Chapter 45, Ketun City
Kedun City is located on the banks of the Tula River in the upper reaches of the Orkhon River in modern Mongolia and in the northeast of Hadasan in Burgen Province.
Looking down from the sky, the Kedun City of the Liao Dynasty was built on a hillside. The city wall was about ten meters high, and each side was six to seven hundred meters long. Not far to the east, there was a large frozen river winding north. Go, it is the Tula River that provides water to the city.
This Kedun city in the Liao Kingdom was first built by the imperial concubine in the 22nd year of the reign of Emperor Shengzong of the Liao Dynasty. It was also called Zhenzhou - the so-called Kedun is the "Queen" in the Uighur language of the Tang Dynasty. meaning. The city is divided into South City and North City, arranged in the shape of a sun. At that time, when the Emperor Shengzong of Liao Dynasty moved to Bohai, more than 600 families of Nüzhi and Han people lived in Nancheng, and most of them were craftsmen. Beicheng was where the felt tents of the cavalry of the Mobei tribes under the Liao Dynasty were located.
Although Kedun City has a long history, its layout is not large. Not to mention compared with Bianliang and Xiangzhou, even compared with Huining in the Jin Kingdom, it is far inferior. Previously, due to changes in river courses Because of this, the city was even abandoned and abandoned by the Khitans for a long time. It was only used again in recent decades, but it was not well repaired. Therefore, although the city wall is very high, it is also very dilapidated. A quick look shows that it has not been repaired for many years. In some places, there were even collapse gaps.
Since it was originally designed as a military fortress, the city covers an area of less than half a square kilometer. Moreover, the North City that houses the army basically has no fixed buildings and is just a pure tent city. Only in Nancheng are there a few streets and alleys, where various wooden or rammed-earth houses have been built, and wine shops and restaurants have been opened. There are hundreds of households of Han, Bohai and Khitan people living there, which finally makes this place a little prosperous. meteorological.
But in terms of the entire urban area, it is probably not as good as a residential area in later generations, and the population and industry are even more incomparable.
——Due to the rise of the Jin Kingdom, the import of goods from the Central Plains was cut off, causing the business here to be severely hit and became extremely depressed.
However, no matter how dilapidated and poor it is, this is already the last city under the rule of Daliao!
Moreover, with the sad productivity level of the Mobei Grassland in this era, it is really unable to support a larger-scale urban civilization.
The Khitan, the once all-powerful grassland overlord, only has a few remaining embers left.
In short, after seeing the depressed and dilapidated appearance of Keyun City, Wang Qiu had no idea about making money from here.
Now, the only thing that all the time travelers can hope for is how many reward points they can get by changing the historical destiny of this Khitan remnant.
——After a series of hilarious and farcical exchanges, the Khitan prisoners of war rescued from Huining finally carried Emperor Tianzuo's ice coffin down from the floating city and told all the strange events that had happened before. They all told their compatriots in Keyun City exactly...
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Looking at the lifelike remains of Emperor Zuo of Liao Tian, Yelu Yanxi, through the thick transparent ice coffin, Yelu Dashi had extremely complicated feelings.
——No matter from which perspective, Emperor Yelu Yanxi of Liao Tianzuo was not a qualified emperor.
Yelu Yanxi's father was the prince and was supposed to succeed him. It is a pity that Yelu Hongji, Daozong of Liao Dynasty, was deceived by treacherous ministers. Not long after Yelu Yanxi was born, his parents were convicted and killed by Daozong of Liao Dynasty. Later, Daozong of the Liao Dynasty realized that he was wrong and accidentally killed the prince. He felt deeply guilty. So he especially loved this grandson who had no father and mother, and wanted to make up for his fault. Finally, before his death, he left a will to pass the throne to his grandson Yelu Yanxi.
Logically speaking, it is very reasonable and common for the throne to be passed on to the direct grandson. At that time, the entire Liao Dynasty had no objection. But the problem was that although Yelu Yanxi was already in his twenties at that time, he had no interest in governing the country and had no talent. Because he has lived in pampering since he was a child, doing whatever he wants and being willful. After he ascended the throne, he only knew how to hunt all year round, which made the affairs of the country gradually weakened.
Although there is still a group of veterans who are trying their best to maintain the authority of Emperor Tianzuo and maintain the Khitan clan's rule over the north. But this Emperor Tianzuo behaved really badly. He spent all day hunting, drinking and having fun, being absurd and confused, ignoring government affairs, and causing trouble everywhere. Gradually, treacherous ministers were also listed above the court. People at the time commented: "Emperor Tian Zuo was addicted to wine and music, and was a despicable person. He drove away the loyal and good, and appointed small groups. All living things near and far were treated harshly." "Emperor Tian Zuo of the Liao Dynasty refused to be remonstrated and pretended to be wrong. He was extravagant and lustful. Pan Yuan (hunting), credit was framed, discipline was lax, and people were angry, so the Jin people took advantage of his weakness and attacked him"
After the Jurchens rebelled and caused chaos in the north, the Khitan court was worried, but they also felt that under the stimulation of life and death, Yelu Yanxi should cheer up. But no one expected that when the country was in crisis, he would become an even more unbearable escape emperor. After only one personal expedition failed, he no longer had the courage to face the Jin soldiers. He abandoned hundreds of officials and the army and fled - from Shangjing to Zhongjing, from Zhongjing to Nanjing (Yanjing), from Nanjing to Xijing (Datong), and then even to Mobei. Just like this, he ran away again and again, and finally he escaped with his life and death unknown: the country was not yet destroyed, but the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty could not find the emperor!
Such a cowardly and incompetent performance made the whole country drop their jaws: Are these cowards a scholar of the Song Dynasty or a Khitan Khan?
I remember that when he was an official in Yanjing, Yelu Dashi once advised Emperor Tianzuo, hoping that he would stop evading his responsibilities and assemble all the remaining soldiers and horses in the country to fight to the death with the Jin people. Even if the country is defeated and the country is destroyed, it cannot disgrace the great reputation of the Khitan ancestors for winning the world through hundreds of battles. Unexpectedly, the emperor promised well, but as soon as he turned around, he secretly took a group of concubines and guards and went hunting somewhere.
After Emperor Tianzuo disappeared, the ministers of the Liao Kingdom who were still persisting became desperate. Some ran away, some surrendered, and the rest were incompetent people. They gathered in the city of Yanjing, leaderless and scattered, as if they were all in trouble. Waiting for the moment when the tree falls and the hozen disperse.
Seeing that the 200-year-old foundation of the Liao Dynasty was about to be destroyed in such an extremely useless manner, Yelu Dashi had to stand up and join forces with Xiao Qian, the leader of the Xi people, and Li Chuwen, the Han Prime Minister, to represent the remaining forces of the Liao Kingdom. Supported his uncle Yelu Chun to proclaim himself emperor and established a temporary regime in Yanjing to lead the war of resistance. Facing the north-south attacks of the Song and Jin armies, these Khitan relics struggled hard for two or three years, but were finally defeated and perished.
However, when Yelu Dashi finally escaped from the Jurchen prisoner-of-war camp, he broke into the grassland with a group of troops and met Yelu Yanxi. Emperor Tianzuo actually wanted to punish him for treason and usurping the throne! Although through some negotiation and intimidation, Yelu Yanxi finally reluctantly pardoned Yelu Dashi in order to avoid internal strife. However, when the conditions did not allow it, he refused to listen to the advice and launched a full-scale counterattack against the Jin people who were gaining momentum. ...In the end, they were completely defeated, losing the last bit of military capital the Khitans had on the northwest grasslands, and making themselves prisoners.
At this point, the Daliao Empire, a large ship that had gone through two hundred years of vicissitudes, fell apart and completely sank.
But the Khitan clan, which once dominated the north, is still struggling for survival even though it is at the end of its rope.
Since then, another two or three years have passed. Yelu Dashi led the last lone Khitan army to guard the city of Kedun, watching the disputes in the world with cold eyes.
During this period, all the changes in the world made the Khitan people, who were still living, dizzying:
The two countries Song and Jin, who once joined hands to defeat the Liao Dynasty, became mortal enemies in the blink of an eye.
In just half a year, Jin Bing's horses easily crossed the Yellow River and reached the city of Bianliang, which was the most prosperous and magnificent city in the world.
The performance of the Song Army in Hebei and Hedong was actually even worse than that of the Liao Kingdom before. In one year, they almost destroyed the entire country's troops.
Then, when the Jin army went south for the second time last autumn, until winter came and the roads were blocked by heavy snow, the Khitan people in Kedun City thought that even if the Song Dynasty could barely hold on to the capital Bianliang this time, it would at least be difficult. Most of the Central Plains was lost... Who would have expected that an immortal with boundless power would appear from nowhere. He not only caused fire from the sky to burn down the Jin army in the southern expedition, but even plowed the courtyards and swept holes, destroying the Jurchens' hometown and the Kingdom of Jin. The capital is Huining!
——This shocking reversal of rhythm almost made Yelu Dashi's jaw drop when he suddenly heard about it.
As a Confucian scholar who respected ghosts and gods, and a military and political strongman who had experienced countless battles, Yelu Dashi had never been too fond of cultivating immortals, worshiping Buddhism, and placing his fate on ghosts and gods. But the brightly colored floating city floating above his head now, the corpse of Emperor Tianzuo Yelu Yanxi in front of him, and the descriptions of the Khitan compatriots who flew all the way from Huining really did not allow him to mess around. deny.
Therefore, he could only accept this shocking fact while regretting why such a powerful true immortal could not be born in Liao Kingdom.
Of course, for the Khitan clan who are at the end of their rope, this is still a great opportunity to survive.
——According to the meaning of the Song Dynasty court revealed in the words of the "real protector of the country", the Song people's strategic goal is at most to seize the Yanyun Sixteen States and control the northern barrier of the colorful world of the Central Plains. As for the cold land north of Yanshan, instead of taking advantage of the enemy Jurchens, it is better to let the old neighbors the Khitans come back and continue to keep company... After all, the two countries have negotiated peace for hundreds of years, and each is used to the other's existence...
However, the premise is that the Khitans can still rely on their own strength to fight back to their homeland and regain their place of origin from the Jurchens.
In addition, the death of Emperor Tianzuo also cleared the way for Yelu Dashi to ascend the throne. At least he no longer had to bear the stigma of "tampering".
Yelu Dashi shook his head, driving all the messy thoughts out of his mind. He lowered his head again and stared at Emperor Tianzuo's remains in silence... For a moment, all kinds of memories of past life, including sadness, sentimentality, Indescribable emotions such as lament and regret were mixed together and mixed into a paste, and then suddenly surged into Yelu Dashi's heart, choking in his throat, and he didn't know how to get rid of it.
——No matter how stupid and cowardly he is, no matter how he betrays his relatives, until he dies, the man in front of him is still the supreme leader of the Khitan clan, the ruler of hundreds of tribes in half the world, and the lord he once served wholeheartedly...
"...Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is probably the last time I will call you this. Although what you have done is really a shame to your ancestors, to the sky, to all the people, I simply don’t know what will happen after death. I will honor my ancestors, but I will still give you a royal burial. However, my Khitan clan is already short of money and resources, so I am afraid that I cannot afford this burial gift. Please forgive me.”
He flicked the ice coffin with his fingers and whispered to himself, "...But please rest assured, Your Majesty. The country that you ruined will be restored by me; the country that you cut off will be restored by me; The capital you abandoned will be recaptured by me... Just go with peace of mind!"
After whispering here, Yelu Dashi took one last look at the ice coffin, lifted his cloak and turned to leave. At the same time, he loudly ordered the guards outside the door:
"...Send the order! The whole city celebrates, holds a big banquet, and entertains the distinguished guests from the Song Dynasty in the most enthusiastic way!"
At the same time, Wang Qiu stood on the castle tower of the Japanese-style floating city, looking at the handwriting displayed on the "Book of Time Travel" with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"...Change the fate of "Ju'er Khan" Yelu Dashi, the founding king of Western Liao, and the Khitan clan, and get 1,500 reward points." - There are still 5,000 points short of the "end game" total score of 50,000 reward points ……