Moma Liangshan

Chapter 346 Opportunity, New Hidden Dangers

Everyone left, except for Wanyan Zonggan, who was summoned back. Facing his father, who didn't seem to like him much, Wanyan Zonggan was overwhelmed with emotion. After a long silence, he said, "I wonder what Your Majesty's purpose in summoning me is?" Wanyan Aguda struggled to his feet and said, "I know my days are numbered, and there are some things I cannot speak of!" Unsure of his father's true intentions, Wanyan Zonggan evasively replied, "Your Majesty commands a million soldiers, invincible throughout the land. Even the gods of heaven and earth would not dare disobey Your Majesty's will!" Wanyan Aguda laughed loudly, saying, "You are my own son, yet your temperament is nothing like mine!" Wanyan Zonggan smiled bitterly and said, "My three younger brothers, Zongwang, Zongfu, and Zongbi, have been raised by Your Majesty since childhood, and naturally, they are wise and capable!" Wanyan Aguda did not become angry, but asked, "Are you blaming me?" Wanyan Zonggan quickly replied, "Your son would not dare!"

Wanyan Aguda sighed deeply and said, "Zongwang is benevolent, Zongfu is respectful, and Zongbi is strong and capable. These three are skilled in both civil and military affairs, truly excellent ministers of our time." Wanyan Zonggan, however, was not convinced by this assessment and said, "Then congratulations, Father!" Wanyan Aguda suddenly stared at Wanyan Zonggan and said, "But 'excellent ministers' are ultimately just ministers; they cannot sit on the throne!" Wanyan Zonggan was greatly alarmed and said, "The throne should rightfully belong to my third uncle, not us princes. If we brothers are all thinking of the throne, wouldn't the Great Jin Kingdom be in grave danger?" Wanyan Aguda gazed at Wanyan Zonggan and said, "I believe it if you say your three brothers have no interest in the throne, but as for you, you must tell me whether I should believe you or not."

Sweat instantly beaded on Wanyan Zonggan's forehead as he cautiously said, "Your subject is self-aware enough to know what he can and cannot do!" Wanyan Aguda simply shook his head, saying, "Although you weren't raised by my side, you are still my son, and the power you hold is also a gift from me!" Wanyan Zonggan had always considered his father a fierce tiger from the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River region, his strong physique and fearless courage making him a god in the hearts of the Jurchens. However, today's conversation completely overturned his previous understanding; it turned out that his father also had a dark side. Seeing Wanyan Zonggan remain silent for a long time, Wanyan Aguda continued, "What, are you afraid?" Wanyan Zonggan quickly realized that a golden opportunity might be beckoning him, and hurriedly replied, "Your subject has followed Your Majesty all the way from Huanglongfu to Shangjingcheng, and has never retreated even a single step?"

Wanyan Aguda chuckled involuntarily, but the laughter was quickly interrupted by a violent cough. Wanyan Zonggan rushed forward to help him clear his phlegm. After several more coughs, Wanyan Aguda finally recovered and said, "I am an elder, this great land must eventually be passed down, but how to pass it on is not as simple as I initially thought!" Wanyan Zonggan suddenly realized he was wrong: "Wanyan Aguda's wavering on the succession system seems to be not solely due to blood ties!" He tentatively added, "The population of the Central Plains is ten times that of the grasslands, yet over the past thousands of years, ten times more blood has been shed on the grasslands than in the Central Plains!" Wanyan Aguda, hearing such a unique perspective for the first time, said, "Continue!" Wanyan Zonggan took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, and said, "Because of propriety!" Wanyan Aguda did not reject Han culture, but he didn't understand it much either, and asked, "What is propriety?" Zonggan explained, "On the grasslands, the strong rule, that's our 'etiquette'; but in Han culture, respecting the elderly and caring for the young is their 'etiquette'!" Wanyan Aguda retorted, "When food can't satisfy everyone's needs, someone always has to be abandoned!" Wanyan Zonggan said, "On the same grassland, the number of cattle and sheep that can graze today is no more than a thousand years ago, yet the Han people can harvest more and more grain! Why is that? Because the Han people love to create, while we only plunder!" Wanyan Aguda didn't yearn for the lifestyle of men farming and women weaving; instead, he believed that galloping on horseback was the greatest joy in life, saying, "Cattle and sheep eat grass, thus feeding the wolves. As long as we hold our steel knives tightly, we can obtain a continuous supply of cattle and sheep!"

Wanyan Zonggan shook his head and said, "All those who viewed Han people as two-legged sheep have been exterminated! Because Han people are not descendants of 'sheep,' but 'descendants of the dragon.' The dragon soars high in the heavens, swallowing clouds and spitting mist, turning clouds into rain!" Wanyan Aguda believed him only halfway and said, "For over a hundred years, the Song Dynasty has had a million-strong army, yet it has never been able to change the fact that it suffered humiliation at the hands of the Liao in the north and the Xia in the west!" Wanyan Zonggan explained, "The reason why the Liao and Xia did not repeat the mistakes of the Xiongnu and the Turks is because they at least completed half of their Sinicization!" Wanyan Aguda blurted out, "Two courts, North and South, with separate governance for the Han and non-Han peoples!" Wanyan Zonggan immediately echoed, "Yes!"

After pondering for a long time, Wanyan Aguda finally said, "Brothers succeeding to the throne can conquer vast empires, but they cannot maintain them for generations. Therefore, let my descendants inherit the throne!" Wanyan Zonggan tried his best to conceal his inner turmoil and carefully said, "Father dies, son succeeds; the order of seniority is truly the essence of Han culture!" Wanyan Aguda suddenly laughed and said, "Before conquering Shangjing, everyone must unite and cooperate, otherwise don't blame Father for the ruthlessness of military law!" Wanyan Zonggan quickly replied, "Your son will remember!" Wanyan Aguda continued, "Your third uncle and I are siblings from the same mother, and it has not been easy for us to reach this point. This brotherly bond is something you cannot understand. I will never be his enemy in my lifetime. As for how much support you can gain and how powerful you can become in my lifetime, that is up to your own ability. I will neither hinder nor support you; I will simply let you be!" Wanyan Zonggan nodded repeatedly, and Wanyan Aguda then said, "Go back!"

What Wanyan Zonggan failed to understand was that the various forces Wanyan Aguda referred to were none other than his three younger brothers. After all, of the seven main forces of the Jurchen, four were controlled by Wanyan Aguda's four sons. Wanyan Wuqimai's direct forces consisted only of the armies of Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Wulu. Wanyan Zonghan's Lailiu Army, on the other hand, was completely neutral.

Historically, the palace coups in the Jin Dynasty seem to have been more violent and bloody than those in any other dynasty.