Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 441: Seeking Divination (Special thanks to the book friend Guangming Shendeng for 2 monthly tickets!)

Reina also said:

"Commander Zhang is a man of great integrity and courage, but please be frank with us."

Zhang Yong put down his wine glass and said:

"Since the three of you trust me, Zhang, so much, I will speak frankly.

Our Great Zhou Emperor has issued an imperial decree, ordering us, the Longxiang Army and the Longxiang Guard, to wipe out all resistance forces in the territory of Khitan and bring it back to our territory!

As long as the Khitans sincerely surrender to our Great Zhou, they will be treated equally and become the people of our Great Zhou in its prosperous era.

Your Majesty specifically instructed that the Khitan Black-haired Tribe is the descendant of Han General Li Ling. As long as the Western King leads the Afu Tribe, Jianhe Tribe and other Black-haired Tribes to surrender to our Great Zhou, Your Majesty will treat them as dukes and move their families to Bianjing to enjoy wealth and glory. "

After hearing this, Reina and the other two were silent for a while.

Reina hesitated and said:
"Commander Zhang, is there no room for maneuver in this matter? We, the Khitans, are willing to pay tribute to the Great Zhou with treasures and beauties every year, and remain a vassal state forever!"

Zhang Yongdao:
"Your Highness the King of the West, this is a different time.

If it were three years ago, Your Majesty might have agreed to make Khitan a vassal state.

Now that the Samanid Empire and Ghazni have been destroyed by the Longxiang Army of our Great Zhou, the victory of the war against the Star Religion World has been decided, and Your Majesty has freed up his hands.

Last September, Your Majesty went on a northern tour to the Hexi Corridor area, whereupon the Mozang clan of Gaochang started a rebellion. You led the army in person and in February pacified the two kingdoms of Gaochang and Khotan.

Gaochang and Khotan have served Your Majesty for a long time, yet you have annexed them as part of your territory. How much more so the Khitan, with which your Majesty has a distant relationship?

In the opinion of this commander, you Western kings do not have to be obsessed with power and position in the country. After the Khitans are incorporated into our Great Zhou, the people will surely live a peaceful and happy life, and you will also be of high rank. Isn't this the best of both worlds?

If you resist your majesty's order, the Khitan Prefecture that Governor Yang conquered all the way north will serve as an example!"

After a moment of silence, Li Qingshan said:
"Commander Zhang, we all know that the Great Zhou is the hegemon of the world, and Your Majesty treats the people with kindness and justice.

However, this matter is of great importance. Can you allow the King of the West and us to consider it for some time before giving us a reply?"

Zhang Yong nodded and said:
"Of course. This commander has already agreed with Governor Yang to give you three days to consider.

If there is no response after three days, both sides will resort to war. "

Reina was afraid that Zhang Yong would arrest him on the spot, so he quickly stood up and said goodbye, saying he was drunk.

Zhang Yong personally escorted the three people out of the mansion.

After Reina and the other two returned to the West Palace, they immediately went to the main hall to discuss.

Yan Lie said:
“Your Highness, in my opinion, Zhang Yong is just trying to scare us.

Your Highness, together with my Afu and Jianhe tribes, has more than 200,000 soldiers.

Moreover, after these two years of war, Your Highness has become the most prestigious person in our Khitan!
As long as Your Highness raises his arms and calls out in the country, millions of people will respond. I don't believe that the Zhou army can kill all of our Khitan people!"

Reina and the other two knew that there was almost no chance of winning if they fought against Zhou's army.

Reina clapped his hands and said:
"My Khitan nation has been established for four hundred years. If it is annexed by the Great Zhou like this, I will be unwilling to accept it!
How can we be worthy of the heroic rulers of all generations who destroyed the Uighurs and unified the prairie?

But now the Great Zhou army is too strong. The coalition forces of the Star Sect of dozens of countries were annihilated by the Great Zhou with more than 3 million soldiers, destroying the once powerful Samanid Empire and Ghaznavid Empire. If we don't agree to surrender, I'm afraid that the 150,000 Dragon Soaring Army in the Khitan Kingdom will start a massacre!" If it weren't for the six thousand Dragon Soaring troops stationed in Buzhou and the three thousand Dragon Soaring Guards of the Great Zhou, Reina's faction would have long been no match for the Prince Moao's faction supported by Li Jiqian.

And now the Eighth Corps of the Longxiang Army, led by Yang Ye, has advanced all the way to Wang Tingya Qingshan, as if they were in an empty land.

It is obvious that the army under Reina's command is no match for the Great Zhou, otherwise why would the situation be like this?
Li Qingshan said:

"Your Highness, considering the current military strength of the Khitans and the Great Zhou, there is no hope of winning.

Commander Zhang also had good intentions and hoped that our Khitan would surrender to the Great Zhou and keep the people safe.

With the military strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty, in the "Battle of Bekara" in the past, Yang Ye and Cao Bin led the Eighth and Fourth Corps with only 180,000 people, but they were able to withstand the attack of the Star Cult coalition force that was ten times their size!
Commander Zhang is upright and honest. He just now disdained to use conspiracy and trickery to keep us here. This is sufficient to prove that the Great Zhou is confident that we, the Khitans, will be pacified quickly. He does not take the three of us seriously at all.

In my opinion, the Emperor of Zhou is sincere in inviting surrender, and this opportunity cannot be missed. Your Highness might as well lead our Khitan army and civilians to surrender to the Great Zhou, and still enjoy the glory and wealth of the Dukes of the Great Zhou!"

Reina sighed:

“When the Dragon Guards came to Yaqing Mountain to contact me, they only said that they would join forces to deal with the Great Zhou traitor Li Jiqian, but they never said that I should surrender my entire country to the Great Zhou!
Who knew that today would turn out like this!

You guys should step back and let me think about this alone."

Yan Lie and Li Qingshan didn't dare to say anything more and immediately bowed and left the hall.

After much thought, Reinas wanted to emulate the wise leaders in the history of the Khitans and mobilize the army and civilians across the country to rise up against the Great Zhou and preserve the Khitan country; at the same time, he thought of the terrible ending of the Samanid Dynasty and the Ghaznavid Empire, both of which were several times more powerful than the Khitans, but were eventually destroyed by the Great Zhou. He couldn't help but feel disappointed.

The next day, Li Qingshan saw that Reina had still not agreed to surrender to the Great Zhou, so he secretly visited Zhang Yong late at night.

Zhang Yong was practicing martial arts when he heard that Li Qingshan was coming to visit him. Knowing that something was up, he immediately summoned him to meet him in the main hall in the backyard.

After greeting, Li Qingshan said:

"Commander Zhang, I know very well that Commander Zhang persuaded us, the Khitan soldiers and civilians, to surrender because he had good intentions and did not want the people to suffer from the flames of war any longer.

I have also tried to persuade the King of the West, but he was still hesitant because of the 400-year-old Khitan state.

Tomorrow is the deadline. If the King of the West still can't figure it out, once the war breaks out, it will be a disaster for all the people of Khitan!
I have a plan that can urge the Western King to make a decisive decision to surrender to the Great Zhou and save our Khitan from the disaster of war."

Zhang Yongzhi had led three thousand Dragon Guards to rescue Li Qingshan's Jianhe tribe on the road two years ago. In addition, the Great Zhou army's unrivaled combat power and strict military discipline in the past two years have made Li Qingshan yearn for the Great Zhou. Among the three Reina, he is the one who most hopes to surrender to the Great Zhou and resolve the situation peacefully.

Zhang Yongdao:
“If that’s the case, it would be best!
What is Chief Li going to do?"

Li Qingshan said:

"Commander Zhang, the people of our Khitan all believe in Shamanism, and the chief priest of our country happens to be an old friend of mine. Although we are not close friends, we are good friends.

I will explain the interests involved to him in detail, and I will surely be able to persuade him to help us act, and use the will of the gods to make the King of the West surrender to the Great Zhou!"

Zhang Yong pondered for a moment and said:

“Asking God about difficult matters makes it easier for Reina to believe.

If we can make the war disappear without a trace, it will be a great merit, so let's follow Chief Li's plan!"

After the two men had discussed it and promised not to kill the Khitan soldiers and civilians indiscriminately, Li Qingshan went to the high priest's mansion overnight for a secret meeting.

(End of this chapter)