The prince is more stable

Chapter 650 Traitors Recognize Each Other
The official system of the Liao Dynasty was quite unique in Chinese history; it was equivalent to an ancient version of "one country, two systems."

This refers to the "North and South Courtyards" system.

In layman's terms, the North Courtyard governed its own Khitan people, while the South Courtyard governed the Han people.

Of course, regardless of whether it was the Southern Courtyard or the Northern Courtyard, the core senior officials were all Khitans.

For example, in Mr. Jin Yong's novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", the Liao Emperor conferred the title of "King of the Southern Court" on Xiao Feng. This official position actually existed and was not made up by Mr. Jin Yong.

The so-called Southern King was already a core figure in the Liao court, wielding great power and having the power of life and death over the Han people within Liao territory. It was precisely because Xiao Feng, although a Khitan, grew up in the Song Dynasty that his experience made him more suitable to help the Liao emperor manage the Han people.

Sitting on the second floor of the restaurant at this moment are Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian. One is the Chief of the Northern Privy Council, equivalent to the second-in-command of the Liao Dynasty's Privy Council, and the other is the Deputy Chief of the Southern Privy Council, equivalent to the third-in-command.

In reality, before today, Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian were not very familiar with each other. Although they served as ministers in the same court, they did not have much interaction.

After all, the two of them are not from the same system, nor are they from the same circle.

Xiao Wuna rose through the ranks based on his personal abilities and was a member of Yelü Hongji's old team. Yelü Hongji valued him highly and once praised him as "loyal and pure," comparing him to Di Renjie of the Tang Dynasty's Wu Zhou period, which was a very high compliment.

As for Xiao Fengxian, as everyone knows, he is a relative of the imperial family. He was trusted by the Crown Prince Yelü Yanxi because of his sister Xiao Guige, and he was promoted suddenly in the last few months.

As for his abilities and achievements... sorry, I haven't found any ability to govern the country and bring peace to the people.

On the contrary, he frequently makes headlines in the entertainment news, engaging in all sorts of unrestrained and jealous behavior in Beijing. This doesn't mean he was born into a good family; in fact, it's all thanks to his sister's good fortune in being born into a good family.

Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian are two people who are completely incompatible, yet they are sitting at the same table chatting and laughing, making the scene seem out of place.

Is it reasonable for a middle-aged prostitute who charges 800 yuan for an overnight stay to confide in the son of the country's richest man?
They've cast a spell on you.

The two sat at a table by the window, on which sat several delicate dishes and a pot of wine.

After exchanging a few toasts, the two men, who were not from the same circle and had little in common, and who had not learned the cryptic rhetoric of Han officials, got straight to the point.

Peace talks.

This is a tragic topic for the Liao Dynasty.

When this phrase appeared in the minds of the Liao emperors and ministers, it evoked a sense of melancholy, a feeling of things having changed beyond recognition.

How could the mighty and invincible Liao Dynasty have ever taken the initiative to negotiate peace with the Southerners? It's like a dream.

This country is visibly decaying, and no one can stop it, no effort can reverse it.

“His Majesty does indeed intend to negotiate peace,” Xiao Fengxian sighed, but his eyes ultimately showed no trace of sorrow.

Zhao Xiaoqian may have had a more accurate understanding of Xiao Fengxian's character than the Liao people.

He is a person who only cares about interests. Such a person has no concept of loyalty. He will follow whoever is beneficial to him, and interests do not distinguish between national borders.

Therefore, Xiao Fengxian spoke in a heavy tone, but his emotions were very stable, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

Xiao Wuna stared intently at him, observing Xiao Fengxian's expression, including his eyes. He had caught the indifference in Xiao Fengxian's eyes when the topic of peace talks came up.

Xiao Wuna's eyes flickered, and he had a vague but bold guess, but he still calmly poured wine for Xiao Fengxian and offered him a toast.

"What conditions is Your Majesty willing to offer the Song Kingdom if you wish to negotiate peace?" Xiao Wuna asked.

Xiao Fengxian hesitated. Normally, since they were all ministers in the same court, there was nothing to hide. However, the terms of the peace talks were ultimately state secrets. Besides, he and Xiao Wuna were not particularly close, so there was no need for him to tell him everything.

So Xiao Fengxian chuckled, took a sip from his cup, and said with a smile, "Minister Xiao has excellent taste. This wine is quite good; it must have been brewed in the Song Kingdom, right?"

Xiao Wuna smiled faintly and said, "Vice Envoy, there's no need to hide anything from me. Perhaps we are kindred spirits."

Xiao Fengxian was taken aback, a flash of panic crossing his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and carefully examined Xiao Wuna.

"The fellow travelers the envoy mentioned... I don't quite understand."

Xiao Wuna took a sip of wine, looked out the window, and said leisurely, "My Xiao family has recently made a considerable profit from a deal with the Song people. This product is called 'Snow Salt.' I wonder if the Vice Envoy has heard of it?"

Xiao Fengxian was startled, immediately realizing what was happening, and exclaimed, "The snow salt sold by my Great Liao actually comes from your Xiao family? So it wasn't brought by the Song-Liao merchant caravans..."

Xiao Wuna smirked and continued, "I've also heard that the Vice Envoy is quite well-off lately, and seems to be selling a refined item from the Song Kingdom called 'Mingyu Tea,' is that right?"

Xiao Fengxian was increasingly surprised, his expression changed several times, and he was speechless for a moment.

At this moment, he didn't know whether to admit it or deny it outright, after all, the implications were too great. Xiao Wuna sighed, "Snow Salt and Bright Rain Tea, whose hands in the Song Kingdom did they come from? I'm sure you and I both know perfectly well. Just now I said that you and I are kindred spirits, do you understand what I mean now?"

Snow Salt and Bright Rain Tea were gifts from Zhao Xiaoqian to the two men, making them first-tier agents of the Liao Kingdom.

These two items were sold discreetly in the Liao Kingdom. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could easily discover their connection to Zhao Xiaoqian with a little investigation. Neither of them could sell them openly, otherwise their identities would be exposed.

So both sides used a roundabout method to build several caravans and buy several shops, maintaining a single-line connection from top to bottom. If the Liao court became aware of this, they could immediately silence all witnesses and cut off all clues, thus avoiding getting burned.

This was the biggest secret between the two families. Xiao Fengxian didn't understand how Xiao Wuna had found out, and he didn't dare to ask.

However, since Xiao Wuna had already taken the initiative to express his attitude, Xiao Fengxian lowered his guard slightly and showed an incredulous expression.

“You, you are also… Zhao,” Xiao Fengxian stammered, his words incoherent, “Hejian Commandery… Song State…”

The words were disjointed and incomprehensible to those not involved.

But Xiao Wuna showed a relieved smile.

He was in the thick of it, and he understood.

Xiao Wuna said in a low voice, "That's right, I'm Zhao Xiaoqian's man, and so are you."

The statement was made with certainty, not as a question; Xiao Wuna was very confident in his judgment.

Xiao Fengxian's face flushed red and then paled, his expression struggling and hesitant. After a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Indeed, we are kindred spirits."

With bloodshot eyes, Xiao Fengxian stared intently at Xiao Wuna and said in a low voice, "Both of us have been bribed by Zhao Xiaoqian. If something happens, neither of us can escape. We'll both suffer. I'm sure you understand that, Prime Minister Xiao?"

Xiao Wuna chuckled and shook his head.

This guy is still too young. He can't hide his thoughts at all, and he lacks the composure that one should have in the face of important matters. I don't know what Zhao Xiaoqian saw in him that made him recruit such a person.

However, one thing must be admitted is that Zhao Xiaoqian's judgment of people was quite accurate. Xiao Fengxian's ability and character were both terrible, but he had a good official career.

By the age of thirty, he had already entered the Privy Council and was able to influence the Liao state's policies. Based on this alone, Xiao Wuna had no choice but to show great respect for Zhao Xiaoqian.

“Vice Envoy, in the future, in the court, we can help each other and cooperate with each other. Regardless of right or wrong, we have both boarded this ship and can only sail together. What do you think, Vice Envoy?” Xiao Wuna said in a deep voice.

Xiao Fengxian nodded: "That's right. If we work together and serve His Highness the Prince, I can even become an official in the Song Kingdom in the future."

Xiao Wuna smiled faintly, then returned to the main topic, saying, "Your Majesty wishes to negotiate peace. Who is the envoy you have sent?"

"have not decided yet."

Xiao Wuna's eyes flashed: "What conditions is Your Majesty willing to offer in exchange for the Song Kingdom to withdraw its troops?"

Xiao Fengxian said, "Your Majesty is willing to cede a city in Hejian Prefecture, as well as three hundred li of land north of Hejian Prefecture, to the Song Kingdom, but requires the Song Kingdom to sign an alliance, just like the Treaty of Chanyuan, guaranteeing at least a hundred years of peace between the two countries."

Xiao Wuna sneered: "How could such conditions possibly satisfy the Song emperor and Zhao Xiaoqian? What they want is the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, or even more."

Xiao Fengxian sighed and said, "His Majesty ceding a city was already a great humiliation. I didn't dare to say anything at the time, for fear of provoking His Majesty's wrath."

Xiao Wuna said calmly, "In less than ten days, Zhao Xiaoqian's Song army will surely capture Hejian Prefecture. At that time, His Majesty may change his mind. It is all a matter of timing and circumstances, and there is nothing we can do about it."

Xiao Fengxian hesitated and asked, "What does Minister Xiao mean?"

"Since the times are against us, we might as well be straightforward and give all the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to the Song Dynasty. Only with this as a bargaining chip can we be qualified to negotiate with the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, they won't even bother with us. If His Majesty is unwilling to give it up, Zhao Xiaoqian can take it himself. The result will be the same. On the contrary, His Majesty will have no bargaining chips left."

Xiao Fengxian laughed upon hearing this: "What the Prime Minister said makes sense, but who dares to say such a thing to His Majesty? The court goes crazy at the mere mention of peace talks, let alone giving away the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

Xiao Wuna, however, remained calm and smiled slightly, saying, "Then let the facts speak for themselves. Ten days later, when Zhao Xiaoqian conquers Hejian Prefecture, let's see what the attitude of the court officials is. A group of people who are resting on their past laurels will probably wake up after being slapped hard in the face."

Xiao Fengxian said in a low voice: "His Majesty wants to negotiate peace, but he has also made other preparations. He has mobilized more than 200,000 troops from the Northwest Route Command, the Wugu Dilie Command, Huanglong Prefecture, Liaoyang Prefecture, Dading Prefecture and other routes to rush to Yanyun to resist the Song army's invasion."

Xiao Wuna lowered his eyelids and sighed deeply: "If these more than 200,000 soldiers are lost, the fate of our Great Liao will probably be over."

Xiao Fengxian also sighed. The Liao army of more than 200,000 was already more than half of the Liao Kingdom's standing army. If they were to be completely wiped out again, the Liao Kingdom would be like a little girl stripped naked in the street, with no defenses and left to be done at will.

With the Song state issuing a declaration of war, Yelü Hongji had no choice but to gamble with the fate of his nation.

(End of this chapter)