit by the cold wind and became bedridden.
Yelu Hongji fell asleep for a while, then woke up for a while, then he knew that he was dying and it was time to explain his funeral arrangements. Then, Yelu Hongji thought of Xiao Wuna who had returned to his post in Ningbyon Prefecture. The emperor's grandson Yelu Yanxi has been assisted by Xiao Wuna since he was a child; when Yelu Yixin wanted to harm the emperor's grandson Yelu Yanxi, it was Xiao Wuna who saw through his plot and protected the emperor's grandson Yelu Yanxi. Yelu Hongji trusted Xiao Wuna very much, so he ordered Xiao Wuna to rush to Hun Tongjiang immediately to deal with his funeral affairs and the succession of his grandson Yelu Yanxi to the throne.
When Xiao Wuna rushed to Hun Tongjiang, it was already the twelfth day of the first lunar month. Yelu Hongji, Daozong of the Liao Dynasty, was even more seriously ill and lay in the palace, waiting for the arrival of Xiao Wuna.
Xiao Wuna arrived at Hun Tongjiang and hurriedly entered the palace to meet Yelu Hongji.
Yelu Hongji, who was on the sickbed, was so happy when he saw Xiao Wuna coming that he sat up.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Wuna quickly knelt down on the ground and said loudly: "Your Majesty, Xiao Wuna, wishes you a long life."
Yelu Hongji waved his hand and said with difficulty: "Xiao Xueshi, please rise. Don't be too polite."
Xiao Wuna's general Yelu Hongji was seriously ill and could not resist Yelu Hongji's wishes. He quickly stood up and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
After seeing Xiao Wuna stand up, Yelu Hongji pointed to the chair on the edge and asked Xiao Wuna to sit on the edge. ,
Xiao Wuna bowed and saluted, and said, "How can I be so virtuous and capable as to dare to sit next to Your Majesty? Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I will just stand. If Your Majesty has any instructions, I will not hesitate to do so without any hesitation."
Yelu Hongji struggled to point to the seat with a folded edge. Xiao Wuna couldn't bear the pain of Yelu Hongji, so he hurriedly sat on the seat next to the sickbed. Yelu Hongji smiled happily. Xiao Wuna also felt relieved.
Subsequently, Yelu Hongji ordered the emperor's grandson Yelu Yanxi and many ministers to come to see him.
The emperor's grandson Yelu Yanxi and other ministers who accompanied the hunt came to Yelu Hongji's palace to pay homage to Yelu Hongji.
Yelu Hongji immediately issued an edict: "The emperor's grandson Yelu Yanxi will succeed to the throne."
At that time, Yelu Yanxi was already twenty-six years old, tall and mighty, very majestic.
Yelu Hongji looked at Yelu Yanxi who was kneeling in front of the bed, and said earnestly: "Aguo, you are already a young man. When I am not here, you should take care of everything carefully and not be rash. In matters of government affairs, please listen more. Guidance from Master Xiao.”
With that said, Yelu Hongji turned to look at Xiao Wuna who was sitting beside the hospital bed.
Xiao Wuna quickly got up and knelt down in front of Yelu Hongji's bed.
Yelu Hongji looked at Xiao Wuna who was kneeling in front of the hospital bed and said, "Bachelors have to work hard. Aguo has been assisted by bachelors since he was a child. Since I am gone, I must assist him with all my heart and not relax for a moment."
When Xiao Wuna heard this, he cried and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely obey the order, work hard and die for myself."
Yelu Hongji nodded, then looked at Yelu Yanxi and said: "Aguo, you have a stubborn temperament, are unruly, and are impatient in dealing with things. You should be restrained. Don't underestimate the Jurchens in the Northeast. The Southern Dynasty has been through for a long time, and you are gentle and obedient. You must not stir up trouble, stir up conflicts, or start a war."
When Yelu Yanxi heard the edict, he kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, Aguo has remembered it."
After explaining everything, Yelu Yanxi and all the ministers left.
That night, Yelu Hongji held on for another night and died in the early morning of the next day.
