Moma Liangshan

Chapter 205 Turning the Tide, Armor and Weapon Trade

On the city wall, a southeast wind blew in dark clouds, completely obscuring the gloomy sky. Wang Hao and the princess of Shu arrived side by side, stopping five steps away from Emperor Tianzuo, and shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor!" Emperor Tianzuo waved his hand, signaling the bystanders to step back, and then said, "If you hadn't come, let alone long live the Emperor, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to overcome this hurdle!" The princess of Shu immediately comforted him, "With 260,000 troops outside the city, how can we allow the Jurchens to run rampant?" Emperor Tianzuo slowly shook his head, gritting his teeth, and said, "Except for your 10,000 troops, the rest of the army has already arrived, but they only dare to hide behind me while raising the banner of loyalty!" The princess of Shu said, "Although the loyalist army is numerous, it is leaderless. Their hesitation is also to preserve their strength!"

Emperor Tianzuo sneered, saying, "You expect me to use my flesh and blood to withstand the Jurchen's ferocious army? Two hundred years of Liao's rule have produced such a bunch of cowardly, useless fools!" The Shu princess, unsure how to comfort her father, could only say, "Yelü Dashi and Xiao Yu are both brave and resourceful. Their previous inability to send troops was indeed due to circumstances. Today, at the encampment, Xiao Yu volunteered to be the vanguard, and Yelü Dashi volunteered to be the wingman." Hearing this, Emperor Tianzuo's expression softened slightly, saying, "It's good that they both remember..." "What does it mean to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country!" The Shu princess breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "When I first arrived in the capital, the war situation was urgent, and I had no choice but to take command of the troops in Yunzhong and Youdu without authorization. I beg your forgiveness, Father!" Emperor Tianzuo smiled kindly and said, "You are the Shu princess whom I personally appointed. Xiao Yu and Yelü Dashi were already under your command. If they are not under your command when they meet on the battlefield, do you expect me to be under their command as well?" The Shu princess smiled slightly and said, "Now that the war has subsided, I beg your father to readjust the personnel arrangements!"

Emperor Tianzu shook his head, pointed to the camp below the city wall, and said, "Half a mile is enough to demonstrate my resolve! If you were a prince, I would certainly make you the crown prince!" The princess of Shu secretly glanced at Wang Hao and said, "I don't want to be a man!" Emperor Tianzu looked at the princess of Shu and Wang Hao, then suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Then I'll find you a good consort!" The princess of Shu suddenly said, "No, I want to find one myself!" Emperor Tianzu's affection for the princess of Shu was unparalleled. As an emperor, being rejected showed no anger whatsoever; instead, he said, "Whatever you say, whatever you say!"

A rumble of thunder following the lightning heralded the approaching downpour. The Shu princess, gazing at the low-hanging clouds, exclaimed, "Father, it's going to rain!" Emperor Tianzu nodded, saying, "I hope this rain lasts a while, so the Jurchens won't attack so quickly!" The Shu princess said, "Heaven will protect the Liao!" Emperor Tianzu pondered for a moment, then finally said, "Let's return to the palace!" Three carriages were already waiting below the city walls, but Emperor Tianzu suddenly announced, "The Duke of Bohai will ride with me in the same carriage!" Not only the Shu princess, but even the waiting eunuchs were utterly astonished, frozen in place. Emperor Tianzu repeated, "The Duke of Bohai will ride with me in the same carriage. Didn't you understand?" The eunuchs cautiously replied, "Yes! Yes!" Although Emperor Tianzu's carriage was very spacious, it had no extra seats. Wang Hao bent down and entered the carriage. After looking around, he sat down on the ground and asked, "I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty's favor!" Emperor Tianzuo sneered and said, "Even greater favors are yet to come!" Wang Hao replied, "Oh?" Emperor Tianzuo stared at Wang Hao and said, "I wish to make you my son-in-law!" Wang Hao immediately shook his head and said, "I am already the son-in-law of the Great Song Dynasty!" Emperor Tianzuo said, "I can bestow upon you the title of Prince of Bohai!" Wang Hao said, "You are trying to harm me!" Emperor Tianzuo was furious and asked, "How dare you!" Wang Hao's eyes gleamed, and he said, "I will not be buried with the Liao Dynasty!" Emperor Tianzuo was enraged and shouted, "I will never be a ruler who destroys his country!" Wang Hao seized the opportunity and said, "You should understand that only by finding a way to stop the Jurchens' advance will the Great Liao Dynasty have a glimmer of hope!"

Emperor Tianzuo, as if seeing a lifeline, immediately asked, "How can we stop the Jurchens' advance?" Wang Hao replied, "Make peace!" Emperor Tianzuo felt as if struck by lightning, slumping back in his seat. Wang Hao continued, "Making peace is not easy. The Jurchens have the upper hand and will not easily stop their attack. Therefore, we must achieve a great victory beforehand; otherwise, it will not be a peace negotiation, but a surrender!" Emperor Tianzuo laughed angrily, saying, "If I can win, why not go all out and wipe out these traitors?" Wang Hao coldly replied, "Because I have the will but not the strength!"

Although Emperor Tianzuo was a ruler of a fallen kingdom, he was still a formidable figure. He quickly regained his composure and asked, "If you were in my position, how would you secure this victory?" Wang Hao replied, "Promise the twenty tribal kings of the Khitan that five hundred Jurchen heads can be exchanged for tribal autonomy, along with the title of Prince." It turned out that the title of the twenty tribal kings of the Khitan was not a noble title, but an official position, equivalent to a military governor in the Song Dynasty. Emperor Tianzuo asked, "What is autonomy?" Wang Hao replied, "It means having all military and political power in one person's hands!" Emperor Tianzuo's gaze turned fierce, as if he wanted to pierce through Wang Hao, and he said, "Do you know what the consequences will be?" Wang Hao answered, "Local separatism, ignoring the central government!" Emperor Tianzuo rebuked, "You know these consequences, yet you still dare to resort to such a desperate measure?" Wang Hao did not back down at all, saying, "Drinking poison to quench thirst is not out of stupidity, but out of desperation!" Emperor Tianzuo had completely regained his composure and said, "Even if everything goes according to your plan, such a victory will not severely weaken the Jurchens!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "That's why we need to negotiate peace!" Emperor Tianzuo sighed helplessly and said, "I understand. You want to use a victory to make the Jurchens understand that to completely defeat the Liao Dynasty, a huge price must be paid, while if you negotiate peace, you can enjoy the spoils you have already obtained!" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "The first half is right, the second half is wrong!" Emperor Tianzuo frowned and reminded him, "Don't try to be mysterious!" Wang Hao said: "The Liao army's main force has been wiped out, and they are utterly incapable of counterattacking. The Jurchens are well aware of this. Therefore, if they only want to enjoy the spoils they have already gained, the Jurchens have no need to negotiate peace. They can simply leave the Liao aside and, whenever they want to stretch their muscles, they can simply march south." Emperor Tianzuo gritted his teeth and said, "In your opinion, even if we negotiate peace after victory, I will still have to cede huge benefits?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Recognize Wanyan Aguda's imperial throne, and take Shangjing as the boundary, with all the northern lands belonging to the Jurchens." Emperor Tianzuo pressed, "What about Shangjing?" Wang Hao replied, "Shared by Jin and Liao!" Emperor Tianzuo pointed at Wang Hao's nose and shouted, "You're making the Liao dynasty exist in name only!" Wang Hao didn't argue and said, "Within five years, I will provide you with 200,000 sets of armor!" Emperor Tianzuo asked again, "What do you want?" Wang Hao replied, "40 million taels of silver!" Emperor Tianzuo said, "I'll give you 60 million taels of silver, plus 100,000 sets of armor!" Wang Hao replied, "Deal!"