Chapter 38: What I Wage Is War, What I Play Is Politics

Zhao Ji held today’s Tokyo Daily in his hands. He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let Zhao Huan continue his folly. If he keeps acting this way, he will lose the hearts of the people entirely. There is no need for us to intervene."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kai knew that Zhao Ji had completely given up on Zhao Huan. Previously, when Zhao Ji had criticized Zhao Huan, he had expressed dissatisfaction, but he had never suggested finding a way to force his abdication. Now, however, he was making no attempt to hide his desire for the current Emperor to step down. If the current Emperor were to abdicate, Zhao Ji would naturally take the throne, and once Zhao Ji was in power, the Crown Prince would inevitably be Zhao Kai. This was exactly what Zhao Kai dreamed of.

The reaction to the article varied significantly among different people. Zhao Ji and Zhao Kai believed that Zhao Ning was digging his own grave. For Tang Ke and Geng Nanzhong, however, the article was a massive shock. It contained several passages that directly refuted their policies. For instance, after the first Battle of Tokyo, when Wanyan Zongwang’s sixty-thousand-strong army retreated north in haste, Tang Ke and Geng Nanzhong had been unwilling to pursue them and had even ordered all garrisons along the Hebei route not to harass the Jin forces, threatening execution for those who disobeyed. The article launched a scathing attack on this behavior, coming just short of labeling it treason. The initial calls for peace negotiations, proposed by the likes of Tang Ke, Geng Nanzhong, and Li Bangyan, were also thoroughly debunked. Officials who had attached themselves to these men felt as though the Emperor’s article was practically naming them directly. As for opportunists like Mo Chou, who had shifted from being part of the peace faction to suddenly posturing as a hawk, they were also torn to shreds in the piece.

In short, Zhao Ning used the most refined language to define everything that had occurred from the alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao up to the present second defense of Tokyo, while also predicting the future actions of the Jin forces. This led a portion of the city's populace to believe him implicitly, and their confidence surged.

That afternoon, while Wanyan Zonghan was inspecting the construction of trebuchets, Shi Li’ai hurried over.

"Marshal!"

"What is it?"

Shi Li’ai held a copy of today’s Tokyo Daily headline and handed it to Wanyan Zonghan: "Marshal, look at this. The Song army used their Shenbi crossbows to deliver it to us personally."

The Song army was sending things over again? Wanyan Zonghan laughed, "Have they agreed to peace?"

Shi Li’ai remained silent.

Wanyan Zonghan took the paper and opened it, reading through it quickly. As he finished, his expression darkened. He turned and returned to the commander’s tent, ordering all high-ranking officers to assemble. Wanyan Zongwang had naturally received a copy as well; it was he who had instructed for it to be delivered to Shi Li’ai.

The atmosphere in the tent was heavy. Everyone knew why. The article provided a precise summary of the past wars between the Song and the Jin, and offered a forecast for the trajectory of the conflict over the next six months. To Zonghan, Zongwang, Shi Li’ai, and Liu Yanzong, this forecast seemed irrefutable. The newspaper bore the name of the Song Emperor himself, as if telling Zonghan and Zongwang: "This is what I will do next; the situation will develop in this direction; and once it does, this is how you will react."

If an ordinary Jin soldier had read this, they would have mocked the Song Emperor as a fool for telling the enemy his plans. But Zonghan and Zongwang could not bring themselves to laugh. They felt the power behind the words—it was as logical and inevitable as knowing one must put on clothes when cold or take them off when hot. You could not act against it. This was an overt strategy. "I am playing my cards face-up. I do not fear you knowing what I will do next; since you cannot escape your own intelligence gathering, I might as well tell you how we shall face each other."

If the previous article, "On the Jin Strategy for Besieging the City," had merely analyzed the situation at the time—leading Zonghan and Zongwang to believe the Emperor was bluffing—this piece, "On the Early Stages of the Song-Jin War," ended that illusion entirely. They all understood why the Song army had sent this paper to them: the goal was to make some among them believe the content, thereby influencing the Jin court's attitude toward the Song. Wanyan Zongwang, for instance, had always maintained that the Jin could not swallow the Song whole; he preferred to support a puppet regime in the north to check the Song, effectively turning the Song into a Jin vassal state that paid annual tribute. If they failed to capture Tokyo and were forced to retreat, the situation would unfold exactly as the Song Emperor predicted. This would deal a massive psychological blow to the Jin leadership and provide the peace faction in the Jin court with the leverage they needed to check the war hawks.

War, after all, is an extension of politics. While Zhao Ning wrote the article for those inside the city, his true intent was for Zonghan and Zongwang to see it, in order to embolden the peace faction of the Jin. This was a political maneuver.

Zonghan asked, "What does everyone think of this article?"

Shi Li’ai replied, "Marshal, the Song Emperor is merely demonstrating against us. I believe the key to breaking this stalemate lies in capturing Tokyo. Once we take the city, this article will serve as the Emperor’s grave-digger; we won't even need to lift a finger—the various factions within Tokyo will make his life miserable."

Liu Yanzong was about to speak, but Wanyan Zongwang stopped him, knowing he was going to ask what would happen if they failed to take the city. There was no point in discussing that now; they could only take it one step at a time.

Zonghan declared, "Right! In my view, this act of the Song Emperor trying to intimidate us with an article is childish and weak. Only superior military force can truly decide the outcome!"

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was mid-December. Gao Qiu entered the palace daily to report on the situation in the city, including the morale of the people, their grain reserves, and the state of public order. Zhao Ning needed to stay informed; if anyone attempted to stir up chaos at such a critical juncture, it had to be snuffed out immediately without hesitation.

"How many men are currently in the Imperial City Department?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are currently 320 men."

"I will provide you with more men. Be prepared."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Rest assured, I will manage them well."

Zhao Ning intended to transform the Imperial City Department into an agency similar to the Ming Dynasty’s Embroidered Uniform Guard, further strengthening his control over intelligence and expediting the handling of special cases.

No sooner had Gao Qiu left than Zhao Ding arrived to present the progress reports from the Ministry of Works regarding the production of trebuchets and "Thunderbolts." Wang Si’s execution was truly impressive. In just half a month, 360 machines had been built, an average of 24 per day. The progress on the Thunderbolts was also rapid, with 70,000 units produced, averaging 4,667 per day. Zhao Ning was very satisfied with this pace of armament.

Zhao Ning asked, "How is the investigation into Li Chong’s case proceeding?"