Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 453 Da Rui Cannot Lose

The city of Jinan was in chaos.

Fortunately, Wanyan Dari and others acted in a hurry and did not have time to prepare for many things.

Moreover, they had only moved to Shandong Road for more than two years and had been subject to various suppressions from the imperial court, so their roots in Shandong were too shallow and they could not hold on at all.

Therefore, their idea from the beginning was to make a quick buck and leave, and they had to make the quick buck and leave even faster.

After all, they have families to support, and if they are slow, they won’t be able to escape by the time the imperial court reacts.

In this way, ordinary people will suffer less harm.

The wealthy and powerful families are already struggling to grab the property, so who has time to care about the small families?

Wanyan Darui temporarily used Kong Zheng's villa as the place where he issued orders.

"One day, at most one day. We must set out for Dengzhou tomorrow."

Wanyan Darui roughly calculated the court's reaction time and the speed of their large group of troops, and became a little anxious.

Those who carry the elderly and children are moving too slowly, which is incomparable to the light cavalry.

"Immediately gather all the cattle, horses, donkeys and mules in Jinan Prefecture and bring them to me. Take as many as the carts can carry, and as many as the cattle and horses can carry. We must leave Jinan before noon tomorrow."

"Yes! Then the property in the other residence of Duke Yansheng..."

Wanyan Darui glanced at Kong Zheng who was sitting beside him, and smiled, "Duke Yansheng is very clear about justice and is unwilling to associate with the perverse Wanyan Liang, so he voluntarily follows me to Liaodong.

If there is enough time, I would like to go to Qufu to help him move.

The property of this other residence will naturally go with Duke Yansheng."

"The general understands!"

The subordinate agreed, and excitedly called for help to help Kong Zheng "move".

Kong Zheng sat there drinking tea, neither happy nor sad, neither sorrowful nor angry.

He has thought it through clearly. Everyone needs the sign left by his ancestors, so he has no worries about his life.

His only worry now is that once he goes to Liaodong, what will happen if Wanyan Liang appoints another Yansheng Duke in Shandong?
The situation of the south hole and the north hole is already a bit ugly. If there are three holes in the south, the middle and the north...

I, Kong Zheng, also have to respect myself!

……

The east wing of the rear house was where the envoys from the State of Song were placed under house arrest.

To say it was house arrest meant that a few soldiers were symbolically sent to guard the gate of the courtyard.

Wanyan Dari was quite polite to the Song Dynasty delegation, after all, they were still of use.

He also knew that in the current chaos and war, the Song Dynasty delegation had nowhere to go, so there was no need to worry about them escaping.

So Fei Tianlu sneaked into the courtyard easily and found his daughter.

Fei Yuye then found Yang Yuan and brought him to her residence.

Yang Yuan and Fei Tianlu first informed each other of what they knew, and Fei Tianlu frowned: "In other words, you are going to Liaodong?"

Yang Yuan said: "It's not that we want to go, but it's not up to us to go or not go now.

But... I think being forced to go to Liaodong by them might not be a bad thing."

"How to say?"

"When I was in Yingzhou, I concluded that Wanyan Liang's peace talks were fake, and that he was using the peace talks to lure the dignitaries from Shangjing who wanted to negotiate peace to Yanjing."

Yang Yuan glanced at Fei Yuye, and Fei Yuye nodded to her father, confirming what Yang Yuan said.

Yang Yuan added: "Let's assume that we didn't encounter any accidents on Shandong Road and arrived in Yanjing smoothly, what would the result be?"

Fei Tianlu said: “Since Wanyan Liang’s goal is to use the Song Dynasty envoys as bait to lure out the dignitaries in Shangjing.

Then, the delegation will be of no use the day they arrive in Yanjing. It is up to Wanyan Liang to decide whether to kill them, imprison them, or release them."

Yang Yuan said: "That's right. So even if we go to Yanjing, it won't be of any use.

If our Song Kingdom takes advantage of the civil unrest in the north to send troops, we will be killed by Wanyan Liang as a sacrifice.

Therefore, going to Liaodong at this time actually helped us escape a disaster."

Fei Tianlu thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case, so he nodded.

Fei Yuye asked, "Will our Song Kingdom take this opportunity to launch a northern expedition?"

Yang Yuan thought about it and said slowly: "It is highly likely... not."

Fei Tianlu and his daughter Fei Yuye were both startled and asked in surprise: "No?"

Yang Yuan spread his hands and said, "General Fei, you were once a military commander, you led troops and fought in battles.

Let me ask you, if you are commanding an army now, and it is experiencing internal discord and insufficient supplies.

At this time, you receive a message that an enemy army is fighting among itself thousands of miles away.

Will you send out your troops immediately, attack from afar alone, and seize the opportunity?"

Fei Tianlu shook his head and said, "No. There is discord within our army. To what extent is it discord? Will someone hold us back at the critical moment?

After a thousand-mile raid, even if there are sufficient supplies, can the transportation keep up in time?

If supplies are insufficient, can our army fight to support the war, and can we obtain supplies along the way?

The enemy is in internal strife. To what extent has the internal strife gone to such an extent? If we have to march far away and are short of supplies, and by the time we arrive, the internal strife in the enemy has already subsided, what should we do?
All of these need to be understood clearly and considered thoroughly beforehand, otherwise it would be like playing with the lives of all the soldiers.”

Yang Yuan nodded and said: "If an army is like this, what about a country?
How can a ruler use the country and the people of the world as bargaining chips and take a risk with the mentality of a gambler? "

Yang Yuan said: "Back to us, when we go to Liaodong, we will face the following situations. First, Wanyan Darui will replace Wanyan Liang.

If this is the case, we can negotiate with Wanyan Darui as the envoys of the Song Dynasty, and temporarily obtain a more favorable result for the Song Dynasty."

Fei Yuye asked doubtfully, "For the time being?"

Yang Yuan said: "That's right! Wanyan Dari is against sending troops to the Song Dynasty today because he is Wanyan Dari.

If he can replace Wan Yan Liang, then he will become Wan Yan Liang in the future!"

After all, whether to use military force against the Song Dynasty or not depends on where you sit, and has nothing to do with right or wrong.

Fei Yuye suddenly understood after hearing this.

Yang Yuan said: “The second outcome is that Wanyan Darui will set up a new court and fight against Wanyan Liang on equal terms.

In this case, we can still negotiate with Wanyan Darui on behalf of the Song Dynasty. If the two sides join forces and attack from both sides, the Song Dynasty will have a great chance of regaining its homeland."

Fei Tianlu said: "Then the third scenario is that Wanyan Darui fails?"

Yang Yuan said: "The third scenario is that Wanyan Darui fails, but he fails after holding on for a period of time.

In this way, Liaodong and Shangjing would be in ruins. Even if Wanyan Liang won, it would be a miserable victory.

It would take him a long time and a lot of effort to tidy up the place and restore his strength.

At that time, he should beg for peace talks with the Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty can still negotiate a good price with him."

Yang Yuan spread his hands and said, "If Wanyan Darui is defeated quickly..., it means that the Jin Kingdom still has its luck. It is God's will, and there is nothing we can do about it."

Fei Yuye keenly noticed that when Yang Yuan talked about the third and fourth situations, he no longer said "we represent the Song Dynasty", but "Wanyan Liang negotiated with the Song Dynasty."

Fei Yuye couldn't help but say, "If Wanyan Darui fails, our Great Song envoys will also be buried with him, right?"

Yang Yuan's face became more serious, and he said, "That's right! So, we have to try our best to help Wanyan Darui, so that he doesn't lose too quickly, and it would be best if he could... not lose at all."

Fei's father and daughter looked at each other, and for a moment they were a little uncomfortable with Yang Yuan's unique analysis angle.

But on second thought, he felt that this was indeed the best role that the Song Dynasty delegation could play as "prisoners" and maneuver in a limited space.

Fei Tianlu couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that Master Yang wants to pretend to surrender to Wanyan Dari and give him advice?"

Yang Yuan shook his head: "It will be difficult for me to gain Wanyan Darui's trust.

I originally thought of a candidate who could be sent to Wanyan Dari to be a military advisor.

Now that I have met Envoy Feichu, I have a bolder idea..."

Fei Yuye suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart, but when the word "no" came to her lips, she swallowed it back.

Her father was originally a military officer of the Song Dynasty. He had fought against traitors with an iron fist, and he had risked his life, hadn't he?
Since you have chosen this path, what else is there to say?

Yang Yuan looked at Fei Tianlu and said slowly: "It is a waste of talent for General Fei to be a disposal officer.

I wonder if General Fei is willing to go to the Jin army and become a commander of ten thousand men?"

Fei Tianlu slowly opened his eyes wide, a look of surprise on his face.

Yang Yuan spread his hands and said, “When the general was under General Yue, he led the troops to fight and kill the Jin soldiers.

Now that we are on the side of the Jin people, we can still lead the troops to fight and kill the Jin soldiers, it doesn’t matter! ”

……

"Your Majesty, the Song envoy Yang Yuan is going to kill someone!"

A Jin soldier guard hurried into the hall and reported to Wanyan Dari.

Wanyan Da Rui was startled and asked curiously, "Who does he want to kill? Who has offended him?"

The Jin soldier said, "Your Majesty, Yang Yuan is not going to kill our people, but his own people."

Wanyan Darui was even more puzzled and asked, "What's the matter?"

The Jin soldier glanced at Kong Zheng and said awkwardly, "I heard that we are going to Liaodong tomorrow morning, and a few Song people will...

Well, they took some valuables from the Yanshenggong Mansion and hid them in their private pockets..."

Kong Zheng listened with a calm expression.

He is very Buddhist now.

Does it make any difference whether his property falls into the hands of the Jin people or the Song people?
It doesn't belong to him anyway.

The Jin soldier said, "When the Song envoy Yang Yuan found out, he was furious and said that these people, as envoys of the Song Dynasty, had done something shameful that damaged the reputation of the Song Dynasty. He wanted to punish them and publicly execute them."

Wanyan Da Rui looked at Kong Zheng who was sitting there like a Buddha and laughed, "Is this true? Let's go and take a look."

Wanyan Dari stood up and rushed with the Jin soldier to the courtyard where the Song envoy was under house arrest. Kong Zheng thought about it and followed them.

In the courtyard where the Song envoys lived, Yu Jiguang, Chen Lixing, Mao Shaofan, Da Chu, and an old soldier with a clear face were kneeling in the courtyard, tied up.

Yang Yuan stood on the steps, holding his sword, and said sternly: "As envoys of the Song Dynasty, your every word, action, and gesture represent the Song Dynasty.

If you lose your integrity, you will disgrace your country. It is not that Yang does not tolerate you, but it is your fault. You can only apologize by dying!" Yang Yuan's "personal soldier" Fei Yuye stood far away.

Her father was kneeling below, how could she stand behind Yang Yuan?
Fei Tianlu agreed to Yang Yuan's fantastic proposal after just a brief thought.

He was originally a general in the army, and riding on the battlefield was what he loved most in life.

Since he became the "Skinning Office Director", he could only lead people to secretly assassinate traitors, and he felt very bored.

He believed that according to Yang Yuan's analysis, if he could play a role beside Wanyan Darui, the benefits to the Song Dynasty would far exceed what he was doing now.

Therefore, Fei Tianlu agreed without hesitation.

When he sneaked in here, the person sent by Xin Qiji to accompany him to inquire about the news was waiting outside the wall of the house.

Fei Tianlu decided to meet him first and let him go back alone to report.

Fei Tianlu also told him to pass on Yang Yuan's words to Xin Qiji: "Before the time comes, you can hide among the fish and shrimps. When Song Jing comes south, you will be able to meet him."

Yu Jiguang knelt on the ground, looking around with a pair of sneaky eyes.

Yang Yuan said that this was Wanyan Darui's territory, and if he wanted to kill someone here, Wanyan Darui would not ignore it.

Yu Jiguang only hoped that what Yang Yuan said was true, otherwise he would have to ask Kou Heiyi, who was hiding in the dark, to plead for them, and then this whole show would be in vain.

Yang Yuan wanted Yu Jiguang to go undercover among the Jin people, and he agreed.

Yang Yuan carefully analyzed the current situation of the delegation to him.

At present, they are still useful, so Wanyan Darui can still treat them with courtesy.

But when Wanyan Darui was defeated, that would be the end of their lives.

Yang Yuan carefully analyzed the internal and external problems currently faced by the Song and Jin countries, compared the strengths of Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Dayu, and finally came to a conclusion that completely convinced him: Wanyan Dayu would definitely fail!
In other words, they are dead.

Then, Yang Yuan told him a way to save himself and others:

Yang Yuan used a self-torture trick on him to make him join Wanyan Darui's army and gain Wanyan Darui's trust and respect as soon as possible.

When Wanyan Dari's decline became apparent and his defeat was irreversible, he could pick up the imprisoned Song envoys and escape.

By then, whether they fled eastward, seized a ship and went out to sea, or fled to Wanyan Liang, they would be rescued.

Yu Jiguang will become the hero who saves the Song Dynasty delegation!

He will catch up with Su Wu, Zhang Qian, Ban Chao and Wang Xuance and become a great hero who will go down in history.

Yu Jiguang happily ate the cake.

Rather than waiting to die, it is better to seek survival from death.

Moreover, in Yang Yuan's plan, the risk he had to take was actually the smallest. What reason did he have to refuse?

In order to keep it secret, he did not reveal the truth to Chen Lixing, Mao Shaofan and Da Chu, the three brothers who had followed him for many years.

He just instigated these three people to steal some property from the Yanshenggong Mansion with him.

His reason was that if he went to Liaodong, he would be imprisoned.

Carry some valuables with you, so that when you are in a difficult situation, you may be able to use them to gain some benefits from the Jin soldiers.

For this, Yu Jiguang felt a little guilty.

However, if a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if a few matters are not discreet, harm will occur.

Yu Jiguang was the light that saved the Song Dynasty delegation from the darkness, so he could only bury this guilt deep in his heart.

But...what's going on with that old soldier?
The delegation consisted of about seventy or eighty people.

As the judge of the delegation, Yu Jiguang could not remember everyone's name, but most of them looked familiar, and he did not remember such a person.

……

"Master Yang, it's just a trivial matter, why get angry?"

Wanyan Darui walked in with a loud laugh: "It's just a matter of money and property, it's harmless, it's not worth killing for it, right?"

Yang Yuan's face was as gloomy as water, and he said coldly: "This is the internal affairs of our Song Dynasty delegation, so Your Majesty, please do not ask about it."

Wanyan Darui said with a smile: "Internal affairs? At least today, in this city of Jinan, there is no one or thing that I cannot manage!"

Yu Jiguang shouted, "King Da Rui, King Da Rui, help me."

Wanyan Da Rui stroked his beard and said with a smile, "King Da Rui? That's a good name. I'm thinking about what kind of banner to use. Hahahaha..."

Yu Jiguang said loudly: "Your Majesty, I am Yu Jiguang, originally from the Great Song Dynasty's State Letter Office. I have received Prince Wanyan Quxing of the Great Jin Dynasty and General Han Zhenyu. I have always been friendly to the people of Jin."

Wanyan Darui stroked his beard and thought, Han Zhenyu? Isn't that Wanyan Liang's loyal dog?

However, Wanyan Quxing is the son of Wanyan Zheng, and can be considered as an enemy of Wanyan Liang..."

Yu Jiguang said: "I have also served as the Great Song Dynasty's envoy to receive the Japanese envoys Master Jinghai and Mr. Yoshida.

I am now the military officer of Lin'an Prefecture. If King Da Rui is willing to save my life, I am willing to be loyal to the king and serve him from now on.

King Da Rui, now that you have rebelled against the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom, I am not good at leading troops to fight, but I can do my best to help the king by managing government and finances and lobbying all parties. "

Chen Lixing and others looked at Yu Jiguang in surprise. They didn't expect that Yu Jiguang wanted to surrender to the Jin people in order to survive.

However, Yang Yuan wanted to kill them now, and it was not them who proposed to surrender to the Jin people, so this psychological barrier was easier to overcome.

Although they were a little hesitant, they finally did not open their mouths to refute.

After hearing what Yu Jiguang said, Wanyan Dari couldn't help but be moved.

He is now going against Wanyan Liang, so naturally the more talents he has, the better.

Yu Jiguang was the judge of the Song Dynasty's envoys. Judging from his resume, he had held so many important positions, so he must be a talented person.

Wanyan Darui lived in Shangjing for generations. He had some capable fighters under his command, but there were very few people who were good at internal affairs, finance, and diplomacy.

Thinking of this, Wanyan Darui smiled and said, "Master Yang, you are going to execute them because they stole the property of Duke Yansheng.

But the owner is still here, shouldn't we listen to the opinion of the Duke of Yansheng?"

Wanyan Darui looked at Kong Zheng and said with a smile: "Duke Yansheng, what do you say?"

When Kong Zheng saw his expression, he knew that Wanyan Darui was planning to subdue the judge of the Song Dynasty delegation.

Kong Zheng followed his meaning and said, "It's just a few valuables, it won't cost anyone's life."

Wanyan Darui said, "Master Yang, did you see that? The owner of the lost item is not pursuing the matter, so this person should be released."

Yang Yuan said righteously, "It doesn't matter whose property they stole. As envoys, such behavior has tarnished the reputation of our Song Dynasty, so they should be killed."

Wanyan Darui's smile turned cold: "Master Yang, I am not negotiating with you, but I am telling you that I want these people."

Wanyan Darui waved his hand, and several Jin soldiers came forward, drew their swords, and cut the ropes on Yu Jiguang and others.

Yang Yuan pointed at Wanyan Darui and said angrily, "How dare Your Majesty interfere in the affairs of our Great Song envoys so barbarically."

Wanyan Darui's face darkened and he said, "Barbaric? Scholar Yang, I treat you with courtesy and am willing to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty or even join forces with it.

But this is a win-win situation, but it doesn't mean you can be so arrogant to me!"

When Wanyan Darui was in his hometown of Shangjing, he was a local emperor who had the final say in his own territory.

He has been enduring his nature for a long time since he was forced to move to Shandong.

Today, he has the final say on the life and death of everyone in Jinan City, and the domineering spirit in his heart began to slowly revive.

He really liked the feeling of being in control of everything; that feeling made him feel more ecstatic than fine wine.

After Wanyan Dari finished speaking, he sneered and walked away.

Yu Jiguang looked at Yang Yuan coldly, raised his hands slowly, and stepped back out of the courtyard. He said in a deep voice, "Mr. Yang, I will remember your kindness in not killing me today, and I will repay you in the future."

Mao Shaofan, Chen Lixing and others hesitated for a moment, looked at Yang Yuan's gloomy face, then looked at Yu Jiguang who was walking away, and finally followed him.

……

"Your Majesty, do you plan to use carriages and horses to transport your family, property, and food to Dengzhou to set sail tomorrow?"

"Yes!"

Yu Jiguang joined Wanyan Darui and immediately got into the role.

When he heard that Wanyan Dari was going to gather all the cattle, horses, and carriages in Jinan City to transport the looted property, food, and family members to Dengzhou, he could not help but show a look of surprise.

Wanyan Darui wanted to see what kind of person he was, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Yu Jiguang said: "Your Majesty, since you want to go to Liaodong by sea, Xiaoqing River can lead directly to the sea.

Why don't you take a boat from Licheng, pass through Jingyang, Gaoqing, Boxing, Guangrao, and then go to Shouguang and enter the sea?

The cargo on a boat can fill dozens of carts, and the horses need to eat grass and rest, while the boat goes with the flow. As long as there is a boat clearing the way ahead on the canal, it can travel day and night. "

Wanyan Darui was surprised and asked: "Is there a river in Jinan that can directly connect to the Bohai Sea?"

Yu Jiguang was also a little surprised: "The king doesn't know yet?"

Wanyan Darui blushed, not wanting to appear unlearned, so he said, "If Wanyan Liang had not forced me, how could I have rebelled against him?
I have never thought of rebelling against him, so why should I learn about the geography of Shandong Road? Can this Xiaoqing River really flow directly into the sea? "

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe it, just ask a local."

Wanyan Darui was filled with hatred and slammed the table heavily, shouting, "Damn it! I have mobilized so many people and spent so much time to collect mules, horses, and carriages!

If I had known earlier that we could sail to the sea, I could have asked these people to collect so much more money and food."

Yu Jiguang thought to himself that the method that Master Yang taught me was indeed good. Wanyan Dari, this reckless man, really didn't know about this waterway.

Yu Jiguang followed the rhetoric Yang Yuan had taught him and continued, “The carriages and horses that Your Majesty has collected may not be useless.

Your Majesty can divide your troops into two groups. One group can escort the fleet to Shouguang, and then they can transfer to a large ship that can carry horses to enter the Bohai Sea.

Right now, the Song and Jin countries are on the verge of a war, and each has banned water and land travel. There must be enough ships moored at the dock in Shouguang for the king to use.

The other group of people took the empty carts and headed towards Dengzhou by land, making a big fuss along the way, the bigger the noise the better.

With such a mix of truth and falsehood, it is difficult for the imperial court to figure out where the king’s main force is. By the time they figure it out, the king has already safely sailed out to sea.”

"Good! Good idea!"

Wanyan Darui slapped the table excitedly and stood up suddenly: "I will let Donkey Ti and Kong Yanzhou lead their troops to escort those empty carts to Dengzhou.

Ask them to raid a few wealthy households along the way, and then load the goods onto ships and ship them away when they arrive in Dengzhou.

When I return to Liaodong, these will be the capital for recruiting soldiers and horses. Hahaha..."

The more Wanyan Darui thought about it, the happier he became. The more he looked at Yu Jiguang, the more satisfied he became. He could not help but say to Jiguang: "Darui regrets that he did not meet you earlier. Jiguang is like water to a fish."

(End of this chapter)