Chapter 32: The First Discussion on Enfeoffment (Part 1)

  In the first year of Jian Guo, June, Aguda appointed his younger brother Wuqimai as Hanban Borjilete, and changed the title of the national chancellor to Guotong Borjilete. The term "Hanban" means noble, while "Guotong" refers to the national chancellor. Hanban Borjilete was the second person below the emperor, also the first heir to the throne. Aguda also appointed his cousin, Shieli, as Amuborjilete, and his younger brother, Xiale, as Guotong Huangborjilete. The most noble people in the Jin Dynasty were all from the Wanyan tribe, with a strong tribal political color.

  Zhéyàn Chōng was still the Mohe, but āgǔdǎ also appointed Dí Yù as the Mohe, allowing Han soldiers and civilians to follow Han customs and call Zhéyàn Chōng, Yang Yingqi and other leaders "generals". The civil official system that began to take shape within the Han department also gained recognition from āgǔdǎ.

  Ouyang Ke's career was going smoothly, and he finally completed the task given to him by Yang Yingqi ahead of schedule at the end of July. However, in Ouyang Ke's eyes, those small boats of various sizes and strange shapes were really embarrassing works.

  Aguo Da was delighted after hearing Yang Ying's reply. The main force of the Jin army had rested for half a year and began to stir. When Aguoda ordered the southern expedition, the whole army was eager to fight. For the Jurchen people, war had become inseparable from victory, plunder, and wealth!

  This time, Zuo Yanzhong did not participate in the southern expedition, he was still at home taking care of the children. Di Yu commanded a thousand men to transport grain and fodder from the rear, Xiao Tienu and Alu Man led light cavalry to harass the rear of Huanglong Prefecture, only Yang Kaiyuan brought 500 workers and soldiers to follow the army on the expedition.

  When the great army marched south, Yang Yingqi, who was only 15 years old, sat on a Lou ship made by the shipyard, fully loaded with more than a dozen children of the second and third generations of the Wanyan clan, and traveled down the river, playing along the way. Ouyang Yun brought more than a dozen Jiang ships to follow behind. The national preceptor, Sa Ge, was afraid of accidents, so he let his son, Zonghan, who did not go on the expedition, lead a hundred riders to escort the ship along the shore. Along the way, they passed through the territories of the Five Nations Department, Donghai Jurchen and other tribes. Zonghan showed his identity, and these tribes mostly heard the great name of Wanyan Department, so they also acknowledged Aguda's leadership, so they did not detain them. Occasionally, when encountering some more enthusiastic tribes, Yang Yingqi would take out glass beads and other things to give to them, and these tribes often had gifts in return, either Jiangzhen or Shanghuo, and a tribal chief even gave him two well-trained Ha Dongqing dogs.

  Yang Yingqi was teasing the Haedongcheong on the boat, thinking to himself: "These tribes are not impossible to communicate with. As long as they are slightly guided, they can become friends, even nationals!"

  All the way smooth, finally saw the sea. This is the estuary of the Hun River, Yang Yingqi knew that the opposite side was not far from Kuye Island.

  Ouyang Yun looked out at the meeting of the rivers and seas with great excitement, but most of the other sailors were newly trained from the shipyard and only slightly understood the water. Seeing the vast expanse of the sea surface made them feel terrified. Yang Yingqi saw this in his eyes and thought to himself: "To conquer the great sea, we still have to rely on the coastal people."

  Ouyang Yun hoped to set up a base in Jiangkou. Yang Yingqi said, "It's not possible. We are still unfamiliar with the tribes along the river and the coast, and setting up a camp here will cause their resentment."

  Before long, a Jurchen woman from the Eastern Sea came over to gather information and find out what these people were up to.

  Yang Yingqi had Zong Han tell them that he was just passing through and had brought a large ship for their chieftain.

  Ouyang Yun was shocked to hear that Yang Yingqi wanted to give away the Lou Chuan, but those Donghai female Zhen were overjoyed. Some of them were quite familiar with water, otherwise how could they have crossed the strait to Kuye Island? However, such a large Lou Chuan couldn't be built.

  After everyone got off the boat, Ouyang Yun kept looking back, reluctant to part with Lou's boat. Yang Yingqi said: "You've seen them off, why are you still lingering? Let's go!"

  The young men of the Wanyan tribe, including Tongzhi, were filled with admiration for Yang's generosity, and even Zhonghan was deeply impressed. The group abandoned their boats and rode horses upstream to return to their country. When they arrived at Huining, the southern expeditionary army had already withdrawn, and the Huanglong Garrison had also become a possession of Aguda.

  Ah Kuo asked Yang Yingqi: "This time going to Donghai, did you bring back anything?"

  Yang Yingqi said, "I let the young generation of Wanyan Department see a wider ocean than grassland and forest, telling them that true heroes should have such a broad mind."

  Ah Gu Da was overjoyed and said to Yang Yingqi, "I originally wanted to reward you, but you are so capable that with a flick of your wrist, you can conjure up countless gold, silver, and treasures. Even such a large building ship is given away with just one word. I'm afraid there's nothing in the world that you would covet and not be able to get. Tell me, is there anything you desire but cannot obtain?"

  Yang Yingqi's eyes rolled around and he said, "If I ask the ruler to issue an order releasing all slaves within the territory, allowing them to open up wasteland and cultivate it, making a living on their own, would the ruler agree?"

  "Agu Da shook his head and said: "How can you also say this? Yan Chong had mentioned it before, but it has already been refuted by Xiang Ban and Guo Xiang! This is impossible and cannot be done."

  "If it's like that, then I don't have anything else I want."

  "Alright, I'll follow the tradition of Han emperors and allocate a piece of land to you. I'll make you a marquis and let you govern that place according to your own ideas. How about it?"

  Yang Yingqi was shocked: "Divide the land and grant titles? This is a big deal! It can't be done hastily. Even if the ruler has the intention, he must discuss it with the prime ministers before bringing it up."

  Aguo Da was quite satisfied with Yang Yingqi's attitude and said, "Actually, I have discussed this matter with them. They also think that the Han population is gradually increasing, and in Huining and Wan Yan Department, they are crowded together, unable to stretch out, while our newly conquered land is mostly empty, so we propose to let the Han people choose another good place to settle."

  Yang Yingqi suddenly felt enlightened. Over the past two years, the Han Department had grown in scale, creating countless good fields and building thousands of houses. Although the Han Department also taught the Jurchen people the methods of planting and construction, the houses built by the Jurchen people themselves were not as elegant as those of the Han Department. Many of the powerful families of the Wanyan Department envied the achievements of the Han Department, but they did not dare to speak out or seize them because the Han Department had repeatedly achieved great things and Zhaoyan Zhong was also the son-in-law of Wuya Shu. However, Yang Yingqi, who had a keen ear for rumors, would not be unaware of their occasional displays of greed. He asked, "I wonder if Hulan Degelei and Guo Xiang have participated in the discussion? What did they say?"

  Aguda said, "The national preceptor says that the garrison of the imperial son-in-law is with Wanyan Ben as one family, and it's better for everyone to live together. However, the internal laws and regulations of the Han department are quite different from those of the Wanyan ancestors, so it's best to let the Han department also follow the Wanyan department's laws."

  Yang Yingqi said: "Your Majesty, when our department first came to surrender, Your Majesty promised that as long as we were loyal to the state, our people could live according to Han customs without interference from the state. It was precisely because of this promise that the two ethnic groups have been able to coexist peacefully. In these two years, the Han department has flourished under your protection, and everyone knows about their contributions to the Jin dynasty. Teaching, rituals, and other matters are not even worth mentioning; even the taxes paid every season are the highest among all departments! It can be seen that although the customs of the Han department are different from those of the Wanyan department, this has only brought benefits, not harm, to the Jin dynasty. If Your Majesty intends to make the Han department follow Jurchen customs, I fear that our people will find it difficult to adapt. The people of the Han department are not slaves of a few leaders like us; on the contrary, we became leaders because of their support. We have solemnly promised them: although we left the Song dynasty, we did not forget our ancestral traditions. Otherwise, we would have resigned. If Your Majesty can tolerate and allow us to govern ourselves, then the Han department will be your vassal and assist you in achieving great things for the state. If not, we have no choice but to leave and continue wandering."