The prince is more stable

Chapter 439 Chip Interests
To use an outdated word, Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked to the point of being burnt on the outside and tender on the inside.

The crown prince of Liao Dynasty actually became a prisoner of Song army?

Who did this? Damn good job!

Moreover, Zhao Xiaoqian now realized that it was the capture of Yelu Yanxi that indirectly contributed to the victory of the Song army.

Why did Yelu Chun lose his composure? Why did the Liao army become so furious? Why did the sows in the village scream in the middle of the night?

Everything has an answer.

If Yelu Yanxi had still stayed in the Liao army camp, the Song and Liao armies would probably still be in a state of confrontation at this time.

Given Yelu Chun's shrewdness, he would not launch an attack easily, and even if he did, he would be cautious. If the Song army wanted to advance the war, the opponent would definitely be cautious, and the casualties suffered by the Song army would be even more serious.

The capture of Yelu Yanxi caused Yelu Chun to go crazy. He knew very well what would happen if the crown prince was lost in his camp.

It was a matter of personal life and future, and the situation was urgent. If Yelu Yanxi was not rescued immediately, once the Song army discovered the identity of the crown prince, the situation would become even more uncontrollable.

So, although the crown prince in front of us is from the Liao Kingdom, it is undeniable that he contributed to the victory of the Song army.

Because he is kind.

"Your Highness, you...are a good person." Zhao Xiaoqian praised from the bottom of his heart.

After Yelu Yanxi revealed his identity, he seemed to be hollowed out. He sat on the ground with a numb expression, his eyes as empty as a suffocated dead fish.

"Your Excellency Duke Zhao, you already know my identity. I believe that the Liao Dynasty will send someone to discuss with you soon. During this period, I hope you will treat me well." Yelu Yanxi requested.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. "Of course I will treat you well. You are such a precious child. It would be a sin to starve you thin. Don't worry. I will give the order right away. Whatever His Royal Highness wants to eat or drink, I will satisfy him without any objection."

Yelu Yanxi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Your Excellency, I am a very important bargaining chip for your country, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, then smiled with interest: "What does Your Highness want to say?"

Yelu Yanxi said calmly, "I know my weight very well, and you know it even better. However, if the news of my capture spreads throughout the Song and Liao dynasties, then my bargaining chip will actually lose its weight."

"If the Emperor of Liao knew that the Crown Prince had been captured, his first reaction would be to issue an edict to depose me and appoint another heir. He wouldn't even send anyone to rescue me, because I am a disgrace to the Liao Kingdom."

Yelu Yanxi looked very embarrassed at this moment. He had been slapped many times in the past few days and his cheeks were still swollen. However, his eyes were not so funny at the moment. Instead, he looked calm and steady.

"If your country wants to use me as a bargaining chip, the prerequisite is to block the news of my capture, especially not to let this news reach Shangjing. Otherwise, my bargaining chip will lose its effect, which will not be a good thing for the Song Dynasty. If I am deposed, the Song Dynasty will have no bargaining chip to negotiate with the Liao Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian's playful expression gradually turned serious.

After all, he is the crown prince, and this way of thinking is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.

While imprisoned, he was still trying to find ways to protect himself, and he immediately thought of the key point: as long as the news of his capture was blocked, the situation could be salvaged and his position as the crown prince might be preserved.

"Your Highness, many people know that you were captured. Not to mention the five thousand soldiers who witnessed it firsthand."

Yelu Yanxi said calmly, "They only know that they captured a group of Liao people, but they don't know my identity. Since I was captured, my identity has only been known to the Duke of Zhao and the imperial guard commander beside you. So everything can still be salvaged."

"The one hundred guards around you also know it." Zhao Xiaoqian reminded.

Yelu Yanxi smiled faintly: "Then I'll trouble Lord Zhao to kill them all. You know very well that the secret of my bargaining chip must not be known to too many people, regardless of friend or foe."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his eyebrows and decided the life and death of a hundred people with his mouth, and they were protecting his own people. This guy is really cruel.

He is cruel enough, and Zhao Xiaoqian is no worse.

Staring at Yelu Yanxi intently, their eyes collided and met.

After a long while, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly shouted, "Chen Shou!"

"The end will be here."

"Tell your brothers to bring out those one hundred guards and execute them all in a deserted place. Do not let anyone in the army know about this."

Chen Shou said without hesitation: "As ordered!"

After saying that, Chen Shou strode out of the tent.

Only Zhao Xiaoqian and Yelu Yanxi were left in the tent.

Yelu Yanxi smiled at him and said, "Duke Zhao is intelligent, decisive, and ruthless. The Liao court officials hold you in such high regard, and for good reason. I've learned my lesson today."

Zhao Xiaoqian also laughed: "You are not bad. Even in this situation, you can still find a way to turn the situation around. If you inherit the throne of Liao in the future, it will be a great threat to our Song Dynasty."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yelu Yanxi was startled and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

At this moment, he realized that the person he was facing was a pillar of the Song State. It was not appropriate to show his edge in front of such a person, otherwise it would arouse his vigilance and murderous intent.

"Duke Zhao has misunderstood. What I meant was that Song and Liao were independent of each other and were not natural enemies. They could actually be friends." Yelu Yanxi said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "Well, my friend, your country sent 40,000 troops all the way to Zhending Prefecture. Are you planning to make friends with me?" Yelu Yanxi's expression remained unchanged: "That's because I'm not the emperor of Liao."

"Would it be different if you were the emperor of Liao?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a half-smile.

"Of course it's different. The Liao Kingdom has fertile land and sits on the northern grasslands. Whether it's farming or grazing, it's enough for the Liao Kingdom. If I were the Liao emperor, I would never want to go south."

Yelu Yanxi paused, then continued, "What's more, the Song army now has powerful firearms. The Liao army was badly defeated in the Song-Liao battle the other day. With this lesson in mind, I will never risk the lives of the Liao warriors again."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled, "You're a prisoner today, so you can say whatever you want. But when you escape one day, will your words still count?"

"Your Highness, we are all smart people. No one will believe empty words. What you said is meaningless. I might as well talk directly to the Liao Emperor Yelu Hongji. Even if you are deposed, at least you are still the eldest grandson of the Liao emperor. He will always give you something in exchange for your life, right?"

Yelu Yanxi's face changed and cold sweat broke out on his back.

Zhao Xiaoqian's words hit his weak spot, which was also the spot he feared the most.

The Song Dynasty did not care who was the crown prince of the Liao Dynasty. They only wanted to get practical benefits. Yelu Yanshi was just a prisoner and could not give anything practical. The weight of his bargaining chip was decreasing in Zhao Xiaoqian's mind at this moment.

After a long pause, Yelu Yanxi sighed, "Duke Zhao is indeed astute. Okay, tell me directly, what does the Song State want?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "I want the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Can you give it to me?"

Yelu Yanxi was horrified and shook his head decisively: "No, it's impossible! Even if a knife is placed on my neck, the Liao Kingdom will never agree!"

Both the Song and Liao dynasties were well aware of the importance of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

No matter what bargaining chips the Song State holds, since it concerns the core interests of a country, Yelu Hongji will never agree.

Yelu Yanxi's answer was within Zhao Xiaoqian's expectations. He had not intended to use this as a real condition, after all, it was too harsh.

However, Yelu Yanxi's flat refusal still hurt Zhao Xiaoqian a little.

Even if you pretend to think about it before refusing, it will make me feel better.

Rubbing his face, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "I'm really confused. You're just a bargaining chip. What's the point of negotiating terms with you?"

Yelu Yanxi's expression froze, and now it was his turn to feel bad.

Zhao Xiaoqian said with a grin, "Tell me who the person from Liao State might be who is negotiating with me?"

Yelu Yanxi thought for a moment and said, "Yelu Chun."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, then surprised and delighted, subconsciously rubbing his hands in anticipation: "He's coming in person?"

Yelu Yanxi's cheek twitched. "Duke Zhao, you're overthinking it. Are you really planning to wipe us all out? Yelu Chun certainly won't come in person, but he will send an envoy."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked him over and said, "Assuming nothing unexpected happens, no one in the Liao capital knows about your capture yet, right?"

Yelu Yanxi said frankly: "That's right, Yelu Chun didn't dare to report it. If he did, he would be the first to lose his head."

"The news of my capture will definitely be suppressed by Yelu Chun, and the one who came to negotiate with you, Duke, must be a close confidant sent by Yelu Chun privately."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked in confusion, "The Liao army was badly defeated, but not completely annihilated. I remember two to three thousand Liao soldiers escaped. Could Yelu Chun suppress the news of your capture?"

Yelu Yanxi said calmly, "Based on my understanding of Yelu Chun, having only two or three thousand remaining soldiers is no different from having the entire army annihilated. Since they have been defeated so thoroughly, they might as well do it once and for all. That way, the secret will remain a secret forever, and a dead man won't tell anyone."

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked: "Yelü Chun is planning to..."

Yelu Yanxi nodded silently.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the Yelu family.

So fucking cruel! Cruel to the enemy, cruel to his own people, uncle and nephew are the same.

There was nothing much to talk about with the chips, so Zhao Xiaoqian just waited for Yelu Chun to send someone.

When I walked out of the tent, I saw Chen Shouzheng standing outside the door curtain.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and saw that Chen Shou's face was still full of murderous intent. It was obvious that he had dealt with Yelu Yanxi's one hundred personal guards.

"Chen Shou, mobilize the 100 imperial guards under your command to surround this tent. No one is allowed to approach, and no one is allowed to leak a single word to outsiders. This place is designated as a forbidden area of ​​the Dragon Guard Camp." Zhao Xiaoqian ordered.

"Follow the order."

Zhao Xiaoqian took a few steps and the smile on his face grew deeper and deeper.

A great treasure has fallen from the sky, and we must make good use of it. We must immediately submit a secret memorial to Bian Jing, and this matter cannot be hidden from Zhao Xu.

Thank nature for... huh? Who caught this thing?

It shouldn't be a gift from nature. It has done a great job and we must praise it.

(End of this chapter)