Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Before Wu Qimai arrived, all the civil and military officials had already taken their seats.

The Jurchen ministers mainly included Wuqimai's sons, as well as Poluhuo and his relatives.

Although Jin Wuzhu was killed, his son-in-law Heshilie Zhining was promoted.

Wanyan Talan and his son Wanyan Shengdu perished on the front lines, but Wanyan Talan's other son was promoted by Wu Qimai.

In addition, Wanyan Xiyin, as Zonghan's staunch confidant, had his entire family executed in Shangjing!

Then there are the civil officials who are not from the Jurchen ethnic group.

Li Shi and Zhang Hao were of the highest rank, both from prominent families in Bohai.

The third person is Lu Yanlun, who was originally a Han Chinese official in the Liao Dynasty.

He surrendered to the Jin dynasty with his superior (a Khitan) in Linhuang Prefecture, then killed his superior who had betrayed the Jin, and slaughtered all the Khitans in the city of Linhuang Prefecture.

The capital city of the Jin Dynasty was built by Lu Yanlun.

This guy seems to be a city-building expert; several major cities of the Jin Dynasty in history were built by Lu Yanlun.

The person next to Lu Yanlun was named Mao Zilian.

They are mortal enemies!

Mao Zilian surrendered to the Jin dynasty first, while Lu Yanlun had not yet surrendered at that time.

Therefore, Lu Yanlun killed Mao Zilian's wife and children.

On the battlefield, Mao Zilian personally shot and killed Lu Yanlun's trusted and beloved general.

Lu Yanlun was Wu Qimai's confidant.

Mao Zilian was a confidant of Wanyan Zonggan. He was not implicated this time only because Wuqimai did not want to escalate the situation.

In addition, there were Han officials such as Li Sanxi, Kong Jingzong, and Li Shikui.

These Han officials were all capable of leading troops when they were in the Liao Dynasty.

After surrendering to the Jin dynasty, he was gradually stripped of his military power and forced to serve as a civil official.

"The emperor has arrived!"

After several shouts, the ministers quickly stood up.

Ma Kuo also stood up with a cold smile.

Wu Qimai walked into the main hall with his head held high. After receiving the greetings of everyone, he smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Please sit down. Today, I'm hosting a banquet for the envoys of the Ming Dynasty, and I've brought out all my treasured wines."

"Mr. Ma, come and have a drink with me."

Ma Kuo, without any hesitation, strode to the guest seat.

Fine wines and delicacies were served one after another, and a band and dancers also took to the stage to perform.

Wu Qimai raised his glass and said, "Mr. Ma, it's been several years since we last met, but you look even more energetic now."

Ma Kuo said, "Likewise."

Wu Qimai said, "For our long-awaited reunion, let us drink this cup."

Chapter 3483 Celebrating the Emperor

Ma Kuo raised his cup towards the southwest: "A toast to the Emperor of the Great Ming!"

Wu Qimai was taken aback, his expression changed slightly, and then he burst into laughter: "Congratulations to the Emperor of the Great Ming!"

"Congratulations to the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty!"

Regardless of their true thoughts, all the civil and military officials of the Jin state joined in the shouting.

There were no diplomatic disputes at today's banquet.

Han and Bohai civil officials dared not speak out, and the Jurchen nobles were also filled with fear; no one stood up for the Jin dynasty.

It was as if they were celebrating with drinks, each one indulging in a drunken frenzy, with a sense of living a life of debauchery.

Officials from various ethnic groups, including Jurchen nobles, came one after another to offer toasts, making Ma Kuo completely drunk.

The banquet ended at dusk.

Ma Kuo was helped out of the palace and returned to the palace in a carriage.

Yang Zaixing helped Ma Kuo to the bedroom, dismissed the servants, and asked in a low voice, "Is Master Ma truly drunk?"

"I'm really... really drunk..."

Ma Kuo could barely speak, but he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and forced himself to say, "Read it... I'll listen."

Yang Zaixing read it carefully, then said with delight, "My family has eighteen strong men who can assist you in your great endeavors. Who wrote this?"

Ma Kuo didn't answer immediately. He lay there for a while to recover before rubbing his face and saying, "Mao Zilian. He took advantage of the toasting opportunity, pretending to be drunk and unsteady on his feet, and stuffed this note into my hand."

"What does this person do?" Yang Zaixing asked.

Ma Kuo said with great familiarity, "He was originally from Linhuang Prefecture of the Liao Kingdom, a Han Chinese from the northern grasslands."

"At the end of the Liao Dynasty, bandits rose up everywhere. He enlisted in the army, made meritorious contributions, and was summoned by the Liao emperor, who bestowed upon him armor and fine horses."

"Because of his surrender to the Jin dynasty, his wife and children were killed by Lu Yanlun."

"This man was extremely brave. He was surrounded by two thousand Liao cavalry, and he personally shot and killed a Liao general, then captured another Liao general alive, turning the tide and defeating the Liao army."

Yang Zaixing commented: "Although he is brave, he is a man who betrays his lord and defectes to the enemy."

Ma Kuo said, "At that time, the Liao Dynasty was ruled by a foolish emperor, with treacherous officials in power, and was corrupt and incompetent."

"His surrender to the Jin is nothing special. This man was relieved of his military power by Wu Qimai, and Wanyan Zonggan then won him over."

"Wanyan Zonggan was executed along with his entire family. Although Wuqimai did not implicate any Han officials, it still made Mao Zilian feel uneasy."

"Moreover, Lu Yanlun, who killed his wife and children, was recently promoted by Wu Qimai. How could Mao Zilian not be afraid?"

"He secretly handed me this note, perhaps because he guessed that I wanted to take action in the capital."

"Even if they didn't guess correctly, it still shows their willingness to submit to the Ming Dynasty."

Yang Zaixing said, "We have been under constant surveillance, and even when we go out on the street, officials follow us."

"The warhorses brought into the city are still being kept elsewhere, making it difficult to lead the cavalry to attack the imperial city in the short term."

Ma Kuo seemed confident and said with a smile, "The imperial guards of the Jin Kingdom have never been on the battlefield."

"Wu Qimai's former personal guards were all taken to the battlefield and killed by powerful ministers long ago."

"He dared not let the defeated soldiers who had escaped back guard the palace, so he could only recruit the sons of Jurchen nobles in the capital."

"Even without warhorses, we can still rout those spoiled brats and their guards!"

“That’s true.” Yang Zaixing nodded.

Ma Kuo continued, "Moreover, the Bohai people and Han people here will not only not help Wu Qimai fight, but are very likely to turn to us immediately."

"The defeated soldiers brought back by Wanyan Zongxian and Jin Wuzhu have probably long been disloyal and alienated since Wuzhu was unjustly killed."

"They are terrified of the Ming soldiers. If the capital is attacked, they probably won't come to the rescue, but will choose to scatter and flee."

"But we also need to choose the right time to act; the best time is when spring arrives and the weather warms up."

"Otherwise, how could the Jin soldiers escape if the heavy snow blocked the roads?"

"They will surely freeze or starve to death if they flee to the wilderness."

"Only when the snow melts and they are given a way to survive will they be able to escape back to their respective tribes."

Yang Zaixing suddenly realized that the civil official in front of him was incredibly cunning!

"Mr. Ma really foresaw everything," Yang Zaixing exclaimed sincerely.

Ma Kuo said, "Actually, we could try to persuade them to surrender, but there are too many variables."

Yang Zaixing suddenly had an idea: "Why don't we keep negotiating with Wu Qimai, and when the snow melts in the spring, we can lie and say that we have to go back to report?"

"At that time, it would be reasonable for the cavalry to gather with their warhorses and even put on armor."

"Moreover, the peace talks have been successful, and Wuqimai's vigilance has greatly decreased. We will launch a surprise attack on the capital!"

"Your plan is extremely brilliant!" Ma Kuo immediately began to look at Yang Zaixing in a new light, having always thought Yang Zaixing was a brainless brave general.

For the next period of time, Ma Kuo negotiated very seriously.

He even revealed the imperial court's idea of ​​establishing the Andong Protectorate to Wu Qimai.

He also said he would petition the court to appoint Wu Qimai as the commander of Huligai and to hand over the territory of Tunhe Meng'an to Wu Qimai.

Then, they discussed the matter of slavery in detail.

Ma Kuo said that all slaves should be released and then registered as common people.

However, Wu Qimai could take a thousand slaves with him, but he had to leave the eunuchs behind and forbid them from being used again in the future.

Chapter 3484 Bargaining

They also discussed the annual tribute amount and haggled with Wu Qimai.

They were having a serious negotiation, haggling over every little detail, and gradually Wu Qimai became completely convinced of their sincerity.

Once the negotiations are reached, Wu Qimai will be able to become a local tyrant.

He was able to acquire the area surrounding Huligai City (Yilan County) and the territory of Tunhe Meng'an (Tangyuan County).

All of them are fertile lands along the river, and the population is relatively large. After ten years of management, they can raise two or three thousand soldiers.

Wu Qimai continued to haggle, hoping to take away one hundred craftsmen and their wives and children.

Ma Kuo expressed his difficulty, but in the end, the two sides compromised and allowed Wu Qimai to take away fifty craftsmen.

Then came the armor. After a heated debate, they agreed that Wu Qi would take away a thousand suits of armor.

All remaining armor must be handed over.

As time passed, the snow began to melt.

Ma Kuo announced his departure and submitted the peace negotiation plan to the imperial court.

This result pleased everyone, especially the Bohai and Han civil officials.

They could integrate into the Ming Dynasty and wouldn't have to relocate with Wu Qimai.

The Jurchen nobles, including Poluhuo, were also quite satisfied because they could return to their respective tribes, and the Ming court promised to appoint the tribal leaders as commanders.

On the day he left, Ma Kuo ordered all the cavalry to wear armor and ride their warhorses through the capital city in a ostentatious display.

Wu Qimai didn't think much of it; he felt that Ma Kuo was just showing off his military strength.

Even though Ma Kuo was under constant surveillance, he was still able to send out messages.

Mao Zilian helped with the contact, and the first person they contacted was Han Qixian.

During Wanyan Zonggan's reign, Han Qixian was the head of the Han officials and held the official position of prime minister.

The prime minister here is not Bo Jilie.

The Jin dynasty developed two systems: the Bojilie system and the old Liao system.

In order to consolidate the newly conquered Liao territory, Aguda established the Secretariat and the Privy Council in Guangning Prefecture, appointing Han officials as prime ministers and Privy Council officials in Guangning Prefecture.

After Zhang Jue's rebellion, the Jin dynasty's small court in Guangning Prefecture was dissolved, and subsequently moved to Pingzhou and Yanjing.

The peace talks between the Ming and Jin dynasties, and the plan to move the capital to Liaoyang, provoked fierce opposition from Han officials—this was a power grab by Bohai civil officials!

In other words, at that time, not only were there serious internal conflicts among the Jurchen nobles, but Han and Bohai civil officials were also fighting each other.

Both Wanyan Zonggan and Wanyan Zonghan have publicly praised Han Qixian as a "wise minister of our time".

His wise minister is my treacherous subject.

Wu Qimai is now in charge; if it weren't for the extensive connections of the Korean company's founder,

Without command of an army, they would have already faced the fate of having their homes confiscated and their families wiped out.

That morning, Han Qixian took his sons and some servants and went out early.

He was going to see off the Ming Dynasty envoy!