The Liao capital Shangjing is already covered in ice and snow, and the cold will continue until next spring.
Wrapped in thick fur, Yang Gun walked into the tent and brushed off the snow on his body. He saw a man laying bricks inside. He was a middle-aged man wearing a short coat made of sheepskin, and his hands were covered with mud. The man turned his head and glanced at Yang Gun, but he didn't bow to him. He continued to work while speaking in Chinese, saying that this is called a kang. It is said that when the Emperor of Xu State went to the north to fight, he couldn't stand the severe cold at night, so he used earth bricks to build a bed on the stove, so that he would not feel cold no matter how cold the weather was.
There are other spies in Shangjing. Yang Gun ignored him and said in a deep voice, what if other people are caught and betray you
Haner glanced at the heavy snow outside the tent and whispered: Don't worry, Yang Gong, no matter who we catch, they won't be able to betray me.
Yang Gun asked: How do you know
Haner said: "For an important person like Yang Gong, the Bingcao Division has a separate channel and a single line of communication. No one in Shangjing knows who I am except Yang Gong. There is only one person in the branch office above who contacts me and is responsible for conveying the news from Shangjing to Dongjing. And that branch office is not in the territory of Liao. Yang Gong has become more and more afraid of trouble since he became an official.
Yang Gun said angrily: "Once Lord Xiao falls, you can stop threatening me." He thought for a moment and said angrily, "The matter of Hedong is without evidence, and I will not admit it."
The Han man was not angry, but said kindly: "Mr. Yang, we never wanted to threaten you."
Yang Gun looked at him with a sneer.
The Han Chinese said earnestly: "It is no longer appropriate to treat people as slaves. This is a mutually beneficial matter. Yang Gong and we share what we have, so how can there be no benefits? For example, now Yang Gong has taken over Fan Zhongyi's spy work. I have a piece of news to tell you. After the spring, Xu Jun will use troops to attack the northeast."
Yang Gun said: Who knows whether it is true or not? Even if the news is true, the false news in Hedong caused the Liao army to suffer a great loss. Now no one dares to believe it.
The Han Chinese said: "It is Mr. Yang's business to get the news, and it is others' business whether to believe it or not." Then he took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Yang Gun.
Yang Gun grabbed it fiercely, strode out of the tent, turned back and said coldly: "After the work is done, leave quickly!"
When the thick curtains were opened, the whistling sound of the wind suddenly became louder, and the snow outside was still blowing. The rolling wilderness was covered with white, and the houses, tents, people and horses in Shangjing seemed to be hidden in the snow.
Yang Gun looked up at the snowflakes in the sky, standing still in the snow, hoping that the cold wind would sober him up. He had said some tough words just now, but he was sure that the people of Xu would not want to sell him because he had been appointed to the North Court and was very useful to them. However, how could Yang Gun dare to break up with the people of Xu? The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers were not a trivial matter. As long as there was any clue that involved Yang Gun, he would definitely be finished.
He stood there for a while, then walked into another felt tent inside the fence. A woman was kneeling on the ground, blowing the charcoal fire in the stove carefully with a bamboo tube. Yang Gun said: Wait until the kang is repaired, and stay over there to keep warm.
The woman nodded in response and continued to blow on the flames.
Yang Gun took out the paper and read it carefully under the light of a lamp. On it was a message from a spy planted by the Liao Dynasty in Xu State. Because the spy was a Han Chinese, the message was written in Chinese characters.
At this moment, someone called out in the tent. Yang Gun went out to take a look and saw the person bowing and saying: The Privy Councilor invites you to come to the mansion to discuss matters concerning the Yang family.
I'll come right after I change my clothes, Yang Gun replied.
The Northern Court Privy Councilor is now Yelu Xizhen, who has held a high position for many years and does not live in a tent, but has a mansion in the northern part of Shangjing. Most Khitans still follow nomadic customs, and only the central ministers have settled houses in the northern part of the city.
When Yang Gun arrived at Yelu Xizhen's mansion, he immediately felt much warmer.
In the hall, besides Yelu Xizhen, there were Xiao Siwen, Yelu Huer and several tribal nobles. Yelu Huer greeted Yang Gun enthusiastically because Yang Gun had saved his life. Yelu Xizhen said calmly: We were talking about the situation in the old Bohai area of Dandong State. Yang Fushi has a lot of insights on Xu Jun, so I sent someone to ask you to come and talk.
After Yang Gun bowed, he took out the paper in his arms and handed it to Yelu Xizhen: This humble official just received the news not long ago.
Several people passed the news around, and sure enough, Yelu Xizhen muttered: This news is true.
Yang Gun said: "It turns out that most of Fan Zhongyi's spies have been captured by the State of Xu. These spies were bribed again, so they should not be found out so quickly."
Yelu Xizhen said: Xu Jun built a fortress in Huludao, Longshan, Jinzhou, which clearly shows that he is planning to move eastward. Dandong is the place where Emperor Yizong rose to power, and we must not make any mistakes.
Yang Gun understood what Yelu Xizhen meant by Yizong. When Taizu conquered Bohai Kingdom, Yizong of Liao, Yelu Bei, was the first King of Dongdan. After Yelu Bei was killed, the King of Dandong was succeeded by Yizong's eldest son, Yelu Ruan, who was the successor of Liao Shizong.
Although the King of Dongdan was abolished later and the territory became directly under the Liao Dynasty, Yizong's descendants settled many of their own people in this place; therefore, the old land of Bohai in the northeast was the base of Yizong's lineage and an important part of Liao's national strength.
Xiao Siwen said: Xu State lacks cavalry. If we go deep into Dongdan this time, we will surely defeat it.
Yelu Xizhen said again: The Liao Dynasty has suffered too much loss in the past few years, and Hedong has just been defeated. If the war continues, it will not be a good thing.
Xiao Siwen frowned and said: Are we going to give up Dongdan? The Khitan tribes will shrink their forces and flee to the grasslands
"My intention is to negotiate peace," Yelu Xizhen said in a deep voice.
Xiao Siwen's face flushed: If the Liao Dynasty seeks peace, where will its prestige be
The atmosphere suddenly froze, and no one else said anything. Yang Gun was reluctant to express his opinion easily, lest he be criticized. He had just relied on Yelu Xizhen's brothers to gain a foothold in the Liao Dynasty court, and his foundation was not yet stable, so he had to be cautious in everything he did.
Yelu Xizhen said: The Liao Dynasty has been in turmoil for many years, but it has not been seriously damaged. The two major defeats that really shook its strength were both the battles with the State of Xu. One was the defeat of Yelu Xiu'ge in Youzhou, and the other was the defeat of Xiao Duli in Hedong. The elite soldiers suffered heavy losses. In addition, when Pingxia came to rescue Li Yiyin, Yang Gun also suffered a lot of casualties. If the situation cannot be resolved, the Liao Dynasty will find it difficult to maintain its current strength.
Xiao Siwen still shook his head: The Liao wanted to show its weakness, which was the source of the disaster for the surrendered tribes to take risks.
There was endless debate in the hall about this matter. Yang Gun came here to give advice on tactics, but now he had no idea where to start. It was not until the evening that everyone left in a bad mood.
Yang Gun and Xiao Siwen left Yelu Xizhen's mansion together. Before leaving, Xiao Siwen held Yang Gun's hand and sighed: I originally thought that Yang Ye's plan would succeed. If you have made a contribution, I will try to get you back to your post and restore your fiefdom. Unexpectedly, Fan Zhongyi ruined the whole thing. General Yang has great talent, but he can only do a small job in the government. It's a pity.
After hearing this, Yang Gun cursed in his heart and bowed, saying: Thank you, Lord Xiao. I was defeated in Pingxia and I am lucky to be able to keep my life.
Xiao Siwen nodded, mounted his horse and said goodbye.
There seemed to be no reliable relationships in this world, and former friends and allies now seemed to be drifting away. Xiao Siwen felt that Yelu Xizhen had very different political views from his own.
It cannot be said that Yelu Xizhen's proposal is wrong, it's just that his considerations are different. Xiao Siwen is also unwilling to believe that Yelu Xizhen is a weak person.
When Xiao Siwen closed his eyes, he seemed to be able to see the burning Youzhou City, the stolen land, and the countless Khitans who were killed. He had never looked down on the southerners, but over the past few years, his worries had become a reality.
Xiao Siwen still shook his head when he thought about bowing down to his enemy and his lifelong enemy.
The Khitan people established their country through military force and would rather break than bend
There is another difficult issue to resolve: the assassination attempt on Xu State Emperor Guo Tiejiang, Xiao Siwen is the culprit. If the Liao Dynasty took the initiative to seek peace with Xu State, would Guo Tiejiang be generous enough to ignore it for the sake of peace between the two countries? Or would he consider Xiao Siwen himself as a condition for peace
The next morning, Xiao Siwen went to the Shangjing Palace. Emperor Yelu Xian had already prepared everything with the help of his attendants, ready to deal with the memorials.
Xiao Siwen stepped forward and bowed, meeting him as a subject. After talking for a while, Xiao Siwen said calmly: Xu Guo's blacksmith Guo is a lewd person, I'm afraid my daughter Yanyan can't escape his clutches.
The eighteen-year-old Yelu Xian's face suddenly turned red, and shame and anger were evident on his face.
Xiao Siwen tried to persuade him again: It's Yanyan's fault that she is not blessed. The Khan should have chosen someone from the Xiao family as his successor long ago.
Yelu Xian was a little excited, and clenched his fists and said: The country is like this, how can I care about it
Xiao Siwen said kindly: This is a matter concerning the foundation of the country, and the Khan's enthronement is also a national affair.
Yelu Xian was not a stubborn person. Although he looked very angry, he still gave in: I will listen to the opinions of the ministers.
Xiao Siwen stepped forward and said in a deep voice: If the Khan misses Yanyan, there are many women in the tribe, and there must be someone who looks similar.
Xiao Chuo is Xiao Siwen's biological daughter. If they look alike, she is most likely a relative of Xiao Siwen.
Xiao Siwen did have the most important contribution to Yelu Xian's ascension to the throne of the Liao emperor, but Xiao Siwen was not the only one who helped Yelu Xian to the throne; now that Yelu Xizhen was the Northern Court Privy Councilor, Xiao Yanyan did not become the empress as she wished. However, Xiao Siwen believed that he still had a position in front of the Khan, and Yelu Xizhen was very concerned about Xiao Siwen's ideas, and that was the reason.
Yelu Xian said: I remember Yanyan in my heart, but not because of her beauty.
When Yelu Xian woke up early in the morning, he seemed to be in a bad mood because of Yanyan's matter. He put down the memorial in his hand, walked to the window, looked at the snow outside for a long time without saying a word.
The white light reflected in the snow made Yelu Xian's face in the hall very clear. Xiao Siwen looked at the Khan's profile calmly, trying to figure out his slightly changing emotions. After all, the Khan was only 18 years old, so even if he was cunning, he wouldn't be too deep.