Great Jin, the capital of Jin is Shangjing.
Wanyan Zonghan of the Western Route Army returned in defeat, not only getting nothing but also suffering heavy losses.
The Eastern Army suffered even worse. Their commander, Wanyan Zongmou, was beheaded, and except for the approximately 20,000 men led by Wanyan Ang who crossed north, the remaining 40,000 elite troops were all buried in the Song Dynasty.
At this time, the Jin Dynasty was barely making ends meet. Having suffered a defeat, it was temporarily unable to attack the Song Dynasty. The annual tribute promised by the Song Dynasty had also become a pipe dream.
"Your Majesty. We have failed in our attack on Song, so we can forget about the annual tribute. The treasury is empty now, but we still have to live. We should tighten our belts and save as much as we can." Wanyan Ang said in the Golden Palace.
The country was in trouble, and the Jin Dynasty Emperor Wanyan Sheng sat on the throne with a frown on his face.
Wanyan Sheng was the younger brother of Wanyan Aguda, the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty. After Aguda's death, Wanyan Sheng ascended the throne. With his square face, Wanyan Sheng possessed a blessed appearance. However, he was currently worried about his finances.
The chief marshal, Wanyan Zonghan, said: "Western Xia is our vassal. We can ask for some annual tribute from Western Xia."
Wanyan Ang said, "Western Xia is not as good as us. What can their annual tribute do? In terms of wealth, the Song Dynasty is still the best. In my opinion, we should rest for a while and then attack the Song Dynasty."
Wanyan Zonghan rolled his eyes and said, "You make it sound easy. Ever since the Song Dynasty replaced that kid Zhao Huan, it's not that easy to deal with."
Wanyan Ang was furious when he heard this: "Humph, if you hadn't refused to go south, we would have captured Bianjing City long ago!"
"What did you say?" Wanyan Zonghan was also filled with grievances: "Guo Zixuan of Taiyuan and Zhong Shidao have already communicated with each other. If I go south, they will attack us from both sides, and we will not be able to return from either the east or west route of the Great Jin. It was you who trusted the Song people too much and fell into their trap. Who can you blame?"
"Hmph!" Wanyan Ang glared at him, and Wanyan Zonghan was not to be outdone, so he rolled up his sleeves and was about to pounce.
"What are you doing?" Emperor Wanyan Sheng shouted angrily, "The tiger in the jungle has been blinded by the elk. We have trusted those cunning Song people too much. Are you not aiming your bows and arrows at the enemy? Are you going to shoot at your own brothers?"
Wanyan Ang and Wanyan Zonghan were immediately awakened and both knelt down to apologize.
Wanyan Sheng waved his hand, and the two of them stood up.
Wanyan Sheng said slowly, "For now, we can only cut back on spending. We'll wait until next spring, when the lambs are born, before we attack the Song Dynasty."
Wanyan Zonghan said, "Our great ancestor Aguda once swore an oath that the treasury's treasures could only be used in times of war. Anyone who violated this oath, no matter who it was, would be beaten with twenty sticks. We must abide by this oath."
Wanyan Sheng nodded and said, "We are now like geese with broken wings. We can only continue to fly after healing our wounds. Zong Han is right. No one can touch the treasury. We must unite as one and resume production. Only then can we overcome this difficult time. Wanyan Ang!"
"My brother is here!"
"We should learn from the methods of the dog emperor of the Song Dynasty and restore normal production and life in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Let the displaced people return to the fields and provide them with land and food. When we, the fledglings, spread our wings and become eagles soaring in the sky, our Great Jin will be able to deal with the Song Dynasty."
Wanyan Sheng had a strategic vision. He knew that in order to restore the national strength, he had to reorganize the country.
Wanyan Ang was dissatisfied: "Well, my royal brother, I thought these Han people were very cunning. They bowed their heads and were very respectful, but in their hearts they cursed us viciously. We should not be so polite to them."
Wanyan Sheng shook his head. "Brother Ang, if we want the Great Jin to be strong, we still have to rely on these Han people. Pass the order and provide housing for those people who have fled due to tax arrears and exempt them from the taxes they owe. Go and do it."
Wanyan Ang said reluctantly: "As you wish!"
It's easy to say that the treasury wasn't being used. While Wanyan Sheng's harem wasn't as extravagant as the Song Dynasty's, it still managed to keep up a substantial expenditure. Living frugally was fine, but if he enjoyed it for too long, then going back to hardship would be difficult. Even ordinary people wouldn't be able to get used to it, let alone an emperor like him.
Most of the Jin people were heavy drinkers. With the treasury closed, the palace had no money to buy alcohol. Wanyan Sheng hadn't had a single drop of wine in the past few days, and he couldn't help but feel an itch, wishing he could grab the jar and drink it in one big gulp.
One day, Wanyan Sheng couldn't stand it anymore, so he secretly ran to the national treasury reserve.
The place was heavily guarded, but Wanyan Sheng was the Great Jin Emperor. He came to the treasury nominally to inspect it, and the soldiers dared not stop him. So our Great Jin Emperor Wanyan Sheng, he shamelessly slipped in.
The treasury was overflowing with silver, the annual tribute from the Song Dynasty. Wanyan Sheng glanced around, afraid to be seen. Then, as if possessed by some infernal force, he stretched out his sinister hands and secretly slipped a few silver ingots into his arms.
When Wanyan Sheng came out, he had become a thief. He left the national treasury in a high-handed manner.
As soon as the emperor left, the guards found a box containing silver with its lid open. When they looked inside, they were horrified to find that several hundred taels of silver were missing from the box.
The treasury is the lifeblood of the nation, and these treasures must be counted and verified repeatedly on a daily basis. Let alone a few hundred taels, even if one tael is missing, these soldiers will lose their heads.
The soldier immediately reported this to the Prime Minister Zahan. Upon hearing this, Wanyan Zahan realized that the matter was of grave importance and that he could not make the decision himself. So he went to consult Wanyan Zonghan.
When Wanyan Zonghan heard about this at home, he was so angry that he kicked over the table on the spot.
"Your Majesty, you've just made an oath with us and you've already broken it. Zahan, I'll come to the Emperor to settle the score tomorrow morning!"
It is said that Wanyan Sheng took some silver from the treasury and had a good time. He ordered his men to buy some good wine and drank heartily all night.
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