The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Public Outrage

Juyong Town’s geographical advantages made gathering information even easier than in Yeyang.

As expected, the town was abuzz with discussions about the matter.

There were some people, like Widow Xie, who felt that as long as there was no war, nothing else mattered. But they were few.

The majority were filled with righteous indignation, their fury palpable as curses filled the air.

It was clear just how much public opinion had boiled over.

From the news gathered at a hot and spicy soup stall in just one morning, it was clear the peace talks were a done deal.

After several days of negotiations and consultations, the two sides had reached a consensus in the neighboring city of Youyang and signed the "Northern Pass Oath Book."

What was baffling was that the details and clauses of the oath book had somehow also been leaked:

The two nations shall be bound as brotherly states.

The armies along the border prefectures shall each guard their own territory. The people of both lands shall not encroach upon one another.

Neither side shall harbor defectors, nor shall they disturb the other’s fields or crops.

At the same time, neither side shall increase its border defense installations.

If all this was still within the realm of comprehension, then the final clause was simply inconceivable.

"We shall together abide by this agreement and piously honor this joyous pact. To suit local customs and to assist with military expenses, each year, 200,000 bolts of silk and 200,000 taels of Silver shall be sent by a dedicated envoy for delivery at Xiongzhou of the Liang Dynasty."

They were clearly on the verge of victory, yet the court insisted on peace talks.

Fine, have peace talks. But Great Zhou was the one with the advantage! How could they end up paying reparations to Beiliang?

Oh, wait, no ceded territory, just reparations. And it was euphemistically called "assistance with military expenses."

What, did Great Zhou invite Beiliang to mobilize its army and march all this way? Are we supposed to cover their food, entertainment, and losses, too?

Even if someone had to pay, it should be Beiliang paying Great Zhou!

To defend the border, how many of the Northern Pass’s fine young men had been lost? How much wealth and resources had been spent? And how could the people’s emotional toll even be calculated?

They were clearly the ones who had been invaded, yet in the end, they were the ones paying compensation and forcing smiles.

How could this not feel humiliating?

It was like a man named Liang suddenly barging into the Zhou family’s home, smashing their pots and pans, throwing a tantrum, and getting into a fight with the man of the house.

After a bitter struggle, the Zhou man finally won, but in the end, it was the Zhou family who had to hand over their treasures and coax Liang into leaving.

They even promised Liang, ’As long as you don’t cause any more trouble, I’ll give you money every year...’

If word of this got out, the Zhou family would be the laughingstock of the entire region.

If this was true for people, how much more so for nations?

For Ji Huan, the most immediate parallel this treaty brought to mind was the Northern Song’s Treaty of Chanyuan.

The same humiliation of a capital under siege.

The same opportunity for victory, only to be cut short by rulers who were scared out of their wits and forced a halt for peace talks.

And then, the same economic reparations.

The difference was, although many people despised the Treaty of Chanyuan, it also had its positive aspects in some respects.

For instance, from the day it was signed, for the next one hundred and sixteen years, no large-scale wars occurred between the Song and Liao Kingdoms.

The annual tribute of 300,000 only accounted for three-thousandths of the Song Dynasty’s financial revenue. Keep in mind, a single major war for the Song Dynasty cost thirty million in military expenses.

Moreover, after the peace treaty, both sides opened border markets. Trade between the two nations flourished, and the Song Dynasty had a trade surplus, easily earning back that 300,000.

A century of peace was hard-won. It was precisely this peaceful environment that allowed the people to rest and recuperate, enabling the Northern Song to achieve such a brilliant culture and prosperous economy.

So, from this perspective, the Treaty of Chanyuan deserved some credit.

But not every country was suited for this kind of big-picture, win-win cooperation.

First, the national conditions of Great Zhou and Beiliang were fundamentally different from those of the Song and Liao.

Beiliang was not a nomadic people. Their culture and customs were quite similar to Great Zhou’s, so they naturally lacked the basis for complementary trade—where one side has what the other lacks.

From the very beginning, Beiliang’s goal was to annex the Northern Pass and then gradually devour the territory of Great Zhou. This was something no number of open markets could change.

Second, compared to the Liao Kingdom, the Northern Song was strong economically but weak militarily.

Furthermore, years of continuous warfare had left the people of the Song Dynasty in widespread misery. Under those circumstances, neither the Song nor the Liao could defeat the other, making a truce the best strategy.

But the comprehensive national strengths of Great Zhou and Beiliang were evenly matched. There was simply no reason they had to compromise.

Especially given Beiliang’s predatory ambition and habit of going back on its word, a resurgence was almost a certainty.

It was true that the people wanted to live peaceful lives and no longer suffer from war.

’But we’ve already endured the suffering, so why stop at the final step?’

Besides, while the Treaty of Chanyuan brought over a century of peace between the Liao and Song, it also had negative consequences.

It caused the Song Dynasty’s ruler and ministers to forget war and abandon their armies, to be ashamed to speak of military readiness while indulging in idle talk of peace. The moment a conflict arose, they would submit and sue for peace.

’Just think, if money can solve the problem, why bother preparing for war?’

’When the enemy raises their butcher knife, you just have to kneel and offer them Silver.’

’Who would still train seriously?’

’Who wouldn’t want to take a bite out of this docile, plump piece of meat?’

Later came the "Jingkang Incident," where the Northern Song Emperor, his harem, and his ministers were all captured in one fell swoop, leading to the fall of the Northern Song. Who could dare say this had nothing to do with the century of peace bought through appeasement?

"Beyond this oath book, neither side shall have other demands. We must cooperate to ensure this long-lasting peace. From now on, we shall protect our people and cautiously guard our borders. We swear this before the gods of heaven and earth and report it to our ancestral temples and the altars of state. Our descendants shall uphold it for all time. Should anyone violate this pact, they shall not be able to enjoy their state. The bright heavens watch over us and shall strike them down together."

It all sounded so nice, even invoking "the bright heavens," but the very word "oath" was spoken without sincerity.

Between nations, there are no eternal allies, only eternal interests.

Faced with a foreign invasion, the Great Zhou Dynasty’s court didn’t consider defensive measures or crisis management. Instead, they thought they could pay for peace and buy their way out of disaster through negotiations.

Any discerning person could see that this kind of peace wouldn’t last long.

Focusing on the illusion of temporary peace, hoping to end conflict by throwing money at it, was like drinking poison to quench thirst or cutting out one’s own flesh to patch a wound. It was a completely self-destructive act that could never put a stop to war and strife.

It brought to mind the phrase, "Exhaust the nation’s resources to win the favor of foreign powers"—how ridiculous, how pathetic.

It was indeed worthy of condemnation.

But the ones who deserved to be cursed were the decision-makers, the ones sitting high in the Golden Throne Hall asking, "Why not eat minced meat?"

But look who everyone was cursing now.

It was the person who had cleaned up General Nie’s mess, the person who had shielded the people of the Northern Pass from Beiliang’s invasion.

After her anger subsided, Ji Huan felt that something was strange.

It wasn’t surprising that news of the peace talks had leaked; it couldn’t have been kept secret for long anyway.

But for the specific details and content to leak out as well—that was very strange.

’This should be considered a top-level secret. Even if it were to be made public, it shouldn’t be at a time like this, when tensions are so high.’

Right now, the tide of public opinion was overwhelmingly aimed at cursing Kou Changqing.

Ji Huan couldn’t help but suspect that someone had done this deliberately.

’Was the hand behind the scenes Beiliang? Or the court?’

’Or perhaps... both.’

’Beiliang’s motive would be simple: to destroy a powerful enemy.’

’And the court’s motive... right, to shift the blame.’

’And there must be other factors involved. They might even share the same intentions as Beiliang.’

’After all, Kou Changqing’s achievements were too great, his prestige too high. It was highly likely he had struck a nerve with certain people.’

Heh.

’They only understand that one can’t sleep soundly with another person snoring by their bedside, completely oblivious to the consequences of destroying their own Great Wall while wolves and tigers prowl nearby.’

’Destroying Kou Changqing would be easy. But without finding a suitable replacement, it was tantamount to leaving one’s own gates wide open.’

’Even if the border passes were defensible, there would be no one reliable to defend them. They might as well just wait for the enemy cavalry to charge straight in.’

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