The prince is more stable

Chapter 671 Three More Cities
Xiao Fengxian, who was meticulous and neither arrogant nor humble during negotiations, completely changed his demeanor when he met with Zhao Xiaoqian in private.

His respectful and cautious attitude made it seem as if Zhao Xiaoqian was his superior, and his words and expressions were full of flattery.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't care about Xiao Fengxian's attitude; after all, he was just a pawn.

Once this chess piece is properly fed, it can exert its greatest influence, giving the declining Liao Kingdom a powerful push from behind, until it plunges into an abyss.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Liao Emperor's trump card for your delegation should be to give up the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in exchange for the Song Dynasty to permanently cease hostilities and for the two countries to sign a peace treaty similar to the Treaty of Chanyuan, right?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Xiao Fengxian laughed and said, "Your Highness is indeed exceptionally intelligent and has hit the nail on the head. That's right, Yelü Yanxi gave me the same instructions before I led the delegation to Song."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Not enough."

Xiao Fengxian was taken aback: "Your Highness doesn't think it's enough?"

Zhao Xiaoqian did not answer, but called out to Chen Shou outside to bring in the land.

In front of Xiao Fengxian, Zhao Xiaoqian unfolded the map, and the two men's eyes fell on it.

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed to the map and said, "The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun are already in the hands of our Great Song Dynasty. Whether the Liao Kingdom gives them to us or not, our Song army will take them. Therefore, giving away the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun is not a sincere gesture."

Xiao Fengxian was taken aback. It turned out that what the Prince of Zhao had said in front of everyone was true; he genuinely felt that the Liao Kingdom's offer was not sincere enough.

Of course, Xiao Fengxian was well aware of his identity and position, and at this moment he did not argue with him as before, but said very sincerely, "Is there anything else Your Highness needs?"

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed to a spot on the map and slowly said, "Besides the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, I also want Lai Prefecture, Chen Prefecture, and Suzhou, as well as the land within the city's perimeter."

Xiao Fengxian stared intently at the scene and immediately gasped.

Laizhou, Chenzhou, and Suzhou on the map happen to be three cities along the Bohai Bay coast within the territory of the Liao Kingdom.

The three cities form a triangle on the coast of the Bohai Bay, like three iron nails firmly driven into the west, south, and north of the bay.

In particular, Suzhou of the Liao Dynasty and Dengzhou of the Song Dynasty formed a strategic triangle, facing each other across the sea from the south and north, thus controlling the entrance and exit of the Bohai Bay.

Yes, both the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty had a city with the same name, "Suzhou".

Suzhou in the Song Dynasty is naturally the well-known Jiangnan region, while Suzhou in the Liao Dynasty is the modern-day Dalian, located right on the coast of the Bohai Sea.

Xiao Fengxian stared at the map and quickly understood Zhao Xiaoqian's intention. At the same time, he secretly admired Zhao Xiaoqian's sharp and accurate judgment.

If these three cities were to fall into the hands of the Song Dynasty, it would mean that the Song Dynasty would have completely gained control over the Bohai Bay.

The value of these three cities may not be apparent now, but if we look at it from a different perspective, many years later when the Song Dynasty achieved the unification of China, the Bohai Bay would be a natural port.

If used to develop a navy or build ships for sea voyages, then the timber and other raw materials from the north could be supplied in a continuous stream, which couldn't be more suitable.

Undeniably, Xiao Fengxian was a treacherous minister of the Liao Dynasty, but treacherous ministers are not fools; in fact, they are often more intelligent than ordinary ministers.

After glancing at the map, Xiao Fengxian immediately understood Zhao Xiaoqian's intention.

"Your Highness, does the Song Dynasty intend to build a navy in the future?"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed: "You're so smart, after the Liao Kingdom falls, I might give you a powerful official position."

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian did not deny it, Xiao Fengxian became even more surprised.

The wisdom of the Song people far surpasses that of the Liao people. Even before the Song Dynasty has unified China, this prince has already begun to plan strategic layouts for the decades to come.

His ambition and aspirations went far beyond destroying the Liao Dynasty; he aimed to conquer the stars and the sea.

Seeing that Xiao Fengxian understood, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't waste words explaining. He simply said, "These three cities are the conditions I proposed to Yelü Yanxi. If he agrees, our Great Song can temporarily cease hostilities. If Yelü Yanxi does not agree, our Great Song will take them ourselves."

Xiao Fengxian chuckled: "I heard that Your Highness's two generals, Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze, are each leading two armies, advancing ten miles daily towards Nanjing Xijin Prefecture?"

Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled and said, "That's right."

Xiao Fengxian said, "In that case, Yelü Yanxi should agree. He is about to ascend the throne, and there are too many affairs in the court to deal with. He also needs to check the power in the court and eliminate some of his cronies. The internal troubles have already overwhelmed him, and he simply cannot withstand external threats. With Your Highness putting so much pressure on him, he has no choice but to agree."

After a pause, Xiao Fengxian continued, "Yelü Hongji had previously mobilized more than 200,000 troops, which have already been assembled in Xijin Prefecture. The Liao court is actually very afraid of a Song army surprise attack on Xijin Prefecture. These more than 200,000 troops are Liao's last trump card."

"Based on past battle results, if the Song army were to attack these 200,000-plus Liao troops, there is a high probability that they would be annihilated in one fell swoop. The Liao army's military preparedness would be further weakened and it would never recover. Therefore, Yelü Yanxi will definitely protect these 200,000-plus Liao troops."

"As long as the two countries reach a peace agreement, Yelü Yanxi will order more than 200,000 Liao troops to retreat, and the border between the two countries will be re-demarcated, and the Song Dynasty will win a great victory."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Can you persuade Yelü Yanxi to leave these 200,000-plus Liao troops on the border?"

Xiao Fengxian was taken aback: "What does Your Highness mean by this?" "Don't ask for reasons, just tell me the result: can it be done?"

Xiao Fengxian hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can give it a try."

"Well, use your skills in spouting nonsense to persuade Yelü Yanxi to station 200,000 troops on the Song-Liao border."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't want to say the reason, because it was something he couldn't tell outsiders, especially not to a traitor from Liaodong.

Zhao Xiaoqian was not only considering the outcome of the war between the two countries, but also how to deal with the pressure from Bianjing.

If nothing unexpected happens, Zhao Xu should already be suspicious of him and will inevitably take some actions to weaken his military power.

If external pressures persist for the Song Dynasty and a new war could break out at any time, then the pressure on Bianjing (Kaifeng) will not be too great. After all, the Song Dynasty belongs to Zhao Xu, and he is afraid of causing serious consequences.

If there were no external pressures on the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu's methods might have become even more excessive, and there would have been even more people in the court who would have taken advantage of his misfortune.

Zhao Xiaoqian's purpose was to have Xiao Fengxian persuade Yelü Yanxi to station 200,000 troops on the border.

To put it bluntly, this is called "nurturing an enemy to enhance one's own prestige."

Having heard that the border troops were supporting bandits to enhance their own power, Zhao Xiaoqian always felt that the border army commander lacked vision and was willing to sacrifice national interests for his own protection.

Now that the same thing has happened to him, Zhao Xiaoqian finds that he might be able to understand those border generals.

Without external pressure, I'm afraid I'll really end up like a rabbit that's been killed after it's been caught.

Zhao Xiaoqian was never the kind of person who was blindly loyal; he could not sit idly by and wait to be executed.

The nine years of compulsory education he received in his previous life taught him that loyalty to the emperor was irrelevant; it was all feudal and corrupt dregs. He was only loyal to the people!

Therefore, leaving these 200,000 Liao troops to watch the Song Dynasty from the border was a good thing for Zhao Xiaoqian.

Of course, this was not treason. After all, Zhao Xiaoqian was very confident that with the Liao army's current fighting strength and the Song army's power, the Liao army would not dare to provoke a border war even if they had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard.

Instead, they would be cautious and tolerant towards the Song Dynasty. By now, the Liao people should have realized the situation and that they can no longer afford to offend the Song Dynasty.

"You should immediately send someone back to the capital to tell Yelü Yanxi the conditions I proposed, and of course also to tell him about the pressure of the two armies advancing ten miles a day."

"As for our side, I won't show myself. Let Vice Envoy Xu talk to you. Anyway, it's all just a show of pushing and pulling, and I have no interest in getting involved. You can handle it yourself."

"Three days from now, the negotiations must be finalized. Your Liao army must withdraw from all the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and the three cities I proposed. My Great Song will take full control of the defense of Yan and Yun. Is there a problem?"

Xiao Fengxian quickly replied, "No problem. This was Yelü Yanxi's trump card. He will accept it. It's just three more cities. It's easy to resolve. It's a fact that the Liao Kingdom is gradually losing control of the south."

"Especially since the Jurchen tribes in the north are rebelling again and are about to breach Huanglongfu, Yelü Yanxi has no choice but to quickly resolve the problems in the south. Seeking temporary peace and then turning back to consolidate the north is the wise choice."

Xiao Fengxian said in a low voice, "Yelü Yanxi also said that the Liao Dynasty is in decline and its national power is gradually weakening. After he ascends the throne, he wants to emulate the reforms of the Song Dynasty, and wants to reform and eliminate abuses to strengthen the country..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up: "There's such a good thing? Change it! Encourage him to change it drastically, make sure he changes it in a spectacular way."

He sneered inwardly. With the wisdom, strategy, and intelligence of the Han people over thousands of years, the current reforms have turned into a chaotic mess.

The Liao Dynasty was utterly blinded by greed, daring to imitate the reforms of the Song Dynasty.

Ha, you won't die.

The conflicts between the emperor and his ministers, the conflicts between different factions in the court, the conflicts between ministers and powerful landlords, the conflicts between powerful landlords and ordinary people, and the entanglements of interests and grudges among various forces and groups...

It's even more complicated than the melodramatic love triangles in romance dramas. Ordinary people can't even find the starting point, let alone untangle this mess.

Yelü Yanxi?

Zhao Xiaoqian had personally witnessed Yelü Yanxi's pathetic state after being captured, and to be honest, he didn't think the guy had the ability.

Moreover, the Liao Dynasty now lacks any heroic figures capable of turning the tide. The court officials and nobles emulate the extravagant and decadent lifestyle of the Central Plains dynasties, indulging in pleasure and tyranny all day long, while completely failing to learn the culture and wisdom of the Central Plains dynasties' strategies accumulated over thousands of years.

The Liao Dynasty was utterly corrupt, rotten to the core. Even if Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were reborn, they probably couldn't reverse the tide. Yelü Yanxi was certainly not cut out for it.

Under such national circumstances, attempting reform and strengthening the country is essentially tantamount to an old man hanging himself.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly become excited, Xiao Fengxian was greatly surprised and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, the Liao Kingdom wants to reform and strengthen itself, why do you seem so happy?"

"I'm truly happy for your Liao Kingdom," Zhao Xiaoqian said sincerely. Then, with a wave of his hand, he gazed intently into the distance: "The world is vast, you can do whatever you want, go and change it!"

(End of this chapter)