Chapter 1 The Night's Events

Nothing happened that night. The massive autumn hunt departed from Xinghua and continued north along the Luan River, pausing briefly in the wilderness between the upper reaches of the Luan and Luoma Rivers… This was a natural hunting ground, and the prey was at its plumpest for the year.

Therefore, a grand hunt unfolded on the spot as a matter of course, making the autumn hunt live up to its name and raising everyone's spirits another notch.

That day, the fifteen-year-old Jin Emperor, Wanyan Hela, rode out, taking the lead by drawing his bow and shooting at the sky, thus commencing the great hunt.

Under the leadership of the ruler, the civil and military officials and tribal dignitaries also actively participated… Those minority officials who were born into fishing, hunting, riding, and archery were naturally eager, and even Vice Privy Councilor Qin Xiangong surprisingly hit the mark with an arrow, killing a yellow weasel in front of the emperor, eliciting praise from Wanyan Hela in public.

However, the real climax of the hunt came in the evening of the third day.

That evening, the crowd tallied the game and were shocked to discover that the fifteen-year-old ruler, Wanyan Hela, had shot one hundred and twenty-seven rabbits in three days!

This was no small matter. It wasn't just that the young ruler was better at shooting rabbits than the Zhao Song emperor in the South, nor was it about how the ruler's actions demonstrated the great fishing and hunting traditions of the Jin imperial family… The key was that the young ruler had easily used these spoils to forcefully refute the rumors that he was a so-called 'Han Chinese child'!

Even if he looked like a Han Chinese, dressed like a Han Chinese, and spoke like a Han Chinese, he was still a Jurchen at heart! Otherwise, how could he have such a large haul?

It couldn't be said that during the three days of hunting, he wasn't hunting alone, and that Emperor Shizu Wanyan Helibo and Emperor Taizu Wanyan Aguda had possessed him, could it?

If they really had possessed him, it would further prove that the ruler was a heaven-sent hero, with the bloodline of the Changbai Mountains, and blessed by his ancestors!

Similar remarks reached a peak after the imperial reward ceremony that followed.

In this ceremony, the ruler first announced the establishment of a personal imperial guard directly under his command, and then took this opportunity to promote a large number of outstanding children from various ethnic groups who had performed well in the hunt to serve as his attendants. For the elders and those with official positions, he lavishly rewarded them with gold, silver, horses, and wealth. This was not all; the real highlight came later… At the suggestion of Prince Wei, Wanyan Wushu, the young ruler bestowed titles of kings on a large scale on the spot!

It was a truly large-scale bestowal of kings! Dozens of royal titles were thrown out in one day!

Not only did the ruler's dozen or so uncles receive royal titles, but many meritorious ministers who had helped establish the dynasty also became so-called great kings… Wanyan Yinshuke became the King of Shu, Wanyan Talan became the King of Lu, Wanyan Puji Nu became the King of Wu, Wanyan Xiyin became the King of Chen… Even the dead were not spared. The deceased former heir, Wanyan Xieye, was posthumously named the King of Yan, and Wanyan Wolibu, who presided over the Jingkang Incident, was posthumously named the King of Song. Lou Shi was posthumously named the King of Yue… Even a few sons of the deposed former ruler were not left out. Wanyan Puluhu, the eldest son of Wanyan Wuqimai, was named the King of Dai, and the other sons were also given royal titles. Then, the ruler publicly presented the regalia and rewards of the royal titles and ordered them to be delivered immediately.

For a time, the crowd was encouraged, and everyone smiled in unison, of course raising their glasses to shout "Long live the ruler!" a hundred and twenty times countless times!

Thus, the three-day hunt ended, and the group continued north, soon arriving at a boundless pine forest… This was the famous Pingdi Pine Forest.

Reaching this place meant arriving at the original birthplace of the Khitan and Xi tribes.

In later generations, the Pingdi Pine Forest was greatly reduced or even disappeared due to human activities, but at this time, this boundless pine forest, almost a thousand miles in circumference, stretched all the way from the southern section of the Greater Khingan Mountains to the upper reaches of the Luoma River (northwest of Song Mountain), on one side isolating the invasion from the Mongolian Plateau to the west, and on the other providing the Khitan and Xi people with enormous living resources.

And the Khitans relied on this pine forest to calmly develop and grow strong, and then achieve hegemony… During the Liao Dynasty, there were countless records of this pine forest, and the qingniu (blue ox) of the "Qingniu and White Horse" legend came out of the Pingdi Pine Forest and followed the Huang River to Linhuang Prefecture.

Of course, even this thousand-mile pine forest, the ancestral land of the Khitans, was now just a place for the Jurchen dignitaries to shoot tigers and show their martial prowess to the ruler—entering the eastern side of the Pingdi Pine Forest, all the way north, all was calm and uneventful. The biggest news in the previous two days was that someone had entered the forest and shot a tiger, and then presented it to the divinely gifted young ruler.

However, early on the morning of the third day, some dramas that were bound to come arrived—the messenger from the King of Liao, the eldest of the three ruling brothers, came from the northeast, saying that the Khitans and Xi people were shocked to hear of the ruler's arrival, and had contacted each other, appearing to be slightly unstable. The King of Liao only had two Hezha Meng'an, so in order to be on the safe side, he asked the ruler and the Prince of Wei to send reinforcements to him first, so that he could stabilize the situation in Linhuang Prefecture, and then allow the ruler to come after everything was cleaned up.

Prince Wei Wanyan Wushu agreed without hesitation, and immediately, Wulinda Taiyu led five accompanying Meng'an to go north first.

No one around had any objection to this… After all, since the Jinhebo Alliance last year, Yelu Dashi's tentacles had reached the border, and many Khitans and Xi people had been eager to cause trouble. Otherwise, why would the ruler choose Linhuang Prefecture as the first stop on his first autumn hunt?

In a sense, it was everyone's consensus that political incidents, even bloodshed, would occur. Only the military power of the Great Jin Dynasty on the Yellow River side was still unmatched, so there was no need to worry about any mishaps.

Therefore, the entire team remained calm, and only a few officials of Khitan and Xi origin were slightly nervous, but they were personally comforted by the increasingly outstanding ruler, and then inevitably shed tears of gratitude.

That evening, the massive team routinely camped seven or eight miles outside the Pingdi Pine Forest, specifically on the other side of a small tributary of the Huang River. There were only a few simple pontoon bridges on the river to facilitate the collection of pine cones from the pine forest for lighting fires… There was a reason for this type of camping. Setting up camp by the water was for easy access to water, and staying slightly away from the pine forest and camping on the other side of the river was because the pine forest had to be strictly protected from fire in the autumn. In case of fire, the small river could effectively prevent the spread of the fire.

This was common knowledge for the Jurchens, who came from fishing and hunting backgrounds.

It could only be said that in this day and age, it wasn't just Zhao Guan's family who cared about environmental protection; the Wanyan family was also at the forefront of the times.

Not to mention others, Vice Privy Councilor Qin Hui had dinner in the ruler's tent that evening and returned to his camp. He only personally questioned the twenty armored soldiers that Prince Wei had just rewarded him a few days ago, and then went into his tent early to close his eyes and rest… Ever since he received these twenty armored soldiers, Qin Xiangong had been like this, and he no longer had the habit of running around late at night.

As usual, the sun set, darkness fell, and the camp was filled with noise. If you went out for a walk, although it wasn't brightly lit, it was considered to have some scattered lights.

However, today seemed different from the past. After another half an hour, there was a faint sound of wind coming from outside the tent. This wind was not ordinary wind; it was the autumn wind rolling through the great forest sea several miles away. The forest sea rolled into waves, and there was a whistling sound, occasionally mixed with the howls of fierce beasts, which was extremely soul-stirring.

Sitting cross-legged on the couch, Qin Kuai, who hadn't even taken off his clothes, opened his eyes and listened carefully to the wind's roar. For some reason, he was fascinated by it and thought of countless strange things.

After a long while, the wind subsided, and there seemed to be no other movement in the camp. Qin Hui sighed and prepared to sleep directly in his clothes.

But at this moment, suddenly, a faint cry came from the east… It sounded like the howl of a wild beast, or like the wind blowing through some gap, or even like a human voice.

Hearing the sound, only for a moment, Qin Hui sat up abruptly.

However, the sound flashed and disappeared, and then there was a slight breeze, and everything was as quiet as before.

Qin Kuai sighed, and then smiled bitterly, feeling that he was being too careful. Perhaps Prince Wei gave him twenty armored soldiers that day just because he resented him for deliberately pretending to be weak in the court and not doing things for him, using this to warn and monitor him, not as he thought… At this thought, Qin Xiangong simply fell back down and closed his eyes to sleep.

Then, he was startled off the simple wooden couch by the sudden burst of shouts of killing!

The shouts of killing came from the east. Qin Kuai, who was sleeping in his clothes, fell to the ground, hastily picked up a pair of boots that had been placed next to the tent door, ran barefoot out of the tent, and then turned around to see flames in the east, and people shouting loudly… Some were shouting to avenge the Grand Marshal, some were shouting to clear the emperor's side and kill Wushu, some were shouting "Long live the Great Khitan," and some were even shouting that the "Zhao Guan's family's commander of such-and-such mountain with all his men were here"... Was this because they had watched *Water Margin*?

The shouting was very lively, and the chaotic camp was even more lively, but Qin Hui only listened for a few moments, put on his boots, and then turned directly to meet the twenty armored soldiers who had also gotten up in a hurry:

"Everyone! Prince Wei sent you here for today's events. Quickly take me across the river to the west!"

The leader of these armored soldiers was stunned when he heard this, and then frowned directly: "Don't we need to see the ruler and Prince Wei?"

Qin Hui finally became angry: "If you know where the ruler and Prince Wei are, you can take me there!"

The leader of the armored soldiers looked at the brightly lit ruler's tent, becoming even more puzzled, but Prince Wei had instructed him in advance, so he did not delay any longer, but directly pushed away the Han official's servants, protecting the Han official and heading directly west.

Qin Hui ignored his servants and instead took the initiative to point out the location of the pontoon bridge, urging the armored soldiers to hurry over.

When they arrived at the pontoon bridge, there were indeed serious and well-prepared armored soldiers waiting. They took Qin Hui and his party over, then told the armored soldiers and attendants to stay on the east bank to resist the enemy, and then led Qin Kuai alone to an inconspicuous small slope on the west side of the small river.

There were not many fires lit on the small slope, but Qin Hui had naturally sharp eyes, and he saw the Jin ruler wearing a cloak and Prince Wei in full armor standing on the slope, watching the chaos in the opposite camp… He just couldn't see their expressions.

Qin Hui composed himself and was about to go over to greet them, but he was taken to a place directly under the slope by the armored soldiers, apparently not allowing him to easily disturb them… This was fine, but what made Qin Hui speechless was that two acquaintances were already waiting here in the dim light—it was Hong Ya!

And Zheng Xiunian, his relative, hiding behind Hong Ya!

These two bastards were actually running faster than himself, nicknamed Qin Long Legs?!

However, now that things had come to this, there was not much to say. The three of them bowed slightly under the hillside by the light of the fire, and then shrank into the shadows, just staring at the uncle and nephew on the slope a few dozen steps away, and pricking up their ears.

After waiting for a while, a voice finally came from the slope, breaking the silence.

It was none other than the young ruler Wanyan Hela, but he sounded a bit unhappy:

"Fourth Imperial Uncle, which family is rebelling? Or are even these rebels arranged by you and a few imperial uncles?"

After all, the ruler was fifteen years old. Under the small slope, Qin Hui and Hong Ya exchanged glances, and the words they each wanted to say were unspoken.

"The only one who really brought troops to rebel tonight is your cousin Puluhu (eldest son of Wanyan Wuqimai)…" Wanyan Wushu's voice was equally cold. "This person is always a disaster. If he lives, you will be uneasy, and the three of us will be uneasy, so I and your two imperial uncles used a trick, deliberately luring him over."

This answer did not cause the two Han officials below to react in the slightest, but the young ruler was immediately speechless, because this answer obviously made him much more sober… This was because Puluhu was none other than the eldest son of the former ruler Wuqimai, who had a stroke and abdicated. Once this person's rebellion succeeded, it was hard to say about others, but he, the ruler, would definitely be the first to bear the brunt, and would be the most unlucky one no matter what!

Moreover, this answer also solved another mystery, which was, who had the courage to use a small-scale force to attack the ruler's entourage, which was protected by two Hezha Meng'an, in the wilderness within the country?

It must be known that this was the most elite army in the world! It was carefully selected from the two to three hundred thousand troops of the Great Jin Dynasty at its peak!

However, if it was Puluhu, it would be reasonable, because when the Hezha Meng'an were established, only Aguda, Wuqimai, and Nianhan were qualified to establish Hezha Meng'an. Among them, Nianhan's two Hezha Meng'an were given to Lou Shi before the Battle of Yao Mountain and had been left in Hedong, not to mention. Two of the remaining four Hezha Meng'an in Yanjing City were personally established by Wuqimai.

In short, Puluhu might have an inside man!

After a long silence, the young ruler, namely Wanyan Hela, finally couldn't help but lower his voice and ask again: "Fourth Imperial Uncle... Does Imperial Granduncle (Wuqimai) know about this?"

"The old ruler really had a stroke and has difficulty getting up," Wushu gave a definite answer. "He can only lie down now. Otherwise, why do you think we brothers dared to let him leave so easily that day?"

"Who is the inside man?" Hela asked again.

"There is no inside man," Wushu replied calmly. "Puluhu found Talan and wanted Talan to use the old ruler's name to find people in the two Hezha Meng'an, but Talan directly sought me out. It was I and your other two imperial uncles who hurriedly discussed and decided on today's plan… In other words, how dare we three brothers let you really fall into danger?"

The young ruler breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, hearing this secret, Qin Hui and Hong Ya in the shadows below the small slope couldn't help but exchange glances again. Their eyes met briefly in the dark night by the light of the torches, and they once again understood each other's meaning—the ruler was too young after all. Whether Puluhu approached Talan first, or Wushu approached Talan first, I'm afraid only Wushu and Talan could say for sure.

So, who knows what was going on?

The autumn wind stirred lightly. On the opposite bank of the small river, flames were still soaring into the sky, and the chaos continued. More and more people gathered behind the small slope… Wanyan Talan, Han Fang, Wulinda Zanmo, Wanyan Xiyin, and Wanyan Yinshuke were all here.

Although these people came late, they were all astute people. Looking at the scene on the opposite bank of the small river, they only felt sad—not only were the rebels on the opposite bank sad, but those who were kept in the dark were also sad, and those of them who were slightly enlightened were actually quite sad as well.

But soon, something even more tragic happened.

"Ruler! Prince Wei!"

After a few people recklessly shouted because of their status and were dragged away, the area below the small slope had been quite quiet, but this time someone couldn't help but speak out to the two noblemen who were facing the small river with their backs to the pine forest.

And this time, even the armored soldiers next to them did not stop them.

Wanyan Wushu and Wanyan Hela, uncle and nephew, finally turned their heads and were both lost in thought… But they could only be lost in thought… It turned out that, as far as the eye could see, fires had started to burn in the pine forest on the side and rear, starting at an unknown time.

Without asking, they knew that this must have been caused by the current chaos, and someone had taken fire into the pine forest.

Moreover, once a thousand-mile pine forest caught fire in the autumn, how could human power stop it? The fire almost immediately spread with the autumn wind. The length of the fire line could double every few breaths. In just half an hour, it was faintly becoming a sea of fire, tending to roll into the depths… Compared to this movement, the chaos in the camp on the opposite bank of the river was simply child's play.

Seeing this situation, the instigator, such as Wanyan Wushu, the honorable person, such as the young ruler, the cunning person, such as Qin Hui, the battlefield veteran, such as Hong Ya, the battle-hardened person, such as Yinshuke, and the knowledgeable person, such as Han Fang and Xiyin, could only stare blankly, watching the fire freely roll and turn in the pine forest.

No one spoke.

Not only that, the fire waves of the great pine forest rolled up, overwhelming everything, and in turn affecting the chaos on the opposite bank of the river. The chaotic situation, which should have ended quickly, was directly dragged on until dawn before stopping—Wulinda Taiyu was ordered to lead five Meng'an to wait twenty miles to the north. He should have come to support along the light of the fire, but the sudden fire in the pine forest in the middle of the night directly made him lose his way, and he only found his way at dawn.

Of course, it was just an accident after all.

Moreover, not long after dawn, the situation was completely stable, and finally, people could slightly put their minds at ease about the wildfire that was still smoldering behind them, and then turn their attention to the chaotic situation—by this time, although they had not caught the person himself due to the fire accident, they had caught many other rioters, and it was basically conclusive evidence that the rebel was Wanyan Puluhu, and this guy had also colluded with some Khitans and Xi people!

The Yanjing dignitaries who had survived the disaster stood in front of the small slope, looking at each other, speechless to this answer:

"The ruler just made him a king! It's simply shameless!"

"A dignified Jurchen nobleman, actually colluding with Khitan dogs!"

"According to yesterday's words, weren't there also Han Chinese?"

"Maybe they also colluded with the Song people!"

"They should be killed!"

"All of his brothers should be killed together!"

"Ruler, spare his life! After all, the old ruler is still alive!"

Amid the clamor, the young ruler, who was already tired from last night's turmoil and the accident in the middle, instinctively looked at the armored person beside him in the smoke:

"Fourth Imperial Uncle, how should we deal with Puluhu and his brothers?"

Wanyan Wushu hesitated, but turned to look at the people behind him… Unlike the people who arrived later and could only stand in front of the slope, the dozens of people who arrived here before the riot was settled had already stood on the slope, standing behind the ruler and Prince Wei.

The young ruler Wanyan Hela understood and immediately turned to face these people who had come to find him early, and then sincerely asked the few people who were closer: "Master Han, Imperial Councilor Xiyin, Minister Wulinda, Imperial Councilor Qin, what do you think?"

Standing on the slope, Qin Hui and others naturally had a clear view of the movement below the slope, and naturally each had their own words at this time.

Wulinda Zanmo and Han Fang both suggested that the ruler take decisive measures to settle the matter, while Wanyan Xiyin frowned, only saying that he would let the ruler decide.

After these three finished speaking, Qin Hui bowed slightly and was about to echo their sentiments. But his eyes swept to the bottom, and he saw many officials and nobles of various ethnic groups standing under the slope, in front of them was a small slope, behind them was a small river, and on the left and right sides there were armored riders lined up solemnly in the smoke and fog. On the left was Wulinda Taiyu, and on the right, judging from the flags, it seemed to be Wundun Sizhong, that unscrupulous man.

With this glance, for some reason, Qin Xiangong suddenly changed his mind when the words came to his lips: "Your Majesty, the weather is dry in autumn, and once a thousand-mile pine forest catches fire, it cannot be stopped by human power… I think we should kill fewer people…"

Wanyan Hela was slightly stunned, and then frowned, but Wanyan Wushu beside him breathed deeply, as if sighing, but quickly recovered.

However, the final result was still as expected. No emperor would be soft-hearted to someone who posed a real threat to his throne and had taken real rebellious actions… The three brothers of Prince Wei did not want a force outside the pass to continue to maintain a semi-independent state, so that Prince Wei could not even recruit new Jurchen troops.

Therefore, under the leadership of Prince Wei, a decision on how to deal with the situation was quickly reached. Wanyan Puluhu would naturally be wanted with a reward, dead or alive, and Wanyan Puluhu's brothers would also be wanted. Wulinda Taiyu would immediately lead troops to arrest them.

Of course, the old ruler must not be disturbed.

At this point, everyone, from top to bottom, breathed a sigh of relief, and only wanted to have this matter be over as soon as possible.

However, at this moment, His Royal Highness Prince Wei, namely our Fourth Prince Wanyan Wushu, suddenly supported his sword and stepped forward, speaking to the many dignitaries below the slope in the increasingly gloomy weather:

"Those who took the initiative to go to the ruler's tent to rescue him when the riot started last night, step forward and walk fifty steps north. Those who took the initiative to go to the easternmost side to meet the enemy, step forward and walk fifty steps south…"

As soon as these words were spoken, the young ruler suddenly understood, cursing himself for being muddled, and forgetting to reward them.

But for some reason, behind the ruler, whether it was Minister Wulinda or Master Han, or Vice Minister of the Capital Province, Imperial Councilor Wanyan Xiyin, all turned pale.

Only Qin Hui buried his head deeply.