Chapter 47: A Letter from Beyond the Mountains

This year’s Spring Festival lacked any festive atmosphere, or rather, the Quanzhen Sect was far too busy to even think about celebrating the New Year. Following the death of Genghis Khan, after two years of fierce contention, the Mongols selected a new Great Khan last year—Borjigin Ögedei.

In the fourth year of the Shaoding era of the Southern Song dynasty, the Mongols, adhering to the previous Khan Genghis Khan’s strategy, continued to urge the Song to join forces in destroying the Jin dynasty. However, the Song court had zero interest in entertaining the Mongols at this time, stalling with ambiguous evasion and failing to give a clear response.

The "Alliance on the Sea" of a century ago had led the Song court to retreat southward, and that bitter lesson was not far behind; how could they possibly commit such a foolish mistake again?

Yet, allying with the Jin dynasty was even more out of the question. Putting aside generations of bitter enmity, even as the Jin were being beaten to a pulp by the Mongols, they were still harboring thoughts of bullying the Southern Song, trying to make up for losses in the north by seizing territory in the south.

To put it in a single phrase: "If I cannot defeat the Mongols, can I not at least bully the Southern Song?"

However, the Song court did not see it that way. You are in such a wretched state, yet what could you possibly do to me? Do you expect those battered spears of yours to water your horses in the Yangtze River? In the end, not only did the Jin lose the greater part of their elite forces in the wars against the Southern Song, but they also severed any possibility of a Song-Jin alliance against the Mongols.

In the past, the Jin dynasty had given the Southern Song the cold shoulder; now, the Southern Song felt the Jin dynasty was utterly out of their league! The Jin had already lost any value for cooperation...

Thus, deprived of support, the Jin dynasty was quickly battered by the Mongols until only the Henan region remained. By this time, the Mongols had already occupied the Guandong region, and in early May, the Quanzhen Sect on Mount Zhongnan welcomed its first batch of Mongolian envoys.

The envoys had come to convey the will of the Great Khan Ögedei, which ran roughly as follows: Since you are now considered under my rule, as long as you can guarantee the timely payment of taxes, the vast rural areas of the Guandong region can be handed over to the Quanzhen Sect for administration...

There was nothing particularly momentous about this—it was merely a "tax-farming system," something the Song dynasty had played to absolute perfection, known back then as "bidding" or "purchasing the right to collect," but it all amounted to the same thing. Now, let us look at the second point!

During times of war, the Quanzhen Sect would be required to dispatch martial arts experts to assist, as well as take charge of levying laborers, drafting corvée labor or soldiers in proportion to the population! To put it bluntly, this clause was merely a supplement to the first.

Following that came the Mongol imperial titles bestowed upon the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, the recognition of Quanzhen as the state religion, the appointment of Qiu Chuji as the state preceptor, and so forth!

By this time, Ma Yu had once again entered seclusion, leaving Qiu Zhiqing—the third-generation chief disciple who had recently emerged from seclusion—to naturally assume the role of the person in charge. Should they accept? Naturally, they must accept! However, which terms could be accepted and which could not required having a precise measure in one's own heart.

Many things appeared advantageous on the surface, yet they were like bait upon a fishhook—sweet and appealing to look at. But when the fisherman looked at you, once he added his soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, wouldn't you smell just as fragrant and taste just as sweet?

Before Qiu Zhiqing could even speak, Zhao Zhijing, unable to restrain himself any longer among the gathered group, leaped forward and blurted out: "Junior Brother, what on earth are you hesitating for? It is rare indeed for the Great Khan to favor us, and it is our utmost honor! We have nothing to lose, so what harm is there in agreeing?"

Damn it, after spending years in seclusion, why was it that the moment he came out, he was sickened by this absolute piece of trash? Maybe he should find a way to ship him off to Mount Kunyu in Yantai to keep his master company and spare everyone the eyesore.

"Ahem! Senior Brother Zhao, mind your station!" See? Taught by the same master, Cui Zhifang was vastly more endearing!

Ignoring Zhao Zhijing’s clamoring, Qiu Zhiqing fell silent in contemplation for a moment before saying, "This humble Daoist can speak on behalf of my honored master to accept the first condition: paying taxes punctually. However, as for the subsequent titles and enfeoffments, in my view, it would be best to stop right here. How does that sound?"

After pausing to think it over, he added, "Before his death, Genghis Khan declared that the Central Plains region would be exempt from taxes for three years. Respected Envoy, would the Guandong region also follow this precedent? After all, since Great Khan Ögedei has inherited the late Khan’s legacy, surely he would not refuse such a minor request, would he?"

The first condition was already an accomplished fact. Under the leadership of Quanzhen’s outer-sect disciples, many villages had begun practicing martial arts village-wide. With Ögedei’s recognition, the Quanzhen branches in Shandong, Hedong, and Hebei could also follow this example.

As for whatever came afterward, that could be discussed later. If they wanted to collect taxes, they must exempt them first!

The envoy found this somewhat difficult to handle. Before setting out, he had thought this was some lucrative assignment, but now it looked like a thoroughly wretched chore! Had anyone ever heard of accepting only half an imperial decree? He stated that he would have to return and consult the Great Khan’s wishes...

After sending off the Mongolian envoy, Qiu Zhiqing spoke directly to Zhao Zhijing in front of all his fellow apprentices: "Senior Brother Zhao, I hope you will think twice before acting in the future, and stop constantly uttering inappropriate remarks. You are not unaware that calamity stems from the mouth!"

With that, he turned his gaze to Cui Zhifang and asked, "Has Senior Brother Cui been remiss in his treatment of Senior Brother Zhao?"

"Never!"

Qiu Zhiqing nodded. He trusted his own ability to see through Cui Zhifang’s character; the man was upright and fair-minded, and would never resort to petty underhanded tactics against his fellow senior brother.

Then, turning back to Zhao Zhijing, he said, "In that case, I happen to have a rather important letter here that requires a reliable person to deliver to Senior Brother Wang. After much deliberation, Junior Brother still feels that Senior Brother Zhao is the most suitable candidate, so I must trouble Senior Brother Zhao to make a trip to Laizhou!"

Seeing Zhao Zhijing’s expression shift uncertainly, Qiu Zhiqing ignored him. This was entirely of his own making. As for the matter of beating and scolding outer-sect disciples without cause, this was far from the first time he had been disciplined.

Yet this fellow, whether out of dissatisfaction with him or with the entire existing leadership team, refused to mend his ways despite repeated admonitions! If Ma Yu had not constantly preached the importance of unity, this man would have been packed off to Laizhou to drink tea with his master Wang Chuyi long ago!

On a day of such grave importance, everyone else was exercising utmost caution in speech and conduct, yet he was still sitting there chattering away like a buzzing drone! If he didn't find something for him to do, he would probably rust from sheer idleness...

"Since Senior Brother Zhao has no objections, then the matter is settled. Tomorrow, a disciple will deliver Junior Brother’s letter to your quarters. If Senior Brother Zhao has nothing else, you may withdraw to make preparations. The rest of us still have matters to discuss."

Having said that, he fixed a steady gaze upon Zhao Zhijing!

Zhao Zhijing’s complexion changed for a moment. In the end, withholding even the courtesy of a bow, he flicked his sleeve and strode out. He knew full well that he could no longer remain within this Chongyang Main Hall!

Qiu Zhiqing had originally thought that by banishing Zhao Zhijing to Laizhou in Shandong, he would have nothing more to do with him, leaving only the thin shell of their fellow-apprentice bond. Yet unexpectedly, after making a trip down the mountain and returning, Zhao Zhijing had actually returned to the Chongyang Palace to resume his post as the Vice Pavilion Master of the Integrity Pavilion...

Seeing Zhao Zhijing depart, Qiu Zhiqing sat motionless. With a flick of his sleeve, the heavy doors of the Chongyang Hall slammed shut with a resounding thud! The guards stationed outside then heard a single command: "Guards, fall back fifty paces to maintain the perimeter!"

The guards immediately stepped back, maintaining high alert... On that day, nobody outside knew what Qiu Zhiqing had discussed with the seventeen leading figures across the single hall and five pavilions...

When the Mongolian envoy returned a second time, he brought only the decree regarding tax farming, clearly indicating that their Great Khan had made concessions. Along with it came a policy exempting the Guandong region from taxation for one year.

The stated reason was that the three-year tax exemption period for the Central Plains promised by Genghis Khan had already expired, but out of consideration for the Quanzhen Sect, an additional year of exemption could be granted!

Of course, that was merely a polite framing—anyone who believed it would be a fool! The real reason was that the Guandong region had been voluntarily abandoned by the Jin dynasty. Although rural areas were obstructed by large numbers of Quanzhen outer-sect disciples, the official granaries and treasuries within the cities had already been thoroughly stripped bare by the Jin!

That was why the Mongols kept trying to lure the Southern Song into an alliance, purely hoping the Song would grant them passage and simultaneously supply them with grain...

To sum it up in a single sentence: You might come out ahead, but I will never suffer a loss!

In the end, the Quanzhen Sect agreed to stabilize Guandong, on the condition that the Mongols were strictly prohibited from pillaging any villages in the region; otherwise, Quanzhen disciples reserved the right to strike down the culprits on the spot—though "strike down on the spot" was diplomatically altered to "capture and bring to justice"...

It mattered little; this was merely a verbal agreement. The Mongols could disavow such terms at any moment, and Quanzhen disciples could equally well "accidentally fail" at any moment.

After sending off the Mongolian envoy, Chen Zhiyi said with a grave expression, "Senior Brother, these Mongols are fierce and rapacious as wolves; they cannot be trusted!"

"I am well aware that the Mongols cannot be trusted. Whenever they engage in pillaging, we shall proportionately reduce the taxes we remit to them. Junior Brother, from now on, let us use ninety percent of our liquid assets to purchase grain. Before long, a massive wave of refugees will flood in once again. These are truly troubled times..."

"I am afraid that will be difficult; the Great Song does not have much grain to spare either..." Chen Zhiyi said with undisguised gloom.

Qiu Zhiqing remained unimpressed: "If the Great Song has none, we look further south. Jiaozhi has plenty of it!"

...

This year’s autumn was far from a peaceful one. No sooner had Qiu Zhiqing seen off the Mongolian envoy bearing letters and titles than, a few days later, he welcomed yet another messenger. This visitor claimed to be a scout—a *tabai*—from the Zaoyang Military Command of the Great Song.

He stated that he carried a letter written to Qiu himself by their supreme commander, Meng Gong!

As he took the letter, Qiu Zhiqing asked with a casual, inquiring smile, "Is Brother Puyu still as plump and fair-complexioned as he was back then?"

Without a moment's hesitation, the messenger replied, "Our Supreme Commander is naturally as plump and fair as ever!"

Qiu Zhiqing chuckled, waved his hand, and dismissed him. Plump? You must be joking! Would Meng Puyu ever become plump?

Returning to his chambers, Qiu Zhiqing inspected the seal impression and found no evidence of tampering. However, the adhesive edge of the envelope bore faint, barely noticeable traces of having been resealed...

Breaking open the envelope, he unfolded the letter to find these words:

"Brother Chonghuan, seeing these words is like seeing you face to face. Since our parting at Xiangyang, several winters and summers have passed. I hear that the martial arts manuals left behind by the senior predecessor Xuanjing have now surfaced in Bianliang. Now that the Northern Mongols are driving southward, if these manuals fall into the hands of villains, your humble brother’s life will be in grave peril..."