Hidden Shadow – CH 294

Chapter Two-Hundred-Ninety-Four: Breaking the Promise

Upon arriving in Yongzhou, the group suddenly had access to more information, gaining a clearer understanding of many situations.

Currently, negotiations between Liao and Song were underway, making it impossible to punish Xu Yun for the time being. He was prioritizing the overall situation, stationing troops in Hejian to hinder the Liao army.

Although Liao appeared to have achieved an overwhelming victory, the situation within Liao was far from optimistic, making a prolonged war unwise. They had made two preparations: if a settlement could be reached, all the better; if not, they were not afraid to sustain the war through conflict.

Meanwhile, the Song court was filled with fervor, with even wealthy merchants and gentry donating money and grain to the court, willingly obeying its orders and transporting food and medicinal herbs northward for disaster relief. Under such circumstances, even if the Liao army attacked, they might not be without a fighting chance.

The bargaining chips of both sides were not significantly different.

The envoys from both countries remained deadlocked at the negotiating table for half a month, without reaching a conclusion.

The Liao Kingdom was willing to withdraw its troops, but on the condition that its territory be redrawn, with the Qiong River as the boundary, and all areas, including Zhengding Prefecture and Hejian Prefecture, would belong to the Liao Kingdom. This was the final concession made by the Liao Kingdom after half a month of negotiations.

As a result, the Liao Kingdom’s territory moved several dozen li closer to the border.

“Fight! I refuse to believe that the Song Dynasty’s million-strong army cannot stop the Liao army!” The restaurant was in an uproar, with someone slamming their fist on the table in anger. “The history of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun must not be repeated!”

An Jiu occupied a corner table, eating while listening to the commotion in the main hall.

As soon as the man finished speaking, voices of agreement arose around him; surprisingly, the vast majority of people supported war.

If even in such a remote place, such was the situation. One could imagine the situation in the north.

Someone else said, “But it is said that all three routes in Hebei are suffering from severe drought; even without war, the people are destitute. If war really breaks out, the consequences… are unpredictable.”

These words… Immediately, someone objected, “That does not mean we can cede territory from both routes! There’s precedent for this. Since the time of Emperor Taizu, there has been an attempt to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but what was the result? After several generations, not only have we failed to recover our lost lands, but we are even being forced to cede more! If we are going to fight, we should fight to the death! Unless the Liao people can slaughter all the people of our Great Song, we will not give up a cun of land!”

Another person said, “It’s not like there’s no chance. General Ling was able to capture Xijin Prefecture in one fell swoop, which shows that this matter is very promising. As long as the mountains remain, there’s no shortage of firewood. It is better than inappropriate bravado!”

The people in the hall argued fiercely over these two viewpoints, and in the end, the pro-war side won.

“Should we fight this battle or not?” Li Qingzhi asked quietly.

Sui Yuntong said, “Whether we fight or not is up to the court. What’s the point of thinking about it?”

An Jiu, however, felt that this battle would not happen. She did not understand politics, but she often carried out missions. When facing a formidable target, she would never easily rush in to assassinate them, but rather lie in wait in the shadows for the best opportunity to strike a fatal blow. The same principle applied between nations.

Therefore, she believed the Liao Kingdom would continue to concede, and the negotiations would not drag on too long, given the Liao army’s significant losses abroad. Every extra day would cause them anxiety.

As An Jiu predicted, on the twenty-fourth day, both sides finally reached an agreement—

Since the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty would pay the Liao Kingdom an annual tribute of 100,000 taels of silver. Starting this year, this would be increased to 250,000 taels, along with various grains, artifacts, and beautiful women. Furthermore, Hejian Prefecture would be the boundary; the land north of Hejian Prefecture would be open to Liao grazing… All of the above was formally signed in a treaty, with the Song Dynasty acknowledging its vassalage and paying tribute.

The treaty took over a month to reach Yongzhou after its signing.

The bustling public suddenly fell silent; the entire Song Dynasty experienced a brief period of silence. No one discussed it, no one objected, and no one rejoiced; everyone seemed stunned.

However, in reality, this was already a relatively good outcome.

Previously, the Song Dynasty treated the Liao Dynasty as a vassal state, paying annual tribute, which was essentially the same as submission. Now, this was merely a formality, and the tribute had increased; the Song Dynasty could afford 150,000 taels of silver. However, for most scholars, ceding territory was preferable to accepting “submission and tribute.” Submission meant the Song Dynasty was no longer an equal state to the Liao but an enslaved one. This humiliation was even more unbearable than paying reparations to other states!

Besides paying annual tribute to the Liao, the Song Dynasty also had to pay 50,000 taels of silver to the Western Xia, nominally to appease a vassal state, but essentially it was the same.

After a brief shock, a sense of grief and indignation spread.

Scholars began to express dissatisfaction with the reality, secretly criticizing it. Satirical folk songs circulated widely, but the court used force to suppress them, temporarily silencing these dissenting voices.

In the middle of the sixth month, an imperial edict recalled Xu Yun.

Although Xu Yun was a valiant general, his overly cautious nature as a subject, coupled with his overshadowing of Ling Ziyue in Hebei, had diminished his reputation. The loss of 70,000 soldiers further strained his image, leaving few in the court or even among the common people willing to plead for his life.

Xu Yun was ordered back to court and immediately submitted a 2,000-word memorial of apology. He then took his sword and committed suicide at the palace gate to prove his innocence.

When the ministers arrived, they found only his body lying in a pool of blood.

In the end, Xu Yun had merely fallen into a trap, leading to the defeat. While victory and defeat were common in war, the consequences of his failure were far too severe.

The Liao Kingdom’s scheme, eliminating two Song generals in exchange for Song’s submission, was a resounding victory.

At this point, some could not help but think that if Ling Ziyue had not been stopped from continuing his attack on Liao and if he had not died, they might still have ended up at the negotiating table, but the outcome would likely have been completely different.

The current Emperor was now filled with regret.

Fortunately, due to the recent low temperatures, the plague in the three routes of Hebei was contained before it could spread widely, much to the relief of the entire court.

Following this incident, the Emperor suddenly fell ill.

Many court officials who had not previously taken sides began secretly choosing other allies, and a tense atmosphere of impending conflict arose between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.

With one court matter after another, the pursuit of Ling Ziyue and his associates was temporarily suspended, especially after the Emperor’s illness; no one mentioned the matter again.

Chu Dingjiang, unable to leave immediately, sent a messenger to Yongzhou to deliver a message.

An Jiu left Bianjing in winter, and when she returned, it was another winter, and again, it was snowing heavily.

She saw Chu Dingjiang in the snow, draped in a black cloak, and was slightly dazed, as if she had only turned a corner in the blink of an eye.

An Jiu walked step by step through the snow to him, smiling. “I am back.”

Chu Dingjiang did not speak, but reached out and pulled her into his arms.

After a moment, he released her. “You all go back to Mei Mansion to find Sheng Changying.”

“Alright.” Sui Yuntong led the others away, leaving An Jiu behind.

“I knew you would break your promise.” An Jiu raised her hand to brush his hood away. “We agreed on a year’s notice. If we did not come back, you still could not leave!”