During the period when Li Shanqing was stranded in Bianliang, Tokyo, and the Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers repeatedly discussed the alliance with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda led the Jin army to continue to attack the city and gradually approach the Dading Prefecture in the central capital of the Liao Kingdom.
On the Liao side, seeing the Jin soldiers marching southward with ferocious force, Yelu Yanxi was in a panic and sent out several troops and horses to confront the Jin soldiers, but they all returned miserably.
Victory or defeat is a common occurrence for military strategists, and it is not surprising. Surprisingly, when facing Jin and suffering defeats one after another, the Liao State did not make concerted efforts to resist the invasion of Jin. On the contrary, the court was extremely unstable. One after another generals rebelled, causing Yelu Yanxi to fall into disgrace. Worried and at a loss as to what to do.
Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly serious, Emperor Tian Zuo hurriedly summoned ministers and generals to discuss countermeasures. In the main hall, all the ministers stood with their hands down and remained silent. Facing the silence of all the ministers, Yelu Yanxi lost her solemnity and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. She sat on the dragon chair for a while, jumped off the dragon chair for a while, and paced back and forth in the hall. Thinking about how to deal with the Kingdom of Jin.
Yelu Yanxi had expected the Jurchens to rebel against the Liao Dynasty, but what he didn't expect was that the Jurchens were so powerful and captured several of his cities one after another, including Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing. What surprised him even more was that the Jurchens in front of him were so powerful. The entire imperial court did not seem to be so united in their attack on the Jin Kingdom. Either one rebelled, or another rebelled.
At the beginning, Yelu Yanxi really didn't take the Jurchens' rebellion against the Liao seriously. He always thought that the Jurchens had a narrow territory, sparsely populated areas, an underdeveloped economy, and no advanced iron weapons. If they made a fuss, they would be suppressed by the imperial court. , after a few defeats, he will be honest; from the court's point of view, the worst thing is to allow him more autonomy.
However, things were far from what Yelu Yanxi thought. The Jurchens not only raised armies, but also founded a country. In the confrontation with the Liao army, the Jurchens not only did not suffer defeat, but actually won many consecutive victories. They even captured Linhuang Mansion in the upper capital and were approaching Dading Mansion in the middle capital. In Yelu Yanxi's view, the situation was already obvious, and the Jurchens were already on an equal footing with Daliao.
Seeing that the situation is getting more and more unfavorable, if it continues like this, Zhongjing will be lost, the military morale will be in chaos, and the situation will be out of control; therefore, Emperor Tianzuo was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, restless.
All the ministers in the court were frightened and uneasy when they saw Yelu Yanxi walking back and forth impatiently in the hall. They didn't know what to do.
Seeing that Yelu Yanxi had no master and was in panic, the old minister Xiao Wuna stepped forward and bowed to Yelu Yanxi and said: "I am going to report to my lord. In my opinion, the current matter affects the country. If you want to solve it, , there are only two ways, either to negotiate a peace and have good relations between the two parties; or to be prepared with weapons to prevent unexpected events."
In the past, Xiao Wuna had repeatedly advised Yelu Yanxi to be on guard against the Jurchens. Before the Jurchens became strong, he would conquer the Jurchens so that they would not have the chance to become stronger. However, Yelu Yanxi not only refused to listen to Xiao Wuna's advice, but also demoted Xiao Wuna to serve in Ningbian Prefecture. Later, the Jurchens actually rebelled, robbed several states and cities of the Liao Kingdom, and defeated the Liao army. Only then did Yelu Yanxi realize that what Xiao Wuna said was all from the bottom of his heart and was all for the sake of the court.
Based on this, Yelu Yanxi's attitude towards Xiao Wuna changed greatly. He no longer resented Xiao Wuna. He was also willing to listen to Xiao Wuna's advice and regarded Xiao Wuna as the most reliable loyal minister.
In the main hall, Yelu Yanxi said after listening to Xiao Wuna's words: "It is good to negotiate peace, but the key is that the Jurchens refused to agree; of course, military preparation is also necessary. The key is that the imperial court has not fought a war in more than a hundred years, and its combat capabilities have declined extremely. It’s so big that it can’t be prepared for a while.”
Xiao Wuna said: "The Jurchens refused because the court did not return Ashu. If the court returns Ashu now, canonizes Wanyan Aguda as the emperor of Donghuai Kingdom, cedes the land of Liaodong to the Jurchens, and advises him to return it to himself. In the place we occupy, we lower our status, recognize him as our younger brother, and form a kingdom of brothers with him. In this way, we can temporarily avoid the Jurchen's sharp edge. It will also be a good idea to attack the Jurchen again when our military equipment is strong. Method."
Yelu Yanxi was very interested when he heard this, but when he thought that Ashu had disappeared, he became dejected again.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Wuna said: "My lord, take a step back and the sea and sky are vast. If you continue to make decisions, you will suffer harm. Your Majesty should assess the situation and make a decision early."
Yelu Yanxi glanced at Xiao Wuna and said helplessly: "What you said is absolutely true, but I don't know where Ashu has gone. Where can I find Ashu? Besides, Wanyan Agu will be canonized as Donghuai." Emperor, is that guy willing to do this?"
Xiao Wuna said: "Begging for Ashu was originally an excuse for Wanyan Agu to be beaten. If the court does not return Ashu, it will always become an excuse for the Jurchens to rebel against the court. Therefore, where Ashu is now, we still need to step up the search. , we must order all localities to search for Ashu quickly, and return him to Wanyan Aguda if necessary to eliminate his excuses. As for whether Wanyan Aguda will accept the return of Ashu or the canonization of Wanyan Aguda as the emperor of Donghuai Kingdom, we can only decide whether Wanyan Aguda will accept it. Give it a try.”
Yelu Yanxi had no choice but to say to Xiao Wuna: "What the teacher said is good, but under the current circumstances, I don't know who is more suitable to be an envoy to the Kingdom of Jin? I should pay my teacher to recommend a suitable person to be an envoy to the Kingdom of Jin."
Xiao Wuna heard this and said: "Based on my observation, Grand Tutor Xi Nilie is loyal to the emperor, patriotic, wise and brave, and can take on this important responsibility."
Emperor Tianzuo was overjoyed when he heard this, and appointed Taifu Xi Nilie as the special envoy to the Jin Dynasty.
Xi Nilie was dispatched by Emperor Tianzuo. He slept in the open air along the way, traveling day and night. He was sent to Liaoyang Mansion in Tokyo with the seal, and was granted the title of "Emperor of the Eastern Huai Kingdom" by Wanyan Aguda, Taizu of the Jin Dynasty.
Before this, Gao Yongchang of Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo rebelled, and Wanyan Aguda took the opportunity to seize Tokyo. Wanyan Aguda's headquarters was stationed in Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo.
In Liaoyang Mansion in Tokyo, Xi Nilie met Emperor Wanyan Aguda of the Jin Kingdom and presented Emperor Tianzuo's credential and the imperial seal of Donghuai Kingdom to him.
Wanyan Aguda read Emperor Tianzuo's credential and was silent.
Wanyan Aguda was silent because he couldn't make up his mind at the moment.
At this time, Wanyan Aguda had just met with Song envoy Ma Zheng. Wanyan Aguda is waiting for news from the Song State. He hopes to form an alliance with the Song State and jointly conquer the Liao Dynasty; however, so far, no definite information has been sent back from the Song State.
As for the Jurchen's own strength, Wanyan Aguda also knew that the key to the Jurchen's small population was not only the combat effectiveness of the Jurchen soldiers. In the past, the Jurchens were often subdued by the Khitan, and their population could never grow. Given the current situation, Wanyan Agu was not sure that the Jin Kingdom would be able to defeat the powerful Liao Kingdom.
Deep down in his heart, Wanyan Aguda accepted the Liao Kingdom's offer to confer him the title of Emperor of the Eastern Huai Kingdom.
Wanyan Aguda couldn't make up his mind at the moment, so he arranged for Xi Nilie to stay first, and then summoned Wanyan Wu, Wanyan Wu, Wanyan Nianhan, Wanyan Zongwang and others to discuss the matter.
After Wanyan Wu Qimai introduced the situation to Wanyan Aguda, he said: "Since Yelu Yanxi canonized the great emperor as the Emperor of Donghuai Kingdom, recognized our country as his younger brother, and ceded the land of Liaodong, it can be regarded as officially recognizing the status of our country. ; Therefore, I think that this is not impossible. We can accept it first and use the peaceful environment to accelerate development. When we become stronger in the future, it will not be too late to compete with the Liao Kingdom."
After hearing what Wanyan Wu said about begging for money, Wanyan Aguda was a little tempted.
At this time, Wanyan Nianhan stood up suddenly and said angrily: "What the fourth uncle said is wrong! The Liao Kingdom named our great emperor the Emperor of Donghuai Kingdom. This is contempt for our great emperor! What is Donghuai? Do we still want it?" Do you miss and be grateful for his kindness in allowing us to establish our country?! Besides, the eastern part of Liaodong has been captured by us, so the so-called cession is just a favor and has no practical significance."
When Wanyan Aguda saw Wanyan Nianhan say this, he fixed his gaze on Wanyan Nianhan. When Wanyan Nianhan saw Wanyan Aguda staring at him, he stopped talking.
Wanyan Agu said: "Nianhan, keep talking."
Wanyan Nianhan continued: "Great Emperor, under the current circumstances, if we accept his canonization as Emperor of Donghuai Kingdom, we are fundamentally inferior. Now, since we have established a country and have enough After defeating the Liao army, why should we accept his canonization? This is Yelu Yanxi's delaying strategy, and I think it is absolutely unacceptable. If we accept the Khitan peace proposal at this time, the Khitan will take the opportunity to strengthen its military equipment, and then attack the Khitan. I’m afraid it will be difficult.”
Wanyan Nianhan's words suddenly alerted Wanyan Aguda.
Wanyan Aguda felt that what Wanyan Nianhan said was true. Under the current circumstances, if Dajin relaxed its attack on the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom would take the opportunity to slow down. At that time, it would be very difficult to conquer the Liao Kingdom. , maybe they will be counter-conquered by the Liao Kingdom, and it’s hard to say what the final result will be.
Therefore, Wanyan Aguda strengthened his determination to fight with the Liao Kingdom and decided to refuse the canonization of the Liao Kingdom.
After the meeting, Wanyan Aguda summoned the Liao envoy Xi Nilie.
Wanyan Aguda said to Xi Nilie: "It is very unreasonable for your emperor to confer me the title of Emperor of Donghuai Kingdom. Now, your emperor has been beaten by me and is running around in such a mess. Why is there any reason to be so condescending?" Make me the Emperor of Donghuai Kingdom? Besides, your country, Beijing and Tokyo, have been captured by our country and belong to our country. Where is the issue of cession?! The so-called cession is just a favor and has no actual reality. significance."
Hearing this, Xi Nilie said: "Great Emperor, you are wrong. We, Daliao, are a big country with a foundation of more than 200 years. It has a vast territory, strong soldiers and horses, and is powerful at home and abroad. Now, the reason why some of it has been seized by your country The location is actually just a temporary inconvenience in the deployment of our country’s troops.”
Wanyan Aguda listened quietly to Xi Nilie's words.
Xi Nilie continued: "The great emperor is here. There is a saying in the Southern Dynasties that a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. If the great emperor insists on not accepting our country's canonization and not becoming a brotherly country with our country, our two countries will definitely fight each other. The Great Emperor thinks about it, with our country's current strength, it is not a problem to raise millions of soldiers and horses; besides, the Khitan people advocate martial arts and are keen on hunting, and the Khitan men and women are all brave men. Once the two sides meet in battle, who will win in the end? Failure, it is too early to draw conclusions now.”
"Clumsy!" After listening to Xi Nilie's last words, Wanyan Agu became angry in his heart and scolded Xi Nilie: "You are a dignified tutor of the Liao Kingdom, and you were sent by the Liao Kingdom as an envoy to our country. How can you talk so freely? , Nonsense?! Let me ask you, since your country is so powerful, what are you doing here?"
When Xi Nilie asked, he was at a loss for words and didn't know how to answer Wanyan Aguda.
Wanyan Aguda looked at Xi Nilie who was speechless, and continued to scold: "You are so loud! It is not a problem to raise millions of soldiers and horses?! Since your country has a vast territory and strong soldiers and horses, why does your country come to me to negotiate peace?" "
Xi Nilie said forcefully: "God has the virtue of a good life, and a gentleman has the beauty of adulthood. The emperor of our country thought that when the war started, the lives of the people would be devastated, and he couldn't bear it. Therefore, he sent me to negotiate peace. I am not afraid of your country. I hope the emperor will think twice." "
Wanyan Aguda heard this and said angrily: "You think twice?! You don't even have to think about it! Your Khitan court ordered us Jurchens to attack Ashu. We risked our lives, charged into the battle, captured the city of Ashu, and broke through the court's Ying. Lu, your Khitan court protected Ashu, what's the point? Our country has pursued Ashu over and over again, why didn't your country repatriate Ashu?"
Hearing this, Xi Nilie replied: "Emperor, calm down and listen to me. At that time, your country was still a tribe in our country, and the emperor was still serving as the governor of the Jurchen tribe in our country. The imperial edict It is indeed appropriate for you to conquer Ashu, and there is nothing wrong with it. At that time, Ashu was a vassal of our country. Although he blocked the imperial court, he could repent and rehabilitate. As the suzerain state, how could our country be able to send envoys to its subordinates? Returning personnel? That doesn’t make sense.”
When Wanyan Aguda heard this, he became even more angry and said loudly: "Okay! As you said, I was your country's governor at that time, and your country did not need to return Ashu; then, now that my country has been established, I will officially surrender to your country. Make a request to immediately return the Jurchen traitor Ashu, will your country be a ally or not?"
Xi Nilie replied: "Although your country was founded, as the suzerain state, our country has not recognized your country's founding so far."
When Wanyan Aguda heard this, he became furious and asked loudly: "Since your country has not recognized the founding of our country, why does your country have its credentials come to me?!"
Xi Nilie replied: "I am here to discuss the matter of recognizing your country as Donghuai Kingdom, so I have the letter of credence here."
Wanyan Aguda was so angry that he was trembling with anger at Xi Nilie's neither arrogant nor humble attitude.
Xi Nilie continued: "It has been more than two hundred years since the Jurchens surrendered to our country. For more than two hundred years, as the suzerain state, our court has always treated the Jurchens very well, especially the Wanyan tribe. The Wanyan tribe hereditarily holds the post of Shengnuzhen Jiedu envoy. Now that your country has been established, our country also fully understands it. It just misses the historical practice of more than two hundred years of mutual recognition and friendship. Why fight with each other? , both sides suffer? I advise the Emperor to think twice and never do what Meng Lang did."
Wanyan Aguda heard this and said impatiently: "Okay! Stop talking nonsense! Since your country feels that its troops are strong, we can just fight. Negotiating peace is absolutely impossible."
Hearing this, Xi Nilie felt unwilling and asked Wanyan Agu to fight: "The Great Emperor should think twice."
Wanyan Aguda said angrily: "Don't think twice, not even once. Let me ask you, where is Ashu now? Will your country return Ashu?"
Xi Nilie said: "To tell the truth to the Emperor, I don't know where Ashu has gone. Even our country doesn't know where he is now."
When Wanyan Aguda heard this, he was furious. He thought that the Liao Kingdom still would not return Ashu. He shouted to the sergeant: "Come here, give this guy a whip and beat him out of the big tent! Detain him until he is returned to Ashu by other countries." , then let this guy return to his country."
Following Wanyan Aguda's shouts, several sergeants came in, caught Xi Nilie, and saw that Xi Nilie was beaten with a whip.
Poor Xi Nilie, who had been familiar with scriptures since he was a child and was rich in economics. He was a royal tutor of the Liao Kingdom and was ordered to go on a mission to the Jin Kingdom. However, in the palace of the Jin Kingdom, he was beaten like an animal by the Jurchen soldiers with whips.
Xi Nilie protested loudly: "Unreasonable! Unreasonable! Very unreasonable! I am an envoy of the Liao Kingdom, and I was ordered to go to your country. How can I be so unreasonable when I treat you like a whip?!"
The sergeant from the Kingdom of Jin couldn't care less. He just whipped Xi Nilie hard and then detained him.
Xi Nilie had no choice but to stay patiently in the Kingdom of Jin and pay attention to the development of the situation.
Next, Wanyan Aguda commanded the Jurchen troops and marched towards Dading Prefecture in Zhongjing of the Liao Kingdom.
