Chapter 307: Zhao Yu Won Big

…

Yelu Yanxi had also learned that Xiao Fengxian had given Xiao Duoli Lan and Xiao Guige to Zhao Yu.

Yelu Yanxi was deeply saddened by this.

Yelu Yanxi felt he had always favored and trusted Xiao Fengxian's family; he could not understand why Xiao Fengxian would kick him while he was down—giving up his Empress to Zhao Yu was bad enough, but why give up his beloved Xiao Guige as well?

Yelu Yanxi was deeply saddened by this.

In his sorrow, Yelu Yanxi began to regret.

Regret coiled like ivy, twisting until his bones ached.

He gazed at the narrow sliver of sky beyond the window lattice, a bitter, metallic taste rising in his throat.

Had he not been blinded by Xiao Fengxian's sweet words, how could he have allowed them to frame the loyal? Yelu Yudu was a fierce, battle-hardened general, yet falsely accused of rebellion, driven to defect to the Jin; those elderly ministers who dared speak truth were treated by him as noisy cicadas—lightly exiled, heavily executed. Back then, he thought only silence mattered, never realizing he had sealed off his nation's lifeline.

He should not have spent every day lost in hunting, abandoning court to a crowd of sycophants. Last winter, when Tokyo was besieged, urgent reports flew like snowflakes, yet he remained at his hunting grounds in Qingzhou, chasing a white fox, forcing messengers to wait three days and nights in the blizzard. All he could think of then was boasting of his white fox kill—never once did he consider the blood-soaked soldiers on the walls or the terrified civilians within the city.

He had never truly cared for the Jiangshan of Liao. When the treasury ran dry, he raised taxes, driving the people into exile; when famine struck, he hid away to hunt, ignoring withered fields and corpses littering the land. He always believed Liao's foundations were too deep to be shaken by his follies—yet he did not realize the thousand-li dike had already been riddled with ant holes by his own hands.

When he could not defeat the Song Dynasty, he fled north; when he could not defeat the Jurchens, he fled south. He always believed Liao stretched from the Sea of Japan in the east, encompassing the Heilongjiang and Wusuli River basins and Sakhalin Island, west to the Altai Mountains, north to the Argun River and Outer Khingan Range, south to the Baigou River in central Hebei and northern Shanxi—including the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun—vast and boundless, with refuge always within reach. Yet he never understood that running away was never a solution.

Now he wondered: what did it matter that Xiao Fengxian gave Xiao Duoli Lan and Xiao Guige to Zhao Yu? Ultimately, it was his own incompetence as ruler—he could not protect his people, nor even his own bedmate. Those common folk he abandoned, fleeing through war's flames, must have felt this same despair. Those Liao soldiers fighting bloody battles on the front, watching him indulge in pleasure—how cold must their hearts have grown?

He had once believed an emperor should do as he pleased, that his ancestors' legacy was impregnable. Only on the day the city fell, as he fled in haste on horseback, with Shangjing burning behind him and the people's wails ringing in his ears, did he realize he had destroyed it all himself.

Yelu Yanxi closed his eyes, and before him appeared the scene of his youth, hunting with his grandfather—when he had once vowed to become a diligent, enlightened ruler.

If he could start again, he would banish traitors like Xiao Fengxian far away, and place those who dared speak truth on the court; he would read every memorial daily, care for grain harvests, ensuring his people had enough to eat; he would personally visit the borders, check if soldiers' armor was thin, letting them know their ruler remembered their toil; he would never flee again, whether the enemy was Zhao Yu or Wanyan Aguda…

But the wind outside the window swept withered leaves past, moaning like laughter at his delusion. He was, after all, the fool who had squandered a winning hand, now a prisoner, his regret itself a luxury. At this moment, those he had betrayed—people and deeds—became sharp thorns, piercing his heart again and again, making even breathing agony.

At that moment, a group of Liao ministers knocked on Yelu Yanxi's door.

Yelu Yanxi quickly wiped his tears and ordered Yelu Tanggu, still loyal to him, to let the ministers enter.

Xiao Fengxian was not among them. He had no face to show Yelu Yanxi.

Because so many had come, Yelu Hulua turned to the ministers and told them to step back, lest they crowd the room and appear undignified.

Yelu Yanxi asked Yelu Hulua directly: "Uncle, what is your purpose in coming?"

Yelu Hulua said: "Our Great Liao now stands at the brink of ruin. Does Your Majesty have any strategy?"

Yelu Yanxi replied: "Indeed. What can be done?"

Yelu Hulua said: "Earlier, I dreamed of our Ancestor Emperor, who told me our Great Liao still has a glimmer of hope. Then I dreamed of Prince Jin leading us to a great victory over the Jurchens and restoring our realm. I privately interpreted this: the Ancestor Emperor, through my dream, urges Your Majesty to abdicate in favor of Prince Jin."

Yelu Yanxi remained silent.

Yelu Hulua continued: "Your Majesty understands this. I dare not fear death—I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict of abdication and orders to the Nine Princes of Yanjing to welcome the new sovereign, preserving our Great Liao's lineage."

Yelu Yanxi remained silent.

Seeing this, Yelu Hulua urged: "If Your Majesty decides now, our ancestral altars shall be secure; if not, collapse is inevitable. The fate of our realm rests on Your Majesty today."

After a pause, Yelu Hulua added: "If Your Majesty delays, and our front collapses while our army is gone, then even if you later wish to pass the throne to your son, it will be useless—will the Song Dynasty save a Liao with no value left?"

Nearby, the Grand Protector Xiao Temuge also urged: "The Jurchens have already swallowed half our territory, seized three of our five capitals. The Song have taken the Western Capital and now seek to claim Yanping. Your Majesty is trapped by the Song. Our only hope is Prince Jin, enduring hardship to restore our court. If Your Majesty, for the sake of the realm, abdicates to Prince Jin, perhaps we may preserve our lineage and spare the people further war."

He paused, then added: "Prince Jin is Your Majesty's own son, bound by blood. He is naturally filial. If he ever restores our Great Liao, how could he fail to honor Your Majesty?"

Other Liao ministers also urged Yelu Yanxi, yet he said nothing.

Outside the door, Xiao Fengxian grew anxious.

At that moment, Li Chuwen walked over and handed Xiao Fengxian a proclamation.

The proclamation was from the Jin, filled with insolent words condemning Yelu Yanxi as foolish and tyrannical. Li Chuwen whispered: "Why not present this proclamation to stir His Majesty's heart, hoping to provoke an edict summoning honest counsel?"

Xiao Fengxian agreed, and had the proclamation delivered to Yelu Hulua, Xiao Temuge, and others, to show to Yelu Yanxi.

Yelu Yanxi took it and read:

Proclamation from the Great Jin Commander's Office:

The Liao ruler Aguo is foolish and cruel, lost virtue and lost his realm. He wallows in wine and lust, murders loyal ministers, neglects virtuous governance, and stirs the people's wrath. He presumes heaven's mandate, repeatedly provokes border conflicts, brings disaster upon neighboring states—he is truly a pest upon mankind.

Our Great Jin, by Heaven's mandate, raises arms to punish guilt. We seek only the chief offenders to bring peace to the people. All officials and commoners of Liao who recognize Heaven's will, abandon rebellion, and submit shall retain their posts, live in peace, and enjoy light taxes and reduced corvée…

After reading the proclamation, Yelu Yanxi wept silently, then said only: "Enough. Come discuss this tonight."

Yelu Yanxi understood the ministers' intent clearly—they were pressuring him, telling him that not only the Song Dynasty intended to depose him, but the Jin would not spare him either.

From the Jin's proclamation, it was clear their invasion targeted him personally—he could not escape blame.

The Liao ministers also implied that abdication was not shirking responsibility—it was, in fact, a courageous act of accepting it.