Although Queen Mother Shulu has always opposed going south to invade the Central Plains, the people of the Central Plains must also stay awake and rational. This old Khitan lady is far-sighted and scheming. She is not an old friend of the people of the Central Plains. She is playing a big game of chess.
As the saying goes, a dog bites but never barks, and Queen Mother Shulu is just such a vicious dog.
After Shi Jingtang passed away, Yelu Deguang sent an envoy to pay tribute in the name of the Emperor of Liao. "The Khitan mistress also sent an envoy to comfort him." As mentioned above, this was the Empress Dowager Shulu's angrily brushing off her presence.
Shi Chonggui believed that Queen Mother Shulu still had absolute control over the Khitan and she would not launch a war southward. Therefore, when faced with Shi Chonggui's threat of war, the Khitans would definitely be willing to sit down with him and have a good talk at the negotiation table. on bargaining.
Shi Chonggui's asking price is to return the Sixteen Youyun States. Even if he returns part of it first, even if it's just one state, he can give an explanation to the people of the whole country.
As for his bargaining chip, he cleverly created one "out of nothing", that is, "call yourself a grandson but not a minister."
In this way, after bargaining at the negotiation table, Shi Chonggui could agree to be called both a grandson and a minister. This was originally meant to "maintain the original price", but it turned into a concession for Shi Chonggui in exchange for the Khitan's role in "Youyun Ten". Six States" issue.
This is political skill.
For example, before merchants launch promotions, they first raise the price, mark a false "original price", and then discount and reduce the price. Consumers feel happy that they have taken advantage.
Of course, this is Shi Chonggui's wishful thinking. The development of many things will deviate due to certain accidents, and the top designers of the game will also update the game settings based on user experience. That's the interesting thing about history.
For example, Shi Chonggui only used war as a threat and a bargaining chip to bargain with the Khitan people. He almost succeeded, but as the war progressed, especially the victory of the first two battles, Shi Chonggui made a serious misjudgment. At the most critical moment, all his previous efforts were in vain and he was overturned by the Khitan.
The king of the subjugated country is not without merit. Shi Chonggui was arrogant, extravagant, greedy for pleasure, militaristic, favored traitors...but his superb skills in politics and diplomacy are also worthy of recognition.
Returning to the point above, Jing Yanguang planned and implemented the plunder and massacre of Khitan merchants. At this time, opposition voices in the court appeared, which was what Shi Chonggui wanted to hear.
The "pro-Liao faction" officials headed by Sang Weihan resolutely opposed Jing Yanguang's unreasonable, inhumane and cruel genocide policy.
The Later Jin regime is not a rogue group. We cannot break our trust with the Khitan, let alone offend the Khitan in such an unreasonable way.
Therefore, Shi Chonggui ordered Comrade Qiao Rong to be sent back to China as a gift to eliminate the misunderstanding with Yelu Deguang.
Things seemed to be back on track, back on the track designed by Shi Chonggui, giving the Khitan a slap in the face and a sweet date. Cheating grandpa to eat sweets and making grandpa happy.
An accident happened as expected.
According to etiquette, senior officials of the later Jin Dynasty should give Qiao Rong a farewell banquet. Among these "senior officials", of course there is Jing Yanguang.
Jing Yanguang held a private banquet at home to entertain Qiao Rong alone. However, the atmosphere of this private drinking party was not harmonious. Jing Yanguang was arrogant and domineering. He asked Qiao Rong to tell Yelu Deguang:
"The former emperor (Shi Jingtang) ascended to the throne of emperor with the help of the Khitan, so the former emperor surrendered to the Khitan. However, the current sage (Shi Chonggui) was promoted to the throne of emperor by us Central Plains people, so he has no obligation to surrender to the Khitan. The two countries of Jin and Liao have an independent and equal relationship. To call you my grandson is simply because our Lord understands the righteousness and does not forget the contract we made back then."
The contract at that time was not that Shi Jingtang himself professed tribulation to the Khitan, but that Shi Jingtang, on behalf of the later Jin regime, professed tribulation to the Khitan regime. This meant that the Central Plains dynasty (as long as his descendants of the Shi family were still in power) professed tribulation to the Khitan from generation to generation, just like Nanzhao and other foreign states swore an oath. It is like being a vassal to the Tang Dynasty from generation to generation.
Jing Yanguang secretly changed the concept, replaced "Later Jin" with a specific natural person - Shi Jingtang, and changed the "unlimited liability" stipulated in the agreement to "limited liability", that is, the contract will be automatically voided when Shi Jingtang dies.
Even though he was calling his grandson, Jing Yanguang did not forget to remind Qiao Rong that this was because Shi Jingtang recognized Yelu Deguang as his godfather. Shi Chonggui was Shi Jingtang's filial son, so Shi Jingtang's father was Shi Chonggui's grandfather. Our master called Yelu Deguang grandpa entirely out of Central Plains etiquette, traditional filial piety, and ethical relations.
Jing Yanguang also mentioned a person by name—Zhao Yanshou. He asked Qiao Rong to tell Yelu Deguang not to listen to that guy named Zhao. He was making rumors and insulting the Central Plains out of his own selfish interests. Yelu Deguang had better be smart and don't be used by that villain. The person named Zhao takes chestnuts from the fire.
Finally, Jing Yanguang issued a naked military threat to Yelu Deguang, "We have hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers in the Jin Dynasty. If you are not convinced, come here and try earlier, but we can say it in advance, just in case he This grandfather was defeated by his grandson, and he became the laughing stock of the world!"
(In the Jin Dynasty, there were one hundred thousand people sharpening their swords. If Weng wants to fight, he will come early. If he cannot restrain his grandson, he will make fun of the world)
On the surface, Qiao Rong was trembling and sweating profusely, as if he was scared, but actually he was already happy in his heart. All his personal property was confiscated by the Later Jin Dynasty. Although Shi Chonggui compensated him with generous gifts and sent them back home, this compensation was only a drop in the bucket for his losses.
Furthermore, it would be a small matter for the later Jin Dynasty to confiscate his family property, but a big matter for ruining Qiao Rong's future. The Later Jin Dynasty unilaterally closed the Daliao Embassy in Jin and forcibly closed the "Return to the Map Service", so that he, the "Return to the Map Envoy", was forced to be laid off.
More importantly, along with his private property, a large amount of Khitan state-owned assets were confiscated. The main business of Hui Tuwu is the trade docking between the governments of the two countries. It is a bulk commodity transaction at the national level, not a small wholesale and retail trader. All the goods and cash from the "return to the map" were confiscated by the later Jin Dynasty. After Qiao Rong returns to China, he will definitely be censored by the Khitan. His political career will end here, and he may even lose his life.
Qiao Rong said "Thank you for the warm hospitality", and in his heart he had already sent greetings to the eighteen generations of ancestors of the later Jin Dynasty monarchs and ministers. Apart from socializing, he has been actively thinking about countermeasures. How should he explain it to Yelu Deguang?
After thinking about it, there is only one way, and that is to shift the responsibility to the Later Jin Dynasty. It is not because of my own negligence, but because of the Later Jin Dynasty deliberately looking for trouble, and I want to ask if this melon is still ripe.
