I was the richest man in Da Song

Chapter 95 The Emperor's Will

In the early morning of the second day, the Liao army was still attacking the city even more ferociously than yesterday.

Yang Wenguang and Yang Si led the army to resist, and even Kou Zhun was personally supervising the battle, but Wang Qinruo was in the camp to discuss peace talks with the emperor and Cao Li.

In the middle of the night, Cao Yi, the envoy of Chongyi, left the city secretly and went to Liaoying.

The two armies do not fight each other, especially when neither side can do anything to each other on the battlefield.

After Cao Li entered the Liao camp, he was directly received by Empress Dowager Xiao and Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu. It can be said that it was very grand, but the person who negotiated with Cao Li was not the king and minister of the Liao Dynasty but the captured Wang Jizhong.

Wang Jizhong was the advisor of Zhao Hengqian's residence. After knowing this relationship, the Empress Dowager Xiao didn't treat him as a prisoner, but kept him in the camp.

When he saw Cao Yong, Wang Jizhong knelt down and wailed. The deputy capital deployment who was originally a glorious man became a prisoner today, and Cao Yong also sighed.

"Your Majesty has always thought that you have died in battle and was sad for a long time, and ordered your four sons to enter the court in Yinbu, and posthumously present you as the Jiedu Envoy of the Datong Army."

"I am ashamed of the emperor's grace..."

Wang Jizhong has been with Zhao Heng for decades and has been deeply trusted, but he never expected to see him again like this.

"Wang Jizhong, although you are in the Liao camp, His Majesty still believes in you very much. Do the Liao people really want to negotiate peace or are they deliberately delaying time?"

One of Cao Li's biggest intentions for coming here is to find out the details of the Liao people.

"In my opinion, Empress Dowager Xiao and Emperor Liao really want to negotiate peace, but the conditions are unacceptable."

"What are the conditions of Empress Dowager Xiao?" Cao Li asked.

"Recently, I have been persuading the Emperor Liao and the Empress Dowager that peace is the most important thing. Empress Dowager Xiao also said that Liao Guo can negotiate with Song to withdraw troops but there are three conditions..."

Wang Jizhong didn't go on, but was a little embarrassed.

"Firstly, Empress Dowager Xiao hoped that the Great Song Dynasty would pay for the expedition of the Liao army. Second, Song and Liao would open a discussion field. The third would be to return the three passes to Daliao."

"I don't even need to report this matter to Your Majesty. The war has progressed to such an extent that it is impossible to return the three barriers. It is even more nonsense that the Liao soldiers invaded my territory and asked my Song emperors and ministers to pay for military funds."

Although Cao Li knew that the emperor was eager to talk with him, it is not to say that he had no right to decide whether to return it, even if he had such a right, he would not be able to do so.

Before the war, the Liao Kingdom wanted to ask for the three passes. After a great war, the Liao Kingdom has begun to show signs of decline. What they didn't get on the battlefield but wanted to get it at the negotiating table?If he dares to agree, Kou Zhun and Yang Yanzhao will be the first to kill him.

"I also said the same thing, but Empress Dowager Xiao insisted that I convey these three conditions to you, and threatened that Daliao now has 30 troops, and most of the East Road is in her hands. If Your Majesty does not agree, Daliao Ready to cross the Yellow River"

"If the Liao army really had such ability, how could they stop at Chanzhou City for the second half of the month? It seems that the wolf of the Liao Kingdom is just trying to delay the time with the excuse of peace talks, and wait for the Yellow River to freeze." Cao Li frowned.

"The Empress Dowager Xiao really intends to withdraw her troops, but now she is in a dilemma. If the Liao Kingdom's expedition to the south of the Liao Kingdom fails to appease the nobles of the big tribes in Khitan, they are worried about internal chaos, so this may just be a stern talk." Wang Jizhong said in a low voice.

"In this case, there is still room for maneuver. I won't hide it from you. You can secretly reveal it to Queen Mother Xiao, saying that I, the emperor and ministers of the Song Dynasty, don't really want to negotiate a peace, especially Kou Xiang and Yang Yanzhao. Taking advantage of this excellent opportunity, I want to regain the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun. If the Liao Kingdom wants to negotiate a peace, it can only be exchanged with the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun."

Since the Empress Dowager Xiao gave them a condition that was impossible to agree to, Cao Li also raised a condition that the Liao Kingdom could not accept, so that the two sides had a huge room for negotiation.

"Okay, please tell Your Majesty that although I am in Cao Ying, my heart is in Han. I will do my best to mediate for peace."

Wang Jizhong also understood the pros and cons. What Empress Dowager Xiao was worried about was that if she returned in vain, she would not be able to appease the tribes and nobles in the country. She also wanted to promote peace, but Kou Zhun and Yang Yanzhao strongly opposed it.

Yang Yanzhao sent three letters a day, and he had already set up a large net to trap the Liao army on Hedong Road. He restrained for so long in order to be able to break through the Yanyun sixteen prefectures.

Although Xiao Talin died, the 30 Chen soldiers of the Liao army were under Chanzhou, and the combat effectiveness was not much lost. Zhao Heng simply couldn't make up his determination to fight the Liao army to the death.

Kou Zhun also found that the emperor's determination to make the Northern Expedition became looser and looser. The voices of Lin Te, Chen Pengnian, and Wang Qinruo became louder, and the exchanges of envoys between Song and Liao became more and more frequent.

He Shao was trapped in Chanzhou, and he couldn't leave at all if he wanted to return to Taiyuan Mansion. He could only wait until the end of the war.

When the courtyard was planning the future Song and Liao plans, Kou Zhun unexpectedly came.

"Kou Xiang, why are you free today?"

Kou Zhun urges the emperor to take charge of the conquest in person, and takes over the military and political power in Chanzhou to take care of every day, big and small, and he is busier than the emperor with daily affairs.

"I want to ask you what you think about something"

In Kaifeng City, he knew that He Shao always had some unexpected ideas in his mind, and they often had unexpected effects.

Yang Yanzhao's letter of invitation for war became more and more fierce, and Kou Zhun also wanted to take back Yanyun, but now the emperor's desire to promote peace is becoming more and more serious, which makes Kou Zhun a little uneasy.

"Do you want to ask whether this battle should continue or should we talk about peace?" Of course He Shao could guess.

"what are you thinking"

"The sixteen prefectures of Yanyun are indeed very important barriers for our Han Dynasty, but the Liao Kingdom can hold them tightly not because Shi Jingtang offered the land, but because the Liao Kingdom itself has a powerful Khitan army, so Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong failed to succeed in the Northern Expedition several times, even if we take back the Yanyun sixteen prefectures, what will be the result?" He Shao asked back.

"With the inside and outside of Yanyun Mountain, we have enough buffer zone, so that the entire East River Road will not be eroded as soon as the war starts."

"The sixteen prefectures of Yanyun are the best farming areas. For the nomadic Khitan people, having such a piece of farming land is very important, especially as I see the current Khitan people have a tendency to change from nomadic to farming, and even to Nanjing is located in the Yanyun area.

And today's Liao Kingdom is still strong, how can we let it go when we take back Yanyun Liao Kingdom now?The two countries will break out a bigger war around Yanyun until one side is completely defeated.

The national strength between Song and Liao is equal, once such a situation occurs, the people of the two countries will be in dire straits.Therefore, in the situation where neither side can do anything about the other, peace talks may not be a solution. Of course, this is just a businessman's opinion. "

To put it mildly, Zhao Heng is a very pragmatic emperor who is unwilling to take risks, and to put it bluntly, he is an ordinary person with no ambitions.

If he has the talents of Qin Huang Han Wu and wants to achieve eternal success, he will definitely choose war without hesitation.

"In any case, how can the key to a country be held in the hands of others"

(End of this chapter)