I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 101 The status of women in this era is really low
...

"It's because I'm disguised as a eunuch today, otherwise, they definitely wouldn't listen to me, right?"

"Women in this era have such a low status. Even if a man cuts off his penis, his status is still much higher than that of a woman."

Just as Li Lin was feeling emotional and even depressed, Zhao Ya gently hugged Li Lin's shoulders to comfort her.

Glancing at Zhao Ya beside her, Li Lin's heart moved. 'Although many women have already become pregnant with Zhao Ya's children, what if they all gave birth to daughters and I am the only one who can give Zhao Ya a son? I can't give up easily...'

……

The next morning, a newly sent envoy from the Liao Kingdom asked for an audience.

The envoys sent by the Liao Kingdom this time were Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen.

Xiao Fengxian was the fifth-generation grandson of Xiao Jixian, the prime minister of the Northern Palace. In history, because his sister Xiao Guige was favored by Emperor Tianzuo Yelu Yanxi, he was promoted to the position of Privy Councilor and was granted the title of Prince of Lanling.

The Jurchens rebelled against the Liao Dynasty, and his brother Xiao Sixian was defeated in his campaign against the Jurchens. Xiao Fengxian was afraid that his brother would be killed, so he lied to the court and pardoned the defeated generals, causing the morale of the Liao army to drop and counties to be lost.

As the Liao dynasty faced a crisis, public opinion turned to the renowned and virtuous Prince of Jin, Yelü Aoluo (born to Consort Wen Xiao Sese). Concerned that his nephew, Prince of Qin, Yelü Ding (born to Consort Yuan Xiao Guige), would not be crowned Crown Prince, Xiao Fengxian falsely accused Yelü Yudu (Xiao Sese's brother-in-law) of colluding with his son-in-law, Xiao Yu, to support the succession of Yelü Aoluo. This led to the deaths of Xiao Yu, Xiao Sese, and others. Yelü Yudu, terrified by the news, fled to the Jin dynasty with over a thousand cavalrymen.

This incident not only caused Yelu Yanhui's reputation to plummet, but also made Yelu Yudu a pioneer in the anti-Liao movement in subsequent wars.

Later, Yelu Yudu hunted down Yelu Yanxi, and Xiao Fengxian slandered him to Yelu Yanxi, saying: Yudu is also a royal family member, how could he really be against Liao, he just wanted to support the Prince of Jin. As long as Your Majesty executes the Prince of Jin, Yudu will not hunt down Your Majesty anymore.

Yelu Yanxi believed it to be true and ordered the execution of Yelu Aoluwu.

When the Liao people saw that their hope was completely gone and that the incompetent emperor Yelu Yanshi was still alive and well, they immediately felt that the Liao Kingdom had no hope and surrendered to the Jin Kingdom one after another.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xiao Fengxian was the biggest traitor of the Liao Dynasty and one of the reasons for the demise of the Liao Dynasty.

Although Li Chuwen was recorded in the "History of Liao" as a corrupt official who was devoted to flattering Xiao Fengxian, it was recorded in the "History of Song" and relevant Han books that he had planned to offer the city of Yanjing and almost succeeded, but ultimately failed and his entire family was killed. Therefore, to the Zhao Song Dynasty, he was a meritorious person. Moreover, during the Northern Liao period, he served as prime minister and was a useful person.

Upon learning that these two people were coming as envoys and that the problems between Song and Liao could no longer be delayed, Zhao Ya decided to meet with Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen.

It is worth mentioning that Zhao Ya also specifically asked Li Yan and Yang Jian to send people to contact Li Chuwen respectively to see if they could bribe him and make him act as a spy.

Zhao Ya met with Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen in Chongzheng Hall.

After entering the palace, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen knelt and reported, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Song, is here to pay his respects. When we arrived, our Emperor instructed us to convey to Your Majesty that the border between the Liao and Song dynasties is unclear in the area around the Baigou River, and we have sent envoys here to report this matter."

After saying this, Xiao Fengxian presented the letter from the Liao Kingdom.

Zhao Ya smiled slightly upon hearing this. "It's rare that your emperor dares to ask me to redefine the borders when the tribes in your northwest are rebelling. His courage is commendable."

When Zhao Ya said this, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen felt nervous!
The Liao Dynasty exercised high-pressure rule over nomadic tribes such as the Zhubu, Dilie, and Ugu in the northwest for a long time, requiring them to pay tribute and perform military service, and strengthened control by setting up the Northwest Road Recruiting Office and garrisoning troops in Zhenzhou.

These tribes have long been resentful of the Liao Dynasty's economic exploitation and military conscription.

In addition, the northwestern tribes have suffered severe natural disasters in recent years. Although the Liao court provided relief, officials at all levels exploited them, resulting in supplies not reaching the grassroots people, further intensifying the conflict between the two sides.

A few years earlier, the Liao general Tugusi had mistakenly attacked a vassal of the Zhubu Mogusi army, causing heavy casualties and sparking a rebellion. Mogusi subsequently killed Tugusi and joined forces with the Uguza, Daridi, and Basmu tribes to rise up against the Liao.

In recent years, the rebellion in the northwest region of Liao State has never stopped, and the two sides have been engaged in a tug-of-war.

This protracted rebellion almost exhausted the Liao treasury. The long-term turmoil in the Liao's northwestern border also weakened the Liao's control over the northern desert.

Historically, it was precisely because of this rebellion that the Liao Kingdom consumed a large amount of military and financial resources, which created an opportunity for the rise of the Jurchens in the northeast.

Zhang Chun had told Zhao Ya about these things a long time ago.

Zhao Ya had already sent people to investigate the matter.

Now, the Zhao Song Dynasty has completely mastered this crucial information.

Therefore, Zhao Ya was tough on the Liao Kingdom, and even showed his willingness to go to war with both Liao and Xia at the same time, but he still forced it through.

Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen did not expect that the Zhao Song Dynasty knew so much about the situation in the Liao Kingdom.

At this time, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen finally understood why the Zhao Song Dynasty was so tough this time. It turned out that they knew their background.

As soon as he saw the change in Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen's expressions, Zhao Ya knew that he had hit their soft spot.

Zhao Ya said, "I have heard that Yan's wife, Xing, is a beauty. She often comes and goes from the palace. Yan warned her, 'Be careful not to lose the opportunity to present an imperial edict.' As a result, his power and favor have become increasingly consolidated. I wonder if this is true?"

When Zhao Ya said this, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen were both embarrassed and shocked!

In his later years, Yelu Hongji was obsessed with Buddhism and neglected state affairs. He was even so absurd as to decide the appointment and dismissal of officials by the outcome of dice rolling. He also became the only emperor in Chinese history to select officials in this way.

Because Yelu Yan won the dice roll, Yelu Hongji directly appointed him as the Privy Councilor.

Yelu Hongji called him "a person with the appearance of a great minister (i.e. he has the face to become an important person)", which shows that he regarded the selection of officials as a child's play.

After Yelu Yan became the Privy Councilor by luck, he asked his young and beautiful wife Xing to come to the palace often to play with Yelu Hongji. He also specifically instructed Xing to make sure Yelu Hongji has a good time and not to make him unhappy.

Thanks to giving his wife away, the lucky man Yelu Yan is now becoming more and more favored by Yelu Hongji.

Capable people are excluded and speculators come to power. Do you think the situation in the Liao Dynasty can get any better?

Moreover, while fighting wars, Yelü Hongji also built numerous Buddhist temples and treated monks with favor, which wasted a lot of money and drained the national strength. To be honest, if the Zhao Song Dynasty's situation was not comparable to that of the Liao Dynasty, Zhao Ya really wanted to lead the army himself to completely eliminate this outwardly powerful enemy and complete the unification of the country.

With just two sentences, Zhao Ya revealed the secrets of the Liao Kingdom, making Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen hesitant and afraid to speak out, for fear that their words would cause trouble.

This was mainly because, looking at the ambitious Zhao Ya, and then thinking about their own old emperor who was already doddering, Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen both thought, "How can this be a threat to others? What if they really go to war with us? What will we do then?"

really!

The more you fear something, the more likely it will come.

Zhao Ya said seriously, "I also think that the border is unclear and needs to be redrawn. You two can go to the Prime Minister's house to discuss the specific matters."

Zhao Ya directly handed Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen over to Zhang Dun.

Zhao Ya's performance made the iron-blooded prime minister Zhang Dun very satisfied. He looked at Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen with a smile, like a wolf looking at sheep.

Of course, there were also people, like the pragmatic Zeng Bu and the conservative Han Zhongyan, who were worried that Zhao Ya's provocation of Yelu Hongji might cause Liao and Song to slide into the abyss of war.

They glanced at each other inconspicuously, and then tacitly waited until the court was dismissed before running to ask to see Zhao Ya.

……

In the Chuigong Hall.

Han Zhongyan and Zeng Bu repeated the same old thing and advised Zhao Ya to stay calm and not be blinded by the advantages in front of him.

Zhao Ya emphasized: "The situation of our Song Dynasty is so severe that I really do not want to fight. However, Liao and Xia are too aggressive. The two countries are in such a state. How can I compromise with them?"

In fact, Han Zhongyan and Zeng Bu could also understand Zhao Ya.

The Liao Kingdom is now facing internal and external troubles, and Yelu Hongji is so incompetent that it would be unreasonable to cede land and pay compensation.

The Western Xia side even lost the most important Hengshan area of ​​its country.

Hengshan is located in northern Shaanxi. It has a dangerous terrain and is the dividing line between Song and Xia. It is of vital importance to Western Xia.

Its importance is reflected in the following: the area is mountainous and rich in water resources, and it is the main grain-supplying area for the Western Xia to attack the Zhao Song Dynasty; the tea mountains and reed mountains in the east of Hengshan are the main production areas of salt and iron for the Western Xia; the Hengshan Qiang who have lived here for generations are an important source of soldiers for the Western Xia elite troops, and they are brave and good at fighting; the terrain here is steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack. After the Western Xia built the fort, Hengshan became an obstacle for the Song army to advance northward, and the Western Xia could use it to break through the Song-Xia border at will.

To put it in a more vivid way, the Hengshan area is to the Western Xia what the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are to the Liao Dynasty.

The Zhao Song Dynasty, which had previously lost Hengshan, was in a strategically passive position. Its prefectures and counties were threatened, so it could only send troops to garrison there, and was easily defeated one by one by the Western Xia.

More importantly, the main reason why the Zhao Song Dynasty's troops failed repeatedly in attacking Western Xia was that as soon as the Song army crossed the border, they entered the desert area and had to walk seventy or eighty miles to reach Lingzhou. There was no water or grass, and no people. The Song army was already exhausted before they even saw the enemy.

When the Xia army invaded the Zhao Song Dynasty, although they also crossed the desert, because they were in their own territory, they could gather troops in Hengshan to obtain food and grass every time, and then use this advantage to invade the border of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Later, when the Xia army invaded the territory of the Zhao Song Dynasty, they could use war to support war, attack wherever they wanted and plunder wherever they wanted.

This is why the Zhao Song Dynasty was unable to recover Western Xia and was often harassed by Western Xia, which eventually allowed Western Xia to grow bigger and stronger step by step.

Now that the Zhao Song Dynasty has obtained the Hengshan area, it can maintain its invincible position.

Next, as long as the Zhao Song Dynasty continued to implement the strategy of shallow attack and garrison, and encroached on Hengshan, Xixia would be recovered by the Zhao Song Dynasty sooner or later.

Under such circumstances, not to mention Zhao Ya's unwillingness to compromise, even the warmonger Zhang Dun's desire to recapture Western Xia in one fell swoop is understandable.

But the problem is that the Zhao Song Dynasty is now strong on the outside but weak on the inside. If it really goes to war with the Liao and Xia countries at the same time, it may be in danger of being destroyed.

Fortunately, Zhao Ya was also clear about the situation of the Zhao Song Dynasty. It was not that they were not in harmony, but that they were unwilling to pay a price for peace.

This is still something to discuss.

After coming out of the Chuigong Hall, Han Zhongyan and Zeng Bu discussed for a while, and then Zeng Bu went to find Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen in person to force the Liao Kingdom to compromise.

As Han Zhongyan and Zeng Bu expected, Zhang Dun's attitude was very tough.

Zhang Dun said that his emperor was already prepared to lead the army in person, so it would be better for the emperors of both countries to bring their troops to the border to discuss how to draw the new national boundary line.

Zhang Dun also said that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have been the territory of the Han Dynasty since ancient times, and it would be better for the two sides to renegotiate the ownership of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Just when Xiao Fengxian and Li Chuwen were met with setbacks from Zhang Dun and were filled with worry, Zeng Bu came to them.

Xiao Fengxian said to Zeng Bu, "Your country's prime minister keeps talking about raising an army. What's his intention?"

"If the two dynasties do not tolerate each other, they will inevitably go to war. Your country has been repeatedly aggressive and asked why our country mentioned raising an army. Why is that?" Zeng Bu said.

"The affairs between the two great countries must be discussed, so why did this happen?" Li Chuwen said.

"I have tried my best to mediate and keep the two countries at peace, but your country has gone too far. Now His Majesty has already stationed a large army in Hebei and is ready to lead the army at any time. If your country continues to be stubborn, there will be no room for mediation once the army is mobilized." Zeng Bu said.

Xiao Fengxian quickly advised, "Weapons are dangerous instruments, and Heaven abhors them. Once a war breaks out, I wonder how long it will last. I hope Mr. Zeng will consider the people of both countries and mediate."

Seeing that Xiao Fengxian's attitude had softened, Zeng Bu said, "If you are in a hurry, we can discuss it. However, your dynasty needs to think about how to calm down the endless anger of our Majesty..."

……

(End of this chapter)