I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 198 Peace Negotiation
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After Zhang Jie and Lü Huiqing led an army of more than 200,000 to approach Xingqing, the capital of Western Xia, they did not rush to attack this fortified city that the Western Xia people were determined to defend to the death. Instead, they sent troops to besiege Xingqing, while simultaneously deploying troops to open up all the roads from the Zhao Song Dynasty to Lingzhou. Then, they sent troops to sweep away the remaining Western Xia territory, reinforced Lingzhou, and transported grain and supplies to Lingzhou.

Did Zhang Jie and Lü Huiqing not immediately attack Xingqing Prefecture because the Song army was unable to capture it?

of course not.

Given the Song army's current overwhelming momentum and the explosives they possess, if they attack recklessly, they will most likely be able to break through Xingqing Prefecture.

The problem is that once the Western Xia people freeze Xingqing Prefecture, attacking this fortified city in the dead of winter will inevitably result in huge casualties and losses for the Song army in the face of the desperate counterattack of hundreds of thousands of Western Xia people.

As long as we besiege the city without attacking, the hundreds of thousands of people in Xingqing Prefecture will definitely run out of food in less than three months.

Even if we don't run out of food, we can attack Xingqing Prefecture again when the weather warms up next year, and the city will fall in no time.

In short, despite having the upper hand, Zhang Jie and Lü Huiqing remained extremely composed. They first sent a large army to occupy Yingli and Xiazhou, and then sent another large army to successfully capture Jishizhou and Xining.

Entering December, the Song army still had not yet captured the last piece of Western Xia territory—the capital city of Xingqing.

While fighting, Zhang Jie and Lü Huiqing also learned from the fact that Western Xia had never fully submitted to the Central Plains dynasty, and summarized the successful experience of the Longyou Protectorate. They went on a killing spree, executing all the men of high-ranking officials, noble families, wealthy households, and powerful merchants within Western Xia territory, sending the women to brothels, freeing their slaves, treating the common people who had the largest population in the land leniently, opening granaries to distribute grain, redistributing land, and allocating daughters of Western Xia nobles to Western Xia commoners and slaves who had made contributions...

To reclaim the Western Xia, the Song Dynasty had already made ample preparations. No sooner had they entered Western Xia than thousands of capable, ambitious, and visionary Song officials entered the region to take over and govern this entirely new territory, determined to transform it into an inseparable part of the Song Dynasty's domain.

In addition, the Zhao Song court had already begun to relocate three million Han Chinese to Western Xia to settle in areas with a large number of refugees by providing preferential policies such as land allocation, housing allocation, three-year tax exemption, travel expenses, and food and lodging.

As December arrived, the northwest was already freezing cold and the first heavy snowfall of the year had fallen.

Fortunately, in order to recover the Western Xia, the Zhao Song Dynasty had prepared hundreds of thousands of cotton-padded coats, as well as plenty of cotton quilts and tents for the Western Army well in advance.

Crucially, the Song army had already conquered all of Western Xia's territory except for Xingqing Prefecture, providing them with ample shelter from the cold and food supplies.

More importantly, the policies introduced by the Song Dynasty that greatly benefited the common people and slaves of Western Xia gained the support of a large number of Western Xia commoners and slaves. This gave the Song Dynasty a certain mass base in Western Xia, and they would also help the Song army get through this harsh winter.

As for Li Qianshun and his ministers, as well as the Western Xia royal family, even though only this last city remained, they still gritted their teeth and resisted stubbornly, refusing to surrender no matter what.

To demonstrate his resolute stance, as early as late November, Li Qianshun mobilized the entire city's military and civilians to freeze Xingqing Prefecture, clearly indicating his intention to fight the Song army to the bitter end.

This is also normal.

The Li family of Western Xia were well aware of the immense harm and losses they had inflicted on the Song Dynasty over the past century.

It is no exaggeration to say that ever since Li Jiqian rebelled against the Song Dynasty, the Western Xia was like a sharp blade hanging over the throat of the Song Dynasty, causing the successive emperors of the Song Dynasty to lose sleep and appetite.

For a century, the Song Dynasty had to invest a large amount of fiscal revenue in the northwest region every year to resist the invasion of the Western Xia. The amount was so large that it almost exhausted more than half of the court's tax revenue, which hindered the development of the central plains, increased the burden on the people, and often left the national treasury empty.

This was not only an economic burden, but also a mental torment. Countless families were torn apart by war, and countless young people perished in the flames of war on the frontier, leaving behind only endless longing and sorrow.

In addition, the Western Xia invaded the Song Dynasty almost every year to raid its territory, and each of their raids was like cutting flesh from the heart of the Song Dynasty, making the people of the Central Plains hate the Western Xia to the bone.

This hatred, like oil poured on a raging fire, has endured and been passed down from generation to generation.

Li Qianshun knew that once they surrendered, they would face endless humiliation and reckoning, and their families and their country would be completely erased from the annals of history.

Therefore, despite Xingqing Prefecture being heavily besieged, with food supplies running out and morale declining, Emperor Li Qianshun and his ministers still held onto a sliver of hope, expecting a miracle to happen.

To this end, Emperor Li Qianshun and his ministers have collected all the resources in the city, strictly controlled them, and distributed weapons to everyone, forming an army and implementing strict military management.

Fearing that the people in the city would not be able to hold out, Li Qianshun and his ministers told them that Liao and Xia were interdependent and that Liao would definitely send a large army to rescue Western Xia.

Although the soldiers and civilians in the city were full of complaints about Li Qianshun and his ministers' stubborn resistance, they could only silently endure it, after all, their fate was now closely linked to the crumbling Western Xia Dynasty.

It is worth mentioning that the reason why Li Qianshun and his ministers persisted was because they learned of an extremely important piece of news—the commander-in-chief of the Song army, Zhang Jie, was ill.

Zhang Jie was so old that even before the attack on Western Xia, he sensed his time was near.

To be honest, if it weren't for this, given Zhang Jie's composure, he might not have chosen such an aggressive approach. If he were a few years younger, he would most likely have continued with the strategy of gradually whittling down the Western Xia through shallow attacks, a strategy that was sure to win, rather than taking a desperate gamble, even risking the fate of the nation, in this high-stakes game that was bound to be a fight to the death.

Fortunately, fate still favored this most capable scholar of the Song Dynasty, preventing him from suffering a setback in the final battle of his life.

It is said that precisely because Zhang Jie had been steady and composed his entire life, Li Qianshun and his ministers, who thought they had thoroughly analyzed Zhang Jie, did not expect that in this most crucial battle, Zhang Jie would change his steady tactics and instead use a feint attack to the east while striking in the west, bringing them an extremely radical change and completely defeating Western Xia.

Regardless, Zhang Jie won this crucial battle, recovering the Western Xia, which had been lost for nearly a century, for the Zhao Song Dynasty, and becoming the Zhao Song Dynasty's most meritorious minister.

In the final stage of his life, Zhang Jie continued to calmly instruct everyone to strictly follow the policies they had discussed countless times before taking over the Western Xia.

By mid-December, Zhang Jie was so ill that he could no longer get out of bed.

Lü Huiqing and others requested that Zhang Jie return to Tokyo or go south to recuperate, but Zhang Jie refused.

Zhang Jie said to Lü Huiqing, "My time is up. There is no need for further action. Dying here is the best end for me. Western Xia is the end of my life's battles and the pinnacle of my achievements. In my life, I, Zhang Jie, have never sought fame among the feudal lords, but only to die on the battlefield. Now, my wish has been fulfilled, and I have no regrets in dying."

Then, Zhang Jie said to Lü Huiqing: "The Li family is unruly, cunning, and stubborn. They must not be allowed to live. You must remember that even if the Xia ruler surrenders, you must kill all his high-ranking officials, nobles, gentry, wealthy families, and powerful merchants. We must not leave any major threat to our Great Song Dynasty."

Lü Huiqing shared the same view, so he agreed without hesitation.

At the end of December in the second year of the Hongwu reign, Zhang Jie died in Lingzhou City at the age of seventy-six.

When Zhao Yu learned of this, he wept bitterly, exclaiming, "My Zhuge Liang is gone!" He then issued an imperial edict posthumously granting Zhang Jie the titles of Grand Tutor and Prince of Guangyang, with the posthumous name "Zhuangmin." He also ordered Lü Huiqing to transport Zhang Jie's remains to the imperial mausoleum for burial, and the court held a national mourning ceremony for Zhang Jie.

After Zhang Jie's death, Lü Huiqing succeeded him as the Pacification Commissioner of Shaanxi and Western Xia, continuing to govern the six routes of Shaanxi and Western Xia, as well as to recover Western Xia...

……

Let's turn back the clock to early November.

After the Liao Dynasty had paid the annual tribute in the form of horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys, and given that the Liao army had previously raided Zhao Yu's imperial camp, the Zhaigong Palace was not actually safe. Therefore, Zhao Yu decided to retreat to the Xiongzhou Palace.

This was also the opinion of generals like Guo Cheng. In their view, Zhao Yu was the Song army's greatest weakness and the Liao Kingdom's only chance to turn the tide. As long as Zhao Yu retreated to Xiongzhou, the Song Dynasty would have completely won the battle.

Zhao Yu was known for listening to advice.

The key point is that a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall, and a shrewd man does not fall into a collapsed nest. Knowing full well that staying in Yan was dangerous, and having no reason to stay there, why did Zhao Yu insist on putting himself in danger?
Upon learning that Zhao Yu intended to withdraw from Xiong Prefecture, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers breathed a sigh of relief.

This shows that Zhao Yu had no intention of attacking the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying.

Yelü Yanxi immediately sent Zhao Yu a large amount of ginseng, deer antler, sable fur, venison, frozen fruit, chrysanthemum wine, as well as gyrfalcons, jade products, inkstones and other playthings as part of his farewell gifts, fearing that Zhao Yu might not leave.

In addition, after a meeting of Emperor Yelü Yanxi and his ministers, it was decided to add the following honorific title to Zhao Yu: Emperor Jitian Jitong, Zhaode Dinggong, Dunren Tixin, Xiuwen Zhenwu Guangsheng.

It is said that some ministers in the Liao Dynasty strongly opposed this, arguing that such a prestigious title should not be bestowed upon Zhao Yu, as it would only enhance his prestige. Yelü Yanxi and Xiao Fengxian, the emperor and his ministers, considered these people extremely foolish and inflexible, and in anger dismissed them all.

In short, as long as Zhao Yu was willing to "get out" and let the Liao Kingdom escape this calamity, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers were willing to give anything.

Zhao Yu knew that if he did not accept the "goodwill" of Yelü Yanxi and his ministers, they would not feel at ease.

Therefore, no matter what good things Yelü Yanxi and his ministers offered him, Zhao Yu accepted them all, his main principle being to accept everything without hesitation.

No sooner had Zhao Yu retreated to Xiongzhou than 130,000 taels of gold and 950,000 taels of silver transported from Liaozhongjing arrived in Yanjing.

However, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers did not hand over the gold and silver immediately. They knew that paying the annual tribute and interest was merely a prerequisite for peace negotiations, not the condition for peace itself. In their view, if they handed over all the annual tribute, the Liao Dynasty would lose its last bargaining chip in negotiations with the Zhao Song Dynasty and would be left at the mercy of Zhao Yu and his ministers' extortion.

Just as Yelü Yanxi and his ministers were gloating over their clever move and feeling uneasy about the Song army's potential repercussions, a urgent message from Western Xia arrived in Yanjing.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Liao Dynasty:

Your humble servant, Li Qianshun, prostrates himself in the dust, offering this petition with tears of blood. The calamity wrought by the Song traitors is worse than that of tigers and wolves! They marched westward from beyond the Jade Gate Pass, successively capturing our Xia Kingdom's Blackwater City and the two prefectures of Sha and Gua. Wherever the Song army passed, fields were turned to scorched earth, Buddhist temples were reduced to ruins, and the Dangxiang people were left destitute, their cries of despair echoing across the land. Now their sharp edge points directly at the Helan Mountains, their iron cavalry has already knocked on the north gate of Xingqing Prefecture, and the ancestral temples and altars of Western Xia are in imminent danger!

Your Majesty should know that Zhao Yu's ambitions extend far beyond the Hexi Corridor. He harbors a deep-seated desire to restore the former territories of the Han and Tang dynasties. If Western Xia falls, the Liao Dynasty will inevitably face a situation of mutual dependence. The former territories of the Han and Tang dynasties, from Youyan to Hexi, have all been coveted by the Song invaders. Our Xia Kingdom now serves as a bulwark for the western border of the Liao Dynasty. If this bulwark collapses, the Song cavalry will advance eastward through the Hetao region and strike directly at Yunzhong. The Liao Dynasty will be attacked from both sides; how can it defend itself?
Looking back, the Liao and Xia dynasties swore an oath of brotherhood, intermarrying for generations. Now, I, your subject, wish to lead the charge with the full strength of the nation, earnestly requesting Your Majesty to mobilize the elite troops of Yanjing and the armies of the northern deserts, launching a pincer attack from the east and west to jointly defeat the Song invaders. If Your Majesty assists, I offer to cede the fertile Hetao region to the Liao as a horse pasture after the war, providing an annual tribute of 100,000 shi of salt and 5,000 fine horses, to serve as a permanent bulwark and maintain the respect due to a vassal state for generations.

This is not merely about the survival of Western Xia, but about the foundation of the Liao-Xia dynasty for centuries to come! If we sit idly by and watch Western Xia perish, and the Song dynasty gains power, the Liao will be left to fend for itself, and it will be too late for regrets! I write this hastily, and earnestly hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully!
Li Qianshun bows deeply and respectfully!
November 3rd, the second year of the Qiantong era.

Upon receiving Li Qianshun's plea for help, Yelü Yanxi was greatly alarmed. The letter in his hand felt like a hot potato, leaving him momentarily at a loss. His eyes widened, and his lips trembled slightly, as if he were witnessing a bleak future for the Liao Kingdom. In the court, the ministers exchanged bewildered glances and whispered amongst themselves, the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense.

"Your Majesty, if Western Xia falls, our Great Liao will be in grave danger!" Yelü Heluwo said.

"Even so, can my Great Liao possibly send troops to rescue us?" Xiao Fengxian asked leisurely.

Yelü and Luwo were speechless.

The Song-Xia War was essentially a product of the power struggle between the Song and Liao dynasties. Throughout history, the Liao dynasty consistently supported the Western Xia, using it to contain and weaken the Song dynasty.

If possible, the Liao Dynasty would certainly go to the aid of the Western Xia, allowing the Western Xia to continue bleeding the Zhao Song Dynasty dry until the Zhao Song Dynasty was completely drained. The Liao Dynasty would then reap the benefits and move south to complete the unification, or at least maintain its safety.

The problem is that Zhao Yu is now leading hundreds of thousands of troops and is watching us closely. If the Liao Kingdom dares to send a large army to rescue the Western Xia, Zhao Yu will definitely not hesitate to annex the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying.

At that time, the Liao Dynasty, having lost its main economic, food, and strategic locations, would also be unable to escape the fate of destruction.

The lesser of two evils.

If the Song Dynasty had destroyed the Western Xia first, it would have taken the Song Dynasty several years to fully assimilate the Western Xia and restore the national strength lost to the Western Xia. This would have given the Liao Dynasty unlimited possibilities.

If the Liao Dynasty were to lose the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in order to rescue the Western Xia, it would immediately fall into a full-scale decline and would likely perish soon.

Should the Liao Kingdom be sacrificed to save the Western Xia?

Are you kidding me?!!!

The only solution now is for everyone to live their own lives, with their fathers dead and their mothers remarried.

Emperor Yelü Yanxi and his ministers prayed that Western Xia could hold out on its own and that it should not be destroyed by the Song Dynasty. Even if Western Xia were to be destroyed by the Song Dynasty, they hoped it would at least endure for a longer period, further weakening the Song Dynasty and buying more time for the Liao Dynasty.

However, as it turned out, the prayers of Yelü Yanxi and his ministers had no effect whatsoever.

In just over two months, the Liao Kingdom received news that the Song army had occupied most of the Western Xia territory, besieged Xingqing Prefecture, and that the Western Xia was on the verge of destruction.

During this period, the Liao Dynasty received dozens of letters from the Western Xia Dynasty requesting assistance.

Each of these letters seeking help was more moving than the last.

Moreover, some of the letters seeking help were written by Yelü Nanxian.

It is no exaggeration to say that Li Qianshun and Yelü Nanxian explained the relationship between the Song, Liao, and Western Xia dynasties so clearly that it could not be clearer, and they also spoke so kindly that it could not be more so.

Finally, Li Qianshun even stated that as long as the Liao Dynasty was willing to send troops to rescue the Western Xia and help it escape the crisis of national annihilation, the Western Xia would be incorporated into the Liao Dynasty and become a complete part of the Liao Dynasty.

When Yelü Yanxi and his ministers saw their letter of appeal for help, they felt a mix of emotions, a sense of shared sorrow.

Even so, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers did not send a single soldier to rescue Western Xia.

It wasn't that Yelü Yanxi and his ministers didn't want to, but rather that they simply couldn't. They couldn't very well sacrifice the Liao Dynasty to save the Western Xia, could they?

There was no other way but to sacrifice my fellow Daoist to save myself.

Of course, the Liao Kingdom did something during this time.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of the entire Liao Dynasty, the annual tribute and interest owed to the Zhao Song Dynasty were finally paid off.

The Song and Liao dynasties can now negotiate peace...

……

(End of this chapter)