Li Yueji was angry, perhaps because she felt that it was impossible to be rejected by any man, including the emperor. Guo Shao looked at her breasts that were stretched out to both sides, and her thick red lips on her fair face, and he had the urge to kiss her. He had to admit that it was natural for such a woman to be angry when she was rejected.
Her eyes were not as gentle as those of other women, but rather had a wild look.
Guo Shao finally managed to calm down. This had nothing to do with his nature. If it were in the past, he would definitely not be able to remain calm. However, there were many beautiful women in the palace who could be chosen, which made him appear calm.
It's not that I don't want it, but it's just that important matters cannot be taken lightly, Guo Shao said softly.
Oh, there was still resentment on Li Yueji's face.
Guo Shao said nothing. What was happening was obviously a deal. Even though there was no evidence and it was not even explained clearly, both of them knew what the contract was.
If Guo Shao accepted her kindness at this time, he should meet her request, otherwise he should not agree to it casually. Of course, no one can do anything to Guo Shao if he turns his face and denies it, but he is probably still a very sincere person and generally will not do such a thing.
Moreover, if Guo Shaozhen wanted her to sleep with him, Fu Jinzhan had to agree first.
Li Yueji looked at him for a while, then suddenly covered her face, stood up and ran out, seeming to be crying.
The imperial edict of the Daxu court was very tough. The words written by the Hanlin Academy scholar were written in the tone of the emperor, saying that I was very angry when I heard that the Tanguts had exchanges with the Khitans. I ordered Xiping King Li Yiyin to send the Khitan envoys to Tokyo before the beginning of autumn to be punished.
The beginning of autumn is approaching. If we want to accomplish this, we must arrest the Khitan envoy immediately and set off.
The nobles of various tribes came to the palace, anxiously asking what to do. But at this time, Li Yiyin was still in front of the Buddha, burning incense and worshiping devoutly. In the current atmosphere, he did not look calm when worshiping the Buddha, but seemed to be begging for good luck for the Li family.
The people of the Mo Zang clan also came. The previous leader and his son were both dead, and a new leader was elected. The Mo Zang clan obviously had no good feelings towards the Guo family of the Daxu Dynasty. In fact, if Guo Shao had not killed the former leader's son, Ge Ge, he would not have been able to take the position of leader.
He said in a hurry: "The Liao Kingdom, please don't go too far. The Central Plains court blamed the Tanguts for colluding with the Khitans, but it was just an excuse. If we cut off the Liao Kingdom's reinforcements, the Great Xu Kingdom will be even more fearless and will find a pretext to accuse us."
Fei Ting seemed to be more afraid of the Guo family, and said: The Liao Dynasty has been defeated in Youzhou, and the strength and weakness are clear. If we don't offend the Liao Dynasty now, we will be punished by the Xu Dynasty.
Ye Ci said: What crime is this? Your Majesty is nominally granted a fief by the imperial court, but Tokyo can still control Xiazhou.
Fei Tingdao: The reason for questioning is justified.
Ye Ci sneered: If you want to start a war, it's easy to find a reason. It's just a matter of whether you want to start a war or not. This is because we have been dealing with the Khitans for many years. We have never seen any court mention this. They have always rewarded and appeased the Tanguts. We also pay tribute to the Central Plains and we have lived in peace. If we don't mention it for many years, then the Great Xu Kingdom suddenly remembered that the Khitans were their enemy.
Another old noble said: "Ye Ci is right. To live in peace, both sides must be sincere. If one side is aggressive, no matter how much the other side gives in, it will not help. The reason why the Xu Dynasty fell out after the founding of the country is that they have taken Youzhou and can deal with us. It is not the fault of the Dangxiang."
Li Yiyin lit the incense, turned around and sighed: Poor Yueji, she has been married for less than a year, and she is so miserable as soon as the two armies went to war.
Everyone looked sad after hearing this. Mo Zang said: Princess Yueji risked her life to save the Tangut tribes from war, and the tribesmen were all grateful.
Ye Ci said angrily: "At this point, why don't you declare yourself an emperor and establish a country? Take the initiative. The Dangxiang people are martial and all the people are soldiers. First, we should conquer Lingzhou and occupy the Lingzhou grassland. Then, we can unite with the Dangxiang tribes in the west. The outcome is still unknown."
No. Li Yiyin said, the time has not come to establish a country and become an emperor. The Liao Kingdom is still strong, and the Central Plains is strong. If I become an emperor, I will be feared by the two great powers, and even the Liao people will be on guard against me.
It is not advisable to strike first. Raising troops in Daxu is no small matter, so we can wait and see.
Li Yiyin certainly would not take the Liao envoy to Dongjing. Instead, he secretly communicated with the Liao envoy, hoping that when Xiazhou was attacked by the Great Xu State, the Liao army would come to the rescue.
When the Central Plains army attacked Youzhou, the Liao Kingdom hoped that the Dangxiang people would rebel against the Central Plains and contain them from both sides, but the Dangxiang people refused. The Liao people were very dissatisfied with this.
Now that Xiazhou is threatened by the Central Plains, the Khitans have no sympathy for it.
However, Xiao Siwen, the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court, and others advocated rescuing the Dangxiang and took the opportunity to win the Xiazhou area to their side.
The palace on the hill was now much brighter. The nailed windows were opened and the sun shone in. This place was originally built on a high place, and from the large windows, one could see the green grassland, blue sky and white clouds, as if the atmosphere of the whole country had changed a lot.
Xiao Siwen is now a popular figure around the Liao emperor, and Yelu Xian will consult him on all matters, big or small.
Xiao Siwen was standing under the emperor's seat and talking: The God of Muye Mountain protects the Great Khitan. Although we have lost Youzhou and the Eastern Han Dynasty, we can still preserve the Liao Dynasty. Under the care of the gods, we will prosper again.
The chanting of shaman priests could be heard faintly in the distance. Shamans worship their ancestors. After Yelu Xian ascended the throne, he suppressed Buddhism and promoted Shamanism in order to reunite the fighting spirit of the Khitan people.
Xiao Siwen continued: The Khan's heart is as broad as the grassland. The Khitan people should let go of their resentment so that they can have a vast land and numerous people. The Dangxiang people asked for help this time, and the Liao Dynasty must rescue them. As long as the attack of the Xu Dynasty is repelled, the Dangxiang may become the second Eastern Han Dynasty and clamp down on the Xu Dynasty in the west.
We will dispatch a cavalry force to the west to provide rescue, and Youzhou can seize the opportunity to threaten and harass, and pin down the Zhou army's strength.
Yelu Xian said: Without the Liao reinforcements, the Tanguts cannot resist the army of Guo the Blacksmith.
It's just a matter of time. Xiao Siwen said calmly, "I heard that the Tanguts are martial, but that place is small and sparsely populated, how can they outlast the Central Plains Dynasty?"
Yelu Xian's face turned pale in his teens. He thought for a while and said: "If Guo the blacksmith wants to use his troops against the Tanguts, he must win."
Xiao Siwen said: Of course. The Dangxiang originally submitted to the Central Plains in name and were granted official positions by the Central Plains. If the blacksmith Guo did not have the determination to win and rashly launched a war, he would push the Dangxiang to the side of the Liao Dynasty, which would do more harm than good.
Yelu Xian immediately said in a deep voice: If the Liao Dynasty did not save the Tanguts, wouldn't Guo the blacksmith definitely get what he wanted
Xiao Siwen was stunned and asked: What does the Khan mean
Yelu Xian said: With this as the condition, let Guo the blacksmith return Yanyan to you.
Khan Xiao Siwen raised his head with a complicated expression. He pondered for a moment and carefully reminded, "Yan Yan is my daughter, but I don't agree with this. Xu Dynasty is a major threat to Liao. The more enemies it has, the more it can be contained, and the more stable Liao will be. I can instruct the envoy to give Xu State money and cattle and sheep."
Yelu Xian said: Let’s give it a try.
Xiao Siwen advised kindly: Millions of Khitans are all subjects of the Khan, and the gods in the ancestral temple of Muye Mountain are watching the Khan work hard to govern the country and revive the Liao Dynasty.
Yelu Xian nodded and accepted the advice humbly, but he still couldn't let go of Xiao Chuo. The person he felt closest to, besides his deceased parents, was his ten-year-old daughter. Her lovely voice, appearance and smile were as if they were right in front of him.
At this time in the Yangde Palace in Tokyo, Guo Shao was also talking to Minister Lu Duosun: The Jiaolong Army has added ten warships, and Minister Lu is the chief envoy this time. I order the Jiaolong Army to escort you from Dengzhou Port to Goryeo.
Lu Duxun bowed and said: I will definitely fulfill my mission.
Guo Shaodao: Minister Lu can seize the opportunity, make decisions and negotiate terms on the spot.
Lu Dosun said in a deep voice: What Goryeo is aiming for is the former land of Bohai Kingdom.
Guo Shao said: "Then we will agree to their request depending on the situation. We cannot control Liaodong now. If Goryeo can really occupy it, we will let them occupy it first. When we can control it, we will make plans. The biggest threat to the Central Plains is the northern nomadic tribes and the fishing and hunting savages. Goryeo's advance to the north can also help us share the threat from the northeast."
Lu Dosun bowed and said: If Your Majesty agrees to this, it will be easy.
Guo Shaodao: The ruler of Goryeo seems to want to restore the sphere of influence of the Goguryeo period, such a wide area in the northeast. We also need some conditions. Goryeo destroyed the southern Tamra Kingdom 20 years ago and the Jeju Island, which is a wild land, was ceded to the Great Xu Dynasty when the Xu Kingdom sent troops to Liaodong. We will use it to build the Jiaolong Army Port.
The king and his minister talked for a long time.
His mission was to instigate Goryeo to harass the old Bohai territory in the northeast and tie down the Liao army. In return, after the Tangut War, the Daxu Army would send troops to capture Yingzhou; after occupying Liaoxi, they would join forces with Goryeo to encroach on Liaodong, the old Bohai territory; and help them plot against the Bohai region.
After talking about the mission, Lu Duosun said: The Khitan envoy from Tokyo came to see me yesterday and wanted to redeem Xiao Siwen's daughter Xiao Chuo with Lingzhi, property, cattle and sheep. It is said that Lingzhi can be used as medicine to make people immortal.
Guo Shao smiled and said without hesitation: If there really is an elixir of immortality in the world, it should be the Qin Dynasty now. Qin Shihuang spent a lot of effort to get this medicine.
Seeing Guo Shao's attitude, Lu Duoxun asked tentatively: "Then I will reject the Khitan envoy.
Guo Shao nodded in agreement. Although the Liao Kingdom was strong, in terms of wealth, it was still far behind the Great Xu Dynasty, which owned hundreds of states in the Central Plains, Jiangnan, and Xishu. It was a no-brainer to exchange a little bit for Empress Dowager Xiao.
Before leaving Tokyo, Lu Duosun handed over the affairs of the Ministry of Rites to his officials. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the Khitan envoys asked to meet with Guo Shao. They discussed privately and wanted to give up the Dangxiang area in exchange for Xiao Chuo.
This surprised Guo Shao. He valued Xiao Chuo because he knew she was no ordinary person. But her current identity was just a daughter of Xiao Siwen.