In fact, according to the news that came back from Sima Junru, many Han Chinese officials in the capital proposed that the Jin Dynasty should learn from the Song Dynasty and reform its system.

The conflict in the Jin court had shifted to a conflict between the new and old factions.

Wanyan Zongpan was the leader of the new faction, supported by a group of Han Chinese ministers.

Emperor Wanyan Sheng of the Jin Dynasty is now using his son's power to carry out purges and suppressions in the court.

This posed a potential threat to Zhao Huan.

He had long anticipated that once the reforms were effective, enemy countries would follow suit.

Enemy countries will also become stronger through the new policies.

It is unrealistic to launch a northern expedition at this time. Only a year has passed since the war to destroy Xia. In that year, the Song Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles, and the northwest was devastated.

Hebei and Hedong were essentially rendered useless due to internal strife.

Now is the time for reconstruction. If war breaks out again, even the best policies will be too much for the people to bear.

Therefore, it is impossible for them to launch a northern expedition within the next few years.

However, the Jin state was always eyeing them covetously, and they wouldn't behave themselves unless they were given a few warnings.

Previously, Zhao Huan secretly supported the peace faction of the Jin state, namely Wanyan Zongpan, but now Wanyan Zongpan has become too powerful, and the Jin court is out of balance.

Moreover, this peace-seeking faction also wanted to learn from the Song Dynasty.

This is something Zhao Huan wants to stop, so his current strategy also needs to be adjusted.

We need to do something that benefits the pro-war faction, the conservatives, and to check Wanyan Zongpan to some extent, otherwise he'll really get too big for his britches.

How to check and balance Wanyan Zongpan?

Naturally, the power should be given to the pro-war faction!

Due to the peace between the Song and Jin dynasties, the military power of the pro-war faction, including Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, was gradually being divided.

Zhao Huan cannot initiate a war now, but that doesn't mean he can't instigate Yelü Dashi!

If Yelü Dashi becomes restless again in the western border region of the Jin state, Wanyan Sheng will definitely send someone like Wanyan Zongwang to judge him. At least no one on Wanyan Zongpan's side can suppress Yelü Dashi.

This allowed the Jin state to achieve a delicate balance between advocating war and advocating peace.

When Wanyan Zongpan wanted to carry out reforms, he would inevitably affect the military. As long as Wanyan Zongwang and others were useful to Wanyan Sheng, they would never easily weaken his military power.

Therefore, Wanyan Zongpan's attempt to emulate the Song Dynasty's reforms without the support of the army was doomed to failure.

Thinking about this, Zhao Huan felt that the plan was feasible.

No sooner had Wanyan Zongpan left than Zhao Huan began writing letters to Yelü Dashi to offer his support.

To eliminate Yelü Dashi's worries, Zhao Huan specially selected a woman from the imperial clan, bestowed upon her the title of princess, and sent her with the envoy to the northern grasslands to marry Yelü Dashi.

In this way, Yelü Dashi could be considered a member of the imperial family.

The one who carried out this task was none other than Qin Hui.

Upon receiving Zhao Huan's order, Qin Hui immediately set off.

He traveled north, entered the Hetao region, and in Xingqing Prefecture, he transferred two million strings of cash from the military funds. He then led eight hundred light cavalrymen northward.

In March, the southern part of the Gobi Desert is still very cold. The grasslands are covered with ice and snow, barren and lifeless.

When Qin Hui met Yelü Dashi, he was very enthusiastic.

For Qin Hui, this was a golden opportunity. By excluding the emperor's mission and befriending Yelü Dashi, he gained more confidence in the court.

When Qin Hui entered the tent, Yelü Dashi was holding women in both arms, looking like he was indulging in pleasure.

But Qin Hui saw through his act at a glance.

He did not drink alcohol. There was a separate bookshelf in the tent, filled with many books, and an incense burner on the table, which was said to have a refreshing effect.

Moreover, the two women in his arms had clearly just come in from outside, their faces still red from the cold.

Yelü Dashi looked like a local tyrant of the grasslands, but he had a strong scholarly air about him, as well as the murderous aura of a warrior. His eyes unintentionally revealed sharpness and ruthlessness.

This is definitely a ruthless and powerful figure!

If it were someone else today, they would have been deceived by Yelü Dashi.

But Qin Hui was also an extremely deceptive person, with a mind as clouded as dust, a honeyed tongue and a dagger in his heart, and remarkable methods. How could he not see that Yelü Dashi was pretending?

"Hahaha! His Majesty has actually sent the renowned Prime Minister Qin! He really thinks too highly of me, Yelü Dashi!" Yelü Dashi gulped down a large mouthful of wine, then roared at the top of his lungs, "Come, come! Take a seat! Take a seat!"

Qin Hui bowed and said, "I have long heard of Your Majesty's illustrious reputation, and today I have the honor of meeting you. Your reputation is well-deserved."

"I'd like to hear what you're saying, Prime Minister Qin! Scholars always have such pleasant words!"

Qin Hui thought to himself: Aren't you a scholar too? Back then, you were a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the Liao Kingdom. Your literary talent and knowledge surpassed that of many in the Song Dynasty. Yet now you pretend to be a boorish and uncouth man. You are truly cunning!

Qin Hui entered the tent and sat down. Strangely, despite being the emperor's envoy, no one greeted him or paid him any respects.

From this behavior, Qin Hui roughly judged that the emperor's control over Yelü Dashi was actually quite weak.

But it doesn't matter, Zhao Huan wasn't one to be bound by etiquette.

For Zhao Huan, Yelü Dashi's attitude was not important; what mattered was Yelü Dashi's situation.

Their relationship was purely based on self-interest; it couldn't be described as one of ruler and subject.

The fact that Yelü Dashi could continue to harass the Jin state was the biggest help he could give Zhao Huan.

Qin Hui said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! I have been ordered by the Emperor to bring Princess Pingrou here."

Yelü Dashi had already received news that Zhao Huan was going to marry the princess.

Yelü Dashi said, "I will still need to rely on Prime Minister Qin's help in the future!"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!