Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 445 The biggest changes in a hundred years!

The capital of Liao Dynasty.

It has been forty years since Yelu Hongji, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty, ascended the throne in the twenty-fourth year of Chongxi. When he came to the throne, he was a young man full of vigor and vitality, but now he is a gray-haired man.

When Yelu Hongji first ascended the throne, he was quite ambitious. He encouraged the imperial examinations, treated Confucian scholars well, and suppressed tribal rebellions. However, as the years passed, he gradually became tired and even did something like appointing and dismissing officials by rolling dice. The winner would get the official position, which caused a lot of resentment in the court.

However, although he was stupid, he had used very sharp tactics to suppress powerful officials in the court twice before. Therefore, the officials dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out. Therefore, although the government affairs were neglected, the regime remained stable.

Recently, Yelu Hongji has been very interested in Buddhism and has been studying it endlessly. For example, today, Yelu Hongji got up early to study the Buddhist scriptures. As for the morning court... Hey, it doesn’t matter if he misses one day of morning court, but reading the Buddhist scriptures is a great thing to accumulate merit!
"…Thus have I heard. Once upon a time, the Buddha was in the Jetavana Grove in the country of Savatthi.

At that time, the World Honored One told Shariputra, "Shariputra! The Buddha has four kinds of excellent and wonderful Dharma, which can enable sentient beings to obtain immeasurable fruits, immeasurable light, immeasurable wonderful colors, immeasurable treasures of blessings, immeasurable treasures of happiness, immeasurable treasures of precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, knowledge, insight, and eloquence, and all Dharmas without attachment and without leakage.

One is that the Tathagata, the One who is worthy of the title, the One who is fully aware of the perfection of morality, and who has immeasurable precepts;..."

Yelu Hongji stroked the yellowed sutra, his eyes gradually became profound, and he nodded randomly and said: "Thus I have heard...it turns out that the four wonderful and good dharmas mentioned by the Buddha have such profound meanings.

This perfection of morality may seem like a set of precepts, but in fact it is a dam built for the heart. Only by controlling one's words and actions can one avoid being washed away by the flood of greed, anger, and ignorance.

Just like I usually get angry over trivial matters, if I can keep this 'precept', I'm afraid I will regret less."

He nodded slightly, and said in a slow tone, "The 'concentration' of Zen Paramita is even more difficult. Every day, I am upset by trivial matters. If I can find a quiet place in the hustle and bustle like Shariputra, and focus on cultivating my mind, I may also be able to generate wisdom to see through illusions.

And there is this Prajnaparamita... 'Infinite Wisdom'. It turns out that wisdom is not innate, but must be realized through observation and breaking through obsessions."

His expression suddenly brightened, with a smile on his lips, and he said, "The most wonderful thing is this 'no turbid mind' and 'good and victorious mind'.

I always thought that spiritual practice was for the benefit of oneself, but it turns out that using compassion to help others is the true path to liberation.

Infinite fruits, infinite light... It seems that in the days ahead, I will use these four virtues as a walking stick and a boat to cross the sea."

Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside. Yelu Hongji frowned and looked outside. He saw the eunuchs in the palace hurried over, kneeled on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, King Yelu of the South Courtyard wants to see you."

"What's the matter?" Yelu Hongji asked calmly.

The eunuch hurriedly said, "I dare not ask more questions, but I just asked a few questions. King Yelu said it was about the border war and it was a confidential matter. I hurried to report to Your Majesty."

Yelu Hongji tilted his head slightly to think about it, then sighed and said, "They are all foolish people. They don't think about the good results, don't accumulate merits, and always care about these things that kill lives!"

The eunuch hesitated and said, "Your Majesty...did this servant report back to the King of the Southern Courtyard?"

Yelu Hongji waved his hand and said, "Call him over."

The eunuch hurried away, and a moment later, Yelu Cunzhi, the King of the Southern Court, strode in, greeted Yelu Hongji, and then said, "Your Majesty, after the Song Dynasty rebel Su Yunji took Chang'an, the recent war with Xixia also had results.

Nasu Ni has seized the five states of Dingnan and even took the Donghetao area from Liang Yibu. Its territory has already bordered with that of our Liao Kingdom. I have come here to ask Your Majesty to allow me to send troops to attack Nasu Ni!
Your Majesty, this is a change that has not happened in a hundred years. If we can defeat Su Ni, we can take the opportunity to capture Hetao and even directly attack Xingqing Prefecture. It will be no problem to destroy Xia!"

The rosary in Yelu Hongji's hand suddenly paused, and the sandalwood beads collided with each other, making a crisp sound.

He looked at Yelu Cunzhi's face, which was flushed with excitement, and suddenly chuckled: "Send troops? Do you know what the Buddhist scriptures say? 'If you stop killing, everything will be peaceful and happy.' Since you said that Su Yunji took the land of Xixia, let him go. Why bother to commit more sins of killing?"

Yelu Cunzhi was so anxious that he took a half step forward: "Your Majesty! Su Yunji has evil ambitions. Now his power has threatened the border of Liao. If we don't stop him as soon as possible..."

"That's enough!" Yelu Hongji suddenly slammed the scripture on the table, causing the ash in the copper incense burner to fall. "Since you know that this is a major change that has not happened in a hundred years, why don't you think about attacking Song!"

Yelu Cunzhi was a little surprised and said, "Your Majesty often said that after the Treaty of Chanyuan, there was no war between Song and Liao for a hundred years, and Liao and Song had a hundred years of friendship. We must not talk about raising troops again. Anyone who dares to raise troops will be stripped of his official title..."

Yelu Hongji sneered, and then a sickly blush appeared on his old face. He said, "Foolish! That Su traitor destroyed hundreds of thousands of Song Western troops in the northwest. Now the Song Dynasty is at its weakest. If we don't take Song territory now, when will we take it?"

Yelu Cunzhi suddenly looked up and saw the greedy fire flickering in the emperor's eyes, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

The emperor who was just talking about mercy and abstention from killing was now like a hungry wolf that smelled blood.

Yelu Hongji stood up slowly, and the hem of his dragon robe swept across the scriptures on the ground: "Pass on my order, and order the Northern Privy Council to prepare food and grass, and the King of the Southern Court to go to Youzhou immediately to deploy."

He walked to the window, looked at the dark clouds rolling outside the palace wall, and a sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "As for Su Yunji...it won't be too late to deal with him when they are both defeated.

Hehe, wait until I conquer the Central Plains, and then take advantage of the exhaustion of Su Ni and Xixia, and conquer them all. Then I will unify China and truly become the legitimate Chinese! This is the real great change that has not happened in a hundred years!"

The north wind blew over Yanshan Mountain, bringing with it fine snow. The large flag with the word "Liao" on it on the city wall of Youzhou was fluttering in the wind.

Yelu Cunzhi wrapped himself tightly in the fox fur coat and looked at the iron armor stretching for ten miles on the parade ground. His eyes beneath the bronze mask were filled with excitement.

The mobilization of 300,000 troops was even smoother than he had expected.

"Report!" A scout dismounted, "All the food and fodder in Zhongjing has been loaded onto the carts. We can reach Youzhou in three days!"

Yelu Cunzhi nodded, and caught a glimpse of the dragon chariot slowly approaching in the distance.

Yelu Hongji was wearing a black sable fur coat, his hands were in the mudra, and a monk beside him was reciting the Diamond Sutra aloud.

As the sound of scripture chanting and the shouts of soldiers marching together intertwined, Yelu Cunzhi suddenly remembered the secret report from the Privy Council last night: the governor of Tokyo secretly withheld military pay, and half of the war horses of the Southwest Route Recruiting Office were sick.

But at this moment, the emperor looked at the military camp with eyes as hot as flames, completely ignoring these hidden worries.

"Your Majesty!" The deputy general rode over, "The left wing vanguard is ready. Shall we march immediately?"

Yelu Cunzhi was about to speak when he suddenly heard an angry shout coming from the direction of the dragon chariot.

He turned around and saw Yelu Hongji throwing a string of Buddhist beads at an official: "I wanted 30,000 skin bags, why are there only 20,000?"

The official trembled all over: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The livestock of the people have already..."

"Useless!" Yelu Hongji's veins popped out. "Without leather bags to carry water, how can the army cross the Baigou River?"

The chanting stopped abruptly. Yelu Hongji grabbed the gilded Buddhist staff on the table and slammed it on the ground. "Pass the order down. If the supplies are not collected within three days, all the county officials along the way will be beheaded!"

The cold wind blew up the red silk hanging from the Buddhist staff, like wet blood.

Three hundred thousand Liao troops rushed towards the Baigou River like a black tide.

There were bursts of sobbing coming from the distance, I couldn't tell if it was the sound of the wind or the cries of the people who were forcibly conscripted.

The Liao Kingdom suddenly sent troops south, causing chaos throughout the country.

When Su Yun first started his rebellion, people all over the world thought it was just a minor problem.

After the Soviet army occupied Yanzhou, people all over the world believed that the chaos was spreading, but it was not a big deal and it would be quelled once the heavenly army arrived.

When the Soviet army occupied Chang'an and Chang'an fell, the whole world was shocked and felt that a chaotic world was coming.

Sure enough, Xixia could not hold back and captured Lanzhou, eyeing it covetously. Fortunately, the Liao Kingdom had not made any moves at this time. The Liao Kingdom was the most powerful among the Three Kingdoms. If the Liao Kingdom did not move, the chaos in the world would be limited.

But later, Su Ni actually defeated Western Xia and occupied the five states of Dingnan and Donghetao. Some perceptive people immediately realized that a storm was about to break out.

As expected, the Liao Kingdom took advantage of the situation to raise troops, and chaos broke out across the country!

On Zhuque Street in Bianliang City, galloping horses crushed the morning frost, and the sound of horse hooves startled the crows from under the eaves.

The urgent battle report of 800 miles was delivered to the Council of State.

"The Liao army has broken through the Baigou River! The vanguard is less than a hundred miles away from Xiongzhou!"

The roar of the messenger froze the officials in the government hall who were discussing how to strangle Su Ni.

The tablet in Zeng Bu's hand fell to the ground with a clang, causing an echo in the silence.

“Impossible…” Cheng Yi staggered in shock, and quickly held onto the table, saying in horror: “That old thief Yelu Hongji sent someone to deliver Buddha’s bones and relics last year! Now he’s actually taking advantage of the situation to rob us!”

Everyone in the hall looked at each other.

Zeng Bu almost talked to himself, saying: "Su's rebellion is strong, the northwest has been lost, only the northern army is left to fight against the Liao Kingdom, Bianliang City... is in danger!"

Cheng Yi suddenly came to his senses and said, "Report this to His Majesty immediately! Please make the decision!"

Zeng Bu said angrily, "Your Majesty is not feeling well. If I tell you now, and it makes his condition worse, will you, Cheng Gongzheng, be held responsible?"

Cheng Yi said angrily: "The current situation requires your Majesty to make the decision. Otherwise, you, Mr. Zeng, will give the order?"

Zeng Bu naturally had no way to make a decision and could only pass the news to the palace.

The air was filled with incense in the Purple Palace. Zhao Xu was leaning on a golden nanmu couch, his face suddenly pale.

He has always been in poor health and had suffered a shock before, so he couldn't recover quickly in such a short period of time. He was lucky to wake up.

When the palace servant tremblingly handed Zhao Xu the urgent battle report of 800 miles to his pillow, he exclaimed: "Baigou River... was lost?"

The next moment, he suddenly started coughing loudly and violently, as if he was going to cough out his lungs.

Amid the coughing, someone suddenly shouted, "Your Majesty! The officials in the Council of State Affairs want to see you!"

"Quick! ... Ahem! ... Please come in, gentlemen!"

Zeng Bu, Cheng Yi and others entered together, and after a while, they were arguing fiercely in front of Zhao Xu's sickbed.

"The war in the northwest has not yet been settled. How can we withdraw troops?" Zeng Bu's forehead veins popped out. "The only way to delay the war is to negotiate peace!"

Cheng Yi suddenly knelt on the ground, the Diao Chan pendant on his official hat banging against the floor tiles, "Back then, at the Treaty of Chanyuan, our Song Dynasty exchanged silver and silk for peace. If we bend our knees again, our century-old foundation will be destroyed in an instant!"

"That's enough!" Zhao Xu helped the maid to sit up and stared at Cheng Yi, his eyes bloodshot. "You said you won't kneel? The Western Army is still fighting Su Yunji at Tongguan. What can you use to stop Yelu Hongji's 300,000 cavalry?"

Before he could finish his words, a violent coughing fit suddenly struck him.

Zeng Bu quickly advised: "Your Majesty, please don't get angry. Your health is important!"

It took a long time before Zhao Xu stopped coughing.

He looked at the worried officials with a blank expression, and then said, "Tell me, what should we do now?"

The debate broke out again, and the ministers were all arguing until their faces turned red.

Zhao Xu listened quietly. He could tell that the crux of the dispute among the ministers was how to preserve the country's destiny.

Zhao Xu felt sad and understood one thing: it might not be impossible to stop the Liao Kingdom at the moment, but the Su rebels in the northwest would not let go of this opportunity.

Once the Song Dynasty puts all its strength in the north to stop the Liao Kingdom, then Bashu and Hezhong Prefecture will immediately change hands!
The Liao people could perhaps be persuaded with money, as had been the case many times before, but Su Ni came for the Song Dynasty, so he naturally knew which was more important.

Zhao Xu signaled to the palace maids to help him up, and he managed to stand up. Upon seeing this, the officials quickly quieted down and waited for Zhao Xu's decision.

Zhao Xu looked very sad.
"Order..." His throat seemed to be stuck with broken porcelain, "Order the ministers to be the peace envoys, bring..." his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, "bring 300,000 taels of gold, 300,000 rolls of silk, if the Liao people are still not satisfied..."

He clenched the dragon-patterned jade belt and said, "Then I will cede all three towns of Zhongshan, Hejian, and Taiyuan."

Cheng Yi suddenly collapsed to the ground, the hem of his official uniform covered in dust, and he cried out loudly: "Your Majesty! This is the foundation of our ancestors..."

"The foundation of our ancestors?" Zhao Xu suddenly laughed, his laughter was filled with a sick madness, "When the Liao army arrives at the gates of the city, can you, Cheng Yi, conjure up a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers?"

All the ministers fell to the ground and cried bitterly, their foreheads hitting the blue bricks with a dull sound, and their white hair was scattered messily on their dusty official uniforms.

The sound of a night watchman's drum was heard outside the hall, it was already three o'clock in the morning.

Zhao Xu staggered and held onto the screen, his fingertips touching the painting "Visiting Putu on a Snowy Night" on the screen. The scene of Emperor Taizu of Song and Zhao Pu discussing matters around the fire made his eyes hurt.

"Back then, Taizu and Taizong..." His voice was hoarse, "If they knew about this in the afterlife and saw me cede the three towns, what would they do?"

In the dead silence, Cheng Yi suddenly raised his head, his face still wet with tears but his expression firm: "Your Majesty, I would like to recommend myself as the envoy to negotiate peace.

If I cannot protect the three towns, I will shed blood in the Liao camp to thank my ancestors!"

Zhao Xu stared at Cheng Yi's gray hair, and vaguely recalled the heavy look in his father Shenzong's eyes when he entrusted the country to him before his death.

"That's right."

He waved his hand, and the dragon robe slipped off, revealing his skinny wrists. "Add another 100,000 taels of gold and 200,000 rolls of cloth... Tell Yelu Hongji that if he is willing to withdraw his troops, I am willing to honor him as my brother emperor."

Everyone in the hall knelt down in unison, and amid the constant chanting of "Your Majesty is wise", only Cheng Yi silently picked up the official seal. When he stood up, the corner of his robe swept across the broken porcelain on the ground, making a harsh sound.

After everyone left, Zhao Xu staggered to the window.

I don't know when the snow stopped, and the moonlight sprinkled on the roofs of Bianjing, as if covered with a thin layer of frost.

He recalled when he was young in the palace, listening to Mr. Su talk about the Treaty of Chanyuan and how Emperor Zhenzong hesitated between war and peace.

He felt cowardly at that time, but now that he is actually sitting on this dragon throne, he knows that some choices are far more tormenting than dying in battle.

"Mr. Su! I never thought it was you who caused me to fall into the misery I am in today!"

(End of this chapter)