The prince is more stable

Chapter 447 Negotiation Confrontation
As for the selection of envoys, Yelu Chun actually had no other choice.

The fact that the Crown Prince was captured must not be made known to anyone. Once it gets out, Yelu Chun will be dead.

In order to keep the secret, Yelu Chun ordered the extermination of the two to three thousand Liao soldiers who had escaped, leaving only a few dozen trustworthy guards around him.

Therefore, Yelu Chun had no choice but to choose the most capable person for the negotiation, because no matter how capable they were, they were already buried in the ground.

So Yelu Zhong appeared in Yelu Chun's sight and was then sent to Zhending City.

As we all know, negotiations require both parties to have bargaining chips. Without bargaining chips, it is equivalent to a unilateral massacre. That is not a negotiation at all, but a forced signing of an unequal treaty.

Faced with Zhao Xiaoqian's dominance and exorbitant demands, Yelu Zhong, who was still naive before coming, finally realized that the young Prince of Song was not easy to fool.

People don't care about money, population, cattle, sheep, or horses at all. These things can never be used as bargaining chips.

Yelu Zhong had no choice but to reveal his trump card.

Yelu Chun had given him a death order, that he must reach a secret agreement with Zhao Xiaoqian on this trip in exchange for the safe return of the Crown Prince. If he succeeded, he would live; if he failed, he would die. There was no third way.

But Yelu Chun did not have many bargaining chips. He was just a commander-in-chief who was waiting for punishment and now he didn't even have any soldiers under his command.

Yelu Zhong was quite uncomfortable with Zhao Xiaoqian's arrogant and respectful behavior. In his impression, a big figure in the Song Dynasty should not be like this.

Chen Shou quickly brought the tea and sat in front of the two of them, calmly performing tea art.

Shaking incense, entering the sea, patrolling the city, and inspecting the troops...

The dazzling set of techniques left Yelu Zhong stunned.

Zhao Xiaoqian was getting impatient. "Why the hell are you just standing there? We're all talking about business, and you're showing off here?"

This so-called tea art was taught by Zhao Xiaoqian to his mother, Feng. The woman liked these fancy things, and more varied techniques might bring some fun to her dull life.

Unexpectedly, after Chen Shou learned the tricks, he liked to show off all the time, and the more customers he had, the more excited he became.

"If you continue playing this game, I'll make you drink up the pot of boiling water in one gulp." Zhao Xiaoqian said coldly.

Chen Shou was startled and quickly filled two cups of tea and retreated.

Zhao Xiaoqian put on a smile and said, "Your Excellency, please taste the specialties of our Great Song Dynasty."

After saying that, he took the lead and took a sip. Hmm, the fragrance lingered in his mouth.

Yelu Zhong remained unmoved, saying calmly, "I am a warrior, and I am not used to drinking something so elegant."

Zhao Xiaoqian was still leisurely sipping his tea. He asked, "You're not giving me face? Are you still going to chat?"

Yelu Zhong's eyelids twitched, but he swallowed his anger, picked up the cup, and drank it in one gulp.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and murmured, "Finally I know what it's like when Zhu Bajie eats the ginseng fruit..."

Putting down his teacup, Zhao Xiaoqian asked with a smile, "Your Excellency said that Yelu Chun wanted to give me a great achievement. Please elaborate on it."

Yelu Zhong said, "Your Highness, the Prince, has been appointed the prefect of Zhending by order of the Emperor of Song. Surely your Emperor isn't simply sending you to guard the border?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Of course not. My mission is to fight with you Liao Kingdom until you surrender."

Yelu Zhong's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and then a sense of sadness arose in his heart.

The situation in the world has changed so much now. Not long ago, the Song State, which had always been cowardly and timid, dared to take the initiative to provoke the powerful Liao State, and openly stated that it wanted to fight the Liao State. Facts have proved that the Song State has indeed won a battle.

As a Liao citizen, Yelu Zhong has deeply realized that the national power of the two countries is inevitably increasing and decreasing, and the situation is changing.

What's even more sad is that the chips in Yelu Zhong's hand may be able to solve Yelu Chun's troubles, but it will further weaken the Liao Kingdom's national strength.

Simply put, Yelu Chun wanted to sell out the country.

After calming himself down, Yelu Zhong slowly said, "Your Highness the Prince wishes to attack the Liao Kingdom. Your Highness Yelu Chun is willing to provide you with convenience, so that Your Highness the Prince and his soldiers can achieve greater glory and brilliant military exploits. Does this count as a bargaining chip?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was somewhat satisfied. The current negotiations were truly sincere.

"What does Yelu Chun plan to give me?"

Yelu Zhong stared into his eyes and whispered, "Feihu Military Command, does His Royal Highness want one?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled, and a map of Hebei automatically appeared in his mind.

Feihu Bingmasi was located in the northeast of Zhending Prefecture, more than 400 miles away, which is the later Yi County, Hebei.

Its geographical location is very important. From a military point of view, it is the gateway to the Hebei Plain and a place that is fought over by military strategists. Its location is much more important than Zhending Prefecture. Within its radius, there are two rivers, Juma River and Yishui River, which serve as natural barriers to resist the enemy.

Politically speaking, it is the ancestral home of Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and also the ancestral home of Zhao Xiaoqian himself. If the Feihu Bingmasi were recovered, one can imagine how great the shock it would have on the emperor, his ministers, and the people of the Song Dynasty, and how far-reaching its significance would be.

During the last war between Song and Liao, Zhao Xiaoqian had thought about attacking Feihu Bingmasi several times. However, the decisive battle between the two armies came suddenly and the Song army suffered heavy casualties, so Zhao Xiaoqian had to give up the idea.

Unexpectedly, Yelu Chun actually took the initiative to deliver the Feihu Military Division to his door. Using the Feihu Military Division in exchange for the Crown Prince Yelu Yanxi, Zhao Xiaoqian had to admit that this deal was a win-win for both parties.

Yelu Chun saved his life, and Zhao Xiaoqian obtained such an important strategic location.

God and God cannot take it, but they are to blame.

In the words of Lord Wei, "God told me to make it, and I dare not not make it."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up and he became more interested in this topic.

"Come on, tell me in detail how Yelu Chun plans to give the Feihu Bingmasi to me. As far as I know, there are at least 30,000 troops stationed in the Feihu Bingmasi. Does Yelu Chun plan to bury them all alive?" Zhao Xiaoqian stared at him expectantly.

Yelu Zhong said calmly, "They can't be buried alive. His Highness Yelu Chun will arrange for the Liao army to be transferred from the Feihu Bingmasi. The garrison troops left in the Bingmasi will be less than 5,000 at most. For the current Song army, it shouldn't be difficult to deal with these 5,000 garrisons, right?"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "Actually, I think Yelu Chun's bargaining chip is not enough..."

Yelu Zhong frowned: "What does your highness mean?"

"With the current strength of our Song army, even if there are over 30,000 Liao troops in Feihu Military Command, we can still defeat them in one fell swoop and seize Feihu Military Command. Look, we can do it ourselves, but Yelu Chun is using it as a bargaining chip. Isn't that inappropriate?"

Yelu Zhong's expression changed several times, and he said in a cold voice: "His Royal Highness Yelu Chun was recently defeated by your army. The 40,000 Liao troops under his command were completely annihilated. Your army also captured the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness Yelu Chun should negotiate with your country. Your Royal Highness the Prince should not go too far!"

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "You've broken your defense already? Aren't we negotiating now? Negotiations are naturally a two-way street. You make an offer, I counter. It's perfectly normal and reasonable. But honestly, Yelu Chun's bargaining chip is too light. You should increase it a little."

Yelu Zhong said coldly: "What else do you want?"

Zhao Xiaoqian touched his chin and pondered in silence.

It seems like he has been squeezed almost to the limit. Yelu Chun has now been defeated and is waiting to be punished by the court. What bargaining chips can he still hold?
The issue of the Crown Prince could not be discussed with the Liao Emperor. He would definitely overturn the table and directly depose the Crown Prince without any conditions. He would not want the Crown Prince anymore. Doing so would instead arouse the anger of the Liao monarch and his ministers, and they would mobilize the entire country's troops to attack the Song Dynasty, and the situation would become serious.

Therefore, the only person that the Liao Kingdom could blackmail was Yelu Chun. It was already a very good result for Zhao Xiaoqian to obtain the Feihu Bingmasi. If he blackmailed him again, Yelu Chun probably wouldn't be able to give anything.

Facts are facts, but Zhao Xiaoqian still wanted to squeeze every last drop of oil out of Yelu Chun.

"Let's get back to the previous topic. Yelu Chun mentioned cattle, sheep, war horses, and so on..."

Yelu Zhong frowned: "You also want cattle, sheep, and war horses?"

"I do." Zhao Xiaoqian said frankly.

"You!" Yelu Zhong was extremely angry, but in the end he was afraid to act rashly. There was nothing he could do. The crown prince was in someone else's hands, and the life and death of the crown prince was tied to the life and death of Yelu Chun.

Yelu Zhong had no choice but to swallow his anger again: "How much do you want?"

"You can give me some cattle, sheep, and other things as you please. This will save our Song soldiers from the trouble of going to Liao territory to rob people and property, which would hurt the relationship between the two countries."

"Mainly war horses..." Zhao Xiaoqian said firmly, "I want 20,000 strong war horses."

"Impossible! You might as well kill me!" Yelu Zhong couldn't hold it in any longer and stood up angrily.

"Sit down! I gave you face, but you dare to yell in my house." Zhao Xiaoqian shouted coldly.

Yelu Zhong sat down feeling frustrated, but still said firmly: "Twenty thousand war horses is impossible. The matter is too big, His Highness Yelu Chun can't bear it."

Zhao Xiaoqian turned toward the door and shouted, "Chen Shou! Send a few men to the main camp and hang Yelu Yanxi up and whip him until he's half dead."

"Prince Zhao, you are going too far!" Yelu Zhong was furious.

"Your Excellency, please control your emotions. Once you calm down, we can continue talking about the war horses?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Yelu Zhong's teeth were chattering, and his eyes were almost spitting fire as he stared at Zhao Xiaoqian.

After a long pause, Yelu Zhong said coldly, "Ten thousand horses, no more. If His Highness Yelu Chun is held accountable for this, any terms we have discussed will be invalid. Your Highness, please reconsider."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled and said, "Okay, ten thousand horses."

Yelu Zhong was stunned and didn't even care that Zhao Xiaoqian was present. He raised his hand and slapped himself hard.

I've been fooled again! The cunning Song people!

After this round of bargaining, Yelu Zhong couldn't sleep for at least three days after returning home.

"His Royal Highness Yelu Chun hopes that both of us will hand over the task as soon as possible. What do you think, Your Highness?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head. "It won't happen soon. We'll take over once our army captures Feihu Bingmasi. What Yelu Chun needs to do now is to transfer the troops stationed there as quickly as possible."

Yelu Zhong felt very upset.

During today's negotiations, he was very passive from beginning to end and was led by Zhao Xiaoqian.

It's so frustrating. Being bullied and restricted everywhere as a crappy envoy, I might as well go to the battlefield and fight the enemy face to face.

(End of this chapter)