Moma Liangshan

Chapter 108 The Inner Guard General, the Jurchen's Intentions

The princess of Shu showed little interest in Wang Hao's praise, saying, "An army marches on its stomach; I need you to prepare ample provisions for me in Jinzhou City!" Everything was going as expected. Wang Hao asked, "How much provisions?" The princess replied, "At least one million shi!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "One tael of silver for one shi of provisions!" The princess didn't hesitate and said, "Deal!" Then she continued, "Young Master Wang must be tired from your journey; please rest first. I will tell you the specific arrangements tomorrow!" Wang Hao bowed and said, "I take my leave!"

After Wang Hao left, the Shu princess gazed alone at the Liao map before her, muttering to herself, "Your daughter is unfilial, powerless to defend the Eastern Capital for Father. Today, an envoy from the Song Kingdom visited, suggesting that I retreat to Jinzhou City. Although Jinzhou is a small city, its strategic location makes it easy to defend. I believe this plan is a strategic retreat, a way to advance when Father has purged the treacherous officials and reorganized the army. The 30,000 troops in Jinzhou can then launch a northern expedition, coordinating with Father's forces to recover lost territory." Composing herself, she summoned her attendants, saying, "Summon Gao Que and Li Cangbai!" The attendants obeyed and hurriedly departed.

Half an hour later, Gao Que and Li Cangbai arrived one after the other. The princess of Shu took out a document and handed it to Gao Que. Seeing the princess's serious expression, Gao Que carefully took the document without opening it immediately. Seeing this, the princess said, "This is the appointment letter for the magistrate of Jinzhou County. Please take a look, Chief Secretary Gao!" Gao Que opened the document and read, "The state is in turmoil, and the court is in turmoil. Princess Yelü Yuliyan of Shu, by order of the Emperor of Liao, has been in command of all civil and military officials of the Tokyo Circuit. Upon first entering Liaodong, the rebel army was not yet quelled, and the bandits were not yet eliminated. Although she wished to recruit capable people, she was unable to do so due to a lack of time. Nearly a year later, Gao Yongchang was beheaded, the Jurchens withdrew, and the Tokyo Circuit finally enjoyed a brief period of peace. Taking time out of her busy schedule, she wrote to you, sir, respectfully requesting that you be appointed magistrate of Jinzhou County. Although Jinzhou..." "This small town is a vital stronghold in Liaonan, and cannot afford the slightest mishap. I hope you will disregard past grievances and accept this post. When you return to the capital and meet His Majesty, I will certainly petition for your merit and a title!" Gao Que finished reading, his brow furrowed, and said, "My elder brother is a commoner, though he has some reputation, I fear he is ill-suited for this important task!" The Shu princess shook her head, saying, "A great reputation is never undeserved, and with you as a benchmark, your abilities will certainly not disappoint me. We are currently short-handed, let alone talented individuals. I beg you, Chief Secretary Gao, to make another trip to Liaonan for me!"

Gao Que was surprised and said, "The affairs of the city are numerous and complicated. It would be inappropriate for me to leave my post again; moreover, the Jurchen cavalry have not withdrawn, and the route south remains blocked!" The princess of Shu did not answer directly, but looked at Li Cangbai and said, "Mark the areas that the Jurchens have swept through on the map for me." Li Cangbai came to the map, examined it for a moment, and said, "Your Highness, this map is a complete map of eastern Liao. Although the scope is vast, it is inevitably not detailed enough. I have a special map of Liaodong, which has already been marked. I can send it to Your Highness!" The princess of Shu said, "Bring it here quickly!" Li Cangbai replied, "I will be right back!"

Only Gao Que and the Princess of Shu remained in the main hall. Gao Que said, "My elder brother has never been interested in an official career. I hope Your Highness will reconsider!" The Princess of Shu said, "The Bohai Gao clan rose to prominence during the Eastern Han Dynasty. For thousands of years, many of its members have been virtuous and capable, with few mediocre ones. Your brother is certainly not someone who has earned his reputation in vain. He is more than capable of serving as the magistrate of Jinzhou County. I suspect that your repeated refusal is perhaps to leave a way out for your Gao family." Gao Que was terrified and knelt on one knee, saying, "Your loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon!" The Princess of Shu said, "I have never doubted your loyalty, but it is probably not your wish to have the entire Gao family bound to the war chariot of the Liao Dynasty." Gao Que was speechless and lowered his head in shame. The princess of Shu did not pursue the matter further. She helped him up and said, "The magistrate of Jinzhou County must be of one mind with the princess's household, but given the current situation, I have no choice but to let your brother take on this critical mission!" Gao Que was puzzled as to why such a small city as Jinzhou was being given such importance, but the princess's heartfelt conversation deeply moved him. He said, "This humble subject is foolish and unable to share the burden for the lord; I deserve to die!" The princess smiled and said, "Without you, how could I have stabilized Liaoyang after defeating Gao Yongchang? I will always remember your contributions!"

Soon after, an attendant reported, "General Li pays his respects!" The Princess of Shu replied, "Summon him!" Li Cangbai entered the hall and said, "Please allow me to hang up the map!" The Princess of Shu said, "Very well!" Li Cangbai quickly hung the map on the wooden frame and said, "The black lines on the map represent the main roads from Liaoyang Prefecture to Liaonan. The red dots represent villages that have been ravaged by the Jurchens, and the green dots represent villages that have not been ravaged." The Princess of Shu was increasingly satisfied with Li Cangbai's abilities and said, "Do you know why I need this map?" Li Cangbai replied, "The Jurchen cavalry do not carry provisions; they rely entirely on plundering the people for sustenance. The villages that have already been plundered have lost their food reserves and are therefore no longer vulnerable to further plunder. If anyone wants to travel to Liaonan, they should be safe as long as they proceed along the routes of the plundered villages!" The Princess of Shu couldn't help but praise, "General Li's wisdom is extraordinary; he is truly a blessing to the Liao Dynasty!" Li Cangbai politely replied, "Your Highness flatters me!"

The Princess of Shu said, "There is another matter that requires General Li's attention!" Li Cangbai replied, "Your Highness, please give your orders!" The Princess of Shu said, "The Jurchens have wreaked havoc in Liaodong, causing countless people to be displaced. Every time I think of this, my heart aches! However, Liaoyang Prefecture is short of food supplies and has no surplus to provide relief to the disaster victims. If the suffering people were to move north, there would likely be many difficulties. I have already reached an agreement with the Song Dynasty envoy to stockpile food supplies in Jinzhou City for the purpose of providing relief to the disaster victims!" Li Cangbai had already guessed the Princess of Shu's intentions and said, "Does Your Highness want me to guide the disaster victims south?" The Princess of Shu said, "All the people outside the city are likely to be attacked by the Jurchen cavalry. I hope General Li will do his best to persuade all the people to move south!" Li Cangbai replied, "I will certainly do my duty and complete the mission perfectly!" The Princess of Shu was very satisfied and said, "Excellent!"

Upon hearing that "the people are migrating south," Gao Que hurriedly said, "The land ravaged by the Jurchen cavalry is also the last grain-producing area under our control. If we allow the people to migrate south, this last granary will be lost, and where will the provisions for our 30,000-strong army come from?" The Shu princess was furious and rebuked, "If the land outside Liaoyang City could still be defended, why would I evacuate the people? But you must understand the current situation. The dead of winter and the frozen landscape cannot stop the iron hooves of the Jurchen cavalry. Do you want me to watch hundreds of thousands of people starve, freeze, and be killed by the enemy?" The Shu princess's anger subsided slightly, and she explained, "Wang Hao has promised me that he will open a sea route for us. At that time, Father will allocate provisions to us! Moreover, the price of gold and silver in the city..." "Worth over twenty million strings of cash, it's not impossible to purchase grain and even military supplies from the Song Dynasty!" Gao Que said incredulously, "Although Liao and Song have been at peace for decades, the enmity has not been eliminated. We cannot completely trust Wang Hao's words!" The Shu princess said, "Wang Hao has an extraordinary need for gold and silver. As long as we can offer a reasonable price, he will not easily deceive me!" Gao Que had known Wang Hao for many days and had a deep impression of his character. The Shu princess's assessment of him was not too far off from his own. He said, "Wang Hao is no ordinary person. Your Highness, please be extremely careful when cooperating with him!" The Shu princess recalled their first meeting at Hongquan Mountain and said, "At our first meeting, he dared to shoot down my centurion with sixteen sharp arrows without batting an eye. How could he be an ordinary person?"

Seeing that the Princess of Shu was determined, Gao Que asked, "When shall I depart?" The Princess of Shu replied, "Within three days!" Gao Que pondered for a moment and said, "I will go and prepare immediately!" The Princess of Shu replied, "Very well!" After Gao Que left, the Princess of Shu instructed, "You shall personally lead men to escort one million taels of silver with Wang Hao to Jinzhou. Remember to ensure Wang Hao's safety!" Li Cangbai could sense the Princess of Shu's high regard for Wang Hao and said, "Your subordinate will certainly do everything in his power to ensure the safety of the Song envoy!" The Princess of Shu remained silent for a long time before saying, "Although you..." Although his military experience is still limited, his talent is outstanding. After this matter is completed, he will be promoted to General of the Princess's Inner Guard, on par with Gao Que. Furthermore, the scout battalion will be established as an independent force, directly under my command, and will still be led by you!” Li Cangbai, a seasoned veteran of many battles, had long since become indifferent to life and death, and even less concerned with wealth and honor. Faced with the Shu princess's patronage, he simply replied, “Thank you for your great kindness, Your Highness!” The Shu princess could sense the composure in Li Cangbai's bones and admired him even more, saying, “General, you are busy with affairs, so I will not stay any longer!” Seeing this, Li Cangbai said, “This humble general takes his leave!”

After withdrawing from Hongquan Mountain, the Jurchen cavalry did not head directly north but continued to roam Liaodong. On a moonlit night, Wanyan Zhamu stood in a village she had just swept through and shouted, "For the eternal stability of the Great Jin Dynasty, for the peace and prosperity of our parents, wives, and children, our soldiers have followed me through this bitter winter, traversing thousands of miles to utterly destroy the heartland of the Liao army. Now, if we hold out a little longer, we will completely destroy the last Liao territory. Without the surrounding villages supplying provisions and troops, Liaoyang Prefecture will eventually collapse without a fight. Then, without the constraints of the Tokyo Circuit, Emperor Taizu can focus all his efforts on attacking Shangjing. Once Shangjing is captured, all the mountains, rivers, grasslands, and cities of the north will belong to our Great Jin Dynasty. At that time, you will enjoy boundless wealth and glory!" The Jurchen soldiers believed that everything Wanyan Zhamu said would come true, but the fatigue of days of hard work and exposure had already overshadowed their fervor. Wanyan Huonv said, "The Liao army is still 300 li away. We have gained many women today. General, could you make an exception and let the brothers have some fun?" Wanyan Zhamu looked around at everyone, pondered for a moment, and said, "Of the three armies, the left, center, and right must have one army on guard duty. The rest of the soldiers can enjoy themselves!"