I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 296: The Creation of "Ci'an" and "Cixi"

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It must be admitted that Xiao Sese provided Zhao Yu with a completely new idea, and a very feasible one at that.

Historically, Yelü Chun died after only three months on the throne after being enthroned as the emperor of the Northern Liao Dynasty.

Before Yelü Chun's death, the Liao Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse, and Yelü Chun's rule was more about maintaining the remnants of the dynasty amidst the crisis, so his performance was actually quite mediocre.

At that time, Yelü Yanxi was being pursued and fled by the Jin army, and the Liao Dynasty collapsed. In order to protect themselves, the officials and nobles in the Liao Nanjing (also known as Yanjing) region supported Yelü Chun and formed the Northern Liao regime, but its territory was limited to a part of the Yanyun region.

Facing fierce attacks from the Jin army, and with the Northern Song Dynasty also taking the opportunity to send troops north to try to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Northern Liao was caught in a pincer movement.

Faced with this political environment, Yelü Chun only made very limited responses, mostly feeling helpless. After ascending the throne, he quickly appointed ministers such as Li Chuwen in an attempt to consolidate the remaining forces and maintain order in the Nanjing area, temporarily uniting the remaining Liao forces. He adopted a tough stance against the Zhao Song Dynasty, repelling the attack of the Song army led by Tong Guan, temporarily relieving the pressure in the south; at the same time, he attempted to negotiate peace with the Jin, but this was not accepted, leaving him with very little room for diplomatic maneuver.

Lacking the legitimacy of Yelü Yanxi's support, the Jin army suffered from serious internal divisions (such as some generals still remaining loyal to Yelü Yanxi) and weak military strength, making it difficult to withstand the Jin army's offensive.

Yelü Chun's reign was a brief interlude in the demise of the Liao Dynasty. Although he attempted to salvage the situation, he was constrained by objective circumstances (the strength of the Jin army, the Northern Song army's attempt to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and the collapse of the Liao Dynasty's foundations), and ultimately could not reverse the tide. His measures during his reign were mostly reactive and failed to change the fate of the Northern Liao's destruction.

Overall, Yelü Chun's performance reflects the struggle of separatist forces in a chaotic world. Although he made efforts to maintain his rule, he was limited by the times and his own strength, and ultimately became a historical footnote to the demise of the Liao Dynasty.

Frankly speaking, based on Yelü Chun's historical performance, even with Zhao Yu's support, it's hard to say whether he could pose a threat to Wanyan Aguda.

Therefore, Yelü Chun was not actually the best choice.

It was only because Zhao Yu had no better options before that he wanted to choose Yelü Chun.

But now, Xiao Sese has provided Zhao Yu with a new idea: the Empress Dowager's rule. Zhao Yu's mind immediately started working. Based on Xiao Sese's ideas, he came up with a better and more feasible plan.

At the same time, Zhao Yu shook his head at Xiao Sese, rejecting her offer of service.

Seeing this, Xiao Sese was greatly disappointed, and even harbored resentment towards Zhao Yu. She had thought that with her intelligence and profound insight into the situation, she could become a key figure influencing the future of the Liao Kingdom, and even the overall balance of power. However, Zhao Yu's slight shake of his head was like an icy blade in the cold wind, instantly shattering her enthusiasm and hope into pieces.

Crucially, in order to achieve this goal, Xiao Sese did not hesitate to sacrifice her own sister, younger sister, and even her entire family to Zhao Yu.

More importantly, if she couldn't persuade Zhao Yu, Xiao Sese might not be able to save her son, Yelü Aoluwo.

In addition, every woman in the harem wanted her son to become emperor, and since Xiao Sese's two sons with Zhao Yu were definitely not going to inherit Zhao Yu's throne, Yelü Aoluwo was Xiao Sese's only chance.

In addition, there is the affection for one's homeland.

Xiao Sese's emotions were like fallen leaves fluttering in the autumn wind, both desolate and filled with resentment. She looked into Zhao Yu's deep and complex eyes, trying to read a glimmer of hope, but saw only determination and calmness.

Zhao Yu knew that the game of power allowed no room for sentimentality, nor did it permit emotional entanglements to become a burden on decision-making. Although he admired Xiao Sese's wisdom and courage, in this treacherous political chessboard, every move had to be precise and flawless.

Moreover, the fact that Xiao Sese could have her current boyfriend poison her ex-boyfriend, even though Yelü Yanxi was indeed incredibly wicked and caused Xiao Sese immense harm, and it wouldn't be wrong to say that Xiao Sese and Yelü Yanxi had a grudge, still demonstrates Xiao Sese's ruthless methods and unyielding heart, which are truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'This woman is definitely ruthless. If I place her at the core of power, what if the situation changes? Would she betray me for self-preservation or greater gain?'

This doubt, like a shadow in the dark night, quietly enveloped Zhao Yu's heart.

Zhao Yu had an even bigger concern: if Xiao Sese were to return to Liao and be given the highest power in Liao, would she keep several male lovers?

'If that's the case, then I'll be wearing a green hat all the time!'

Zhao Yu didn't think he was overthinking things.

Wasn't Li Zhi good to Wu Zetian?
Wu Zetian was once a concubine of Li Shimin and followed him for more than ten years. Li Zhi disregarded the constraints of etiquette and brought her back to the palace from Ganye Temple. Later, he made her empress. What a breakthrough this was at the time.
In his later years, Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) was in poor health. He allowed Wu Zetian to participate in court affairs and called her "the Second Saint." He even let her handle government affairs on his behalf, giving her unprecedented power. This shows how much trust and tolerance he placed in her.

Overall, Wu Zetian's position in the harem was always secured thanks to Li Zhi's support.

For an emperor to treat a woman this well must be considered the ultimate act of kindness.

But what about Wu Zetian?
After Li Zhi's death, she not only usurped the Li family's throne, but also kept a large number of male favorites, such as Xue Huaiyi, Zhang Yizhi, and the Zhang Changzong brothers. They indulged in pleasure in Wu Zetian's harem, acted arrogantly in the Wu Zhou court, and even interfered in politics, trampling the dignity of the Tang Empire underfoot.

Even worse, in order to cover up her disgraceful deeds, Wu Zetian did not hesitate to kill her own children with Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi). Li Xian, Li Dan, and others trembled in fear under her tyranny, and the royal bloodline of the Tang Dynasty was almost destroyed by her.

Wu Zetian's actions were undoubtedly the greatest irony to Li Zhi's deep affection, trust, and tolerance.

This is not an isolated case. Countless similar examples in history have shown that when women are given power, they often do astonishing things, whether they are crazy, cruel, or treat power as a private plaything, arbitrarily using it to satisfy their own selfish desires.

Zhao Yu knew all too well that power was like strong liquor, capable of intoxicating and leading astray, and that women, especially, were more easily corrupted and transformed beyond recognition. Although Xiao Sese was deeply disappointed and even harbored resentment towards Zhao Yu, she didn't show it. Instead, she nestled obediently into his arms, gently parted her lips, and softly explained to him: "Perhaps it was because I asked Your Majesty to assassinate the Liao Emperor that Your Majesty misunderstood me as having a heart of stone. Perhaps Your Majesty worried that if I returned to Liao, I would not be virtuous. Or perhaps Your Majesty has ulterior motives and feels that I am incompetent and unfit for such a great responsibility. Whatever the reason, I cannot prove my innocence, nor do I deign to do so."

After a pause, Xiao Sese continued, "Your Majesty, I wish to rescue the Liao Kingdom, but at the same time, I also wish to share Your Majesty's burdens."

At this point, Xiao Sese continued, seemingly unsure of the truth: "Back then, the Liao emperor sent me to Your Majesty to vent your anger. If Your Majesty hadn't accepted me, I would likely have perished long ago, or been reduced to a camp prostitute, subjected to all kinds of humiliation. Your Majesty's kindness is etched in my heart, and I will never forget it. I have always wanted to repay Your Majesty's kindness, but I have never had the opportunity. Now that the Liao Kingdom is weak, I have fortunately come up with a plan that can both help our Great Song achieve unification and teach the Liao Kingdom to preserve its ancestral temples and altars. That is why I have dared to offer my advice."

To gain Zhao Yu's trust, Xiao Sese said, "I swear that if I utter even the slightest falsehood, or harbor the slightest rebellious intention, or show even the slightest disloyalty to Your Majesty, may I immediately be afflicted with a terrible illness and die in agony."

Since Xiao Sese had made such a vicious vow, Zhao Yu thought for a moment and then said, "My beloved consort may speak freely."

Seeing that Zhao Yu had given her oral sex, Xiao Sese immediately told Zhao Yu all about the strategy she had come up with.

In short, Xiao Sese wanted Zhao Yu to kill Yelü Yanxi and install her son Yelü Aoluwo as the emperor of Liao, so that she could return to Liao and become the empress dowager.

If this were to happen, Xiao Sese and her son Yelü Aoluwo would represent the Liao Dynasty in signing an alliance with the Song Dynasty, returning all the five prefectures of Yan, the three prefectures of Pingluanying, and all the areas that the Song Dynasty desired, including Juyong Pass, Gubeikou, Songting Pass, and Yuguan Pass, to the Song Dynasty, and establishing a father-son relationship between the Liao and Song Dynasties.

However, before the Liao Kingdom could reclaim its capital, the Zhao Song Dynasty had to temporarily lend Yanjing to the Liao Kingdom as its capital.

To dispel Zhao Yu's doubts, Xiao Sese suggested that the Liao Dynasty could first return the five prefectures of Yan, the three prefectures of Pingluan and Ying, and the passes such as Juyong Pass to the Zhao Song Dynasty. The Zhao Song Dynasty could even station troops in these places, while the Liao army would all withdraw to the north of the Great Wall.

In other words, at that time, whether it was Xiao Sese or Yelü Aoluwo, they would still be under the control of the Zhao Song Dynasty. Zhao Yu could completely use the emperor to command the princes and manipulate the Liao army to fight against the Jin army from behind.

Of course, Zhao Yu had to agree that the territory beyond the Great Wall conquered by the Liao people belonged to the Liao people, and that once the Liao people recovered the Liao capital, Zhao Yu had to release Yelü Aoluwo back to the Liao Kingdom to become emperor.

To put it another way, after the Song and Liao dynasties formed an alliance, the Liao state returned five prefectures in Yan, three prefectures in Pingluan and Ying, and passes such as Juyong Pass to the Song dynasty. In return, Zhao Yu had to accept Yelü Aoluwo and a group of Liao ministers as political refugees in the Song dynasty, and also support the Liao state in recovering its territory.

Upon hearing Xiao Sese's idea, Zhao Yu's previous concerns—whether Xiao Sese would betray him for self-preservation or greater interests, and whether she would keep male concubines if she gained supreme power in Liao—were immediately resolved. With both mother and son in Zhao Yu's hands, he doubted they would dare do anything out of line.

The key point is that Zhao Yu was able to reclaim the entire Yan-Yun region without bloodshed and complete the unification of the country.

More importantly, this does not conflict with Zhao Yu's grand strategic goal: for the Song Dynasty to refrain from direct involvement and instead stand aside and watch the Liao and Jin dynasties weaken each other until one of them is killed or severely wounded, at which point the Song Dynasty would eliminate both Liao and Jin and seize the valuable land of Northeast China.

As for the Liao Dynasty destroying the Jin Dynasty and recovering lost territory, Zhao Yu wanted to send Yelü Aoluwo back to become the real emperor of Liao.

First, if the Song Dynasty does not intervene directly, the Jin Dynasty, which is more ruthless, cunning, and currently has more talented people, will most likely be the victor in the war between Liao and Jin, rather than the Liao Dynasty, which is already declining everywhere. Therefore, it is unlikely that Xiao Sese's idea of ​​the Liao people recovering their homeland and rebuilding the Liao Dynasty under the leadership of her and her son is very unlikely.

Secondly, although the Song Dynasty would not directly participate in the war between Liao and Jin, it would certainly participate in the war between Liao and Jin in a manner similar to that of a referee. Therefore, it would be almost impossible for the Liao Dynasty to achieve final victory.

Finally, if this can enable the Liao Kingdom to defeat the Jin Kingdom and recover lost territory, then it proves that the Liao Kingdom is truly not to be trifled with. In that case, Zhao Yu can then consider the situation further and make a more informed decision.

In short, Xiao Sese's idea had its uses for Zhao Yu, and for Zhao Yu and the Zhao Song Dynasty, it posed almost no risk.

Therefore, after listening to Xiao Sese's entire plan, Zhao Yu thought for a moment and said, "I will discuss it with my officials and then give my beloved concubine an answer."

The next day, Zhao Yu discussed the matter with his officials.

Unexpectedly, this received support from almost everyone. Zhang Chun even told Yuan Qingcheng that because they had traveled through time, history had already changed, and Yelü Chun still had nearly ten years to live. Who knew what he might do? It was safer to keep everything under control.

In this way, the matter was pretty much settled.

The reason it is said to be "almost the same" is because Zhao Yu made some adjustments to the plan.

Specifically, Zhao Yu transformed Empress Xiao Sese into a dual empress dowager consisting of her and Xiao Puxian, much like the dual empress dowagers Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an in the late Qing Dynasty.

Compared to Xiao Sese, who had a stronger affection for the Liao Kingdom, Zhao Yu clearly trusted Xiao Puxian, who had always been loyal to him over the years, more.

Moreover, in terms of ability, during her time as Empress Dowager of the Northern Liao Dynasty, Empress Xiao Puxian led the remnants of the Northern Liao forces to defeat the Northern Song Dynasty. She firmly controlled outstanding figures such as Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi, demonstrating her wisdom and skill.

In Zhao Yu's view, Xiao Puxian was a more suitable opponent for Wanyan Aguda than Yelü Chun.

Historically, Empress Xiao Puxian took over the Liao Dynasty too late, and she never gained complete control of the Liao Dynasty. Because of Yelü Yanxi's obstruction, she only had the talents and troops in the Yanjing area at most. In addition, she focused all her firepower on the Northern Song Dynasty, which is why she was unable to compete with Wanyan Aguda.

Now, with Zhao Yu standing behind Xiao Puxian, Zhao Yu will clear all obstacles for her. Perhaps she can really put on a fierce battle with Wanyan Aguda.
Imagining that scene, and then looking down at Xiao Puxian kneeling before him, serving him with utmost devotion, Zhao Yu felt an indescribable surge of ambition. He gently stroked Xiao Puxian's soft hair, his eyes gleaming with a profound light, as if he could already foresee the dramatic changes to come…

……

(End of this chapter)