I studied in modern times

Chapter 900 The Turks are fighting back!
In the second year of Yuanyou in the Song Dynasty and the third year of Da'an in the Liao Dynasty, on September 14th, it was Tian'an Festival.

Liao, Nanjing.

The place is decorated with lights and colorful decorations, creating a festive atmosphere.

To celebrate the Holy Day, the Liao ruler issued an edict a month in advance, exempting all taxes for the people, officials and merchants in Nanjing this year, and granting silk to the civil and military officials and nobles in the South and North Courts of Nanjing.

At the same time, an imperial decree was issued to grant wine, meat, firewood and rice to the military prefectures of the Southern Courtyard and the Northern Courtyard, and to the registered civilians, widows, women and children.

To show the emperor's grace and to celebrate the emperor's holy festival.

no way!
Yelu Hongji felt so happy!

If you want to have fun, spend money!
He must let everyone know that he, Yelu Hongji, is the holy ruler of the Great Liao Dynasty, whose achievements surpass those of his father and grandfather, and are catching up with Emperor Shengzong!
The Great Liao, under his rule, will continue to move towards new victories!

And the fact is, it is indeed so—

He marched eastward to conquer Goryeo, looking down on everyone he met. The great country of Haidong, which had caused his great-grandfather and grandfather to suffer setbacks, was now on the verge of death after being beaten by him, and could only cry and shout, and continuously send envoys to beg for peace.

Since the beginning of this year, the Liao army has won seven battles in the field near Kaifeng.

The Goryeo army became discouraged and no one dared to support Kaesong from August onwards.

The Goryeo defenders in Kaesong were extremely thirsty. It was said that all the food, fodder and water in the city had been eaten up.

Therefore, starting from July, the king of the country, Wang Yun, sent envoys to ask for peace intensively.

The attitude is constantly softening.

At the beginning, they said something like "We are willing to help the Emperor of Liao every year with 50,000 taels of silver and 20,000 pieces of cloth, and send the Crown Prince of Goryeo to the court to beg Liao to withdraw its troops."

In response, Yelu Hongji only said one word: Get out!

He had already named his successor, the Liao emperor's grandson, as the King of Korea, and announced to the people of the world that he, Liu Hongji, conquered Goryeo in order to recover his homeland.

Whose hometown?

The Four Han Counties of Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty!
Why did you build your country on the land of my ancestors?

You should reflect on this!

Not to mention, the conditions proposed by the Koreans were laughable.

Do you want the Liao Dynasty to give up the homeland of your ancestors for 50,000 taels of silver and 20,000 rolls of silk every year?
Pooh!
Not to mention Yelu Hongji, even the Han Chinese literati around Yelu Yanxi flatly opposed it.

These people were full of admiration for the Liao ruler's wise decision to publicly declare that he was a descendant of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty and even planned to restore the Liu family.

Flattery comes one after another.

After the Goryeo people encountered this obstacle and were unable to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, they gave up that unrealistic idea.

They sent envoys to beg for peace again, and the annual tribute remained unchanged in the new peace terms.

But the request of "willing to redeem the land with gold and silver" was added.

This means they want to spend money to get the Liao Kingdom to withdraw its troops.

When Yelu Hongji saw these conditions, he still sneered.

How much money can the island barbarians (a derogatory term used by the Liao people to refer to Goryeo) have?
Can Wang Yun get one million strings of cash by scraping the land in Qingzhou?

So, I still refused directly.

But the Koreans continued to seek peace.

Today, they came to ask for peace again - Goryeo sent its Vice-Chancellor Shao Taifu to the court, and brought new conditions for peace.

The annual tribute increased to 80,000 taels of silver and 30,000 pieces of silk cloth.

At the same time, there is no more talk like "begging for gold and silver to redeem the land".

Instead, he "asked to use the Taedong River outside Kaesong as the boundary" and at the same time promised that as long as the Liao ruler agreed.

Then this year's annual tribute will be offered immediately, and the crown prince will be sent to the Liao Kingdom at once, and from now on [generation after generation, we will serve Your Majesty as our lord and be your eternal subjects].

This is a little more interesting.

but……

After seeing these conditions, Yelu Hongji immediately reacted - you island barbarians are really funny!
First, I built my own country on the homeland of my ancestors.

Now he's even saying that he wants to give me my money?

Are you sick in the brain?!

If I destroy you, won't all your land, population and wealth belong to me?

However, the Liao Dynasty's Grand Tutor Yelu Dilie, who was at the front line, suggested that he "temporarily accept the island barbarians' request for peace."

Because winter will soon come to the Korean Peninsula.

The winter on the peninsula is too cold, and the army cannot move at all.

Therefore, it would be better to appease the Koreans first, sign a peace agreement, and then secure the victory.

Wait until the beginning of next spring and then find a way to tear up the peace agreement.

This idea made Yelu Hongji very excited, but he did not agree immediately.

Because he needs to pay attention to the international image.

At the same time, this matter also involves the issue of credibility.

There’s nothing wrong with breaking faith with Goryeo—by that time, all the members of the Wang family will be dead, and the dead won’t protest.

Isn’t it that whatever Yelu Hongji says is the truth?
But the Bohai and Jurchen people nearby were watching.

At the same time, the little emperor of the Southern Dynasty was also watching - this was what he was most worried about.

He wanted to continue expanding the Jiaozi trade between Song and Liao, and continue to purchase large quantities of commercial goods from the Southern Dynasty to feed the nobles in the country and unite the Zhubu, Bohai, Jurchen and other ethnic groups.

What if the Southern Dynasty doubts his credibility and refuses to expand the scale of Jiaozi trade next year?
Is it just relying on the annual quota of 3 million guan of Jiaozi?

Yelu Hongji, who had already enjoyed the benefits and pleasure of spending money lavishly, was unwilling to go back to the first year of Da'an, the hard days when he had to count the money in his hands even to celebrate his birthday.

So, the proposal was shelved.

In addition to Goryeo, the Liao navy also crossed the sea to Japan under the earnest pleas of Japan's "loyal ministers and filial sons", raising the banner of "reviving the destroyed country and continuing the extinct world" and aiming to "expel the traitorous Fujiwara clan" and ultimately realize the return of power to Japan.

Such a just act was naturally warmly welcomed by the whole of Japan.

After the Liao Dynasty army landed in Jiuzhou, the people welcomed them wholeheartedly wherever they went. There was a scene of vitality and prosperity everywhere!
As a result, not only in various parts of Japan, there were "righteous men" who responded to the royal army and rose up in rebellion.

Even the leaders of the various Ezo tribes in Japan, who had long been persecuted by the powerful Fujiwara clan, contacted the Liao royal army with tears in their eyes, crying out their tragic experiences and asking the Liao emperor to bring justice to them.

During the Tenan Festival, the Ezo leaders, the so-called Abe clan and the Kiyomizu clan, came to the court to pay homage and offer tribute.

Under the intimidation of the supreme power of the Liao royal army.

During this Tianan Festival, countries from all over the world came to pay tribute.

The Zhubo, Xixia, and Jurchen tribes, all of these former frequent visitors, gathered in Nanjing. There were also envoys from Goryeo and Japan who were crying and shouting in the inn every day, wanting to see him.

Even the envoys of the two Uighur (Black Khan) Khans in the Western Regions came to pay homage to him.

The heading of the letter reads [The Uighur Khan bows and kowtows to his uncle, the great official of the Great Liao Dynasty], which makes Yelu Hongji feel very comfortable and proud.

Because the Uighurs in the Western Regions really have the blood of the Yelu family and are his relatives!

In the first year of the Taiping reign of Emperor Shengzong of Liao (1021), Shengzong married his great-niece Kesun to the prince of the Black Khan, Cege (called Chage in the West, the son of Qadir Khan. This event was recorded in Afghanistan, which corresponds to the History of Liao). A few years later, the Uighur Khan sent an envoy to inform that the Liao princess had given birth to a prince.

This proves that the bloodline of the Yelu family of the Liao Dynasty does indeed flow in the Uighur Khans.

These Uighurs are all his nephews!

Therefore, Yelu Hongji was very cordial to these Uighur envoys.

After learning that they were coming, he immediately ordered people to treat them as state guests.

Especially for the envoys from the Western Uighur Khan, Yelu Hongji requested that they be treated as royal relatives.

Mainly because they haven't come to the court for a long time.

At least more than thirty years!
Ever since the Uighur Khans in the Western Regions split up, the Uighur Khan in the east and the Uighur Khan in the west had no contact with each other until they died.

Because of the blocked roads, it was difficult for the nephews in the west to visit their relatives in the Liao Dynasty.

This time, they came with great difficulty, so Yelu Hongji naturally had to treat them well.

Of course, Yelu Hongji’s main idea was to use this relationship to further open up the Silk Road trade and make money.

Those cheap cloth and silk from the Southern Dynasty can be sold to my nephews at a higher price!

Therefore, Yelu Hongji issued an exceptional decree, ordering his trusted confidant, Privy Councilor Zhao Xiaoyan, to serve as the companion envoy of the Western Uighur delegation.

Accompany these envoys from my nephew's family, have a good chat with them, and ask about the situation in distant places.

The Pamir Mountains have been almost cut off from any news from China since the middle Tang Dynasty.

I wonder if the Nine Zhaowu Clans from that time are still there?

However, for Yelu Hongji, the most important thing was the envoys from the Southern Dynasty.

Just like now, he was preparing to go to the main hall and personally summon the envoys from the Southern Dynasty who came to pay tribute.

The relationship with the Southern Dynasty is now the most important relationship in his mind.

Not just because the economic benefits are huge!

Also because the political benefits are so huge!
In the past two years, his grandson Yelu Yanxi relied on binding the young emperor of the Southern Dynasty and doing business together to flatter each other, and gradually won the hearts and expectations of the people at all levels.

The young emperor of the Southern Dynasty was particularly sensible and cooperative in this regard.

Not only did he write to Yelu Yanxi frequently to discuss Confucian classics with him, he also referred to himself as the "imperial elder brother" and called Yelu Yanxi "imperial younger brother".

Therefore, both the nobles in the North Court and the literati in the South Court placed high hopes on Yelu Yanxi.

As a result, people's hearts gradually turned to him, and even some powerful people who were worried about being purged after Yelü Yanxi ascended the throne because of Crown Prince Yin (Yelü Jun) began to try to get close to Yelü Yanxi.

Yelu Hongji was walking while thinking about these things, when suddenly a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

Yelu Hongji looked at the person coming and couldn't help squinting his eyes.

"Mr. Zhao..." He looked at the civil official who was kneeling on the side of the road.

It was he who sent Zhao Xiaoyan, the Privy Academician, to entertain the Western Uighur envoys who came to the court.

"Why is the Maester here?"

Zhao Xiaoyan bowed his head and kowtowed again: "I have a secret about the Uighurs, please report it to your majesty!"

Yelu Hongji frowned and asked, "What's the matter?
Zhao Xiaoyan crawled forward two steps, and when he was about three steps in front of Yelu Hongji, he raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, I learned from the Western Uighur envoy..."

"In addition to paying homage to His Majesty..."

"I still want to ask for help..."

"Ok?"

Yelu Hongji narrowed his eyes.

Western Uighurs seeking help?
Are there any foreign enemies invading?
“Tell me in detail…” Yelu Hongji walked forward.

Zhao Xiaoyan bowed again, and then informed Yelu Hongji of the information he had obtained from the Western Uighur envoy.

After hearing this, Yelu Hongji's expression became complicated.

"What the maester means is..."

"The Turks who were once expelled by the Tang Dynasty have fought back?"

"Are they attacking the Western Uighurs now?"

"Yes……"

Yelu Hongji rubbed his palms, thought for a while, and then said to Zhao Xiaoyan: "Master, go and make arrangements. I will summon the Western Uighur envoy to the main hall tomorrow. At the same time, please also arrange for the leaders of the Zubu Mogus, Uguza, Daridi (Dilie tribe), Basmu and other tribes to see me together!"

The Liao people have always been unable to reach the Western Regions.

But it doesn't matter.

The Liao Kingdom had its own agents - the Zubu people on the grassland.

During the reigns of Emperor Shengzong and Emperor Jingzong, the Liao Kingdom often sent out Zubo to interfere in the affairs of the Western Regions.

It was only in recent decades that the Liao Dynasty could no longer play such tricks because of its declining control over the grasslands (mainly because Emperor Xingzong of Liao was defeated in his expedition against Western Xia, which exposed the Liao people's weakness and made the Zubu people disloyal. From then on, they would only listen to orders and not their decrees, and even dared to rebel against the Liao people).

However, the Liao Kingdom now once again had the power to mobilize Zhubu to interfere in the Western Regions.

This is because Yelu Hongji obtained a large amount of cheap goods from the Southern Dynasty.

With these riches, he can spend money lavishly.

The Zubu people were a very poor tribe.

Just spend some money and you can get them to come to Yelu Hongji to sing a few lines of Lianhualuo.

But Yelu Hongji was never stingy when it came to spending money.

Even though the Zubu people only came to sing Lotus Flower, he was quite generous.

Under such circumstances, the Zubu people began to enter the court in large numbers.

During this Tianan Festival, leaders of various tribes came to the court collectively.

This gave Yelu Hongji the illusion that "I can regain control of Zubu like my ancestors."

Naturally, he subconsciously recalled the old tricks used during the Shengzong era to interfere in the Western Regions - closing the gates and releasing the Zubu!
(End of this chapter)