Chapter 113: Bearing the Consequences of One's Actions

  In Bianjing City, a man in his forties with a majestic appearance and a cold expression was raging inside the original Kaifeng Prefecture of the Northern Song Dynasty: "Wanyan Liang, Xieli Zhining, what are you two doing?! I ordered you to guard your own cities and not to advance rashly, but you two refused to listen and insisted on attacking Chuzhou. What is Chuzhou? It's the lair of that scoundrel Han Shizhong! Is he someone easy to deal with? Ten years ago, I was trapped in Huangtiandang by him for a long time and couldn't escape. Do you two young men think you can easily defeat him?! You're underestimating these Southern Dynasty generals too much!"

  This middle-aged man was Wanyan Zongbi, a famous figure in history, also known as Aguda, the fourth son of Emperor Taizu of Jin.

  Last year, he launched a coup and killed the main minister of the Han Dynasty, Wanyan Chelan, who was in charge of the military and political power of the Jin Dynasty. He tore up the Shaoxing Treaty, which had just been signed, and led the Jin army to attack the Song Dynasty again.

  But unexpectedly, the three armies were all defeated by the Song army. At present, many people in the Jin Dynasty are very dissatisfied with him, so he had to agree to negotiate with the Song Dynasty again, which he had always looked down on, striving to gain something in the negotiations that could not be obtained on the battlefield, and also to report back to the young emperor of the Jin Dynasty and calm the dissatisfaction of the ministers.

  It was unexpected that at this critical moment, the two young generals Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining, who had always been valued by him, would take the initiative to attack Chuzhou, not only suffering a great defeat but also losing his ninth brother Wanyan Zongmin.

  Wuzong had read Chinese books and naturally knew that launching a surprise attack while still negotiating was considered very immoral and would be seen as untrustworthy.

  If we had won, it would be easy to say, and we could put some pressure on the Song people. Although it's a betrayal, it would also help with the negotiations. But now it's a crushing defeat, and the Song people will surely take a tough stance after their victory. How can we expect them to yield and sign a new treaty that is favorable to us?

  Wanyan Liang and Xishi Zhining knelt in the temple, with two black thorns on their backs, hanging their heads and not daring to argue.

  The two of them had already learned that it was Yue Yun who had captured Bianzhou and killed Wanyan Zongmin, and they both felt a chill in their hearts. They secretly thought that Yue Yun was about the same age as them, but far surpassed them in bravery and strategic thinking. This stirred up their competitive spirit, and they were determined to have another showdown with Yue Yun in the future.

  But that's a story for later. For now, their attack on Chu State this time has resulted in heavy losses, not only did they lose Xiangzhou once, but also the great Ninth Prince Wanyan Zongmin was killed. This matter cannot be covered up no matter what.

  The two of them discussed it and felt that rather than being pursued by the imperial court, they might as well honestly admit their mistakes to Wuzong. After all, between the two of them, one was Wuzong's nephew and the other his son-in-law; surely Wuzong wouldn't actually kill them.

  The two men then handed over the defense of Xi Zhou and Qing Zhou to their deputy generals, and each carried two thorny branches on their backs to plead guilty to Wuzong. This idea was also thought of by Wanyan Liang, who knew that Wuzong had always liked Central Plains culture, so he learned from the famous general Lian Po of Zhao State during the Warring States period of the Han people and came up with a plan to plead guilty with thorny branches.

  Wuzong heard that the two men had secretly gone to war and been defeated, and was originally both angry and furious, preparing to severely punish them. But seeing the two carrying thorny branches to plead guilty, he couldn't help but feel both angry and amused. He thought to himself that although these two young men had committed a great error, they also knew how to learn from the culture of the Southern Dynasty, study Han people's classics, and were not beyond salvation.

  This time, however, they made a big mistake. Even the ninth king, Wan Yan Zongmin, who was on patrol at the front line, died, and those political enemies in the court are probably framing themselves in front of the emperor now. Moreover, if these two young men are not severely punished, who knows how many more outrageous things they will do in the future?

  At this time, the original Han Chang, a general of the pseudo-Qi, stepped forward and advised: "Your Majesty, although the two young generals suffered defeat in battle, they were well-organized in their advance and retreat. Xieli Zhining General recovered Suzhou one day after it fell, and Wanyan Liang General remained calm when the enemy's reinforcements arrived, safely withdrawing his troops, which can be considered as making up for their mistakes. I hope Your Majesty will show mercy and spare them!"

  Wu Zhi listened and stroked his short beard under his chin, remaining silent.

  At this moment, the military advisor Ha Mi Chi, who had followed him for many years, also bowed and said: "Your Highness, Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining, two young generals, disobeyed orders and fought recklessly, resulting in heavy casualties. They should be punished, but the main reason is that the Ninth Prince was eager to take credit. He tried to use the two young men's desire for merit to encourage them to fight. Moreover, our Jin army has been at peace for a long time, and many imperial princes only know how to enjoy themselves and do not think about making progress. They have lost the courage and bloodlust that our ancestors had twenty years ago when they dared to fight against the Liao State's 700,000-strong army with just 3,000 soldiers. Wanyan Liang and Xieli Zhining have this courage and will to fight, which is truly rare. If they are severely punished, it will inevitably lead to all military leaders being overly cautious in the future, only seeking to avoid mistakes rather than striving for achievements. This would be detrimental to the future development of our Jin State!

  Wuzong was deeply moved upon hearing this.

  He had always looked down on Han Chang, who had betrayed Song, Jin and pseudo-Qi several times. His words could be ignored. But Ha Mi's words were different. Ha Mi was one of the followers of Emperor Taizu of Liao when he rebelled against Liao more than 20 years ago. In the battles against Liao and Song, he made plans and worked hard for him, making great contributions. Moreover, Ha Mi's words also made him think deeply.

  More than a decade ago, when the Jin army first marched south, they were almost invincible in battle and unbeatable in siege warfare. With tens of thousands of troops, they could defeat hundreds of thousands of Song soldiers, causing them to collapse like a mountain and flee for miles.

  In recent years, the combat effectiveness of the Song army has been greatly improved, while it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Jin army to win a decent victory.

  Especially the battles with Yue Fei three months ago made him even more shocked. He had sent out elite troops such as "Iron Floating Diagram" and "Crooked Horse", thinking that he could defeat the Yue family army in one battle. But unexpectedly, these elite troops were defeated by Yue Yun's Ba Wei army in a field battle. His son-in-law Xia Jinwu was also killed by Yue Yun in the chaos. This really made him somewhat disheartened, and he suddenly changed from being pro-war to being pro-peace, which is not unrelated to this.

  At this thought, Wu Zong's heart was slightly moved. The combat effectiveness of the Song army is not comparable to before, and even he himself can't win, wanting these two young generals who have just come out of the thatched cottage to defeat Han Shizhong, it's almost impossible. But losing a war doesn't mean losing morale, now the Jurchen people's will to fight is much weaker than before.

  Then, he couldn't help but change his expression and said: "Since Ha Junshi and General Han have pleaded for you two, this time's unauthorized battle, which led to the defeat, I will let it pass lightly. However, although the death penalty is exempted, the living penalty cannot be tolerated. Wanyan Liang was demoted to Wanfu Zhang, Xishi Lie Zining was demoted to Xingjun Sima, and you two were allowed to wear your crimes and make amends! From now on, if you two can establish new merits, you will be reinstated!"

  Wanyan Liang and Xishi Zhining were overjoyed when they heard this, and hastily kowtowed to thank him.

  Just then, an imperial attendant hastily came in from outside the palace and whispered a sentence into Wuzhuo's ear.

  Wu Tzu's expression changed greatly after hearing this, his eyes widened and he asked sternly: "Is this true?"