Chapter 178: Return to Me the Tribute Payments, Principal and Interest, Before We Discuss Peace

…

On the morning of the first day of the ninth month in the second year of Hongwu.

Several small units of Song cavalry gradually arrived outside Yanjingcheng.

Afterward, more and more Song troops arrived outside Yanjingcheng.

Until the Eastern Route Army and Western Route Army both fully arrived outside Yanjingcheng.

But the Song army did not immediately attack Yanjingcheng; instead, they first separately assaulted the suburban counties of Nanjingcheng—Wanping County and Xijin County.

When Zhao Liangsi first defected to the Song, he told Zhao Yu and his ministers that these two counties each had nearly one hundred thousand people and stored abundant supplies; if captured, they could sustain a prolonged war.

Wanping County was very close to Yanjingcheng, only dozens of li away, with thirty thousand elite troops stationed inside; its defender was the Liao minister and Chief Inspector Xiao Hudu. He was an expert archer, wise and brave, having won numerous glorious victories on the battlefield and was an irreplaceable fierce general of the Liao army. He understood Wanping County's strategic importance and had long prepared its defenses.

Xijin County was equally close to Yanjingcheng, merely fifty li distant, with twenty thousand troops stationed inside; its defender was the Liao minister and Director of the Privy Council, Chai Yi. Though a civil official by origin, Chai Yi possessed considerable military talent, excelled in troop deployment, enforced strict discipline, and made Xijin's defenders exceptionally formidable. Xijin's fortifications were equally solid, its walls lined with all manner of siege-defense equipment, as if fully prepared for any contingency.

The two counties supported each other, forming a mutually reinforcing defensive line.

The defenders of both counties believed their strong fortifications and ample supplies would suffice to repel the Song offensive.

Yet they underestimated the Song army's combat power and its current high morale.

The Song soldiers charged forward bravely, launching relentless assaults on the walls at any cost.

Crucially, the Song army had gunpowder bombs.

In less than a day, the Eastern Route Army breached Wanping County's walls; the Western Route Army also breached Xijin County's walls. Both armies stormed into the two counties.

The difference was: Xiao Hudu, seeing the city fall, led the entire garrison and populace in surrender; Chai Yi chose to burn the city's grain and supplies, then led the garrison and populace in street-to-street fighting.

Wang Shan, Zhang Xun, Gao Yongnian, Fan Chunjui, and others, following Zhao Yu's orders, executed and confiscated the property of all high-ranking officials, scholar-gentry, wealthy clans, leaders, and officers who resisted; those who surrendered peacefully were left unharmed.

Additionally, those who performed outstandingly could be granted special clemency, but this law showed no mercy to those who resisted to the end.

Under this policy, in Wanping County, the high-ranking officials, scholar-gentry, wealthy clans, leaders, and officers—regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity—had all their land seized and each fined only one hundred shi of grain; in Xijin County, the high-ranking officials, scholar-gentry, wealthy clans, leaders, and officers—regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity—were all executed, their families exterminated; Chai Yi, the ringleader, was subjected to the ultimate punishment: all male members of his clan were beheaded, and all female members were consigned to brothels.

The Zhao Song dynasty, as usual, dispatched officials to divide equally among the people of Wanping and Xijin Counties the lands confiscated from these high-ranking officials, scholar-gentry, wealthy clans, leaders, and officers; they enforced fair trade and showed no harm, aiming to win local hearts and compel the populace to assist the Song army in attacking Yanjingcheng.

Although Chai Yi had burned much of Xijin's grain, Wanping's grain alone was sufficient to sustain the Song army for three months.

Moreover, under the guidance of Liao defectors who had surrendered to the Zhao Song dynasty, the Song army seized three Liao pastures, acquiring nearly forty thousand warhorses and over three hundred thousand cattle, sheep, and camels.

——Just at the Heshan horse pasture alone, the Song army captured over twenty thousand warhorses and over two hundred thousand cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys; the granaries were piled high with grain and fodder.

In fact, in previous battles, the Song army had also seized large quantities of grain, horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys.

Thus, the Song army now had ample military supplies.

This time, the Zhao Song dynasty's logistical pressure eased considerably; many newly recruited soldiers from the northwest, who had previously been foot soldiers, now became cavalry.

Five days later, on the sixth day of the ninth month, Zhao Yu personally led the Divine Mechanism Left Army, Northern Auxiliary Army, and numerous Hebei Imperial Guards to arrive beneath Yanjingcheng.

After Zhao Yu arrived, he took up residence at a place called Yanfangdian.

The Liao emperor had once held his spring encampment here.

"Nayue" is a transliteration of a Khitan word meaning the emperor's mobile camp; the "Four Seasons Nayue" referred to the Liao emperor's seasonal migrations and nomadic hunting activities tied to Khitan pastoral customs: "spring water, autumn mountains, winter and summer nayue."

Located southeast of Yanjingcheng, it stretched over twenty li east-west and ten li north-south, with flat terrain capable of housing a hundred thousand troops, yet surrounded by steep terrain and water on three sides, rich in grass and water, like an oasis in the desert, with the Despair Mire as a barrier behind. Occupying this place made it easy to defend and hard to attack, while also allowing for grazing and hunting.

There was also a ceremonial palace here, warm in winter and cool in summer; the Liao emperor had once spent winter here, convened meetings of northern and southern ministers, and received tribute from the Zhao Song and other states.

As Zhao Yu moved into the ceremonial palace, the Divine Mechanism Front Army, Divine Mechanism Rear Army, and Divine Mechanism Left Army each secured one of the surrounding waterways.

The Northern Auxiliary Army, Eastern Auxiliary Army, Western Auxiliary Army, and Hebei Imperial Guards formed the main force encircling Yanjingcheng.

At this time, roughly four hundred thousand troops surrounded Yanjingcheng entirely, establishing fortresses such as Chaotian and Tiebi along its four walls, forming a formidable military stronghold, and setting up numerous camps to completely enclose the city.

——In reality, the true Song soldiers numbered only slightly over two hundred thousand, filled largely with ineffective Hebei Imperial Guards who could only fight when the tide was favorable; the rest were civilian laborers, brought by Ceng Bu and others from the Jingji, Hebei, and Shandong regions, and hired by Ceng Bu's agents from Wanping and Xijin Counties to transport stone, cut timber, and construct siege equipment.

The Song army's camps were numerous, large and small, too many to count.

Song soldiers openly carried banners across the countryside, moving between the various camps.

The Liao defenders on Yanjingcheng's walls could clearly see the Song army's situation and were filled with fear.

…

Meanwhile, all city gates of Yanjingcheng were closed; the entire city was under martial law, and defenders stood ready on their assigned positions.

Yelu Heluowan was fully responsible for deploying Yanjingcheng's defenses. He understood the gravity of his duty and dared not slacken for a moment. He employed the Hundred-Step Method to divide the outer city walls into four defensive sectors—east, west, south, and north—each assigned twenty thousand troops as frontline forces, supplemented by auxiliary troops composed of Yanjing civilians.

For each of these four sectors, Yelu Heluowan appointed one imperial clan member and one military officer as joint sector supervisors, and assigned one close confidant of Yelu Yanxi as inspector.

The city gates were key defensive points; Yelu Heluowan dispatched capable imperial relatives to lead elite troops and defend each gate separately.

Yelu Heluowan ordered all soldiers and civilians to mobilize fully for defense: repairing watchtowers, hanging felt curtains, installing artillery platforms, setting up crossbow stands, transporting bricks and stones, preparing torches, lowering battering logs, and stockpiling fire oil—every defensive device was fully prepared.

Additionally, Yelu Heluowan reorganized all troops, especially newly recruited ones, conducting daily military training to enhance their combat skills and effectiveness.

Outside the city, within a radius of hundreds of li, civilians fled their homes in panic.

Some lawless elements took advantage of the chaos to band together as bandits, ambushing and looting on the roads; some even disguised themselves as Song soldiers.

Before the gates closed, tens of thousands of residents fled through Tongtian Gate, carrying elders and children, attempting to escape northward; unfortunately encountering these bandits' attacks, nearly half were killed or plundered.

The bandits set fire to houses outside the city, flames lighting up the sky, burning continuously through the night.

Those inside the city believed the fires were set by the Song army and were filled with terror.

Faced with this situation, even Yelu Yanxi, who had long wished to flee Yanjingcheng, dared not act rashly.

Only after the Song army fully sealed off Yanjingcheng.

Before the city was sealed, Yelu Yanxi and his ministers received several terrible tidings.

The first: Wanping City had been breached by the Song army; Xiao Hudu had led the entire garrison and populace in surrender.

The second: Xijin City had also been breached by the Song army; Chai Yi was leading the garrison and populace in street-to-street fighting.

The third: Guo Cheng ordered the surrendered Xiao Hudu and others to execute all who refused to surrender; Xiao Hudu led over twenty thousand Liao troops to defect to the Zhao Song dynasty, strengthening the Song army further.

The fifth: All reinforcements were still silent.

Upon hearing these news, Yelu Yanxi flew into a rage, cursing Xiao Changge, Yelu Heluowan, and others who advocated holding the city to the point of drenching them in abuse.

Originally, Xiao Changge, Yelu Heluowan, and others had been confident of holding Yanjingcheng primarily because Wanping and Xijin would support it, and they believed reinforcements would arrive soon.

But when the Song army arrived, they captured Wanping City and Xijin City, and Xiao Hudugu led her large force to defect to Song, while reinforcements remained unknown in arrival time.

Won't we become fish trapped in a jar?

Xiao Changge, Yelu Heluowan, and others also did not anticipate events unfolding this way.

To be honest, had they known this would happen, they certainly would not have blocked Yelu Yanxi's northern journey, allowing Liao to fall into such a passive position.

But now that it had come to this, dwelling on it would only be seen as shifting blame, so they could only let Yelu Yanxi vent his frustration.

After Yelu Yanxi finished cursing, Xiao Fengxian stepped forward and said: "At this moment, our priority must be preserving the great Liao's land and state. I believe we must immediately send envoys to the Song army to meet Song Zhu and negotiate peace."

Yelu Yanxi looked at Xiao Changge, Yelu Heluowan, and other war-hardened ministers and asked them: "What do you think?"

Xiao Changge analyzed: "The enemy is now at peak strength, while our main forces have not yet assembled; we cannot avoid peace. But peace must be strategic—gain the right strategy, and Liao's position will stabilize; otherwise, disaster will never cease. The fate of our ancestral temple hangs on this single move! The envoy sent to negotiate must be both brave and cunning; otherwise, he may ruin the state."

Then Xiao Changge further analyzed the situation, repeatedly stressing that no land must be ceded and no excessive Jin Bo promised.

Xiao Changge said: "Song has long coveted our Nanjing, Xijing, and Pingzhou. In these peace talks, they will surely make loud demands for these three regions to test Liao's response. If Liao remains unmoved and responds appropriately, they will retreat; but if the court panics and grants every demand, they will know Liao has no resolve and will grow even more greedy—then our troubles will never end. First, do not panic; maintain composure, then you can respond to this moment of life and death. May Your Majesty deliberate carefully."

Yelu Yanxi, who also understood the importance of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, nodded in agreement.

After deliberation, Yelu Yanxi dispatched Prince Consort Xiao Bodi and Zuo Qigong to the Song army to seek peace.

Because Zhao Yu was coming; whether to make peace with Liao or not was beyond the authority of Guo Cheng and other frontline commanders.

Thus, Guo Cheng and his men continued their plan to attack Yanjing City.

Unlike earlier cities easily blown open, Yanjing City, as a vital stronghold, had its walls constructed with sturdy materials and sound structure to resist foreign invasion.

Even with the explosive packs' considerable power, multiple detonations were needed to create gaps large enough for troops to pass through.

And during this process, the enemy could easily detect and prepare defenses.

Crucially, due to prior battles, the Liao army already knew Song possessed explosive packs as siege weapons, so they took various measures to counter them: strengthening wall patrols to detect and destroy explosive packs promptly; setting obstacles around the walls to prevent Song soldiers from approaching to plant explosives; using moats and other defenses to increase the difficulty of Song soldiers reaching the walls.

Guo Cheng deployed newly defected Liao troops as the main assault force to begin filling the moat, preparing for the true siege.

What if the newly defected Liao troops refused orders?

What are the督戰隊 for?

Any former Liao soldier who did not charge forward was to be shot immediately, without mercy.

No more idle talk.

Before Zhao Yu arrived, Guo Cheng and others had been filling the moat day and night, conducting probing assaults on the city.

After Zhao Yu arrived in Yanjing, Guo Cheng and others delivered the Liao envoys Xiao Bodi and Zuo Qigong to him, then resumed filling the moat and attacking.

On the seventh day of the ninth month, Zhao Yu met Xiao Bodi and Zuo Qigong in the Fasting Palace.

Zhao Yu sat upon the dragon throne; after Xiao Bodi and Zuo Qigong performed the grand kowtow, they presented two copies of documents and said, in fluent Han: "These are the oaths of Emperor Zhenzong, Emperor Renzong, and our sovereign, Emperor Zhao Sheng. Our emperor has ordered me to recite them to Your Majesty."

Zhao Yu was stunned—he had not expected Liao to bring forth the "Peace Pact of Qingli" and the "Treaty of Chanyuan."

In the second year of Qingli under Emperor Renzong of Song, Liao took advantage of the Northern Song's war with Xi Xia, sending envoys to the Zhao Song court demanding territorial cession. After multiple negotiations, an agreement was reached: Zhao Song would annually increase tribute to Liao by 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk, delivered under the term "nà"; both sides would maintain existing borders and refrain from building fortresses or dredging rivers along the frontier.

The "Treaty of Chanyuan," signed by Emperor Zhenzong of Song in the first year of Jingde at Chanzhou, had fully initiated Zhao Song's shameful pattern of buying northern border peace with annual tribute.

Zhao Yu had not expected Liao to produce the "Peace Pact of Qingli" and the "Treaty of Chanyuan" at this critical moment.

Zhao Yu understood perfectly well: Liao meant to remind him of the agreement that "each side's border armies shall guard their own boundaries; the people of both lands shall not invade each other's territory," and so on.

But when Xiao Bodi read: "For the benefit of local products, to assist military expenses, each year ten thousand bolts of silk and ten thousand taels of silver shall be delivered, without sending envoys specifically to the Northern Court; the Three Departments shall dispatch personnel to collect them at Xiongzhou for handover…" Zhao Yu's face darkened and he halted Xiao Bodi: "Stop!"

Then Zhao Yu spoke with a face like ice: "I have not mentioned tribute, yet your court dares to raise it first. Very well, very well. If so, your court shall first return to me all tribute, principal and interest, before we speak of peace again…"

…

(End of Chapter)