The group arrived in Yongzhou, where information became much more abundant, allowing them to grasp many situations more clearly.
At present, negotiations between the Liao and Song were underway, so Xu Yun couldn’t be dealt with immediately. After all, he had prioritized the bigger picture by stationing troops in Hejian to contain the Liao army.
Though the Liao Kingdom appeared to have achieved an overwhelming victory, their domestic situation was far from optimistic, making prolonged warfare inadvisable. They had prepared two strategies: if negotiations succeeded, all the better; if not, they were unafraid to sustain the war through plunder.
Meanwhile, the entire Song Dynasty was seething with indignation. Even wealthy merchants and local gentry donated money and provisions to the court, willingly submitting to imperial arrangements to transport grain and medicinal herbs northward for disaster relief without seeking profit. Under such circumstances, even if the Liao army attacked, the Song might still have the strength to fight.
The bargaining chips of both sides were not too far apart.
The envoys of the two nations had been locked in a stalemate at the negotiation table for half a month with no resolution in sight.
The Liao Kingdom could withdraw their troops, but their condition was to redraw the borders, using the Qiong River as the new boundary, with territories including Zhending Prefecture and Hejian Prefecture all ceded to the Liao. This was their final concession after half a month of negotiations.
If agreed, the Liao’s territory would encroach dozens of miles closer to the border.
"Fight! I refuse to believe the Song’s million-strong army can’t hold back the Liao forces!" In the bustling tavern, someone slammed the table in fury. "The history of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun must not repeat itself!"
An Jiu occupied a corner table, eating while listening to the commotion in the hall.
As soon as the man finished speaking, voices of agreement rose around him—the vast majority were in favor of war.
If even such a remote place felt this way, one could imagine the sentiment in the north.
Another person spoke up, "But I’ve heard all three routes in Hebei are suffering from severe droughts. Even without war, the people are already in dire straits. If war truly breaks out, the consequences… would be unpredictable."
The moment these words were uttered, objections erupted. "But we can’t just cede two routes of land! There’s precedent for this. Since Emperor Taizu’s time, we’ve sought to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun—yet what was the result? After generations, not only have we failed to recover lost territory, but now we’re supposed to cede even more? If we must fight, then fight to the death! Unless the Liao people slaughter every last Song citizen, we will not yield an inch of land!"
Another countered, "It’s not hopeless. General Ling’s successful capture of Xijin Prefecture proves there’s potential. As long as the green mountains remain, why fear a lack of firewood? It’s better than untimely bravado!"
The hall erupted into a war of words between these two viewpoints, with the pro-war faction ultimately prevailing.
"Should this war be fought or not?" Li Qingzhi whispered.
Sui Yunzhu replied, "Whether it’s fought or not is up to the court. What’s the use of overthinking it?"
But An Jiu believed there would be no war. She didn’t understand politics, but having often carried out missions, she knew that when facing a formidable target, one should never charge in recklessly for a desperate assassination. Instead, one should lie in wait for the perfect moment to strike a fatal blow. Between nations, it must be the same.
Thus, she thought the Liao Kingdom would continue to make concessions, and the negotiations wouldn’t drag on much longer—after all, maintaining a massive army in the field was an enormous drain. Every extra day would weigh heavily on them.
Just as An Jiu predicted, on the twenty-fourth day, the two sides finally reached an agreement—
Following the precedent of the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty would pay annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom: originally 100,000 taels of silver, now increased to 250,000 taels, along with vast quantities of grain, goods, and beautiful women. Additionally, the border would be set at Hejian Prefecture, with lands north of it open to Liao herders… All of this was formalized in a signed treaty, with the Song "acknowledging submission and paying tribute."The signed treaty took over a month to reach Yongzhou.
The fervor among the people suddenly quieted, as if the entire Great Song had been struck dumb. No one discussed it, no one opposed it, and no one rejoiced—it was as if they were all stunned.
Yet, in truth, this was already a relatively favorable outcome.
In the past, the Great Song had treated the Liao as an elder brother, paying annual tribute, which was no different from submitting as a vassal. Now, it was merely made official, with the added burden of increased tribute—150,000 taels of silver, an amount the Great Song could still afford. But for most scholars, they would rather cede territory than accept "submission and tribute"! Submitting as a vassal meant the Great Song was no longer an equal to the Liao but a subjugated nation. This humiliation was even more unbearable than territorial reparations!
In addition to the annual tribute to the Liao, the Great Song also had to pay 50,000 taels of silver to Western Xia. Though nominally meant to pacify a subordinate state, the nature of the payment was the same.
After the initial shock, grief and indignation spread.
Scholars and the like began to voice discontent with reality, criticizing in secret. Satirical folk songs circulated widely, prompting the court to suppress them with force, temporarily silencing the opposition.
By mid-June, an Imperial Edict summoned Xu Yun back to the capital.
Though Xu Yun was a fierce general on the battlefield, as a minister, he was overly cautious. While stationed in Hebei, he had always been overshadowed by Ling Ziyue’s reputation, and his own fame naturally suffered. Coupled with the annihilation of 70,000 troops under his command, few in the court—or even among the common people—spoke in his defense.
Upon returning to the capital as ordered, Xu Yun immediately submitted a 2,000-word memorial pleading guilty. Then, carrying his sword, he took his own life at the palace gates to prove his innocence.
By the time several high-ranking ministers arrived upon hearing the news, they found only his body lying in a pool of blood.
Looking at the entire incident, Xu Yun had merely fallen into a trap, leading to the military defeat. Victory and defeat are common in war, but the consequences of his failure were too severe.
With this scheme, the Liao had eliminated two of the Great Song’s generals and secured the Song’s submission—a resounding victory.
Some couldn’t help but wonder: if Ling Ziyue had not been stopped from continuing his campaign against the Liao, if he had not died, they might still have ended up at the negotiating table—but the situation would likely have been entirely different.
The Emperor now deeply regretted his decisions.
A small mercy amid the misfortune was that the plague in the three routes of Hebei had not spread widely due to the cooler temperatures in recent days, bringing a collective sigh of relief to the court.
After this incident, the Emperor suddenly fell ill.
Many court officials who had previously remained neutral began quietly choosing sides between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and tension between the two escalated rapidly.
With one crisis after another in the court, the pursuit of Ling Ziyue and his associates was temporarily shelved—especially after the Emperor’s illness, as no one mentioned it again.
Chu Dingjiang, unable to leave for the time being, sent a message to Yongzhou.
An Jiu had left Bianjing in winter, and when she returned, it was winter again—another snowy day.
Standing in the snow, she saw Chu Dingjiang cloaked in a black mantle and felt a fleeting sense of disorientation, as if her time away had been no longer than a turn of her head.
An Jiu trudged through the snow, step by step, until she stood before him. Smiling, she said, "I’m back."
Chu Dingjiang didn’t speak. Instead, he pulled her into an embrace.
After a moment, he released her. "You all should return to Plum Blossom Village first and find Sheng Changying."
"Understood." Sui Yunzhu led the others away, leaving only An Jiu behind."I knew you'd go back on your word." An Jiu reached up to brush off his hood. "We agreed on a year's time. If we don't return, you still won't be able to leave, will you?" (To be continued...)
OpenNovel