Chapter 324: Empress of the Jin

…

After the conditions proposed by the Song side for peace between Song and Jin were "leaked," the Liao people in Yanping region cheered wildly.

Even common folk could see that Zhao Yu's peace terms clearly indicated he had no intention of making peace with Jin.

To these Liao people, this might mean Song intended to help Liao recover its lost territories and restore its state—that Song still stood with Liao.

Although the Liao people here had become Song Ren since Song reclaimed Yanping, some Liao still harbored unextinguished emotional ties to Liao. Families that had thrived for generations on Liao soil—including many Han children of Liao land—still had old Liao-style wind chimes hanging from eaves, still told their children tales of Liao's legends; this blood-deep sense of belonging made them long for Liao's restoration, even yearning to return under Liao rule, especially those Liao who had prospered under Liao rule but now languished.

Now, Song's demand that Jin return Zhang Zhongjing, Dongjing, and Shangjing of Liao fell like timely rain into the parched hearts of some Liao.

The Khitan dwell in clouds and sands, carts flow like water, horses gallop like dragons. In spring, grass stretches ten thousand li, peonies and peonies intermingle in red. Big Hu pulls carts, little Hu dances, plucking the Hu pipa, tuning the Hu girl…

Many Liao, especially Khitan among them, repeatedly sang the "Khitan Song," recalling the vast desert, spring grasses stretching miles, flowers blooming brilliantly, Khitan people singing and dancing in herds as they roamed, radiating wild joy, along with scenes of their hunts and their fierce, martial spirit…

Some Liao naively believed that with Song's help, Liao's restoration was possible; their resistance to wearing Song Fu and following Song systems faded slightly, and they even smiled more at Song Ting officials, as if waiting just a few more days would see Liao's banners planted again atop the old capital's walls.

But Liao's enlightened elites knew well: Song's demand that Jin return Zhang Zhongjing, Dongjing, and Shangjing to Liao was never meant to restore Liao—it was clearly to use Liao as a buffer between Song and Jin, to keep draining Jin's strength so Jin could never become a threat to Song, just as Liao once used Xi Xia to contain Song; now Song merely copied the same tactic, making Liao the pawn to restrain Jin.

Liao had been nearly destroyed by Jin, who enslaved Liao men, seized Liao women, desecrated Liao graves, and committed every atrocity against Liao people; Liao hated Jin with bone-deep fury. Moreover, Liao could not restore itself without defeating Jin. Thus, whether from survival, emotion, or irreconcilable conflict, Liao must cling to Song and fight Jin to the death.

Then Song could sit back and watch Liao and Jin destroy each other, reaping the benefits of the fisherman.

And even this was merely a Liao fantasy.

To be honest, since Jin's rise, the Liao army had never won a decent battle—defeated again and again, routed from north to south, east to west; even when Liao was nearly annihilated, even when Liao army smashed their own boats and broke their own cauldrons, they still could not defeat Jin. Especially the two crushing defeats recently led by Yelu Chun, which nearly wiped out Liao's last reserves.

If not for Song troops helping Liao defeat Jin, Liao would already have been utterly destroyed.

Given the Liao army's abysmal combat performance, to Song, it was barely better than nothing; Song could choose to directly take control of the region from beyond the Great Wall to Zhang Zhongjing, and deal with Jin itself—Jin, already terrified by Song.

If so, Song could directly control the situation, no longer needing to waste effort propping up this useless Liao, reducing variables and risks from intermediaries, and thus eliminating worries that Liao might become a future threat.

In fact, such voices already existed in Song: they argued that the remnant Liao had no value to support, that Jin was already terrified by Song, and that Song could deal with Jin directly.

Some were even more radical, arguing that Song should directly launch troops to annihilate Jin entirely and fully control the northeast.

If events developed this way, the remnant Liao under Yelu Ao would undoubtedly fall into an unprecedented predicament, even becoming expendable pawns.

Yelu Ao felt as if walking on thin ice, filled with anxiety and unease; he found Xiao Sese and spoke timidly: "Empress Dowager, Zhang Zhongjing has been recovered—when will His Majesty return Zhang Zhongjing to our Great Liao?"

Xiao Sese knew Yelu Ao's submissive demeanor was feigned—not only she knew, but Zhao Yu and Xiao Pu Xian Nü also knew; every intelligent person in Song and Liao knew Yelu Ao was sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall.

To be honest, as a mother, seeing her own son suppress his true nature and sleep on brushwood and taste gall, Xiao Sese felt deep pain.

Yet on the other hand, the man manipulating Yelu Ao, manipulating all of this, was Xiao Sese's current lover—the father of her other two sons and her fifth child yet unborn.

This plunged Xiao Sese into an extremely complex emotional vortex, torn between two sides, her heart a tangle of conflicting feelings, especially when she gazed at Yelu Ao's face—partly childish, yet forcing composure.

'Ah Guo! You have committed such grievous sins, forcing my son to endure such agony and torment!!!'

Though she hated Yelu Yanxi, the architect of all this, with every fiber of her being, what use was hatred now?

The current situation was already a tangled knot—cut it not, untangle it not; tracing back to origins was meaningless.

Xiao Sese suppressed her pity for Yelu Ao and said: "His Majesty has no intention of taking Zhang Zhongjing; returning Zhang Zhongjing to your Great Liao is not impossible—but can your Great Liao hold Zhang Zhongjing?"

Yelu Ao opened his mouth, wanting to say Liao could certainly defend Zhang Zhongjing.

But the words stuck in his throat—he could not utter them.

The Liao army, at most, had no more than fifty to seventy thousand troops left.

These fifty to seventy thousand were all frightened birds, shattered by repeated defeats, relying only on Song troops for false strength.

If Zhao Yu truly returned Zhang Zhongjing to Liao, could these fifty to seventy thousand Liao troops—terrified by Jin forces—possibly hold Zhang Zhongjing?

Moreover, even Yelu Ao knew that Wanyan Aguda, having been repeatedly defeated by Zhao Yu, now needed achievements to salvage his political life; retaking Zhang Zhongjing and publicizing it well might just buy Wanyan Aguda some breathing room.

Seeing Yelu Ao grasped the key point, Xiao Sese said: "Requesting His Majesty to return Zhang Zhongjing to Great Liao—or even appoint you to guard it—is not unfeasible, but granting your wish may bring you and Great Liao nothing but harm."

Yelu Ao feared that the moment Song returned Zhang Zhongjing to Liao, he would joyfully go to Zhang Zhongjing to become the true emperor he had long dreamed of, only for Jin troops to seize it the next day, turning him into Wanyan Aguda's prisoner and helping Wanyan Aguda through this crisis.

Yet despite this possibility, his longing for freedom, his hope for restoration, his desperate need to escape Zhao Yu's control, drove Yelu Ao to his knees with a thud; he wept: "For Great Liao, I am willing to risk my life—even die on the battlefield—I shall have no regrets. I beg Empress Dowager to intercede!"

Yelu Ao's tearful plea struck Xiao Sese's heart like a heavy hammer. In her eyes, though young, he bore the weight of his nation's survival and ruin; this heavy sense of responsibility filled her with both pity and pride.

Xiao Sese took a deep breath, forcing her turbulent emotions to calm, and spoke slowly: "If you have such resolve, how could I stand idle? But this matter is no small thing—it requires careful deliberation and meticulous planning."

Hearing this, Yelu Ao's eyes flickered with a glimmer of hope; he seized it like a lifeline and hurriedly said: "I will follow Empress Dowager's every word!"

After agreeing to Yelu Ao's request, Xiao Sese did not immediately seek Zhao Yu; instead, she first went to Xiao Pu Xian Nü and asked: "Now that Zhang Zhongjing has been recovered, can our Great Liao be restored?"

Xiao Pu Xian Nü replied: "To seek restoration after reclaiming only one capital—how absurd!"

Xiao Sese said calmly: "If we may go to Zhang Zhongjing to restore Liao, I shall follow my elder sister's lead."

In truth, Xiao Sese was older than Xiao Pu Xian Nü, but to fulfill Yelu Ao's wish, Xiao Sese willingly took the lesser role, letting the ambitious Xiao Pu Xian Nü persuade Zhao Yu to send Yelu Ao to Zhang Zhongjing as the true emperor of Liao.

Xiao Sese was right: Xiao Pu Xian Nü did not believe Yelu Ao, the offspring of Yelu Yanxi, could save Liao—but that did not stop her from using this opportunity to challenge Wanyan Aguda as Liao Empress Dowager.

In other words, helping Yelu Ao go to Zhang Zhongjing held no interest for Xiao Pu Xian Nü—but if she could govern Zhang Zhongjing herself, she was willing to try.

Xiao Pu Xian Nü looked at Xiao Sese and asked: "Are you serious?"

Xiao Sese did not hesitate: "If we may go to Zhang Zhongjing, Zhang Zhongjing shall be under your command."