Moma Liangshan

Chapter 176 Tokyo Garrison Commander, Duke of Bohai

Emperor Tianzuo, stubborn and self-willed, still had to see Wang Hao as a lifeline, saying, "I can agree to all three conditions Wang Hao has proposed, but to uphold the dignity of the Yelü clan, he cannot act openly as an envoy of the Song Dynasty!" The Princess of Shu nodded in agreement, saying, "In that case, Father, why not grant him an official position and bestow upon him a title?" Emperor Tianzuo hesitated, saying, "Many of those Song people are stubborn and inflexible; I'm afraid Wang Hao won't know what's good for him!" The Princess of Shu said, "Based on my understanding of Wang Hao, he won't engage in such a petty argument!" Emperor Tianzuo was puzzled and asked, "Why?" The Princess of Shu replied, "Wang Hao is not one of those pedantic scholars of the Song Dynasty; otherwise, he wouldn't dare to defy the world and forcibly establish trade with the Liao Dynasty!" Emperor Tianzuo was greatly surprised and asked, "Didn't Wang Hao repeatedly claim to be an envoy of the Song Dynasty? Why do you say it's forcible trade, my son?" The Princess of Shu replied, "Father should know that I personally went to Jiaozhou."

Emperor Tianzuo nodded and said, "You mentioned this to your father!" The Princess of Shu continued, "After I arrived in Jiaozhou, Wang Hao, in order to conceal my identity, specifically ordered my guards to live among the soldiers of Jiaozhou. At that time, most of those who went to Jiaozhou with me were Han Chinese from Liaodong, so they learned a lot of information." Emperor Tianzuo hurriedly asked, "What information?" The Princess of Shu said, "In order to obtain grain from the Song Kingdom, I paid them 100,000 taels of gold in advance. Wang Hao took out 66,000 taels of gold to cast a large golden tiger and presented it to the Emperor of Song. Does Father know why?" Emperor Tianzuo immediately said, "My son, tell me quickly!" The Princess of Shu said, "Because someone wanted to punish Wang Hao for 'colluding with an enemy country.' Wang Hao had no choice but to present the 66,000-tael golden tiger to the Emperor of Song to avoid severe punishment!"

Emperor Tianzuo, who had reigned for twenty years, possessed an unparalleled keen sense for court intrigues and international diplomacy. He said, "If I am not mistaken, the Song court probably thinks the Jurchen rebellion is a godsend opportunity for them to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun!" However, before the Shu princess could reply, Emperor Tianzuo snorted coldly and continued, "But they should not forget that the Khitan are not the Xiongnu, the Jurchens are not the Yuezhi, and Emperor Huizong of Song is not Emperor Wu of Han. I have a hundred reasons to believe that once the Liao Dynasty is defeated, the Jurchens' swords will surely fall upon the people of Song!" The Shu princess immediately said, "Wang Hao has long seen through the Jurchens' wolfish ambitions and deeply understands the principle of mutual dependence, which is why he disregarded the crime of deceiving the emperor." "Forcing trade with the Liao Dynasty!" Emperor Tianzuo suddenly had a deeper thought and said, "Do you think he could possibly be used by the Liao Dynasty?" The princess of Shu replied, "He will only cooperate with the Liao Dynasty, but he will never surrender to them!" Emperor Tianzuo continued, "If in the end it turns out that all the Song Dynasty's rulers and ministers were wrong, and only Wang Hao was right, do you think those people will praise Wang Hao for his foresight, or will they try every means to distort the truth to save face?" The princess of Shu was shocked and slowly said, "It should be the latter!" Emperor Tianzuo became even more cautious and said, "With Wang Hao's intelligence, how likely is it that he could have foreseen this outcome?" The princess of Shu replied, "Most likely!"

Emperor Tianzuo frowned and asked, "Are you so confident in Wang Hao?" The Princess of Shu replied, "Father, after seeing him a few more times, you'll feel the same way I do!" Emperor Tianzuo laughed and said, "What do you think Wang Hao's elaborate scheme is?" The Princess of Shu pondered deeply but couldn't understand, saying, "I'm too dull to figure out what Wang Hao's scheme is!" Emperor Tianzuo said, "Fearless of imperial power, unafraid of rumors, not greedy for wealth or lust, not driven by momentary impulses—such great talent and ambition, yet it appears in a young man who hasn't even reached adulthood. It's truly astonishing!" The Princess of Shu had previously only thought Wang Hao possessed some talent and wisdom, but now, after Emperor Tianzuo's guidance, she instantly felt that this person seemed like a hidden dragon, destined to soar to great heights one day. She asked, "Father, what official rank and title do you intend to bestow upon Wang Hao?"

Emperor Tianzuo closed his eyes and spoke privately for a moment, then said, "The Governor of Tokyo, the Duke of Bohai!" The Princess of Shu, puzzled by Emperor Tianzuo's meaning, thought to herself, "The Governor of Tokyo is a third-rank official, and the Duke of Bohai is a title second only to the Duke of the State. But Tokyo has been lost, and the Liao Dynasty no longer has a Bohai Commandery!" Seeing the Princess of Shu remain silent, Emperor Tianzuo explained, "I ask you, is Bohai part of the Song Dynasty or the Liao Dynasty?" The Princess of Shu hesitated before answering, "It should be unclaimed territory!" Emperor Tianzuo nodded slightly and said, "Wang Hao is a Song citizen. No matter what official position or title I bestow upon him, it will at most show some respect, but it will have no real practical effect." "Value. But if I were to bestow upon him the title of Duke of Bohai, it would be perfectly reasonable to allow his fleet to freely anchor along the Liao coast. This is my sincerity! As for the garrison commander of Tokyo, since it was Wang Hao who suggested you voluntarily withdraw from Liaoyang Prefecture, it would serve as a reminder to him, lest that brat one day become arrogant!" The Princess of Shu greatly admired Emperor Tianzuo's arrangement and seized the opportunity to say, "With war raging everywhere, if Wang Hao wants to trade freely within Liao territory, he must have a guard to protect his safety; otherwise, he will likely find it difficult to move an inch!" Emperor Tianzuo thought this made sense and said, "Then give him the title of general!" The Princess of Shu replied, "Yes!"

Wang Hao resided at the princess's residence, so the task of delivering the imperial decree was handled by the princess of Shu. When Wang Hao heard the final result, he was quite surprised, saying, "Your father is truly generous! With a wave of his hand, he bestowed upon you a third-rank official position and a second-class dukedom?" The princess of Shu jokingly added, "If you were to surrender to the Liao Dynasty, you might even be granted a princely title!" Wang Hao shook his head, saying, "I am not only a subject of the Song Dynasty but also a son-in-law of the Song imperial family. I cannot commit treason!" The princess of Shu, unconvinced, retorted without hesitation, "If you come to the Liao Dynasty, you can naturally become a son-in-law of the Khitan!" Wang Hao was greatly surprised, saying, "Which princess wishes to..." "You want to marry me?" Although the Shu princess was three years older than Wang Hao, she was still a young woman, and her face flushed slightly. She quickly changed the subject, saying, "No princess wants to marry you, but if you really come to Liao, the royal family has no shortage of princesses!" Wang Hao didn't speak, but laughed three times: "Ha! Ha! Ha!" The Shu princess turned slightly and said, "Father has given you all the decrees he can. What are your plans now?" Wang Hao said, "I don't want to overstep my bounds. Naturally, I'll finish my duties for my master first, and then I'll arrange my own personal matters!"