Moma Liangshan

Chapter 206 The State System of the Jurchen People, Mouke Meng'an

The Wanyan clan rose to power in the region of Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River. To maximize tribal unity, Wanyan Aguda established a system of succession from the elder brother to the younger brother at the beginning of the dynasty. His second brother, Wanyan Wugumai, was the first in line to the throne, his third brother, Wanyan Gao, was the second, and his eldest son, Wanyan Zonggan, was the third. Furthermore, Wanyan Aguda's uncle's lineage made significant contributions to the establishment of the Jin dynasty, hence Wanyan Sagai and his son, Wanyan Zonghan, successively served as prime ministers.

The Jin Dynasty was not a traditional feudal dynasty, but rather had a prominent slave system. In the first twenty years after its founding, neither Emperor Taizu Wanyan Aguda nor Emperor Taizong Wanyan Wugumai achieved monarchical autocracy and continued the "Bojilie" system from the tribal alliance period.

Before Wanyan Aguda became emperor, he served as "Dubojilie," so in the Jurchen tribes, "Dubojilie" was equivalent to emperor. Before Wanyan Wuqimai ascended the throne, he served as "Anbanbojilie," exercising the power of regent, so "Anbanbojilie" was equivalent to crown prince. Before the establishment of the Jurchen state, Wanyan Sagai and Wanyan Aguda jointly governed the various Jurchen tribes. After the establishment of the state, he served as "Guolun Hulubojilie" for life, with the power to supervise the various Jurchen tribes, manage finances, and enforce criminal law, a position equivalent to prime minister. Wanyan Gao was the younger brother of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong. During Emperor Taizu's reign, he served as "Guolun Haobojilie," commanding the three armies. After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he was reassigned as "Anbanbojilie." However, because Wanyan Gao died before Emperor Taizong, he was unable to ascend the throne. Wanyan Cibushi was Emperor Taizu's cousin and served as "Amaibojilie," a position equivalent to deputy prime minister.

The Jurchen people were soldiers on horseback and civilians on foot. Three hundred households formed a "mouke", and ten mouke formed a "meng'an". In times of war, each household sent one person to join the army.

After three days of torrential rain, the sky over Shangjing finally cleared. North of Shangjing, the Jurchen military camps, stretching for hundreds of miles, were filled with puddles and mud. Yet, even before the dampness dissipated, the camps were already echoing with the neighing of warhorses, as six cavalry units galloped towards the central command tent from different directions. With the rapid expansion of the Jurchen army, Wanyan Aguda reorganized his more than 200,000 troops into 70 Meng'an. Apart from the 30,000 Imperial Guards led by the Emperor himself, the remaining 180,000 troops were divided into six groups: the "Sanhe Army" under the eldest prince Wanyan Zonggan; the "Pituo Army" under the second prince Wanyan Zongwang; the "Baishan Army" under the fourth prince Wanyan Wuzhu; the "Lailiu Army" under the son of the prime minister Wanyan Zonghan; and the "Daxing Army" and "Haidong Army" under the two powerful ministers of Crown Prince Wanyan Wuqimai, Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Wulu. The Jurchens were constantly at war, and all the adult princes were leading troops in the field. Only the third prince, Wanyan Zongfu, accompanied Wanyan Aguda year-round. Therefore, although the 30,000-strong imperial guard was nominally led by the emperor, it was actually under the command of Wanyan Zongfu. Wanyan Zongfu was tall and imposing, kind and generous, and had little ambition, so he maintained good relations with various factions.

Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Wulu arrived together and asked, "What were the results of the battle in Liaodong?" Wanyan Wulu sighed and replied, "We traveled a thousand miles, only to find an empty city!" Wanyan Loushi feigned surprise and said, "As far as I know, it's not just that, is it?" Wanyan Wulu was somewhat puzzled and said, "The Liao army didn't hold Liaoyang at all. Before I launched my general offensive, they all withdrew to a corner of southern Liaodong. There's a pass there, with the sea on both the east and west sides, less than ten li at its narrowest point, and an old, very sturdy city wall!" Wanyan Loushi unconsciously frowned. Mei said, "Don't lie to me!" Wanyan Wulu said somewhat urgently, "The 30,000 enemy troops in Liaodong are seasoned soldiers who have seen blood after suppressing the rebellion of Gao Yongchang. Moreover, the six or seven hundred li from Liaoyang Prefecture to Liaonan is deserted, making the transport of supplies extremely inconvenient. I see that victory is unlikely in a short time, so I have joined forces in Shangjing." Wanyan Loushi did not think deeply and said, "Aren't you afraid that the enemy troops in Liaodong will take the opportunity to attack our rear?" Wanyan Wulu said, "Liaoyang Prefecture is already an empty city. I have not stationed a single soldier there, so the closest city to Liaonan is Shenzhou, and..." "From Liaonan to Shenzhou is nearly a thousand miles, and along the way are nothing but desolate wilderness and deserted villages and towns. If it's inconvenient for our army to transport supplies, how can it be convenient for the Liao army?" Wanyan Loushi understood, saying, "A thousand miles of uninhabited land becomes a difficult chasm for both sides to cross!" Wanyan Wulu seemed to have found a kindred spirit, saying, "Exactly!" Wanyan Loushi suddenly realized he had gone off-topic and said, "I lent you 20,000 troops to conquer Liaodong, so why did you secretly draw elites from my army to form 3,000 wolf cavalry?" Wanyan Wulu seemed to have already planned how to deal with Wanyan Loushi. "Is this why you've come to question me?" Wanyan Loushi, still furious, retorted, "You took a thousand of my warriors, and you think this is insignificant?" Wanyan Wulu slightly closed the distance between them, saying, "Wanyan Huonu is your son, isn't she?" Wanyan Loushi frowned and replied, "So what if she is?" Wanyan Wulu said, "Wanyan Huonu has become a disciple of Wanyan Zhamu, who commands three thousand wolf cavalry. If Wanyan Huonu can achieve merit in the upcoming battles, I can petition the Regent to appoint him as the deputy commander of the wolf cavalry!"

The three thousand wolf cavalry were the elite of the elite, and anyone knowledgeable in military affairs would inevitably be envious. Wanyan Loushi, a renowned general who founded the Jurchen state, was even more likely to be indifferent. Seeing his elite troops being drawn away was like a painful blow to his own flesh; seeing his colleagues possessing invincible armies only fueled his envy and jealousy. This combination led to his earlier questioning. However, driven by paternal love, Wanyan Wulu offered Wanyan Huo's daughter's future as a bargaining chip, leaving Wanyan Loushi with no choice but to comply.

Seeing that Wanyan Loushi had accepted the fait accompli, Wanyan Wulu said, "The imperial council is about to begin, and I will go with General Loushi!" Wanyan Loushi was still somewhat envious and jealous of the three thousand wolf riders, and deliberately let out a cold snort!

At the second quarter of Shen time (3:45 PM), inside the central military tent, the Jin emperor Wanyan Aguda sat imposingly on the throne, with Anban Bojilie Wanyan Wuqimai seated at the lower left, Guolun Hulu Bojilie at the lower right, Guolun Hao Bojilie Wanyan Gao at the lower left, and Amai Bojilie Wanyan Cibushi at the lower right. The four princes, Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Wulu, and Wanyan Loushi sat on the floor in the center of the tent. Seeing everyone assembled, Wanyan Aguda said, “Our army has been besieging the city for many days without success. Now the heavy rain has just stopped, and the roads are muddy, which is even more disadvantageous for our army. What do you, my ministers, think we should do?” Wanyan Wuqimai, a staunch advocate of war, said, “Although the Khitan reinforcements are numerous, they are merely a rabble. They are good at waving flags and shouting, but they are hardly capable of charging into battle!”