Chapter 183: They Could Have Just Taken It Directly—Yet Still Deigned to Negotiate With You

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Two hundred thousand horses?!?!

Xiao Fengxian, Xiao Bodi, and Zhao Liangsi nearly had their eyes pop out.

Yes.

The Liao state was a horse-based nation; horses held vital importance in its military, production, and daily life, and the northern grasslands provided its people with abundant quantities and high-quality warhorses.

Put it this way: excluding private holdings, the Liao court alone had long maintained over a million horses.

But not all of these million-plus horses were warhorses.

From military deployment: the Liao central cavalry's Pishi Army and Shushan Army together had five hundred thousand horses; the Gongfen Army had approximately 330,000 horses (the Gongfen Army totaled 410,000 men, with three horses per frontline soldier). Additionally, regional tribal armies also possessed vast numbers of horses.

But this was the total military inventory of the Liao army.

The Liao forces trapped within Yanjing City numbered only around one hundred thousand, and though many were elite units—Pishi Army, Shushan Army, Gongfen Army—there were also many infantry troops among them.

How could there possibly be two hundred thousand warhorses here?

To speak bluntly, if the Liao army truly had two hundred thousand warhorses, Yelu Yanxi and his ministers would not be trapped inside Yanjing City.

Thus, Zhao Yu's ministers demanding two hundred thousand warhorses was sheer unreasonable demand—even outright extortion.

Zhao Liangsi reacted fastest; he quickly realized Zhao Yu's ministers wanted the horses not for military use, but to prevent the people inside the city—especially Yelu Yanxi—from escaping, and by seizing all warhorses, Yelu Yanxi and the city's inhabitants would be utterly trapped.

If this truly was Zhao Yu's ministers' goal, then two hundred thousand warhorses was merely a rhetorical number; what they actually wanted was every single warhorse within Yanjing City.

Zhao Liangsi thought, 'This is non-negotiable.'

Indeed!

Han Zhongyan spoke with an unyielding tone:

'Your court's army relies heavily on cavalry; the need for warhorses is immeasurable and universally known. Yanjing is the vital hub of your state—its politics, economy, and military readiness all hinge upon it. Moreover, Yanjing's markets are densely packed, trade flows incessantly, serving as the critical junction between north and south, where horses and livestock are heavily used for transport and commerce. Furthermore, your emperor and nobility frequently tour the realm; as Yanjing is a mighty city, whenever the imperial carriage halts here, the escorting horses flow like a river. Now, merely two hundred thousand horses—should your court have the will, you can certainly deliver them. If your court evades this demand, it proves you have no intention of peace. If so, our two courts shall resume war. When the city falls, every person and thing within it becomes ours.'

Upon hearing Han Zhongyan's threat to resume war, Xiao Fengxian immediately grew cautious; he spoke earnestly: 'It is not that our court refuses peace, but even counting all packhorses, the city cannot muster two hundred thousand. We humbly beg your Prime Minister's leniency.'

Han Zhongyan also felt it impossible for Yanjing City to hold so many horses, so he fell silent for a moment, then said: 'Then this: your court shall surrender all horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys within the city within three days. Any shortfall shall be delivered later when your reinforcements arrive.'

Xiao Fengxian still wished to argue, but Han Zhongyan frowned: 'To be frank, my soldiers all yearn to breach Yanjing City, capture your emperor alive, and claim this unparalleled glory for promotion—precisely because our Emperor, moved by compassion for the lives of both nations and mindful of the hard-won century of peace, has granted your court mercy. If your court fails to appreciate this, I shall return and urge our Emperor to withdraw this grace. When the city falls, we shall take everything ourselves—why bother with these negotiations?'

Han Zhongyan's words were essentially saying: My Great Song could simply seize it outright, yet still deigns to negotiate with your Liao state—don't be so ungrateful.

Han Zhongyan's threat left Xiao Fengxian utterly speechless. What could he do? The Liao army could not withstand Song assault; if Song forces breached Yanjing City, everything within it would belong to the Zhao Song dynasty, and its people would face massacre.

Xiao Fengxian looked at the setting sun's last glow and reluctantly said: 'I accept this on behalf of my emperor. But may I ask—do these horses count toward the annual tribute? What is their valuation?'

Hearing this, Zhao Liangsi nearly spat blood; he thought, 'With the Southern Court so dominant, how can you dare ask for terms? You must silently accept this as repayment of tribute. Wait until our reinforcements arrive to contest it as such—but if you ask this now, those two hundred thousand warhorses will be given away for free to the Southern Court.'

Zhao Liangsi guessed right again. Han Zhongyan, hearing this, remained expressionless: 'I shall petition our Emperor on your behalf: treat these two hundred thousand horses as interest on your annual tribute. Your court need only repay the principal of the tribute, and our two courts may formally negotiate peace. How?'

Hearing Han Zhongyan casually reclassify two hundred thousand warhorses as interest on tribute, Xiao Fengxian was stunned.

Generally, an ordinary warhorse costs between several dozen to over a hundred guan.

During the period when Zhao Song faced off against Liao and Xi Xia, warhorses were scarce, and high-quality ones commanded even higher prices—some reaching several hundred guan, even over a thousand.

For example, during Emperor Shenzong's reign, top-grade horses purchased from the northwest cost roughly three hundred guan each.

At three hundred guan per horse, two hundred thousand horses equal six hundred million guan.

Just this one item would nearly cover the entire outstanding tribute owed to Zhao Song.

Of course, Yanjing City certainly did not possess two hundred thousand warhorses, nor could all its horses be top-grade; the Liao's sold horses were certainly cheaper than those bought by Zhao Song, and cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys were worth far less.

Even so, these animals together must still be worth at least one or two hundred million guan.

Yet these animals—valued at such immense sums—were now reduced to mere interest on tribute.

Xiao Fengxian wanted to protest, but Han Zhongyan preempted him:

'In our realm, private lending typically charges two fen monthly interest. Your court has borrowed our annual tribute for nearly a century, or at least several years. Even if we charged only two li or one li interest, even if you gave your entire state to us, it would still not cover the interest. Now, we demand merely two hundred thousand horses as interest—how generous is that?'

Xiao Fengxian was left speechless again.

What could he say? That this money wasn't borrowed by our ancestors from Zhao Song, but stolen from them?

If Xiao Fengxian truly said that, Han Zhongyan would merely reply: 'If your Liao state can steal, then our Zhao Song state can steal too'—and the talks would collapse entirely.

Not just Xiao Fengxian—even Zhao Liangsi had no rebuttal.

There was no way out: Liao's past banditry had completely blocked the path for its successors.

Worse, this wasn't a debate over eloquence; the current situation was that Zhao Song held the knife and the Liao state was the meat—how could they argue? How could they defend themselves?

What frustrated Xiao Fengxian and the others was that even under these terms, Han Zhongyan added: 'I must clarify: this is merely the goal I intend to negotiate for your court. I offer no guarantee that our Emperor will approve it.'

Hearing this, Xiao Fengxian still had to speak flatteringly: 'We humbly beg your Prime Minister to do your utmost for our court. Our court shall never forget your great kindness.'

'I shall do my best,' said Han Zhongyan.

Then Han Zhongyan confirmed the details again: 'Your court shall repay our annual tribute in full within one month, and within three days deliver two hundred thousand horses as interest on the tribute. If Yanjing City lacks sufficient horses, you may first substitute cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys…'

Zhao Liangsi added beside him: 'Five sheep equal one horse.'

Han Zhongyan nodded, accepting Zhao Liangsi's addition, and continued: 'One cow, camel, mule, or donkey equals one horse. If after surrendering all horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys within Yanjing City there remains a shortfall, you may deliver the remainder when your reinforcements arrive. Any objections?'

By now, the sun had set, and the Song army had begun moving.

If Xiao Fengxian refused, the Song army would immediately resume the assault—Yanjing City would fall tonight.

Understanding this, Xiao Fengxian nodded heavily: 'Our court has no objections.'

Han Zhongyan finalized the details: 'Then from tomorrow onward, your court shall deliver five hundred thousand taels of gold, one million taels of silver, and two hundred thousand bolts of silk daily. At dawn tomorrow, begin transferring all warhorses from the city to Tongtian Gate. Within three days, deliver all horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys within Yanjing City to Tongtian Gate…'

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Within Yanjing City.

Since Xiao Fengxian departed to negotiate peace, the city's people—Han and Khitan alike—had somehow learned of it, and gradually gathered in crowds from all directions to the square before the imperial palace.

People surged toward the gates, jostling, shoulder to shoulder, noisy and chaotic, restless and disordered.

Upon hearing this, Yelu Yanxi, accompanied by Xiao Changge, Yelu Huluo, and others, ascended the city gate tower.

Facing the dark, thronging, chaotic crowd below, Yelu Yanxi looked around helplessly; Xiao Changge, Yelu Huluo, and the others stared blankly, utterly at a loss, trembling with dread.

After a long while, once Yelu Chun had led his troops to restore order, Yelu Yanxi, following Xiao Changge's instructions, gripped the railing, faced the square, and shouted to the crowd: "The situation has reached this point—what do the soldiers and civilians wish to do? Those with plans, present them now; I shall listen. If you have no suggestions, take arms and weapons, and each protect your elderly and children."

From this, it is clear that Xiao Changge, Yelu Heluowan, and others had already prepared themselves mentally for street fighting.

The people of Yanjingcheng asked Yelu Yanxi many questions. At this point, no one cared about imperial etiquette; Yelu Yanxi and the people of Yanjingcheng addressed each other as "you" and "I."

For the people of Yanjingcheng, their greatest fear was that Yelu Yanxi would recklessly flee the city.

If that happened, the Song army would likely massacre the entire city after breaching Yanjingcheng.

So some wept and cried: "Your Majesty, if you leave the city, all lives will be reduced to ashes—please pity the people of this entire city!"

As they spoke, these people burst into loud sobs.

Seeing this, Yelu Yanxi felt deeply troubled, and he declared loudly: "I am the sovereign of a nation—how could I abandon this place?"

In fact, Yelu Chun had previously offered to lead the Liao troops within the city to escort Yelu Yanxi out through force.

But Yelu Yanxi feared being wounded by swords and spears, so he said he would wait until Xiao Fengxian had negotiated with Zhao Yu before deciding—only if utterly cornered would he consider this desperate path.

As for staying behind to lead the people in street fighting, that was a path Yelu Yanxi would never choose.

Thus, when Yelu Yanxi spoke these words, he was purely deceiving the people of Yanjingcheng.

Xiao Changge, Yelu Heluowan, and others felt Yelu Yanxi had said enough, so they ordered all swords, spears, bows, and arrows stored in the armory to be brought out and distributed to the people, preparing them for street fighting.

But after receiving these weapons, many people in Yanjingcheng turned around and threw them away.

Even more unexpectedly, many ruffians and hoodlums in Yanjingcheng, after obtaining these weapons, began killing and setting fires.

This caused the situation within Yanjingcheng to become extremely chaotic.

Many areas, including some government offices, were set ablaze.

The fires destroyed thousands of civilian homes without a trace.

Amid thick smoke and flames, the people of Yanjingcheng fled in all directions—some ran from the east to the west, others from the west to the east. When they met on the roads, they were utterly lost, unsure where to flee. In the chaos, many fathers lost their sons, many husbands lost their wives, and some families, unable to bear the suffering, hanged themselves.

Many Liao ruffians and hoodlums took advantage of the chaos to plunder without restraint.

Some even disguised themselves as Song soldiers, specifically targeting wealthy mansions.

Large numbers of high-ranking officials, scholar-gentry families, powerful clans, and wealthy merchants suffered attacks.

Some ministers and physicians, to conceal their identities, had to change into coarse cloth robes and straw sandals, blending among the common folk; some women from noble families, to hide their faces, smeared mud on their skin, wore tattered clothes, and looked like beggars.

Many Liao people sought opportunities to escape Yanjingcheng. They fled with their elderly and children, but many elders and children were crushed or trampled to death. The corpses of abandoned elders and infants piled up at the city gates, terrifying to behold. A wailing cry, spreading from unknown sources, was unbearable to hear.

These events gradually reached the palace. Upon learning of them, Yelu Yanxi ordered Yelu Chun to swiftly suppress the lawless, while simultaneously preparing to break out of Yanjingcheng.

To be honest, Yelu Yanxi had also considered fighting his way out of Yanjingcheng.

But tens of thousands of Song troops had surrounded Yanjingcheng completely, and they had dug countless ditches over a zhang deep at every city gate, setting up numerous sharpened stakes and horse-tripping ropes to prevent Liao troops from escaping.

Crucially, the Song cavalry stood ready at all times to cut down any Liao who dared charge out of Yanjingcheng.

Any Liao who tried to break out of the city would pay a horrific price.

Yelu Yanxi truly could not believe he would be the lucky one to succeed in escaping Yanjingcheng.

When night fell, the Song troops began to stir, and siege engines started moving—seemingly preparing to attack again.

Now, the situation facing Yelu Yanxi and his ministers was this: internal chaos persisted within the city, while outside, the Song army prepared for a major assault; the defending soldiers had no confidence against the Song's overwhelming strength.

Yelu Yanxi truly felt he was now utterly cornered—he might become Zhao Yu's prisoner by tomorrow.

At this critical moment, the Song troops suddenly halted.

Seeing this, Yelu Yanxi and his ministers were first puzzled, but soon realized: Xiao Fengxian and others must have successfully negotiated peace with Zhao Yu.

Yelu Yanxi immediately issued an edict: "Quickly notify all within the city: the two nations have made peace. All who set fires, kill, or plunder property within or outside Nanjingcheng shall be hunted down and executed by dispatched troops. Let the residents remain in peace—any violator shall be beheaded."

After Yelu Yanxi and his ministers anxiously waited, around the hour of You, Xiao Fengxian and others returned to Yanjingcheng, holding high a yellow flag bearing the four large characters: "Two Nations in Peace."

Soon after, Xiao Fengxian and others arrived at the palace, entered the hall, and reported to Yelu Yanxi the results of their negotiations with Han Zhongyan.

After listening, Yelu Yanxi felt deeply confused—he did not know whether he should step into the trap Zhao Yu had laid for him…

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(End of Chapter)