Chapter 423
Dao Yi Invades
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Wanyan Aguda died, and the throne passed to Wanyan Xieye.
In reality, at this time, the remnants of the Jin dynasty were still able to hold on tenaciously.
This is mainly because, although Wanyan Xieye did not have the same prestige as Wanyan Aguda, he was a renowned general in the Jin army, having never been defeated in his campaigns. In terms of seniority, as the younger brother of Emperor Taizu, he had personally witnessed the entire process of the Jin dynasty's transformation from a tribe to a dynasty, far surpassing other members of the imperial family. In terms of talent, he was capable of both leading troops in battle and managing internal affairs, making him a pillar of the state with both literary and military talents.
In the extraordinary circumstances of Wanyan Aguda's death and Wanyan Wugumai's capture, he became the sole core figure maintaining the cohesion of the remnants of the Jin dynasty, and the most secure successor to the throne, thanks to his decades of accumulated achievements, irreplaceable qualifications, and deep-rooted reputation.
Historically, after Wanyan Aguda's death, Wanyan Wuqimai succeeded Wanyan Aguda to the throne. Wanyan Xie was the crown prince of the Jin Dynasty and was recognized by all Jin people as the third emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Unfortunately, he died young. He died of illness less than two years after Wanyan Aguda's death, which led to a vacancy in the Jin Dynasty's succession.
With the loss of a recognized successor, the princes of the imperial clan immediately engaged in a fierce power struggle between the military nobles led by Wanyan Zonghan and the direct line of the imperial clan represented by Wanyan Zongpan.
As the eldest son of Wugumai, Wanyan Zongpan, relying on his status as the eldest son, won over a group of imperial clansmen and nobles, advocating "father dies, son succeeds" and believing that the throne should be passed down in the line of Wanyan Wugumai.
Meanwhile, Wanyan Zonghan, who held a large army and relied on his outstanding military achievements in destroying the Liao and Song dynasties and his real power in the court, joined forces with founding heroes such as Wanyan Zonggan to resolutely oppose Wanyan Zongpan's succession to the throne. They were both wary of Wanyan Zongpan weakening the military group's power after he came to power, and dissatisfied with his lack of achievements in governing the country and waging war. The two sides held their own opinions, confronting each other in the court, and forming cliques and engaging in undercurrents in private, causing the power balance of the Jin state to collapse.
In order to break the deadlock and avoid civil war, Wanyan Zonghan and others, through various mediations and suppression of power, finally gave up supporting their own faction and instead promoted Wanyan Dan, the eldest grandson of Wanyan Aguda and the eldest son of Wanyan Zongjun.
Wanyan Dan was a direct descendant of Wanyan Aguda, and because he was still young and his power base was not yet stable, he would not pose a direct threat to the interests of powerful ministers such as Wanyan Zonghan. Therefore, he became a "compromise candidate" that could be accepted by all parties.
The throne of Wanyan Wugumai was thus passed on to Wanyan Dan.
However, this compromise-style succession did not solve the fundamental problem.
After Wanyan Dan ascended the throne, the Wanyan clan, led by Wanyan Zongpan, joined forces with the Wanyan clan, led by Wanyan Zonggan, to eliminate military nobles such as Wanyan Zonghan and carry out a major purge against them.
Later, Wanyan Zonggan, Jin Wuzhu, and other pro-war faction members eliminated Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Chang, Wanyan Zongjun, and other pro-peace faction members.
In the later years of Wanyan Dan's reign, his power was usurped by powerful ministers, and his resentment deepened. Ultimately, he became violent and indiscriminately killed innocent people, and the court became increasingly chaotic.
Not long after, Wanyan Liang seized the opportunity to launch a coup, assassinated Wanyan Dan and declared himself emperor, plunging the Jin Dynasty into another bloody power struggle.
After Wanyan Liang ascended to the throne, in order to consolidate his imperial power, he launched an even more brutal purge. He massacred members of the imperial clan and nobles, seized their wives and daughters, and ravaged them. The remaining forces of Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongpan were completely eradicated. Even the close relatives of Wanyan Aguda and Wanyan Wugumai were not spared. Countless descendants of the founding heroes died violent deaths, and the power of the Jin dynasty's imperial clan suffered a devastating blow.
Disregarding the strength of the nation and its people, Wanyan Liang forcibly launched a war against the Song Dynasty. His aggressive military campaigns exacerbated internal conflicts within the Jin Dynasty, leading to frequent uprisings in the rear and setbacks on the front lines. Ultimately, he was killed in a mutiny, and the throne changed hands once again.
From then on, the succession to the throne in the Jin Dynasty was always accompanied by bloodshed and turmoil. Powerful ministers wielding power and the royal family killing each other became the norm, and internal strife in the court constantly eroded the foundation of the Jin Dynasty.
Looking at this series of internal strife and turmoil, the root cause lies in the untimely death of Wanyan Xieye.
If he had not died young, with his decades of accumulated military achievements, prestige, and both literary and military talents, he would surely have been able to smoothly succeed to the throne, stabilize the royal family order, and consolidate the national strength. It was precisely because of his absence that the struggle for the throne got out of control, and farces of powerful ministers in the Jin Dynasty seizing power and the Jin royal family killing each other were staged one after another. The national strength of the Jin Dynasty gradually declined in endless internal strife and could never regain the prosperous state at the beginning of the Jin Dynasty.
In this era, if Wanyan Xieye had continued to lead the remnants of the Jin dynasty, the Jin dynasty might still have a chance to turn things around.
Unfortunately, perhaps due to the lack of proper treatment for his old injuries, perhaps due to the harsh living conditions, or perhaps due to the immense pressure of leading the remnants of the Jin dynasty and finding a way to survive for them, Wanyan Xieye fell seriously ill three months after Wanyan Aguda's death.
This could cause a lot of trouble.
Why?
This is because the Jin Dynasty at that time did not implement the "father-to-son" succession system of the Central Plains dynasties, but continued the "brother-to-brother" system of the nomadic tribes—that is, after the death of the elder brother, the throne was inherited by the younger brother of the same mother or half-brother, rather than being directly passed on to the son.
This system is of great practical significance in the harsh environments of the grasslands and the Northeast Plain:
At that time, survival conditions were harsh, and tribes had to face multiple challenges such as war, cold, and scarcity of resources. Only mature, stable, accomplished, and prestigious adult successors could lead their people to resist risks and fight for survival. If the succession was passed to a young son, it would not only be difficult to win over the people, but the tribe might also decline due to a lack of governance and military capabilities. The succession of brothers was just the right way to select the most capable adult successors and ensure the continuation and growth of the tribe.
Wanyan Aguda had ten brothers. Apart from Wanyan Xieye, who was about to die, and Wanyan Wuqimai, who was captured, the other brothers were either already dead, too young to reach adulthood, mediocre in talent with no military achievements or prestige, or indulging in pleasure with no ability or ambition to lead the tribe. They did not conform to the core succession logic of "brother succeeding brother".
Since there was no suitable successor in Wanyan Aguda's generation, they could only choose from the next generation.
Wanyan Aguda's eldest son, Wanyan Zongjun, had already died in battle. Wanyan Aguda's eldest son by a concubine, Wanyan Zonggan, was captured by the Song Dynasty. His second son, Wanyan Zongwang, was executed by the Song Dynasty. His third son, Wanyan Zongfu, died in the previous decisive battle.
The remaining sons of Wanyan Aguda (such as Wanyan Zongjun and Wanyan Zongjie) were either mediocre and not given important positions, or died in battle and were not worth mentioning. In short, none of them had the possibility of inheriting the throne of the Jin Dynasty.
As for Wanyan Wuqimai's sons, they were all captured by the Song Dynasty; while Wanyan Xieye's sons were too young.
After careful selection, only two people were deemed barely suitable to inherit the throne of the Jin Dynasty—Wanyan Chang and Jin Wuzhu.
Wanyan Chang was originally Wanyan Aguda's cousin. He came from the core branch of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe. His father, Wanyan Yingge, was a tribal chief during the Jurchen alliance period. In his early years, he led various Jurchen tribes to defeat the invasion of Goryeo and stabilized the Jurchen's territory in the northeast.
Wanyan Chang learned riding and archery from his father from a young age and was well-versed in strategy. After reaching adulthood, he followed Wanyan Aguda in raising an army against the Liao Dynasty and became an important general in the early days of the Jin Dynasty.
During the war to destroy the Liao Dynasty, he led his army across various Liao regions. In the Battle of Hubudagang, he joined forces with Wanyan Aguda and Wanyan Xieye to decisively defeat the main Liao army, personally capturing many members of the Liao imperial family. He made significant contributions to the overthrow of the Liao Dynasty. He also guarded key Liao locations, pacified the surrendered Khitan and Bohai tribes, maintained order on the border, and ensured stability in the rear of the Jin Dynasty. His military achievements and administrative abilities were highly recognized among the imperial nobles, making him an indispensable force in the military elite group. Now let's look at Wanyan Zongbi, also known as Wanyan Wuzhu.
He was the fourth son of Wanyan Aguda, born into the direct line of the imperial clan. He grew up in the military from a young age and was known for his fierce temperament and extraordinary strength.
During the war to destroy the Liao Dynasty, Wanyan Wuzhu, though still young, had already shown remarkable military talent. On his first campaign, he charged ahead and, in the battle to pursue the remnants of the Liao army, he charged into the enemy ranks alone, killing several Liao generals and capturing more than a thousand warhorses. In the crucial battles of besieging Liao's Zhongjing and Dongjing, he led his elite cavalry to outflank and repeatedly broke through the Liao army's defenses, clearing obstacles for the capture of the Liao capital.
Thanks to his outstanding military achievements in the war to destroy the Liao Dynasty, Wanyan Wuzhu stood out from the other members of the imperial family. He not only became a recognized fierce general in the army, but also gained the appreciation of Wanyan Aguda and Wanyan Xieye. He gradually accumulated prestige and strength that was enough to rival Wanyan Chang.
Although both men were qualified to compete for the throne, they were actually somewhat lacking.
Wanyan Chang was not as closely related to the Jurchens because his father, Wanyan Yingge, had made great contributions to the Jurchens, but died too young and was far inferior to the three brothers, Wanyan Aguda, Wanyan Wuqimai, and Wanyan Xieye.
The problem with Jin Wuzhu was that he was too young, only in his early twenties, and he couldn't quite control the arrogant and fierce soldiers of the Jin state.
More importantly, neither Wanyan Chang nor Jin Wuzhu, despite their considerable achievements, reached the point of becoming leaders of the remnants of the Jin dynasty.
That's not all; the most troublesome thing is that Wanyan Chang and Jin Wuzhu have completely different views.
Backed by collateral branches of the imperial clan and some pro-peace factions, Wanyan Chang had always advocated for peace talks with the Song Dynasty. He was dissatisfied with Wanyan Aguda's direct line monopolizing military power and also feared that his pro-war ideology would ignite a war between the Song and Jin dynasties, leading to the complete demise of the Jin Dynasty and thus jeopardizing his own vested interests.
However, when Wanyan Aguda was alive, he was of low status and his voice carried little weight; he could not negotiate peace at all.
Now that Wanyan Aguda and Wanyan Xie are both dead, and more importantly, the Jin state has been crippled by the Song Dynasty, these defeated soldiers are starving and freezing, and people are dying of cold and hunger every day. If he were to advocate for peace talks again, he would definitely have a market, and even a large portion of the Jin people would support him.
As the eldest son of Wanyan Aguda, Wanyan Wuzhu had the support of the Jin dynasty's royal family and the pro-war faction within the military. Adhering to the principle of "establishing a nation through war," he believed that the Song dynasty's ambition to destroy the Jin was undiminished, and that surrender would lead to their national annihilation. Therefore, he resolutely opposed Wanyan Chang's surrender proposals and was even more dissatisfied with Wanyan Chang's alliance with the surrender faction within their own ranks to weaken the pro-war faction. He repeatedly and publicly refuted Wanyan Chang's political views, while simultaneously using his military power to install his cronies in various regions, suppressing Wanyan Chang's influence and intending to continue down the path laid down by Wanyan Aguda.
The power struggle between Wanyan Chang and Wanyan Wuzhu quietly began when Wanyan Xieye fell seriously ill and the position of heir apparent became vacant. Their struggle extended from court debates to a battle for real military and political power, with the two sides clashing repeatedly on personnel appointments and military and political decisions.
This caused the remnants of the Jin dynasty to quickly split into two parts.
This contest ultimately failed to produce a winner, instead ending in a stalemate due to the evenly matched strength of both sides.
—Although Wanyan Chang had the support of the collateral branches of the imperial clan and the pro-peace faction, he lacked the military strength to crush Jin Wuzhu; although Jin Wuzhu had the support of the imperial clan and the pro-war faction, he could not completely eliminate Wanyan Chang's power. The key was that their living environment was too bad, so much so that many people with weak wills wanted to surrender to the Song Dynasty.
It was during this stalemate that Wanyan Xie also passed away.
Before his death, Wanyan Xie also passed the throne to Jin Wuzhu.
This further fueled the discontent of Wanyan Changhe and the pro-peace faction. They believed that stubborn elements like Jin Wuzhu would inevitably lead them to their deaths, and they could no longer stand idly by. They should capture Jin Wuzhu and other stubborn elements to prove their loyalty to the Song Dynasty.
Meanwhile, Wanyan Wuzhu's faction believed that Wanyan Chang and his surrender faction were unreliable and would betray them sooner or later, or even turn against them. They wanted to strike first and eliminate these unreliable guys.
As a result, a fierce civil war broke out between the two sides, resulting in the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of soldiers, which further dealt a heavy blow to the remnants of the Jin Dynasty.
After the war, the remnants of the Jin dynasty completely split apart.
Wanyan Chang led more than 20,000 Jurchens, who could no longer endure the bitter cold and the hopeless future, to send a letter to Yue Fei, indicating their willingness to submit to the imperial court.
Yue Fei quickly reported the matter up the chain of command, eventually reaching Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu issued an edict agreeing to Wanyan Chang's surrender and bestowing upon him the title of Earl of Shun'an. He then ordered Wanyan Chang to lead the surrendered Jin people to help the Song Dynasty eliminate the die-hard Jin forces led by Wanyan Wuzhu.
The more than 20,000 Jin troops led by Wanyan Wuzhu, after enduring freezing temperatures, hunger, and encirclement by the Song army, were reduced to less than 10,000 men by February.
But it was precisely through such sacrifices that Jin Wuzhu and others, following the instructions given by Wanyan Aguda before his death, managed to escape to the Tumen River, where they hunted, fished, and felled trees to build boats.
The ships built by the Jin people were mainly of two types: leather boats and medium-sized seagoing vessels.
Historically, the Jurchens relied on these two types of ships to launch their invasion and plunder Japan.
It's not hard to see that Jin Wuzhu and his forces are planning a 2.0 version of the "Dao Yi Invasion".
During this period, the Song army also came to besiege and suppress Jin Wuzhu.
However, Jin Wuzhu and his group hid in the Changbai Mountains, relying on the tips of the people who were still loyal to the Jin Dynasty, and outwitted the Song army, escaping their encirclement and suppression time and time again.
In October of the twenty-first year of the Hongwu reign, Wanyan Wuzhu led his remaining seven thousand-odd Jin soldiers out to sea, retracing the path of his ancestors, in preparation for conquering Japan...
...(End of chapter)