The prince is more stable

Chapter 910 Die-hard Liaodong Traitor
There is a difference between two traitors from Liaoning.

Some were bound hand and foot, forced to submit, silently shedding tears of humiliation.

Some don't need to be forced; they voluntarily spread their legs, appearing more excited than the abuser. In the end, the abuser starts to hesitate about whether to charge this guy. He's enjoying himself so much that the abuser feels no pleasure at all, but rather a strong sense of frustration...

Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian, who were in the house, were typical representatives of these two types of people.

Xiao Wuna was indeed forced into this situation. Back then, when his son was sent as an envoy to the Song Dynasty, he unfortunately fell into Zhao Xiaoqian's trap. Not only did his son get caught in the snare, but he also dragged his whole family down with him.

Over the years, Xiao Wuna's official position and power have become increasingly prominent, but he has also done more and more for the Song Dynasty, and his body has become increasingly dirty. There is no way to clean it up, so he simply closed his eyes and silently accepted reality.

Moreover, he had witnessed the current state of the Liao Kingdom. As a high-ranking official of the Liao Kingdom, he naturally understood better than anyone else that the Liao Kingdom's fate was nearing its end and its demise was only a matter of time, or rather, it was already imminent.

As a Khitan, while silently grieving the decline of the Liao Dynasty, Xiao Wuna also had to find a way out for himself and his family. The country may perish, but what have his people and descendants done wrong? They must live on.

This is one of the reasons why Xiao Wuna was willing to become a traitor to the Liao Dynasty. To a large extent, it was not for his own sake. The weight that a middle-aged man carries is something that a young man without a home or family probably cannot understand.

Therefore, although Xiao Wuna betrayed the Liao Dynasty, he still had some integrity.

In contrast, Xiao Fengxian was different.

His betrayal was too easy; it was purely driven by money and personal gain.

Zhao Xiaoqian initially bribed Xiao Fengxian with money through Zhen Qing's connections, and Xiao Fengxian readily agreed without hesitation.

This gave Zhao Xiaoqian the illusion that he had bought a bargain; it might not be of high quality, but it was certainly inexpensive.

Xiao Fengxian's performance did not disappoint Zhao Xiaoqian. When it came to selling out the country, he really sold it out to the death without holding back at all, as if the Liao Kingdom had an irreconcilable hatred for him.

Of course, it's easy to understand the mentality of someone like Xiao Fengxian. Since he had already done it, he might as well go all the way and help the Song Dynasty completely destroy the Liao Dynasty. If the Liao Dynasty no longer existed, he, the traitor, would naturally become a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty who had timely abandoned the darkness and turned to the light, and he might even be able to get a good reputation in the history books.

The situation is presented to everyone, and everyone has their own choice.

Xiao Wuna and Xiao Fengxian had already made their choices in advance.

Although they were all traitors to the Liao, Xiao Wuna still had some integrity. Seeing Xiao Fengxian so thoroughly fawning over the Song Dynasty, his eyes immediately showed some contempt.

Xiao Fengxian was a complete villain, but he was not stupid; on the contrary, he was smarter than most people.

With a casual glance, Xiao Fengxian immediately noticed the disdain in Xiao Wuna's eyes.

Xiao Fengxian wasn't angry; he just smiled faintly.

"Lord Xiao, I know you look down on me. You think my fawning over the Song Dynasty is a disgrace to the Khitan people..."

Xiao Wuna stroked his beard without saying a word, but his expression revealed his affirmation.

Xiao Fengxian laughed again: "To be frank, I actually look down on you too... Lord Xiao, we're both the same kind of people. I betrayed the Liao Kingdom, didn't you? Otherwise, why would we be here?"

"I knelt, you knelt, we all knelt before the Southern Kingdom, so who looks down on whom?"

Xiao Wuna coldly replied, "I have knelt, but I have not licked your boots."

"Since you've already knelt down, why not lick your boots?" Xiao Fengxian sneered. "I despise people like you the most. You've already betrayed us, yet you still act all high and mighty. You're kneeling on the ground, yet you act like a loyal and upright minister with unwavering integrity."

"With you in this state, do you think the Liao Kingdom would consider you a loyal subject? They would only hate traitors like you and me to the bone. On the other hand, even if you, a unwilling surrenderer, make great contributions to the Song Dynasty, the Song emperor will not consider you one of his own if you don't kneel down thoroughly enough."

"They will only think that you still have your homeland in your heart, and that you were only forced to submit. After the Song Dynasty destroys the Liao Dynasty, you can imagine the fate of yourself and your people. You betrayed the Liao Dynasty, and you didn't get any good out of the Song Dynasty either. In the end, you will be suspected and hated by both sides. So, what is all that you have done these past few years? Aren't you wronged?"

Xiao Wuna was startled, a look of panic flashing in his eyes, and he couldn't help but look at Xiao Fengxian.

Xiao Fengxian sneered: "After the Song Dynasty destroys the Liao Dynasty, believe it or not, I will definitely do better than you in the Song Dynasty. Because the day I surrendered to the Song Dynasty, I was determined. You look down on me for groveling to the Song Dynasty now, but in a few years, I don't believe you will still dare to look down on me."

"Now that we've already split up and started doing business, let's not even dream of being virtuous. How can we have it all in life? Once we've made our choice, let's not look back or have any feelings, or we'll be in big trouble."

Xiao Wuna looked dazed.

Undeniably, Xiao Fengxian was a complete scoundrel; his loyalty and betrayal were cheap, and his character was utterly despicable.

But Xiao Fengxian's words just now struck him like a resounding bell, waking him up.

Yes, since you've already knelt, why not lick it? You're already in such a shameful position, do you still have the audacity to dream of erecting a monument to your chastity? Another sentence from Xiao Fengxian also woke him up.

Xiao Wuna had to admit that after the Song Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty, Xiao Fengxian would definitely do better than him.

Because Xiao Fengxian was shameless, as long as it was in his own interest, his expressions and thoughts could be very shameless, and such a person could definitely thrive in the officialdom.

After much painful reflection, Xiao Wuna finally realized the crisis facing himself and his family.

I can't keep putting on airs. Like Xiao Fengxian, if I'm going to kneel, I should kneel completely. Otherwise, if the Emperor of the Song Dynasty sees me looking so unwilling, he will inevitably become suspicious, and I might face a great disaster in the future.

“Hearing Brother Xiao’s words is better than reading ten years of books. I have learned a lot. Thank you!” Xiao Wuna actually stood up and bowed to Xiao Fengxian.

Xiao Fengxian stared at him with considerable surprise.

This old guy figured it out so quickly?

“Brother Xiao, after the Song Dynasty destroys the Liao Dynasty, there will probably not be many Khitans who can enter the Song Dynasty’s officialdom. You and I are of the same clan and have fought side by side for the Song Dynasty. This friendship should not be forgotten. In the future, in the Song Dynasty’s court, you and I should also help each other and stick together for warmth!” Xiao Wuna said earnestly.

After a moment of stunned silence, Xiao Fengxian smiled and said, "Of course. Let's survive first, and then plan for the future. As long as we work together and cooperate seamlessly, there is no country we can't bring disaster to!"

Xiao Wuna: "…………"

That's certainly the gist of it, but coming from Xiao Fengxian's mouth, it just doesn't feel right...

"Alright, let's get down to business. Brother Xiao, has the Emperor of Song given any instructions regarding your mission to the Song Dynasty?" Xiao Wuna asked in a deep voice.

Xiao Fengxian nodded: "The Emperor has assigned three tasks that require our joint efforts to complete."

"First, the Emperor is determined to recover the annual tribute that the Song Dynasty sent to the Liao Dynasty in previous years. There is no room for negotiation. The Liao Dynasty's treasury is empty. The Emperor suggested to the Liao Emperor that he kill a group of corrupt officials and then confiscate their property to replenish the treasury. This would not only win the praise of the people, but also increase the revenue of the treasury."

Xiao Wuna frowned.

Killing the corrupt and fostering their desire for wealth to replenish the national treasury may seem like killing three birds with one stone, but it also carries great risks.

This practice would arouse the fear and dissatisfaction of the Liao court officials. After all, this trend cannot be allowed to continue. Everyone becomes an official to make money. If you treat the court officials as a great injustice and exploit them, the court officials will inevitably rise up in opposition, which will weaken the imperial power.

However, Xiao Wuna quickly came to his senses again after a moment's thought.

Why should I be in a hurry about things that are detrimental to the Liao imperial power?
I am now a loyal subject of the Song Dynasty!
“I understand. Tomorrow, you and I will suggest to the Liao emperor that we kill a few corrupt officials to replenish the national treasury and return the annual tribute that the Song Dynasty once sent. Go on.”

Xiao Fengxian continued, "The second thing the Emperor instructed was to spread rumors in the capital... to be precise, they weren't rumors, they were facts."

Lowering his voice slightly, Xiao Fengxian said, "You may have heard that when our Liao emperor was still the crown prince, he was appointed as the deputy commander by the late emperor and followed Yelü Chun on expeditions to fight against the Song Dynasty."

"Later, Yelü Yanxi was captured by the Song army. He stayed in the Song army camp for more than a month. Later, Yelü Chun secretly negotiated with the Song army and exchanged Yelü Yanxi for the Juma River camp and 10,000 warhorses."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wuna's eyes widened in shock, and he gasped, his expression a complex and intriguing mix.

The story of Yelü Yanxi being captured by the Song army had already been circulating in the capital during Yelü Hongji's lifetime. Later, Yelü Hongji was furious and ordered an investigation into the case, resulting in the execution of a large number of people in the capital, which suppressed the rumors. No one dared to mention it again afterward.

But this matter will not be forgotten so quickly; many people in the court still remember it, they just dare not speak of it.

Xiao Wuna had heard about it and had doubts at the time, but since Yelü Hongji had suppressed the matter, he dared not inquire further.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Fengxian brought up the old matter again today, and it was even personally instructed by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

If this matter were to spread again in the capital, one can imagine how many Khitan nobles and tribal leaders, as well as high-ranking officials, would criticize Yelü Yanxi, and how serious the upheaval it would cause to the Yelü family's imperial power.

The fact that the Liao emperor had once been captured by the Song army was a great disgrace to the entire country. Could Yelü Yanxi still sit securely on the throne?

Xiao Wuna breathed a sigh of relief. He had to admit that the Song emperor's plan was truly vicious and aimed at destroying the heart.

Despite being thousands of miles away, it managed to turn the capital of the Liao Kingdom upside down and cause turmoil in the court and the country.

Thinking of Yelü Yanxi, who now spends all his time in the harem indulging in beauty, Xiao Wuna couldn't help but shake his head.

There's no way to compare people, and there's no way to compare emperors. It's no wonder that their country prospers, and it's no wonder that the Liao Dynasty is on the verge of destruction.

(End of this chapter)