After Yelv Zhangnu was granted the title of Right Prime Minister, he colluded with Left Prime Minister Xiao Fengxian to run against his former boss Xiao Wuna in the court.
As Yelu Yanxi continued to favor Xiao Fengxian and Yelu Zhangnu, the elderly Xiao Wuna became disheartened, so he resigned from all his posts and spent his old age at home.
It is precisely because of this that Yelv Zhangnu was not only the Right Prime Minister of the Daliao Dynasty, but also in charge of hundreds of thousands of troops. He was domineering in the court and did not pay attention to the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.
Soon after Yelu Yanxi ignored political affairs, the court of the Daliao Dynasty was gradually controlled by Yelu Zhangnu and Xiao Fengxian, especially Yelu Zhangnu who controlled the Daliao cavalry. Xiao Fengxian, the chief assistant of the court, did not dare to challenge Yelv Zhangnu head-on.
It's the early spring of another year. Tianzuo Emperor Yelu Yanxi has been on the throne for three years. After traveling to Tokyo, Nanjing, Xijing, and Zhongjing, he returned to Shangjing again after half a year's absence. Xiao Haili, who was in front of the saddle and behind the horse, was full of praise.
Therefore, after the early spring, he immediately held a court meeting to confer a title on his minister Xiao Haili. At the court meeting, he issued an edict:
"By God's blessing, the emperor decreed that the descendant Xiao Haili is loyal and has made countless meritorious deeds. He is specially named King of Huntong and leads all tribes in Huntongjiang. I admire this"!
However, as soon as his imperial edict was issued, he was opposed by the powerful minister Yelu Zhangnu. He retorted directly and loudly:
"No, Your Majesty, I, Yelv Zhangnu, do not agree. You cannot make Xiao Haili king."
"Oh, is that right? Generalissimo, when you were conquering the Southern Song Dynasty, you squeezed out Xiao Zhen, the dynasty's military commander, killed him, seized military power, and named yourself generalissimo."
"I, Xiao Haili, have served the late emperor and His Majesty for decades and have made great achievements in battle. Shouldn't I be given a title?"
After Xiao Haili finished speaking, the arrogant and domineering Yelv Zhangnu continued:
"Your Majesty, my lords, Xiao Haili has deceived Your Majesty and is not on good terms with me, so he will not be granted a title."
"Hahaha, Yelv Zhangnu, it was the emperor who conferred the title on me, Xiao Haili, and it was not you, Yelv Zhangnu, who conferred the title on me. Could it be that the emperor is not on good terms with you, Marshal Yelv Zhangnu, so he can't be the emperor?"
"Humph, Your Majesty. You want to make Xiao Haili king. I, Yelv Zhangnu, don't agree. Dear relatives of the Emperor, do you agree?"
After Yelvzhangnu finished speaking, the important officials in the court were afraid of the military power in his hands, and they all bowed their heads and remained silent. Even Xiao Fengxian, who usually worked with Yelu Zhangnu and held great power, did not speak.
Yelu Yanxi looked at the arrogant and domineering Yelu Zhangnu, but she was also angry but dared not speak. He had no choice but to cancel the title of Xiao Haili as king under the coercion of Yelu Zhangnu.
Xiao Haili was so angry that he cursed the officials of Liao Dynasty. Everyone in the court was speechless because of him, and there was a sudden silence. After a while, Yelu Zhangnu continued to speak loudly:
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, Xiao Haili has slandered the court and deceived the emperor. He has no choice but to be punished. I suggest that he be beheaded in public."
"Hahaha, you dare. Yelu Zhangnu, although I, Xiao Haili, cannot be the king of Huntong, I still have 200,000 members of the Huntongjiang tribe and tens of thousands of soldiers who can fight. As long as I give an order, they can go to Beijing. Go ahead.”
After Xiao Haili finished speaking, Yelu Yanxi, Xiao Fengxian, Dagong Ding and others also shouted in shock and looked at Xiao Haili who was furious.
However, Yelu Zhangnu used his strength to fight and said again:
"Huh, Your Majesty, gentlemen, you heard it, Xiao Haili is planning to rebel, please take him down quickly."
Under Yelu Zhangnu's lustful power, Emperor Yelu Yanxi of the Liao Dynasty finally spoke:
"Although Xiao Haili has no objection, he is full of nonsense. He is ordered to give him an eighty-year punishment, be removed from his official position, and go back to your Huntongjiang River to retire."
After Yelu Yanxi finished speaking, the guards came forward and took Xiao Haili away. Xiao Haili said unwillingly:
"Your Majesty, you are a descendant of Taizu Yelu Abaoji. How can you succumb to Yelu Zhangnu's lustful power?"
In this way, Xiao Haili received eighty military sticks and was left with only half a life. When he returned home, he became more and more angry. In addition, the family brothers were going back and forth, which made it even more difficult for him to let go. His second brother Xiao Tong Li said loudly
"Brother, you are the chief of our tribe. You can bear this anger, but we can't. The worst we can do is fight with Yelu Zhangnu."
"Yes, brother, although you have been dismissed from your official position by the emperor, you are still our patriarch. I, together with the 200,000 tribe members of the Jiang tribe, listen to you. As long as you give the order, we will definitely mobilize all the men of the tribe to participate in the war."
"Yes, the great patriarch, you devoted your whole life to the Daliao Dynasty and died. What did you get in the end? You were so humiliated by Yelu Zhangnu. Who can say a fair word to you, the Emperor of Daliao and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty? It’s okay if we don’t want the Daliao Dynasty.”
After everyone talked for a long time, Xiao Haili suddenly stood up, slammed the wine bowl in his hand to the ground, and said loudly:
"Brothers, you are right. We don't want this kind of Daliao Dynasty. If Yelv Zhangnu disrespects me, Xiao Haili, I will definitely make you feel uncomfortable."
"Yelu Yanxi is foolish and unworthy of being the emperor of my tribe in Hun Tongjiang. Let's go back to our Hun Tongjiang. If Yelu Yanxi and Yelu Zhangnu dare to invade, I will make sure they never come back."
After saying that, Xiao Haili ordered his family members to pack up their belongings, burned everything in Shangjing's family tent, and then returned to the Hun Tongjiang tribe with his family members.
More than half a month later, news came from the Daliao court that Xiao Haili led a rebellion with various Jiang tribes, and effortlessly conquered hundreds of miles of Daliao.
Marshal Yelv Zhangnu of the Liao Dynasty sent his men to suppress the rebellion many times, but they were easily defeated by Xiao Haili. The Liao court was horrified.
A few months later, Emperor Yelu Yanxi of the Liao Dynasty, who had been out hunting in Nanjing, finally got the news. His personal bodyguard suddenly came to report to him:
"Report, report, report to the emperor, Xiao Haili has rebelled."
"What? I was so kind to him, why did he rebel? What is the current situation?"
"Back to the emperor, Xiao Haili raised 20,000 troops, broke into our Daliao Qianzhou arsenal, and took away a large number of weapons and armors, with great momentum."
Yelu Yanxi, who had no time to put on his dragon robe, quickly organized a court meeting to discuss the danger of Xiao Haili's rebellion.
The court was in an uproar. Unexpectedly, after General Yelu Zhangnu roared, he instantly became silent. After a while, Yelu Zhangnu said loudly:
"Your Majesty, Xiao Haili doesn't take you and the Liao court seriously, and openly raises his troops to rebel. This is unbearable. Please tell me, your Majesty, I am willing to lead our Daliao Heavenly Army to annihilate him."
Yelu Yanxi looked at the court where the audience bowed their heads and remained silent. He was at a loss and had to listen to Yelu Zhangnu's words, so he asked:
"I don't know what Marshal Yelu Zhangnu has planned."
"I'm reporting to the emperor that my subordinate Lin Ya and the Hao family slave in the north are both civil and military, and he can lead the troops to put down the rebellion."
Seeing everyone bowing their heads and saying nothing, Yelu Yanxi was at a loss and could only say:
"Okay, just follow the instructions of Marshal Yelu Zhangnu and order Linya Hao's slaves in the north to lead an army of 50,000 to wipe out Xiao Haili's rebels."
Soon after, the Hao family slaves from Linya in the north led their troops to confront Xiao Lihai's 20,000 troops on the bank of the Huntong River.
