Chapter 237 — Jongmang's Visit 2
Yeongu said,
"They will try to wipe their noses without using their own hands."
Jongmang asked in all seriousness,
"Then should we wipe their noses for them?"
It was a foolish question.
There was nothing to gain from people with the thief's mind, people who wanted to obtain what they desired without putting in any effort.
One would only be disappointed, and disappointed again.
Yeongu glared and said,
"You should ask them what they will give us in return. Diplomacy is the same. It is give and take. A transaction."
Jongmang murmured to himself, sounding regretful.
"Even without Song, we still have to fight. We cannot avoid the decisive struggle with Liao."
Yeongu answered at once.
"That is why you must tell them to put their spoon on the table this time. Tell them not to suffer alone later, but to act now. How good would it be if Liao disappeared? If they do not want to, then so be it, but they will probably want to join. Hm, hm. And you must definitely mention the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. What they want is the northern territory."
Jongmang repeated quietly,
"Hm, hm. Difficult. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. That means Yanjing and the surrounding region, yes?"
"I only heard it from others."
Yeongu paused for breath.
Then, as if drawing out words he had memorized, he began to explain carefully.
"Shi Jingtang was the founder of Later Jin. He was a man of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Originally, he was a general of Later Tang, but after coming into conflict with Later Tang, he sought help from the Khitan, that is, the later Liao, and became emperor. In return, he handed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to Yelü Deguang, Emperor Taizong of Khitan. A traitor to his country, in other words. Whether he ruled well after that, I do not know."
Jongmang listened quietly.
"That land includes what is now Yanjing, Beijing, and the Datong region. It is the core of northern defense. When Shi Jingtang handed it over, Song was left with a great weakness in its northern defense. That is also Song's greatest difficulty. Even now, they bow to Liao and send enormous annual payments. You must emphasize this point."
"Is that place so important?"
"Yes. They say it is extremely important. After Shi Jingtang gave away the Sixteen Prefectures, they lost the natural barrier that could stop northern invasions. If one wished, one could ride all the way to the Yellow River across an open plain.* If Song cannot recover the Sixteen Prefectures, Hebei will not be secure. If Hebei is not secure, Henan cannot sleep in peace. They have made many efforts to recover it, but they failed."
*A flat open plain where a horse can run without obstruction.
Jongmang's eyes widened.
Yeongu explained like a master of diplomacy.
It was said that if one did not see a man for three days, one should look at him with new eyes.
That saying seemed made for this very Lieutenant General Yi.
Jongmang exclaimed in admiration.
"Oh, that is remarkable. Truly remarkable insight."
Yeongu waved his hand.
"I memorized it. I memorized every word the wise men said, without missing anything. Ah, it is much harder when someone asks me about something I have memorized. Let us not ask and just pass over it."
"Even if you memorized it, that is still impressive. Yes, that is surely how it must be."
Jongmang soon frowned.
"But if the country is rotten through and through, whom should I speak with?"
Yeongu nodded as well.
"That is true. Because it is that kind of country, it may actually be better diplomatically. If you satisfy private interests, they may yield on public matters. They say the highest office is something like the chief councillor. Right now, there is a man named Cai Jing or something. They say he has little ability and is only good at flattery. People good at flattery rise, do they not? Since the emperor is like that, men like him gain power."
While speaking, Yeongu struck his own forehead.
"Ah, my words are straying again. So, this fellow Cai Jing rose because he was good at pleasing the emperor. The emperor has very refined tastes. Art, that is. He spends national strength moving rare rocks for landscaping, and he loves paintings, calligraphy, and even music."
Jongmang's expression grew increasingly complicated.
"There is a eunuch named Tong Guan, who was favored by Emperor Huizong, who loved paintings and painting albums.
Whenever Tong Guan went to Hangzhou by imperial command to bring back painting albums, Cai Jing was beside him, skillfully pleasing him. That is how he rose.
And this man is something to behold. They say he purged hundreds of political enemies and made the world his own. This fellow Cai Jing sits at the highest rank."
Yeongu cut himself off again and scratched his head.
"Ah, the story is wandering somewhere else again."
Jongmang summarized.
"Cai Jing. And the eunuch Tong Guan. Those two are important, then."
"Yes. They are close to the emperor, and Cai Jing is now chief minister. Also, take a few paintings from Goryeo with you. I heard that Huizong once highly praised paintings by the Goryeo painter Yi Nyeong. If you obtain a few paintings and present them as works by that man, conversation will become much easier."
Jongmang's eyes widened again.
"You mean I should present paintings as Yi Nyeong's and win his favor?"
"That is right. Ask them to give you everything he has painted so far. It would be even better if they make an album. It will be difficult to do directly, so ask King of Goryeo."
Jongmang looked at Yeongu in disbelief.
"Is the King of Goryeo your friend? Will he just say what you ask him to say and give what you ask him to give?"
Yeongu said calmly,
"If you say it is necessary in order to request Song's participation in the war, he will help. In return, give him that fur you bring from here."
"Sable fur."
"Yes. Give some of that. What was it called? They said there is a very fine kind."
Jongmang answered at once.
"Pure black sable pelt."
*Pure black sable pelt: a black sable fur of even color, unmixed with other shades. It was a representative luxury fur of Manchuria and the Jurchen region, used both as a practical article against the cold and as a precious tribute item for nobles and royal houses. "Sable pelt" refers to the skin of the sable, and "pure black" indicates the finest grade, with a clear and uniform color.
"Yes. Give them some pure black sable pelts and obtain the paintings. I do not know about anything else, but with Yi Nyeong's paintings, you should be able to win the Song emperor's favor."
Jongmang thought to himself.
It was good that I came.
If I had gone as I was, I might have achieved nothing.
They had both been ignorant generals arguing over who would stand at the vanguard, but the Yi Yeongu before his eyes now was entirely different.
His insight and understanding of the world seemed hundreds of times greater than that of a rustic man like himself.
Jongmang spoke with sincerity.
"You are truly remarkable.
Such insight."
"I told you, I memorized it."
"Even memorizing it is remarkable."
Yeongu's face took on a slightly boastful look.
"Even when you do not understand something, if you memorize it and repeat it, the meaning enters you. Do you know what that is called?"
Jongmang said politely,
"I will listen with both ears."
"It is called embodied understanding. Hahaha. That is why martial arts are also memorized and repeated. Hahaha. As I kept repeating, I really did rise."
It was also a talent, if one could call it a talent, to speak so well and then blur the point at the very end with some wandering remark.
Jongmang, too, hurriedly prepared sable pelts and set out for Goryeo that very night.