I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 174 Sending Consort Wen to Seek Peace
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When Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong traveled north to Xincheng, they found that it had already been occupied by the Song army.

The city wall still bears the marks of arrows and the embers of war. On the east side of the city wall, there is a huge collapse. At this moment, craftsmen are repairing this section of the city wall and reinforcing the fortifications. All of this seems to tell the story of a fierce battle that took place not long ago.

The setting sun, like blood, stained the ancient city with a tragic hue. Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with astonishment and helplessness.

They were originally ordered to negotiate with the Zhao Song Dynasty in order to ease the tension between the two countries. Unexpectedly, before they even reached their destination, the Liao Dynasty suffered a major defeat, and it was a series of defeats.

The Liao Dynasty established a trading post in Xincheng, which served as an important trade hub between the Liao and Song Dynasties. This trading post largely compensated for the deficiencies in the Liao's domestic market, enriching its internal market and ensuring the diversification of its goods. The Yan-Yun region itself had well-developed transportation, serving as a transit point for goods exchange and a gathering place for various commodities, which was conducive to commercial development. Xincheng, as the location of the trading post, experienced particularly prosperous commercial activities.

Unexpectedly, this once prosperous border town, a vital trading hub on the frontier between the two countries, is now a ruin. The Song army's banners fly high atop the city walls, proclaiming their victory and occupation.

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong continued north and arrived at the ancient city.

To their even greater dismay, the area was also captured by the Song army.

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong wanted to continue north, but a junior Song soldier said to them, "My commander has sent an order from Zhuozhou, instructing you to wait there. He may be there to see you."

Xiao Fengxian, Zuo Qigong, and their entourage were greatly shocked upon hearing the news. They had heard of Guo Cheng, knew that he was the front-line commander of the Song army in this battle, and also knew that he was a general of the Zhao Song Dynasty who had defeated the Xia army in the Battle of Pingxia City. They even knew that Guo Cheng was Zhao Yu's father-in-law.

Such a person is someone that neither Xiao Fengxian nor Zuo Qigong dares to provoke.

Because he had accepted the Northern Pearl "gift" from Xiao Fengxian, he took Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong to see Guo Cheng's junior officer and kindly reminded them: "When you see Commander Guo, you two ambassadors must be tactful in your speech. Commander Guo is a veteran general with a volatile temper. You two must not offend his wrath, lest you suffer a fatal disaster."

Xiao Fengxian quickly said, "Thank you for the reminder, General."

Soon after, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong were taken to Zhuozhou, the Song army's camp.

When they arrived, Guo Cheng had already led his troops away.

At this time, the Song army was advancing towards Zhuozhou City in two separate routes.

So, the Song army junior officer, along with Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong, came to chase after Guo Cheng.

Finally, as they approached Zhuozhou City, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong caught up with Guo Cheng.

Guo Cheng rode a tall black horse, dressed in golden helmet and armor, looking majestic and dignified.

Guo Cheng didn't say much to Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong, only ordering them to advance with the army.

This was a formidable cavalry force, which would sound horns and bugles every thirty li to bolster their morale.

Around noon, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong followed Guo Cheng to a hillside north of Zhuozhou City.

This mountain is called Dulu Mountain. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides, where birds fly and the pine forests are lush and verdant. Standing on the top of the mountain, one feels refreshed and relaxed.

Gazing at the distant city of Zhuozhou, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong were filled with emotion. They were familiar with this city, having visited it many times before. Time had passed, landscapes had changed, but the city remained the same, though the people had changed. They never imagined that Guo Cheng would bring them here, and that they would witness their attack on Zhuozhou.

At this moment, Guo Cheng had time to call Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong over and questioned them, "We have maintained friendly relations between the North and the South for over a century. Why does your Liao Dynasty help the Western Xia against my Great Song Dynasty and threaten to attack it?"

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong were afraid of being killed by Guo Cheng, so they dared not say that the Liao and Western Xia were now in a relationship of mutual dependence, and that the Liao would help the Western Xia as if it were helping itself. Otherwise, once the Song Dynasty recovered the Western Xia, the next step would definitely be to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which were also of great importance to the Liao. At that time, the Liao might perish because of this.

Xiao Fengxian could only say, "His Majesty originally intended to make peace with the Great Song Dynasty and jointly seek a peaceful and prosperous era. Unexpectedly, someone misled His Majesty, causing the two countries to fight each other and suffer heavy losses. Our trip to Xiongzhou was precisely to explain the advantages and disadvantages to His Majesty's Emperor, clear up the misunderstanding, and strive to restore the friendship between the two countries and form an eternal alliance. However, fate has not been on our side, and we two have been unable to meet His Majesty's Emperor. Although we wanted to stop it, we were powerless to do so. What can we do?"

Zuo Qigong quickly echoed, "What Guojiu said is absolutely right. The people of our Liao Kingdom have long been weary of war and yearn for peace. This incident is truly the work of petty villains. I hope that Commander Guo will tell His Majesty the truth and ask him to see things clearly and not be deceived by appearances."

Guo Cheng asked, "Who are you two talking about?"

"This……"

Zuo Qigong looked at Xiao Fengxian.

Xiao Fengxian steeled his heart and said, "I dare not hide it from you, Commander. This person is my Emperor's Consort Xiao Sese. She persuaded my Emperor to unite with Western Xia. She also mediated and arranged for a member of our imperial family to marry the Xia ruler as Empress. It was also her idea to detain your country's envoy Lin Shu and others."

Xiao Fengxian's younger sister, Xiao Guige, was too soft-hearted, and Xiao Duoli was lazy and had no interest in court affairs because he had no children. The key was that Xiao Sese was intelligent and quiet, loved literature and calligraphy from a young age, was good at singing and dancing, and was also very righteous, so she was highly respected among the ministers.

If this continues, Yelü Aoluwo, the son of Xiao Sese, might very well seize the position of crown prince from Xiao Fengxian's nephew, who is also the son of Xiao Guige.

Therefore, if Xiao Fengxian wanted to bring down Xiao Sese, then the position of crown prince could only be chosen from among his nephews.

Of course, it's also because Xiao Sese did indeed do these things.

Guo Cheng frowned: "Such a major matter, actually caused by a woman?"

Xiao Fengxian tried to cover it up by saying, "Women in our dynasty have a high status, unlike those in your dynasty."

Thinking of Xiao Chuo, and then of the two Empress Dowagers of Liang, Guo Cheng felt that the women of the Hu tribe had a relatively high status. He muttered to himself, "Xiao Sese, hmm, I'll remember this name and report it to His Majesty the Emperor later."

Then, Guo Cheng said, "Even if Xiao Sese really did sow discord between us, your dynasty should not be so foolish as to break the alliance and cause war between the two countries, resulting in widespread suffering."

Xiao Fengxian apologized, saying, "Yes, yes, we will go back and speak to His Majesty, explaining the advantages and disadvantages, and we will surely make His Majesty realize his mistake and return to the path of peace, so that he will never again start a war and bring suffering to the people."

Zuo Qigong nodded repeatedly and added, "What Xiao Guojiu said is absolutely right. When we return, we will do our best to persuade the people of both countries to be spared the suffering of war and to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous world again."

Guo Cheng looked at the two men with deep eyes and slowly said, "Since you two have such intentions, I will trust you this once."

Then, Guo Cheng said to Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong, "Our emperor has issued an edict instructing you two to observe how our dynasty uses its troops before deciding whether to wage war against us."

After speaking, Guo Cheng rode down the mountain to the front lines and ordered his soldiers to beat drums to boost morale. In an instant, horns and war drums resounded.

The Song army roared forward, attacking the city from three sides, advancing like waves.

On the city wall, the Zhuozhou garrison commander saw this and hurriedly mobilized his troops. The archers quickly took their positions and rained down arrows in an attempt to stop the Song army's fierce offensive.

However, the Song army was well-prepared, with a variety of siege weapons. Using siege towers, flying towers, sky bridges, cloud ladders, and siege wagons as cover, a large number of Song soldiers moved to the city and began a fierce attack.

About an hour later, a deafening explosion was heard, and a huge gap was blasted open in the western city wall. Amidst the flying dust, the Song army surged in like a tidal wave, unstoppable.

Seeing that the city was about to fall, the garrison commander of Zhuozhou turned ashen-faced and hurriedly ordered the remaining troops to fight to the death, but it was too late.

Before evening, the Song army had captured Zhuozhou City.

To Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong's utter surprise, Guo Cheng directly ordered that all high-ranking officials, gentry, wealthy families, leaders, and military officers who participated in the resistance, regardless of whether they were Han or non-Han, and without any reason, be executed and their property confiscated. The land obtained would be distributed equally among the commoners and slaves of Zhuozhou, regardless of gender or age.

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong did not realize the deeper meaning behind the Zhao Song Dynasty's move. They only saw the Zhao Song Dynasty's ruthlessness and thought that the Zhao Song Dynasty was making an example of someone to warn others and setting a rule—those who surrender obediently will be richly rewarded, while those who resist will be killed without mercy.

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong rushed to Yanjing City overnight.

Upon returning to Yanjing, Xiao Fengxian, Zuo Qigong, and their entourage were all overjoyed, celebrating their newfound freedom. Exactly twelve days and nights had passed since they set off for Xiongzhou. These twelve days had been spent on the edge of a knife, their lives constantly in danger.

Fortunately, they eventually returned unharmed.

Upon returning to Yanjing, Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong witnessed a scene of chaos in the city. Many wealthy families were making preparations to leave Yanjing and flee north for refuge. In the streets and alleys, the people looked anxious and worried, discussing the news of the Liao Kingdom's successive defeats. Shops were closed, and the market was desolate, as if the entire city of Yanjing was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

The Liao court organized relevant personnel to distribute notices throughout the streets and alleys of Yanjing City to recruit "brave warriors" to form a new army.

People of all ethnic groups in Yanjing responded enthusiastically and signed up to participate.

There were also some people from the occupied areas, as well as scattered soldiers who had nowhere to go, who came to enlist.

Even wealthy families issued notices stating that they would contribute money and rice to recruit brave warriors to help the country resist the enemy and defend Yanjing.

Xiao Fengxian and Zuo Qigong had no time to worry about these things. They went straight into the palace and reported to Yelü Yanxi and others what they had seen and heard along the way, especially the fact that the Song army had captured Zhuozhou City in just one hour, and that all the high-ranking officials, gentry, wealthy families, leaders, and military officers in Zhuozhou were executed and their property confiscated without regard to whether they were Han or non-Han, or without asking any questions.

Upon hearing this, Yelü Yanxi's face darkened, and his heart pounded with fear. He never expected that the brief skirmish between the Song and Liao dynasties would result in such a one-sided defeat for the Liao army. More importantly, it wouldn't be long before the Song army, which had already breached the defenses of Yanjing, would be at the city gates, directly threatening his safety.

In response, some Liao officials believed that the Song army was coming with great force and had a clear objective: to reach Yanjing. The Liao army's defenses in Yanjing were insufficient, and it was unknown when reinforcements would arrive. Therefore, it was very unsafe for the emperor to stay in the city. They strongly advised Yelü Yanxi to leave the city to avoid battle, retreat north to Liaozhongjing, avoid the enemy's sharp edge, and make long-term plans, rather than staying in Yanjing to prevent any unforeseen events.

Some Liao officials believed that Yanjing (Beijing) was one of the most fortified cities in the land. The Song army had advanced swiftly and decisively, reaching the city's walls. Zhao Guangyi personally supervised the battle, and the Song army launched fierce attacks on Yanjing from all sides, but failed to breach the city for over ten days. Later, Emperor Jingzong of Liao, Yelü Xian, urgently dispatched the Southern Chancellor Yelü Sha and General Yelü Xiuge with elite troops to reinforce the city. Upon arrival, Yelü Xiuge joined forces with the previously defeated Liao army, attacking the Song army from three sides. Liao troops within the city also launched coordinated attacks, and the Song army, attacked from three sides, suffered a complete rout. Zhao Guangyi was wounded by an arrow and hastily retreated by donkey cart. With such a precedent, they should have held their ground and await reinforcements.

Some Liao officials believed that even if Yanjing (Beijing) had to be defended, the emperor did not need to stay behind in person; a general could be appointed to do so. They insisted that Yelü Yanxi retreat to the safer Liaozhongjing (Central Capital).

In addition, some Liao officials believed that since the Liao state was currently preoccupied with its own problems, the Liao army deployed on the border of Song, Liao and Xia should be transferred to Yan to fight the Song army.

However, some Liao officials opposed the transfer of Liao troops from the borders of Song, Liao, and Xia. These people were not insisting on reinforcing Western Xia, but they were afraid that if these Liao troops were transferred to Yan, the Song army would send troops from Hedong to conquer the nine prefectures behind the mountains.

In short, the ministers of Liao were saying all sorts of things, which was driving Yelü Yanxi crazy.

Yelü Yanxi himself was filled with concerns and anxieties about whether to defend the city or leave it.

Yelü Yanxi is only in his twenties and has not yet rotted to the core. Moreover, he has only been the emperor of Liao for a short time and his throne is not yet fully secure, so he has more to consider.

Based on this, Yelü Yanxi would inevitably consider that if he fled Yanjing without fighting, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying, which were of vital importance to the Liao Kingdom, to Zhao Yu?
This will certainly earn them the infamy of abandoning their clan's legacy and their own people.

However, if he stayed in Yanjing, he would have many capable ministers by his side and his imperial authority could be maintained. But Yelü Yanxi was also afraid that Yanjing would fall and he would be captured alive by Zhao Yu.

Yelü Yanxi was a weak-willed man, and he was constantly troubled by two conflicting thoughts.

As usual, Yelü Yanxi hid in the inner palace, wanting some peace and quiet.

When the Liao ministers saw that the Song army was about to attack and Yelü Yanxi was still fleeing, they were all so angry that they vomited blood.

What left the Liao ministers speechless was that no one could make this decision in place of Yelü Yanxi.

Having no other option, the Liao ministers went to Xiao Sese again, hoping she could persuade Yelü Yanxi.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Xiao Fengxian returned to Yanjing, he falsely accused Zhao Yu, saying that Zhao Yu originally did not want to attack Liao, but because Liao insisted on helping Western Xia, detained the envoys of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and repeatedly provoked the Zhao Song Dynasty, Zhao Yu led his army to attack Liao in a fit of rage.

Xiao Fengxian also implied that all of this was caused by Xiao Sese bewitching Yelü Yanxi.

Yelü Yanxi thought to himself that his current predicament was entirely due to the bad advice Xiao Sese had given him. Otherwise, he could be happily hunting right now instead of facing such a dangerous situation.
Xiao Fengxian mustered his courage and suggested to Yelü Yanxi: "Otherwise, we could send Consort Wen to the Song emperor to appease his anger, and the two countries could use this as a pretext to negotiate peace?"

To be honest, Yelü Yanxi was actually a little tempted.

No matter what, Xiao Sese was a woman Yelü Yanxi once loved, and she was carrying Yelü Yanxi's child.

Furthermore, it wouldn't look good for an emperor to offer his own women as a peace offering.

Therefore, Yelü Yanxi was very hesitant!
However, this did not change the fact that Yelü Yanxi had begun to dislike Xiao Sese and even distance himself from her.

It was precisely for this reason that Yelü Yanxi unusually did not meet with Xiao Sese, which caused him to waste a lot of precious time and opportunities...

……

(End of this chapter)