The prince is more stable

Chapter 779 Coma and Critical Condition
Xiao Wuna was not spreading rumors; he was stating the facts.

Yelü Hongji did think his chance had come, but the Song army slapped him hard in the face, and the Liao army lost over 100,000 men.

The defeat led to a series of chain reactions. The reason why the Liao Kingdom obediently returned the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun was the price that had to be paid after that battle.

Now that Yelü Yanxi has ascended the throne, he feels that his opportunity has come again...

Despite their own stance as traitors to the Liao Dynasty and their mission to help Zhao Xiaoqian betray the Liao, seeing Yelü Yanxi's smug and delighted expression, neither of them could bear to continue betraying him.

Yelü Yanxi smiled mysteriously.

"Do you think I'm happy because the Emperor of Song is critically ill and Zhao Xiaoqian has been transferred back to the capital?"

Xiao Fengxian asked curiously, "Isn't that right?"

"Of course not. Whether Zhao Xiaoqian is here or not, the Song army's firearms are still terrifying, and the Liao Dynasty is invincible."

"What pleases me is that I may have discovered a way to counter the Song army's firearms..."

The two men looked at each other in astonishment. Xiao Wuna quickly said, "Can the Song army's firearms be countered?"

"There is no invincible army in this world. As long as there is an army, there must be a way to restrain it." Yelü Yanxi said happily, "I exchanged letters with Li Qianshun, the ruler of Western Xia. Li Qianshun told me something."

"At that time, the border between Song and Xia was not peaceful. The two countries fought and suffered casualties on both sides. Later, Zhang Jie, the commander of the northwestern border of Song, came up with a plan, which was to build a large number of fortresses on the Song-Xia border and gradually encroach on the territory of Western Xia by using the fortresses.

"At that time, Empress Dowager Liang was still in power in Western Xia. The Song Dynasty's method of building fortresses and strongholds was indeed helpless for Western Xia. It was easy for them to build a fortress and stronghold, but for the Western Xia army to destroy a fortress and stronghold, they often had to suffer considerable casualties."

Yelü Yanxi looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Li Qianshun mentioned this matter in his letter to me, and I suddenly had this idea. Why can't our Great Liao follow Zhang Jie's example and build fortresses on the border? One fortress after another is like nails stuck on the border, and no matter how powerful the Song army's firearms are, they can't penetrate them."

"Why not use this method, like Zhang Jie, to gradually encroach upon and nibble away at the territory of the Song Kingdom..."

Xiao Wuna's scalp tightened, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the situation between the two countries is different from before. Your Majesty must not start any more border conflicts and give the Song Kingdom an excuse to go to war. Our Great Liao really can't afford to lose anymore."

Yelü Yanxi sighed, "Even if we don't gradually encroach on the Song Dynasty's territory, using the fortified village system within the borders of our Great Liao can at least ensure that our Great Liao's territory does not fall into the hands of the Song people again. What do you two think?"

Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian exchanged a glance, their expressions both calm.

After frowning and pondering for a long time, Xiao Wuna tentatively said, "I think it might be feasible."

Xiao Fengxian nodded and said, "I also think it is feasible. Since our Great Liao is now on the defensive, we should build more fortresses and guard the border well so that the Song army will be unable to invade from now on."

Xiao Wuna, seemingly having thought of something, immediately added, "Fortresses and strongholds can not only be used against the Song people, but also against the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast. The Liao Dynasty can conscript laborers to build fortresses and strongholds along the line from Huanglong Prefecture to Liaoyang Prefecture, gradually encroaching on the territory of the Jurchen tribes."

Yelü Yanxi was even more delighted: "Excellent, excellent, this method is superb!"

If a unified defensive posture is adopted and the pursuit of proactive offense is no longer pursued, then it must be admitted that the method of building fortified villages is indeed very practical, as has already been proven by Zhang Jie, the border commander of the Song Dynasty.

Seeing that both of them supported him, Yelü Yanxi felt even more confident, and his smile grew even wider.

"If that's the case, then let's do it that way. First, we'll stabilize the border, and then our Great Liao will prepare to follow the Song Dynasty's reforms and implement new policies."

The Liao Dynasty's reforms were not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Yelü Yanxi, but rather a genuine plan to implement.

Historically, Yelü Yanxi, like Zhao Ji, was also a ruler who brought about the downfall of his dynasty. However, in the early years of his reign, Yelü Yanxi was relatively wise; at least he did have the ambition to make the Liao Dynasty great again...

However, aspirations are one thing, reality is another.

Reforms in a country inevitably affect the interests of countless powerful and wealthy landowners, often accompanied by fierce battles and bloodshed.

Yelü Yanxi only saw the thief eating meat, but didn't see the thief being beaten.

Even in the Central Plains Song Dynasty, a country with a rich history and a wealth of strategists and talented individuals, Wang Anshi's reforms caused chaos and turmoil. The new laws were abolished and reinstated several times, and countless people were implicated and demoted as a result. The political infighting in the court was difficult to quell for decades.

These negative effects are insignificant to Yelü Yanxi, who is currently caught up in his own fervor.

What he wanted was for the Liao Dynasty to increase taxes and strengthen its military power after the reforms, so that it could regain its former hegemonic status.

The emperor and his ministers discussed the two matters of fortifications and reforms for a long time in the palace. Finally, as it was getting late, they reluctantly took their leave and left the palace.

As they stepped out of the palace gates, Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian looked at each other again, and this time they smiled knowingly.

"What does Prime Minister Xiao think of His Majesty's proposal today?" Xiao Fengxian asked. Xiao Wuna shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's just empty talk from a scholar. Whether it's fortifications or reforms, they're not so easy to accomplish. Once our Great Liao starts building fortifications on the border, the Song army will be immediately provoked. They are powerful, and they don't need a reason to start a war."

Xiao Fengxian's eyes flashed: "I heard that Prince Zhao was granted the title of Prince by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, but he was stripped of his military power. The Emperor of the Song Dynasty has promoted him in name only, which is clearly a sign that he is suspicious of Your Highness. How should we deal with this?"

Xiao Wuna narrowed his eyes: "Vice Envoy Xiao seems to have other intentions?"

Xiao Fengxian quickly laughed it off, saying, "No, no, it was just a casual remark. After all, we are only loyal to His Highness, and his future and fate are closely related to ours."

Xiao Wuna said calmly, "Zhao Xiaoqian is not to be underestimated. Even if the Emperor of Song has become suspicious of him, he is capable of weathering this calamity safely. I heard that Zhao Xiaoqian voluntarily relinquished his military power and returned to the capital this time..."

Xiao Fengxian asked, puzzled, "So what?"

Xiao Wuna said in a low voice, "There's something else you might not have noticed? The Emperor of the Song Dynasty is critically ill..."

Xiao Fengxian nodded: "I noticed it long ago. I heard that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty has no son, and the throne is destined to be inherited by his brother. The Emperor is critically ill, and Zhao Xiaoqian took the initiative to return to the capital. This..."

As he spoke, Xiao Fengxian suddenly gasped, his expression one of extreme shock, and stammered, "Could it be...could it be that His Highness..."

Xiao Wuna nodded and said in a deep voice, "This is also my guess, and it may not be accurate, but it's too much of a coincidence that things have come together like this. Matters of the court and matters of life and death don't happen by coincidence. At this critical moment, Zhao Xiaoqian's sudden return to the capital is probably not for such a simple purpose..."

Xiao Fengxian was still in shock, and said absentmindedly, "If this can be accomplished, could the future emperor of the Great Song Dynasty be...?"

Xiao Wuna said, "Although I haven't met Zhao Xiaoqian in recent years, I have had indirect dealings with him. Although he is young, he is shrewd and calculating. He doesn't act easily, but once he does, he is sure to succeed. The Emperor of the Song Dynasty is critically ill, so Zhao Xiaoqian must have some kind of confidence to return to the capital on his own initiative."

Xiao Fengxian chuckled: "If this succeeds, things will get really interesting between the Song and Liao dynasties. As far as I know, His Highness Zhao Xiaoqian has a deep-seated obsession with unifying the world. If he ascends the throne, the fall of the Liao dynasty is only a matter of time."

Xiao Wuna said calmly, "Moreover, our Emperor of Liao is courting death by building fortresses and implementing reforms. If he continues with these policies, Liao will only perish even faster."

An excited glint flashed in Xiao Fengxian's eyes as he said, "If the unification of the world by the Great Song Dynasty is already an inevitable trend, we must do something so that we can make a future in the Great Song Dynasty based on our merits. What do you think, Minister Xiao?"

Xiao Wuna nodded with a smile: "That's right. Since destruction is inevitable, we might as well abandon ship and escape to another ship. If we want to live a life of luxury on another ship, we have to do something."

Lowering his voice, Xiao Wuna said, "Now that we are highly valued by His Majesty and the Liao Dynasty is about to begin reforms, why not take this opportunity to recommend talented people to His Majesty under the guise of making reforms easier, and promote those corrupt officials and those with bad reputations?"

"Since the Liao Dynasty is rotten, let it rot even more thoroughly. Not only that, we should also use the name of reform to increase taxes on the people, purge conservative officials, intercept and embezzle the soldiers' money and rations, and so on..."

Xiao Fengxian gasped. This old bastard is vicious!
You really consider destroying the Liao Dynasty as a lifelong cause?
On second thought, Xiao Fengxian became a little anxious. For the Song Dynasty, these were all merits, which could be exchanged for a promising future.

Xiao Wuna has monopolized the future, what about Xiao Fengxian? When Zhao Xiaoqian rewards those who have made contributions in the future, Xiao Wuna will become a high-ranking official in the Song Dynasty, while Xiao Fengxian will be left out because he has not made any contributions. Not only himself, but his whole family and descendants will be ruined.

“I am closer to His Majesty, so there’s no need for Minister Xiao to handle these matters personally. I’ll take care of them!” Xiao Fengxian said with a fawning smile.

Xiao Wuna frowned, his eyes showing displeasure. The project wasn't even finished, and they were already trying to steal the credit? Their behavior was far too unseemly.

After all, they were all traitors to Liao in the same trench, so Xiao Wuna couldn't afford to turn against him. He simply said, "It doesn't matter who does the work. The important thing is that before we do these things, we must send a secret letter to Zhao Xiaoqian in Bianjing of the Song Dynasty, so that he knows that the destruction of Liao is our achievement."

“That’s right, that’s right. First, he should take credit, then he should do the work. Envoy Xiao is indeed very thoughtful.”

…………

While the Liao Dynasty was teetering on the brink of collapse, the Song Dynasty's capital, Bianjing, was rife with intrigue and undercurrents.

Zhao Xu's current coma is a serious condition.

A day and a night passed, and the imperial physicians still couldn't wake him up. As Zhao Xu remained unconscious for longer and longer, tensions rose within Yanfu Palace.

The imperial physicians' faces grew increasingly pale, and dozens of them went in and out of the Funing Palace.

They were all colleagues, and in that day and night, the imperial physicians lost count of how many consultations they had held and how many times they had revised and adjusted the prescriptions.

Even after the medicine was poured into Zhao Xu's mouth, he remained motionless, with only faint breathing indicating that he was still alive.

The palace security at Yanfu Palace became increasingly tight. After discussing with the Empress Dowager and many important officials of the Privy Council, it was decided that the court would transfer elite troops from the three armies of Bianjing to the palace to supervise each other and strictly guard the palace.

This time, Zhao Xiaoqian gradually realized that something was wrong, and that Zhao Xu's time was probably coming to an end.

Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian dared not return to the palace and instead stayed in a side hall next to the Privy Council, waiting for news from Yanfu Palace.

(End of this chapter)