The prince is more stable

Chapter 361: Determined to Start a War
No matter how weak a country is, the tone of its envoys sent to foreign countries will be aggressive, not to mention that the Song Dynasty is actually not weak now.

Su Shi's words were very impolite. In front of Yelu Hongji, his tone was interrogative, like a leader scolding a subordinate, and his expression was cold and frosty.

The Yelu grandfather and grandson in the hall were furious, especially the crown prince Yelu Yanxi, who slammed the table and stood up.

"Song envoy, you have disrespected the Emperor of Liao and have lost your tributary status!"

Su Shi said coldly, "My loyalty as a subject is to the Emperor of the Great Song. The Liao Kingdom has betrayed me and started a war without authorization. Do I really have to bow down to you?"

Yelu Hongji's expression was very ugly, but fortunately he had good self-control.

To be honest, Yelu Hongji was a rare wise ruler in the history of the Liao Dynasty. He had always admired Buddhism and was more interested in the Central Plains culture. He also liked the articles and poems of the brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe.

If Su Shi had not been so aggressive, today's meeting would have been much more harmonious.

"Your Excellency, please calm down. I have also heard about the friction in your country's Zhending Prefecture. It was just that some soldiers in my Great Liao army had lax military discipline and crossed the border to plunder. I have already dealt with those people by military law." Yelu Hongji said lightly.

Su Shi sneered, "The Liao Lord makes it sound so easy, just saying 'lax military discipline' to get away with it? Hundreds of people were killed in the villages and towns under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture, all of them citizens of the Great Song Dynasty."

"Houses have been burned, food and property have been looted, decent women have been kidnapped, and entire villages are in mourning, with every household wearing white silk. Foreign ministers have asked the Liao Lord to advise me on how to deal with this situation."

Yelu Hongji said calmly, "I will write a letter to the Emperor of Song to express my apology."

"What about compensation? Why didn't the Liao ruler mention it at all?" Su Shi pressed on.

Yelu Yanxi could not help but shout angrily, "Song envoy, stop it!"

Su Shi stared at Yelu Yanxi angrily and said, "You, the Liao Kingdom, should stop now! Putting aside the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty pays you, the Liao Kingdom, an annual tribute of 500,000 taels. You, the Liao Kingdom, accept this tribute, yet you, in turn, mobilize your troops, burning, killing, and looting on the border. How shameless!"

Yelu Hongji finally got angry. No matter how good his temper was, he couldn't stand being pointed at and called shameless.

His expression darkened instantly. Yelu Hongji stared at Su Shi's face and said slowly, "Excuse me, Ambassador Song. You represent the Emperor of Song. I will treat every word you say as if it were spoken by the Emperor himself. Please think twice before you speak."

Su Shi shook his head: "Don't think twice. If the words of a foreign minister offend the Liao Lord, it doesn't matter if I am executed, but I will definitely seek justice for my Song Dynasty!"

Su Shi then continued, "I have also heard that 10,000 Liao cavalry are active on the border of Zhending Prefecture, eyeing our Great Song with eagerness. I would like to ask the Liao ruler, what is the purpose of this action? Are you planning an all-out war with our Great Song?"

Yelu Hongji snorted coldly, "It's just an ordinary troop mobilization and military exercise. Your Excellency is overthinking it."

Su Shi laughed heartily. "Alright, I believe you. I have something I want to tell the Liao Lord. My Great Song Emperor's cousin, the Duke of Anle, Zhao Xiaoqian, has been appointed Governor of Zhending Prefecture and concurrently the Governor of the Western Hebei Route. You two should be familiar with Zhao Xiaoqian's name, right?"

The Yelu grandfather and grandson were stunned for a moment, then they were shocked and looked at each other quickly.

"The Governor of the Western Hebei Route? The Governor of Zhending Prefecture?" Yelu Hongji murmured.

A look of surprise and doubt flashed across Yelu Yanxi's eyes, and then some joy appeared. He quickly lowered his eyelids so that Su Shi would not see it.

The Liao Kingdom was indeed somewhat isolated from information in this area.

Because not long ago, Zhao Xiaoqian plotted against Niu Niu in Bian Jing, almost eradicating all the Liao Kingdom's spies in Bian Jing. Now, Song Dynasty Bian Jing is in a state of intelligence vacuum for Liao Kingdom, and a lot of news is only known belatedly.

The Liao Kingdom was worried about this matter and planned to send spies to Bian Jing again. However, at this time, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty actually sent Zhao Xiaoqian to Zhending Prefecture.

The Song-Liao border will be very lively in the future.

The Liao court officials attached great importance to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Since he invented the flintlock rifle, Zhao Xiaoqian's name came into the sight of the Liao Dynasty's rulers and ministers. Later, in the Song-Xia War, the flintlock rifle showed its power, which made the Liao Dynasty even more shocked and fearful.

Because of this incident, the Liao Kingdom had to break the current balance of the three countries. It originally wanted to favor the Western Xia and mediate the war, but later the Liao Kingdom eventually turned to the Song Dynasty and turned a blind eye to the Western Xia signing a treaty to pay tribute and cede land.

The reasons behind this are very complicated. One of them is that the Liao emperor and his ministers were unhappy with Queen Dowager Liang of Western Xia, but more importantly, the Song Dynasty's firearms were indeed powerful, while the Liao Dynasty's national strength had been slowly declining in recent years. As one side gained strength while the other lost, war could not be started at will.

Seeing the Yelu grandfather and grandson stunned, Su Shi finally smiled with satisfaction. Zhao Zi'an was quite famous in the Liao Kingdom. His name was mentioned today, and it actually shocked the grandfather and grandson. They would definitely drink a few cups with Zi'an later.

Being an envoy to a foreign country is not as simple as meeting with the emperor and chatting with him for a few words. The Liao army created friction on the border and killed and looted border residents. Su Shi had to ask for an explanation.

Obviously, it is not appropriate to ask for an explanation today. The Yelu grandfather and grandson are still digesting the news that Zhao Xiaoqian has taken up the post in Zhending Prefecture.

It doesn’t matter. Su Shi is not in a hurry to leave anyway. He can come again next time.

Perhaps after Zhao Xiaoqian takes office, the situation on the Song-Liao border will undergo new changes. When Su Shi meets the Liao ruler next time, he may be more confident and have more bargaining chips.

So Su Shi stood up and said goodbye with a relaxed expression.

Yelu Hongji forced a smile and ordered the palace servants to send Su Shi back to the inn.

After Su Shi left, the grandfather and grandson sat in the main hall and fell into a long silence.

The two were still digesting the news that Zhao Xiaoqian was about to take up his post in Zhending Prefecture.

After a long pause, Yelu Hongji frowned and said in a deep voice, "The Emperor of Song has sent Zhao Xiaoqian to serve as the Governor-General of the Western Hebei Route, granting him all the military and political power. I'm afraid the Song-Liao border will be unstable in the future."

Yelu Yanxi's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Your Majesty, this is a good opportunity to use our cavalry to test the strength of the Song army."

Yelu Hongji glanced at him and sighed, "Song and Liao are both great powers. If a war breaks out, it will involve too many people."

"As for Zhao Xiaoqian, the court officials are all discussing him. He is young, but he has a strong character in military affairs and would rather die than surrender."

"He led a lone army deep into Western Xia territory, allowing his men to burn, kill, and loot. After conquering the Western Xia capital, he executed hundreds of Western Xia officials. His methods were truly ruthless. If the Liao Dynasty had gone to war with him, the consequences would have been unpredictable."

Yelu Yanxi sneered, "My Liao cavalry is invincible. It was because of fear of my Liao cavalry that the Song Dynasty was forced to sign the Treaty of Chanyuan. They paid us hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in annual tribute to buy peace on the border. Are we really afraid of that young boy who's not even twenty years old?"

"Your Majesty, Zhao Xiaoqian has taken up his post in Zhending. Our Liao Kingdom will eventually have to fight the Song army. This battle is to test the current combat capability of the Song army and also to establish the prestige of the Song Kingdom. Otherwise, the stronger the Song army becomes, the less they will take our Liao Kingdom seriously."

Yelu Hongji looked hesitant, but after thinking carefully, he felt that what his grandson said actually made sense.

The two countries will eventually have a war, otherwise they will not know each other's strengths, and it will be difficult to tell who is stronger and who is a fake. In the future, they will not be able to decide who will stand in the C position in photos.

Ever since the Song Dynasty had the flintlock rifle, Yelu Hongji knew that the two countries had to start a new qualifying match. Who would be the boss and who would be the second in command would be decided on the battlefield.

The national strength of the Liao Dynasty has been visibly declining in recent years. Although Yelu Hongji has been working hard, he cannot stop the country's decline.

While the sick tiger of Liao still has some strength to fight, Yelu Hongji hopes to once again establish the country's prestige, intimidate the Song Dynasty and the surrounding small countries, and allow Liao to prosper for a few more years, which can also be regarded as a legacy for his grandson Yelu Yanxi.

After a long moment, Yelu Hongji frowned deeply, but still said firmly, "Then let's give it a try."

The Liao Kingdom mobilized 10,000 cavalrymen to create friction on the Song-Liao border, looting and killing Song border residents. Its purpose was to test the Song Kingdom's reaction and the combat effectiveness of the Song army.

The Liao cavalry's attack on the border was the cause, and the Song emperor's dispatch of Zhao Xiaoqian to take up the post was the result. The cause and effect had actually been calculated by Yelu Hongji long ago. Isn't this the result he wanted?
Now that Zhao Xiaoqian is here and the elite imperial guards of the Song army are here too, let’s give it a try.

Yelu Hongji made the decision, and Yelu Yanxi was overjoyed.

Even someone as noble as the Crown Prince urgently needs to make achievements and have military merits so that he can intimidate the unruly ministers in the court after he succeeds to the throne.

Forget about the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects. For the Liao Dynasty, which developed from a nomadic people, no matter who is the boss, strength determines the right to speak. It is that simple and crude.

Isn’t the opportunity here now?
Yelu Yanxi immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your grandson is willing to lead the army to fight Zhao Xiaoqian."

Yelu Hongji stared at him, his brows filled with relief and worry. The two conflicting emotions intertwined repeatedly, and he did not speak for a long time.

(End of this chapter)