History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 565: Is this melon ripe?
Although Empress Dowager Shulü had always opposed the invasion of the Central Plains from the south, the people of the Central Plains had to remain sober and rational. This old Khitan lady was wise and scheming. She was not just an old friend of the people of the Central Plains. She was playing a big game.

As the saying goes, a dog that bites later never barks, and Empress Dowager Shulü was such a vicious dog.

After Shi Jingtang passed away, Yelu Deguang sent an envoy to pay tribute in the name of the Liao emperor, and "the Khitan queen mother also sent an envoy to express condolences." As mentioned earlier, this was Empress Dowager Shulü trying to make her presence felt.

Shi Chonggui believed that Empress Dowager Shulü still had absolute control over the Khitans and would not launch a war southward. Therefore, when facing Shi Chonggui's threat of war, the Khitans would definitely be willing to sit down with him, have a good talk, and bargain at the negotiating table.

Shi Chonggui's asking price was to return the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Even if only part of it was returned first, even if it was just one prefecture, it would be enough to give an explanation to the people of the whole country.

As for his bargaining chip, he cleverly created one out of nothing, namely, "calling himself grandson instead of subject."

In this way, at the negotiation table, after bargaining, Shi Chonggui could agree to be called both a grandson and a subject. This was originally to "maintain the original price", but Shi Chonggui interpreted it as a concession, in exchange for the Khitan's concession on the issue of the "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun".

This is political sleight of hand.

It is like before merchants start a promotion, they first raise the price, mark a false "original price", and then give discounts. Consumers think they are getting a good deal and feel happy.

Of course, this is Shi Chonggui's wishful thinking. The development of many things will be deviated due to some accidents, and the top designers of the game will also update the game settings based on user experience. This is the interesting part of history.

For example, Shi Chonggui only used war as a threat and bargaining chip to bargain with the Khitans. He was almost successful, but as the war progressed, especially the victories in the first two battles, Shi Chonggui made a serious misjudgment. At the most critical moment, all his previous efforts were wasted and he was overturned by the Khitans.

The king of a fallen country is not without merit. Shi Chonggui was arrogant, extravagant, greedy for pleasure, aggressive, and favored treacherous people... But his superb political and diplomatic skills are also worthy of recognition.

Going back to the point mentioned above, Jing Yanguang planned and implemented the plunder and massacre of Khitan merchants. At this time, voices of opposition emerged in the court, which was what Shi Chonggui hoped to hear.

The "pro-Liao" officials headed by Sang Weihan firmly opposed Jing Yanguan's unreasonable, inhumane and cruel policy of genocide.

The Later Jin regime is not a gangster group. We cannot break our promise to the Khitan, and we cannot offend the Khitan in such an unreasonable way.

Therefore, Shi Chonggui ordered Comrade Qiao Rong to be escorted back to the country with courtesy in order to clear up the misunderstanding with Yelu Deguang.

Things seemed to be back on track, back to the track designed by Shi Chonggui, slapping Khitan and then rewarding him with sweet dates. He tricked Grandpa into giving him candy to make him happy. The accident happened as expected.

According to etiquette, the senior officials of the Later Jin Dynasty should hold a farewell banquet for Qiao Rong. Among these "senior officials" was Jing Yanguang.

Jing Yanguang held a private banquet at home to entertain Qiao Rong alone. However, the atmosphere of this private banquet was not harmonious. Jing Yanguang was arrogant and domineering. He asked Qiao Rong to tell Yelu Deguang:

"The former emperor (Shi Jingtang) ascended the throne with the help of Khitan, so he was a vassal of Khitan. However, the current emperor (Shi Chonggui) was supported by us Central Plains people to ascend the throne, so he has no obligation to be a vassal of Khitan. The relationship between Jin and Liao is independent and equal. Calling me your grandson is entirely because my lord is well aware of the righteousness and has not forgotten the contract of the past."

The contract at that time did not mean that Shi Jingtang himself pledged loyalty to the Khitan, but that Shi Jingtang pledged loyalty to the Khitan regime on behalf of the Later Jin regime. This meant that the Central Plains dynasty (as long as his descendants were in power) would be loyal to the Khitan for generations, just like the Nanzhao and other foreign countries swore to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty for generations.

Jing Yanguang replaced the original with the original, and changed the concept by replacing "Later Jin" with a specific natural person - Shi Jingtang, and changed the "unlimited liability" stipulated in the agreement into "limited liability", that is, once Shi Jingtang died, the contract would automatically become invalid.

Even though he called him grandson, Jing Yanguang did not forget to remind Qiao Rong that this was because Shi Jingtang recognized Yelu Deguang as his godfather, and Shi Chonggui was Shi Jingtang's filial son, so Shi Jingtang's father was Shi Chonggui's grandfather. Our master called Yelu Deguang grandpa out of the etiquette, traditional filial piety, and ethical relationship of the Central Plains.

Jing Yanguang also mentioned a person by name - Zhao Yanshou. He asked Qiao Rong to tell Yelu Deguang not to listen to the gossip of Zhao Yanshou. He made up rumors and insulted the Central Plains for his own selfish interests. Yelu Deguang had better be smart and not be used by that villain and not take advantage of Zhao Yanshou.

Finally, Jing Yanguang issued a naked military threat to Yelu Deguang, "We have hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers in the Jin Dynasty. If you don't accept it, come and try it earlier. But we must make it ugly in advance. If he, the grandfather, is defeated by his grandson, he will become a laughing stock in the world!"

(The Jin Dynasty had 100,000 horizontally sharpened swords. If the old man wanted to fight, he should have come earlier. If he didn't restrain his grandson one day, he would be laughed at by the world.)
On the surface, Qiao Rong was trembling and sweating like crazy, as if he was terrified, but in fact, he was already overjoyed. All his personal property was confiscated by the Later Jin Dynasty, and although Shi Chonggui compensated him with generous gifts and sent him back to his country, this little compensation was a drop in the bucket compared to his own losses.

Furthermore, the confiscation of his property by the Later Jin was a minor matter, but the destruction of Qiao Rong's future was a major matter. The Later Jin unilaterally closed the Liao embassy in Jin and forcibly closed the "Huitu Office", forcing him, the "Huitu Envoy", to resign.

More importantly, along with his personal property, a large amount of Khitan state-owned assets were also confiscated. The main business of Huituwu was the trade connection between the two governments, which was a national-level commodity transaction, not a small wholesale and retail trader. All the goods and cash of "Huituwu" were confiscated by the Later Jin Dynasty. After Qiao Rong returned to China, he would definitely be investigated by Khitan, and his political career would end here, and he might even lose his life.

Qiao Rong said "thank you for the hospitality", but in his heart he had already greeted the eighteen generations of ancestors of the Later Jin monarchs and ministers. Apart from socializing, he had been actively thinking about countermeasures. How should he explain to Yelu Deguang?
After much thought, there is only one way, and that is to put the blame on the Later Jin regime. It is not because of my dereliction of duty, but because the Later Jin regime is deliberately looking for trouble and asking me whether my melon is ripe.

(End of this chapter)