I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 293 Zhao Yu: A Master of All Schemes, Yet Lacking a Clever Touch
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Zhao Yu knew that Yelü Yanxi was an incapable ruler, and he never even considered helping Yelü Yanxi. He even imagined that Yelü Yanxi would lose Liaodong, Liaoshangjing, and even Liaozhongjing, just like in history, and become a complete loser.

This was exactly the result Zhao Yu wanted.

Only then, when Zhao Yu extended an olive branch to Yelü Yanxi, would Yelü Yanxi have a chance to take the bait.

But Zhao Yu never expected that even after bringing Xiao Sese back to the Zhao Song Dynasty for ten years, Yelü Yanxi would still do something so foolish as to force Yelü Yudu to the Jin Dynasty, thus crippling himself and strengthening the enemy.

To put it simply, Zhao Yu wasn't afraid of Yelü Yanxi losing cities, since those cities didn't belong to Zhao Yu anyway. Yelü Yanxi could lose them at will, and it had nothing to do with Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu just didn't want Yelü Yanxi to lose his army, because they were just cannon fodder who would wear down the Jin army.

In fact, if Zhao Yu wanted to, he could definitely recruit a lot of Liao soldiers.

Even though Zhao Yu did not send anyone to recruit them, a large number of Liao people still fled to the Zhao Song Dynasty.

If Zhao Yu were to specifically send someone to recruit them, he might end up recruiting half of the Liao army.

Why didn't Zhao Yu recruit him?

Of course we can't recruit them.

Zhao Yu wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that bringing in this rabble wouldn't have given him a large, powerful army, but rather an extremely heavy burden.

In this era, maintaining an army is not something that can be done simply by bringing people over and providing them with a full meal.

This expense, if you calculate it, is enough to scare someone to death.

Let's start with the most basic supplies: food and provisions.

Let alone feeding hundreds of thousands of people, they would consume tens of thousands of bushels of grain every day. In spring, they had to prepare summer grain, and in autumn, they had to store winter grain. They also had to send people to transport the grain thousands of miles to the military camp. The amount lost or embezzled by the escorting soldiers was often more than what was actually delivered.

Not to mention the current chaotic times, even in peacetime, the Liao Dynasty had to buy grain from the Song Dynasty.

If the Song Dynasty had accepted these hundreds of thousands of Liao troops, they could have simply transported the grain to Liao without a word.

Next, let's look at the weaponry.

Swords, spears, and halberds must be forged in a furnace, good iron must be mined from the mountains, and blacksmiths must be paid.
The bowstring must be made of ox sinew, and the arrowheads must be made of good iron. A good bow can be equivalent to half a year's worth of food for an ordinary family.

Not to mention cavalry; the price of one warhorse could buy ten acres of fertile land, and sometimes they even had to be fed with concentrated feed, making money as easy as water.

Most of these Liao soldiers were defeated troops, and their weapons, armor, and horses had long been lost. If Zhao Yu were to incorporate them into his army, he would definitely have to pay to replace their equipment from head to toe.

This amount of money could build ten palaces in Bianjing (Kaifeng).

There were also military pay and rewards.

Soldiers should be paid monthly, otherwise why would they risk their lives?
They should be rewarded during holidays, given bonuses for small victories, and given resettlement allowances if someone is injured or disabled.

Take the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty as an example. The monthly salary of an ordinary infantryman was enough to support a family of three, and that was during peacetime.

If the Liao army that had been incorporated were also paid this amount, hundreds of thousands of mouths would be waiting to receive money, and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue would probably be crying every day as they went to the national treasury to withdraw money.

Not to mention clothing, quilts, tents for marching, medicine for wounded or sick soldiers, compensation for families of those killed in action, barracks and stables in the military camp—all of these cost money.

The key issue is that these Liao soldiers are already demoralized. If their treatment is not adequate, they will protest for pay today and desert tomorrow. Instead of becoming cannon fodder, they will cause trouble within the territory of the Zhao Song Dynasty. In that case, Zhao Yu will have truly shot himself in the foot.

Well, if these Liao soldiers were skilled and brave warriors, that would be one thing, but they were all frightened birds defeated by the Jin army, and were of no use at all.

More importantly, the Zhao Song Dynasty was not short of troops at the moment and had no need for these Liao troops.

Therefore, Zhao Yu knew perfectly well that these Liao soldiers, though appearing to be soldiers, were actually insatiable money pits. Rather than wasting money on them, it was better to let them remain in Liao, surviving on Yelü Yanxi's meager provisions, which would at least help the Zhao Song Dynasty wear down the Jin army.

To put it bluntly, the most cost-effective deal was to use Liao's money to support Liao's army and let them wear down Jin.

Another saying goes, "A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment."

If these Liao soldiers were still Liao soldiers, fighting to recover lost territory, and Zhao Yu had simply provided them with some food and armor, they would likely have sung his praises.

If Zhao Yu were to incorporate these Liao soldiers into the Song army, they would resent it if their treatment was even slightly worse than that of the Song soldiers. They would feel that the Song dynasty was biased and treated them as second-class citizens, feeling that they had left their homes and hometowns but could not get the respect and treatment they deserved.

At that time, they might not feel grateful to the Zhao Song Dynasty for taking them in, but rather, faced with the disparity in reality, they would quickly transform that gratitude into deep resentment towards the Zhao Song Dynasty.

If that day ever comes, these former Liao troops might not become a solid shield against foreign aggression, but rather a source of internal strife, like an undercurrent hidden beneath a prosperous facade. Once the time is right, they will surge forth and impact the foundation of the Song Dynasty. Or perhaps the former enemy, the Jin Dynasty, will become a point of comparison for them to share a similar fate.

Furthermore, within the Song army, they might be ostracized and labeled as "surrendered soldiers," and that humiliation and resentment would be enough to ignite the flames of rebellion within them.

In other words, once these Liao troops were incorporated into the Song Dynasty, the thorny issue of how to integrate and appease them would have to be addressed. The century-long feud between the Song and Liao dynasties could not be resolved overnight. Among these Liao troops were many who harbored hostility towards the Song Dynasty; if not handled properly, they could become a source of internal instability.

Furthermore, Zhao Yu also had to consider long-term plans. If he were to absorb a large number of Liao soldiers, would these former Liao soldiers turn into a new force against the Zhao Song Dynasty when the Jin Dynasty fell into internal strife or weakened? After all, their attachment to their homeland and their desire to restore their country would not easily dissipate.

Zhao Yu was unwilling to sow the seeds of future trouble for himself, nor was he willing to push the Zhao Song Dynasty into unknown risks because of momentary mercy.

Zhao Yu knew all too well that the subtlety and complexity of human nature far surpassed military strategy. While he could predict the overall situation, he could hardly fathom the thoughts of each individual. Incorporating the Liao army, seemingly a brilliant move to strengthen his own power, was in fact fraught with danger; a slight misstep could lead to his own downfall.

Furthermore, if the Zhao Song dynasty were to incorporate the Liao army, it would inevitably cause extreme panic and indignation among the Liao rulers, which might then prompt them to take even more extreme measures.

Although Yelü Yanxi was incompetent and foolish, if Zhao Yu pushed him too far, he might exhaust the nation's resources and unite all available forces, including those tribes and factions that were originally dissatisfied with the Liao Dynasty, to jointly resist the "aggression" of the Zhao Song Dynasty. In this way, the Zhao Song Dynasty would not only fail to weaken the Liao and Jin dynasties as it wished, but might also drag itself into a quagmire of a war that could have been avoided.

Furthermore, the incorporation of the Liao army could also arouse the high vigilance of the Jin Dynasty. As a newly emerging power, the Jin Dynasty was ambitious and coveted all its neighboring countries. If it saw the Zhao Song Dynasty's strength increase rapidly, it would certainly regard it as a threat and thus adjust its strategy and make preparations in advance to deal with possible conflicts.

As a result, the Zhao Song Dynasty would have to face a more powerful and vigilant enemy, which would undoubtedly greatly increase the difficulty and uncertainty of future wars.

Therefore, Zhao Yu had already written the script, which was to remain inactive and support the Liao and Jin states in bleeding each other dry, just as in history, the Jin state supported the puppet Qi state in its struggle against the Southern Song state.

Some might worry that, historically, the Jin dynasty used this tactic against the Southern Song dynasty, which only grew stronger with each battle. Wouldn't Zhao Yu's use of such a tactic backfire, causing the Jin dynasty to become just like the Southern Song in history, growing stronger with each battle and eventually becoming too powerful to control?

Zhao Yu wasn't worried at all.

First and foremost, the Jurchens, and other nomadic peoples, had a fatal weakness: their population was too small to withstand the attrition of prolonged warfare.

History has proven countless times that while nomadic peoples may gain an advantage on the battlefield in the short term by relying on their fierce martial prowess and archery skills, their weaknesses, such as small population, difficulty in resource supply, and fragile logistical support, will be exposed once the war becomes a protracted conflict.

Zhao Yu was well aware of this, so he planned to let the Liao and Jin dynasties continue their tug-of-war, wearing each other down, while the Song dynasty would sit back and watch the two fight, secretly accumulating strength.

In this long and brutal war of attrition, the population disadvantage of the Liao and Jin dynasties will gradually become apparent, and their fighting capacity will be continuously weakened as casualties increase.

The Song Dynasty, however, was different. As a major power in the Central Plains, it possessed a large population and abundant resources. During its long period of peace, the Song Dynasty could vigorously develop its economy, culture, and military, continuously enhancing its overall strength.

Secondly, historically, the reason why the Jin Dynasty failed to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty was largely due to its numerous internal conflicts. Many of the Jin Dynasty's most capable generals in the early period, such as Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Zongjun, Wanyan Xiyin, Wanyan Chang, and Wanyan Yinshuke, either perished due to power struggles or were sidelined due to political disagreements. In addition, the deaths of the most capable Jin generals, such as Wanyan Xieye, Wanyan Xibushi, Wanyan Wulu, Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Zongwang, and Wanyan Zhamu, caused the Jin Dynasty to repeatedly miss strategic opportunities and gradually lose its tactical edge, thus missing the golden period to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty.

Such a situation would certainly not have existed in the Song Dynasty under the leadership of Zhao Yu.

Once the time is right, the Song Dynasty can launch a thunderous attack, crushing the exhausted Jin and Liao dynasties in one fell swoop, thus achieving unification.

It can be said that Zhao Yu had planned everything perfectly, except for one thing: Yelü Yanxi was truly incompetent, ultimately forcing a large number of Liao people to become Jurchens.

This means that in the future, the Liao and Jin dynasties will likely be locked in a war of attrition on the battlefield, which will not achieve Zhao Yu's goal of weakening the Jin people (especially the Jurchens), or at least will be greatly reduced.

"This fool, you can't use your chances. You're born to be a king who will bring about the downfall of a kingdom, and no one can save you!"

"I was worried that if we changed history, you might be able to revitalize the Liao Dynasty. I was overthinking it. You don't have that kind of ability!"

Zhao Yu had previously wanted to cooperate with Yelü Yanxi for two reasons:

First, Yelü Yanxi was the rightful emperor of the Liao Dynasty. Only he could organize the majority of the Liao army and people to fight the Jin Dynasty. This has been proven in history. Even when his uncle Yelü Chun ascended the throne, he only managed to raise tens of thousands of troops, which was not enough to threaten the Jin Dynasty. In the end, the Liao Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty.

Secondly, Zhao Yu trusted Yelü Yanxi, a foolish ruler, knowing that he would never pose a threat to him. He could strongly support him and then easily eliminate him.

Unexpectedly, Yelü Yanxi's incompetence reached such a level that, instead of fulfilling Zhao Yu's wish to unite the Liao Dynasty's strength against the Jin Dynasty, he plunged the Liao Dynasty into an abyss of no return. He listened to slander, executed loyal officials, leading to a decline in the court and the alienation of the people. Those Liao people who should have been the backbone of the resistance against the Jin army, either out of despair or for survival, defected to the Jin Dynasty, becoming the sharpest blades against their former homeland.

Zhao Yu summarized the lessons learned: "The Liao emperor is more trouble than he's worth; he needs to be replaced."

Zhang Chun agreed: "He must be replaced, otherwise he will surely ruin the Emperor's important affairs."

Zhao Yu asked, "Who would be suitable to replace him?"

Zhang Chun thought for a moment and said, "There are two people who can replace him."

Zhao Yu asked, "Who are they?"

Zhang Chun said: "First, Prince Yan, Yelü Chun."

Zhao Yu deliberately said, "I have a grudge against him for taking my wife; can he be of use to me?"

Zhang Chun confidently declared, "This man has always prioritized the overall situation. As long as the Khitan are preserved, he is willing to endure any hardship. He is even capable of returning the five prefectures of Yan, the three prefectures of Pingluanying, and the passes under his jurisdiction to our Great Song. Moreover, this man is in poor health and is said to have only ten years left to live."

Based on Yelü Chun's historical performance, Zhao Yu knew that Zhang Chun's words were true. If Yelü Yanxi was truly incapable, Yelü Chun was indeed a good choice.

Zhao Yu then asked, "Who is the other one?"

Zhang Chun replied: "King Yelü Aoluwo of Jin."

Zhao Yu was slightly surprised: "My stepson?"

Zhang Chun nodded: "This boy has a high reputation in the Liao Kingdom and is the eldest son of the Liao emperor. As long as the Liao emperor passes away or abdicates, he will be the rightful emperor of the Liao Kingdom."

In fact, several other sons of Yelü Yanxi also met these criteria.

Yelü Aoluwo's ​​advantage was that he was Zhao Yu's stepson and had a good reputation in the Liao Dynasty. This would not only allow him to gain the Liao people's recognition, but also facilitate his interactions with the Zhao Song Dynasty.

However, Zhao Yu still had doubts about this.

Since Yelü Aoluwo had great ambitions since childhood, Zhao Yu did not believe that such a person would be willing to remain subservient to others for a long time. If he were allowed to endure hardship and grow stronger, would he turn his guns on Zhao Yu, the enemy who had ruined his mother and made him a laughingstock?

'Who should I choose...'

……

(End of this chapter)