After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

"Yelü Yixin!!!" x3

Han Ming nodded imperceptibly, then filled his glass with wine and said quietly, "It's a pity that he should be on the same front with Yelu Hongji now, preparing to defeat Yelu Chongyuan, his biggest rival."

Hearing the subtext in Han Ming's words, He Zhengru and the other two chuckled and nodded in praise.

"My Lord is truly a man who thinks three steps ahead, even calculating the future. He truly has good intentions!"

In the view of He Zhengru and the other two, Han Ming was planning to use Yelu Chongyuan and his son to disrupt the internal affairs of the Liao Kingdom.

After Yelu Hongji eliminates Yelu Chongyuan in the future, the corrupt official Yelu Yixin will definitely not be able to suppress his ambition and will want to dominate the government. At that time, he can be used to carry out a wave of "divide and conquer" again.

Thinking that there were so many corrupt officials in power in Liao, He Zhengru and the other two realized that the future of the Song Dynasty would be very good!

"Although we can't ask Yelu Yixin to help us directly, we still need to make preparations in advance and leave a good impression on him."

"From the various treasures brought north this time, I've selected a few to send out under the guise of a visit."

"Given his personality, I believe he wouldn't directly offend us for Yelu Hongji."

Han Ming raised his glass in greeting and the three of them clinked their glasses. While sipping their wine, they decided how to treat Yelu Yixin.

"Yes, my lord, I will visit you in person after tomorrow's banquet." Du Ji Yang took on the task.

"But Lord, we have actually been keeping an eye on Yelu Chongyuan's situation. The current situation of both father and son is not good."

"Although we all know that the assassination at Qigou Pass was carried out by 'Long Xijin', the badges recovered from the assassin all point to Yelu Chongyuan."

"Yelü Hongji has caught the two of them and put them under semi-house arrest. It's very difficult to contact them through Long Xijin's surveillance."

When He Zhengru saw that the others had finished discussing the issue of Yelu Yixin, he took the initiative to talk about another situation.

"Do you think I've been a bit slow and careless about this matter?"

Han Ming knew what He Zhengru meant. He was simply wondering why they didn't destroy the waist badge engraved with the words "Marshal's Mansion" when they dealt with Xiao Chu and his group.

In this way, when the delegation collected the bodies, they would not discover this matter, and all the members of the delegation, including the imperial guards, would see the badge.

It is impossible for He Zhengru to hide it. Even if he asks everyone to keep their mouths shut, there is still the possibility that the truth will be exposed and someone will catch him.

When the time comes, Yelu Hongji will put a big hat on them, saying that the delegation and Yelu Chongyuan conspired to rebel, and they will never be able to clear themselves of the blame even if they jump into the Yellow River.

It even provided a reasonable excuse to use this as an excuse to purge the Khitan internally and then lead troops south to invade the Song Dynasty.

On the other hand, although they have avoided the above situation, they have lost the opportunity to contact Yelu Chongyuan.

It would not be easy to implement the "divide and conquer" strategy and disrupt the internal affairs of Liao.

"I dare not. I just feel that the current situation is somewhat unfavorable for us, even a dilemma."

He Zhengru didn't have any extra thoughts, he just wondered if Han Ming had his own deeper meaning.

"Actually, the matter about the waist badge was left behind intentionally by me."

Han Ming didn't keep the three waiting for long and directly expressed his thoughts.

"Although Yelu Chongyuan and Yelu Hongji had long been at odds, they had been fighting behind the scenes thanks to the mediation and intervention of the old and young members of the royal family."

"And the assassination of the envoys was clearly an excuse for Yelu Hongji to liquidate Chongyuan's followers."

"Just as you worried before, whether the delegation is dead or alive, with or without the waist badge, it will give him an excuse to deal with Chong Yuan."

"Then I was thinking, Yelu Hongji has such a good plan, we can't let him fool us."

"Instead of letting him put the blame on us, we should remove us and expose his scheme to the public, so that Yelu Chongyuan and the Khitan people can see clearly the great emperor who claims to be a hero."

"This will only strengthen the rebellious resolve of Yelu Chongyuan and his son, making it easier for us to achieve 'separation'."

"Of course, the contact issue you're worried about is also necessary, but according to my guess, the one who should be more urgent at this time is Yelu Chongyuan."

There was a hint of calculation at the corner of Han Ming's mouth, which made He Zhengru and the other two secretly agree and admire him.

It was originally a dead end for them and Yelu Chongyuan, but Han Ming's move might completely break Yelu Hongji's plan.

"Your Majesty's thoughts and concerns are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. I admire you!"

He Zhengru dispelled his worries and bowed, showing his admiration for this young man who was a generation younger than him.

"Your Majesty is so far-sighted, and I admire you immensely!"

Du Ji Yang and Peng Yi also sighed and praised Han Ming.

"Okay, okay, this isn't a flattery meeting, so let's each share our next thoughts."

Han Ming shook his head and chuckled. He really couldn't stand the behavior of He Zhengru and the other two.

Although Han Ming was somewhat unruly and did whatever he wanted when facing his family and close people at home, he was very steady like an old dog when dealing with outsiders.

After all, in such a dangerous situation, every wrong step could cost him and everyone in the delegation their lives.

"Since my Lord has made a plan, I will briefly share my thoughts."

"Yelü Chongyuan is currently in trouble, and only our Great Song envoys can rescue him."

"Therefore, it is very likely that he sent someone to contact us. However, how to break this situation? I think we should start with the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Prince of Zheng, Xiao Ge."

"Of course, if we add the Northern Court Privy Councilor Xiao Tu Guci, the current crisis should be alleviated."

The 'Xiao Ge' and 'Xiao Tu Gu Ci' mentioned by He Zhengru were both members of Yelu Chongyuan's party, and they held high positions and great power, in charge of the military and political affairs of the Liao Dynasty.

The person who was in charge of the military and political affairs of the Liao Dynasty before them was Xiao Ala, an outstanding figure that the Liao Dynasty could not avoid, and he could be regarded as the key figure in the Liao Dynasty's decline from prosperity.

His Chinese name was Zhizu, and his courtesy name was Alilan. He was the son of Xiao Xiaomu, the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court of the Liao Dynasty, and an important official of the Liao Dynasty. He was raised in the palace since childhood and was deeply loved by Emperor Xingzong.

In the sixth year of Chongxi (1037), he was appointed as the envoy of Hongyi Palace. He was promoted to the position of co-director of the Northern Courtyard Privy Council, and was appointed as co-minister of the Secretariat and the Governor of Tokyo.

In April of the 1052st year of Chongxi (), he was appointed as the Northwest Road Recruiting Envoy and was granted the title of Prince of Xiping. He then married a princess of the Qin and Jin Kingdoms and was appointed as the Duwei of the Imperial Consort.

In August of the 1055th year of Chongxi (), Xingzong died and Yelü Hongji succeeded him. According to his will, he was appointed Prime Minister of the Northern Court and Acting Privy Councilor of the Southern Court.

In November of the same year (1055), he was promoted to King of Han.

In December of the 1056th year of Chongxi (), he was changed to the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court and moved to Chen Wang, and he and Xiao Ge jointly presided over the government. Xiao Ge was flattering and illegal, and Xiao Ala rebelled against him, so he resigned and was demoted to the governor of Tokyo.

In May of the seventh year of Qingning (1061), Yelu Hongji went to the court to perform the Sese ceremony (a ceremony of praying for rain and shooting willows), and vigorously advocated the pros and cons of current politics. However, Xiao Ge slandered him, and Yelu Hongji was furious and killed him.

Xiao Ala was loyal and courageous, well-versed in worldly affairs, and had the talent to govern the country. At that time, people in Liao believed that if Ala was still alive, the subsequent Chongyuan and Yixin Rebellions would not have happened.

It can be said that the great achievements that Emperor Daozong Yelü Hongji made in his early years were mostly due to his minister of state, Xiao Ala.

Unfortunately, this outstanding man eventually fell at the hands of the king he assisted.

At this point, Chongyuan's party emerged and took control of the Liao Kingdom's military and political affairs. By the time Yelu Hongji reacted, Chongyuan's party had already become too powerful to be eliminated.

Therefore, Yelu Hongji promoted Yelu Yixin from among his close ministers to fight against the increasingly powerful Chongyuan faction.

"These two are very easy to deal with. Although they appear to be alert, intelligent, and quick-witted, they are actually people who read people's expressions and cater to their superiors."

"They are treacherous and sinister at heart. Nothing can stop their greed and lust. You only need to cater to their desires and you can easily take them down."

When Han Ming spoke of Xiao Ge and Xiao Tuguci, his tone was filled with contempt.

"Yelü Hongji is a brilliant man. He killed Xiao Ala, a loyal and renowned minister of state, and replaced him with two talented but unethical people to take charge of the government. He is truly unjust and incompetent!"

When Peng Yi talked about Xiao A'la, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him and denounced Yelu Hongji, the Liao monarch.

"So we should be grateful. If it weren't for this little brother from Liao, we would still not see the light of day!"

The disdain in Han Ming's smile made He Zhengru and the other two laugh out loud.

"Speaking of Xiao Ala's affairs, it reminds me of the importance of the Liao Xiao clan within the Khitan."

"As a descendant of the Xiao clan, Xiao A'la possesses extremely strong political resources. Even Xiao Ge and Xiao Tuguci, two members of the Xiao clan, cannot absorb them."

"There are even some disagreements within the Xiao clan in some cases, and their attitude towards Yelu Hongji is not entirely supportive."

"Let's see if there is any way to contact the Xiao Ala lineage or the forces within the Xiao family that support them."

"Since the purpose is to sow discord, we can't rely solely on Yelu Chongyuan. It would be a good idea to drag the Xiao family into the water."

"As long as there is a rift between the 'Yelü clan' and the 'Xiao clan', the so-called 'Great Liao' will be easily defeated!"

Han Ming's last words made He Zhengru and the other two's eyes flash, and they couldn't help but praise their own marquis's terrifying methods.

"In fact, there is a point in the Xiao family that can be easily broken through, and that is the current Queen Xiao Guanyin!"

Du Ji Yang folded his arms over his chest, looked up and thought for a while, then spoke slowly.

"I've heard that the Empress is a great fan of the Marquis's poetry. If we cater to her tastes, can we win her support?"

Han Ming's first reaction when he heard this was surprise, and then he fell into deep thought.

He had indeed forgotten about this matter. The current Queen of Liao, Xiao Guanyin, was a talented woman, or rather, she was of the same type as Li Qingzhao, the future female poet of the Song Dynasty.

Although she was not as unrestrained, free and spontaneous as Lady Li in life, she was also a rare female talent in ancient times.

Thinking of the future where this beautiful woman would be slandered by Yelu Yixin and eventually die, Han Ming's brows couldn't help but twitch twice, revealing a ripple in his heart.

"This matter may not be easy to handle. Xiao Guanyin still has feelings for Yelu Hongji. If we disturb her without authorization, the result may not be acceptable to us."

Han Ming pondered for a while and rejected the suggestion of contacting Xiao Guanyin immediately.

"In that case, we should stick to our previous plan and start with Yelu Chongyuan, Yelu Yixin, Xiao Ge, Xiao Tuguci, and of course the people from Xiao Ala's lineage!"

He Zhengru gave a summary of this "plan-making" meeting, and then the four of them left Mingyue Tower and returned to the inn.