I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 180 Sending a Woman to Seek Peace

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As soon as Xiao Bodie and Zuo Qigong left the Zhaigong Palace, they returned to Yanjing City without stopping.

After entering the city, they didn't even have time to rest before rushing to the palace to report to the emperor.

Upon meeting Yelü Yanxi and his ministers, Xiao Bodie, who had spent several days in the Song army camp, spoke first words: "The Song army's formation is like a copper wall, their charge like thunder. Their movements are perfectly synchronized, as if guided by the arm or finger, their attacks and defenses coordinated like fish swimming in a deep pool. They act immediately upon orders, without any slackening, fearless in the face of fire and water. When their blades clash, their battle cries shake the heavens, their formations are as solid as mountains, their ferocious army is like a raging tide, unstoppable!"

After a pause, Xiao Bodie continued, "The Song army also has many powerful weapons, such as the Divine Arm Bow, the Thunderclap Bomb, the Tiger Crouching Cannon, and the Explosive Pack. Whether in battle or in siege, they are invincible. Several cities were breached by them in less than two hours, which shows their strength."

Then, Xiao Bodie concluded: "The Song army is invincible, and our Liao dynasty is as fragile as a pile of eggs."

Xiao Bodie's words greatly shocked Yelü Yanxi and his ministers.

Xiao Fengxian chimed in, "The Song army is indeed formidable and cannot be easily resisted. We should grant their request quickly and not delay."

It was Zuo Qigong who advised Yelü Yanxi and his ministers to think twice, saying, "The Song emperor is demanding annual tributes before we can discuss peace. The amount is enormous; how can our Great Liao possibly give it all?"

For over a century, thanks to the annual tribute from the Song Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty's treasury was full, and its nobles lived extravagant lives.

Leaving aside others, let's just talk about Emperor Daozong of Liao, Yelü Hongji, who just passed away.

During his reign, he carried out numerous activities such as welcoming and placing Buddha relics, feeding monks, and building Buddhist temples. In the fourth year of the Dakang era, he fed as many as 360,000 monks.

He also built numerous temples, and the continuation of the Fangshan Stone Sutras and the carving of the Khitan Tripitaka were completed during his tenure.

These activities require a significant amount of human, material, and financial resources.

If it weren't for the annual tribute and payments from the Song Dynasty, could he have accomplished so many expensive things?
Now that Zhao Yu wants to get all that money back, this is going to be troublesome.

How are they supposed to repay 2000 million taels of silver and 3000 million taels of silk? What will they use to repay it?

Yelü Yanxi asked Xiao Changge, Yelü Heluwo, and other pro-war figures who insisted on keeping him there: "How will you respond to the Song emperor's demand for a huge annual tribute?"

This tribute was originally extorted by the Liao Dynasty when it was powerful or had the upper hand. Now that the situation has reversed and the Song Dynasty is powerful—no, it has trapped them all in one city—is it wrong to demand the money and silk that they have been extorted for so many years?

No problem.

You, the Liao Dynasty, are allowed to do the first day of the lunar month, while the Zhao Song Dynasty is allowed to do the fifteenth.

Moreover, the Zhao Song Dynasty is only trying to get its money and silk back.

Even if this matter escalates to the ends of the earth, it cannot be said that Zhao Yu was rude.

Furthermore, the pro-war faction, including Xiao Changge, Yelü, and Luwo, doesn't have any good solutions right now.

Therefore, Xiao Changge, Yelü, Luwo, and other pro-war figures all remained silent.

Xiao Fengxian believed Xiao Bodie's words without a doubt. He said, "Now the Song army is at the gates of the city, and our city's garrison is insufficient. Only by negotiating peace can we protect the country and the country. It would be better to agree to their demands first. However, the amount is too large. We can consider agreeing to give them one million taels of gold, two million taels of silver, and the same amount of silk as the silver."

Xiao Fengxian's suggestion was exactly what Yelü Yanxi wanted to say. The key point was that Yelü Yanxi was unwilling and dared not risk resistance. He only wanted to protect the country and the world of the Khitan. Therefore, he nodded and indicated his approval of what Xiao Fengxian said.

At this moment, Xiao Fengxian reminded Yelü Yanxi: "The Song envoy is still being held by our dynasty. We should quickly send him out to appease him and resolve the enmity between the two countries."

Yelü Yanxi's heart skipped a beat. He finally remembered Lin Shu, who had dared to speak so arrogantly to his face.

Yelü Yanxi hurriedly said, "Quickly invite Ambassador Lin."

Xiao Changge reminded him from the side, "His Majesty is the ruler of the country. How can he personally meet with such an arrogant person as Lin Shu?"

After Xiao Changge's reminder, Yelü Yanxi, who was already afraid of Lin Shu, took the opportunity to back down and let Xiao Fengxian appease Lin Shu and the others in his place.

After Xiao Fengxian left, Yelü Yanxi asked Xiao Changge, Yelü Heluwo, and others, "Is there any other way?"

This time, even Xiao Changge had to say, "There's nothing we can do but compromise and wait for reinforcements."

Choosing to make peace with Zhao Yu meant that the court had to pay a heavy financial price.

Yelü Yanxi and his ministers were well aware of this.

On the advice of his minister Xiao Sanbaonu, Yelü Yanxi decided to take the lead in frugality. He issued an edict stating that due to the invasion of the Song army, he would avoid the main hall and reduce his regular meals from this day forward.

Over there, Xiao Fengxian offered gifts, spoke kindly, and apologized repeatedly before finally persuading Lin Shu and the others to take the Liao envoy back to meet the emperor the next day.

Unexpectedly, the Song army launched a fierce attack on Yanjing that very night.

The Song army launched a fierce attack on the city, using Liao people who had surrendered to the Zhao Song Dynasty as their vanguard.

To survive, these Liao people desperately shot arrows at the city walls. Their arrows rained down, piercing the walls like hedgehog quills.

The Song army also bombarded the city walls with giant crossbow carts, ballistae, tiger-squatting cannons, catapults, and divine crossbows.

Cannonballs as large as millstones rained down on the city walls from time to time, destroying many towers and turrets.

The arrows used by the ballistae and ballistae of that era had wooden shafts and iron fletchings, and were known as "one spear, three swords" arrows. These arrows were actually fletched spears, and were very destructive. The ballistae could also shoot "peg arrows," which would be driven in rows into the rammed earth city walls, allowing attackers to climb over them.

Although the Tiger Crouching Cannon was not very powerful, it fired only scattershot shells, which were very lethal to the Liao people who were not fully armored.

The most terrifying thing was the explosive charge.

Concealed within that dark, heavy bundle was a terrifying force capable of shaking city walls and tearing apart defenses. Each time a deafening roar resounded, accompanied by billowing smoke and flying debris, cracks would appear in a certain part of the city wall, even deep pits. If Yanjing City hadn't been so sturdy, it would have collapsed long ago.

No one doubted that at some point, a section of the city wall might collapse, and then a tidal wave of Song troops would surge in and massacre the city of Yanjing.

This terrified the Liao army, who dared not relax for a moment and fought desperately to resist the Song army's attack.

Taking advantage of this offensive, the Song soldiers shouted and swarmed up the city walls, trying to tear a path to victory in this life-or-death struggle.

Just as the walls of Yanjing reached their limit and the Liao army was on the verge of despair, dawn broke!

The Liao soldiers guarding Yanjing City wept with joy.

Conversely, the Song army, which had previously held a significant advantage, was deeply disappointed.

The darkness of night provides natural cover for the attackers, allowing them to conceal their actions, quietly approach enemy positions, reduce the probability of being detected, and achieve a surprise attack.

The darkness also brings psychological unease and fear to the defenders, increasing their psychological pressure and affecting their judgment and reaction abilities. At the same time, the attackers have a psychological advantage in the dark and are more daring to act boldly.

In addition, nighttime is usually when the defenders are less vigilant. If the attackers choose to launch an attack at this time, they can disrupt the defenders' daily defensive rhythm and make it difficult for the defenders to organize an effective resistance in a state of panic.

During the day, with ample sunlight, the defenders can clearly observe the attackers' actions, promptly discover the attackers' direction of attack, troop deployment, and other information, thus enabling them to make targeted defensive arrangements and effectively organize firepower for counterattacks.

Furthermore, most weapons and equipment are more effective during the day, allowing the defenders to better utilize various observation devices and firepower to maximize their effectiveness. Daytime also facilitates communication, coordination, and cooperation among the defenders' various combat units, enabling them to execute defensive missions more accurately, provide mutual support and coordination, and form a more tightly integrated defense system.

In short, because it was dawn, the crisis in Yanjing City was temporarily resolved.

But everyone knows this is only temporary.

The Song army's offensive was too fierce. Once night fell, Yanjing would most likely fall.

This has almost become a consensus among the people of Yanjing.

Not only the people in Yanjing, but also the Song army changed its forces to continue the siege.

However, the Song army's attack on the city during the day was not as fierce as it was at night. They were only preventing the Liao army from destroying the trenches and bridges and repairing the city walls that had been damaged by the Song army. It was clear that they intended to preserve the previous gains until tonight and then continue to attack Yanjing City.

In response, Yelü Yanxi convened an emergency meeting.

At the meeting, Xiao Fengxian, who had been promoted to the position of Privy Councilor of the Northern Court by Yelü Yanxi, said in a serious tone: "We must never allow the Song army to attack the city again, otherwise our Yanjing city will surely fall. At that time, Your Majesty will be in danger, our Great Liao will be in danger, and the entire city may be wiped out by the Song army. Now we have reached the critical moment of life and death for our Great Liao."

This time, no one objected to what Xiao Fengxian said. They all realized that the Liao Kingdom was in great danger. If they were not careful, not only would the country perish, but most of the people in their city would become fish on a chopping board.

Yelü Yanxi asked in great fear, "How can we preserve my Great Liao?"

Seeing that no one else spoke, Xiao Fengxian said, "The only option is to negotiate peace."

This is actually a path that everyone knows. The problem is that the Song army is about to break through Yanjing City. Once the city falls, the Song army can take whatever they want. Why bother with unnecessary trouble? Under these circumstances, negotiating peace with the Liao Kingdom would be redundant.
Yelü Yanxi asked, "If the Song emperor is unwilling to make peace, what can be done?"

Xiao Fengxian said, "I have met the Song emperor, and he is not a tyrannical person. As long as our Great Liao shows sincerity, sends more gold, silver, silk, and beautiful women, and explains that the alliance with Western Xia and the military threat to the Southern Dynasty are due to Your Majesty being misled and not your own will, we may be able to preserve the ancestral temples and state of our Great Liao."

Upon hearing Xiao Fengxian's words, the expressions of Xiao Changge, Yelü, Luwo, and other pro-war figures immediately turned grim. They felt that Xiao Fengxian was subtly criticizing them.

Yelü Yanxi also looked at Xiao Changge, Yelü Heluwo, and other pro-war figures, as if to say, "If you hadn't misled me, how could my Great Liao have ended up like this?"

Xiao Changge, Yelü Heluwo, and other pro-war figures were speechless. They truly hadn't expected the Song army to be so formidable. Perhaps the strategy of defending cities was not suitable for them, the Hu people. They believed they should use the field warfare methods left by their ancestors to fight the Song army, fighting if they could win and retreating if they couldn't, thus securing an invincible position.

Yelü Yanxi withdrew his gaze and looked at Xiao Fengxian, saying sincerely, "It was all thanks to your mediation, my dear minister."

Xiao Fengxian bowed to the ground: "This is the duty of a subject."

Next, Xiao Fengxian suggested that they immediately explain the stakes to all the high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy families in the city, and borrow as much gold, silver, and silk as possible from them. In addition, they should quickly prepare three hundred beauties of various ethnic groups for Zhao Yu, and remember that they must be virgins and not Han Chinese, so as not to backfire.

Seeing this, although Xiao Changge, Yelü and Luwo, and other pro-war factions disapproved, they had no other way to protect Yanjing City and could only let it go. They thought to themselves, "It's good to compromise for now. We'll make further plans after our armies from all directions gather at the city."

Later, Xiao Fengxian went to see Yelü Yanxi alone and said, "Your Majesty still needs to sacrifice one person."

Yelü Yanxi asked, "Who is it?"

Xiao Fengxian said leisurely, "Consort Wen."

Yelü Yanxi was shocked! He hadn't expected that Xiao Fengxian would actually want him to send Xiao Sese to Zhao Yu to sue for peace.

Yelü Yanxi recalled his past with Xiao Sese, and a sense of reluctance rose in his heart.

Yes.

Yelü Yanxi resented Xiao Sese for bringing him to such a state.

But after all, he had once loved Xiao Sese deeply.

This made him feel a pang of guilt as he handed Xiao Sese over to Zhao Yu.

Furthermore, as an emperor, it would be a loss of face for him to give his woman to another emperor, especially under such circumstances.

The crucial point is that Xiao Sese is pregnant with his child.

Therefore, Yelü Yanxi said hesitantly, "Is this the only way?"

It wasn't necessarily the case that this was the only option, but Xiao Fengxian had long wanted to eliminate Xiao Sese, a huge threat to him and his sister. Now that this was a golden opportunity, he naturally had to make a concerted effort. So he said, "If we don't give the Song Emperor an explanation, what reason will the Song Emperor have to let our Great Liao go?"

Yelü Yanxi was speechless. He thought about it and realized that if he didn't give Zhao Yu a way out, even if Zhao Yu wanted to let him go, he would have no excuse.

After thinking for a moment, Yelü Yanxi asked, "Is it acceptable to replace her?"

Xiao Fengxian shook his head: "If someone like Hu Dugu has met Consort Wen, and the Song Emperor finds out that our Great Liao has deceived him, he will surely be furious. At that time..."

Yelü Yanxi knew that when an emperor was angry, millions would die, so he couldn't afford to provoke Zhao Yu.

After much hesitation, Yelü Yanxi asked, "Is it acceptable to send Consort Wen's head?"

In fact, this had already achieved Xiao Fengxian's goal, and sending Xiao Sese to her death was the safest option, to prevent Xiao Sese from causing any more trouble if she didn't die.

Xiao Fengxian was satisfied with sending Xiao Sese's head, but he didn't know if Zhao Yu would be satisfied.

After all, from a man's perspective, he would definitely prefer a living beauty, especially the enemy's woman, to a cold, lifeless head.

Moreover, Xiao Sese was once known as the "most beautiful woman in the Liao Kingdom," and her being alive would certainly be more effective in quelling Zhao Yu's anger than her being dead.

The key point is that the Liao Kingdom, by sending a woman's head, thought they could completely absolve themselves of responsibility for provoking the Song Dynasty in alliance with the Western Xia. This was pure wishful thinking. If Xiao Sese had taken the initiative to assume all of this, it would have been somewhat better and would have better demonstrated their sincerity in seeking peace.

Based on this, Xiao Fengxian shook his head.

If Yelü Yanxi had put himself in Zhao Yu's shoes, he would have preferred to have Zhao Yu's concubines to demonstrate his military prowess rather than a dispensable head.

After all, the greatest joy in life is to defeat the enemy, seize all their possessions, see their loved ones weep, and take their wives and daughters as your bride.

Therefore, Yelü Yanxi felt that what Xiao Fengxian said was correct.

However, making such a decision was still somewhat difficult for Yelü Yanxi.

Seeing that Yelü Yanxi could not make up his mind, Xiao Fengxian advised from the side: "Why should Your Majesty begrudge a woman for the sake of the country? Moreover, Consort Wen has a very strong personality and loves Your Majesty very much. She will not be humiliated and will definitely settle this matter here and end her own life to preserve Your Majesty's reputation."

Yelü Yanxi felt that this did indeed seem like Xiao Sese's style.

Most importantly, given the current situation, Yelü Yanxi truly had no other choice.

So, in the end, Yelü Yanxi nodded his "noble" head...

……

(End of this chapter)