Moma Liangshan

Chapter 175 Ten Thousand Gold and Silver, The Last Emperor

After Wang Hao left, Emperor Tianzuo asked, "Will Wang Hao fulfill his promise?" The princess of Shu replied, "Yes!" Emperor Tianzuo was puzzled and said, "You trust him that much?" The princess of Shu replied, "In his eyes, the Liao Dynasty is a barrier between the Jurchens and the Han people. Only when the Liao Dynasty is safe can the Song Dynasty remain unscathed!" Emperor Tianzuo was somewhat displeased and said, "One day, I will quell the rebellion and restore the Liao Dynasty!" The princess of Shu could clearly sense the lack of confidence in Emperor Tianzuo's words and said, "Jiaozhou is amazing. Although it is only a county, it can demonstrate the power of a nation!" Emperor Tianzuo was suspicious. Confused, the princess of Shu said, "Don't try to fool me!" She urgently replied, "Five thousand weapons, a thousand sets of armor, and fifty thousand shi of grain every month—such strength is enough to make me emperor! But I have personally visited Jiaozhou, and it truly is just a county!" Emperor Tianzuo suddenly said, "Since Wang Hao possesses such extraordinary talent, why don't we recruit him to our side?" The princess of Shu shook her head and said, "He won't come to Liao!" Emperor Tianzuo frowned and asked, "Why?" The princess of Shu replied, "The Song emperor has shown him great favor and even married his most beloved daughter to him; he would never abandon Song for Liao!"

Emperor Tianzuo didn't believe it and said, "I can also marry my daughter to him!" The princess of Shu blushed and remained silent. Emperor Tianzuo quickly realized his lapse in composure and said, "My daughter is a heroine; how could a mere boy like him possibly be worthy of her?" For some reason, the princess of Shu's initial delight turned to disappointment. After a long while, she said, "Wanyan Wulu's eastern army has retreated. I wish to transfer the ten thousand palace troops from Jinzhou back to the capital for Father's command!"

Emperor Tianzuo was deeply moved and said, "Your filial piety greatly pleases your father. However, the war in Liaodong has taught me a lesson: if a city is no longer worth defending, then it should be abandoned!" The Shu princess found it hard to believe that Emperor Tianzuo would abandon Shangjing and said, "But Shangjing is the capital of the Liao Dynasty, the place where the Khitan ancestral temples and altars are located!" Emperor Tianzuo's face hardened, and he said, "It's not worth sacrificing the living for the dead!"

The princess of Shu suddenly wanted to ask Wang Hao whether Shangjing should be defended. If a dynasty is willing to abandon its capital and ancestral temples, is it still a dynasty? The Princess of Shu understood that there were compelling reasons for withdrawing from Shangjing, and asked, "What does Father Emperor need from his daughter?" Emperor Tianzuo's favoritism towards the Princess of Shu was not without reason. She had her own insights and opinions, but never disobeyed his orders. She replied, "Lead your ten thousand palace troops into Zhongjing, ready to support Shangjing at any time!" The Princess of Shu continued, "The troops from Jinzhou need Wang Hao's naval assistance to enter Shangjing!" Emperor Tianzuo's gaze sharpened, and he asked, "Does he dare refuse?" The Princess of Shu replied, "He won't refuse, but he will demand money!" Emperor Tianzuo's murderous intent lessened slightly, and he said, "He dares to demand money from me?" Whether due to the influence of Wang Hao or the long period of leading troops abroad, the Princess of Shu suddenly found Emperor Tianzuo's thinking ridiculous. She sighed softly and said, "Often, Wang Hao is more like a merchant. He won't refuse to transport troops for us, but refusing to pay him is absolutely impossible!"

The loss of half the country and the successive rebellions filled Emperor Tianzuo with nightmares. However, the strategic retreat to Liaodong and the arrival of Wang Hao gave Emperor Tianzuo renewed hope. He thought to himself, "In chaotic times, gold and silver are like scrap metal; only a strong army can ensure survival." A long silence filled the hall. Suddenly, Emperor Tianzuo realized something and said, "There are thirteen million taels of gold and seventy-six million taels of silver in the capital. I don't want to leave this wealth to those Jurchen rebels!" The Shu princess was astonished and asked, "Why is there so much gold and silver in the city?" Emperor Tianzuo, his face full of sorrow, said, "This vast empire, accumulated over two hundred years, has finally amassed this fortune. Alas, the world is unpredictable, and barbarians are causing chaos. As the ruler of a nation, I can only watch helplessly as my beautiful land crumbles!"

The princess of Shu suddenly said, "Father, why don't you use this money to buy grain and weapons from Song?" Emperor Tianzuo replied, "I have thought of it, but the Song rulers are wolves in sheep's clothing. Not only have they been defaulting on their annual tribute for five years, but they have also closed the border markets. As a result, I have mountains of gold and silver, but I can't buy even a single grain of rice or a pound of iron!" The princess of Shu suddenly said, "Wang Hao has an extraordinary thirst for gold and silver. If Father can entice him with benefits, he will definitely find a way to transport grain and weapons for us!"

Emperor Tianzuo pondered for a moment and said, "Wang Hao has put forward three conditions to me: the iron ore mining rights in Pingzhou, the coal mining rights in Luanzhou, and the right to free trade within the territory of Liao! These three conditions are nothing more than an imperial edict to me, but the rewards he has given are too generous, so generous that I dare not easily believe them!" The princess of Shu did not expect her father to have such thoughts and said, "I have been dealing with Wang Hao for some time now, and sometimes I feel that if we could put aside our royal status, we would find that he is actually a very generous person to his partners!"

Emperor Tianzu smiled kindly and said, "You're not young anymore. Do you have someone you like?" The princess of Shu, not understanding why her father suddenly asked this question, blushed unconsciously and said, "The rebels haven't been quelled yet, I dare not marry!" Emperor Tianzu shook his head and said, "Since I promised you, I certainly won't forcefully interfere with your life's important matters. But as a father, I, like any ordinary person, hope that my daughter can find a good home!"

The princess of Shu hesitated for a long time before saying, "I could never marry a prince consort from Song!" Emperor Tianzuo was somewhat disappointed and said, "If my million-strong army were still here, I would snatch him back for you, even if it meant looting!" The princess of Shu blushed and laughed until tears streamed down her face, saying, "Even if we lose Tokyo, even if we abandon Shangjing, as long as we can hold onto the remaining three capitals, we might still be able to revive the Liao Dynasty!" Emperor Tianzuo sighed deeply and said, "Since the Jurchens rose up, I have fought in the east and west, in the south and north, but what have I gained? Betrayal, defeat, and assassination! Two hundred years of decadence have long since corrupted the very bones of the Khitan men and worn down the spirit of the Liao Dynasty. But those people should not forget that when the emperor is angry, blood will flow for thousands of miles, and millions will die. Even if one day the country is destroyed and the family is destroyed, I will make those traitors regret being born as humans!"