Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 259 Is this where the Song envoy is?
Grand Secretary Cai You has left the country. Liu Guangshi turned back on his horse, his face truly grim.

Someone nearby asked, "Steward, why is the gentleman from Tokyo like this?"

This soldier was clearly inexperienced, while Liu Guangshi, who had seen much of the world, simply said, "A scholar like you is far superior to us..."

Those around him couldn't help but fall into a state of doubt and contemplation. Of course, in this Northwest region, the social status of soldiers was actually quite good, especially those in the border prefectures...

For example, the soldiers under the Zhong family actually had a decent social status. The Zhong family itself was a high-ranking official, and this was probably the case only in the Northwest of the entire Song Dynasty.

In fact, none of the soldiers from the Liu family present had ever seen their steward in such an awkward and helpless moment...

Even in front of the Grand Chancellor, or in front of Commander Su, his own steward has always had face; when has he ever been so undignified?
Such things are hard to explain. It's like the national hero Qi Jiguang in history books, who wrote a letter to the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, but referred to himself as "Qi, the lowly dog ​​under his command." It's not that he didn't want dignity; it's just that's how things are in this world, and it has become the rule.

These young soldiers, however, did not understand. Liu Guangshi, on the other hand, understood that no matter how helpless one was, one had to suppress one's anger, and it was best to learn to be submissive. In this way, one could remain at peace and not actually develop an illness from holding it in.

Cai You was half right about one thing: in fact, Liu Guangshi, under his father's protection in Fuyan, had never suffered much hardship growing up...

Therefore, deep down, he was actually finding it harder to be at peace. If it had been Liu Yanqing who had escorted him all the way, Liu Yanqing certainly wouldn't have felt so conflicted and distressed...

Liu Guangshi's expression was not pleasant. He simply rode back, not going far, and went to Pingrong Village to wait for Cai You's return.

When Cai You went on his mission, his delegation consisted of about a hundred people and a hundred guards. They traveled north and were unlikely to suffer any real humiliation along the way. They carried the imperial tally and, since the Western Xia were not truly barbarians, they were still treated with proper etiquette. After all, such matters were reciprocal, and Western Xia envoys often traveled to the Song and Liao dynasties.

Within the Western Xia Kingdom, there were eight Tangut tribes, as well as many Han Chinese. The Han Chinese had lived in this area since ancient times. Starting from the Qin and Han dynasties, the Han dynasty established four prefectures here. Western Liang was originally an important town, and Dong Zhuo of Western Liang was no joke.

When we arrived in Tang Dynasty, this place was also the heartland of the Tang Dynasty, the Longyou Road of the Tang Dynasty, which was also very famous.

So how could there be no Han Chinese here? Among the high-ranking families of Western Xia, there were also Han Chinese families. For example, the Liang family produced empresses and empress dowagers.

At this time, Emperor Li Qianshun of Western Xia was only one year younger than Emperor Zhao Ji of Song, and was already forty years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning).

However, unlike Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji), he was truly a wise ruler, possessing both skill and courage. He was ruthless in internal political struggles, governed the country well, and was a capable diplomat. Furthermore, he was also skilled in poetry and prose, a trait he shared with Emperor Huizong.

During the Empress Dowager's reign, Western Xia and Song fought a series of wars. After she seized power, she began to negotiate peace with Song. Song even restored the annual tribute. The annual tribute was a peace gift that the Song Dynasty gave to Western Xia every year.

Later, the two sides turned against each other again. Western Xia attacked Song, then attacked Pingxia City and Zhenrong Army, and for a time they were locked in fierce fighting.

Later, there were peace talks and further conflict.

Song general Liu Fa once ventured deep into the heart of Western Xia territory, only to be decisively defeated by the Tanguts. The Song army turned the tide of the war, and the Tanguts then marched into Song territory, besieged the city, and negotiated peace again.

These events all occurred during the reign of Emperor Huizong, which is within the last twenty years.

Anyway, it was a cycle of fighting and making peace, then fighting again. In the end, who benefited, the Song or the Western Xia? Actually, neither of them benefited much. The Song suffered heavy losses, and the Western Xia also suffered many casualties. In terms of territory, there were no major changes.

Even just three years ago, Tong Guan of the Privy Council ordered Liu Fa, a veteran general from the Northwest, to lead an attack. It was a tragedy. Not only did the Song Dynasty suffer a major defeat, but Liu Fa also fell off a cliff during the retreat and died. His head was cut off by the Tanguts.

In the past three years, there have been no major battles, only minor skirmishes. This is partly due to the busy schedules of the Song people, and partly due to Liu Fa's major defeat, which resulted in significant losses for the Northwest Army.

This can be considered the last major battle between the Tanguts and the Western Xia.

The man who defeated Liu Fa was named Cha Ge. If you say his surname is Li, then he is Li Cha Ge; if you say his surname is Wei Ming, then he is Wei Ming Cha Ge.

Richard was the Prince of Jin of Western Xia, holding the official title of Commander-in-Chief. The Western Xia court was not as complex as that of the Song and Liao dynasties, and this Commander-in-Chief was similar to the General Commander of all the military forces in the country.

Even at this time, the position of prime minister in Western Xia could be left vacant. In other words, although Western Xia's territory was not small, it did not have many prefectures, cities, or population, so it did not need such a bloated court and personnel to manage it.

The entire country, when combined, actually had only two to three million people. When distributed among various cities and even nomadic areas, the population was even smaller. A large number of people lived near Xingqing Prefecture (Yinchuan City) and engaged in agricultural production. In other cities, farming and warfare were often combined.

In terms of military strength, the entire Western Xia state probably had less than 100,000 troops, or even around 70,000 to 80,000.

Many officials in the Western Xia Dynasty were not distinguished by whether they were civil or military officials. In fact, a large number of them were members of the royal Li family, or they called themselves members of the Weiming family.

In terms of distance, Xingqing Prefecture is not far. If you leave Huanqing and travel from the border to Xingqing Prefecture, it is only about 400 li.

If you travel from Fuyan to Xingqing Prefecture, it's only about 600 li.

However, the difficulty in getting from the Song border to Xingqing Prefecture was not due to distance, but rather to the obstruction of the terrain.

If it weren't for the war, and it were just a matter of traveling, Cai You would have come from the Loess Plateau. Although the road seemed somewhat desolate, it was actually flat, and the 500-li journey wouldn't have taken much time.

The Song envoy arrived quickly, and Emperor Li Qianshun of the Great Xia Dynasty summoned him to the palace.

The Commander-in-Chief, Prince Jin, Richard, and General Li Liangfu were also present. In fact, they were all related to Emperor Li Qianshun.

It is also said that the Liang clan of Western Xia has now declined due to their failure in the power struggle.

There were also some Han officials from the Western Xia Dynasty, many of whom were surnamed Zhang, some were surnamed Li, some were surnamed Cui, some were surnamed Dong, some were surnamed Ma, some were surnamed Ren...

Then there were Khitan officials who served in Western Xia, such as Xiao Heda. Li Qianshun married a princess from the Zong clan of the Liao Dynasty, and Xiao Heda was part of the dowry. He was the head of the trusted guards who came with Princess Cheng'an of Liao.

In recent years, relations between Liao and Xia have been restored to a very good and warm state, and Xiao Heda has been highly valued by Western Xia, serving as the commander of Xia Prefecture.

It is also said that the Western Xia was named after the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty.

In international diplomacy, the ruler of Western Xia could not actually be called an emperor or the Son of Heaven, but rather a king.

However, within the palace, the title "Your Majesty" is still used, and the emperor's etiquette is observed.

Also known as Western Xia, Li Yuanhao established his own state with the name "Xia". The word "Xia" is actually sensitive, as it refers to the Chinese civilization. Therefore, the Song and Liao dynasties referred to it as Western Xia, and they had to add the word "Western" to distinguish this Xia from the historical Xia.

However, within the Western Xia, they called themselves "Great Xia Kingdom."

The envoy, Cai You, came from the Celestial Empire. He only needed to bow to him with his hands clasped in greeting. After the ceremony, he had to stand straight, head held high, chest out, and his eyes should convey a sense of disdain, as this was the dignity of the Celestial Empire.

Cai You then spoke, “His Majesty the Emperor of our Great Song Dynasty has sent envoys here with the mission of unifying the world and restoring the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Since ancient times, the four prefectures of Hexi and Longyou of the Great Tang Dynasty have all been Han territory. Your Dangxiang people were once subjects of the Great Tang Dynasty, and later became subjects of our Great Song Dynasty, but you privately established your own separatist regime and rebelled. In the past, the world was divided into two, with our Great Song Dynasty confronting the Liao Dynasty. Most of our elite troops were stationed in Hebei and Hedong. Now, the Liao Dynasty has submitted, and the Liao Emperor has moved to Tokyo. Therefore, the world is unified, and your country should also be incorporated into the Song Dynasty. In this way, the people can live in peace and prosperity, trade can flourish, and soldiers can be spared from death or injury. This is a great blessing for the world!”

These words were excellent, and it seems that many gentlemen had discussed them in Tokyo. The dialogue was very precise, and the etiquette was impeccable.

However, on the high platform, Emperor Li Qianshun, in the midst of summer, frowned.

Xia Prefecture Commander Xiao Heda immediately retorted, "Nonsense! How could the Emperor of Liao be in your Song capital, Tokyo? The Emperor of Liao is still leading troops in Datong and Xijing. How could Xia be such a treacherous and faithless person as your Song? Xia and Liao have countless alliances and have been on good terms for many years. We are about to raise an army to Xijing to aid the Emperor of Liao. The restoration of Liao is imminent, and Liao is the rightful ruler of the world!"

Cai You was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked around to see if it was a lie.

It doesn't seem like it. Could it be that the Western Xia is really going to send troops to fight for the Khitan?

This news is truly shocking.

The dialogue has changed, and it's not quite right. Logically, the argument should be about whether or not to return, so why are we arguing about this now?

Cai You said, "The Liao Dynasty, with its vast territory spanning thousands of miles, now has only a single city remaining. The Jurchen Jin Dynasty, rising from the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, are wolves and tigers, yet they are allies of our Great Song Dynasty. The Liao Dynasty's million-strong army is now reduced to a few scattered soldiers. How many troops does Erxia have? Do you think you can defeat the Jurchens? What a joke! If that's the case, shouldn't our Great Song Dynasty, which has an alliance with the Jurchens, also send troops to attack Erxia's country?"

That's a reasonable and well-founded statement, but it is a threat. That's the policy set in Tokyo: first, say nice things; if that doesn't work, then use force!

Now, the military might of the Great Song Dynasty is truly formidable. The ministers are already well aware of this.

Unexpectedly, Commander-in-Chief Richard spoke up: "Less than three years have passed, and the head of your old general Liu Faren is still in our country. You have truly forgotten the pain of past wounds and dare to talk about war again?"

Richard was qualified and capable. He led his troops to many great victories against the Song army. He even took Liu Fa's head. How could he be afraid of the Song army?
Cai You, feeling guilty, blurted out, "What? Do you really want to face the elite troops of my Great Song? Don't you know that in the past, Erxia was able to establish its country only by relying on the power of the Liao people? Now that the Liao country is gone, my Great Song has a million soldiers in armor, and we have no worries about the rear. We can all come to the northwest. Erxia is a small country with few people. How many elite troops can you expect to fight?"

Richard's face hardened, and he said, "Hmph... Not to mention that Liao is not yet dead, there is still Xijing City, and many tribes on the grasslands are still with us. Even if Liao were to fall, you say those tigers and wolves, who knows how much tribute and cities they will demand in the future. And you are still showing off here. Don't you know the saying 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'? My Great Xia knows that we should go to save Liao, yet you are still aiding and abetting evil. Just look, your good days are numbered!"

This Richard is truly a hero!

The script was wrong, and Cai You was momentarily stunned. He looked around and quickly thought for a moment before speaking: "It seems that you all are truly unaware of the grace of Heaven and naturally wish to experience the might of Heaven!"

Richard retorted, "Hmph, the Great Xia has had a truly difficult time these past years, maneuvering between the Liao and Song dynasties. How have we managed to survive here? It's because we're covered in sharp claws and fangs, protecting ourselves. You say it's good that the Liao has fallen? It's just that the jackals have left, but tigers and leopards have arrived. If that day truly comes, we'll be among the tigers and leopards. As for you, Song, hmph..."

The heated exchanges have been going on for quite some time.

Richard's strategy was, firstly, a way for small countries to survive, and secondly, it was undeniably brilliant. They differed from the Song Dynasty in one major way.

That is, they are very clear about their own position and always know when to lower their heads! History is the same. After the Jurchens went to war with the Song Dynasty, the Western Xia and the Jurchens immediately reached an alliance. The Western Xia immediately cooperated with the Jurchens to launch an attack on the Song Dynasty. A part of the northwestern territory of the Northern Song Dynasty was occupied by the Western Xia.

Song is different. Song always wants Eton to beat him up first before he bows down.

The Song Dynasty was different. It was a powerful nation, and bowing down was useless. Even if the other side took a break, they would continue to attack it.

In the international situation, major powers have no way out; bowing down is useless.

The Western Xia had a way out. After all, the world was full of great powers fighting each other. As long as they aligned themselves with the right big brother, they would always have something to eat. In the past, their big brother was the Liao Dynasty, and in the future, their big brother could be the Jin Dynasty.

As for Ersong, Ersong is where the benefits lie; it has money and supplies, but it's not very good at fighting.

That's just how history is! Unchanging for millennia.

Cai Youxing came in a hurry, thinking that a word could be worth a million soldiers. But now, after several attempts, the King of Western Xia has not said a word, and he seems to be in a bit of a predicament. It turns out that he had thought too highly of everything when he came.

At this moment, how could Cai You not use his brain? He did, and said, "You Xia, you really don't know anything. Have you not heard of the might of the army of my Great Song? My Great Song has a million armored soldiers and a thousand good generals. Recently, we have even produced a commander who is unmatched in battle!"

"Who are you talking about?" Richard also raised his head and puffed out his chest, glancing at him. How could he believe in any incompetent commander? In his own life experience, wasn't he the incompetent commander?
This confidence was built up gradually, through repeated victories in major battles against the Song Dynasty, culminating in the beheading of Liu Fa, the Song general.

He even praised Liu Fa to his face, saying he was exceptionally capable. Liu Fa was indeed no slacker, which only made Richard seem even more remarkable.

Cai Youzhen said, "Have you not heard of Su Wu, Su Ziqing?"

This is just a helpless statement; if you want to scare people, isn't this the only way?

Richard couldn't help but retort: ​​"What Su Wu, Su Ziqing? Your Song's acquisition of Yan and Yun was nothing more than taking advantage of a crisis. Do you really think it's some great achievement of territorial expansion? It's laughable!"

Looking at Emperor Li Qianshun, he appeared increasingly composed, even with a half-smile on his face, clearly very satisfied.

Cai You was already even more flustered, and raised his hand to point: "I will take your words back to the Emperor in Tokyo. It has been said since ancient times that when the Emperor is angry, a million will die. Under the Emperor's might, not even children will be spared!"

"Fine! Then let's fight! Once my army marches into Song territory, we'll spare no child! If it weren't for the fact that you're just a pretentious scholar, I would have killed you as a sacrifice to the flag!"

Richard's face was truly contorted with rage and ferocity!

“Barbarians! Barbarians!” Cai You raised his hand to point and then cursed.

The project fell through. None of the boasts made when we set out could be fulfilled. Not only would we have a hard time explaining ourselves when we got back, but we would also lose face and all our previous achievements would be for naught.

Cai Youxu was also enraged!
Richard said, "Men, throw this ignorant Song man out!"

Looking outside the main hall, one sees armored soldiers.

They came like wolves and tigers, as if they really wanted to beat someone up.

Cai You was greatly alarmed, his face turned ashen, and he shrank back, blurting out, "Where is there any story of beating the envoy!"

Richard went even further, saying viciously, "Killing the envoy is bad, but what's wrong with beating him?"

Upon hearing this, Cai You took a step, but as soon as he moved, he looked around and realized that he was in the imperial palace of Western Xia. Where could he run? He couldn't bring his armored guards into the palace to meet the emperor.

As the armored soldiers charged like wolves and tigers, Cai You repeatedly shouted, "Don't fight! Don't fight!"

Richard shouted, "Beat them! Beat them to death!" Cai You immediately turned and bowed deeply, his face ashen, his voice trembling as if he were crying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't beat the envoy! You mustn't! I know Your Majesty is a scholar; this is an insult to scholarship, an insult to scholarship..."

Cai You bowed down and heard Richard's voice from the front: "Hahahaha...hahaha...how hilarious! Your Majesty, look at this Song envoy, he thinks he's like those people in the books who can remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses before them, and he wants to see for himself...what a pity! We won't get to see that..."

Cai You looked up, his face darkening. He immediately realized he had been tricked.

Looking around, I saw mocking faces and taunts.

"Many Song people were like that. Liu Fa was a real man, but unfortunately, he died at the hands of the Prince of Jin!"

"The military might of the Song people is truly a joke. They suffered a crushing defeat in the war against the Liao, and in the war against my Great Xia, they lost many soldiers and generals. All they could do was steal chickens and plunder during the chaos..."

"This coward dares to come to my Great Xia and speak so arrogantly. How laughable, how laughable!"

"Bold in appearance but weak in heart, strong in words but weak in spirit!"

Even the king, Li Qianshun, chuckled, and the armored soldiers who came were waved away by Richard.

Only Cai You remained on the scene, his face showing the grief of losing his parents.

Li Qianshun spoke up: "Let's go. Or do you really want the soldiers to beat you out?"

Cai You was in a state of turmoil, and he really turned around and left, his steps faltering.

But as soon as Cai You left, the King Li Qianshun and Richard both looked grim in the court.

Li Qianshun spoke up: "I'm afraid the Song people really intend to raise an army and come again."

Richard nodded: "Your Majesty, do not worry. Over the years, whether there was trouble or not, the Song army has always come. There have been countless times."

King Li Ganshun nodded: "Yes, whether we offend them or not, the Song troops will come anyway. However, this time, we also need to send troops to rescue the Western Capital of Liao. Let's discuss this further..."

Prince Richard of Jin said, "Xijing is a fortified city, and its defenses are likely solid. We can send General Li Liangfu with 5,000 troops to provide support and distract them, and then see how the battle unfolds!"

Li Qianshun nodded: "That will work too!"

Li Liangfu stepped forward and bowed: "Your subject will go as ordered!"

But Xiao Heda spoke up: "Your Majesty, Your Highness Prince Jin, I am a Khitan and I am willing to lead troops to go with you!"

The king and the prince of Jin exchanged a glance, and the prince of Jin said, "You should not go for now. You are guarding Xia Prefecture, and you should return to Xia Prefecture now. If the Song army really comes, Xia Prefecture is an important town on the front line, and you must defend it!"

The reason why the king and the prince of Jin did not allow Xiao Heda to go was not simple. The matter was complicated and the situation was still uncertain, so they needed to be flexible in their actions. The fear was that if Xiao Heda, a Khitan, went, it would affect Li Liangfu's decision-making and make it difficult for them to act freely.

Xiao Heda looked slightly disappointed, but still bowed and nodded: "Yes, sir!"

It was a court assembly, and the matters were discussed and the assembly was adjourned. Li Liangfu was also kept behind, as His Majesty and the Prince of Jin still needed to give him instructions in person. This was about how to act flexibly and how small countries should survive.

Cai You left the capital and returned to his residence immediately. He quickly put his luggage in the carriage and left. This barbaric land was not a place for civilized people.

Even if a million armored soldiers came to fight, these people were afraid of power but not of virtue. They were beaten until they were bruised and battered, and then they knelt down and begged for mercy.

Hurry up, hurry up! A wise man doesn't stand under a dangerous wall!
After getting into the carriage and leaving Xingzhou City, Cai You felt a little more at ease when he saw a hundred or so armored cavalrymen on both sides, but not much. He couldn't help but ask, "Is your little Steward Liu waiting for us at Pingrong Village?"

The person outside the window nodded in agreement: "Yes, Your Excellency!"

"How many miles will it take to pick me up?" Cai You asked again.

"Go twenty li!"

Cai You frowned: "How come it's only twenty li? This fellow is really lazy!"

“Uh…Grand Scholar, after going twenty li, we’ll be at the border. It’s not advisable to cross the border casually…” the knight replied.

Cai You immediately retorted, "What border? Song and Xia are about to have a major war, so why care about the border? Just send a fast cavalryman back first, and have him come out... a hundred li to meet us!"

"A hundred li?" Everyone was stunned.

A hundred li, that's past Hongzhou City of the Dangxiang people. How could they possibly come to meet us, with our army so far infiltrating so far? Let's not even talk about how they'd get back. How would they even get past Hongzhou City?
"Go now!" Cai You said sternly.

In truth, there was no other choice but to summon fast riders, bring more horses, and hurry up and run!
Behind the caravan, there was also a group of mules and some fast horses. Several men led the horses and mules slowly, and after a short while, one of the men also led a fast horse to gallop.

Cai You kept urging the caravan to hurry up, his heart filled with anxiety. These were barbarians, and he couldn't be polite to them. He was afraid of them; they might really fight and kill him...

After traveling for half a day, night fell, and no one was chasing after them. Cai You was somewhat relieved, but he couldn't help thinking to himself, "These barbarians are like people who won't give up until they see the Yellow River, and they won't turn back until they hit a wall. We have to fight them, we have to fight them hard!"
Tong Guan came to fight, Zhong Shidao came to fight, Liu Yanqing came to fight... and Su Wu also came to fight!

They are a small, sparsely populated country, ignorant of their own limitations, yet they dare to mock angels! They should be beaten to death! Beat them until their country is destroyed and their race is wiped out!

Thinking about it this way, and then recalling the image of Li Qianshun and Richard kneeling on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy, Cai You felt much better and was able to sleep well tonight.

He also thought that when the time came, he must order all the troops not to kill Li Qianshun and Li Chage, but to capture them and take them to Tokyo. He would then invite the two of them to a good banquet in Tokyo!
Feeling refreshed, I went to sleep, but I still had dreams, as if I were truly dreaming of inviting those two to a fine banquet in Tokyo.

The next day, after getting into the carriage and setting off again, Cai You couldn't help but urge them to hurry up!
The fast horse returned first, arriving at Pingrong Village in three days, where it met Liu Guangshi and gave him a report.

Liu Guangshi immediately cursed, "You filthy idiot! You should have said so earlier, if you were a hundred miles away! I would have led an army of over ten thousand and attacked Hongzhou City directly!"

The knight added, "If we don't act, I'm afraid that Grand Scholar will hold a grudge against the Steward..."

“If this matter were reported to the Privy Council and even to the Emperor, I would have a valid argument. How could a few hundred cavalrymen really cross the border in just twenty li? Are those Dangxiang cavalry blind? How could the Iron Falcons in Hongzhou City of Dangxiang not have a countermeasure? How could their main army not come? Should I fight or not? What can I use to fight? Aren't the lives of my soldiers lives? Aren't my lives lives?”

Liu Guangshi felt his blood rush to his head; he was really about to have a cerebral hemorrhage.

"Steward, then... how should we reply?" The knight also had his own duties to attend to.

"Reply to what? How many days' journey? If you don't reply, then wait..." Liu Guangshi waved his hand. Cai You had already said that this time even his father couldn't protect this arrogant and domineering person.

Since that's the case, then let's just go with the flow. It's all going to happen eventually anyway. I've already written the letter to my brother, so let him talk to the Chancellor. The Chancellor should be in charge of the Privy Council.
As for what will happen tomorrow, let's talk about it another day. Even a clay figure has a bit of temper. He couldn't help but think that once his brother's grand plan succeeds and the two countries go to war, he will be able to achieve great things with his brother. Once his brother has made outstanding contributions and entered the capital, there will be nothing to fear!

Thirty miles outside Pingrong Village, in the ravines unique to the Loess Plateau, there were twenty or thirty people and more than a hundred horses.

The news that Yao Pingzhong had been eagerly awaiting finally arrived: the delegation had taken the right-hand route and returned via the same route.

Yao Pingzhong was overjoyed and exclaimed with a smile, "Heaven is helping me!"

It was all a twist of fate that forced Cai You to choose Fuyan and return. In Yao Pingzhong's view, it was all God's help. Even if Cai You had gone to Huanqing, the matter would still have succeeded. It was just that Fuyan was much safer.

Yao Pingzhong instructed, "Investigate again and again, report back constantly, and absolutely no mistakes can be made!"

The man bowed and left, galloping away on his horse.

Yao Pingzhong then devised a plan: "We can go a little further north, another ten miles, so that we have more time to travel. Once the matter is settled, we can leave. First, we'll go north, then east, then south, and return safely to Saimen Village. But we won't go to Saimen Village; we'll just take a detour to Pingrong Village. Chief Steward Liu is in Pingrong Village. If something serious happens, he certainly won't return immediately. So, we'll go directly to find him!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, as they were very familiar with the roads and such, so there was no need for further explanation.

Yao Pingzhong's expression turned serious: "This is a matter of great importance to me and Commander Su, and even more so to the court and the nation. No matter what happens, we must die a hundred times over! Including myself, if we are truly at our wits' end, I will die first. No matter who is by my side, just keep your swords and spears at me and disfigure my face!"

Everyone's expressions were solemn, and the atmosphere became somewhat tragic. They all nodded in agreement.

Yao Pingzhong added one more instruction: "You must disfigure my face! Peel it and cut it to pieces!"

Everyone nodded again.

Yao Pingzhong looked around and felt much more at ease. With that, the matter was now completely without flaws!
kill!
Waiting, waiting through one dark night, then another, and yet another.

Night fell, and the campfire was lit. Beside the fire, someone roared furiously, "We've already passed Hongzhou City, why hasn't your young steward Liu led troops to meet us yet?"

Everyone present was silent, not daring to answer.

Cai You roared in fury, “Does this barbarian think I died in barbarian lands? How dare he neglect his duties like this! When I return, I will teach him a lesson he won’t forget! This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! No wonder the Dangxiang barbarians are so unafraid of the Emperor’s might. It’s all because of these incompetent generals who have ruined the prestige of the nation, making people look down on them so much, they are worse than pigs and dogs!”

Let this Grand Scholar rant and rave; he'll rant and rave all the way here, no matter what. Just listen...

How could the Grand Secretary not curse: "They fear power but do not cherish virtue, they are barbarians! They hold their positions without doing any work, they are incompetent! Under the bright heavens, in this celestial empire, how can we have the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties if we do not purge these scum and dogs?"

But then he heard the sound of horses' hooves galloping behind him. The Grand Scholar turned around and thought to himself, "Finally, they've come to meet us."

Suddenly, they realized something was wrong, and the soldiers on both sides stood up, looking on guard.

The Grand Secretary suddenly realized that the other side was north, not south. How could there be fast horses coming from the north?
He grabbed the weapons of the numerous guards and mounted his horse; the area was heavily guarded on both sides.

The fast horses, numbering several dozen and their riders numbering about ten, arrived in the blink of an eye. Someone shouted, "Is that where the Song envoy is?"

"Indeed!" someone else answered, turning around to ask, "Who are you?"

Then they heard a string of Tangut words coming from the other side, and then someone shouted: "We are the envoys of the Emperor of the Western Xia. We came ahead to catch up with the Song envoy. We are here first. His Highness Prince Jin and more than a thousand cavalry are coming behind us. Please stop and wait a moment, Song envoy. My Emperor and Prince Jin have important matters to discuss with the Song envoy!"

Around the campfire, everyone's gaze naturally turned to the Song envoy, Cai You.

Cai You was also stunned. What was going on? They were only waiting for tomorrow to return to Song territory, so why were they suddenly chasing after them again?

Cai You took a few steps forward and asked, "What is it we can discuss?"

Two knights rode out from the opposite side and slowly approached to within ten paces.

One spoke in Tangut, babbling incoherently, while the other spoke in Chinese: "It's really not good for everyone to know... Please wait a moment, my Prince Jin will be here in an hour or two... Let the Prince Jin discuss this with the angel..."

Cai You frowned and thought, "They were just teasing me a moment ago, but now they're chasing me in the middle of the night. What's going on?"

Isn't this the same old story of initial arrogance followed by obsequiousness? Have the Tanguts realized their mistake? Have they come to plead for mercy?
So they're willing to submit to the Song Dynasty again?

Thinking of this, Cai You was overjoyed and anxiously asked, "What is it?"

The two people opposite him exchanged a few words in Spanish before finally speaking in Chinese: "We really can't say much, and even if we were to, we couldn't say it in front of so many people. This is a matter of great importance to the country!"

Cai You was even more convinced that the Tanguts had changed their minds, realized their mistake, and that the great feat of having a single word worth a million soldiers was about to be accomplished.

In his excitement, he took another step forward, emerging from the crowd to the very front, where he once again stood tall and arrogant: "Just speak! I have no time to waste with your nonsense."

The two people opposite seemed afraid as well, and after muttering a few words, they said, "Then...then please, angel, step forward and let only one angel hear what you have to say!"

Cai You looked around again, hesitated for a moment, and saw that there were only two people in front of him, no more than ten steps away, and they were neither wearing armor nor carrying weapons. Then he saw a hundred or so people behind him who were wearing armor and mounted on horses, so he actually took two steps forward, but very slowly, and couldn't help but hesitate again...

The person opposite spoke softly again: "Alas, first Xijing Datong City fell..."

Cai You was startled upon hearing this and immediately stepped forward, shouting, "What did you say? Speak louder! Datong City has fallen? No wonder, haha... no wonder... is there anything else?"

"Also..."

In the darkness, a flash of cold light appeared, and a dark figure leaped forward in the blink of an eye, disappearing in the blink of an eye!

Cai You was also stunned. He only saw a dark shadow move for a moment, and his chest felt numb. He subconsciously looked down at himself...

(Brothers, please vote for me with your monthly tickets at the end of the month! Thank you all!)
(End of this chapter)