Chapter 3, Eyes like torches

"Your Excellency, the treaty has been drafted. Please review it, and if there are no issues, kindly affix your seal." Song Jing, with a beaming smile, presented the draft of the treacherous treaty to Jia Sidao, who should now be referred to as He Kang. He Kang merely glanced at it briefly, and without further ado, signed his name on the treaty that would bring him fame—of course, he signed as Jia Sidao. He then picked up the large seal with his left hand and stamped it down with a loud 'thud,' laughing joyfully, "Alright, may our Great Song and the Mongolian Empire be forever united in alliance and coexist peacefully."

Ling Zhen and Wu Longqi were cursing at each other incessantly, wishing they could devour the flesh of Jia Sidao. Unfortunately, both of them were bound with several thick hemp ropes, and no matter how hard they struggled, they could not break free from the restraints. In the end, after their curses became more intense, they were gagged with burlap by Han Zhen's personal soldiers and forcibly dragged out of the central military camp. Before long, Han Zhen's soldiers entered carrying two bloody heads, holding them high in front of He Kang and Ahema. He Kang then ordered, "Take their heads and parade them around the camp for all to see, and then have the Mongolian envoy present them to the Fourth Prince!"

In a moment, Chen Yizhong was secretly brought to the rear tent by Jia Sidao's personal guards. After Chen Yizhong saluted, He Kangxian ordered everyone in the tent to leave, and then asked the still-smiling Chen Yizhong: "Chen Yizhong, just now during the audience, why were you smiling at me? And why did you smile in such a strange manner?"

Oh, then I thank Chancellor Jia, but I wonder what gift the Chancellor intends to present to the Fourth Prince?" Ahema felt greedy, thinking that it would be wonderful if he could send a few beautiful women from Jiangnan. This time, accompanying the Fourth Prince south to attack Ezhou, they encountered Zhang Sheng, Gao Da, Qiong Ying, and Lü Wende, four Han barbarians who resisted fiercely, returning almost empty-handed. If he could bring back a few beauties to warm his bed, it wouldn't be a wasted trip to the south. However, when Jia Sidao waved for the gifts to be brought forth, Ahema could not help but feel greatly disappointed. What was presented was not the enchanting beauties of the south, but rather two burly men, covered in blood and wounds, dressed in the low-ranking military officer uniforms of the Song army.

"Indeed, he has won the hearts of the military; my judgment of them was not mistaken." He Kang displayed remarkable acting talent, quickly immersing himself in the role of Jia Sidao, even maintaining his self-reference flawlessly. Just then, He Kang suddenly heard a light laugh coming from not far away. The laughter was very relaxed, not the kind of false laughter that flatters Jia Sidao, but rather a smile that seemed to come from the heart. Following the sound, He Kang saw a handsome young junior officer, dressed in the official uniform of a seventh-rank Yunqi Wei, looking at him with a smile, appearing as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. He Kang sensed something unusual and turned to Han Zhen, whispering, "Who is this person?"

"Your Excellency, please forgive me; this student merely made a guess." Chen Yizhong was unwilling to miss the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities in front of the current powerful officials, and he spoke in a low voice: "I am but a humble student with a slight talent for remembering faces. I recall that General Wu Longqi had previously sustained a minor injury to his left ear, where half a thumb's thickness of flesh was removed from the top of the ear. Although this characteristic is not very obvious, it has remained etched in my memory. Just now, when Lord Han Zhen's personal guards presented the severed heads, I carefully examined the two heads. I found that although they were covered in blood and unrecognizable, both ears were intact—therefore, I dare to speculate that the two patriotic and resolute generals were not executed by Your Excellency! Instead, they have been secretly protected by Your Excellency!"

In the year 1269 AD, the first year of the Kaicheng era of the Song Dynasty, on the morning of the third day of the intercalary eleventh month, Jia Sidao, the Right Chancellor of the Southern Song Dynasty, signed a treaty with Ahhema, the envoy of Kublai Khan, one of the four princes of Mongolia, at the military camp in Huanggang, Huangzhou, Southern Song. The Southern Song agreed to cede the land north of the Yangtze River and to pay an annual tribute of 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk to Mongolia, as well as to allow a portion of the Mongolian troops to temporarily station in Huangzhou, south of the Yangtze River, in exchange for the withdrawal of Mongolian forces from Ezhou—this is famously known in later history as the first Ezhou Treaty.

At this point, Chen Yizhong not only felt some admiration for Jia Sidao but also expressed his respect, saying: "From a student's perspective, the actions of the noble lord in recent days are all aimed at deceiving the Mongolian Tartars. On the surface, he appears to be selling out the country for personal gain, making the Mongolian Tartars let down their guard, while in reality, he is accumulating strength and waiting for the right moment to launch a counterattack." He Kang was taken aback and asked sharply: "How did you come to this conclusion? How can you be sure that the Prime Minister is deceiving the enemy? That he is secretly gathering strength to prepare for a counterattack? Have you heard any rumors?"

Without mentioning Ah He Ma returning to report to Kublai Khan with disdain for Jia Sidao, let us focus on He Kang, who had transformed into Jia Sidao, leading a group of civil and military officials back to the central military tent on foot. Due to the fact that they were walking back to the camp, He Kang clearly observed the expressions on the faces of the Song soldiers along the way. As He Kang had anticipated, many Song soldiers had tear-streaked faces, and quite a few glared at He Kang with gritted teeth, as if they were on the verge of pouncing on him and tearing him to pieces. He Kang clearly saw the expressions on the faces of the Song soldiers along the way, and as he had expected, many of them had tear-streaked faces, while several others glared at him with gritted teeth, seemingly ready to leap at him and rend him limb from limb. Of course, there were also a considerable number of Song soldiers who smiled broadly at He Kang, flattering him excessively. He Kang paid no mind to this; instead, he secretly nodded in his heart and turned to Han Zhen, who was walking beside him, and quietly asked, "Han Zhen, did you take note of those grassroots officers who were emotionally agitated and angry when the heads were displayed just now?"

"According to En Xiang's instructions, most of it has been noted down," Han Zhen replied in a low voice. "Among them, the expressions of the troops led by Ling Zhen and Wu Longqi were the most agitated. Whether it was the generals, training officers, or the supporters, guards, flag bearers, and ordinary soldiers, they were all crying uncontrollably. If it weren't for Yuan Jie and the others suppressing them, a mutiny would likely have erupted on the spot"

"The Song Dynasty is doomed! How could such an unlearned person be appointed as the Prime Minister and the commander of the army!" Chen Yizhong lamented inwardly. However, he also understood that Jia Sidao had risen to power due to his sister's favor with the current Emperor Song Lizong, so he patiently explained: "Feigning madness to keep one's sanity means that sometimes, in order to retreat and seek advancement, one must pretend to be foolish and not lose one's composure, maintaining a steady demeanor to achieve a counterattack later. This is akin to the clouds suppressing the thunder, not revealing any cleverness; when the moment to strike arrives, it will be unexpected and lead to victory."

"Lord Jia speaks excellently. We, the Mongols, shall coexist peacefully with the Song Dynasty and form a lasting alliance!" Ahema laughed even more joyfully than He Kang, quickly signing the treaty and pulling He Kang's hand in laughter, "The treaty is certain. Lord Jia can report to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, and I can also return to convey the orders to the Fourth Prince. Allow me to first wish Lord Jia a promotion and wealth, longevity like the Southern Mountain, beautiful wives and concubines, and a legacy of nobility for generations to come"

Your Excellency, these two fellows, one named Ling Zhen and the other Wu Longqi, are both generals in our Song army. He Kang sneered as he explained to Ahema: These two fellows hold low positions, yet they manage many affairs, and they actually dare to obstruct the Prime Minister from signing a peace treaty with the Fourth Prince. Firstly, in order to demonstrate my determination to negotiate peace with the Fourth Prince, I have decided to behead these two fellows and present their heads to the Fourth Prince as a gift. Secondly, it serves as a warning to others, to see who else would dare to oppose the Prime Minister's peace negotiations with the Fourth Prince.

"No way? The Lord must not be unaware of the 'Thirty-Six Stratagems,' right?" Chen Yizhong was even more taken aback than He Kang. He Kang replied angrily, "Of course I know about the 'Thirty-Six Stratagems,' but whether 'Feigning madness to conceal one's true abilities' is one of them, I can no longer recall. As for the meaning of this stratagem 'Feigning madness to conceal one's true abilities,' I also do not know!"

"Release the accounts, cut him down!" He Kang commanded with a wave of his hand, his voice booming with authority. Ling Zhen and Wu Long, aware that their end was near, cast aside all reservations and began to curse in unison, "Jia Sidao, you treacherous dog, relying on your sister being a favored concubine to climb to power, you act with impunity. May you not die a good death! May you not die a peaceful death!" "Jia Sidao, even if we reach the Yama's hall, we will still bring our grievances before the King of Hell! Jia Sidao, you great traitor, will surely face retribution one day! Jia Sidao, you dog thief—! May you not die a good death!" "Jia Sidao, even if we reach the Yama's hall, we will still bring our grievances before the King of Hell! Jia Sidao, you great traitor, will surely face retribution one day! Jia Sidao, you dog thief—!"

The official understood. Han Zhen replied softly, but in his heart, he was pondering that En Xiang had indeed changed after this illness. He had always been suspicious, but now he had become even more so. Even when encountering a low-ranking officer, he had to keep it a secret from others. It seemed that he would have to be more cautious in the future. However, what Han Zhen did not know was that He Kang's actions were quite reasonable. He Kang clearly understood that the reason the Southern Song was destroyed by the Mongols was not solely due to military weakness, but rather because of the treachery of traitors seeking personal gain. Therefore, He Kang, who did not fully understand the current situation of the army, decided to keep his every move confidential for the sake of caution. What Han Zhen did not know was that He Kang's actions were quite reasonable. He Kang clearly understood that the reason the Southern Song was destroyed by the Mongols was not solely due to military weakness, but rather because of the treachery of traitors seeking personal gain. Therefore, He Kang, who did not fully understand the current situation of the army, decided to keep his every move confidential for the sake of caution.

"Your Excellency, if I am not mistaken, you must be employing the strategy of feigning madness to avoid detection, right?" Chen Yizhong replied with a smile and a cupped fist salute. Although he had been relegated to military service by Ding Daqian for several years, Chen Yizhong had not changed the habit he had during his time at the Imperial Academy, still referring to himself as a student. The half-wit He Kang, however, was left dumbfounded and asked with a pained expression, "Could you explain more clearly what you mean by feigning madness?"

Due to the need for more time to understand the various circumstances of this era, He Kang used the excuse that his health had not yet recovered, and continued to delegate all military affairs to his deputy Han Zhen. Fortunately, although Han Zhen was not skilled in leading troops in battle, he was still competent in handling ordinary military matters, and he was wholeheartedly loyal to Jia Sidao, making him a reliable person to depend on. He Kang himself returned to the rear tent, waiting to summon Chen Yizhong to his quarters for a private discussion with his personal guards.

"Your Excellency has a keen eye; this person is none other than Chen Yizhong, one of the renowned Six Gentlemen. He was originally a student at the Imperial Academy, but after offending Prime Minister Ding Daquan, he was falsely accused by Ding and sent to serve in the military." Han Zhen replied in surprise, thinking to himself that the Prime Minister must be quite ill to have taken a liking to the notoriously troublesome Chen Yizhong. Meanwhile, He Kang, who was almost completely ignorant of Southern Song history, silently lamented, wondering how he could know anything about the Six Gentlemen. He thought to himself that the Prime Minister must truly be out of his mind to have noticed the infamous Chen Yizhong. He had heard of a notable figure named Wen Tianxiang from the late Song period, but he had never heard of Chen Yizhong. However, since this student dared to offend the current Prime Minister, he must not be an ordinary character. With this in mind, He Kang quickly instructed Han Zhen, "In a moment, bring him to my private quarters; I wish to have a private discussion with him. Remember, this matter must also be kept confidential; no one else should know."

"As you command!" replied the loyal soldier holding the severed head, and he followed the orders to carry the head out for public display. After a moment, the camp was filled with the heart-wrenching cries of the Song soldiers, interspersed with the shouts of the Song generals suppressing the agitated soldiers and the sound of whips. Meanwhile, Ahema and He Kang were drinking and laughing amidst the cries, engaging in cheerful conversation. Once the heads of Ling Zhen and Wu Long had circled the camp, Ahema took the two heads back to Qingstone Cliff to report to Kublai Khan. He Kang, once again demonstrating his hospitality, personally escorted Ahema out of the Song army's camp, and only then did he bid farewell to Ahema with tears in his eyes.

"Jia Sidao, you treacherous dog who sells out the country for personal gain, you traitorous dog! Dog thief! Dog thief!" Ling Zhen and Wu Longqi were initially puzzled as to why Jia Sidao had ordered them to be brought to the central military tent, a place they were usually unqualified to enter. However, upon hearing Jia Sidao's shameless words, both were filled with shock and anger, unable to restrain themselves from cursing loudly. Meanwhile, Ah He Ma laughed heartily, saying, "Good, this is truly wonderful; the Fourth Prince will surely appreciate such a gift!"

Thank you for your kind words, esteemed envoy. He Kang chuckled and waved his hand, saying: "Please do not rush to leave, esteemed envoy. I still have two gifts for you to take back and present to the Fourth Prince."