Zhao Jiu had no interest in whipping an old man in the middle of the night. He really didn't have that problem.
When Hebule, covered in sweat and stinking of blood, arrived at the back hall of the Zhending government office amidst the faint stench of corpses, the official did not ask anyone to perform any impromptu performance art of washing feet in a basin, but just sat there in silence, looking tired.
However, after Hebule knelt on the ground surrounded by soldiers and finished the respectful and serious greeting, Zhao Jiu fell asleep right there... In the silent night, the sobbing sounds from the whole city yesterday were gone, and only the faint snoring of Emperor Zhao could be heard, which sounded particularly clear in the back hall.
Hebula lay motionless on the ground, and the soldiers around him stood still. Liu Yan, the imperial commander in front of Emperor Zhao, and Shao Chengzhang, the chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, looked at each other, but had to stand still.
I don’t know how long I waited. It was already dawn and Hebule, whose legs were completely numb, suddenly heard a rustling sound, followed by some movement.
After a while, I heard the voice I had heard several times before:
"Isn't it? I was not deliberately making things difficult for you just now."
"My Lord knows." Hebule still didn't raise his head, and his tone seemed a little difficult. It was not only because his dialect was difficult to understand, but also because he had been kneeling for too long and hadn't slept all night, so he suddenly spoke with stiffness. "If the Lord was pretending to be asleep, he wouldn't have pretended for so long. My Lord came at a bad time and disturbed the Lord's rest..."
"You should take a rest too!" Zhao Jiu wiped his face and continued. "We can talk about things after we have rested enough and have a clear mind... I am not as free today as I was the past two days, and I have to take care of some things."
As he said this, the official stood up, turned around, and walked out of the back hall. As for Hebule, as the footsteps behind him faded away, he suddenly fell from his kneeling position to a paralyzed state.
In any case, Hebule finally got the chance to rest. Not only that, after he woke up, someone took him to have a simple but sufficient breakfast. He even took a shower and changed clothes... By the time he walked out of Zhending City with several Mongolian princes from the Red Heart Team to meet the Zhao Song officials outside the city, it was obviously already afternoon.
Compared with last night, the stench of corpses in Zhending City at this moment has not only been greatly reduced, but there has also been a constant stream of people coming and going. Civil and military officials, chiefs of various ethnic groups, military generals and soldiers, auxiliary troops, civilians, as well as a few merchants and civilians, are constantly coming and going.
The strength displayed by just one important military town made all the tribes on the entire Mongolian Plateau put together pale in comparison. And because of the trade exchanges in previous years, Hebule had long known that with a country as big as China, there must be dozens if not hundreds of such towns.
After walking out of the city, Hebule saw many familiar faces - on the open space to the north of the city, there was a large typical Mongolian camp, surrounded by large carts, patched yurts scattered around, and livestock gathered in the middle. Many Mongolian chieftains from the central and western regions that he was familiar with were leading their light cavalry to and from the camp gate, coming in and out constantly.
Among these people, some were neatly equipped and riding on horses, leading one or several teams of light cavalry to the edge of the camp and shouting military orders to the Song officers, as if they were preparing to go or had just finished their military duties; some were in casual clothes, leading war horses, and stopping in the Song merchant warehouses on the side of the road with some trophies, gesticulating and preparing to exchange iron pots, needles and thread, and cloth; and the scene that shocked Hebule the most was that when he turned around a corner of the camp that was obviously owned by the Western Mongols, he clearly saw that the open space in front of the large central tent at the rear side of the camp was almost full of trophies!
Countless armor, gold, silver, copper ingots, iron ingots, silk, and furs were piled up nakedly on the open ground, and a group of nobles from various Western Mongolian tribes who had already changed into armor were arguing there with red faces... If there were not civil servants and soldiers from the Song Dynasty next to these things, I'm afraid these people would have fought on the spot.
Hebule knew very well that Emperor Zhao asked him to come out from this road so that he could see this scene, and also so that these Mongolian leaders could see him... Along the way, he was looking at these people, but these people also noticed that he was surrounded by the imperial guards... But even though they knew this, both sides couldn't take their eyes off him.
Everyone in the Western Mongolian tribe knew that Kublai Khan had come alone to see Emperor Zhao to apologize, and Kublai had confirmed two indisputable facts from what he had seen and heard before - first, of course this battle was truly an unprecedented victory, and the Jurchens really collapsed in one battle; secondly, the Emperor Zhao Song did indeed clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments.
If either of these two factors were missing, it would have been impossible for the Western Mongols to take away so much spoils.
However , after witnessing this scene, Hebule felt relieved for some reason.
After passing through the camp in the north of the city and crossing an open space where corpses were being buried (this should be the source of the stench of corpses last night), Hebule finally came to the bank of a big river, and here he saw the Zhao Song official, whom he did not dare to look up and take a real look at last night... The latter was dressed in plain clothes, sitting by the river. In addition to the armored soldiers surrounding him, there were countless civil and military officials gathered, and someone was reporting something at this moment.
It can be seen that the official’s words this morning were not false.
In fact, Hebule still had not been summoned. He could only be guarded on the side like a prisoner, waiting obediently to be summoned.
"So, although you swept away many Jin troops along the Qinshui River (a semi-artificial and semi-natural river running from north to south connecting the Hutuo River and the Hulu River), you only captured one Wanhu, Wulin Datai?" Zhao Jiu seemed to be thinking about something.
"Yes." A Song general in front of Emperor Zhao replied respectfully. He was Zhang Zhongfu, a commander of the imperial cavalry. "Let Emperor Zhao know that when Deputy Commander Liu captured Wulinda Taiyu, this guy had already changed into ordinary clothes. However, he had been living a life of luxury in Beijing for many years and was not good at running when being chased. That's why he was seen through... It can be seen that the other defeated generals had long abandoned their leadership and escaped one by one. I'm afraid it would be very difficult to catch them in a hurry... Emperor Zhao, do you want to meet this person?"
"It's gone. We just chopped it down." Zhao Guanjia, who was sitting by the river, blurted out.
Zhang Zhongfu was surprised and responded quickly.
But before he could turn around and give orders, Emperor Zhao in the seat continued speaking: "Draft a few orders..."
As soon as these words were spoken, several close ministers and scholars stepped forward to listen, preparing to draft a formal decree after hearing the decree.
"The first one is for Liu Qi. Tell Liu Qi to continue to lead the army eastward and pursue the enemy relentlessly. He must join forces with Yue Fei and Zhang Rong to prevent the defeated Jin army from returning north. Don't pay attention to anything else."
Having said this, Zhao Jiu paused slightly, and a close minister repeated it. Then, seeing that Emperor Zhao had nothing to add, he stepped back slightly and went to draft an imperial decree under the shade of a tree not far away.
"The second one... is for Liu Qi and all the officers chasing the fugitives. Tell them that I don't want generals, I only want soldiers... At this time, capturing more Jin soldiers is the top priority. Don't be blinded by military achievements. Generals and the fourth prince can all be put on the back burner! If I find out who caused the Jin army to flee north in large numbers in order to pursue the generals, I will punish them!"
As soon as these words were spoken, not to mention that there were civil officials repeating their words and preparing to draft an imperial edict, Zhang Zhongfu, who was standing there, turned pale... It was obvious that Emperor Zhao was very dissatisfied with the fact that the imperial cavalry captured a Wan Hu and then hastily sent troops to escort him back.
"The last one... I remember that I have pardoned Liu Xi's crime. I will find a border military state in Ningxia Road and let him transfer to a real position." Zhao Jiu hurriedly said the last order, waved his hand to dismiss Zhang Zhongfu, and then called for someone else. "Wu Jie!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Da hurried forward and said, "I am here."
"Has the withdrawal sequence been drawn up?" Emperor Zhao's words seemed a little aggressive.
"Yes..." Wu Da replied with a stiff face. "Western Mongolia will withdraw first, and then the central army, left army, and rear army of the imperial camp will be reduced by half..."
"It can't be reduced by half." Zhao Jiu was getting impatient. "The treasury in Zhending is quite sufficient, but most of it is armor, weapons, gold and silver. They can be used as rewards, but there is more fodder than grain... Why keep so many soldiers? Will it waste food or delay spring ploughing? We need to reduce it more."
Wu Jie didn't dare to speak for a moment.
"Send the rewards as soon as possible, and then withdraw." Zhao Jiu took a deep breath, then slowed down his tone. "It is enough to leave 70,000 to 80,000 infantry and cavalry here, and we also need to count the garrison troops in Taiyuan and Datong, and Wang Sheng's 10,000 troops... Yue Fei's troops should also be withdrawn appropriately, leaving 50,000 to 60,000 troops will be enough... Then we need to arrange for the civilians and auxiliary soldiers who were unable to return in time to do spring ploughing and replanting in the local area."
"Yes." Wu Da breathed a sigh of relief.
"And..." Zhao Jiu hesitated for a moment, and finally took it seriously. "After we have cleaned up and rested here, and after the meeting in Hejian, we should let Liangchen be the commander in chief, and Jinqing and Shaoyan be the assistants... Let Yue Fei and Tian Shizhong be the successors. If the Jin people are still stubborn after the advance to Yanjing, let Yue Pengju be the commander in chief and fight outside the border... How do you think?"
Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian, who had remained silent, also stepped forward and said yes.
This is the real key to the issue of troop withdrawal.
First of all, the troops must be withdrawn. The main force of the Jin army has been destroyed, and it is a waste to maintain such a large field attack group. Only by withdrawing the troops and relieving the logistical pressure can they continue to move north, maintain the offensive, and advance to Yanjing.
But the question is, who should be sent to attack Yanjing and who should withdraw the troops back to the garrison?
From the perspective of military convenience, the next step should undoubtedly be to let the Hebei Front Army led by Yue Fei, Zhang Rong, Tian Shizhong, etc. gather the Imperial Camp Cavalry that was pursuing this time, as well as the Khitans and Mongols and go northward from Hejian.
But this also means that most of the central army, rear army and left army of the imperial camp must be withdrawn.
So why?
These troops in Hedong suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Huolu and made outstanding military achievements, winning the world with one battle. Why should they, who had made greater contributions, be allowed to go back directly, while the Front Army and the Right Army of the Imperial Camp go to reap the fruits of Yanjing?
Shouldn't the Hedong Front Army take the lion's share of the gold, silver, merits, and honors in Yanjing?
Therefore, Zhao Jiu had to consider the morale of the Hedong Front Army, which had just made great contributions. Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, and Wu Jie also needed to consider the opinions of their subordinates and not let them suffer any grievances.
However, as an official, Zhao Jiu could not only consider this point. He also had to consider food issues, political issues, and military discipline issues... Therefore, he came up with this compromise plan and withdrew the Western Mongolian army, which had the worst military discipline.
All I can say is that after a great victory, the road to be smooth, but there are new problems along the way.
Fortunately, after this battle, Emperor Zhao's authority was obviously stronger. As long as he could ensure rewards and punishments, no one would be able to openly oppose his opinions.
Turning back to the present, after presenting his compromise plan and obtaining the approval of his ministers, Emperor Zhao looked a little tired, but he immediately pointed towards Hebula, attracting everyone's attention.
Without a doubt, this is another troublesome matter.
"The young king greets the official."
Hebule knelt down from a distance. "Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
"Get up." Zhao Jiu said calmly, his face calm. "I have kept you waiting for so long."
Hebule stood up immediately and said nothing... Some things were already known to both parties, and they just said those words, but their attitude must be correct.
"Come a few steps closer." Emperor Zhao continued to order.
Hebule felt more and more relieved, and hurriedly took a few steps forward and came in front of Emperor Zhao. But even so, several officers followed him quietly, and several generals also slightly moved to the side and front, secretly trapping him.
"The last time I met the Khan was by the Yellow River, and this time it was by the Hutuo River. Are there such big rivers in Mongolia?" Zhao Jiu waited until the other party stood still before asking, but he did not get straight to the point.
"So that the emperor knows, there are rivers in Mongolia." Hebula stood there with his hands crossed , answering seriously. "We, the Qiyan tribe, roam around the Onon River... However, the rivers on the grassland are not as big as those in the Central Plains, and they change a lot with the seasons."
"Onon River... Qiyan tribe... Borjigin... Hebula." Zhao Jiu seemed to be thinking about something, but he seemed to have finally gotten to the point. "The Onon River leads directly to Huining Prefecture, right?"
"So that the emperor can know." Hebule continued to answer seriously. "It can be connected by water, but it is not directly connected. The Haram River is downstream of the Onon River, and the Haram River merges with the Hunhe River in Huining Prefecture further downstream... However, although this road exists, no one dares to take it because it is dangerous and cold along the way. It is faster to go from the Onon River to Huining Prefecture through Linhuang Prefecture."
The Haramu River and the Hunhe River are both the Heilongjiang River, but the names of the upstream and downstream and the north and south flows are different.
"So that's how it is. So when Kublai Khan went to Huining Prefecture (the Harbin area) to meet the old ruler of the Jin Kingdom, he went from Linhuang Prefecture?"
"yes."
"In that case, I have a question."
"Officials, please speak."
"Why did the Khan dare to stroke the beard in front of Emperor Taizong of Jin that day, but was so respectful in front of me last night?" Zhao Jiu asked seriously.
Hebule hesitated for a moment, but in the end he didn't say those clichés, but answered honestly:
"Because I know that the Jin people only occupied the east and south of the Eastern Mongolian tribes, and could not reach the northern and western parts of the desert. Even if a war broke out, we could still respond by taking advantage of the terrain, hiding when necessary and fighting when necessary... But the emperor not only defeated the Jin people, but also took over the east and south, and also captured western Mongolia. They know us inside and out..."
Zhao Jiu smiled slightly but said nothing. However, several generals and officers present sneered.
"Besides, after this battle, Huerzahus Khan got so many armors, weapons, and so much money. I'm afraid he is eager for the emperor to order us to eliminate the various Mongolian tribes in the east and let the Kerey tribe dominate... So we have to be more careful." Hebule continued. "Also, the emperor is willing to do business with us. Many people in the tribe are grateful to the emperor and don't want to go against him."
As soon as these words were spoken, those present who truly understood the interests of Kublai Khan-Eastern Mongolian affairs immediately understood the meaning of his words, and laughed even louder.
Even Emperor Zhao smiled slightly:
"Look, aren't you quite smart?"
Without waiting for Hebule's response, Zhao Jiu suddenly became serious after smiling: "But if you are so smart, why did you let Erluguan go in Datong before? Do you think I can't win this battle, or do you think it won't be that easy even if the Song Dynasty wins this battle? So you can take advantage of the opportunity? Or do you think that the Jin people are here, you can rely on the geography to move forward and backward freely, and if I, who control Western Mongolia, seize Zhongjing Road and Linhuang Road, you Eastern Mongolians will be tied up on three sides... So you deliberately indulge the Jin people?"
"No matter what, I definitely don't mean to let the enemy go." As soon as Emperor Zhao mentioned Erluguan, Hebule knelt down again and kowtowed in front of Emperor Zhao. "That day in Datong, the Jin army really fled too fast, and the vanguards didn't know the terrain... Besides, I also let Anbahai deal with those Tatars in the vanguard."
"So what?" Zhao Jiu replied with emotion. "Hebule... We have a saying in the Central Plains that to judge a person's merits and demerits, we cannot guess what he is thinking, but we must look at what he does... In this matter, no one can prove that you have bad intentions, but in the end no one can prove your innocence. And no matter what, in the end, not only did your troops fail to join the battle in time, but they also forced me to put down the troops in Datong to monitor them, which directly resulted in me losing tens of thousands of troops in the previous battle... Is this right?"
Wu Jie turned sideways and stared at Hebule, but this time Hebule didn't say anything.
"I know what you rely on, or rather, half of the people here know what you have been hinting at." Zhao Jiu narrowed his eyes and continued to look at the other party. "The reason why you, Hebule, are afraid of me is because I can control Western Mongolia and put the Eastern Mongolian tribes in real danger of extinction... Then on the other hand, if you Eastern Mongolian tribes are gone, Western Mongolia will become powerful on its own and occupy the grasslands. It seems that I will lose control of Western Mongolia! So, you have made up your mind and determined that I will not deal with you, right?"
Hebule still didn't speak.
"But... there are so-called clear rewards and punishments. Western Mongolia will be rewarded for its great contributions, and Eastern Mongolia will be punished for delaying the war. As the emperor, I must be as fair as possible if I want to continue to do my job, right? What's more, since I ascended the throne, there have been two times when I ignored the overall situation and killed people with my own hands. Both times were big shots like you who 'avoided war'... You committed my biggest taboo in Datong!" As he said that, Zhao Jiu suddenly pointed at the other party.
Following this movement, several squad leaders behind him stepped forward and grabbed Hebule's shoulders tightly on the ground.
Hebule did not resist, but remained silent.
"Are you really sure that I dare not kill you?" Zhao Jiu laughed again.
"I never meant that." Hebule was lying on the ground calmly. "The reason why I was not too frightened was that I knew before I came here that even if I didn't die, I would never be able to go back, so I had already put life and death aside... But when I got here, I found that the emperor had no intention of letting Western Mongolia annex Eastern Mongolia, so I didn't care anymore... Your Majesty, I have only one thing to say. After that, you can kill me or chop me up, whatever you want!"
"Tell me."
"Hebula is Hebula ! Qiyan is Qiyan! Eastern Mongolia is Eastern Mongolia!" Hebula raised his head suddenly. "Although these three things are connected, they are definitely not the same thing!"
"You are really smart!" Zhao Jiu finally laughed. "This is what I wanted to tell you... And I also wanted to say that your Qiyan tribe is the Qiyan tribe, your cousin Anbahai's Taichiwu tribe is the Taichiwu tribe, and Borjigin is Borjigin."
Hebule was finally stunned, but then he shook his head: "Anbahai is my brother, he will not betray me."
"I didn't say Anbahai would betray you... But after Anbahai and you die, the Qiyan tribe and the Taichiwu tribe, which have complicated origins, are destined to fall apart." After Zhao Jiu finished laughing, he couldn't help but shake his head. "I have ten thousand ways to make you Borjigins strife among yourselves."
"It's useless to think too much about what happens after death." Hebule tried to answer again.
"That makes sense." Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhao nodded in agreement. "Then let's talk about the living and the current situation... That's right."
"Xiao Wang is here."
"Hebula, you are absolutely right... I must protect Eastern Mongolia." Zhao Jiu said frankly. "But you and your cousin Anbahai must be punished... And whether the Qiyan and Taichiwu tribes can survive depends on your performance."
"Eastern Mongolia still has ten thousand cavalrymen who are willing to serve as the government's vanguard to take Yanjing." Hebula came to his senses and quickly expressed his position.
"You don't need to go to take Yanjing, and you are not allowed to go." Zhao Jiu continued to shake his head. "Yanjing is my Yanjing... You guys rushed over and burned, killed, and looted all the way. How can I control you? I even withdrew Western Mongolia."
"That……"
"You and Anbahai must work together to conquer Zhongjing Road (the area of ​​Chifeng and Chengde today) for me." Zhao Jiu finally revealed his final verdict on Eastern Mongolia. "If everything goes well, you and Anbahai can live... but you must bring the hostages and children of the two families to live in Tokyo permanently; if things don't go well, you and Anbahai will both die... If you don't want to die, or don't want to come, or if only one of you is willing to come, I will let Toli deal with the Qiyan tribe for me, and then find someone from the Merkit tribe or even the Tatar tribe to be the leader."
"Touli..." Hebule suddenly became a little flustered.
"Yes, Toli... Huerzahusi Khan died in the battle." Zhao Jiu responded calmly. "My bodyguard, his son Toli, used a spear to tie the crown of Western Mongolia to fight for me... Just this morning, he just came back from sweeping away the defeated Jin army for me, and then I distributed the spoils of war that we agreed on in advance to him here, and then crowned him... This is also the second thing I want to say. From now on, I will not care about other places, but if Eastern and Western Mongolia, Goryeo, and Jurchen can survive and want a royal succession, I will crown them, otherwise they will be rebels and will be cut into pieces! What do you think of these two things? Can you agree?"
Hebuler was silent for a moment and did not give a direct answer.
And Zhao Jiu did not urge him, but just looked up at the Hutuo River in front of him in a daze... Han Shizhong and others looked at each other, and it was not easy to interrupt for a while. However, a few of them who were ready for consultation could not help but look at the Hutuo River, guessing that if the Eastern Mongolian King did not respond, the official would sink him to the bottom of the river.
After a long time, Hebule finally spoke again: "Official."
"What?"
"I saw someone burying a body on the road." Hebule said seriously on the ground.
"yes."
"Are those the bodies of Song people or Jin people?"
"Golden man?"
"Are they all golden?"
"yes."
“How many Jin people died?”
"More than 30,000 people died on the spot. They kept dying these past few days... The stench of corpses couldn't even be dissipated. I had no choice but to send the bedridden prime minister to another place for recuperation."
"What about the Song people?"
"What?"
"How many Song soldiers died?" Hebule said earnestly. "How many of the emperor's troops died in this battle?"
Zhao Jiu finally became alert, like a lazy and depressed cat that suddenly hunched its body: "Why are you asking this?"
"Knowing this, I can roughly know whether to agree to the two conditions of the government." Hebule was still very serious.
Zhao Jiu looked him up and down, waited for a while, and then calmly said, "More than 8,000 people died at that time, and more than 10,000 have died in the past few days... They are not buried here, but on a high ground on the opposite bank."
"Then what does the emperor think of these dead subordinates?" Hebule continued to ask seriously.
This statement also aroused the curiosity of many people present.
Emperor Zhao paused for a long time before he suddenly spoke in a serious tone:
"The ground collapsed, the mountains were destroyed, the warriors died, and then the ladders to heaven and the stone steps were connected... That is to say, so many people died before a road was paved... So, no matter how many weeds there are on the road, I will go on! And I will pull out all the weeds!"
"This is what I want to know." Hebule finally nodded: "This is what I want to know... I am willing to accept your two conditions! But please agree to my small request."
"Where did you get the courage to..."
"Tell me." Zhao Jiu stopped several of his subordinates from exploding.
"If I don't make any more mistakes, please let the emperor make the same arrangement as Western Mongolia, with the son inheriting the father... After I take over Zhongjing Road for you, let my youngest son Hutula take over... Before that, let Hutula serve as your bodyguard." Hebula gritted his teeth.
"Sure!" Zhao Jiu said without hesitation. "Who told me that Bahai didn't come?"
Hebula immediately kowtowed again, and the soldiers behind him let go of his hands at the right time.
Zhao Jiu immediately looked around and asked, "Are you busy today?"
No one around responded for a moment.