thefictionvixens Chapter 62 Jianyuan's Ascension to the Throne
Chapter 62 Jianyuan's Ascension to the Throne
On his first day in Yanjing, Yang Kang returned to the palace where he had lived and buried Wanyan Honglie's ashes in the courtyard.
At almost the same time, the other two armies reported frequent victories.
Wanyan Chenheshang had already subdued the former Jin territory and sent Wanyan Xun and the Jin royal family back to Yanjing. He then continued to lead his army to sweep away the disobedient.
The news of Zhang Rou's complete takeover of Hedong also arrived simultaneously.
Yelü Chucai had already received the news and began to relocate the personnel of various departments in the Shandong administrative center.
Looking across the Central Plains, only Bianjing, where Shi Moming'an led his troops to defend, still offered a modicum of resistance.
When Shi Moming'an learned from various sources and finally confirmed that Ögedei Khan had died at the hands of Yang Kang, Wanyan Chenheshang had already gathered troops from various regions, forming an army of 200,000, and was besieging the city.
Shi Moming knew that the fall of the city was inevitable, and he refused the letter of surrender written by Yelü Chucai.
For him, betraying the Jin Dynasty and joining Genghis Khan was already a breach of his principles.
To betray the Mongols and side with Yang Kang again was something he could no longer accept.
At this time, in the Battle of Bianliang, there were only 30,000 soldiers available for battle, of whom less than 5,000 were Mongols.
The Mongol empire was too large, and their population was too small.
The large number of servants who joined the army, combined with the core Mongol forces, could not withstand any major defeat.
Finally, after a month-long siege, Bianjing City fell, and Shi Moming'an committed suicide.
The Southern Song Dynasty finally managed to sort out the changes in the national situation from the chaotic news from all sides, but while they were still debating whether to send troops or wait and see, the situation in the Central Plains had already been completely settled.
A Han empire, like the Jurchen Jin dynasty of old, with its overwhelming military might and the potential to unify the world, has risen.
For a time, the hearts of people throughout the Southern Song Dynasty were in turmoil.
The impact of a Han Chinese emperor and a foreign emperor on the common people and scholars is completely different.
The Han Chinese conquest of the Song Dynasty was merely the fall of a nation, far less devastating than the Mongol conquest of the Song Dynasty, which resulted in the annihilation of the entire empire.
Even if a Han Chinese were emperor, the imperial examination system would still be in place, and education would still be necessary; it would still be Han civilization.
Those literati who were frustrated and unsuccessful in the Southern Song Dynasty suddenly became restless.
People in the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) during the Southern Song Dynasty, such as Lu Chengfeng and his son Lu Guanying from Guiyun Manor in Taihu Lake, were stunned when they heard about the great things Yang Kang had done in the north.
Lu Guanying was so excited that he was already thinking about going to the north to make a name for himself.
In the twelfth lunar month, in Yanjing, in the former Jurchen imperial palace.
Yang Kang, hand in hand with Yang Miaozhen, followed by 150 imperial guards and a host of civil officials including Yelü Chucai, marched in a grand procession through the palace.
Before the ruler and his ministers could share the spoils of victory, they had a pressing problem to solve.
What should the name and era name of this new empire they have established be?
Opinions varied widely.
Some suggested retaining the old name of the Jin Dynasty, while others suggested calling him the King of Qi, based on the Shandong region.
Ultimately, Yelü Chucai offered his advice.
"The so-called great Qian Yuan is the origin of all things."
"Your Majesty has swept across the world and wishes to usher in an era of peace. Why not use Yuan as the name of the dynasty to distinguish it from the previous dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang burst into laughter.
"Great indeed is the Qian principle, the origin of all things; well said."
"But the name 'Da Yuan' is not auspicious."
He glanced at Kublai Khan among the Imperial Guards. Kublai Khan, whom he had now adopted as his son, was standing right beside him. How could he possibly use the reign title that the other had used?
"When my son was born, my master named him with the character 'Qian' (乾), intending it to signify that our Tianxia Society would be rewriting the history of the world."
"Today, let us take the name of our nation as Great Qian."
Yang Kang then waved his hand and solemnly announced to the assembled officials.
Upon hearing this, the courtiers felt reassured.
Yang Kang named his dynasty after his eldest son, which shows that he had already decided on his successor.
The imperial bloodline of this empire was established from this moment on.
In the first year of the Zhaowu era of the Daqian reign, Yang Kang was twenty-eight years old and controlled half of the empire.
The founding of the dynasty was the Qianlong era, and the reign title was set as Qianwu.
It stretches from the Yinshan and Yanshan Mountains in the north to the banks of the Huai River in the south, borders the sea to the east, and guards the Tongguan Pass and Qinling Mountains to the west.
All the cities of Liaodong were brought under our control, and the fertile lands of Shandong yielded ten thousand bushels of grain annually.
Yanjing served as the capital, controlling the north and south, while Bianjing served as the secondary capital, dominating the Central Plains.
Hedong and Shanxi are protected by the Taihang Mountains; Guanzhong and Chang'an are locked by the Tongguan Pass.
From Liaodong to the Huai River, it stretches for more than 3,000 li.
It stretches for more than two thousand miles from the Yanshan Mountains to the Qinling Mountains.
Under the empire, there are over a hundred prefectures and tens of millions of people.
Only north of the Yin Mountains, the threat from the Mongols remained.
The area west of Tongguan Pass is largely unmanaged and needs to be pacified.
On the opposite bank of the Huai River to the south, the Southern Song court was still observing the situation.
With three sides still unsettled and the world still unsettled, the situation remains uncertain.
"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?" For Yang Kang, this was just the beginning.
As the Great Qian Dynasty prepared for its founding, reorganized the recovered regions, and restored order, the storm brought about by the changing situation continued to brew.
After losing its Khan, Mongolia quickly fell into a brief period of chaos.
Ögedei's son, Güyük, was only seventeen years old at the time and was clearly not qualified to inherit the throne of the Great Khan.
No matter how much he personally desired it, in such a chaotic situation, the bewildered Mongols could not possibly put him on the throne.
At this time, among Genghis Khan's sons, only Chagatai was still alive.
After the westward expedition, Subutai, who had been in charge of the overall situation in Karakorum, did not hesitate and quickly brought the situation under control. He then immediately sent people to the west to invite Chagatai back to take charge of the overall situation.
Subutai knew that with the strength of the East alone, it was absolutely impossible to fight against Yang Kang's sudden attack.
As a subject, he could not maintain stability in the long run.
Although the Ögedei lineage was in decline, Güyük would not relinquish the Khanate that rightfully belonged to him.
The generals of Tolui's faction were wavering. After receiving messages from Sorghaghtani Beki and Möngke, some of them eventually led their troops south to submit to the remnants of Tolui's clan, while most of them remained on the grasslands.
When Chagatai learned that Yang Kang had launched an attack and killed Ögedei, it was already November.
Shocked and enraged, Chagatai immediately assembled his forces and headed east.
The news reached the Jochi Khanate at almost the same time, when Jochi's son Batu was in power.
Although Batu was shocked by the changes in the East, he knew that Chagatai would inevitably ascend to the throne, and that his Juchi family would definitely not have a good end under Chagatai.
He had no interest in returning to the East. He only reluctantly sent a few thousand men to show their allegiance before putting the matter out of his mind and focusing all his efforts on developing his own territory.
In January of the first year of the Qianwu reign, the seven-day ceremony in Yanjing, the capital of the Jin dynasty, was held as scheduled.
Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen, dressed in imperial robes, ascended the throne after Yelü Chucai presided over the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven.
As partners before the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, their identities were beyond question.
A month after the founding ceremony, Yang Kang, having finally arranged all the important matters, left Yang Miaozhen to oversee the country and returned to Shandong with the Imperial Guards to personally visit Guo Jing's residence, intending to invite Guo Jing to come out of seclusion and assist him.
Soon, he will have another direct battle with the Mongols.
He needed someone the Mongols could trust to endorse his destiny of conquering the Mongols.
Although Möngke Khan, Kublai Khan, and others were of the Golden Family bloodline, they were still young and lacked prestige.
Although Hua Zheng was pregnant with his child, the Mongols would obviously not recognize his rule because of it.
At that time, only Guo Jing held this prestige and status among the Mongols.
With Guo Jing's assistance, one has essentially gained half of the destiny of the grasslands.
The other one would have to be delivered to him personally by Chagatai.