Chapter 322 Wanyan Zonghan wants peace talks
In Yanjing, the atmosphere in the palace hall was solemn.
Emperor Wanyan Zonghan of the Kingdom of Jin is sitting on the dragon chair, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. His expression was gloomy and changeable, and he was listening intently to the report of Wanyan Zongfu, the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
"Your Majesty, the situation is not optimistic." Wanyan Zongfu's voice was low, and his armor reflected a cold light under the light. "The army of the Song Dynasty has approached Yanjing from three sides, especially the army led by Yue Fei. Now it is far away from us. Less than a hundred miles.”
Wanyan Zonghan's brows were furrowed. He glanced at the courtiers standing before His Highness and asked in a deep voice: "My dear friends, what are your countermeasures?"
There was a burst of whispers in the hall. An old minister walked slowly out of the queue. He stroked his long beard and said with a worried look: "Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty has a strong army, but our Yanjing army currently has less than 100,000 defenders, so it is really difficult to resist. In the opinion of the veteran, , it is better to move the capital to Zhongjing to temporarily avoid the front. "
"Move the capital?" Wanyan Zonghan frowned. This word was like a stone thrown into the calm lake in his heart, causing ripples.
Another minister immediately retorted after hearing this: "Isn't moving the capital a sign of weakness to the Song Dynasty? Yanjing is the foundation of our Jin Kingdom in the Central Plains. Once it falls, our power in the Central Plains will be greatly reduced. I advocate sticking to it. Yanjing, waiting for reinforcements from the north."
"However, if there are not enough troops to defend Yanjing, Yanjing will be in danger." The minister who advocated moving the capital was not to be outdone.
Wanyan Zongfu sighed and said: "Your Majesty, gentlemen, the importance of Yanjing is self-evident. However, if there are not enough troops to defend the city, it may be difficult to withstand the Song army's fierce attack. However, moving the capital is not a trivial matter and requires long-term planning."
"Report——" A messenger hurried into the hall and knelt down in front of Wanyan Zonghan, "Your Majesty, Yue Fei's army has been stationed fifty miles outside the city. Please make your decision!"
This news was like a bombshell, instantly detonating the tense atmosphere in the hall. The courtiers were talking a lot, some were anxious and some were frightened.
"Your Majesty!" A military general stepped forward with a loud voice, "I am willing to lead the troops out of the city and fight to the death with the Song army!"
"A fight to the death? Did you know that the Song army's strength is several times that of mine? Isn't this just throwing an egg at a stone?" A civil servant said disdainfully.
"Then just sit back and wait for death?" the general retorted.
Wanyan Zonghan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. He took a deep look at Wanyan Zongfu and asked, "Zongfu, how do you think we should respond?"
Wanyan Zongfu thought for a moment and then spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, I think what we need to do now is to strengthen the city defense to ensure the safety of Yanjing; second, mobilize surrounding troops for reinforcements as soon as possible; third, send envoys to negotiate with the Song army to buy time. ”
"Peace talks? Isn't this a sign of weakness?" someone questioned.
"Otherwise." Wanyan Zongfu shook his head and said, "The peace talks are just to buy time and to explore the strength of the Song army. We currently have insufficient troops and need time to adjust our deployment."
Wanyan Zonghan nodded and agreed: "As you said. Immediately strengthen the city defense, and at the same time send people to mobilize reinforcements. As for the peace talks..." He paused, "It's up to you to be the envoy to Song Ying."
Wanyan Zongfu bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty."
Fifty miles outside Yanjing City, Yue Fei's tent was brightly lit. Yue Fei was standing in front of the map with his hands behind his back, studying the terrain and tactics with a frown. "Report——" A spy opened the curtain and came in, "The Kingdom of Jin has sent an envoy to come for peace talks."
"Oh?" Yue Fei raised his head, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, "Let him come in."
Wanyan Zongfu came to Yue Fei's Chinese army tent with some anxiety and solemnity. he
Lifting the curtain, I saw Yue Fei sitting upright in front of the case, looking calm and calm.
Yue Fei's gaze came up, deep and sharp, as if he could see into people's hearts.
"General Wanyan, if you miss me from afar, please take a seat." Yue Fei's tone was calm, yet dignified.
At Yue Fei's signal, Wanyan Zongfu sat on the cushion beside him. He took a deep breath and said straight to the point: "General Yue, this time the Song Dynasty raised troops to attack our country of Jin, it seems to be destroying the peace between the two countries. Our two countries should coexist peacefully and prosper together."
Hearing this, Yue Fei raised his brows slightly, looked directly at Wanyan Zongfu, and spoke slowly: "General Wanyan, when you talk about peace between the two countries, do you mean when the Kingdom of Jin first captured Kaifeng? At that time, have you ever considered Live in peace?”
Wanyan Zongfu was stunned by Yue Fei's question. He did not expect Yue Fei to mention that period of history so directly. He calmed down and said: "General Yue, what happened back then was indeed our country's fault. But now that times have changed, we should look to the future and work together for peaceful development."
"Looking to the future?" Yue Fei sneered, "General Wanyan said it lightly. When the Jin Kingdom broke through Kaifeng with its iron hoof, did you ever think about the life and death of those innocent people? Did you ever think about a peaceful future?"
Facing Yue Fei's question, Wanyan Zongfu was speechless for a moment. He was silent for a moment and sighed: "General Yue, I know that the Kingdom of Jin once brought serious disasters to the people of the Song Dynasty. I feel deeply guilty about this. But now, should we put aside the hatred of the past for the sake of future peace? ?”
Yue Fei stared into Wanyan Zongfu's eyes with burning eyes: "General Wanyan, hatred is not easy to let go of."
After the heated conversation, Wanyan Zongfu took a deep breath and tried to calm down his excitement. Then he looked directly at Yue Fei and asked in a deep voice: "General Yue, may I ask what are the conditions for the Song Dynasty to withdraw its troops?"
Yue Fei's eyes were firm and he answered without hesitation: "As long as the Jin Kingdom spits out the sixteen states of Yanyun, the Song Dynasty will naturally stop using troops."
When Wanyan Zongfu heard this, he was immediately furious. Letting the Jin Kingdom vomit out the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun is tantamount to asking the Jin Kingdom to directly withdraw from Yanjing and retreat beyond the Great Wall! This is simply a great shame and humiliation for the Kingdom of Jin. But after all, he is a general of a country with a deep city. Although he is angry in his heart, he remains calm on the surface.
He smiled slightly and tried to negotiate with Yue Fei in a more conciliatory way: "General Yue, this condition is too harsh. The Sixteen States of Yanyun are of great significance to the Kingdom of Jin. I wonder if there are other alternatives? For example, if When the Jin State gave up Zhending and Zhuozhou, did the Song Dynasty consider withdrawing its troops? "
Yue Fei frowned slightly after hearing Wanyan Zongfu's proposal. After thinking for a while, he said, "I will convey General Wanyan's proposal to the court. But this matter is related to the fate of the country of the Song Dynasty. I need to ask Her Royal Highness Princess Zhao Yingluo to make a decision."
When Wanyan Zongfu heard this, his heart moved.
He realized that this was an opportunity to ease the situation, so he said smoothly: "In this case, we are willing to wait for news from Princess Song. I hope that Her Royal Highness can think carefully and come up with a plan acceptable to both parties."
Yue Fei nodded and agreed: "Okay, then I will quickly send a messenger to Kaifeng to inform Her Majesty the Princess. Please ask General Wanyan to also tell His Majesty the Emperor that if His Majesty the Princess does not agree, His Majesty the Emperor had better understand and withdraw from Yanjing. , to avoid the loss of life.”
