I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 206 The Western Xia Empress's Helplessness

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As early as more than a month after Xingqing Prefecture was besieged, people began to starve or freeze to death on the roadside in the city.

After deliberation, Emperor Li Qianshun and his ministers established additional markets for selling grain and firewood, allowing them to sell a portion of the imperial reserves of grain and charcoal to the people.

However, Li Qianshun and his ministers were well aware that they could not say for how long they would hold out, and these life-saving supplies would become increasingly precious. Therefore, they stipulated that each person could not buy more than five liters of millet and more than five catties of salary per month, and that these supplies would be sold at one-tenth of the market price.

After the news spread, people from all over Xingqing Prefecture rushed to the rice and charcoal markets, both nobles and commoners, to buy rice and firewood.

On the same day, fearing that people would not have money to buy rice and firewood, Li Qianshun and his officials issued a notice ordering those who ran pawnshops to continue operating. They were permitted to report those who disobeyed, and would be rewarded with fifty strings of cash.

Since the fall of the city, all pawnshops have been closed. When the Western Xia court issued such a notice at this time, no pawnshop merchants were interested, and no one obeyed.

Left with no other option, Emperor Li Qianshun and his officials could only send officials to take over these pawnshops, or even to set up more pawnshops, to buy up the goods from the people at high prices, and then sell the rice, firewood, charcoal and other daily necessities controlled by the court to the people at low prices, thus maintaining the lifeline of this isolated city.

However, even so, Emperor Li Qianshun and his ministers could not stop the shadow of death from looming over Xingqing Prefecture.

Soon, the streets and alleys were littered with the remains of starving people, their cries of agony filling the air—a desolate scene too painful to bear. Children's thin bodies trembled in the cold wind, and the eyes of the elderly were filled with despair and helplessness. The once bustling city was now nothing but empty shops and closed doors. The occasional cries that drifted through the air were like the city's final lament.

In the palace.

Li Qianshun sat in the dim candlelight, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with anxiety and exhaustion. He knew all too well that the meager relief from the imperial court was utterly insufficient to save Xingqing Prefecture. Outside the city, the Song army pressed in with overwhelming morale, while inside, morale was low, and the city was in disarray; defeat was inevitable. The fall of Xingqing Prefecture was only a matter of time.

However, as the last emperor of Western Xia, how could Li Qianshun give up so easily?

The key point is that for Li Qianshun and the Li clan of Western Xia, giving up would be tantamount to admitting that the glory of their generations of bloody battles and territorial expansion was nothing but an illusion, burying the honor and sacrifice of their ancestors in the dust of history.

The crucial point is that this is tantamount to placing himself and all members of the Li clan on the chopping block of Zhao Yu and his ministers, allowing them to be slaughtered by their former master whom they had betrayed, challenged, provoked, plundered, and killed repeatedly.

Therefore, surrendering is absolutely impossible.

Li Qianshun clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, the pain keeping him unusually clear-headed. He knew that he bore not only his personal honor and disgrace, but also the prosperity and death of the Li family, and even the survival of the entire Western Xia dynasty.

As night fell, the city walls of Xingqing Prefecture appeared particularly desolate under the faint moonlight.

Li Qianshun got up, walked slowly to the window, and stared at the flickering lights in the Song army camp outside the city, feeling a mix of emotions.

He recalled the glory and bloodshed left by his ancestors on this land, every battle and every victory seemed to be vivid in his mind.

Now, all of this will be reduced to nothing, how could he not be heartbroken?
"Your Majesty, it's time to rest."

A low voice from behind came from Empress Yelü Nanxian of Western Xia.

Yelü Nanxian's eyebrows and eyes were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her clear eyes seemingly holding stars, conveying both determination and tenderness. She had a high, straight nose, luscious red lips, and a striking, flowing face. Her black hair cascaded down her back, adorned with a magnificent headdress, and she wore a royal robe embroidered with intricate flowers. Every gesture she made exuded both the spiritedness of a woman from the grasslands and the dignified elegance of a queen.

For such a beauty, Li Qianshun felt not admiration, but disgust—a deep disgust.

The disgust was so obvious, so blatant, that Yelü Nanxian couldn't pretend not to see it.

Yelü Nanxian knew very well that Li Qianshun didn't hate her as a person, but rather the Liao Kingdom behind her; she was being targeted because of Li Qianshun's hatred.

Yelü Nanxian could understand Li Qianshun; he married her not for her as a person, but to gain the support of the Liao Kingdom behind her.

For this reason, Li Qianshun pleaded with the Liao Kingdom for four whole years, but the Western Xia was on the verge of collapse, and the Liao Kingdom did not send a single soldier.

In Li Qianshun's view, Western Xia had always been fighting for Liao and restraining the Song Dynasty for Liao. It was only right and proper for Liao to help Western Xia. If Western Xia were to perish, Liao would certainly perish as well. The two countries were interdependent.

It can be said that Li Qianshun was filled with resentment and unwillingness. He believed that the Western Xia people were fighting bloody battles on the front lines, using their lives and blood to fight against the Zhao Song Dynasty, which was adding bricks and tiles to the security barrier of the Liao Dynasty. The Western Xia sent its most elite troops and the best sons and daughters to the battlefield, suffering huge casualties and economic losses.

The Liao Dynasty offered no aid whatsoever, only making empty promises to the Western Xia, which was negligible compared to the sacrifices made by the Western Xia.

Li Qianshun felt that the Liao Dynasty was too hesitant and cautious in its decision-making, and did not give the Western Xia the full support it deserved. On key issues such as sending reinforcements to rescue the Western Xia, the Liao Dynasty always hesitated and even considered the attitude of the Song Dynasty, which made the Western Xia feel deeply disappointed.

Li Qianshun also felt that the Liao Dynasty, as a major power on par with the Zhao Song Dynasty and the leader of the alliance between the two countries, should have played a greater role in this war and provided firm and strong support to the Western Xia.

However, reality greatly disappointed Li Qianshun. The Liao Dynasty was cautious about sending troops to rescue the Western Xia, and even the strength and continuity of its political support for the Western Xia often fluctuated.

This made it extremely difficult for the Western Xia to fight against the Song Dynasty.

Deep in Li Qianshun's heart was filled with disappointment at the failure of his expectations for the Liao Kingdom, while at the same time he desperately hoped that the Liao Kingdom could increase its support and help the Western Xia achieve final victory in this war.

Amidst this extreme emotional turmoil, Li Qianshun finally managed to secure a marriage with Yelü Nanxian and persuaded the Liao Kingdom to send troops to intimidate the Zhao Song Dynasty.

But what happened? While the Song army was conquering and seizing territory in Western Xia, the Liao army just stood at the gate and watched without offering any help to Western Xia.

Fortunately, at the beginning of their marriage, Li Qianshun respected Yelü Nanxian very much. He was worried that Yelü Nanxian would be tired from the journey and that she would not be able to adapt to the unfamiliar environment of Xixia. In addition, Yelü Nanxian was physically disabled, so he did not touch her. He and Yelü Nanxian lived in perfect harmony.

Li Qianshun fully believed that this would make Yelü Nanxian speak favorably of Western Xia, allowing the Liao army, which had already reached the gates of Western Xia, to march south and help Western Xia resist the Song army's attack.

However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Even after the Western Xia had lost most of its territory, Yelü Nanxian did not write to the Liao Dynasty to ask Yelü Yanxi to issue an edict allowing the Liao army to enter the Western Xia.

Later, the Liao army, which could have served as a deterrent, was directly transferred away by the Liao state.

Only then did Yelü Nanxian write a perfunctory letter to the Liao Dynasty, requesting Yelü Yanxi to send troops to rescue Western Xia.

But the baby died, and you came to breastfeed, what good is that?

Crucially, Yelü Nanxian's letter seeking help merely analyzed the strategic partnership between Liao and Xia, which was interdependent and mutually dependent. It did not contain what Li Qianshun hoped for: Yelü Nanxian appealed to Yelü Yanxi from a familial perspective, using her connections in Liao to influence Yelü Yanxi and persuade him to send troops to aid Western Xia.

Li Qianshun had already explained this to Yelü Yanxi clearly and thoroughly. If it were useful, Yelü Yanxi would have sent troops long ago. Why would he have waited until today?
In Li Qianshun's view, Yelü Nanxian was not sincere in her efforts to rescue Western Xia and was not worthy of being the empress of Western Xia.

Soon, Li Qianshun was forced to lead his remaining troops to retreat to Xingqing Prefecture, where they put up a stubborn resistance. At that time, Li Qianshun still hoped that the Liao Dynasty would send troops to rescue Western Xia, and asked Yelü Nanxian to write a letter with him to Yelü Yanxi requesting assistance.

But Yelü Nanxian was still unwilling to write.

This infuriated Li Qianshun so much that he had to have someone imitate Yelü Nanxian's tone to write a letter to Yelü Yanxi asking for help, requesting that Yelü Yanxi come to the aid of Western Xia out of consideration for their alliance and for Yelü Nanxian's sake.

As a result, all of Li Qianshun's letters seeking help went unanswered.

Li Qianshun didn't say it aloud, but he already knew very well that the Liao Kingdom would not send troops to rescue the Western Xia, and the Western Xia was finished.

In this situation, what use is Yelü Nanxian, the so-called Empress of Western Xia?

To put it simply, if it weren't for the need to use Yelü Nanxian to make empty promises to the people of Xingqing Prefecture, Li Qianshun would have been tempted to execute Yelü Nanxian.

It's no exaggeration to say that Li Qianshun doesn't want to see Yelü Nanxian even once now.

Therefore, in response to Yelü Nanxian's overtures, Li Qianshun coldly replied, "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to leave Kunning Palace unless it's absolutely necessary?"

Yelü Nanxian was well aware that her marriage to Li Qianshun was a purely political one, with no feelings between them whatsoever, and there was no need to talk about feelings; only interests mattered.

But then again, Yelü Nanxian and Li Qianshun were husband and wife after all, and she really didn't want their relationship to be so pure and so ruthless, to the point where Li Qianshun would abandon her without hesitation once she was no longer of any use to him.

Furthermore, Yelü Nanxian also had her own difficulties.

Li Qianshun was an outsider who had never met Yelü Yanxi and had no idea how incompetent and absurd Yelü Yanxi was. Moreover, Li Qianshun overestimated her status as a member of the imperial clan in the Liao Kingdom and in Yelü Yanxi's heart.

To put it simply, if the Western Xia were powerful, Yelü Nanxian would still have some standing in the Liao Dynasty and with Li Qianshun, and her words would carry some weight. But now that the Western Xia is on the verge of collapse, Yelü Nanxian's words in front of the Liao Dynasty and Yelü Yanxi are practically worthless.

The reason why Yelü Nanxian was unwilling to write to Yelü Yanxi or anyone else to request the Liao Kingdom to send troops to rescue Western Xia was because Yelü Nanxian was proud and had a very strong sense of self-respect. She did not want to humiliate herself, and she did not want those who did not think highly of her marriage to Western Xia to laugh at her.

The key point is that Yelü Nanxian is perfectly clear that she and the people she knows have no influence over Yelü Yanxi. Especially after she learned that Yelü Yanxi had given Xiao Sese to Zhao Yu, she knew very well that no matter what she said, Yelü Yanxi would not send troops to rescue Western Xia.

Yelü Nanxian admitted that she lost this gamble—marrying into Western Xia when it was on the verge of collapse.

But Yelü Nanxian was also a heroine; she was willing to pay the price for her choices, that is, to accompany Li Qianshun in accepting the consequences of the country's demise.

Of course, if Western Xia manages to survive this ordeal, Yelü Nanxian will also receive what she deserves.

Therefore, Yelü Nanxian wanted to have a good talk with Li Qianshun, hoping that the two of them could work together to overcome the difficulties, or even go to the underworld together.

It could even be said that Yelü Nanxian was mentally prepared to be buried alive with her husband, Li Qianshun, and the Western Xia state, as the Empress of Western Xia.

In Yelü Nanxian's view, she was already mentally prepared for this, so Li Qianshun shouldn't dwell on the fact that the Liao Kingdom hadn't sent troops to rescue the Western Xia, since it wouldn't help.

Yelü Nanxian wanted to have a proper talk with Li Qianshun, so she shamelessly came to find him.

At this moment, facing Li Qianshun's coldness, Yelü Nanxian tried her best to remain calm and said to Li Qianshun, "Your Majesty, I have a few words from the bottom of my heart that I must speak out..."

Unexpectedly, Li Qianshun had no intention of talking to Yelü Nanxian. In Li Qianshun's view, Yelü Nanxian's only value was that she had the Liao Kingdom behind her. Now that he could no longer rely on the Liao Kingdom, Yelü Nanxian was of no use and not worth wasting even a fraction of his time on.

That's why Li Qianshun rudely interrupted Yelü Nanxian: "Go back!"

Yelü Nanxian wanted to try again, so her tone softened even more: "Your Majesty..."

To Yelü Nanxian's utter surprise, Li Qianshun placed his hand on the hilt of the sword beside the table, making no attempt to conceal his murderous intent, and coldly said, "Go back!!!"

Yelü Nanxian's heart tightened! She clearly sensed that if she dared to say even one more word, Li Qianshun might kill her on the spot.

Yelü Nanxian was furious and bewildered. She couldn't understand why Li Qianshun would be so heartless towards her. Wasn't it said that even a day as husband and wife was worth a hundred days of kindness? Okay, she and Li Qianshun hadn't consummated their marriage. But that wasn't a reason for Li Qianshun to want to kill her!
Li Qianshun's ruthlessness completely broke Yelü Nanxian's heart. Li Qianshun never treated her as his empress, and the Western Xia people didn't respect her much either, so why should she be buried with Li Qianshun and Western Xia?
Yelü Nanxian said nothing more, but silently retreated to Kunning Palace, quietly awaiting the demise of Western Xia.

Time passed slowly, agonizingly for the people of Xingqing Prefecture.

By March.

As the capital was besieged for a long time, food became increasingly scarce and prices soared.

The poor, hungry, and cold people have begun to plunder the dead and cut up their bodies to eat.

Upon learning of this news, the Western Xia court immediately issued a proclamation to stop it: "Anyone who dares to strip corpses exposed in the streets will be rewarded with fifty strings of cash if reported."

However, this did nothing to stop those who dismembered and ate human flesh, and these people completely disregarded the Western Xia court's announcement. They not only continued to eat human flesh, but also sold it, charging 850 coins per pound.

This human tragedy, which defied all moral principles, greatly disturbed Li Qianshun and his ministers.

Soon, Li Qianshun issued an edict to confiscate the property of those high-ranking officials, noble families, wealthy households, and rich merchants who had proposed to surrender. All their grain was to be sold to the poor at low prices, and their houses were to be demolished and their firewood sold at low prices to help the poor keep warm.

However, this small amount of rice and firewood was truly a drop in the ocean for a large capital city with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and it did not solve the problem at all.

By April.

As the weather grew warmer day by day, the frozen Xingqing Prefecture began to thaw.

The city has very little food left.

In the outer city, cannibalism had become commonplace.

The people in the city have reached the point of collapse.

Whether they were inside or outside the city, everyone knew that Xingqing Prefecture couldn't hold out any longer, and that Western Xia was about to lose its last city and become history...

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(End of this chapter)