Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

Taizong looked at the Privy Envoy and the Minister of War and asked, "Hu Aiqing, Zhuo Aiqing, what is the current situation in the Northwest?"

"Return to Your Majesty" "Since Li Jiqian was defeated by Lord Yin Xian of Xiazhou Prefecture and General Cao Guangshi, the governor of Xiazhou a year ago, he fled to Huangyangping to hide. Because his wife and mother were captured, he intermarried with the local wealthy family and All clans of the Yeli Clan formed an alliance with blood and gathered thousands of Qiang people, and it has been less than half a year now, and their young and strong cavalry has nearly [-], and their infantry has more than [-], their combat power cannot be underestimated."

"Li Jiqian is a major problem in the Northwest. If it is not contained, the border war may not stop."

"Your Majesty" Song Qi said, "Li Jiqian is indeed a problem in the Northwest, but if he only relies on his current military strength, it is not enough to fight against our Song Dynasty. There are also constant frictions among the party and various ethnic groups, and there are many dissatisfaction with him. Li Jiqian can only do it. Use the war to direct the contradictions of the party to other places."

"The prime minister is right," Zhuo Yi, Minister of the Ministry of War, said, "Your Majesty, Li Jiqian is seeking profit between our great Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom. The Liao bandits frequently invaded the territory. Our Great Song Dynasty fought north and south, and tens of thousands of soldiers sacrificed their lives to fight bloody battles for the country. It took nearly [-] years to determine the current territory of the Great Song Dynasty. If it weren’t for this, how could Li Jiqian be rampant until now.”

Taizong nodded, "That's the case, but... what should I do if it is already like this? Now the Liao people are the enemy, and the matter in the northwest may only be completely resolved when the Song and Liao countries stop fighting."

"Your Majesty," Song Qi cupped her hands and said, "Although Li Jiqian is difficult to compare with the Liao people, he is also a strong enemy. It is reported that Li Jiqian has led his army to march towards the border town, and the war in the northwest may be inevitable."

"The three prefectures of Linfu and Feng can support each other, and there is also General Cao who defeated Li Jiqian in Xiazhou not far away, so there must be no major problems."

"Your Majesty, Li Jiqian is cunning, why don't you issue an edict first to prepare the border for war."

Taizong thought for a while, "The prime minister is right, Hu Aiqing and Zhuo Aiqing, let's order the border gates to prepare for war later."

"Yes, Your Majesty"

Taizong stood up and walked down the steps and said, "I read the history books and saw that Shi Jingtang of the later Jin Dynasty asked for help from Khitan. For this reason, he voluntarily performed the gift of his father to the foreign race and cut the land to serve them. Tens of thousands of people fell under the Khitan's iron hoof butcher knife. Feng Dao , Zhao Ying, who was in the position of minister, did not think about persuading the king, and sent orders to follow the ceremony, which was extremely humiliating. The enemies of the Northern Dynasty were greedy, and it would be feasible to just eat for profit, but it is not a good strategy to cede land."

Hearing this, Song Qi nodded and said, "When Shi Jingtang sent his envoy to Liao, he personally held a banquet for Feng Dao and others. He once poured out wine and said, "To fulfill the orders of the two monarchs, to make the two kingdoms happy, to work hard for my important ministers, for the other to be impoverished." It is advisable to empathize with the good of the people, and don't be afraid of it."

"Don't be afraid? Huh," Taizong said, "such a humiliation requires the important officials of the court to bow their knees at the enemy's feet, seeking temporary peace with the country."

"What Shi Jingtang did was despised by the common people. After returning from the Liao Kingdom, Feng Dao once wrote a poem saying: The emperor weeps with a cup in the hall, and the people of the country sigh in front of the double festival."

"Ah... this one word is enough to express the humiliation in the hearts of the common people... hey..." Taizong shook his head

"Your Majesty" Song Qi cupped her hands and said, "Now that the pavilions in the pass have been cleared and the people are safe and peaceful, it's all due to His Majesty's great achievements in governing and caring for the people. It's time to restore the old situation."

Taizong was relieved for a while after hearing this, and after explaining some things, Defang withdrew from the Chongzheng Hall, and Baili followed him to the palace gate, "My lord, the envoys of Jiaozhou will enter Beijing tomorrow, and I will go back later and order the dining room to prepare early." Dinner, take a good rest after you are full."