I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 311 Three Kingdoms Kill
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As soon as Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese helped Zhao Yu into the bedroom, Zhao Yu let go of them, straightened up, walked to the table and sat down, and ordered, "Bring me a bowl of hangover soup."

Seeing this, how could Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese, who were practically an old married couple with Zhao Yu, not know that Zhao Yu was not drunk at all, or at least not as drunk as most people imagined.

That's right.

Zhao Yu was not drunk at all.

Let alone the fact that Zhao Yu is currently in Yanjing, a city that has just been recaptured and is in danger at any moment, even if he were in his own palace in Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo, he would never allow himself to get drunk and cause any trouble.

Once the Yan-Yun region is recovered, does that mean I can just say, "I've fought all my life, can't I enjoy myself a little?"

No.

No, it's impossible.

If natural barriers like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers couldn't stop the southward advance of northern nomadic tribes, do you really think the Great Wall could stop the southward invasion of nomadic tribes like the Liao, Jin, and Mongol peoples?
Humans are intelligent beings, and there will always be a way to get over this Great Wall.

Some people may wonder why Qin Shi Huang and Zhu Yuanzhang built the Great Wall. Wasn't it to defend against the southward incursions of northern nomadic tribes?

In fact, the main function of the Great Wall was not defense, but early warning.

The watchtowers and beacon towers on the Great Wall, in modern terms, were like surveillance cameras. Wherever the enemy came from, and how they broke through the wall, smoke signals would rise. This could be clearly seen from the city walls of Yanjing, allowing for targeted troop deployment and formation based on the enemy's invasion route.

Without the Great Wall, the northern border of the Central Plains dynasties, stretching thousands of kilometers, would have been traversed by nomadic tribes on horseback, their swift horses and curved swords appearing and disappearing like the wind. You would never know when they arrived, where they were going, or when they left.

Therefore, the Great Wall was mainly used for early warning. If the Great Wall could really defend against invasions by northern nomadic peoples, then there would not have been so many instances of ethnic minorities invading the Central Plains in Chinese history.

Take the Ming Dynasty as an example.

When the Ming Dynasty fell, the Qing army entered the pass, which was actually the sixth time the Manchus had entered the heart of the Central Plains.

Prior to that, the Qing army had crossed the Great Wall five times and entered the heart of the Ming Dynasty to carry out large-scale looting.

As early as fifteen years before the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji led the Qing army to bypass the Mongolian region, break through the Great Wall at Da'ankou, and enter the heart of the Ming Dynasty for the first time to besiege Beijing.

That operation resulted in the death of Yuan Chonghuan.

A few years later, the Qing army split into four routes for the second time, with the Datong and Xuanhua areas as the main direction of attack. They broke through the passes and entered the Central Plains again to plunder.

Next, Prince Ying, Ajige, led his army into the pass, conquered twelve cities, won all fifty-six battles, captured a large number of people and livestock, and killed countless Ming soldiers.

Next, Dorgon, as the Qing army's frontline commander, led his troops into the pass, captured Jinan Prefecture, looted and burned the city, and captured 462,300 people and livestock.

Despite the fact that the Ming army was inferior to the Qing army in field battles, Emperor Chongzhen ordered Lu Xiang-sheng to engage the Qing army in field battles, which led to the Ming army's defeat and Lu Xiang-sheng's death in battle.

Emperor Chongzhen urgently dispatched Sun Chengzong and Hong Chengchou, who were besieging Li Zicheng, to return and rescue him, allowing Li Zicheng, who had only eighteen horsemen left, to escape.

When the Manchus entered the pass for the fifth time, Abatai led the Qing army into the pass, killing Prince Lu Zhu Yipai and thousands of officials and princes from Leling, Yangxin, Dongyuan, Anqiu, and Ziyang. They captured 36 cities in 30 prefectures and 36 counties across three prefectures: Yanzhou, Shunde, and Hejian. They captured 369,000 people and a large number of livestock. At that time, the Qing army's advance once reached Haizhou in the Southern Zhili Province of the Ming Dynasty, which is now Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province. They almost reached the Yangtze River.

Of those five large-scale invasions, the Qing army entered the pass in the autumn of the first year on two occasions, fought in the heart of the Central Plains for a winter, and returned to the pass in the spring of the following year. They passed through the city of Beijing three times as if it were an uninhabited place.

The Qing army, carrying spoils of war and captured people and livestock, swaggered across what would later become the Lugou Bridge in Beijing, a journey that lasted for half a month. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Ming troops remained stationed in Tongzhou, too afraid to engage in battle.

Tianjin, as the eastern gateway to Beijing, was occupied by the Qing army for more than half a year. When the Qing army withdrew, they actually raised the banner of "no need for escorting the officials" to satirize the Ming army.

Before the Manchus entered the Central Plains, the raids by northern nomadic peoples on the Central Plains never ceased.

In the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign of the Ming Dynasty, Esen, the leader of the Oirat Mongols, led a large army south. He first defeated the main force of the Ming army at Tumu Fortress and captured Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen. Then he drove straight in and successively broke through important passes such as Juyong Pass and Zijing Pass. He advanced all the way to the gates of Beijing.

At that time, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. If Yu Qian had not stepped forward, strongly opposed the proposal to move the capital south, and urgently mobilized troops and reorganized defenses to defend Beijing with his remaining troops, the Ming Dynasty would probably have ended long ago.

Even though the crisis was temporarily resolved, the raids by various Mongol tribes did not stop. During the Jiajing era, Mongol cavalry once again besieged Beijing, burning, killing, and looting in the suburbs for many days before retreating.

Then there are the Mongols in history. When they rose to power, they started from the northern grasslands and swept across Eurasia with overwhelming force. They not only easily broke through the Great Wall defenses, but also directly destroyed the Jin Dynasty and incorporated the entire Central Plains into their territory. In the eyes of the Mongols at that time, the Great Wall was nothing more than a pile of bricks and stones, which could not stop their iron hooves at all.

It is evident that neither the rugged terrain of Yanyun nor the fortification of the Great Wall could fundamentally deter the southward advance of nomadic peoples. The pressure of their living environment and their demand for resources kept nomadic peoples eyeing the Central Plains. Even if a temporary defensive line could temporarily buffer their attacks, it could not ultimately stop the repeated clashes between the north and south throughout history.

The emperors of the Song Dynasty and many others believed that the Yan-Yun region was a natural barrier against northern nomadic tribes.

However, the facts have shown that occupying Yanyun may not necessarily bring lasting peace.

Zhao Yu had a clear understanding of this.

Therefore, even after recovering the Yan-Yun region and completing the unification, Zhao Yu still dared not slacken his efforts.

The reason Zhao Yu faced the Jin and Mongol empires was that they were far stronger and more difficult to deal with than the Mongols and Manchus the Ming Dynasty had faced in history. The Jin's arrows and the Mongol cavalry were terrifying forces. They were like wolves on the grasslands—cunning, fierce, and greedy, always ready to pounce on their prey. The Song Dynasty had to remain constantly vigilant to deal with any potential threat.

After drinking the hangover soup, Zhao Yu looked out the window. Night had fallen, but the lights of Yanjing still shone brightly. This ancient and resilient city had witnessed too many wars and peaces, prosperity and decline. Now, it had finally become part of the Song Dynasty, but Zhao Yu knew this did not mean permanent peace, but rather new challenges.

Seeing that Zhao Yu was not drunk and showed no sign of wanting to sleep, Xiao Puxian asked, "Counselor Cai said that tomorrow the court will issue the order to change clothing, retain heads, and change to Han customs in the newly recovered Yanping region. Some Liao people will be unwilling to change their old customs. The Liao court wants to lead these Liao people to escort grain and supplies north to fight against the Jurchens. However, the Liao Kingdom is currently short of grain and armor, and the grain supplies at the front are almost gone..."

Before recovering the five prefectures of Yan and the three prefectures of Pingluanying, the Song Dynasty had already recovered the Qingtang region, the Western Xia, and the eleven prefectures of Yanyun. It had a wealth of successful experience in governing newly recovered areas. Now, the Song Dynasty only needed to copy these successful experiences and implement them step by step.

In fact, the Liao Dynasty had been trying to persuade Zhao Yu to accept their proposed dual-court system to govern the Yanping region.

But Zhao Yu completely ignored these Liao people.

Zhao Yu was well aware that the reason these Liao people wanted him to govern the Yanping region using a dual-court system was because they still fantasized about recovering the Yanping region in the future, or even the entire Yanyun region.

If Zhao Yu were to govern the Yanping region in the same way he governed the eleven prefectures of Yanyun, the Liao state would completely recover the Yanping region, just as it had completely lost the eleven prefectures of Yanyun.

Zhao Yu was no saint; how could he possibly accept such unrealistic fantasies from the Liao Dynasty?

Of course, one thing is one thing. Those Liao people who were unwilling to fully integrate into the Song Dynasty could leave the Yanping area and head north. This would not only eliminate the hidden dangers for the Song Dynasty in governing the Yanping area, but also better deplete the Jin Dynasty's national strength. Zhao Yu would definitely support this.

So Zhao Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let's give the Liao Kingdom 500,000 shi of grain and 50,000 soldiers and armor first."

Xiao Sese stammered, "There are already hundreds of thousands of Liao troops at the front. This 500,000 shi of grain is probably just a drop in the ocean and cannot support the Liao army in resisting the Jurchens for a long time."

Not counting the civilians, the hundreds of thousands of Liao troops on the front lines alone consume 300,000 to 400,000 shi of grain per month. So, at most, 500,000 shi of grain would only be enough to feed the Liao troops on the front lines for two months.

No wonder Xiao Sese felt that Zhao Yu had given her too little food.

Zhao Yu said, "Now observe his conduct, examine his talents and abilities, and determine whether he is trustworthy. Only then should we provide him with appropriate assistance."

In other words, Zhao Yu was saying: "The grain of my Great Song Dynasty didn't come from thin air, and the Liao army isn't my Great Song army either. Yes, they ceded the Yanping region to the Great Song Dynasty, allowing me to achieve unification. In addition, the strategic goals of both the Song and Liao Dynasties are to eliminate the Jin Dynasty. I am willing to provide some assistance to the Liao Dynasty. But then again, if they want me to support them, shouldn't they first win a couple of battles to prove their worth?"
Although Xiao Sese had deep feelings for the Liao Kingdom, she knew very well that no matter how much she sided with the Liao Kingdom, it could not change the fact that she was already Zhao Yu's concubine and a true Song citizen. The Liao people would never acknowledge that she was Liao. If the Liao people ever succeeded in restoring their kingdom, they would regard her as a disgrace to the Liao people and kill her without hesitation. The key point was that without Zhao Yu's support, she could not have secured her position as Empress Dowager of the Liao Kingdom, even though she was the biological mother of Yelü Aoluwo.

Therefore, Xiao Sese still had to side with the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Based on this, Xiao Sese did not try to gain more support for the Liao Kingdom. Instead, she changed her tone and asked, "Could we set up some border markets outside the Great Wall where we come into contact with the Liao people, so that we can trade fairly with them and help the Liao people get through this difficult period?"

The Liao and Jin dynasties had been at war for years, and the Liao emperor Yelü Yanxi and his ministers had not governed the Liao state properly. As a result, it was not only the Liao army that was short of food, but also the Liao people, who were even more short of food.

At this point, if the Liao people were not given a legitimate way to obtain food, they would surely turn into bandits and plunder the wealthy Song Dynasty.

Don't even mention how powerful the Song Dynasty was; how dare the Liao people plunder it?

When people are starving to death, they will not fear anyone. Their first thought will definitely be, "Whoever is rich, I will rob them. Anyway, dying of starvation is death, dying of battle is death, so I might as well take a chance."

Therefore, Xiao Sese's proposal was not only to gain benefits for the Liao Kingdom, but also to eliminate future troubles for the Song Dynasty.

Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers had already discussed this matter. Moreover, they thought further ahead and felt that simply trading with the Liao people would not work. After all, many Liao people were poor and had nothing, so they could not trade with the Song Dynasty in the long term.

Based on this reality, Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers discussed and encouraged the Liao people to develop animal husbandry to provide the Song Dynasty with cattle, sheep and other livestock. At the same time, they recruited Liao people to mine coal in Yundi and build roads outside the pass. In short, they wanted to find something for the Liao people to do so that they would not be idle and only focused on plundering.

Zhao Yu said, "This matter can be discussed with Cai Bian by Li Chuwen and Xiao Fengxian."

This is not something that can be decided on a whim; it requires comprehensive planning. After all, the Song Dynasty also needs to lay the groundwork for the future complete annexation of these Liao people.

However, worried that the Liao people might not be able to wait that long, Zhao Yu said, "We can choose some temporary places to set up temporary markets and sell some grain, salt, tea, daily necessities and other things that the Liao people urgently need, so that they can get through this special period."

On the other side, Xiao Puxian also inquired: "The Liao court hopes that our Great Song will send envoys to the Jin Kingdom to persuade them to make peace, so as to buy them some time to regroup and fight again."

Zhao Yu said, "It would be easy for me to send someone to negotiate peace with the Jurchens, but what kind of peace terms does the Liao court want? What cannot be obtained on the battlefield cannot be obtained through negotiation."

As Zhao Yu said, I can help you take sides, but the problem is, you at least have to state what conditions you want, right? You want the Jin Dynasty to relinquish all the territory it annexed from the Liao Dynasty? You may have such fantasies, but the problem is, that also requires the Jurchens' consent, doesn't it? The Jurchens risked the lives of their entire people to conquer so much territory; how could they possibly give it up willingly?
The Liao people knew that they had very few bargaining chips. Even with the help of the Song Dynasty, it would be difficult for them to negotiate peace with the Jin Dynasty. It would be best to win a few battles first before discussing whether to negotiate peace. Otherwise, they would probably only end up with empty talk.

After discussing it, Yelü Aoluwo, Yelü Chun, and others decided that Yelü Chun would lead some patriotic Liao people northward to lead the Liao army to fight the Jin people. Ideally, they would be able to recover Liao Zhongjing first, so that they would no longer have to live under someone else's roof.

Thus, through the joint efforts of the Song and Liao dynasties, those Liao people who were loyal to the Liao responded to the Liao court's call, left the Yanping region, and marched north to fight against the Jin dynasty...

At the same time, the Song Dynasty also took this opportunity to quickly assimilate the Yanping region...

The Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties have officially entered the Three Kingdoms Kill phase...

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(End of this chapter)