novelAbuy Chapter 120 A Traitor Who Will Be Infamous Forever
Chapter 120 A Traitor Who Will Be Infamous Forever
The eleventh day of the seventh month in the third year of the Qingtai era (1196 AD), the day of Dingyou.
The memorial submitted by Sha Yanxun, the military governor of Yunzhou, solved a long-standing case.
Just a few days ago, Sang Qian, the commander of the Yunzhou infantry, reported that Yin Hui, the military governor of Yingzhou, had driven out Sha Yanxun, taken over his troops, and joined forces with Hedong.
Li Congke was skeptical of this report: Yin Hui had performed a righteous act in Fengxiang and had a grudge against Shi Jingtang, so why would he do such an unusual thing?
The pit in Luzhou has just been filled. If the Datong army falls, who will fill the gap left in the north?
Fortunately, the situation took a turn for the better in less than three days.
Sha Yanxun reported: On the night of the 2nd of this month, Sang Qian rebelled and besieged the inner city. I broke out of the city in haste and went to the western mountains, where I took up position at Leigongkou. The next day, I gathered soldiers and entered the city, where I annihilated the rebel army. Sang Qian was defeated and fled, and Yunzhou remained as before.
Along with Sha Yanxun's memorial, Yin Hui's self-defense was also sent, as well as Sang Qian, a prisoner he had captured who was crying "stop thief!"
"Sha Taibao truly lives up to his reputation as a seasoned general; Datong is now free from worry."
Li Congke breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered the traitor to be executed.
July 22nd, Wushen day.
Then came good news: Fan Yanguang, the commander of the Tianxiong Army, sent a message by horseback that Yedu had been recaptured on the 21st.
The courtiers offered their congratulations.
July 23rd, Ji-You day.
Overjoyed, Li Congke's anger subsided, and Lü Qi, who had been estranged from the Khitan for advocating peace with them, was reinstated as a scholar of the Duanming Hall.
July 24th, Gengxu day.
The Secretariat dug up old accounts and investigated the responsibilities of each person involved in the Yedu Mutiny.
Lu Wenji and others turned their anger towards Li Yanjun, the military commander, Bian Rensi, the deputy military governor, and others, saying that since the commanders had been stripped of their titles, they also hoped that their subordinates would be allowed to return to their hometowns.
Upon receiving the memorial, Li Congke was dissatisfied: Yedu has been newly pacified, and pardoning the former generals would help appease the people and stabilize the situation as soon as possible, so that Fan Yanguang could free up his resources to support Hedong. This is the bigger picture.
The imperial court is facing a predicament, and these officials have no good suggestions, but they are particularly enthusiastic about persecuting people.
Li Congke issued an edict to the Court of Judicial Review, stating: "The commander-in-chief has lost his position and has already been stripped of his titles; what punishment should his subordinates receive?"
However, the ministers insisted on their decision, and in the end, they had no choice but to follow the advice of the Secretariat and dismiss the officials from their posts.
July 25th, Renzi day.
Those who were forced to join the rebellion were dismissed from their posts, and the rebels were even more unforgivable.
Li Congke deeply resented these guys who disrupted the court's plans, and issued an edict to execute seven people, including the five commanders of the Zhangsheng Army under Zhang Lingzhao and the two commanders Zhongrui and Zhongsu.
Fan Yanguang then reported that he had pursued the rebel army to Shahe in Xingzhou, beheaded 300 people, and presented the heads of Zhang Lingzhao, Xing Li, Li Gui and others.
It was further reported that Zhang Lingzhao and his accomplices, along with Mi Quan, the commander of Zhangsheng, and thirteen other commanders and captains, were captured and executed by dismemberment at the gate of the government office.
July 26th, Guiyou day.
The Mingzhou government reported the capture of 58 people, including Ma Yanrou, the commander of the Zhangsheng rebellion in Wei Prefecture. The Xing and Ci prefectures also captured rebel soldiers and sent them to the capital.
The rebellion was finally quelled.
However, the right wing of Zhangsheng suffered over a thousand casualties and deployed more than 20,000 troops to suppress the rebellion, which took two precious months, resulting in the troops not being able to reach Taiyuan in time.
What impact will this have on the overall campaign? That remains to be seen.
……
Despite the various unexpected events that befell the imperial court, Hedong remained in an extremely unfavorable position overall.
The pressure of a massive army besieging the city is indescribable unless experienced firsthand.
Standing atop the city wall, the long trenches and fortified walls resembled a giant, winding serpent, attempting to coil and strangle Taiyuan, waiting for the opportune moment to swallow it whole. Fortunately, this giant python's body had not yet completely closed; several gaps were large enough for people to sneak through.
Shi Jingtang, dressed in military attire, cast his gaze toward the distant north—the capital of the Khitan Kingdom was more than two thousand li away.
The generals and officers around Taiyuan who were willing to surrender had all been mobilized, which had a certain restraining effect, but their contribution to the overall situation was limited. The only force with the strength to turn the tide and compete with the imperial court was the Khitan.
The military governor's judge, Zhao Ying, had already gone to seek help. Shi Jingtang knew perfectly well that it would be difficult to get reinforcements by relying on this handsome and refined gentleman; he was merely playing the role of a catalyst.
Only those who are willing to pay a high price, swallow their pride, and beg humbly can move Yelü Deguang and Shulü Ping.
Fortunately, I have another talent like that under my command.
In early June, in a secluded room in the back hall of the government office, Shi Jingtang sat in the center, with Liu Zhiyuan and Sang Weihan on his left and right respectively. (Note 1)
"Zhao Ying's journey will most likely fail to secure reinforcements, and another envoy will be needed."
Sang Weihan stroked his beard, and Shi Jingtang's implication was quite clear: after the military governor's judge, it was now his turn as the chief secretary.
"I am willing to go to the north for my lord, but if I want the Khitan king to send troops, I need to consider how to persuade him."
"According to you, what conditions should be offered?"
Sang Weihan was waiting for this very sentence: there are some things that the lord cannot say aloud, so he must say them himself.
He tentatively suggested, "Whenever the Khitans attempt to invade southward, they are often thwarted by Zhao Dejun's Yan army. What do you think of offering their territory as a gift to win the favor of the Khitan ruler?"
These words were exactly what Shi Jingtang wanted to hear. He pondered for a moment and said, "If I only cede the seven prefectures of You, Zhuo, Ji, Tan, Shun, Ying, and Mo under the jurisdiction of Lulong, I fear the Khitan ruler will think that I am being generous with other people's money and that I have no sincerity."
Seeing that his lord did not get angry and refute him, Sang Weihan discerned Shi Jingtang's true intentions and offered further suggestions.
"North of Yanmen Pass, the five prefectures of Yun, Ying, Shuo, Huan, and Wei are all our enemies. Why not advise the Khitan ruler to subdue them?"
This offer was already very generous, but Shi Jingtang still shook his head.
"The seven prefectures of Lulong and the five prefectures of Daibei are separated by the majestic Taihang Mountains, and the two places cannot be connected. Even if the Khitan occupy them for a time, they cannot maintain it for long. The Khitan ruler and Empress Dowager Shulu are not ordinary people, how could they not see this point?"
Upon learning Shi Jingtang's bottom line, Sang Weihan's ugly, horse-faced mouth twitched into a forced smile.
"His Majesty is the military governor of Hedong, and concurrently the commander-in-chief of the Han and non-Han cavalry and infantry of Datong, Zhenwu, Zhangguo, and Weise. Since the Datong Army in Yunzhou, the Zhenwu Army in Shuozhou, and the Zhangguo Army in Yingzhou have already been abandoned, what use is there in keeping the Weise Army? Why not offer it up as well!"
The Weise Army was located on the northern foothills of the Taihang Mountains, governing the four prefectures of Xin, Gui, Ru, and Wu, and occupying the land behind the mountains. This territory, combined with the existing territory, effectively connected Youyan (the area north of the Taihang Mountains) with Daibei (another area north of the Taihang Mountains). As a result, the northern border of the Central Plains was completely lost, and Hebei became a flat, open plain to traverse.
Liu Zhiyuan frowned, about to offer his advice, but Shi Jingtang remained worried.
"While there are practical benefits, etiquette is still essential. If you consider yourself a superior nation like China, yet speak of them as barbarians, I fear the Khitan ruler will be displeased."
"Rest assured, my lord, even if I have to kowtow and beg, and follow the example of Shen Baoxu of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods who cried for the King of Qin for seven days and seven nights, I will definitely persuade the King of Khitan to send troops."
He changed the subject: "But my lord must also suffer some injustice so that I can come up with a reason."
"If it can save us from this crisis, what does it matter if I suffer a little injustice? Please tell me."
"In the past, Emperor Wu and the Heavenly Emperor of Khitan swore brotherhood. The late emperor was Emperor Wu's adopted son and is also a brother to the current ruler of Khitan."
Sang Weihan offered a plan: "Your Majesty is the beloved son-in-law of Emperor Mingzong. According to this order of seniority, if you submit to the Khitan ruler and treat him with the respect due to a father, your father will surely lend a helping hand when I am in danger of life and death."
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiyuan glared angrily at Sang Weihan, thinking to himself, how could this short and ugly scholar be so shameless?
Before Liu Zhiyuan could speak, Shi Jingtang asked, "How will future generations view this action? Won't they think I've knelt before the barbarians and let wolves into the house?"
Sang Weihan was erudite and had a wealth of knowledge specifically for this purpose. He smiled slightly upon hearing this.
"In the distant past, there was the alliance made by Emperor Gaozu of Han at Baideng, which initiated the national policy of sending women to make peace with the barbarians; and in more recent times, Emperor Taizong of Tang, with his martial prowess, also forged the alliance at the Wei River. How can later generations blame only their own rulers?"
Shi Jingtang still couldn't let it go: "But the Han Dynasty was destroyed and the Xiongnu were subdued, and the Tang Dynasty drove the Turks westward, so later generations didn't criticize them. Besides, they didn't cede land to foreign tribes or call themselves their subjects."
"Your Majesty, do not be deceived by those historians. The Han and Tang dynasties were the golden ages of China, so the historical records concealed the evil and praised the good, using the style of the Spring and Autumn Annals."
Sang Weihan laughed heartily: "Emperor Ruizong of Tang married Princess Jincheng to Tibet and granted the land of Jiuqu in Hexi as a place for bathing and recuping, which was still considered to save face for the court. The Treaty of Qingshui, however, was a real cession of territory."
He recited the covenant text aloud, demonstrating a truly excellent memory.
"The alliance document states: The current borders of the state are as follows: from Jingzhou west to the western entrance of Tanzheng Gorge, from Longzhou west to Qingshui County, from Fengzhou west to Tonggu County, and including the western mountains of Jiannan and the east of the Dadu River, which constitute the Han border. The borders of the vassal states are guarded by the towns of Lan, Wei, Yuan, and Hui, extending west to Lintao, then east to Chengzhou, reaching the western border of Jiannan and the southwestern part of the Dadu River, which constitute the vassal border."
"This single stroke stretched for thousands of miles from north to south, more than ten times the size of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and over a million Chinese were captured by the Tibetans. Even so, no one said much, so why should Your Majesty worry about the praise or criticism of future generations?" (Note 2)
After Sang Weihan's explanation, Shi Jingtang had no more concerns and was overjoyed, saying, "What you say is exactly what I wanted to say. I will draft a memorial with the respect due to a sovereign and father, agreeing that on the day of victory, I will cede the entire Lulong region and all the prefectures north of Yanmen Pass to them."
Sang Weihan readily agreed, and with swift, flowing strokes of his pen, a humble memorial was produced.
"Your humble servant Shi Jingtang presents this memorial to His Majesty the Great Khitan Emperor and His Majesty the Empress Dowager Yingtian Daming:"
"In the past, your esteemed nation's founding emperor, the Great Sage, the Great Bright, the Divine, and Fierce Heavenly Emperor, and our dynasty's founding emperor, the Martial Emperor, swore an oath of brotherhood; Your Majesty, the Emperor of Mount Tai, is your sworn brother, and I am Your Majesty's nephew."
"The usurper Li Congke is a traitor who murdered the emperor and usurped the throne. He is an outrage against both gods and men. His perverse actions have caused the people to suffer and the common people to be destitute. I am but a mediocre man who was granted the post of guarding Hedong. Li Congke has no regard for kinship and has used his power to coerce us. Jinyang is weak and unable to protect itself. I earnestly request that the superior nation send divine troops to jointly punish the false emperor and restore peace."
"The land of Yan and Yun is characterized by its rugged mountains and abundant resources. Does Your Majesty not covet it? On the day of victory, I request to offer the land of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun as a token of my gratitude. I hope Your Majesty will accept this humble offering to reassure my heart and bring peace to the realm."
"Your Majesty's decision to cede your homeland will surely be misunderstood by the world, but for the sake of the people and the peace of the nation, this action is imperative. If I survive, I will serve Your Majesty as my father, and only with the protection of this great nation can I establish myself. What doubt is there?"
"If I gain the kingdom, I am willing to be a vassal of the Khitan forever, paying tribute every year and becoming their subject for generations. If I disobey, may Heaven and Earth not tolerate me, and may gods and men punish me."
"I have specially dispatched your envoy, Mr. Sang, to present this memorial and express my sincere sentiments. I humbly beseech Your Majesty's wisdom and compassion for my earnest intentions."
Signed: Your son, Shi Jingtang, bows deeply.
After reading the contents, Shi Jingtang had no objections. He took out a gilded bronze seal with engraved seal script and a lion as the knob from the box, opened the vermilion box, dipped it in ink, and pressed it heavily onto the seal.
Upon lifting the seal, one sees a glaringly bright red mass.
At this moment, Shi Jingtang and Sang Weihan personally branded themselves with the eight characters "Shameless traitor, infamous for ten thousand years!"