New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

After a brief moment of distraction, someone in the delegation let out a low, angry roar: "How dare you offend the envoys of the Great Song Dynasty and damage the diplomatic relations between our two countries! Get out of here at once!"

Whether the Jin soldiers before him couldn't understand the Song language, or simply didn't take them seriously, the official's rebuke was like a stone sinking into the sea, having absolutely no effect. A general rode in slowly from outside the post station, a slightly mocking smile on his lips, his gaze towards the Song envoys full of contempt: "This humble general is ordered by His Highness to invite you envoys to move to Youzhou City. Please, gentlemen."

"Damn it, how can you invite someone into the city with such an attitude?"

The crowd looked at each other, then became indignant, seemingly still not understanding the current situation. Only the leader, Vice Minister Li, and Tang Qian, who was standing in the corner, exchanged a glance and shook their heads with a sigh.

"It's a pity that I painstakingly planned to escape this prison sentence, but what's meant to happen can't be avoided."

In the dimly lit interrogation room, Li Ye, the Vice Minister of War, dressed in the official robes of the Song Dynasty, strode in and came to the seat opposite Wanyan Xun. After exchanging a glance, Li Ye lifted the hem of his robes, sat down on a wooden chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, and appeared calm and composed, as if he couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to Wanyan Xun.

Now, their mission has been ruined in Youzhou. Ironically, several sons of officials who had paid to gain merit not only failed to reclaim Youzhou but also lost their lives. It was truly a terrible loss.

"Doesn't Minister Li want to know why he was imprisoned in this dungeon?"

Li Ye snorted coldly: "Is there any need to guess? I suppose you have already made preparations to march south and attack Song, otherwise you would not have returned and reoccupied Youzhou City."

According to the agreement between the Song and Jin dynasties, after the fall of the Liao dynasty, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun returned to the Song dynasty. The fact that the Jin army looted Youzhou City shows that the Jin dynasty originally intended to return these cities.

Youzhou was already a harsh and cold place, and with the previous exploitation by the Liao Kingdom, the city's money and grain were already almost gone. After the Jin army entered the city, they ransacked the entire Youzhou from the inside out. All the able-bodied men and women were relocated to the heartland of the Jin Kingdom, leaving only the elderly, women, and children. It was as if the Song Dynasty had been given an empty city.

The Song Dynasty court accepted this. An empty city was an empty city. At least Emperor Zhao Ji felt that the return of the lost Youyun land to the Song Dynasty after a hundred years was a fulfillment of his ancestors' wishes. Such an achievement was enough to make him proud of the entire Song Dynasty royal family and leave him a lasting name.

But who could have predicted that the Jin army, which had already withdrawn, would launch a surprise attack and reoccupy the place before the Song army entered the city? It was simply a fickle, despicable, and shameless act.

"If we're talking about going back on your word, your Great Song Dynasty is no less so. You maintained friendly relations with the Liao Dynasty for a century. When Emperor Renzong of Song passed away, Emperor Daozong of Liao wept bitterly and even built a cenotaph for him. But in the end, didn't you turn your back on him just like that?"

Wanyan Xun reached out and picked at his ear, which wasn't itchy. "We're all birds of a feather. No one needs to claim who's noble. In the end, we're all just serving our own masters."

Li Ye glared coldly at him without answering, instead responding with a cold snort.

"Youzhou was originally a harsh and cold place, and now it is no exaggeration to describe it as barren. It was indeed originally intended to be returned to your Song Kingdom, but does Minister Li know why our army returned instead?"

"The Shanhai Pass and Juyong Pass are under the control of the Jin Kingdom, and now they have occupied Youzhou. If I still can't figure out your wolfish ambitions, what kind of Vice Minister of War am I?"

With these three passes secured, the Jin army could easily split into three routes, cross the Great Wall, and march straight towards Tokyo, putting the Song Dynasty in grave danger.

"You have imprisoned me and a group of Song envoys today, which means that the north has been pacified, the Liao Kingdom has been destroyed, and the Jin army is ready to march south. All that is lacking is an excuse."

Wanyan Xun cupped his hands in admiration to Li Ye: "Minister Li's prediction is correct. To be honest, our army has been assembled and will arrive in Youzhou soon. As for the pretext for sending troops, although the Song Dynasty has sent back the head of the traitor Zhang Jue, it has not quelled the Emperor's anger. Moreover, the Song delegation led by Minister Li has been aggressive in the negotiations, showing no regard for our Great Jin. Therefore, His Majesty has decided to send troops south."

"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Do you think you can silence the dissenting voices with just a few words?"

"History is always written by the victors. Minister Li, do you think that if our Great Jin had seized the Song Dynasty's territory, the process of the conquest would have been glossed over in the Spring and Autumn Annals? And would Your Excellency have been recorded in the historians for failing to negotiate with the Great Jin, leading to the fall of the Great Song Dynasty, thus leaving a stain on your reputation for eternity?"

Li Ye frowned: "General, are you trying to persuade me to surrender by saying these things?"

Wanyan Xun smiled faintly: "I just like dealing with intelligent people."

"Wishful thinking." Li Ye, upright and righteous, refused to look at Wan Yanxun again.

"Alas, if that's the case, then so be it." Wanyan Xun shook his head slightly, then got up and walked away. "Considering your loyalty to the emperor and your country, I will grant you a complete corpse. It's a pity that the Song Dynasty court will only criticize you for your incompetence and push all the blame onto you, making you take the blame for those good-for-nothings and suffer the scorn of future generations. Is it really worth it?"

"Wait." A hint of undisguised struggle flashed across Li Ye's face, clearly indicating that he was making a difficult decision deep in his heart. Only after Wanyan Xun stopped and turned to leave did he speak softly, "It seems that no matter what, the blame for surrendering to the Jin and betraying the Song will be placed on my head. The only difference is whether I live or die."

A moment later, Tang Qian walked into the same room with light steps.

Wanyan Xun pointed to the wooden chair that Li Ye had just sat on, gesturing for him to sit down and talk.

"The Tang envoy is quick-witted and should be able to guess what happened in Youzhou City."

Tang Qian nodded casually: "If I am not mistaken, your Jin emperor has already ordered an invasion to the south. The vanguard of the army should arrive in Youzhou soon. Your Highness's surprise attack and occupation of Youzhou is to facilitate the march, right?"

Wanyan Xun nodded with a faint smile, then suddenly brought up another matter: "I have heard of the charcoal stove that Your Excellency made for the Seventh Princess. The princess likes it very much. I must say, the sons of officials in the Song Dynasty are indeed quite skilled when it comes to enjoying themselves. If the princess hadn't spoken up, Your Excellency wouldn't be receiving such treatment now."

Tang Qian cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the direction of the Youzhou City Lord's Mansion: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess."

"Unfortunately, as you should know, our Great Jin was able to rise from the barbaric lands, and now is the time to prepare for war and contend for the world. If all you know are things that make people enjoy themselves, I'm afraid you won't be able to save your life."

"If I were to say that I can see a glimpse of the future, I wonder if Your Highness would believe me?"

Wanyan Xun's expression faltered slightly, then turned disdainful and contemptuous: "Do you think I would believe that?"

"Actually, this is easy to verify. The Jin army's vanguard has not yet arrived in Youzhou, but I know who the commander-in-chief is leading this invasion southward."

"Oh?" Seeing Tang Qian's confident attitude, Wanyan Xun also became interested. Although he had received a report from the capital and naturally knew who the commander-in-chief was, Wanyan Xun was certain that he was the only one in the entire Youzhou city who had seen the secret letter. Tang Qian had been imprisoned in Youzhou last night and could not possibly have obtained this information from the princess.

"Tell me then, who is our army's commander-in-chief?"

“The national discourse was extremely intense, and Wanyan Xie was also involved.”

The name Tang Qian uttered without hesitation caused Wanyan Xun's pupils to shrink slightly, and the large interrogation room suddenly fell into an almost eerie silence.

Seeing the astonished expression on Wanyan Xun's face, Tang Qian breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems I guessed right."

Guess?

Wanyan Xun snorted coldly, unwilling to believe that he had guessed the name.

Wanyan Xie was already old and plagued by illness, making it impossible for him to lead troops into battle. If he hadn't seen the secret letter, Wanyan Xun would never have imagined that such an old prince, who should have been enjoying a life of luxury, would become the commander of the army in this attack on Song.

"Can you really foresee the future?" Although Tang Qian did mention the commander's name, Wanyan Xun still couldn't believe such an absurd thing existed. "Then predict what I will do later?"

Tang Qian smiled wryly: "I am a human, not a god. Even if I were a god, I could not possibly calculate the ever-changing world. Is Your Highness asking too much of me? I can only see major events that will affect future generations, not the entire human world."

"Does Your Excellency mean that I am but a common mortal, unworthy of Your Excellency's attention?" Hearing the sarcasm in Tang Qian's words, Wanyan Xun showed no anger. "Very well, as Your Excellency says, this attack on Song is a major event for our army, isn't it? Can you predict our victory or defeat?"

This time, Tang Qian readily gave his answer: "You will not be able to conquer Tokyo within a year."

"Very well, since you speak with such certainty, then come with me to the outskirts of Tokyo. I want to see whether you are an all-knowing demigod or just a charlatan pretending to be a god."