Chapter 392: Beidi

Tiemuta walked through the Imperial Palace of Western Liang with his head held high.

At present, Western Liang had nearly become a vassal of Beidi.

As the son of the Beidi Khan, he naturally had to display the majesty of the Beidi people before the people of Western Liang.

He had to make Western Liang clear about its own status.

"Tiemuta, welcome," he said upon entering the great hall.

Tiemuta looked toward Tuoba Hao on the imperial throne; he did not bow, but remained standing with his head tilted upward.

The ministers and generals of Western Liang were silent, and not a single person dared to rebuke Tiemuta for his rudeness.

This was completely different from how they had mocked the Great Song envoy just moments before.

"Many thanks," Tiemuta said.

Tuoba Hao suddenly felt that he could neither sit nor stand comfortably.

Coughing once, he said, "King Tiemuta, you have arrived a little late; otherwise, you would have surely seen how I just humiliated the Great Song envoy."

Tiemuta finally revealed a faint smile and said, "That is truly a pity, but, did the Great Song envoy come here perhaps because of the matter regarding the Third Prince of Great Song?"

Tuoba Hao's inner unease grew even greater.

He became even more convinced that Tiemuta had come this time for the sake of the Third Prince, Zhao Mu.

Otherwise, how could Tiemuta have known about this matter?

"Exactly, has this matter actually reached the Wangting?" Tuoba Hao asked.

Tiemuta nodded.

After Western Liang and Beidi signed their alliance, trade between Beidi merchants and Western Liang had become frequent.

Among these merchants, there were naturally eyes and ears for Beidi.

Although the two countries had formed an alliance, Beidi was full of distrust toward Western Liang at its core.

Therefore, they had been monitoring the movements of Western Liang all along.

This was so they could respond in a timely manner if Western Liang made any moves.

Eight days ago, news of Western Liang capturing the Great Song Imperial Prince reached Beidi.

His Great Khan summoned him immediately.

He ordered him to go to Western Liang and use this Great Song Imperial Prince to enrage Great Song, forcing Great Song to take the initiative to attack Western Liang, so as to severely damage the Great Song army this autumn and lay the foundation for entering the Central Plains.

"To tell you the truth, I have come this time precisely for this matter," Tiemuta said sternly.

Tuoba Hao felt a slight anger in his heart, but he tried his best to conceal it, keeping a smile on his face at all times, "I wonder what instructions the Khan has?"

"The Khan orders you to send this Third Prince back to Great Song," Tiemuta said.

"What!" Tuoba Hao doubted that something was wrong with his ears.

"You heard correctly," a cold sneer appeared at the corner of Tiemuta's mouth.

His Great Khan said that Western Liang would inevitably use this Third Prince to extract benefits from Great Song.

If Western Liang obtained Qinzhou and Yongzhou from Great Song, and then gained even more benefits, it would likely become difficult to control very soon.

By ordering Western Liang to send back the Third Prince of Great Song, Western Liang's calculations would fall through.

Of course, they would not benefit Great Song just to guard against Western Liang.

They would do something to this Imperial Prince, thereby completely worsening the relationship between Western Liang and Great Song, while also greatly enraging Great Song—killing two birds with one stone.

In this way, Western Liang would be firmly tied to the war chariot of Beidi from now on.

"Such an important bargaining chip, why should it be sent back for nothing?" Tuoba Hao could no longer suppress his anger.

Tiemuta did not care at all about Tuoba Hao's attitude toward him.

He crooked his finger, signaling for the eunuch beside Tuoba Hao to come over.

The eunuch looked at Tuoba Hao, and seeing Tuoba Hao nod, he hurried to Tiemuta's side.

Tiemuta leaned in and whispered a sentence.

The eunuch was stunned for a moment, then returned and relayed Tiemuta's words.

After hearing them, Tuoba Hao was dazed for a long while.

When he came to his senses, he looked at Tiemuta with a complex expression; there seemed to be unwillingness in his eyes, but also a sense of relief.

"Emperor of Western Liang, this is the Khan's order, not a matter for discussion with you," Tiemuta said with dissatisfaction, seeing that Tuoba Hao remained silent for a long time.

At the same time, he swept his gaze over the Western Liang generals in the hall.

They all avoided his gaze.

"Fine, I agree," Tuoba Hao said, gritting his teeth.

He had underestimated the ruthlessness of the Beidi people; he had not expected them to think of such a vicious and devious idea.

If he did not agree, he was truly afraid that Beidi would use this method on his own son.

"Very good," Tiemuta nodded, "I will stay in Wuwei until the Great Song Imperial Prince returns."

……

Yan Commandery.

Zhao Xu's days were comfortable yet busy.

The three academies had become four; besides going to the three academies to lecture, he also set aside time every day to go to Mi Wen's Naval Academy.

Because the textbooks were still being compiled, he first had Mi Wen teach the students to recognize characters, while he himself taught the students basic nautical knowledge.

For example, how to use the sun to distinguish direction at sea.

The structure of a Sailing Warship and how to operate a soft sail.

Besides lecturing day after day, he would inspect the infrastructure projects being carried out by the Government Office and urge the production of the Armory and the Nanfang District.

The Armory was naturally for things like bayonets and mortars.

The Nanfang District is where Artillery, Armor, and Weapons are sold.

Whether it is the Imperial Court or the powerful clans, they all have people remaining in Yancheng, often urging for more.

Every time the Artillery is removed from the molds, it is immediately hauled away by them according to the assigned order.

Furthermore, he is cooperating with Qu Sheng to establish the production line for the Three Acids and Two Alkalis.

Of course, the most important thing is still to pay attention to the matter of the Third Prince being captured.

News has come from Jinling that Dou Wei has not attended court for several days.

This time he is not feigning illness; he is truly ill.

And Zhao Heng has taken the opportunity to let Mi Yan act in the capacity of Prime Minister.

However, because the officials from the powerful clans do not respect Mi Yan at all, the imperial court is in great chaos.

"Counting the days, the envoys of the Great Song should have arrived in Wuwei; I wonder what conditions Xiliang will demand."

In the bedchamber, Zhao Xu lies on a rocking chair while Luan'er massages his shoulders and talks to him.

Before him is a basin of winter-stored ice, emitting white mist and bringing him a trace of coolness.

"The people of Xiliang are insatiably greedy; the conditions they propose will surely be harsh. I fear the bargaining will take at least several months." Zhao Xu eats a cucumber.

The season has entered the seventh month, the peak of summer, and it is very hot outside.

Only in this way can he feel comfortable.

Whenever this time comes, he cannot help but miss air conditioning.

After idling away the afternoon, he spends the night in intimate relations.

The next day, Zhao Xu continues his lecturing.

Another ten days or so pass, and Xu Ke arrives at the Prince's Mansion with a grave expression.

"Your Highness, something major is about to happen this time." Beads of sweat cover Xu Ke's forehead; it is unclear if it is from the heat or nervousness.

"What is going on?" Zhao Xu is full of confusion; the only major event recently is the matter of the Third Prince being captured.

It is also unlikely that the Beidi would attack.

In such hot weather, the Warhorses would run themselves to death.

"The Third Prince has been sent back to the Great Song by Xiliang," Xu Ke says.

"Isn't this a good thing?" Zhao Xu's brow relaxes.

But why did Xiliang suddenly send him back?

Just as he is about to ask, Xu Ke reveals an expression as if he is holding back urine, and finally leans into his ear to say one sentence.

"What!" Zhao Xu stands up abruptly. "Is the news accurate?"

"Accurate! After the Xiliang troops sent the Third Prince back, they clamored outside the pass, saying that the Third Prince is now without heirs."

He pauses and adds: "Moreover, when the Third Prince was sent back, he could not walk and was lying down the whole time; that place was also covered in blood. Also, several days ago, Tiemuta, the eldest son of the Beidi Khan, appeared in Wuwei, and this happened afterward."

"This is a supreme humiliation for the Great Song. No matter what, the Emperor will not tolerate this, and the Dou Family will not tolerate it either. I fear there will be a great war in the northwest of the Great Song," Zhao Xu says slowly.

He did not expect that Xiliang would actually castrate the Third Prince and send him back.

Based on the intelligence provided by Xu Ke, I fear this is a trap set by the Beidi.

Having mastered the casting of Artillery, the Beidi can finally no longer restrain themselves.