All I can say is that Kim Bu-sik's psychological quality is a bit too strong.
Of course, Emperor Zhao was no pushover. He hesitated for a moment and then said bluntly in public:
"In this case, Mr. Jin, do you want me to issue a decree to announce to the world that I will make you the King of Goryeo? I can coronate you in public today, so that Goryeo will not be laughed at by others again?"
Jin Rencun, who came here on orders, looked pale. How could he have imagined that his strategy of sowing discord that would hurt himself would instead lead to him encountering such an unreasonable Zhao Song official?
However, to Jin Rencun's surprise, Jin Bushi stood aside and answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty... Goryeo has been a country for more than 200 years, and has long been virtuous. Although it was a little helpless during the rise and fall of a great country, it did not lead to the continuation of the national rule. Moreover, our king ascended the throne at a young age. The state affairs were mostly controlled by powerful ministers in the first ten years, and the two capitals were in conflict in the last ten years. It was already very good to be able to maintain it. It cannot be said to be immoral and incompetent, and it should not have such a disaster. As for the foreign ministers, although I am grateful for your repeated support, as a minister, I have received the grace of Goryeo for decades. How can I betray my morals and lose my reputation of fifty years in one day? Please understand, Your Majesty."
"I naturally understand."
Zhao Jiu glanced at Jin Rencun, who seemed relieved, and didn't care. He just discussed seriously with Jin Bushi. "But Jin Xianggong, if you want to maintain Goryeo and maintain the continuation of the Wang family, then I have to discuss some of the previous internal and external affairs of Goryeo with you..."
Even though Jin Fushi was well prepared, he couldn't help but sigh slightly at this moment.
"Mr. Zheng Zhichang was sent as an envoy to the Song Dynasty many times. His literary reputation was known throughout the world. He was also the holder of the Jinhe Alliance. Now he has been killed by you. May I ask, how will the Goryeo Kingdom and you, Jin Bushi, explain to me, Dashilin Ya of Western Liao, the two Mongolian kings, and the ruler of Gaochang?" Zhao Jiu asked calmly.
After these words were spoken, Toli and Hebule looked at him with disdain, as if they really remembered what Zheng Zhichang looked like.
"Besides that." Before Jin Bu Shi could answer, Zhao Jiu held his ignorant daughter on his lap and continued to ask in the sea breeze. "When I was fighting in the north, I sent a clear order to Goryeo, asking you to obey the Jinhe Alliance and the virtue of the state, and send troops to attack Liaodong. It was also agreed that if you were one day late, you would pay 10,000 strings of money for military expenses to feed the soldiers... You were more than a hundred days late, what should I say?"
Kim Bu-sik was silent for a moment, and Kim In-chun on the ground also lowered his head and remained silent. Even the envoys of many surrounding states and tribal leaders twirled their beards and sneered, because everyone knew that this was a dead end that Goryeo must face... You can't get through it easily by maintaining internal unity, otherwise, the war will be fought in vain.
"I have something to say."
Zhao Jiu, who was holding his daughter, saw this and suddenly became serious without waiting for the other party to speak. "The most important thing for a country is the army. What happened today and what will happen in the future will probably have to go back to the war itself..."
Everyone immediately became solemn.
"The Song and Jin were the main forces in this war, and all the states and tribes north of the Yangtze River participated in the war." Zhao Jiu continued to speak slowly and seriously. "Let's not talk about the period before Jingkang. It has been almost twelve years since Jingkang. In the past twelve years, the cost of the war is not just the casualties of the Battle of Huolu or the previous battle of Yaoshan...
"The loss and recovery of land is tens of thousands of miles in size, and the number of cities changing hands is probably over a thousand times...
"The number of casualties among the soldiers and soldiers accumulated to hundreds of thousands, and the number of casualties among the civilians in the war probably numbered in the tens of millions...
"Han, Jurchen, Tangut, Khitan, Xi, Goryeo, Bohai, Mongolia, and even Gaochang and Japan all had soldiers wearing armor and lined up to participate in the battle...
"The Liao Dynasty was destroyed because of this, the Western Xia was destroyed because of this, and the Western Liao Dynasty, Eastern Mongolia, and Western Mongolia were re-established because of this...
"The Han people suffered the most casualties and humiliation. The Khitan was split into two, and the Bohai tribes lost almost half of their population in the war. The Jurchens lost an unknown number, but they probably lost nearly half of their population as well. The rise and fall of the state, the survival of the tribe, all depended on this war..."
Zhao Jiu spoke slowly, and the expressions of the envoys from various countries and tribal leaders below became more and more serious. In the end, the main courtyard in front of the crowded main hall of the Dalonggong Temple was almost silent. Even Princess Yiyou sensed a certain atmosphere, and despite the slightly hot weather, she leaned into her father's arms.
"So, I asked you all to come here today, because this battle is not only about the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, but also about the rise and fall of your country and the survival of your tribe." At this point, Zhao Jiu finally looked at Jin Bu Shi again. "Prime Minister Jin, Marshal Jin... I will not pursue your reversals during the Jingkang Incident. After all, at that time, I was chased by Wuzhu and hid in Bagong Mountain, let alone you? However, after the fall of Western Xia, the Jinhe Alliance was signed, and the countries decided on the right and wrong of this battle. I want to ask you, does Goryeo recognize it?"
"Of course!"
Jin Bu Shi did not dare to hesitate for a moment. "Goryeo belongs to Song, not Jin. This war is in accordance with the will of heaven. We are the Chinese and we are fighting against the barbarians... We dare not make the slightest mistake in this matter."
"Now tell me, since we are following the Jinhe Alliance and believe that we are following the Song to fight against the Jin, what about Zheng Zhichang and the delay of more than three months in sending troops?" Zhao Jiu continued to ask seriously. "Do you think that these things are just verbal wit? Even if they are just words and papers, they will be used in such a grand war, which will also determine the fate of the country, right?!"
Jin Fushi knelt down on the ground without hesitation.
To put it bluntly, Kim Bu-sik was a smart man. He could certainly use the Jinhe Alliance to explain this matter, but even without such an explanation, returning to the fundamental interests, Goryeo would have to pay the price for its double-faced approach in the war...especially since the Song Dynasty was now completely victorious, and Yue Fei's troops had joined forces with the Khitans around Liaoyang to block the Goryeo army's way back home. The Zhao Song government was not someone to be trifled with.
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