The prince is more stable

Chapter 661 Pincer Attack from North and South
Inside the Liao Emperor's bedroom.

Yelü Hongji lay pale on the bed, his lifeless eyes sweeping over the ministers kneeling before him. After a long while, Yelü Hongji closed his eyes and sighed softly.

Yelü Yan felt a pang of sorrow and whispered, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health. Our Great Liao has only lost one city; it's not that... pessimistic."

These words further provoked Yelü Hongji. He suddenly sat up in bed, glared at Yelü Yan, and said, "If we lose a city today, and another tomorrow, how many cities does my Great Liao have that the Southerners can take as they please!"

A violent coughing fit ensued, and the imperial physician rushed forward to comfort her.

Yelü Hongji lay back down and sighed, "I'm afraid my health is failing. Where is my grandson?"

Yelü Yanxi immediately stepped forward, bowed his head, and sobbed, "Your grandson is here."

Yelü Hongji looked up at him, his eyes dimmer than ever before.

"I am sorry for you. What I have left you is this empire, riddled with holes and fraught with danger... I have been unworthy in my reign, and Heaven has not blessed me. I have only made things difficult for you!"

Yelü Yanxi wept and said, "Your Majesty, please do not speak such ominous words. You will surely live to be a hundred years old, and the Liao Dynasty will continue for generations to come."

Yelü Hongji smiled bitterly: "What's the point of trying to deceive me with these words even now? Am I blind, unable to see the current situation?"

"Grandson, order the ministers to choose a day, and I will pass the throne to you. If the title is not right, the words will not be proper. I am increasingly powerless to govern the Liao Dynasty. It would be better to abdicate as soon as possible and let you take the throne. You are still young, and perhaps you can save the crumbling empire."

Yelü Yanxi panicked: "Your Majesty, you must not do this. How can the Liao Dynasty be without Your Majesty? Your grandson is unworthy and incompetent, and cannot shoulder this heavy responsibility. I beg Your Majesty not to mention abdication again, otherwise you will be putting your grandson in a position of disloyalty and unfilial piety."

Yelü Hongji said weakly, "Don't panic. I speak from the bottom of my heart, not as a test. At this time, how can I have the mind to suspect you and the court officials? I really can't hold on any longer..."

When faced with internal and external troubles and at a loss, it was unclear whether Yelü Hongji's abdication was due to health reasons or a way to shirk responsibility.

Seeing that Yelü Hongji really intended to abdicate, Yelü Yanxi did not show any joy, at least on the surface. Instead, he was filled with fear. He opened his mouth to persuade him again, but Yelü Hongji changed the subject.

Yelü Hongji slowly swept his gaze across the assembled officials in the hall and sighed, “Zhao Xiaoqian has already captured Hejian Prefecture, and the remaining fifteen prefectures of Yanyun are all in danger. How should our Great Liao respond? I hope you will all offer your advice.”

The assembled officials looked at each other, none daring to speak.

With the situation so critical, no one dared to offer advice, for if it turned out to be wrong later, no one could bear the responsibility.

Yelü Hongji lay on his bed waiting for a long time, but still heard no sound. His expression grew increasingly gloomy and bitter.

"When the nation is in peril, we think of wise ministers! Who in the world can save our Great Liao?" Yelü Hongji sighed sadly.

No one in the hall dared to speak.

Yelü Hongji, like a teacher asking questions in class, began to call on students on his own initiative.

After scanning the area, Yelü Hongji said calmly, "Xiao Wuna, tell me, Hejian Prefecture has fallen, how should the Liao Dynasty deal with it?"

Since the teacher had already called roll, Xiao Wuna had no choice but to speak up.

After pondering for a while, Xiao Wuna said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should send envoys to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty."

"How should we negotiate? What conditions can my Great Liao offer?" Yelü Hongji asked.

Xiao Wuna hesitated for a moment, then said, "What I have said is somewhat treasonous, but for the sake of the Liao Dynasty, I have no choice but to speak frankly."

"You can tell me what you want, I won't blame you."

Xiao Wuna gritted his teeth and said, "Many days ago, Your Majesty also intended to negotiate peace, but I think the conditions you offered were far from enough. Your Majesty was willing to cede Hejian Prefecture and three hundred li of land to the north to the Song Kingdom. I privately believe that the Song Kingdom would never agree to that."

"Now that Zhao Xiaoqian has led his army to break through Hejian Prefecture, the conditions that His Majesty was willing to offer back then are now meaningless. If we want the Song Kingdom to seriously negotiate with us, our Great Liao will probably have to offer even more bargaining chips before we are even qualified to sit at the table."

Yelü Hongji narrowed his aged eyes slightly and said, "What conditions do you think my Great Liao should offer to sway the Song Dynasty?"

Xiao Wuna was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the current situation is extremely critical. To be honest, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun can no longer be defended!"

"Since we can't hold on to it, let's just... use the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun as a bargaining chip. The Liao Dynasty can use this as leverage to sign a treaty with the Song Dynasty similar to the Treaty of Chanyuan of that year, agreeing to cease hostilities forever and for the two countries to continue to be friendly and brotherly nations."

"In this way, the Liao Dynasty can continue its reign by abandoning Yan and Yun, which is more beneficial than harmful. After the peace treaty, Your Majesty and the next emperor can work hard to govern the country, reorganize the army, and seek ways to counter the Song army's firearms. Perhaps there will still be a chance for the Liao Dynasty to be revived."

After Xiao Wuna finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Last time in court, when Xiao Fengxian proposed peace talks, it caused an uproar throughout the court. Countless people pointed their fingers at Xiao Fengxian and cursed him, accusing him of betraying his country and seeking personal gain. They hurled all sorts of vile insults at him, and the court officials' agitated and indignant emotions were impossible to suppress. However, today, when Xiao Wuna proposed the even more outrageous cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, not a single official in the hall uttered a sound, and each of them looked somber and sorrowful.

The harsh reality forced them to accept it.

If the Liao Dynasty voluntarily ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, it could have secured at least ten years of peace for the Liao. But what would have happened if the Liao had insisted on refusing to cede them, determined to defend Yan and Yun and spared no expense in mobilizing troops to resist the Song army?

The result was essentially no different from voluntarily ceding the territory. Given the Song army's fighting strength and their terrifying firearms, occupying the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun was not a difficult task.

On the contrary, the Liao Dynasty would lose 200,000 soldiers, and Zhao Xiaoqian would become increasingly unrestrained. He might even lead his army into Shangjing after occupying Yanyun. At that time, the Liao Dynasty would be close to its demise.

The advantages and disadvantages were laid bare before everyone, and neither the ruler nor his ministers could escape them.

There was no third option: either fight to the death, risking the fate of the nation, or humbly negotiate peace.

Fighting or not fighting will lead to the same result, but fighting will result in greater losses.

With the facts laid bare, the courtiers no longer had the confidence to accuse Shaw of slander and treason, because everyone knew very well that Shaw was simply telling the truth.

Yelü Hongji was naturally more aware of the current critical situation. Upon hearing this, he simply sighed deeply, turned his gaze to Yelü Yanxi, and asked, "Grandson, what do you think?"

Yelü Yanxi was somewhat flustered, his expression shifting constantly. As the new emperor of the Liao Dynasty who was about to ascend the throne, he certainly did not want to face the reality of the country's demise so soon after taking the throne.

If he wanted to secure his throne and enjoy the privileges and prestige of being an emperor for a few more years, the peace terms proposed by Xiao Wuna were undoubtedly advantageous to him.

After being slapped hard by reality, the emperor and his ministers unknowingly developed the idea of ​​a precarious peace.

After thinking it over, Yelü Yanxi gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "I think Xiao Wuna's proposal... is acceptable."

Yelü Hongji closed his eyes unwillingly and murmured, "The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, do you know how important they are? They are a strategic location fought over by military strategists, and a vital gateway between the Liao and Song dynasties. My Great Liao has managed Yan and Yun for a hundred years. Are we to abandon them in my hands? How can I face my ancestors and the state?"

After saying this, Yelü Hongji shed tears and closed his eyes to sob.

Yelü Yan, the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court, finally couldn't help but say, "If Your Majesty is unwilling to accept this, why not fight to the death? By Your Majesty's decree, more than 200,000 troops have been mobilized from the Northwest Route Pacification Commission, the Wugu Dilie Military Command, and other places and are marching towards Xijin Prefecture. Our Khitan warriors still have the ability to fight to the death against the Song army!"

Yelü Hongji closed his eyes and remained silent, his aged eyes twitching uncontrollably, clearly in the midst of a fierce struggle and weighing of options.

After a long while, Yelü Hongji finally opened his eyes, but his tone was not so firm as he said, "How about... we give it a try?"

Xiao Fengxian finally spoke: "Your Majesty, the more than 200,000 Khitan warriors are the last elite force of our Great Liao. If we are defeated again, Great Liao will no longer be able to stop the Song army from advancing north. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Yelü Hongji suddenly lost control of his emotions, bursting into tears and roaring with all his might, "Let's try one last time! I don't want to be a ruler who has lost his country! The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun cannot be lost from my hands!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a palace servant staggered in from outside the hall, his face filled with panic.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Jurchen tribe has rebelled!"

Yelü Hongji was startled and struggled to sit up from the bed, staring at the palace servant with eyes full of fury.

"Your Majesty, half a month ago, Wanyan Polashu, the leader of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe, led the entire army of his tribe in a surprise attack and plundered the other Jurchen tribes. He has already unified the Jurchen tribes a few days ago."

"Wanyan Polashu, in the name of the Jurchen leader, summoned the Bohai, Shiwei, and Wure tribes, among others, to declare war on our Great Liao. His troops marched out of Ningjiang Prefecture, captured Chuhedian, and continued westward, slaughtering our Khitan people, capturing our cities, and plundering our land. Now, the Jurchen army's advance is directly aimed at Huanglong Prefecture..."

Yelü Hongji roared, his eyes blazing with fury, "Wanyan Polashu! How many troops does he have?"

"According to the report from Huanglong Prefecture, Wanyan Polashu's troops number less than 10,000, but they are well-equipped and exceptionally brave. Our Liao warriors are no match for them and have been retreating steadily to Huanglong Prefecture."

Yelü Hongji's face instantly flushed an unhealthy red. He pounded the bed in anger and gritted his teeth, saying, "The Jurchen people! The Jurchen people! I knew I shouldn't have kept these scourges alive! I regret my momentary mercy back then, which prevented me from exterminating the entire Jurchen race!"

Yelü Hongji suddenly paused, his eyes widening as he murmured, "Zhao Xiaoqian, Wanyan Polashu... the two of them, one in the south and one in the north, raised troops at the same time. Could it be that they... they..."

The ministers then realized that there was no such thing as a coincidence. If the coincidence was too far-fetched, it must be deliberate. Therefore, this was a conspiracy between Zhao Xiaoqian and Wanyan Polaishu against the Liao Kingdom.

Attacked from both the north and south, and launched from both ends, the Liao Dynasty was lost, and the two pursued it together.

This was no longer just bad news for the Liao Dynasty; it was an utter disgrace.

Yelü Hongji grew angrier the more he thought about it, his face turning a strange bluish-purple. He weakly raised his finger and pointed at Yelü Yanxi, opening his mouth to say something, but then Yelü Yanxi coughed up another mouthful of blood, collapsing onto the bed and losing consciousness.

(End of this chapter)