Song He said angrily: "Do you mean to agree to Yan Yun's unreasonable request?" Zambala couldn't make up his mind and looked at the emperor. The emperor also looked hesitant. At this moment, his heart was really more chaotic than a mess. He was afraid that Yan Yun would really launch a massive attack, but he was also unwilling to give up on regaining the Snowy Mountains. He was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.
The emperor looked at Zambala and asked, "If Yan Yun really invades in a large scale, can we resist it?"
Zambala thought for a while, frowned and said: "If Yanyun only uses the two legions of Qin Fenglu, we should be able to resist it. But if Yanyun mobilizes the elite of the directly affiliated legions, or even the King of Yan personally takes action, I'm afraid... ..." Zambara stopped talking at this point, but everyone understood what he meant.
Songhe said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, why don't you bring back all my Western Expedition Army!" The so-called "Western Expedition Army" is an army stationed by Tubo on the western border for defense and expansion of territory. It has a scale of One hundred thousand people. The total army of Tubo was about 800,000, divided into five major divisions: East, West, South, North, and Central. The 300,000 troops that had invaded Yanyun before and were wiped out were the entire Eastern Expedition Army and part of the Northern Expedition Army. In other words, after passing through that After the First World War, Tubo's Eastern Expeditionary Army was in name only, and the Northern Expeditionary Army also suffered heavy losses. Now, the Royal Imperial Forest Army and the Southern Expeditionary Army in the central part of the country, totaling more than 300,000, are attacking the Daxue Mountains with all their strength. If they want to resist Yanyun's attack, It is obviously not enough to rely on the Northern Expedition Army, and the Western Expedition Army must be brought back.
Zambala said: "It may not be possible to withstand this. It should be noted that the Western Army plus the Northern Army only amounted to about 200,000 troops, but the former King Protector had an army of 800,000 Khitan troops. The King Protector was defeated. , let alone us!”
Song He said angrily: "Why does the Prime Minister always speak for Yan Yun? It's really unpleasant!" Song He said quickly: "I'm not speaking for Yan Yun, I'm just seeking truth from facts! You can't be angry with others about national affairs! The general is so heroic, but have you ever thought about what will happen if our army cannot resist Yan Yun's attack in the northeast? This is very likely to happen!" Song He frowned and said nothing. Although I don't want to admit it, I can still imagine what the consequences will be if the Northeast defense fails. Just thinking about it in my mind makes my palms sweat. The ministers and nobles were whispering to each other, and the place was buzzing.
The emperor looked at an older noble and asked, "Elder Hami, what do your nobles think?"
Elder Hami first saluted the emperor, and then said: "We think that we really shouldn't take this risk!" Song He was surprised when he heard this, but did not dare to interrupt the noble elder and just listened. He continued: "Yan Yun is the most terrifying tiger and wolf. Even the Liao Kingdom, a country of tigers and wolves, is not their opponent. How can we rashly fight with them! Alas, it is also our own mistake. If it weren't for our crazy thinking, If you want to take advantage of Yan Yun, how can such things happen!" The emperor felt a little embarrassed and said: "Elder Hami, you should just talk about the matter in front of you!"
Elder Hami paused, "We all believe that if Yan Yun insists on going his own way, Yan Yun will definitely attack in a large scale. Under that situation, even if our army puts all its strength into dealing with it, it will be difficult to deal with it, not to mention that our main force is still attacking the south. The Snowy Mountains! Once we start a war with Yanyun, we will definitely lose more and win less! Therefore, we all think that we can only agree to Yanyun's request and abandon the Snowy Mountains!" All the nobles nodded in agreement.
Song He couldn't help but said: "Isn't this a great shame and humiliation?" Hami glanced at Song He and said, "How can we be arrogant in national affairs? You have to know that the result of this hot head may bring disaster to our Tubo! Personal honor and disgrace are nothing, only the safety and well-being of our Tubo is the most important thing!"
The corners of Songhe's eyes twitched and he couldn't help but ask: "Then why did the elder agree to use troops against Yanyun before?" Hami's withered face turned red and he said angrily: "Today is different from the past, how can we be confused! "Songhe was disapproving and muttered in a low voice.
The emperor lowered his head and frowned. He had basically decided to give up the Snowy Mountains, but this decision was still not easy to make. Giving up the Snowy Mountains felt to him like cutting off a piece of his body. It looks like meat.
At this moment, a minister ran in panting. Everyone's eyes immediately focused on him, and the entire hall suddenly became silent, except for the sound of the minister's hurried footsteps and breathing. Zambara frowned and said, "It's the minister of the post station. Is there something urgent?"
I saw the post minister running to the center of the hall, kneeling down with a plop, and said urgently: "Your Majesty, border, urgent report from the border, Yanyun Army, Yanyun Army..." Everyone became nervous immediately, and the emperor asked urgently: " The Yanyun Army has invaded?! This, what should we do?"
The minister of the post station shook his head quickly, swallowed hard, and then said: "According to the news from our detailed work, the Yanyun Army on Qinfeng Road is gathering. In addition, there are rumors that the Yanyun Army directly under the Qinfeng Road is being mobilized to Qinfeng Road. Details The strength of the troops is unknown!!" Everyone panicked, and the emperor hurriedly said: "Quickly, invite envoy Yanyun! I, I agree to their request!!"...
In the southeast of Tubo, there is an endless mountain range that reaches into the clouds. The top of the mountain is covered with snow all year round. From a distance, it looks like countless beautiful buildings and jade buildings. This is the famous Snow Mountain; there is a place in the middle of the Snow Mountain. There is a wide gap of more than a thousand meters on the mountainside with relatively flat terrain. It is the only way to cross the Snowy Mountains. There is a huge military camp and many stone castles in the gap, which is the most important thing in the Snowy Mountains. The Snow Mountain Fortress; the Snow Mountain Fortress was originally in the hands of Tubo, but now it is in the hands of Dali. On the northern slope of the Snow Mountain Fortress, there are countless corpses and the remains of various siege equipment lying strewn about, and at the foot of the mountain, A dozen miles away, that was the camp of the Tibetan army.
General Duan Zhichun stood on a sentry tower, watching the soldiers use stones to block a gap opened by the Tibetan army in the previous fierce battle. He looked away and fell on the Tubo military camp at the foot of the mountain. He couldn't help but frown. He really didn't know how long he could hold on. I took a deep breath and thought to myself: If I can't hold on in the end, I can only risk my life here! !
While I was deep in thought, I saw movement in the Tibetan military camp at the foot of the mountain, and many Tibetan troops were being mobilized. Duan Zhichun's heart was frightened, and he shouted sternly: "The Tubo people are coming! Get ready to fight!!" The soldiers of the Dali Army were startled, and they took action one after another to prepare for the battle. Everyone's heart was filled with fear. For days, The fierce battle had almost exhausted the fighting spirit of the Dali Army officers and soldiers.
Duan Zhichun stood on the sentry tower and stared at the Tibetan camp at the foot of the mountain. Soon after, he discovered a strange phenomenon. The Tibetan army did not look like they were coming to attack the mountain. They packed up their supplies and dismantled their tents, as if they were about to withdraw. Duan Zhichun and others were greatly surprised. One of his subordinates asked in confusion: "What tricks are the Tibetan people playing? Are they not going to fight?" No one could answer his question.
After another half hour, it became obvious that the Tubo army was indeed withdrawing, and some troops had already embarked on their way home. The Dali soldiers were overjoyed, but also felt baffled.
At this moment, I saw a fast horse running up from the north hillside. It was a Tibetan officer. I saw the Tibetan officer running to the camp, reining in his horse, and shouting loudly: "Listen to the Dali people inside! Our army stopped because of envoy Yanyun's request, but it's not because we are afraid of you Dali people! You Dali people Take care of yourself, otherwise I will make you look good!" After saying that, he turned the horse's head and galloped away.
Duan Zhichun said excitedly: "It turns out that it was Yan Yun who took action! No wonder the Tubo people withdrew their troops in a hurry. They were afraid of Yan Yun. It's really thanks to them!"
When the capital of Dali heard the news that Tibetans had withdrawn under pressure from Yan Yun, the whole city rejoiced. The gloom that had been lingering in everyone's minds for many days was swept away. Countless people gathered in front of the palace, shouting long live the emperor and Yan Yun. Long live the cloud.
There was also a joyous scene in the palace hall. The Emperor of Dali, who was sitting high on the throne, was a middle-aged man with a kind face, fair complexion and a goat's beard. The emperor said happily: "Thanks to Yan Yun for defeating the Tubo, we in Dali were able to turn the danger into safety!" All the ministers said yes one after another, saying how powerful and amazing Yan Yun was. Duan Zhixing, who had previously been on an envoy to Tianjing New City, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, we have to send an envoy to thank King Yan!" The emperor smiled and nodded, "That's what I meant! I was too hasty and the gift was not respectful. , this time I must prepare a generous gift to say thank you to Yan Yun!" Duan Zhixing bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!" Then he suggested: "Your Majesty's Princess Qionghua has just reached the age of marriage, why not propose marriage to King Yan! "
All the ministers agreed one after another, and an old minister said happily: "If we can get married to Yan Yun, that would be great! At that time, who do we have to fear in Dali!" The emperor nodded thoughtfully, "Although this is a good thing, it only requires Qionghua's consent!" The old minister who just spoke said excitedly: "The King of Yan is an unparalleled hero, and Yan Yun dominates the north. Where in the world can there be a better man than King Yan? How can Princess Qionghua not agree?" All the ministers agreed. The emperor smiled but said nothing. …
In Tianjing New City, amidst the sky full of fallen leaves, a carriage drove into the gate of Tianjing New City, escorted by many people. The car curtain opened, revealing a delicate, beautiful but worried face. It turned out to be Princess Li Qingxia of Xixia. Why did she come to Tianjing New City? It turned out that the Emperor of Xixia was afraid of Yan Yun's military attack and was eager to negotiate peace with Yan Yun, so he sent Li Qingxia as an envoy to Tianjing New City to negotiate peace with Yang Peng.
Li Qingxia saw the streets of Tianjing New City were busy with traffic, the shops on both sides were crowded, and there were prosperous and lively scenes everywhere. Compared with Xingqing Mansion, the capital of Xixia, it was like an ugly woman compared to a stunning woman, or a beggar compared to a rich man. , It's really shabby, the gap is really too big. Li Qingxia's brows furrowed even more tightly, and she felt even more worried.
Along the way to Tianjing New City, I saw a prosperous scene everywhere I went. There were stretches of farmland and working farmers everywhere, and towns were expanding everywhere. Government officials were working hard, and the people were smiling; business was prosperous, and handicrafts were everywhere. There are many workshops, and the official roads are constantly filled with caravans and countless supplies of all kinds. All this only reflects one thing, Yan Yun is strong, and it is still getting stronger.
Before coming to Yanyun, Li Qingxia only felt that the fighting power of Yanyun's army was terrifying. However, after coming to Yanyun and traveling to so many places, she suddenly discovered that Yanyun was not only terrifying for the army, but also for the huge power hidden among the people. Energy is the most terrifying thing. If the power of the entire people is fully mobilized, who in the world can resist them? !
At this moment, Li Qingxia no longer dared to think about how to eliminate Yan Yun, but was thinking about how to resist Yan Yun's expansion. This was a terrifying beast that was growing rapidly.
While she was thinking about it, Captain Yanyun Cavalry who was leading the way stopped and said, "We're here." Li Qingxia recovered her thoughts and saw the carriage coming to the gate of a large courtyard, with the name "Yanyun Guesthouse" hanging on the gate. There is a plaque and a few guards guarding the door.
The Yanyun cavalry captain turned his horse around, came to Li Qingxia's carriage, reined in his horse, cupped his fists and said, "Please stay here temporarily, King Yan will summon you." Li Qingxia nodded, "Thank you very much. "The cavalry captain smiled and pointed to an official who came down the steps, "This is the official responsible for entertaining your envoy. If your envoy needs anything, you can ask him. If we can do it, , I will definitely satisfy your envoy's request!" After saying that, he waved to his cavalry, and then the dozens of cavalry who had escorted Li Qingxia and his party to Tianjing New City left.
The ambassador came to the carriage, bowed and clasped his fists and said, "Welcome to the new city of Tianjing!" He looked very polite, but there was a hint of arrogance in his brows. Nowadays, the officials and people of Yanyun are like this. They always naturally have a feeling of superiority and confidence in front of outsiders.
Li Qingxia stepped out of the carriage with the help of the maid.
The official asked: "Your Majesty, please follow me." Then he led the way into the gate, and dozens of people from Li Qingxia's party followed immediately. After passing through several arches and walking through several corridors, after a while, the court official led everyone into a courtyard and said, "Your Majesty, please stay here!" Li Qingxia looked at what was in front of her. The environment is a small pond surrounded by trees. There is a small and exquisite wooden building in the north. On the east and west sides are two two-story wooden buildings with two rows of doors and windows neatly arranged. The small and exquisite wooden building is obviously For the envoy to live, the other two wooden buildings are obviously for the envoy's entourage. There are two buildings. If there are men and women among the entourage, they can be separated.
Li Qingxia asked the court official, "I wonder when King Yan will receive me?" The court official clasped his fists and said, "Sir Zhang Xiang has already reported the arrival of the noble envoy, but when he will receive the noble envoy, it depends on King Yan. We don’t know when the arrangement will be!”
Li Qingxia felt a little annoyed, but the current situation was that Yanyun was strong and Xixia was weak. Although she was dissatisfied, she had no temper and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. I want to rest now. You can go down!" "My envoy, please excuse me. If your envoy needs anything, just tell the guard at the door. The guard will notify me. I will try my best to help you." Li Qingxia nodded and suddenly asked, "I heard Tianjing Hotel is the most famous restaurant in Tianjing New City. I don’t know where it is?” The official said, “It’s just to the west of the palace. It’s easy to spot. The tallest, most glorious building over there is Tianjing Hotel!” "
Li Qingxia nodded and asked, "Does Prince Yan live in the palace now?" The court official shook his head, "No, the palace is empty. Prince Yan lives in Prince Yan's Mansion near the palace, which was the former official hall. Mansion." Li Qingxia's heart moved, and she smiled and said to the official: "Thank you for informing me." The official nodded to Li Qingxia and retreated. Everyone settled down in the yard, and Li Qingxia summoned a few cronies to discuss matters in the living room of the small wooden building.
Li Qingxia frowned and said: "Yan Yun is much more powerful than I thought! It far exceeds my previous expectations in every aspect!" All the confidants nodded in agreement. "Princess, I have something I don't know whether to say or not!" The person who spoke was a man in his thirties, with a Chinese character face, dark skin, short hair, and deep frown. He seemed to be a man who liked to think. His name is Li Wenchang, and he is one of the three most important confidants around Li Qingxia. The other two are the burly and fierce man named Gao Feng, who is Li Qingxia's guard captain, and the tall, thin and sickly scholar. The guy named Li Xu is also Li Qingxia’s staff.
Li Qingxia glanced at Li Wenchang, "If you have anything to say, just say it, don't hesitate!" Li Wenchang responded, frowning and said: "Princess, I feel that the gap between our Daxia and Yanyun is really too big. I didn’t realize it before I came to Yanyun, but I deeply felt this gap when I came to Yanyun! We, we can’t be Yanyun’s opponents at all, and it’s impossible to destroy Yanyun!”
Gao Feng glared and yelled: "Old Li, you are trying to boost other people's ambitions and destroy our own prestige!" Li Wenchang sighed, "Do you think I want to destroy my own prestige? But after seeing Yan Yun's situation, it's If I didn’t say anything, my own prestige would have been destroyed long ago!”
Gao Feng said loudly: "There is no point in being rich! Wasn't the Song Dynasty not rich before? We beat it like a grandson!"
Li Wenchang asked with a strange look: "So in the several wars we fought with Yan Yun, who was beaten like Sun Tzu?" Gao Feng was speechless. Li Wenchang frowned and said: "Yan Yun is not only wealthy, but also spends all his resources on military strength. Unlike the Song Dynasty, he completely abandoned the Confucian concept of benevolence and righteousness. The entire Yan Yun is like a ferocious beast that is growing crazily. Beast! No matter how rich the Song Dynasty was, it was just a fat pig that was getting fatter and fatter. However, Yanyun transformed its resources into combat power. The richer it became, the more powerful it became, like a rapidly growing tiger! Therefore, the Song Dynasty was rich, For us, it is just a more attractive prey, but the richer Yan Yun is, the more majestic, ferocious and greedy a giant tiger he is! The difference is huge!"
Li Qingxia said: "Wenchang is right! Yanyun is a huge, greedy and ferocious tiger!" Gao Feng was very unconvinced, "Is there no way to deal with them? Can we just sit back and wait for death!"
Li Qingxia frowned and said: "It's not that there is nothing we can do." She looked at Li Xu who had been silent, "Li Xu, tell me!" Li Xu glanced at Li Qingxia and smiled: "The princess has actually thought of it. , why bother asking your subordinates?" Gao Feng said angrily: "Just say what the princess wants you to say, why bother!"
Li Xu chuckled, "I don't dare to show off!" He paused, glanced at Gao Feng, and said with a smile, "I'll tell you what the princess wants. The princess's idea is actually to assassinate Yang Peng." Gao Feng and Li Wenchang They were all shocked. Li Xu continued: "Yan Yun was founded by Yang Peng. Everything, including abandoning Confucianism, is based on his supreme prestige! As long as Yang Peng is killed, everything will change. At least Confucianism will make a comeback. In this way, Yan Yun will lose the aggressive and enterprising spirit now and become that gentle and elegant style again! This is what we hope for!"
Gao Feng smiled and nodded: "It would be best to be like the Song Dynasty!" Everyone smiled, and Li Xu continued: "On the other hand, Yang Peng has many powerful generals, including Yelu Hanyu and Han Bing. The two princesses hold great power, so there will be no problems if Yang Peng is alive. But once Yang Peng dies suddenly, the powerful princesses and generals under him will inevitably have different hearts and fight with each other, and even It is not impossible for a civil war to break out! It would be even better if such a situation occurs!"
Gao Feng pursed his lips and glanced at Li Xu, "What you said makes sense! But the question is how to kill Yang Peng? That guy is so powerful, I don't think anyone can kill him!"
Li Qingxia frowned and said, "That's the problem! It's not easy to assassinate Yang Peng!" After a moment of silence, she raised her head and said, "Let's not talk about this matter anymore. This matter cannot be carried out for the time being!" She glanced at Li Qingxia. Wenchang, "Wenchang, stay in the guest house and wait for news." Li Wenchang responded. Li Qingxia said to Gao Feng and Li Xu again: "You two come with me to Tianjing Hotel!" Gao Feng was overjoyed, "Okay! I have long heard that the delicacies at Tianjing Hotel are the best in the world. I have long heard that the food at Tianjing Hotel is the best in the world." Think about it!" Li Xu said angrily: "We are not going to eat!"
Gao Feng blinked blankly, "You're not going to eat at a restaurant?" Li Xu smiled and said, "I can't tell you, just go with me!" Gao Feng grabbed Li Xu's arm and glared, "You look down on me?" Li Xu said helplessly: "Where is it?"... Li Qingxia was too lazy to pay attention to the entangled two people and walked out. Li Xu took the opportunity and said: "The princess is gone, stop talking nonsense, let's follow her quickly!" After saying that, he ran away as if running away. Gao Feng quickly chased after him, shouting as he ran: "You have to say something. Be clear! Otherwise I will never be done with you!"
At this time, in the study room of Prince Yan's Mansion, Yang Peng listened to Zhang Xiang's report and muttered: "Princess Xixia Li Qingxia? I didn't expect Xixia to send her as an envoy!" Zhang Xiang said: "This princess is very smart, and I didn't know she would What tricks can she play?" Yang Peng chuckled, "I would like to see what tricks she can play!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
