The prince is more stable

Chapter 1014 Preparing to Break the Alliance
On the border between Song and Liao, the Song army from Youzhou, led by Zhe Keshi, marched north and penetrated more than two hundred li into Liao territory.

Wherever the army went, villages, tribes, farmlands, and pastures were trampled underfoot, and countless Khitans were slaughtered and plundered.

Zhe Keshi faithfully carried out Zhao Xiaoqian's orders: the Song Dynasty would repay tenfold for the losses and casualties caused to the Song people in the northwest by the Liao army.

This army of 20,000 men finally caused panic in the Liao court. Yelü Yanxi took a series of remedial measures, including changing the commander in the northwest, sending envoys to the Song to apologize, and mobilizing troops to besiege Zhe Keshi's forces.

Yelü Yanxi even sent envoys directly to negotiate face-to-face with Zheke.

Unfortunately, Zhe Keshi was a military general with a narrow mind. He refused to even meet the Liao envoy, determined to inflict a painful blow on the Liao Kingdom this time, to the point of psychological fear.

If you want me to stop the war, only the Emperor of my Great Song Dynasty has the right to speak. Who does your Liao Dynasty ruler think he is? What right does he have to talk to me?

Less than ten days after 20,000 Song troops entered Liao territory, battle reports from the border arrived at Yelü Yanxi's desk.

Because of this disaster, the Liao Kingdom lost nearly 20,000 border troops, thousands of Khitan civilians were slaughtered, and countless valuables were looted.

What the Song army did most ruthlessly was that after slaughtering and looting the villages and tribes along the way, they would burn down the houses and tents, leaving nothing for future generations, truly achieving "no roosters crowing for a hundred miles, no human habitation for a thousand miles".

Yelü Yanxi was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

The Liao state was at fault first, and the Song state was merely retaliating. Morally speaking, the Song state's actions were not inappropriate, and the Liao state had no grounds to retaliate against the Song state.

Inside the Liao Palace, Yelü Yanxi felt utterly weak and sat alone in his bedchamber, weeping silently.

Now, he has finally tasted the bitter fruit of the decline of the nation. Once upon a time, the most powerful Khitan Liao Kingdom in the world was the Song Dynasty, which could only bow down and fawn over the Liao Kingdom. Whenever there was a conflict or friction between the two armies, the Song Dynasty would take the initiative to send envoys to seek peace and use money to appease the other side in exchange for peace between the two countries.

Now the situation between the Song and Liao dynasties has completely reversed. Now it is the Liao dynasty's turn to fawn over the Song dynasty and send envoys to apologize. The entire court is filled with unease because of this army of 20,000 men.

This is the desolation under the twilight. The decline of an empire may not be visible in ordinary times, but once a real crisis occurs, it becomes clear to the naked eye how much weight the country still has.

In foreign affairs, we cannot win arguments or win wars.

Domestically, the so-called reforms aimed at strengthening the nation turned into a mess, incurring the wrath of both heaven and man. Because of the reforms, the Liao Dynasty declined even faster than before, and the reforms also exacerbated the internal conflicts.

Yelü Yanxi never imagined that the empire he inherited would turn out like this.

Perhaps, he really could become the last ruler of the Liao Dynasty.

The emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty is so young and acts so domineeringly. If the Song Dynasty ever has a spare moment, how can the Liao Dynasty not perish?

…………

He rode a swift horse to Bianjing.

The knight carried a black box on his back and waved a small command flag in his hand. He did not dismount after entering Bianjing City, but went straight to the palace, galloping away and shouting loudly.

"Good news from Youzhou! Border general Zhe Keshi, acting on imperial orders, led his troops deep into the heart of Liao territory, killing 20,000 Liao soldiers. The grudges of the people on the northwestern border of the Great Song have been avenged!"

He sped along, and the people on the streets of Bianjing could hear him clearly, causing the whole city to erupt in excitement.

"Our Great Song Dynasty has gone to war with the Liao people again? When did this happen?"

"Wait, aren't Song and Liao allies? Am I mistaken? The two countries joined forces in the northwest to destroy Western Xia, so why is there war on the Youzhou border again?"

"What you've heard is all old news. The Liao army, under the guise of destroying the Western Xia in the northwest, deliberately crossed the border into our Great Song, killing our border people and plundering our wealth and grain..."

"What a heroic figure our Emperor is! How could he tolerate such a scoundrel as the Liao people? So he issued an edict ordering the border troops of Youzhou to march north and avenge the people of our Great Song Dynasty, and to repay them tenfold!"

"That man just delivered a report of victory; it must be the border troops of Youzhou who have accomplished their mission. Haha! That's inspiring! We must have a few more drinks tonight."

"As expected of the Emperor, as expected of the Great Song Dynasty's royal army, it is indeed inspiring. This is how we should treat the Khitans. We should not tolerate their bad behavior. After being slapped today, let's see if they dare to offend the Great Song Dynasty again."

"The Liao Kingdom is dwindling, and with our Emperor's temperament, he'll inevitably launch a northern expedition sooner or later to completely destroy it. Then our Great Song Dynasty will be as powerful as the Han and Tang Dynasties. I wonder if I'll live to see that day..."

"If the world can truly be unified under Your Majesty's rule, you will be a living Buddha to all families, accumulating countless merits. From then on, the world will be at peace, there will be no more wars, and the people's lives will be much better." Inside the Daqing Hall in Bianjing, Zhao Xiaoqian was holding a court meeting with civil and military officials.

The focus of the court assembly remained on the war in the northwest, as it was a war that concerned the fate of the Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties. The court officials were well aware of the importance of this war and kept their eyes fixed on the northwest.

The outcome was obviously a foregone conclusion; Zhao Xiaoqian was discussing post-war governance.

It was a foregone conclusion that Western Xia would be incorporated into the territory, but after that, they would still have to face the wrath of the Liao Dynasty. After all, Zhao Xiaoqian intended to break the alliance and swallow Western Xia whole, leaving not a single piece for the Liao Dynasty.

The Liao Kingdom sent troops and resources, but ended up with nothing. In the end, they were bound to turn against us. So, how to deal with the Liao Kingdom's change of heart was also part of the "aftermath" work.

In front of his ministers, Zhao Xiaoqian frankly stated his plans.

The civil and military officials were speechless.

This is... a bit shameless.

Since its founding, the Song Dynasty has always prided itself on integrity. Even when emperors broke the alliance, they did so secretly, leaving no grounds for criticism, while still spouting righteousness and morality.

But when it came to this official, he didn't even bother to act anymore.

...At least put on an act, find a reason to occupy the moral high ground first, and then look aggrieved and angry and say that the alliance has been broken and the two countries should fight for this piece of fat meat based on their own abilities.

Otherwise, how would the historians record this? If this shameless reputation were written into the history books, it would be a small matter for you, the emperor, to be cursed by future generations for thousands of years... You would also be cursed as a result.

If the emperor is this kind of person, how good can the court officials be?
Upon hearing the Emperor so frankly and openly state his plans, many court officials in the hall stirred slightly, and many wanted to stand up and offer their advice on the spot.

Of course, annexing Western Xia would benefit the Song Dynasty. Putting aside everything else, the complete control of the Silk Road by the Song Dynasty would be absolutely advantageous to the commercially prosperous nation.

Even if you want to take everything for yourself, there are rules to follow. In this world, there are also rules between countries. We agreed to form an alliance to destroy the Western Xia and then divide the Western Xia among ourselves. It would be too much for you to leave the Liao Kingdom no benefit at all.

The main problem is that doing this is morally and ethically untenable, and this period of the Song Dynasty will definitely be recorded as a dark chapter in the history books of the Song Dynasty.

"I'm so fed up with you pedantic people..." Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You keep talking about 'history' and spouting all this nonsense. How many historians do we have? Just gather them up and forbid them from writing this part of history, or at least embellish it a little."

"'Polishing,' you understand?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed again and said, "There's no need to discuss trivial matters that are beneficial to the Great Song. Even if the historians record it truthfully, I will still swallow up all of Western Xia. I'll just get a few scoldings. By then, my bones will be almost turned to ashes. How can they scold me for hurting me?"

"The strength of a nation does not depend on the 'rites' and 'benevolence' mentioned by sages. Throughout history, I have never heard of any dynasty that became strong by reasoning."

"The reason why the Han and Tang dynasties were powerful was because they had invincible armies, wise rulers, and a united government and its ministers. Have any of you ever heard of the Han and Tang dynasties being powerful because their principles moved people's hearts and the surrounding barbarians voluntarily laid down their swords and submitted to them?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at the assembled officials and said calmly, "The reason why the Great Song Dynasty has been weak for the past hundred years is because the emperor and his ministers have been too fond of reasoning with the Liao and Xia, while neglecting to strengthen themselves. You try to reason with them, hoping that the enemy will obey your reasoning, but what has been the result?"

"For the past hundred years, the Liao and Xia dynasties have frequently raided our borders and invaded our territory. They have treated our Great Song as a granary and a storehouse. When they are short of money or food, their troops come and go as they please, loot and run away. Have they ever reasoned with the Great Song?"

"Now that my Great Song Dynasty is powerful, you still expect me to lay down my sword and continue to reason with them, to abide by the so-called alliances, just like before. Doesn't that sound ridiculous? On what grounds? Just because we are a civilized and courteous nation, does that mean we have to tie our own hands?"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "I don't buy into that. If the Song Dynasty is weaker than others, I can tolerate it and reason with them. But if the Song Dynasty is strong, then what I say is 'reason'. Those who disagree will be crushed."

"This is my temperament, this is my nature. If you are not used to it, that is your own problem. I hope you will reflect on yourselves and then keep up with my pace."

"Now, let's not discuss upholding the alliance anymore. Let's only discuss how our Great Song should respond if the Liao Kingdom turns against us. If the Liao Kingdom, in a fit of rage, launches a full-scale war, will our Great Song have sufficient food and money to support the war?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

The assembled officials were speechless for a moment.

This official was indeed domineering, and becoming increasingly forceful. Despite being the one who wanted to break the alliance, the way he put it made it sound like he had a point, and everyone was almost convinced by him.

The courtiers were speechless. Suddenly, Cai Jing stood up and said proudly, "Your Majesty, I agree with what you have said. The prosperous times of past dynasties were not achieved through rites and benevolence, but through the strength of the nation."

"Our Great Song Dynasty clearly has the strength to swallow up the entire Western Xia, so why should it share it with the Liao Kingdom? The alliance? It's just a piece of paper. If the Emperor says it doesn't count, then it doesn't count."

(End of this chapter)