dmims Chapter 38 Heaven and Earth Shake, the Great Momentum is Like Clouds
Chapter 38 Heaven and Earth Shake, the Great Momentum is Like Clouds
It's another cold winter season, but compared to last year's chaotic and precarious years, this year's Shandong World Conference seems much more composed.
Thanks to the new salt-making technology and the maritime trade system with the Southern Song Dynasty, the eight million people in Shandong under the rule of the Tianxiahui survived this most difficult year.
The reclaimed land also ushered in its first autumn harvest, although the first year of the newly reclaimed wasteland did not yield particularly fruitful results.
But that's enough for them to get through the winter, save up food for next year, and have seeds for spring planting.
Amidst the ruins of blood and fire, a seed called hope quietly took root and sprouted in the eyes of all the people of Shandong.
"Perhaps I'll live to see a prosperous era!"
Countless people are hoping for this.
With such anticipation, Yang Kang's first child was born in the winter month.
He was a big, chubby boy weighing a full eight pounds, seemingly inheriting the talent of both his parents, who were both top-tier martial artists.
His cries at birth echoed throughout the courtyard. Yang Miaozhen and all her relatives, friends, and family members who were waiting outside were overjoyed to hear the baby's cries.
Yang Kang carried the child across the courtyard, past Yang Tiexin, past Bao Xiruo, and arrived in front of Qiu Chuji.
"master."
"Kang'er's success today is entirely due to your guidance back then."
"Please give this child a name."
Yang Kang said respectfully to Qiu Chuji.
Qiu Chuji was slightly surprised, but he still stroked his beard kindly. Looking at the rising sun, he had already made up his mind and began to speak.
"This child was born when the world was still in flux."
"How about we call him Yang Qian?"
A hint of joy flickered in Yang Kang's eyes.
Yang Qian's birth held a completely different significance for the World Society, a regime that had only been established for a few years.
Although Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen were not very old, they had plenty of time to have children.
But in such an era, the difference between a leader of a regime who has an heir and one who does not is like night and day.
Yang Qian's appearance provided the world with the most extreme insurance plan at that time.
Even if Yang Kang, like the historical overlord, died young, Yang Miaozhen, who was equally skilled in martial arts and held military and political power, would still have a high probability of maintaining the foundation of the Tianxia Society in Shandong with their child.
Qian represents Heaven.
This child is the future hope of the World Society, and also the son to whom Yang Kang is destined to devote the most effort.
Just when the World Society was filled with joy and everyone was full of hope for the future, the situation in the world once again changed in a way that no one could have predicted.
A historical shift that no one but Yang Kang could have predicted occurred on the northern grasslands.
Before that year, almost all the empires that rose from the grasslands, after completing their unification, would routinely move south to compete with the Central Plains civilization.
Victory led to the conquest of the Central Plains, as seen with the Jurchens and various northern ethnic minorities during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
If, by chance, a hero rises in the Central Plains, this powerful steppe regime will disintegrate in the blink of an eye, just as the Turks encountered the dragon-phoenix-like, heaven-and-earth-looking Li Shimin.
But the usual pattern of history suddenly took a different turn with Genghis Khan.
The envoys sent by Genghis Khan to trade with the Khwarazmian Empire in the Western Regions were all executed by a greedy Khwarazmian general on the pretext of espionage.
Although Genghis Khan was furious, he did not take any rash action. Instead, he sent another envoy to Khwarazm to inquire about the situation.
Unexpectedly, the arrogant and conceited Sultan Muhammad killed the chief envoy sent by Genghis Khan and subjected his entourage to extreme humiliation.
Genghis Khan was thoroughly enraged by the arrogant act, and the unprecedented conquest and slaughter of World War I began.
To be fair, the Khwarazmian Sultan at that time did have reason to be proud and arrogant.
Just like Mongolia in East Asia, Khwarazm had just conquered a vast expanse of surrounding lands, and its Sultan Muhammad even boasted of being the conqueror of the world.
Having been invincible in the first half of his life, Muhammad seemed to have no reason to fear a nomadic people from a distant grassland.
Just as before the Battle of Yehuling, countless people in the Jin Dynasty still regarded Temujin as a weak enemy who could be easily defeated.
When Genghis Khan learned that his envoy had been killed again and even humiliated, he did not speak, but instead went alone to Burkhan Khaldun, the sacred mountain of Mongolia.
All Mongolians say that Genghis Khan fasted and prayed for three days and three nights, and finally received a response from the Eternal Heaven.
The Eternal Heaven told him that he would surely win this battle and that he should avenge his compatriots.
No one on the grasslands would doubt Genghis Khan's words.
They worship Genghis Khan not only because of the image of Temujin holding clotted blood at birth, but also because throughout the years, Genghis Khan fulfilled almost every promise he made to the people and the army.
He killed almost every enemy who opposed him, plundered countless riches, and supported countless Mongols on this increasingly cold grassland, even enabling them to live a prosperous life.
Although this came at the cost of millions of innocent civilians from other ethnic groups, the suffering of those people could not diminish Temujin's greatness in the hearts of the Mongols.
Even when Genghis Khan was so reckless that he would spend months marching to attack another vast country thousands of miles away, they still steadfastly followed him.
This time, the Mongols mobilized almost their entire force.
Genghis Khan took away every able-bodied member of the Golden Family, leaving only a small force to garrison the Mongol heartland, and another army, a mix of Mongols, Khitans, Jurchens, and Western Xia people, under the command of Muqali to continue his conquest of the Central Plains.
Guo Jing naturally joined the expedition to the west.
After all, in terms of official rank, he was one of the core powerful commanders of the founding of the Mongol Empire. When Genghis Khan launched the western expedition under the pretext of avenging his compatriots, Guo Jing had no reason to refuse, nor did he have any intention of refusing.
Personally, he tried several times to bring up the matter of annulling his engagement with Hua Zheng, but Genghis Khan rebuked him each time.
Finally, Genghis Khan was cornered by Guo Jing, and since he couldn't really kill his savior and a core general of the Mongol Empire, he had no choice but to tell him.
If he achieves enough merit during the western expedition, I might consider granting his request.
Of course, these things were all far removed from Yang Kang's life.
As Genghis Khan's main force marched westward, the entire Mongol Empire was left with only Muqali's army in the Central Plains, and the Mongol power was greatly weakened.
The heroes of the Central Plains immediately had different thoughts. The Jurchens, upon hearing that the main Mongol force had launched a westward expedition, immediately conceived the idea of a northern expedition.
After all, no matter how incompetent the Wanyan family was, and no matter how foreign they were, they were not as spineless as the Zhao family. They genuinely wanted to launch a northern expedition to recover lost territory.
Unfortunately, all the Jurchens, including Wanyan Honglie, overestimated themselves and underestimated Muqali, the Grand Tutor King personally appointed by Genghis Khan.
Another summer arrived. Yang Kang was twenty years old, and his son, Yang Qian, was only six months old.
A group of Mongol envoys arrived in Yidu Prefecture, inviting Yang Kang to visit Zhongdu again to meet with the Mongol and other powerful clans from the north.
"Your Highness, King Lu, I have been specially sent by King Muqali to invite you to Zhongdu to participate in the alliance meeting."
"You will jointly lead the attack on the Jin Kingdom. In accordance with the decree left by Genghis Khan, you will serve as the commander-in-chief of this attack on the Jin Kingdom together with King Muqali."
The envoy knelt respectfully before Yang Kang, without the slightest disrespect.
He wasn't drawn to Yang Kang by the insignificant title of Prince Lu bestowed upon him by the Mongols, but rather because this envoy had witnessed Yang Kang's valiant prowess on the battlefield of Yehuling.
"Please tell King Muqali that I am afraid I will disappoint him."
"Although I have regained my Han identity, I will never forget that I was born and raised in Zhongdu."
"I lived the first eighteen years of my life under the name Wanyan Kang."
"Wanyan Honglie, the prime minister of the Jin Dynasty in Bianliang, was my adoptive father."
"The Jin army has countless generals, some of whom even served under me."
"I can't possibly lay a hand on them."
Yang Kang sat in a grand chair, holding his child, casually playing with him and giving perfunctory replies to the Mongol envoy.
"But, Your Highness Prince Lu, this is Genghis Khan's decree."
The Mongol envoy said with difficulty.
"I have heard that King Muqali was once a lowly servant in the camp of Genghis Khan's enemy."
Even when rejected, scolded, and driven away by his master, he still stood before them fearlessly and fought to the very last moment.
"It was precisely because of this that he was able to gain Genghis Khan's favor and remain loyal to him."
"Among all the generals of Mongolia, only King Muqali can be called a hero."
"I respect him not because of his achievements, but because of his loyalty and character."
"I believe he can understand my choice."
Yang Kang spoke solemnly to the envoy before him, rejecting Muqali's invitation to the Central Capital Alliance without hesitation.
The envoy dared not answer. Although Yang Kang's tone was only slightly stern, Shi Tianze, Nie Feng, and Bu Jingyun, who were standing beside him, were almost unable to control themselves and were about to draw their swords and chop him into mincemeat.
The envoy then reluctantly withdrew from the World Society and conveyed Yang Kang's refusal to Muqali.
"It seems we'll have to fight Yang Kang sooner or later."
Mu Huali said with a solemn expression.
"King Muqali, what does this mean?"
"Although His Highness Prince Lu was unwilling to take action against the Jin Kingdom, he was indeed the adopted son of Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Kingdom."
The subordinate standing nearby asked, puzzled.
"If he really cared so much about this favor, he wouldn't have remained motionless in Shandong when the Great Khan attacked Zhongdu."
Mu Huali said with a cold laugh.
"Hmph, the Jurchens have raised an ungrateful wolf cub."
"King Muqali, shall we first pacify Shandong before attacking the Jin Dynasty?"
The subordinate asked again.
"No."
"Yang Kang is too tough a bone to handle."
"Our target is still the Jin Dynasty."
"We'll settle accounts with the Khan slowly once his army returns."
Mu Huali said indifferently.