Wanyan Dan would occasionally ponder where he had gone wrong. The Jin army was strong and well-equipped, and he had only recently ascended the throne. How could he have suddenly fallen to such a state?
Ten years ago, the Jin army marched south as if entering an empty land.
In just ten years, the Song army had already captured Shenzhou and was now marching straight towards the capital.
Just six months ago, he was a high and mighty emperor, but now he kneels before Zhao Huan, not even as good as a dog.
Thinking about all this feels like a dream.
He would occasionally raise his head to steal a glance at Zhao Huan, then quickly prostrate himself on the ground to write letters to those fools in the capital, not daring to do anything rash.
This dog emperor was a notorious tyrant; the number of people who died at his hands was not only large, but also tragic.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject has finished writing."
Han Shizhong took the letter from his hand and presented it to Zhao Huan.
Zhao Huan glanced at it and expressed his satisfaction.
The letter was then sent to the capital city by fast horse.
It was already the dead of winter; if a person were to walk outside at this time of year, they could freeze to death.
The entire Shenzhou was covered in snow. Zhong Shizhong was already old, and Zhao Huan was worried that the severe cold would harm his health, so he specifically ordered Zhong Shizhong to stay indoors and not come out.
During this time, Zhao Huan spent every day in the imperial palace studying those rough strategic maps.
Fortunately, the Song army had excellent logistics, with a steady stream of grain being transported from Juyong Pass to Shenzhou.
Along the way, the Jin army was basically no longer in sight.
The Jin army that could be eliminated had already been eliminated, and the Jin army that could be scattered had also mostly scattered. They simply could not organize a large-scale army to attack the Song army's logistics routes.
As for Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, they were obediently hiding in Shangjing, debating what to do next.
Compared to Tokyo, Jin's Shangjing, though called the capital, was pitifully small, especially in winter when the streets were practically deserted.
The recent news of defeats at the front lines has cast a shadow over the minds of these high-ranking officials and nobles.
The nobles in the capital were divided into two types: the newly rich, who were the various tribes that rose to power with the Wanyan clan, and the old nobles.
The former nobles were mostly descendants of the Liao Dynasty, and the majority of them were Han Chinese.
For example, Han Qixian and Shi Li'ai, these Han Chinese families migrated north from the Central Plains during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and have been rooted in Liaodong for over a century.
Most Han Chinese nobles had their own armed forces, but these were still relatively weak compared to regular armies.
A horse-drawn carriage hurriedly stopped at the entrance of the Han family compound, and a thin, elderly man stepped out.
He wrapped himself up tightly; he was very old and needed help to walk.
This old man was none other than Shi Li'ai, the highest-ranking Han Chinese official in the Jin court.
Shi Li'ai was a former official of the Liao Dynasty who later defected to the Jin Dynasty. During the reign of Wanyan Sheng, he was highly regarded by Wanyan Sheng and participated in the new policies led by Wanyan Zongpan. He was a figure who could not be ignored in the Jin Dynasty.
Moreover, in the capital city, he was a representative figure of Han Chinese power.
His eldest son, Shi Jian, and second son, Shi Feng, carefully helped him inside.
Someone came out to greet them.
"Please come inside, brother."
The person who came out to greet them was none other than Han Qixian.
The Han family rose to prominence during the reign of Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty, and naturally became a prominent family after the establishment of the Jin Dynasty.
The sky had already darkened, and snow was falling.
The room was clean, the stove was burning brightly, and the windows and doors kept out the wind and snow outside.
Shi Li'ai was already very old, with even her eyebrows turned white. After sitting down, she curled up slightly, as if she were dozing off, but also as if she were thinking.
"What brings you to my humble abode, sir?"
Shi Liai remained silent, her breathing rising and falling.
Han Qixian couldn't help but laugh and cry. In recent years, his good friend's health had deteriorated, and recently he seemed to have reached the point of being delirious.
Han Qi first glanced at his son Han Duo, who then stood up, dismissed his attendants, went outside, and summoned his most trusted warrior to stand guard outside.
A moment later, Shi Li'ai slowly opened her eyes. Although she was very old, her eyes were exceptionally bright.
He said in a rather somber tone, "We are in grave danger."
Han Qixian lowered his head and sighed, "Brother, Wanyan Zonghan just wants money. Just give it to him. Our families have been established in this northern region for a hundred years. We are well-established and deeply rooted. The Wanyan family will not dare to make any rash moves."
"I have heard that Zonghan intends to retreat north."
“This matter cannot be taken seriously. To the north are towering mountains and vast grasslands. If Zonghan goes north, he will return to the life of herding sheep and horses. The capital is prosperous, and Zonghan will certainly not give it up.”
Shi Jian said, "Lord Han, this matter is a secret report from the inner palace."
Han Qixian was still not quite convinced. Shangjing City was built on the foundation of the Liao Dynasty's northern capital, and it was many times more prosperous than the Huanglongfu area.
How could Zonghan possibly abandon the capital and return to the north?
No normal person would make such a decision.
But Shi Li'ai made a special trip over this matter, which shows that he has already believed it to be true.
Shi Li'ai is very old. The North is not like the Central Plains. Winters in the North can easily freeze people to death, especially the elderly.
I came here at the risk of my life just to talk about this.
It seems highly likely that Wanyan Zonghan will retreat north.
This is bad.
Wanyan Zonghan's retreat north indicates that he was terrified of the Song army and wanted to return to the ancestral homeland of the Jurchens. At least there, the Song army would have to fight cavalry battles on the vast grasslands, where artillery might not have a significant advantage.
Since they were going to retreat north, and since they had already handed over the capital to others, they naturally wanted to plunder before leaving.
Especially for a century-old prominent family like theirs, which has accumulated a lot of wealth in recent years due to Wanyan Zongpan's new policies, it makes Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang even more eager to get their hands on them.
The Han people in the capital are in grave danger!
In the dead of winter, the Korean business owner couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
But then he thought that since Shi Li'ai had come to him, she must have a way to turn the situation around, so he might as well ask her first.
"Brother, what advice do you have for me?"
"Ten years ago, I had a relationship with Zongwang who went south to the Song Dynasty. I also secretly tested him and found that Zongwang had no intention of retreating north. The best way now is to support Zongwang."
The South Korean company nodded first; it was indeed a good idea.
He immediately thought that Zonghan had been castrated by the Song emperor ten years ago, so he naturally had little interest in the world of pleasure and luxury, but Zongwang was different.
Zongwang is a normal person.
In fact, it wasn't just Zongwang who was unwilling to retreat north; almost half of the Jurchen nobles were unwilling to return to their previous lives.
However, Wanyan Zonghan had a strong and well-equipped army, and no one dared to confront him except for Zongwang.
Therefore, we must start by dealing with the Jurchen nobles.
Han Qixian said, "This is easy to handle. Zonghan's son, Wanyan Shema, is most fond of beauties from the South. We will send the beauties from my household over first."
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