Wanyan Zonghan was ambitious and wanted to kill Wanyan Sheng and take his place.
The Jin emperor, Wanyan Sheng, was already deposed. He was terrified by the Song and Mongolian invasions, especially after Jin Wushu's army was routed and the Jin's trump cards, the Iron Buddha and the Crooked Horse, were completely annihilated.
In addition, Wanyan Quanshi's Northwest Army in the north was also in pieces, and the country's destruction was imminent. The only way out now was surrender.
Surrendering to Mongolia was impossible. The Mongols were even more brutal than him and might kill him. The Song Dynasty was different. The Song people regarded themselves as a country of etiquette and would probably treat him well for their sake.
It is better to live a miserable life than to die. As the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, he was restricted by military generals in every way. If he surrendered to the Song Dynasty, he might be able to save his life.
Wanyan Zonghan had a different view. While the Jin dynasty was currently in a disastrous state, the situation was extremely unfavorable. However, during the reign of Emperor Taizu Aguda, the Liao dynasty had oppressed them, and they had faced even more unfavorable situations. Yet, Emperor Taizu relied on his prowess to defeat each enemy and establish the Great Jin.
Wanyan Zonghan thought that he was not much worse than Taizu Aguda, and his ambitions were still unfulfilled, so how could he surrender easily?
Moreover, most of the court officials did not support surrender. They all believed that the Great Jin still had a glimmer of hope and that there was hope for a comeback. In particular, Wanyan Gao's victory over the Western Xia army lit a candle of hope for the Great Jin, which was already in a dark period.
Wanyan Zonghan and his men came to the home of Dulieyanzhi, the Minister of Rites. Dulieyanzhi heard that Zonghan had arrived and hurriedly swept the couch to greet him.
"Marshal Zong Han, why are you here? It really brings honor to our humble home." Du Lieyan said with a smile.
Wanyan Zonghan nodded with a forced smile: "Lord Dulie is willing to serve as an envoy to surrender to the Song Dynasty, and he is very loyal to the Great Jin."
Du Lieyanzhi didn't hear the sarcasm at all and said happily, "We must thank Marshal Zong Han for his strong support in the court. Your Majesty wanted to surrender to the Song Dynasty, but the ministers opposed it. Only Marshal Zong Han stood up and agreed with Your Majesty's decision. This has spared our Great Jin from the disaster of war. It is truly a great blessing."
Wanyan Zonghan sneered: "Lord Dulie, where is the imperial edict sent by His Majesty?"
Du Lieyan was slightly surprised: "What does the Marshal want this imperial edict for?"
"Oh, I just want to take a look."
Du Lieyanzhi smiled faintly and hurriedly went to the inner room to retrieve the sheepskin tube: "Marshal, if we present this letter of surrender to the Song army, our Shangjing will be safe. If the Song army occupies the north, they will definitely need the Jurchens' help in governing. We can still continue to serve under the same rule."
As he said this, Du Lieyan sent the sheepskin tube over, but Wanyan Zonghan did not take it.
Du Lieyan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly Wanyan Zonghan reached out and grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air.
Wanyan Zonghan was a tall man with great martial arts skills. He grabbed Du Lieyanzhi like a chicken, holding him by the neck and suffocating him.
Wanyan Zonghan said viciously: "You are a dog slave who wags his tail and begs for mercy. How dare you be my Jurchen? You want me to surrender to the Song pigs? Don't even think about it!"
Du Lieyan grabbed around with his hands, his face turned from blue to purple, and finally he dropped his hands and stopped moving.
Wanyan Zonghan threw him aside like a dead dog, picked up the sheepskin tube, took the edict, and placed it in front of the lamp and lit it.
The Shangshu Mansion where Du Lieyan was stationed had long been surrounded. Wanyan Zonghan waved his hand and said, "Kill them!"
The guard beside him nodded and accepted the order. He walked outside the mansion and led a team of guards to rush in and kill everyone in the Shangshu Mansion, regardless of size.
"Chong! Chong! Chong! ... " The sound of orderly footsteps was loud.
A group of Jin soldiers came to the gate of the imperial palace with spears in hand. The guards at the gate were shocked: "Who are you?"
The troops moved aside, and Wanyan Zonghan walked out slowly. The guard hurriedly bowed and asked, "Marshal Zonghan, what are you doing?"
Wanyan Zonghan didn't answer, but waved his hand gently. The Jin soldiers nearby raised their spears and killed the guards, and everyone rushed into the palace.
"Kill!..." Wanyan Zonghan's subordinates rushed into the palace and killed anyone they saw.
Wanyan Sheng was upset in the harem. After all, if he was not forced to do so, who would be willing to be a king of a fallen country?
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty! It's bad. Marshal Zong Han and his men are breaking into the palace!" A eunuch came to report in a panic.
"What!" Wanyan Sheng was so shocked that he almost fell off the dragon throne: "What did you say!"
"Your Majesty, Zong Han is plotting a rebellion and is coming with his men to attack us!"
At this time, only the deafening sound of killing could be heard from the front palace, and the guards in the palace had already started fighting with the rebels.
Wanyan Sheng was shocked: "Where are the guards in front of the palace?"
The eunuch beside him said tremblingly: "The palace commander Du Ding Ke Ke has been killed by Marshal Zong Han's men. The guards are fighting the rebels in the front hall right now."
Wanyan Sheng was terrified. He knew how vicious Wanyan Zonghan was. Since Wanyan Zonghan dared to rebel against the world, he would have no chance of survival if he fell into his hands.
Wanyan Sheng hurriedly ran towards the back garden, intending to escape through the back door. Several eunuchs escorted him, but suddenly he heard the noisy sounds of the rebels outside the north gate of the back garden. It seemed that the entire palace was surrounded by Wanyan Zonghan's men.
Suddenly, Wanyan Sheng discovered a dry well in the northeast corner. He hurried to the well mouth and said, "Quick, quick, find me a rope."
The eunuch immediately understood: "Your Majesty, how could someone hide at the bottom of this well? The northern troops entered the city and committed no crime. If this is the case, where can Your Majesty escape? Please dress properly and go to the main hall, just like Emperor Wu of Liang met Hou Jing."
Hou Jing rebelled and broke into the palace. Emperor Wu of Liang remained calm and summoned him with the courtesy of a monarch and his subject, which frightened Hou Jing so much that he broke into a sweat.
But our Wanyan Sheng is not Emperor Wu of Liang. He is more like Chen Shubao. Wanyan Sheng said in a trembling voice: "Under the sharp blade, it is impossible to fight. Zong Han is cruel, but I have my own plan."
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