Chapter 33: The Reversal of Reality and Illusion (Part 2)

  Xiao Tienu looked at Yang Yingqi for a long time and said, "If this news is true, then I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time. Old Seventh, you won't really miss this place, will you?"

  Yang Yingqi said: "A little."

  Xiao Tienu sneered: "It's a bit strange!"

  Yang Yingqi smiled and said, "Say whatever you want."

  He didn't want to say any more, but Xiao Tienuo wouldn't let him off: "How are you planning to take this matter further?"

  "Will it be promoted?" Yang Yingqi said, "It won't be promoted anymore. After this incident, the relocation will likely slow down a bit. That's not bad either. If things develop too quickly, it's not a good sign. Let's cool off for now."

  Xiao Tienu sighed, "To sum it up, I don't want to spend my whole life relying on others. When the time comes to take action, we must act quickly. If we drag our feet any longer, those mediocre people will become too comfortable and won't want to leave!"

  Yang Yingqi said calmly: "If someone is unwilling to leave, we don't have to force them! Let them stay here and be the seeds for our further future and greater cause."

  Xiao Tienu smiled and said: "After saying so much, I finally got you to say one true sentence."

  Zhe Yan Chong's quarrel with his wife soon became known to Ah Gu Da. After hearing the whole story, he said to his son Zong Wang: "Yan Chong is not wrong, he did not disappoint me." He had someone call Zhe Yan Chong over and comforted him, saying: "As for the Han Department's relocation, I only mentioned it briefly to Ying Qi. Even if the Han Department really relocates, we won't treat you unfairly!"

  Zhe Yan Chong said: "Everything should be considered with the overall situation of Da Jin as the first priority. The temporary gains and losses of the Han Department are not worth mentioning."

  Agu Da said, "Ying Qi has made a serious statement about changing customs. You'd better say something, can't you really change? If we follow the national minister's words, making Han and Jurchen no different, then why do you need to move?"

  "Among the Han people, there is a saying that 'the people are the foundation of the state.' Another saying goes: 'When there is virtue, there will be people; when there are people, there will be land; and when there is land, there will be wealth.' The ancestral system is based on virtue. Although having enough land and wealth is precious, one cannot abandon virtue because of it. The reason why the Han people have followed me in exile for thousands of miles without dispersing is rooted in this virtue and this heart. Even if I live to be a hundred years old, I will never forget this!"

  Agu Da listened to what he said and Yang Yingqi was like a carbon copy, knowing that their determination to guard the Han customs would never be taken away, so he just nodded.

  The matter of changing customs, although only discussed in a small circle among the superiors, eventually spread out and caused great unease among the Han people. Abaoji heard about it and sent his brother Shulü Ping to explain to the Han people that there was no intention to force them into anything. After repeated reassurances by Zhao Yan and Yang Ying, people's minds gradually calmed down, but most people still had a small seed of doubt left in their hearts.

  Abaoji did not want this matter to continue, so he ordered the gathering of all generals to discuss Khitan military affairs. First, the timing had arrived, and second, it was also meant to shift the attention of the people of the country.

  At this time, the Jin army was victorious in every battle, but the population of the army was not as large as that of the Liao State, so in the hearts of many Jurchen people, the great Liao Empire was always a sword hanging over their heads. Some people hoped to take advantage of the momentum to attack, but another part of the people were worried.

  Guo Xiang's younger brother, Wu Lu Dao said: "The Khitan army is weak and timid like sheep, hearing the sound of our horses' hooves they immediately flee in disarray! In my opinion, we should continue to attack!"

  Zong Handao said: "The vast territory of the Great Liao is thousands of miles, and its power shakes the world. Although we have won several major battles in a row, we still haven't hurt its foundation, otherwise how dare the Liao ruler repeatedly be rude to the emperor? Now that our army has captured Huanglong Prefecture, if we go further, it will be the Liao country's hinterland where the Jurchen people are gradually decreasing and the Khitan people are increasing! The Liao army is indeed not as elite as our army, but they have an advantage in numbers. If we rashly advance, once they adopt a scorched earth policy and deploy heavy troops to defend key positions, I'm afraid we will fall into a situation where it's difficult to advance or retreat! It would be best if our army can win in this situation, but what if there is an accident, and we lose the reputation of the Great Jin's long-standing victory?"

  "What do you think we should do?"

  Zong Hando said: "Rather than us attacking them, it's better to let the Khitan people come and fight!"

  "Let the Khitans come and fight?"

  Zong Hando said: "That's right! If we let the Khitan people come to war, then for us it is a fight at our doorstep, but for the Khitans it is an exhausting expedition. We will use our leisure to await their labor, and our chances of victory will increase!"

  Agu Da asked Zhe Yan Chong: "What do you think?"

  "Zong Han's words are extremely correct! The Liao State is large but empty, while the Great Jin is small but solid. Once the situation turns in our favor, our army can simultaneously possess the advantages of heaven, earth, and human harmony. If we attack, the Liao people will resent us for invading, and it will be easy for them to unite against us. But if the Khitan people come to fight, they must transport grain over a thousand miles, which will inevitably cause great disturbance to their countrymen. Moreover, when the large army comes, the country will necessarily be empty. I heard from Ou Yangyi that the Liao people are already resentful of the current Liao ruler, and there are signs of instability within the royal family and the imperial clan. With our army blocking their throat and preventing them from returning to the capital, and with the worry of being overthrown by the imperial clan making them dare not stay for long, internal and external troubles will converge, and their military and civilian hearts will collapse without a fight! At that time, our army can take advantage of its great victory and march towards the Eastern Capital, threatening the heartland of the Great Liao."

  Aguo nodded his head and ordered Zong Han and Zhe Yan to draft a letter, ostensibly using humble and mournful language, but actually seeking battle, which was sent to the Liao ruler.

  The writer of the letter was Wan Yan Xi Yin, who was on good terms with Yang Ying Qi. After the event, Yang Ying Qi asked to see the original draft and he did not hide it. After reading it, Yang Ying Qi praised: "This letter is well written! From Ouyang's description of Yelü Yanxi's various deeds, he is not a tolerant person. Seeing this extremely disrespectful letter, he must be furious. The Liao people have already been mobilizing troops and deploying generals in all places, let alone our provocative words? This time, a great war is likely to be unavoidable."

  He paused for a moment and said to Wanyan Xiyin: "Unfortunately, this letter is written in Khitan script."

  Wanyan Xiyin said: "The letter to the Liao ruler, of course, uses Khitan script. Can't use Han characters?"

  Yang Yingqi said: "In diplomatic relations between two countries, it is only appropriate to use Jurchen script to show respect!"

  Wanyan Xiyin was taken aback and said: "Jurchen script? The Jurchens have no script."

  Yang Yingqi said: "Which nation had writing from the very beginning? The Jurchen people did not have a script, can't you and I create one?"

  Wanyan Xiyin was overjoyed, saying: "Great! Great!" After returning home, he thought about it repeatedly, becoming more and more excited, and ended up not being able to sleep that night!

  On the second day, before dawn, he came to see Aguda and reported Yang's idea of creating a Jurchen script. Aguda was so excited that he couldn't sit still, exclaiming: "This is a great matter! This is a great matter! It's even more important than conquering a hundred Yellow Dragon Forts! Put aside all other matters and work with Yang to complete this task quickly! Alas, the military power of our Great Jin has shaken the distant lands, but the Koreans and Bohai people still don't submit to us - isn't it because we have no writing?

  Wanyan Xiyin came down to see Yang Yingqi and explained that the national master would fully support. Yang Yingqi said: "The words of the world, with Chinese characters having the deepest roots, creating Jurchen script, of course, should follow the example of Chinese characters. The Khitan people created Khitan script in response to Chinese characters, and the laws of its reform and creation are also sufficient for us to learn from. I have been paying attention to this since I started learning Khitan script. However, creating a script is a great undertaking that spans thousands of years, and it's probably not feasible for just the two of us to work behind closed doors."

  Wanyan Xiyin said: "Your meaning is......"

  Yang Yingqi said: "If we can invite famous Confucian scholars from the Great Song Dynasty for reference, it would be more appropriate."

  Wanyan Xiyin said: "This matter is indeed difficult." He also knew that the Jurchen were in the Northern Wilderness, and it would not be easy to invite a great Confucian scholar from the Song Dynasty!

  Yang Yingqi said, "Learning from the Khitan is ultimately second-hand goods! To make our Great Jin superior to the Wen De State, the best strategy is still to establish a communication channel with the Great Song."