The prince is more stable

Chapter 942 Procuring Grain and Mobilizing Troops
The two Su brothers, Su Shi and Su Zhe, are both listed among the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, true cultural figures.

But Zhao Xiaoqian felt that these two brothers were even more terrifying than terrorists.

Being in the Song Dynasty is relatively normal, but once you go abroad as an envoy, people really dare to imitate Han envoys, and will kill themselves at the slightest provocation.

When Su Shi was sent as an envoy to the Liao Dynasty, he did just that.

If it weren't for the desperate rescue efforts of the Imperial City Guard's undercover agents, Zhao Xiaoqian's willingness to mobilize troops to contain and threaten the Liao Kingdom, and even his dispatch of his general Zhang Rong to the Liao capital to welcome Su Shi back, Su Shi would never have returned.

This time it was Su Zhe's turn to appear.

While still in the Funing Palace, Zhao Xiaoqian inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

Did Su Zhe have some misunderstanding about this mission to the Liao Dynasty?
This time, they were seriously discussing the joint military operation between the two countries with Yelü Yanxi. The Song Dynasty was portrayed as a brotherly nation, friendly and cooperative, and would jointly send troops to divide up Western Xia.

Such an important diplomatic event, in which a harmonious atmosphere was essential, would be utterly disastrous if Su Zhe were to suddenly crash into Yelü Yanxi and die in the Liao palace...

Zhao Xiaoqian simply couldn't imagine the scene.

Yelü Yanxi was treating the envoy from the Song Dynasty with great courtesy. The two sides were eating hot pot and singing songs when suddenly the Song envoy killed himself by crashing his head into a wall!
This scene must have left a deep psychological scar on poor Yelü Yanxi. The Liao emperor was doing just fine, what did he do to deserve this?
"Mr. Ziyou, please calm down. I fully understand your patriotic heart, but I need to explain the procedures for this mission to Liao..." Zhao Xiaoqian patiently reassured him.

Su Zhe shook his head: "No need to explain, I know what to do!"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned, and after a long while, he said, "Do you really know what to do?"

"I know!" Su Zhe replied earnestly.

Zhao Xiaoqian could even see a hint of tragic solemnity in the expression on his face.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt even more uneasy.

Then, Su Zhe's face turned ferocious, and he said coldly, "As an envoy to the Liao Kingdom, I will never dishonor the prestige of my Great Song Dynasty, nor will I bring shame upon my Great Song Dynasty. If the Liao Emperor Yelü Yanxi is willing to obediently agree to join forces with my Great Song Dynasty to conquer the Western Xia, then so be it."

"If you do not agree, I will surely spill blood five steps away from the Liao Palace and lie dead on the spot! I ask you, Yelü Yanxi, are you afraid?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a long time, feeling a mixture of relief and lingering fear.

Luckily, I asked one more question, otherwise something really bad would have happened.

Sure enough, Su Zhe is a real tiger!
The two brothers are alike, dreaming of emulating the unreasonable and domineering nature of the Han envoy, sacrificing one of them to expand the territory.

“Mr. Ziyou, there’s no need for that!” Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, “This time, our Great Song must talk to the Liao Kingdom properly, reason with them, present the facts, and explain the advantages and disadvantages…”

"In short, this time we're just trying to do business with the Liao Kingdom properly. There's no need to compete with them or fight to the death. You should put away that arrogant and unreasonable attitude of yours."

"On this mission, we must 'win people over with virtue'... No, that phrase sounds a bit off. Well, it's the literal meaning of 'win people over with virtue,' with absolutely no other connotation. We must politely negotiate this deal with the Liao emperor."

"The Song and Liao dynasties simultaneously launched a campaign against the Western Xia. After the Western Xia was destroyed, its territory was divided equally between the Song and Liao dynasties, along with its population, livestock, and property. After the Western Xia was destroyed, the Song and Liao dynasties agreed to maintain friendly relations for generations to come and to cease hostilities forever."

Zhao Xiaoqian said earnestly, "The world is so big that it can easily contain the two great powers of Song and Liao."

After hearing Zhao Xiaoqian's explanation, Su Zhe was also stunned.

Zhao Xiaoqian clearly saw a hint of disappointment flash in Su Zhe's eyes. Telling him to speak more politely to the Liao emperor made it impossible for him to fully embody the spirit of a Han envoy willing to perish together with the enemy, drastically reducing the value of this mission.

"That's it?" Su Zhe said with dissatisfaction.

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

Being an emperor is mentally exhausting, really.

It's especially tiring to deal with ministers who are willing to risk their lives without saying a word.

“Yes, that’s it.” Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, “Therefore, I still think the choice of envoy needs to be discussed. Mr. Ziyou is the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, a pillar of the country. I think it’s unnecessary to trouble Mr. Ziyou. It would be better to appoint someone else…”

Before he could finish speaking, Su Zhe suddenly said, "Wait! I'll say it again: I am willing to go on the mission to the Liao Kingdom!"

Zhao Xiaoqian: "???"

Su Zhe said solemnly, "I can speak human language."

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

As expected of one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, his summary is truly insightful.

After a long silence, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed helplessly: "Yes, I have no other request for this mission to the Liao Kingdom, except that I can speak human language."

Su Zhe bowed respectfully: "Your subject will certainly persuade the Liao emperor to agree to join forces with our Great Song Dynasty to destroy Western Xia, and then divide the territory among ourselves!"

"If I fail Your Majesty's trust and ruin the important affairs of the nation, I will kill myself in the Liao Palace to atone for my sins, and I would be happy to take Yelü Yanxi down with me!"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a long time before slowly saying, "Mr. Ziyou just said that you can speak human language?"

"The ministers will meet."

Zhao Xiaoqian's cheek twitched violently, and he said quietly, "...It doesn't seem like it."

The person entered the palace in the afternoon, and Su Zhe left Bianjing for the north that evening.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and this matter was of great importance. Su Zhe dared not delay for even a moment. After receiving the imperial decree that day, Su Zhe did not even go home or pack his luggage. He left the palace and departed with the ceremonial banners of the Song envoy.

Now that the Liao Dynasty has started a war against the Western Xia, and the Liao army has advanced more than 100 li into Western Xia territory, the Song Dynasty must race against time to negotiate the division of Western Xia by the allied forces of the two countries.

Located northwest of the Song Dynasty, the Western Xia had very little arable land and was not rich in population or other resources. In fact, strictly speaking, the Western Xia was a rather undesirable place.

However, the Song emperor and his ministers saw things differently.

The acquisition of this territory by the Song Dynasty had far greater political significance than its military or practical significance.

The reason for this is simply the word "unification".

For the Central Plains dynasties that considered themselves the legitimate successors, no word was more important than "unification".

Even if it's just a piece of chicken rib, it must still be a piece of chicken rib belonging to the Central Plains dynasty.

Moreover, although the Western Xia had very little arable land, its geographical location was important because it blocked the Silk Road.

From the perspectives of commercial, military, and political influence, Western Xia was also a place that the Song Dynasty had to conquer. Only by gaining control of Western Xia could the Song Dynasty completely control the Silk Road, thereby opening up diplomatic relations with Central Asian countries and even extending to Europe.

Zhao Xiaoqian's ambition was not only to unify China, but also to expand his influence beyond the Song Dynasty to other parts of the continent, just like the Tang Dynasty.

After Su Zhe left Bianjing and hurriedly went to the Liao Kingdom, the Song Dynasty court gradually fell into a state of busy activity.

It was as if the world had changed overnight. The Song emperor and his ministers were all secretly busy with something. Zhao Xiaoqian presided over small court assemblies in the Hall of State Affairs and the Privy Council every day.

Troops were being mobilized, provisions were being collected, and weapons, armor, and warhorses were being prepared. Civil and military officials were constantly moving in and out of the Funing Palace, each one in a hurry.

Preparing for a war is not something a country can do on a whim, like taking a trip.

The entire national machinery was put into operation, and from the decision to wage war to the departure of the army, countless preparatory works were required.

Once war begins, all domestic affairs, large and small, must unconditionally give way to this war.

Even the most important matters can only be discussed after the war is over.

In the past few days, the emperor and his officials have been in a state of exhaustion yet excitement, each of them working day and night like a fully wound-up machine.

But the news could not be kept secret in the end and gradually spread.

Outsiders were initially baffled by the busy work of the bigwigs in the Council of State and the Privy Council. However, such a major event could not be kept secret, and soon the entire court knew about the Emperor's decision, causing an uproar in the court.

When the court officials learned that the Song Dynasty was about to join forces with the Liao Dynasty to destroy the Western Xia, their reaction was not as united and excited as one might expect.

On the contrary, after the news spread, there were many different voices in the court, and some even vehemently opposed it.

The reasons for opposition are varied. Some say it is "unjust war" because it is "unjust without a legitimate cause" and will surely be punished by heaven.

Some also accused Zhao Xiaoqian of waging war without cause and violating morality, arguing that Western Xia had long been a vassal state of the Song Dynasty and that envoys paid tribute to the Song Dynasty every year, so the Song Dynasty had no reason to take military action against Western Xia.

Others opposed the war from the perspective of national strength. In recent years, the Song Dynasty has been engaged in continuous wars, and the national treasury has long been empty. Now the emperor is going to launch a war to destroy the country. If the war can be resolved quickly, it is acceptable. However, if the war drags on for three to five years, the Song Dynasty's national treasury will be depleted before the Western Xia is destroyed.

Various dissenting voices reached the Council of State Affairs and then Zhao Xiaoqian's ears.

Zhao Xiaoqian completely ignored it.

Everyone has a different perspective, so their viewpoints on issues will naturally differ.

From the perspective of the ministers, they only saw the drawbacks and risks, but from the emperor's perspective, this battle would bring huge benefits, while the costs would still be within a controllable range. So why not give it a try?
While the bigwigs and officials of Bianjing were preparing for the expedition, Zhao Xiaoqian was facing a dilemma.

Su Zhe, who was sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom, was already on his way. If nothing unexpected happened, Su Zhe should be riding at full speed towards the Liao capital.

In Bianjing, officials and courtiers were busy preparing provisions, weapons, and warhorses. The Privy Council was discussing and deciding on strategies and tactics, and predicting the outcome of the war. The State Council was mobilizing and balancing the nation's resources, striving to ensure that all domestic resources were tilted towards this war of annihilation.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian still couldn't solve the most important problem.

That's the problem of the army's commander-in-chief.

Everyone in the country is taking their pants off, and he still hasn't found a woman. Is that reasonable?
The Song Dynasty had many generals, including many who were once under Zhao Xiaoqian and were skilled in battle.

But a general is a general, and a commander-in-chief is a commander-in-chief; they are two different things.

Among the military generals Zhao Xiaoqian knew, most could only be generals, not commanders.

Commanding a few thousand people is a completely different concept from commanding tens of thousands.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Song Dynasty now possesses unparalleled firearms and thinks this war is a foregone conclusion. Once such a complacent thought arises, defeat is not far off.

(End of this chapter)