Prime Minister

Chapter 1277 I am not happy with the Song Dynasty

Chapter 1277 I am not happy with the Song Dynasty

Xiao Xi and other Khitan envoys retreated and rested for the time being.

Chen Guan and others all bowed and stood behind Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue watched Xiao Xi go away, but he didn't think so much about it for a moment, and didn't notice the admiring looks on Chen Guan and the others' faces.

The same sentence coming from Zhang Yue's mouth is completely different from what they say from their mouths.

Those who have been in high positions for a long time have a mentality that allows them to control their emotions freely, an aura that is totally unpretentious, and a will that is solid and indomitable.

Chen Guan met the two brothers Zhang Dun and Zhang Yue.

The two men have completely different personalities. Zhang Dun is a man of great willpower. Such people are always proactive, always thinking about what they can do, and always trying to change something.

Zhang Yue is different, he came after birth.

Normally he seems to be retreating in order to advance, using softness to overcome hardness, and always seems to be one step behind others, but he can cultivate decisiveness in killing from his bookish temperament.

"Yingzhong!"

"What do you want, Prime Minister?"

Zhang Yue said to Chen Guan: "If you want to do something, either don't do it at all. If you want to do it, do it thoroughly. Don't think that you take a step back and I take a step back."

Chen Guan said, "Yes, Prime Minister."

Zhang Yue said: "The situation is in my hands now, so don't be soft-hearted."

"You can talk according to your own opinion, you don't have to follow my example!"

……

Xiao Xi was very tired. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and returned. He saw Zhang Yue sitting aside and his negotiating opponent was Chen Guan again.

Xiao Xi felt a little relieved. Just now, he was like a three-foot-tall child in front of Zhang Yue.

At this moment, in front of Chen Guan, he regained some confidence.

New tea was placed in front of the two of them.

Chen Guan said to Xiao Xi: "The Tanguts are about to be destroyed, and there is no reason to support the Liao Dynasty any longer."

"Even if we, the Song Dynasty, don't destroy the Tanguts, the Aligu and Xizhou Uighurs on the side may have some ideas."

"But no one knows what the future situation will be like. We can only seize the opportunity in front of us. It is meaningless for the Liao Dynasty to support the Tanguts again!"

Xiao Xi glanced at Zhang Yue standing aside, and then said, "It was the Song Dynasty that wanted to destroy the Dangxiang, an ally of the Liao Dynasty, but now it is instigating the Liao Dynasty to do the same. Is this reasonable in the world?"

Zhang Yue listened to Xiao Xi's words and continued drinking tea without saying anything.

Chen Guan continued to negotiate according to his steps and said: "The situation is changing. You may ask Aligu or the Uighurs to see if they will stop. If they are willing to follow the arrangements of your Liao Dynasty."

“Then we are happy to see it happen.”

Xiao Xi listened attentively. Compared to his previous aggressiveness, he now at least controlled his desire to refute.

"Mr. Xiao, you must remember that the situation has changed. If you disagree, there is nothing you can do. Now it is not our Great Song that decides whether to go to war, but whether you Great Liao decide to go to war. If you do, who will take the responsibility on your side? Mr. Xiao, will you come? Or the current Prime Minister Yelu?"

Xiao Xi said with a serious face: "Don't worry about this."

Chen Guan continued, "Our Prime Minister is responsible for the Great Song, but what about the Liao? Lord Xiao, you will not push all this onto your king, will you? If Song and Liao go to war, whichever side's foundation is shaken, won't the angry king of your country be angry with Lord Xiao? Lord Xiao, you may not be afraid of death, but not all of the nine clans are afraid of death. In the future, the Great Liao will lose 500,000 annual tributes and border markets every year. Who will the whole court be angry with?"

"This is the current situation. The Tanguts are no longer able to fight. It is useless for you to continue supporting the Liao. You might as well think of something else."

"You also need to make a decision on the Liao side, and there is also the issue of next year's tribute and title. The word tribute will no longer appear in the state letter! This matter is of great importance, and I'm afraid you, Lord Xiao, can't make the decision alone."

Xiao Xi drank some tea and asked, "What about the matter of Goryeo setting up a market in Yizhou? Is it also included in this?"

Xiao Xi tried to grasp the only thing he had.

Chen Guan said: "Mr. Xiao finally asked something meaningful. We can discuss this matter again, but it depends on the bargaining chips of your Liao Kingdom."

"As for the Tanguts, we can consider your Great Liao's favor and not send troops to attack them for the time being, but we cannot guarantee whether Aligu will be able to attack them. Wait for your Great Liao's ruler and his ministers to come up with a detailed agreement, and then we can decide whether the two families should go to war."

"But the conditions... The Prime Minister once said something famous, so why not tell me!"

Xiao Xi asked in confusion, "What famous saying?"

Chen Guan said: "What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiation table either."

Xiao Xi did not refute and continued to listen to Chen Guan.

At this time, Zhang Yue had already withdrawn from the side and saw that it was almost the same here.

When Zhang Yue stood up, Xiao Xi, who was confused, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say it in the end. He watched Zhang Yue's figure disappear into the afternoon sun from a distance.

……

After leaving the negotiation table, Xiao Xi's forehead was covered with sweat, and he felt extremely tired.

The same is true for Deputy Envoy Xiao Delit.

The same was true for the entire Liao delegation.

Thinking about the expectations of the king before the Song Dynasty, etc. As the strongest country in the world, the Liao Kingdom has suppressed the Song Dynasty for a long time. Since the Qingli currency increase, when the Song Dynasty wrote the word "Na" on the state letter, it had officially bowed to the Liao Kingdom.

At that time, the Song Dynasty was badly defeated by the Dangxiang. Under the suggestion of Liu Liufu, the Liao Kingdom demanded the ten counties south of the Guan Pass from the Song Dynasty in the name of extortion, but in fact it was a method of extorting annual tribute to exempt the people of Youyan from rent and taxes.

After the successful negotiation, Liu Liufu returned to Youzhou. The people of Youyan in the Liao Kingdom lined the streets to welcome him, showing great respect to him and almost worshipping him.

As a result, Liu Liufu, as a Han Chinese, entered the highest level of officials in the Liao Dynasty.

It’s such a good thing that you can extort two hundred thousand dollars just by talking without having to fight.

They came here with high expectations. In fact, they did not care about the life or death of the Dangxiang. What they wanted was to get tangible benefits from the Song Dynasty.

Of course, the routine was the same. Under the pretext of speaking up for the Tanguts, they dealt a heavy blow to the Song Dynasty.

Why do they have this confidence?

Because the Liao Kingdom was the first superior country, its military was extremely strong, far from being comparable to the cowardly and cultured Han people.

With such a vast territory and millions of soldiers and horses, how dare the Han people say no?

However, at the negotiation table today, Xiao Xi clearly heard the word "no". That's right, the Song Dynasty is not happy! We won't give it to you!

In an instant, the cornerstone supporting the Liao Kingdom's face collapsed.

At this moment, Xiao Xi and Xiao Delite were both at a loss. What Chen Guan had said just now was no longer important. Now that the Song Dynasty had defeated the Dangxiang, it had no worries at all and could compete with the Liao Dynasty again.

From then on, the Liao Dynasty was no longer number one.

The Song people wanted them to return home, but how would they explain to the Liao ruler?

How can they expect an explanation from the bureaucrats who are hoping to extort more money from the Han people?

Xiao Xi looked out of the patio. The windows of the negotiation area were all blocked and sealed by the Song people, so only from the patio could he hear the hustle and bustle of Bianjing city and some noisy sounds from the human world.

The envoys served the meal at this time. The meal was as sumptuous as yesterday, but everyone in the Liao delegation had lost their appetite.

There were so many delicious fish and meat in front of him, but Xiao Xi couldn't eat a single bite.

"Eat some!" Xiao Derit comforted.

Xiao Xi shook his head, drew the scimitar from his waist, and cut the candle flame bit by bit. Suddenly he said: "I am afraid that the Han people will no longer be afraid of the Liao Dynasty!"

The dejection on his face was evident in his words.

Ps: There is a lot of work to do at the end of the year! Please bear with me for the updates.