The prince is more stable

Chapter 463: Imbalance among the Three Kingdoms
The Song-Xia War left a deep psychological shadow on the Xixia people, and the area of ​​the shadow can be calculated using a mathematical formula.

When Song Dynasty firearms made their debut, the first target was the Western Xia. The crushing of an advanced civilization over a backward one reduced the Western Xia to the shape of the Song Dynasty...

Later, Queen Mother Liang of Western Xia was poisoned to death, and a ceasefire and peace talks were held. Li Qianshun and a group of Western Xia officials took power under the coercion of the Song army, and the peace talks ceded cities and land to the Song Dynasty.

After a series of operations, Xixia became completely limp, like a middle-aged adulterer who had been drained dry by a widow.

Today, Li Qianshun, the king of Western Xia, has a very stable mentality. He does not cause trouble, but he is also afraid of trouble.

He closed the door and focused on developing domestic affairs. He was not interested in the life-and-death struggle between Song and Liao outside. He just hoped that he would be invisible and that the two burly men of Song and Liao would not see him.

The young man is still very young, and is about the same age as Zhao Xu, the official of the Song Dynasty. After being slapped in the face by real society, he behaved extremely well-behaved and sensible.

He wanted to avoid anything that happened between Song and Liao, but the Song-Liao War was eventually brought to the court by the Western Xia censor, and he could no longer hide.

Faced with the discussions of his ministers, Li Qianshun did not express his opinion. He looked calm and confident, as if the outcome of the Song-Liao War was already within his expectations.

After the court was dismissed, Li Qianshun summoned two important ministers, one named Weiming Awu and the other named Renduo Baozhong.

These two were well-known figures in Western Xia. When Empress Dowager Xiaoliang was still alive, they were her right-hand men. After Li Qianshun took power, they were relied upon by Li Qianshun.

Weiming Awu was a relative of the Xixia royal family. The surname "Weiming" was the original surname of the Xixia royal family.

As for why the king of Western Xia had the surname Li, it was because during the Tang Dynasty, the leader of the Dangxiang tribe made great contributions to the court in suppressing the Huang Chao Rebellion and was given the surname "Li" by Emperor Xizong of Tang. This surname became the glory of the Dangxiang tribe and was inherited from generation to generation.

The two important ministers that Li Qianshun relied on were not because of their abilities, but because the families behind them were very powerful. If the Xixia Kingdom were to be ranked by family, the royal family would naturally be the undisputed first, and the second and third would be the families behind these two important ministers.

When Empress Dowager Xiao Liang's brother Liang Yibu attempted to usurp power and rebel, he was suppressed by these two important officials. From then on, the Western Xia royal family had deep trust in the two major families.

Leaving behind two important ministers, Li Qianshun naturally wanted to inquire about the affairs of Song and Liao.

In the past, the relationship between the Song, Liao and Xia Kingdoms was delicate. The three kingdoms fought and made peace with each other and restrained each other. After more than a hundred years, a balance was barely formed.

Now that the Song and Liao dynasties have gone to war, and it is clear that the Song has the upper hand, as the ruler of Western Xia, Li Qianshun has to take a stand. He can't really turn a deaf ear and dumb, right?

In name, the Liao Dynasty was the suzerain state of the Western Xia. However, after the Song-Xia War, the Western Xia became a vassal of the Song Dynasty, and the relationship became a bit confusing.

In short, Xixia is now a grandson of both sides and is inferior to everyone else. However, this situation cannot be changed. This is also the reason why Li Qianshun deliberately avoided dealing with the Song and Liao countries, and he felt very upset.

"The Song army won a great victory and annihilated 50,000 Liao troops. This result is really..." Weiming Awu shook his head and sighed.

Renduo Baozhong also sighed: "It's only been a few years, and the Song Kingdom has become so powerful. Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid that among the three kingdoms of Song, Liao and Xia, the Song Kingdom will be the most respected in the future, and even the Liao Kingdom will have to bow to the Song Kingdom..."

Weiming Awu sneered, "If this continues, in a few years, I don't know if the country of Liao will even exist anymore."

The two people in the hall were shocked and their faces changed instantly.

This statement may seem absurd, but if you think about it carefully, it doesn't seem to be an exaggeration.

The Song State had those mysterious and strange firearms, which made it almost invincible in cold weapon wars. As long as the emperor of the Song State had ambitions, it was hard to say whether the Liao State would be destroyed in a few years.

"If the Song court really destroyed the Liao Kingdom, would it be the turn of... our Western Xia next?" Li Qianshun's eyes showed panic.

The two important officials looked at each other and did not answer, but their silence was a clear answer.

Weiming Awu comforted him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The people of Song have been educated by the sages of the Central Plains and still follow the rules. Xixia has become a vassal state of Song. As long as we maintain our vassal attitude and bring gifts to the court every year, the Song court will not easily take action against Xixia."

Li Qianshun felt a little relieved, but a bitter smile appeared on his face.

It is so helpless and unreliable to gamble the fate of Western Xia with the so-called promise of the Song people.

"The war between Song and Liao has reached this point. How should our Western Xia express its position to the two countries?" Li Qianshun asked again.

The two ministers were silent for a moment, and then Weiming Awu said, "I believe we should send a congratulatory letter to the Song court, and also send them valuable gifts such as cattle, sheep, and war horses to show our Xixia's submission."

Li Qianshun couldn't help but ask, "If Xixia completely sided with the Song, how would the Liao Kingdom react?"

The two men fell silent again. It was not easy to keep things balanced, especially the relationship between the three kingdoms. Xixia was now like walking on a tightrope. Any unbalanced action could lead to the destruction of the country and the family.

Seeing that the two were silent, Li Qianshun also fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, Li Qianshun suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "It is right to submit a memorial to the Song court to congratulate the victory, but the Liao Kingdom cannot be ignored either."

"I took power only recently last year, and I'm sixteen this year, making me a suitable marriageable age. Let's do this: Xixia will send an envoy to the Liao Kingdom to request a marriage in my name. I wish to marry the Liao princess and establish her as my empress. I beg the Liao Emperor to grant my consent."

Upon hearing this, the two men's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty, what a great idea! This would perfectly balance the relationship between Western Xia, Song, and Liao. We could congratulate the Song while seeking marriage with the Liao, without offending either side."

The two of them looked at Li Qianshun deeply.

He is only a sixteen-year-old boy, and he took charge of the government only last year, but his strategy and foresight far exceed his peers. The young man already has the aura of a wise ruler. With time, Western Xia may be able to regain its glory.

Li Qianshun pondered for a moment and added, "In addition, Xixia sent another envoy to Zhao Xiaoqian in Zhending Prefecture to send 10,000 cattle and sheep, and 5,000 war horses, also in the name of congratulations."

The two looked at him in confusion.

Li Qianshun sighed, "Zhao Xiaoqian, you should be familiar with this person, right?"

The two nodded with bitter expressions. How could they be strangers? The Western Xia Kingdom had fallen into its current state because of this child.

To this day, various legends about Zhao Xiaoqian are still circulating in Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia. After all, it was he who led the army to capture Xingqing Prefecture and killed people everywhere in the city with such cruel and cold-blooded methods that even the children in the city stopped crying when they heard about it.

Li Qianshun said helplessly: "In this Song-Liao war, it was Zhao Xiaoqian who led the troops to defeat the Liao army. The Song State was really lucky. God gave the Song State an extraordinary young hero. Why wasn't such a hero born in my Western Xia..."

"There's no need to dwell on past grudges. I've determined this man is a contemporary hero. A hero must never be antagonized. Only by treating him with respect, like a state guest, can we dispel his murderous intent and anger."

"I gave him cattle, sheep, and war horses to establish a good relationship with him. This good relationship may help Xixia escape disaster in the future."

The two ministers bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty has farsightedness and foresight. Xixia and the people are fortunate to have your wise leadership."

…………

Feihu Military Command.

After the decisive battle, Zhang Rong burned down the Liao army's camp on the north bank of the Juma River. The surviving Liao soldiers fled in panic. After the defeated troops gathered, they assembled in Xijin Prefecture in the northeast.

In other words, after the Song and Liao dynasties fought again a few days ago, the Liao Kingdom retreated again. There was no trace of the Liao army within a hundred miles of Feihu Bingmasi, and the Song army firmly controlled all the land, villages and forts on the south bank of the Juma River.

The next step was to report the victory to Bian Jing, and more importantly, to urge Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun to immediately send officials to take over the newly occupied land.

After sending the memorial by express horse, Zhao Xiaoqian had nothing to do again.

The specific tasks are naturally handed over to the subordinates, but what else can we do? Should the leaders do it themselves?
Although the war had ceased, according to Zhao Xiaoqian's military order, the 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp could not slack off and had to train on the parade ground every day, with subjects in the morning and afternoon.

The training content includes not only formation shooting, but also cold weapons.

This was also Zhao Xiaoqian's instruction. Everyone had firearms, but they could not rely entirely on them. If they encountered a situation where firearms were not effective, they must ensure that the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion would rush forward with swords drawn, without any hesitation.

As a result, every day on the training grounds of the Bingmasi, one could hear the shouts of soldiers fighting, stirring up billowing yellow dust that filled the air.

Zhao Xiaoqian stayed in the office every day and was in a particularly good mood, especially when he saw everyone was busy as a bee, but he was the only one doing nothing like a salted fish hanging under the eaves. It felt really wonderful.

This is like a nouveau riche landlord watching his oxen and horses pulling the mill. You are busy like dogs, but you don’t know that all the fruits of your labor belong to me. Isn’t that great?
Now Zhao Xiaoqian finally understood why the leaders of his previous company always asked employees to work overtime. In fact, many things did not require overtime, but the leaders insisted on keeping everyone until dark.

It's nothing else, I just don't like to see employees taking the salary I pay and leaving at a certain time. I have to maximize the benefits of this salary. Even if there is nothing wrong, you have to stay in the company. The fact that they dare not speak out when they are angry gives me an extremely perverted feeling of satisfaction.

In spring, the weather is warm. When the sun shines on your body, your body becomes warm from the inside out, and it feels as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring.

In the courtyard of the government office, Zhao Xiaoqian crossed his legs and narrowed his eyes.

Chen Shou stood in front of him, reporting important matters to him...what to eat for lunch.

"Stew a whole chicken, add ginger slices, a few slices of ginseng, wolfberries and red dates, and simmer in a casserole for half an hour..." When talking about cooking, Zhao Xiaoqian talked incessantly and became hungrier the more he talked.

Chen Shou wrote them down one by one, then continued, "The bear paws that Your Highness pickled last time have been stored for a long time. After drying, they have been kept in a cool place. I am always worried that some ignorant kid below will secretly eat them. How about Your Highness begrudgingly cook the bear paws?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glared: "Who dares to eat my bear paw? Store it for a while, I'll save it for someone else. This food is so rare, I want to share it with my friends..."

"Who?"

Zhao Xiaoqian blurted out: "Su Shi..."

After saying this name, Zhao Xiaoqian was suddenly stunned and turned to look at Chen Shou: "How long has Su Shi been on a diplomatic mission to Liao?"

"Master Su went to the Liao Kingdom before the Crown Prince left Bian Jing, and he hasn't returned yet. Counting the days, it's been nearly half a year."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned, feeling increasingly uneasy. He rubbed his chin and muttered, "Could it be that the old man has been recruited as a son-in-law by some Liao noble? That's impossible! He's already so old, and his integrity is gone..."

(End of this chapter)