I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 194: Full, warm and lustful

...

Yelü Yanxi was certain that Xiao Xia's attempt to intercept Zhao Yu's imperial camp would succeed, and he eagerly awaited the good news of a great victory that would arrive in the morning.

Yelü Yanxi even fantasized that Xiao Xiamo could snatch a few of Zhao Yu's concubines for him, so that he could vent his anger and avenge Zhao Yu for taking Xiao Sese away.

But as dawn approached, a fierce battle broke out first in the direction of the Zhaigong Palace.

Immediately afterwards, fierce fighting broke out in the western Xiao Xiamo military camp, with flames soaring into the sky.

Those around Yelü Yanxi who were knowledgeable in military affairs immediately realized that Xiao Xiamo's military camp had been intercepted, and deduced that Xiao Xiamo had most likely fallen into a trap.

Yelü Yanxi was shocked and immediately sent someone to inform Yelü Heluwo to rush to Xiao Xiamo's aid.

Immediately afterwards, Yelü Yanxi sent someone to inform Xiao Sixian to be ready to help him escape from Yanjing City.

Although Yelü Helu was furious that Yelü Yanxi and Xiao Xiamo ignored his orders and insisted on intercepting Zhao Yu's imperial camp, resulting in them falling into the Song army's trap, he still immediately dispatched Yelü Chun with his 50,000 troops to meet Xiao Xiamo.

However, Xiao Xiamo had already died in battle, so Yelü Chun could only support Yelü Yudu and fight a major battle against the pursuing Jing Sai Army, Shenji Vanguard Army, and Shenji Rearguard Army.

To Yelü Chun's surprise, his 50,000-strong army, plus Yelü Yudu's 30,000-plus troops and Xiao Xiamo's 4,000 remnants, could not defeat the 10,000-plus Song soldiers. Not only that, they were also scattered by the Jing Sai army and many were shot dead by the Shenji army.

Even if the Divine Machine Army was strong, because it was an infantry force, it lacked mobility and did not actually pose a threat to the Liao army.

Although the Jingse Army were heavily armored cavalry, each soldier had five horses and could take turns changing horses, so their speed was not slow. They were like a group of heavy tanks running at high speed, giving them an overwhelming advantage over light and heavy cavalry.

The brothers Yang Keshi and Yang Kesheng, who were in charge, led their three thousand Guanzhong wandering knights and went on a killing spree.

In the heat of battle, Yang Keshi was struck by an iron caltrop arrow, which wounded his bone and caused blood to flow all over his boots. He was so angry that his hair stood on end and his eyes were about to burst. He threw off the armor on his arms, revealing his nimble arms to kill the enemy. Later, he felt that killing with one hand was not enough, so he simply bit the horse reins and fought with both hands. As a result, he lost two teeth and was hit in the chest by a hail of arrows. Even so, he still killed dozens of people with his own hands.

According to incomplete statistics, Yang Keshi himself killed at least two hundred people in this battle.

Yang Keshi was known as "a match for ten thousand men," and he truly lived up to his reputation.

In this second battle, the two sides fought until nearly noon, and the Jingse army killed several thousand more people.

Without a doubt, the Jingse Army became the undisputed protagonist of this battle, and even the Shenji Army could not compare with them.

Later, seeing how formidable the Jingse army was, Yelü Chun ordered the Liao army to disperse and retreat, thus escaping the battlefield thanks to their speed and agility...

When Yelü Yanxi learned of this victory, he was shocked. He never expected that Xiao Xia's attempt to launch a surprise attack would backfire, as he himself was ambushed by the Song army. After these battles, the Liao Kingdom had suffered complete defeats and heavy losses, truly a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.

Yelü Yanxi hastily issued an edict, ordering the army to retreat ten miles, and at the same time set up an Ordo for him in Wangjing, as he was no longer going to stay in Yanjing.

Before Yelü Yanxi could flee, Zhao Yu sent Zhao Liangsi and Lü Yihao to question the Liao Kingdom about why they had sent troops to raid their own camp, and whether they intended to start a formal war. If so, they were to be sent on a mission.

Upon learning that Zhao Yu was about to launch a full-scale war, Yelü Yanxi quickly ordered Xiao Fengxian to send someone to appease Zhao Liangsi and Lü Yihao. He then urgently convened a meeting of ministers to discuss countermeasures.

This raid failed, and the Song army even used it to launch a major counterattack, which dealt a heavy blow to Yelü Yanxi.

Practice seems to have proven that the path insisted upon by Xiao Fengxian and other pro-peace ministers was the correct one.

As a result, pro-peace ministers such as Xiao Fengxian became active again and regained Yelü Yanxi's trust.

Ministers who advocated peace, including Xiao Fengxian, believed that the raid on the camp should be attributed to the military general's unauthorized actions. They refused to acknowledge any connection between the incident and Yelü Yanxi or the Liao court, and they also needed to find a way to mitigate the negative impact of the incident on the Liao state.

Xiao Fengxian's suggestion was exactly what Yelü Yanxi wanted to think.

But now there is a problem: Xiao Xiamo, who said he would take on this responsibility, has died in battle. It is unlikely that Zhao Yu will accept putting all the blame on a dead person.

Furthermore, the Liao state has already given Zhao Yu everything it could, making it difficult to eliminate the negative impact of these events on the Liao state.

To resolve this issue, ceding territory may be the only option.

In fact, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers were well aware that what the Zhao Song Dynasty wanted most was the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying. This was the greatest obsession of the emperors of the Zhao Song Dynasty throughout history.

It could even be said that if the Liao Dynasty were willing to give the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying to the Song Dynasty, they wouldn't need to pay the Song Dynasty at all; on the contrary, the Song Dynasty would pay them.

In fact, long ago, the Zhao Song Dynasty wanted to buy back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying with money.

However, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying were equally important to the Liao Dynasty. Once this economic, food, population and strategic stronghold was lost, the Liao Dynasty might not be far from its demise.

Therefore, the Liao Dynasty would never give up the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying.

Ultimately, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers discussed the matter and decided to voluntarily cede the two prefectures of Yi and Zhuo to the Zhao Song Dynasty, while continuing to pay annual tribute and interest, as well as the additional 50,000 horses that Yelü Yanxi had added later. Furthermore, they agreed to pay the interest on the annual tribute (i.e., the remaining horses) immediately, and to send people to Liaoxijing, Liaozhongjing, Liaodongjing, and Liaoshangjing to collect gold and silver to pay the annual tribute, without any further delay.

Yelü Yanxi also wrote a personal letter to Zhao Yu, in which he shifted all the blame to Xiao Xiamo, saying that he was greedy for merit and ruined the country. He explained that the reason why the annual tribute had not been paid before was because the gold, silver, silk, jewelry and antiques in Yanjing City had been looted and there was no way to pay anymore.

Yelü Yanxi added that the Liao Kingdom would pay the remaining tribute, including the silk that had not yet been paid, entirely in gold and silver, hoping that the two countries could make peace and coexist peacefully.

Yelü Yanxi also said that peace is a precious thing, and having been entrusted with the task of mediating, he earnestly hoped that it would be accomplished from beginning to end, and so on...

After writing the letter, Yelü Yanxi decided to send someone to the Zhaigong Palace to explain the situation to Zhao Yu.

However, not a single minister dared to accept the order. Everyone knew that the Zhao Song Dynasty was in a state of fury, and in their anger, they were capable of anything.

In the end, it was Zuo Qigong who stepped forward and bravely accepted the mission.

Seeing that it was a Han Chinese who stepped forward at the critical moment, Yelü Yanxi was deeply moved and even changed his opinion of Han Chinese.

But sending only one Han man to see Zhao Yu was clearly not enough, and Yelü Yanxi was also not at ease.

Understanding Yelü Yanxi's intentions, Xiao Fengxian recommended his younger brother, Xiao Baoxian, to be the chief instigator.

Xiao Fengxian's actions, which prioritized the overall situation, deeply moved Yelü Yanxi. He felt that in these turbulent times, it was a blessing for the Liao Kingdom to have such a righteous and courageous minister.

Yelü Yanxi looked at Xiao Fengxian with a solemn gaze, his voice trembling slightly, and said, "My dear minister, you are truly a pillar of the nation, and I am very pleased."

Xiao Fengxian bowed and said, "For Your Majesty, for the sake of our Great Liao, I will devote myself to the cause until my dying breath!"

Xiao Fengxian changed his tone and said, "At this critical moment, words are not enough. We should deliver the horses tomorrow to show the sincerity of our Great Liao in negotiating peace..."

To be honest, Yelü Yanxi was actually somewhat hesitant about this.

If the Song Dynasty hadn't extorted a large number of horses from the Liao Dynasty beforehand, the Song army wouldn't have won this battle so easily. Even if the Song army had won, they wouldn't have achieved such a result.

If the Song Dynasty were given another 100,000 horses, wouldn't the Song army be able to conquer the Xiongnu and even reach the Liao Dynasty's Khatun City?

Later, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers discussed and decided to use cattle, sheep, camels, mules and donkeys to replace horses as much as possible, and to find some packhorses and old horses from various armies to deliver. In short, they wanted to repay the interest and the 50,000 horses that Yelü Yanxi had promised, while trying not to increase the Song army's combat strength.

Yelü Yanxi agreed to all of them. Xiao Fengxian and other pro-peace ministers emphasized that under the current circumstances, they must resolutely strive towards peace talks and could not waver in the slightest, otherwise they would be harming the country.

Yelü Heluwo was also present. He believed that although the Liao Kingdom had indeed suffered a great loss in the battle last night, they had only lost tens of thousands of troops. They still had more than 600,000 troops left, and their strength in Yanjing was far superior to that of the Song army. As long as they ordered their infantry to guard important towns such as Yanjing, and used cavalry to assist in the defense outside the city, while constantly harassing the Song army, the Song army would not be able to achieve any further results. When the Song army ran out of food and was annoyed by their harassment, they would naturally retreat.

Yelü Heluwo also believed that victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare, and that we should not lose our courage because of this defeat, but should have the courage to fight again.

However, Yelü Yanxi completely ignored Yelü and Luwo's ​​suggestions. He was timid and cowardly, did not understand the art of war, and dared not wage war against the Song army again.

Xiao Fengxian further pointed out that the Song army currently has more food supplies than they do, and if they continue to fight the Song army, it is uncertain who will be the first to give up.

What Xiao Fengxian said was also true.

As early as this autumn harvest, the Song army had obtained a large amount of grain and fodder, enough to last until next spring. Moreover, the Zhao Song Dynasty could continuously supply the front lines with grain and fodder.

Furthermore, the Zhao Song Dynasty had now acquired a large number of horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys, which could also serve as provisions.

In comparison, most of the grain and fodder in Yan was seized by the Zhao Song Dynasty. The cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys brought by the loyalist army had to be given to the Zhao Song Dynasty. More importantly, their numbers were greater than those of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

It's really hard to say who will give up first.

Therefore, Yelü and Luwo, who were aware of this situation, kept quiet again.

……

With trepidation, Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong arrived at the Zhaigong Palace.

Outside the Zhaigong Palace, smoke swirled, and some places were still on fire. Traces of the fierce battle of the previous night could still be seen among the broken walls and ruins, with ashes and bloodstains intertwined, telling the story of the tragic night.

Not far away, the corpses of the Liao soldiers were piled up, layer upon layer like autumn leaves, silently telling a lament of defeat. Crows circled overhead, emitting mournful cries, adding to the desolation and bleakness of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the flags of the Zhao Song Dynasty fluttered high above the ruins, displaying the posture of the victors.

Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong walked across this devastated land, their hearts filled with mixed emotions...

Before long, Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong met Han Zhongyan.

Han Zhongyan was no longer as polite as before, and said indifferently, "The two countries are already willing to make peace, so why have you come to raid our camp?"

Xiao Baoxian quickly explained, "It's all because Prince Consort Xia Mo is greedy for merit and the army wants to fight, which is not the intention of the imperial court."

Then, Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong took turns trying to find fault.

They are quite eloquent.

The key point is that Han Zhongyan didn't want to escalate the situation further, so he didn't dwell on the loopholes in their words.

Finally, Han Zhongyan warned, "You two had better bring good news, or next time it won't be me receiving your ambassadors."

Having dealt with each other so many times, the Liao Dynasty naturally already knew that Han Zhongyan was a conservative and appeasement-oriented member of the Zhao Song Dynasty, while the Zhao Song Dynasty also had a large number of radical and war-oriented members.

Therefore, Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong understood very well that Han Zhongyan meant that if their Liao Kingdom did not show sincerity this time, then even if the Song and Liao Kingdoms did not go to war immediately, the radical and pro-war factions would negotiate with their Liao Dynasty instead. At that time, the two countries would definitely go to war, and there would be no room for mediation.

Xiao Baoxian quickly relayed the entire message of Yelü Yanxi and his ministers to Han Zhongyan.

Han Zhongyan visibly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and said to Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong, "I will go and consult my Emperor."

Han Zhongyan then went to the Zhaigong Palace to request an audience with Zhao Yu.

At this moment, Zhao Yu was catching up on sleep.

Last night's battle was so important, how could Zhao Yu possibly sleep well even though he didn't personally command it?
Moreover, Zhao Yu also had to be prepared to retreat if the situation turned unfavorable.

Yes.

Yelü Yanxi and his ministers were quite speechless. Before the raid even started, three large flags were erected next to Minzhong Temple with the words "Reporting Victory Before the Emperor" written on them. Furthermore, an "Imperial Tent" was set up at Desheng Gate to await Yelü Yanxi's arrival and capture. Also, after Xiao Xiamo led the raiding troops out of the city, everyone in Yanjing crowded on both sides of the road to watch.

In this situation, not only had the Embroidered Uniform Guard already planted countless spies in Yanjing, but even those Han Chinese who were close to the Zhao Song Dynasty would secretly come to inform the people of the Zhao Song Dynasty that Xiao Xiamo was going to raid Zhao Yu's imperial camp and was preparing to "capture the king first" and present Zhao Yu to Yelü Yanxi.

Crucially, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers also had three days to prepare, giving Zhao Yu and his ministers ample time to learn of the news and to discuss and prepare.

How could we possibly lose a battle like this?
More importantly, since the start of his personal campaign, Zhao Yu had been sternly warning his generals and supervisors to guard against Liao army raids. Fearing that his generals and supervisors might become complacent, Zhao Yu would randomly visit an army for surprise inspections whenever he had time. Sometimes, he would even personally cover some soldiers with blankets, as Li Lin had instructed, to win their hearts. In other words, since the northward march, especially after entering Yan territory, the Song army had been very vigilant and on high alert at all times.

It was precisely for this reason that Zhang Chun and Li Lin did not withdraw from Xiongzhou, but instead stayed in the Zhaigong Palace to watch the show, because they had great confidence in the Song army.

But then again, if Zhang Chun and Li Lin can be so carefree, how can Zhao Yu be completely at ease?

After all, nothing in this world is 100% certain.

So Zhao Yu didn't sleep a wink last night.

Fortunately, it turned out that Zhao Yu had overthought things. The war progressed much more smoothly than he had imagined, and by noon today, the outcome was completely decided, with the victor and vanquished already determined.

Upon learning the result, Zhao Yu immediately felt sleepy.

Zhao Yu didn't hold on any longer; he simply found a palace maid to use as a pillow and fell asleep.

Before going to sleep, Zhao Yu specifically instructed Zhang Chun to wake him up if there was anything important, especially if the Liao Kingdom sent an envoy to apologize.

Therefore, after Han Zhongyan explained his purpose, Zhang Chun called Zhao Yu to his feet.

After listening to Han Zhongyan's report on the attitude of Yelü Yanxi and his ministers, Zhao Yu thought for a moment and decided that it was better to have one bird in hand than a thousand birds in the forest, so he should secure the prize first.

Han Zhongyan shared the same idea.

Still not entirely at ease, Zhao Yu summoned Zeng Bu, Su Zhe, and Cai Bian.

This time, even Zeng Bu and Cai Bian believed that even if they continued to fight the Liao Kingdom, they should get these horses first. Otherwise, the Liao army could fight if they could win, and run away if they couldn't. Without horses, the Song army could only watch helplessly.

The Zhao Song Dynasty was able to reach a rare agreement, and Zhao Yu immediately instructed Han Zhongyan to finalize the matter with Xiao Baoxian and Zuo Qigong. He also ordered Su Zhe to prepare manpower to receive the horses and the gold and silver that would be sent later.

Next, Zhao Yu instructed Zeng Bu to personally inspect the deployment and equipment of each army, to replenish whatever was missing as soon as possible, to be ready for a major battle at any time, to guard against night attacks by the enemy, and to check the equipment for the winter in Yanjing again, ensuring that there were no oversights.

Zhao Yu then instructed Cai Bian to compile statistics on the soldiers' merits from the previous night and to distribute the rewards and promotions as soon as possible to boost the soldiers' morale.

After assigning all the tasks, Zhao Yu, feeling relaxed and with nothing to do, began to indulge in lustful thoughts. He remembered Xiao Puxian, so he turned to Zhang Chun and asked, "How is Xiao Puxian's training going? May I have some..."

……

(End of this chapter)