I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 200 Return of the King

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Before returning to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Yu presented Yelü Yanxi, his "younger brother," with many gifts, such as the gyrfalcon Yelü Yanxi had given him before, and many local specialties of the Song Dynasty, to thank him for his hospitality.

Zhao Yu also said to Yelü Chun, Xiao Changge, Xiao Fengxian, Zuo Qigong, and others:
"Your Majesty the Emperor of your dynasty inherited the foundation of the Liao Dynasty for nine generations and faced a world in turmoil. He is broad-minded and unrestrained, not bound by the meticulousness of a ruler. He always governs his people with a magnanimous spirit, showing the world his generosity and composure."
He was decisive and resolute in handling affairs. Despite the many misfortunes that befell the nation, he repeatedly made bold changes in times of crisis, determined to survive, demonstrating the courage and strategy of a wise ruler. When faced with advice from his officials, he always humbly accepted it. Although he occasionally went against their advice, it was only because he had thought things through carefully and weighed the overall situation.

As for military affairs, his personal experience in battle and his courage to fight are rare among emperors.

Although fate had decreed its will and the nation's fortunes were waning, he single-handedly maneuvered against me, repeatedly breaking through predicaments and attempting to turn the tide, demonstrating his unwavering loyalty and devotion to the country.

Frankly speaking, given the vast difference in the circumstances between our two dynasties, his ability to remain steadfast and unyielding is a testament to his unwavering determination, a quality that few can match, making him a true hero of his time.

I'm not afraid to speak frankly to you all, but without his decisive action in this critical moment, I would have first taken the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and the three prefectures of Pingluan and Ying, and then planned to conquer your Zhongjing, Dongjing, and Shangjing, in order to restore the territory of my Han dynasty.

"Your dynasty has been able to preserve its ancestral temples and altars entirely because of his decisive action."

Yelü Chun and the others never expected that the great tyrant Yelü Yanxi in their eyes was so wise and powerful in Zhao Yu's eyes.

According to Zhao Yu, without Yelü Yanxi's wise decisions and proper handling, he would have destroyed the Liao Dynasty this time.

In other words, Zhao Yu attributed all the credit for preserving the Liao Dynasty to Yelü Yanxi.

Moreover, judging from Zhao Yu's attitude, he seemed to have a sense of mutual respect for Yelü Yanxi.

This left Yelü Chun and the others somewhat puzzled as to what Zhao Yu was really up to.

It should be noted that, generally speaking, the enemy's evaluation is often the most fair and objective.

Therefore, Yelü Chun and others, especially Yelü Chun, couldn't help but doubt Zhao Yu's motives, wondering, 'Is His Majesty truly as wise as the Song emperor described?'

But in their memories, Yelü Yanxi always seemed to be a monarch who was obsessed with hunting and pleasure, and indifferent to state affairs. He often neglected state affairs because of momentary whims, causing his court officials great anxiety.

Yelü Chun had privately worried about the fate of the country countless times with his father, Yelü Heluwo, fearing that Yelü Yanxi would destroy the empire that their ancestors had worked so hard to build.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu gave Yelü Yanxi this evaluation.

Yelü Chun was indeed the most politically astute member of the Liao royal family in this generation. He quickly realized that Zhao Yu's high regard for Yelü Yanxi was an endorsement of Yelü Yanxi, lest Yelü Yanxi be purged and lose the throne because the Liao state suffered repeated defeats in this war, paid a large amount of tribute and interest, and lost Yizhou, Zhuozhou, Jinpo Pass, the Nine Provinces behind the mountains, as well as the crucial ally, Western Xia.

I will not do what the enemy desires, and I will do what the enemy does not desire.

Yelü Chun couldn't help but wonder, 'The Song army's support for Your Majesty's ascension to the throne is probably not out of benevolence, but rather a speculation: if Your Majesty inherits the throne, their chances of destroying our Great Liao might be greater than under any other ruler. Is this truly an act of nurturing an enemy for self-improvement and harboring treacherous intentions?'

Not only Yelü Chun thought of this, but Xiao Changge also thought of it.

Xiao Changge glanced at Yelü Chun out of the corner of his eye, thinking, 'In the past, when the late emperor passed away, if the King of Yue had ascended the throne and emulated the Song emperor's ascension, working diligently day and night to govern the country, he could have punished corrupt officials, appointed virtuous men, and distanced himself from petty men; externally, he could have reorganized the army, strengthened military preparedness, and used force to deter enemies. He could have eradicated the accumulated ills of the past century and revived the glory of the nine border regions, then the prosperity of our Great Liao might have been renewed. Why is it that today, we have lost territory, paid reparations, sent gold and silk to alleviate our difficulties, and married off a princess for peace, enduring humiliation to preserve our state?'

This wasn't just Xiao Changge's idea; it was the idea of ​​many people from Liaodong.

It was precisely because Zhao Yu was aware of the Liao people's thoughts that he said these words, wanting to lend Yelü Yanxi a hand and let him continue to be the emperor. Otherwise, if the emperor of Liao were to be replaced by Yelü Chun, Zhao Yu would have to put in much more effort to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

As long as Yelü Yanxi remains the emperor of the Liao Dynasty, and Wanyan Aguda establishes the Jin Dynasty and leads his troops to rebel against Liao, Zhao Yu, if he seizes the opportunity, could not only recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but he could even recover the grasslands.

Therefore, it was most advantageous for Zhao Yu for Yelü Yanxi to continue as the emperor of Liao.

However, even if Zhao Yu very much hoped that Yelü Yanxi could continue to be the emperor of Liao, he could only help him to this extent. Any more than that would not be helping Yelü Yanxi, but rather harming him.

As Yelü Chun and his entourage stepped out of Zhao Yu's temporary palace, they ran into Xiao Puxian, who had come to the palace to find Zhao Yu.

Everyone present could see that Xiao Puxian and Yelü Chun were both visibly taken aback!
In particular, when Yelü Chun saw that Xiao Puxian was already dressed in Han Chinese palace attire and had her hair styled like that of a married Han Chinese woman.

At this moment, Xiao Puxian's clothes fluttered, her hair was tied up in a high bun, and she was adorned with pearls and jade. Her former cold and heroic spirit had been greatly reduced, and she had gained a touch of gentleness. Her eyes, which once shone with the unique freedom of the grassland people, now seemed to be covered with a layer of steady mist, making it impossible to see the turmoil within, indicating the change in her identity and state of mind.

Yelü Chun's gaze lingered on Xiao Puxian for a moment, his complex expression a mixture of astonishment, as well as an indescribable sense of loss and pain.

After a long while, Yelü Chun nodded slightly, treating him with courtesy, but he could not hide the turmoil in his heart.

Empress Xiao Puxian merely glanced at Yelü Chun, the loser, before heading to the palace to see Zhao Yu.

Yelü Chun knew that Xiao Puxian admired strength and wanted to marry a hero. He had not only lost the war with Zhao Yu, but had also lost Xiao Puxian to Zhao Yu. How could he expect Xiao Puxian to take him seriously?
Yelü Chun felt a mix of emotions, but could only turn away in sorrow.

Yelü Chun knew that an insurmountable chasm had formed between him and Xiao Puxian, a chasm called "defeat" and "fate." He thought that if he tried to work hard and win Xiao Puxian back, it would be wishful thinking.

After Yelü Chun and his entourage returned to Yanjing, Xiao Fengxian immediately told Yelü Yanxi about Zhao Yu's evaluation of him.

Yelü Yanxi was overjoyed and said to his attendants, “In the past, when I was hunting on horseback, everyone said that I was neglecting state affairs, but they did not know that I was using hunting to train the army, thus carrying on the ancestral system. Only the Song emperor knew that I was a wise and courageous ruler with unwavering determination, which shows his ability to recognize people. It is not unjust that I was defeated by him.”

Feeling that this was not enough, Yelü Yanxi added, "Although the Liao and Song dynasties are of different strengths, I was able to stop the fighting through strategy and preserve the ancestral temples and the state. Is this not the will of Heaven?"

In fact, Yelü Yanxi knew that he had lost big this time, and it might even cost him his throne. So he began to condemn the harm of his ancestors’ raiding for grain: “In the past, our Great Liao used ‘raiding for grain’ to plunder people’s wealth, seize people and livestock, and rob grain and silk. It seemed like we were showing off our power and gaining temporary benefits, but it sowed the seeds of a hundred years of evil, which led to the disaster of ceding land, paying reparations, and making peace through marriage today.”

At this point, Yelü Yanxi changed his tone: "Now I will return all the wealth that my ancestors plundered to the Han people. I am confident that this will enable the Liao and Song dynasties to turn hostility into friendship, form an eternal alliance, and jointly usher in a peaceful and prosperous era."

Yelü Yanxi's words were full of hope for the future, as if he could already see the people of Liao and Song living in harmony and sharing a peaceful life.

Even more unexpectedly, on the advice of Xiao Fengxian and others, Yelü Yanxi issued an edict granting a ten-day holiday to celebrate the preservation of Yanjing Road and Pingzhou Road, as well as the signing of a more equal and mutually beneficial peace treaty with the Zhao Song Dynasty…

……

Without mentioning how the Liao Kingdom celebrated their victory, let's just say that after explaining everything in Yan territory, Zhao Yu led tens of thousands of men in triumph.

The distance from Xiongzhou to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Eastern Capital, is about 300 kilometers.

Generally speaking, a normal marching speed is about 30 to 50 kilometers per day. At this speed, it would take about six to ten days to travel from Xiongzhou to Bianliang (Kaifeng). However, Zhao Yu and his party took nearly a month to cover this short distance.

The reason why Zhao Yu's party traveled so slowly was not only because they had many ceremonial activities along the way, but also because Zhao Yu personally visited a number of important military towns in Hebei and conducted on-site inspections of these towns.

Now, the Western Xia is about to be recovered.

It could even be said that the recapture of Western Xia was already a foregone conclusion.

Once the Song Dynasty recovered the Western Xia, it would not need to deploy so many troops to defend the west.

In the next phase, the main military adversary of the Zhao Song Dynasty was the Liao Dynasty.

In the future, the Zhao Song Dynasty's defense against the Liao Dynasty will mainly consist of three parts.

The first part is the original Western Xia region;
The second part is the Cloud Land that is about to be recovered, which is the Nine Provinces behind the mountains;
The third part is Hebei.

Both the Western Xia and Yundi have natural defenses that can be fortified.

The key point is that even if the Liao army conquered Western Xia, the Song Dynasty still had the six routes in Shaanxi to defend against it; even if the Liao army conquered Yundi, the Song Dynasty still had Hedong to defend against it.

Hebei, however, is flat and undefended. If the Liao cavalry marches south, it will not be long before they can threaten Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, Hebei was a weakness of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and also a key area for its defense.

In order to strengthen the defense of Hebei.

Zhao Yu planned to set up three lines of defense in Hebei, with four prefects and four generals.

The first line of defense is the defense line of Yizhou, Zhuozhou, and Xiongzhou.

The second line of defense consisted of the four prefects and the four chief stewards.

First, there was Zhan Du, the prefect of Zhongshan Prefecture, and Liu Fa, the military commander-in-chief—commanding the armies of eight prefectures: Ding, Bao, Shen, Qi, Guangxin, Ansu, Shun'an, and Yongning.

Second, Chen Gou, the prefect of Zhending Prefecture, and Wang Hou, the military commander-in-chief, who commanded Zhen, Xiang, Xing, Zhao, and Ming prefectures.

Thirdly, Zhao Ding, the prefect of Hejian Prefecture, and Zhe Keshi, the military commander-in-chief, commanded the armies of Ying, Mo, Xiong, Bei, Ji, Cang, Yongjing, Baoding, Qianning, and Xin'an prefectures.

Fourthly, there was Li Gang, the prefect of Daming Prefecture, and Tong Guan, the military commander-in-chief—who commanded the armies of Beijing, Chan, Huai, Wei, De, Bo, Bin, Di, Tongli, and Baoshun prefectures.

Zhao Yu ordered the four prefects and four generals to actively transfer the idle Western Army to Hebei and recruit brave men from Hebei to serve as soldiers, as part of a border defense plan.

Zhao Yu wanted to use these four prefects and four generals to establish a military organization system in Hebei, and through this system, recruit soldiers and build up strength to consolidate and strengthen the defense of Hebei.

Zhao Yu did not come up with this idea on a whim; rather, he had already discussed it with a group of civil and military officials in the court.

The Yellow River serves as the third natural line of defense.

Zhao Yu hoped that by strengthening the defenses in this way, the defenses of Hebei would be as solid as a rock.

Of course, this is just an idea at the moment. After all, most of the people that Zhao Yu wanted to appoint to important positions were still in the northwest helping the Zhao Song Dynasty to recover the Western Xia.

For now, Zhao Yu is simply getting familiar with Hebei.

After thoroughly investigating Hebei, Zhao Yu left Hebei, accompanied by Hebei officials and generals.

Minister Zhan Du also composed a poem entitled "Ping Yan Shi" to praise Zhao Yu:

Springtime scenery at the long pavilion bids farewell to heroes, the landscape ablaze with the red glow of the setting sun. Swords and spears sway in the moonlight by the willows at night, banners flutter in the breeze of apricot blossoms at dawn. Before departing, a decisive strategy to pacify the barbarians will be devised; upon arrival, a meritorious deed to save the world will be achieved. To inform the generals and officials of Yanshan, peace will be attained through laughter and conversation.

On the nineteenth day of the first month of the third year of the Hongwu reign, Zhao Yu and his entourage returned to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Ming Dynasty, in triumph.

Zhang Dun and others organized an extremely grand welcoming ceremony, with officials and common people from Bianliang City lining the ten-mile stretch to greet them.

The welcoming ceremony was a grand affair, with gongs and drums resounding, flutes playing, and colorful flags waving, enveloping the entire city of Bianliang in a festive atmosphere.

Officials of the Zhao Song Dynasty, from Zhang Dun down, all lined up to greet him.

Zhao Yu, who had never been on the battlefield, was clad in armor, riding a tall steed, looking majestic and imposing. Behind him was a large cavalry force and the proud and spirited Shenji Army, as they marched into Bianliang City in a grand procession.

Zhao Yu arrived at the inner palace, slowly ascended the Daqing Hall, and sat back on his dragon throne.

Inside the grand hall, incense smoke swirled. Zhao Yu sat solemnly on the dragon throne, his brows exuding an aura of regal authority. His gaze swept over the assembled officials, each glance seemingly carrying immense power, making them不敢直视 (不敢直视 means "dare not look directly at him").

All the ministers noticed that Zhao Yu's demeanor upon his triumphant return was vastly different from before. In the past, although he was an emperor, he always gave people the impression of being gentle, refined, and scholarly. Now, however, he possessed a chilling aura of killing intent and a composed, domineering presence—a unique quality honed by the trials of battlefields and victories.

Below the main hall, the assembled officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!" their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

Zhao Yu slightly raised his hand, his voice steady and powerful: "All of you, rise."

After all the ministers had risen, Zhao Yu said in a loud voice: "This expedition was made possible by your planning and assistance. I have witnessed the victory of the nation and the prosperity of all industries. This is all thanks to your efforts in protecting the country. I am very pleased. Therefore, on this day, I will reward you for your merits and honor your loyalty."

Zhao Yu didn't waste any words and directly issued an imperial edict to reward those who had rendered meritorious service:

"In this campaign, I personally led the army and defeated the Khitans several times, recovering the annual tribute and interest payments. We also acquired eleven prefectures: Yi, Zhuo, Xin, Gui, Ru, Wu, Yun, Ying, Huan, Shuo, and Wei. This has brought peace to the people of China and fulfilled the aspirations of our ancestors. This unparalleled achievement is thanks to the policies of the court. Therefore, we should reward those who have rendered meritorious service and honor them accordingly. The following shall apply: Zhang Dun shall be appointed Grand Tutor and promoted to Duke of Chu; Zeng Bu, Han Zhongyan, Su Zhe, Cai Bian, and Guo Cheng shall each be promoted two ranks or above and granted additional honors according to precedent. Other meritorious individuals shall be thoroughly investigated and rewarded without reservation..."

……

(End of this chapter)