釋氏稽古略 4.384

4.384

In the third month, the Jin capital ran short of provisions, and forty to fifty percent of the soldiers and commoners starved to death. The Jin ruler dispatched an envoy to the Great Army to sue for peace, and they demanded a princess, ten body-guarding generals, one hundred elite troops, five hundred young boys and girls each to attend the princess, three thousand suits of colorful embroidered robes, three thousand imperial horses, gold, silver, pearls, and jade; they also requested the Left Chancellor Wanyan Fuxing as a hostage. The Jin ruler complied with all demands, offering the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Donghai Commandery to fulfill it. They also ordered the Jin ruler to bow toward their country from afar; the ruler dared not refuse. They further said: 'The Marshal has besieged Yan for a long time without ever pillaging; he wishes to receive gold and silk to reward the army.' The ruler also complied. The Great Army returned north. At that time in the capital, three catties of silver could not buy three pints of rice, and the dead were beyond count. Moving the capital to Bianliang was discussed. On the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month, the imperial entourage set out; on the twenty-fourth day of the tenth month, they entered the capital of Bian. After returning, the Great Army heard that the Jin had moved to Bian and said in anger: 'Having made peace and then moved shows that they harbor suspicions and have not let go of resentment; they merely used peace as a ruse to appease us.' In the eighth month of the following year, they besieged Yanjing again, sending detachment forces to subdue the prefectures and commanderies of the Central Plains, and dispatched an envoy to Bian to demand gold, silver, and other goods to reward the army. The Jin ruler gave them all. The loyalist armies of Dongping, Daming, and Zhending all collapsed and were routed when encountering the Great Army. From this point on, communication between inside and outside was cut off. Crown Prince Shouxu returned to Bian from Yanjing via an indirect route. The palaces of Yanjing were majestic and beautiful, second to none in ancient and modern times; at this time, they were burned by rogue soldiers, and the fire did not cease for more than a month (Record of Jin).