I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 192 Real Relatives
...

At the end of September, Yanjing City welcomed its first reinforcements.

Surprisingly, this first reinforcement was neither the main force of the Liao Dynasty nor a large tribe within the Liao Dynasty, but a very small tribe called "Xiao Gulu".

These little gourds were also translated by the Song people as "Little Bolu", "Little Hulu", "Little Gourd", "Little Julu", etc. They belonged to a branch of the Tangut people and were of the same race as the Zhe clan and the Li clan of Western Xia.

The various tribes of the Tangut people had a rather complex relationship with the Liao Dynasty. They sometimes submitted to the Liao and sometimes rebelled, repeatedly switching between the Song, Liao, and Western Xia dynasties.

As part of the Tangut people, the Xiaogulü tribe also participated in these activities.

However, for nearly a century, Xiaogulu had been a vassal state of the Liao Dynasty and was quite loyal to it. They also held the Liao Dynasty's imperial power in great awe.

Xiao Gulu's settlements were in places like Tiande and Yunzhong, which are in what is now central Inner Mongolia, not very close to Yanjing.

Furthermore, all told, the Xiaogulun tribe only has less than seven thousand people in total. Among them are a large number of women, the elderly, and children, so the number of able-bodied men who can actually fight is less than two thousand.

Even so, the Xiaogulu tribe was the first to arrive at the gates of Yanjing to come to the aid of the emperor.

Zhao Yu didn't know what Yelü Yanxi thought, but he certainly had a good impression of this small tribe.

However, having goodwill doesn't mean that Zhao Yu would show mercy to the Kogulu tribe.

Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'Since you've chosen to take such a risk, you must be prepared to get burned, or even killed.'

After discussion, Zhao Yu sent Zhao Liangsi into the city to ask Yelü Yanxi and his ministers for the horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules and donkeys brought by the Xiaogulu tribe, in order to make up for the interest owed to the Zhao Song Dynasty, that is, to make up for the shortfall of 200,000 horses.

Zhao Yu also instructed Zhao Liangsi to tell Yelü Yanxi and his ministers that if the Xiaogulu tribe did not hand over the horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys they were carrying by the next morning, he would send troops to crush the small tribe.

Zhao Liangsi relayed Zhao Yu's message verbatim to Yelü Yanxi and his ministers.

After Zhao Liangsi left, the pro-peace faction, led by Xiao Fengxian, advocated giving the horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys of the Xiaogulu tribe to the Zhao Song Dynasty, since the interest would have to be given to the Zhao Song Dynasty sooner or later anyway.

However, Xiao Changge, Yelü Heluwo, and other pro-war figures firmly opposed it. They believed that if the horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys of the Xiaogulu tribe were given to the Zhao Song Dynasty, it would surely discourage the armies and tribes that came to the aid of the emperor, and deter other armies from coming to the aid of the emperor.

Furthermore, if an army were to arrive and the Song Dynasty were to seize its horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys, rendering its fighting capacity useless, and also plunder its provisions, what use would a loyal army be? It would only result in more people being extorted by the Song Dynasty.

Although Yelü Yanxi was incompetent, even he could understand that the arguments of Xiao Changge, Yelü Heluwo, and other pro-war faction members made a lot of sense. Without horses, nomadic tribes were like lambs to the slaughter; no matter how many came, they were just freeloaders. They still had to find a way to provide provisions for these useless loyalist armies.

Seeing Yelü Yanxi's hesitation, Xiao Fengxian understood that Yelü Yanxi probably did not want to hand over the horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys of the Xiaogulu tribe to the Zhao Song Dynasty. He advised, "The Song emperor has made it clear that if we do not hand them over, he will launch an attack on the Xiaogulu tribe tomorrow. The tribe has at most one or two thousand warriors who can fight. How can they withstand the attack of the Song army? If the tribe is defeated, other troops that come to the aid of the emperor will also be intimidated by the Song army and will not dare to come to the aid of the emperor. Moreover, this move may destroy the peace negotiations and lead to a full-scale invasion by the Southern Dynasty."

Yelü Yanxi knew that if things really developed this way, they would be completely out of control, and the Liao Dynasty might be in danger of extinction.

Therefore, we must not allow things to develop in this direction.

Ultimately, after discussing the matter, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers decided to send someone out of the city to inform the Xiaogulu tribe to quickly retreat to Juyong Pass and await further orders from them.

Fearing discovery by the Song Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty even sent people in the form of meat boxes.

The so-called "meat letter," also known as "wax ball silk letter," involves writing a secret message on silk, placing it in a wax ball, and then hiding it in a part of a person's body, such as the thigh or arm, to transmit confidential information in this extremely covert way.

This method was often used in special circumstances such as war in this era to ensure that secret messages were not easily discovered and intercepted by the enemy.

What the Liao Dynasty was unaware of was that Zhao Yu, in order to better conduct intelligence work, specifically ordered Yuwen Xuzhong (Zhang Chun changed Yuwen Huangzhong's name) to establish the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

With this specialized intelligence agency, and Yuwen Xuzhong, who was particularly skilled in intelligence work, in charge, the Zhao Song Dynasty still held such a huge advantage. It is no exaggeration to say that Yanjing City had been infiltrated by the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) like a sieve, and even Yelü Yanxi had Jinyiwei spies around him.

The most direct impact was that the Embroidered Uniform Guard received the news before Yelü Yanxi and his ministers could even begin to implement their plan.

As a result, the Liao Dynasty's spies were captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard as soon as they left the city, and Yelü Yanxi's imperial edict was taken out from his thigh.

At dawn the next day, before daybreak, the Zhao Song Dynasty dispatched four light cavalry units, totaling more than 10,000 men, to launch a surprise attack on Xiaogulu tribe.

These four light cavalry units, like ghosts in the night, silently approached the Xiaogulu tribe's camp under the cover of dawn.

The sound of horses' hooves was gently swallowed by the soft grass, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the grass tips, intertwined with the occasional low growl of wild beasts in the distance, adding a touch of grimness to the impending battle.

The people of the Xiaogulu tribe are still dreaming, perhaps dreaming of their homeland's grasslands, flocks of sheep, and that distant and peaceful life.

However, reality awakened them in the cruelest way.

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the thin mist and illuminated the earth, Song army arrows rained down like raindrops, shattering the tranquil night sky and tearing apart their peace.

Although the young men of the Xiaogulu tribe were caught off guard, they did not panic. They quickly assembled, took up their weapons, and with the unique tenacity and courage of their tribe, faced an enemy that outnumbered them several times over.

Arrows crisscrossed in the air, forming a net, while the sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and clashing weapons blended together, creating a tragic and magnificent war scene.

It must be said that the young men and women of Xiaogulu tribe are very brave.

However, the disparity in strength made it difficult for the young and strong of the Xiaogulu tribe to withstand the Song army's overwhelming offensive.

Blood stained the grass, cries of agony rose and fell, and the camp of the Little Gulu tribe was gradually engulfed in flames.

In this battle, the Song army killed nearly a thousand people, captured more than three thousand, seized more than three thousand warhorses, and more than twenty thousand cattle, sheep, camels, mules and donkeys. The chieftain of Xiaogulu, Gulu Mingyu, was captured alive. The first reinforcement army of Yanjing City was annihilated by the Song army.

After the war, Zhao Yu sent Han Zhongyan with a secret agent who had delivered a message to Xiaogulu tribe, carrying a letter written in Yelü Yanxi's own handwriting, to confront Yelü Yanxi and his ministers.

Even clay figures have a touch of rustic charm.

Faced with the Liao Dynasty's underhanded tactics, Han Zhongyan bluntly addressed Xiao Fengxian, saying, "Our Great Song Dynasty has no desire to wage war again. However, your dynasty has no integrity whatsoever, attempting to deceive our dynasty with trickery. Where does that leave our sincerity?!"

Xiao Fengxian nodded and dared not argue.

What's there to argue about? The facts are laid bare before us. To try and deny it is simply courting death.

Even without arguing, Xiao Fengxian was afraid that the Song army would attack because of this. Xiao Fengxian guessed correctly.

Just as Han Zhongyan and Xiao Fengxian were discussing this matter, Zhao Yu ordered the army to assemble, making it appear as if they were about to attack Yanjing City.

At Zhao Yu's command, hundreds of thousands of Song soldiers sprang into action, marching in a mighty army towards Yanjing. Banners blotted out the sun, war drums thundered, and iron hooves shattered the tranquility of the land. Amidst the swirling dust, the might and power of the Song army were on full display.

Upon learning of this, Yelü Yanxi disregarded his status and immediately went to see Han Zhongyan in person.

To Yelü Yanxi's slight relief, upon learning that he was the emperor of the Liao Dynasty, Han Zhongyan bowed to him according to the etiquette of the Zhao Song Dynasty: "Your subject Han Zhongyan greets Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Liao Dynasty."

Yelü Yanxi quickly helped Han Zhongyan up and said, "I am brothers with your emperor, and I have also married three princesses to your emperor. We are truly relatives. How could I wish to fight with him? It is the ministers who have misled me and damaged our harmony. I hope Minister Han can convey my sincerity and ask your emperor to calm down."

Han Zhongyan's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "His Majesty the Emperor is kind-hearted and originally intended to resolve the conflict between the two countries peacefully. However, your dynasty's actions are truly outrageous."

Emperor Yelü Yanxi and his ministers repeatedly apologized.

Han Zhongyan's tone softened slightly, and he said, "The matter of the Xiaogulu tribe is just the tip of the iceberg. If your dynasty cannot show sincerity, the war between the two countries may be difficult to quell."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Yanxi's forehead beaded with sweat. He knew all too well that the Liao Dynasty was currently in decline and no match for the Song Dynasty. If war broke out, the country might be destroyed. Crucially, he was trapped in Yanjing (present-day Beijing). If war broke out, he would inevitably be captured by the Song army, with unimaginable consequences. Therefore, he hurriedly said:

"What Han Qing said is absolutely right. I have severely punished those officials who attempted to deceive your court, and I wish to use this to show my sincerity. Furthermore, I am willing to add another 50,000 warhorses to atone for my past mistakes, hoping that our two countries can reconcile and work together for peace."

The moment Yelü Yanxi opened his mouth, the Liao officials all thought to themselves, 'This is bad!'

Fifty thousand warhorses was no small number, even for the Liao Dynasty, which was known for its horse-producing prowess, especially considering that they had already agreed to provide two hundred thousand warhorses.

But Yelü Yanxi was also an emperor, and his words were law. He had already spoken them. As a subject, could you refute him in public, especially in front of outsiders?
Furthermore, with the Song army about to attack the city, it seems unlikely that they can easily quell the situation without taking a piece of their own flesh.

Only after receiving the promised 50,000 horses from Yelü Yanxi did Han Zhongyan return to report.

With this excuse, Zhao Yu called a halt to the siege.

However, the matter did not end there.

The reason why Xiaogulu was the first to come to the aid of the emperor was not because Xiaogulu was fast, but because the other Liao troops knew that coming to the aid of the emperor now would be suicide. Only by gathering into a large force could they resist and threaten the Song army.

It was precisely because they understood this that the Liao army had been gathering at Juyong Pass, Gubeikou, Songting Pass, and Pingzhou, preparing to come together to relieve Yanjing City once they had assembled and agreed on a time.

Xiao Gulu's group entered Yan territory through Nan'ankou because they were greedy for merit, but ended up being sent away as a mere envoy.

Just ten days after Xiaogulu's tribe was defeated by the Song army, Xiao Xiamo led a combined force of about 80,000 Khitan, Xi, Han and Bohai people to the outskirts of Yanjing.

Xiao Xiamo's wife was Princess Yelü Sage, daughter of Emperor Daozong of Liao. His younger sister, Xiao Tansi, was also married to Emperor Daozong as his second empress. Therefore, he was both Emperor Daozong's son-in-law and brother-in-law, holding a very noble status. He had also made great contributions in suppressing rebellions in his early years and possessed certain command abilities, which is why he was elected as the supreme commander of the allied forces.

On almost the same day, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yelü Yudu led 30,000 elite Liao cavalry to the walls of Yanjing.

In addition, scouts from the Zhao Song Dynasty discovered that approximately 100,000 Liao troops were passing through Juyong Pass.

Clearly, Yelü Yanxi had indeed transferred the hundreds of thousands of Liao troops deployed on the borders of Song, Liao, and Western Xia.

In other words, Zhao Yu has essentially achieved half of his strategic objectives in this campaign. The Liao Dynasty is unlikely to interfere further in the Song Dynasty's efforts to recover Western Xia; they are currently preoccupied with that matter.

From this perspective, Zhao Yu's personal campaign can be considered half a success.

But the closer it gets to this point, the greater the test becomes for Zhao Yu and the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Putting aside other issues, the Liao Dynasty suddenly had over 200,000 troops coming to the aid of the emperor, which was a difficult situation to handle.

It could even be said that if handled poorly, Zhao Yu's previous efforts might be in vain.

Unlike the rash Xiao Gulu tribe, Xiao Xiamo, upon arriving at the gates of Yanjing, immediately dispatched elite cavalry to garrison a well-connected area in the north, particularly suitable for cavalry warfare, thus putting pressure on the Song army.

Zhao Yu did not choose to stubbornly resist, but instead told Guo Cheng not to consider political matters and to act only from a military perspective.

With Zhao Yu's understanding, Guo Cheng decisively ordered the Song army to cease the siege, consolidate their forces, occupy advantageous terrain, and prepare for large-scale battles...

The Song army stopped besieging the city, and reinforcements from all directions gradually arrived outside the city, relieving the pressure on Yelü Yanxi and his ministers.

Yelü Yanxi immediately ordered the dismantling of the Song army's defensive fortifications outside Yanjing and the filling of the trenches. At the same time, he instructed Xiao Xiamo to send him 10,000 fine horses so that he could escape Yanjing at any time.

The Zhao Song Dynasty did nothing to stop them, but simply watched as Yelü Yanxi and his ministers escaped.

Only when he could escape Yanjing City at any time did Yelü Yanxi finally feel relieved.

Next, Yelü Yanxi ordered Yelü Heluwo and his son Yelü Chun to establish an effective organizational structure so that he could personally command these troops.

At the same time, Yelü Yanxi was trying to arm the Liao army in Yanjing City, which had been completely wiped out by the Zhao Song Dynasty.

It is worth mentioning that as reinforcements arrived from outside the city, the Song army stopped its siege, and the morale of the soldiers and civilians inside the city began to rise.

Seeing the situation, Yelü Yanxi's spirits were also boosted.

However, as long as the Song army did not withdraw, Yelü Yanxi, who had already been terrified by Zhao Yu, could not completely put his mind at ease.

On this day, after discussing with a group of ministers of the Liao Kingdom, Yelü Yanxi sent an envoy with some special products from the Northeast (such as ginseng, deer antler, Siberian tiger, black bear, etc.) brought by the troops who came to the aid of the emperor, to go out of the city to comfort Zhao Yu.

In reality, the so-called condolences were just a formality; Yelü Yanxi's true purpose was to find out how Zhao Yu would be willing to withdraw his troops...

……

(End of this chapter)