Chapter 286 Wanyan Zonghan’s rage
At the top of Xiazhou City, war flags were flying, and arrows were like rain. The combined forces of the Song Dynasty and the Xia Dynasty, totaling 150,000 people, surrounded the city. Wanyan Zongfu in the city, a powerful general of the Jin Kingdom, couldn't help but feel a little flustered at this moment. He looked at the densely packed enemy troops outside the city, and a trace of solemnity flashed across his face.
"Send the order, and prepare the entire army for defense!" Wanyan Zongfu shouted loudly, with unquestionable determination in his voice. The soldiers beside him responded and were busy preparing various fortifications.
However, Wanyan Zongfu knew that it was difficult to withstand the siege of 150,000 troops with the strength of the city alone. He must seek reinforcements, and these reinforcements can only come from Emperor Wanyan Zonghan of the Jin Kingdom.
Yanjing Jinguo Palace
"Your Majesty! Xiazhou City is under siege, and General Wanyan Zongfu is asking for reinforcements!" A courier covered in blood stumbled into the hall, with a hint of crying in his voice.
Wanyan Zonghan stood up abruptly, his face turning livid instantly. He snatched the battle report from the courier's hand and quickly scanned the contents.
As he continued to read, his brows furrowed more and more tightly, and anger surged on his face.
"An army of 150,000! The Song Dynasty and the Xia Dynasty actually joined forces!" Wanyan Zonghan roared and threw the battle report to the ground, "Zhao Yongji is a loser, I should not have supported him in the first place!"
There was a dead silence in the hall, and the ministers remained silent for fear of offending the angry king.
Wanyan Zonghan's anger seemed to shroud the entire hall in a haze.
"Your Majesty, the only plan now is to send troops to reinforce Xiazhou City as soon as possible." An old minister mustered up his courage and stepped forward and said.
"Reinforcement? You put it lightly! Where are the extra troops to reinforce Xiazhou City now?" Wanyan Zonghan glanced at the veteran coldly, his tone full of disdain and anger, "Zhao Yongji's one hundred thousand army has already If the entire army is wiped out, where will my remaining troops be?"
After hearing this, the ministers lowered their heads and sighed secretly in their hearts.
They knew that Wanyan Zonghan was telling the truth. In recent years, the Jin Kingdom has been fighting everywhere, and its military strength has been stretched thin. Now that Xiazhou City is under siege, they really have no troops to send.
"Are we just going to watch Xiazhou City fall into the hands of the enemy?" Wanyan Zonghan angrily punched the dragon throne, his eyes flashing with unwillingness and helplessness. "Wanyan Zongfu is one of the people I value most. If anything happens to him, how can I explain to the world?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down." A young counselor walked out from among the ministers, bowed and said, "I have a plan that may be able to break the siege of Xiazhou City."
"Oh? What's your plan? Tell me quickly!" Wanyan Zonghan asked eagerly, as if he saw a life-saving straw.
"Has Your Majesty ever thought about seeking peace with the Song Dynasty?" the young counselor said slowly, "Now that Xiazhou City is besieged, the Song Dynasty and the Xia Dynasty have joined forces and are powerful. If we want to save Xiazhou City and the lives of General Wanyan Zongfu , we can only temporarily bow to the Song Dynasty and ask for peace."
"Seek peace?" Wanyan Zonghan was stunned for a moment, then roared, "You want me to ask for peace from the Song Dynasty? This is a big joke! I am the emperor of the Jin Kingdom, how can I bow to a woman from the Song Dynasty?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down." The young counselor remained calm. "I know this is difficult for Your Majesty to accept, but now that the situation is pressing, we have to do this. Suing for peace is only a temporary measure. We will seek revenge after our national strength is restored in the future. Not too late."
Wanyan Zonghan was silent for a moment, and the anger on his face gradually receded, replaced by a deep helplessness and bitterness: "This is the only plan for now."
A map was spread out in front of Wanyan Zonghan. His fingers traced the location of Xiazhou City on the map, with a complicated light flashing in his eyes. He knew that this decision was undoubtedly humiliating for the Kingdom of Jin, but in order to preserve Wanyan Zongfu and Xiazhou City, he had to do this.
"Pass the order." Wanyan Zonghan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Send an envoy to Kaifeng City to ask for peace from Princess Zhao Yingluo of the Song Dynasty." After receiving the order, the envoy set out for Kaifeng City overnight.
At the same time, Wanyan Zonghan also ordered the entire army to prepare for a retreat, just in case the peace attempt failed and greater war broke out.
Song Dynasty Palace in Kaifeng City
Zhao Yingluo was sitting in the pavilion in the Imperial Garden, sipping fine Longjing tea. She was in a good mood because she had just received an important piece of information - the Kingdom of Jin had sent an envoy to sue for peace.
"Your Highness the Princess." Upon entering, everyone knew that Wang Shou'en walked up to Zhao Yingluo and bowed and said, "Wanyan Ningjie, the envoy of the Kingdom of Jin, wishes to see you."
"Let him go to Chui Gong Hall and summon the officials to discuss the matter." Zhao Yingluo put down the tea cup in her hand and said with a slight smile. She was curious about what kind of peace terms the Jin envoy would bring.
Soon Wanyan Ningjie was brought to the main hall.
He saluted Zhao Yingluo and handed over the peace letter: "Your Royal Highness, the Emperor of our country hopes to peacefully coexist with the Song Dynasty and solve the current predicament. This is the peace letter, please see it."
Zhao Yingluo took the peace letter and read it carefully.
She discovered that Wanyan Zonghan put forward several conditions in his petition for peace, including the cession of part of the territory, compensation for gold, silver and jewelry, and a promise not to invade Daxia again.
"Thank you for your hard work, envoy." Zhao Yingluo put the peace request aside and said with a smile, "I can agree to the peace request, but there is one condition that must be met."
"Your Highness, please speak." Wanyan Ningjie felt nervous, not knowing what conditions Zhao Yingluo would propose.
"Xiazhou City." Zhao Yingluo slowly spit out three words, "I want Wanyan Zonghan to hand over Xiazhou City to me personally and promise never to invade the territory of Daxia Kingdom."
Wanyan Ningjie was shocked when he heard this. He knew that this condition was undoubtedly extremely harsh for the Kingdom of Jin, but the current situation no longer allowed him to think more about it.
He had no choice but to nod in agreement: "Yes, Your Highness, I will convey your wishes to His Majesty the Emperor."
Yanjing Jinguo Palace
Wanyan Zonghan was furious when he heard the news brought back by the envoy: "What? She actually wants me to hand over Xiazhou City to her with my own hands? This is simply wishful thinking!"
He waved his fist angrily, as if he wanted to vent all the anger in his heart, "Tell Zhao Yingluo that I would rather die on the battlefield than agree to this condition!"
However, the ministers advised: "Your Majesty, calm down! The current situation is extremely unfavorable to us. If we can take this opportunity to save the life of General Wanyan Zongfu and the people of Xiazhou City from the suffering of the war, it is not a bad thing." , not to mention it’s just a temporary stopgap measure.”
"Expedient measure?" Wanyan Zonghan was stunned for a moment, a trace of doubt flashed in his angry eyes, "What do you mean..."
"Your Majesty can pretend to agree to Zhao Yingluo's conditions first, and wait until the country's strength is restored before seeking revenge." The counselor whispered, "The most important thing for us now is to protect General Wanyan Zongfu and Xiazhou City."
Wanyan Zonghan was silent for a long time, and the anger on his face gradually receded. He knew that what the ministers said was reasonable, and he really had to bow to Zhao Yingluo temporarily under the current situation.
