"Really worshipped?"

In the Chongzheng Palace, Zhao Xu, an official of the Great Song Dynasty, asked loudly.

"Worship, the two Liao envoys have bowed."

The answer was that the Privy Council was committed to Cai Jing. After he placed the Liao envoy in Dutingyi, he immediately entered the palace to face the king and reported to Zhao Xu about the situation of the Liao envoy.

Now neither Song nor Liao actually wants to go to war. The Hebei forbidden army of the Great Song Dynasty was not of great use at all, if the Liao soldiers went south, they could not be stopped, and it would be good if they could hold the city. I'm afraid that the Liao soldiers will soon be able to rush to the left of Kaifeng!

However, rushing to the city of Kaifeng Mansion does not mean that you can break through the city. Because the current Great Song Dynasty officials have an army in their hands that the Liao State is very afraid of - the Western Army! The Western Army claimed to have 200,000 useful men, and it showed very strong combat effectiveness in the Battle of Hengshan, which had just won a great victory.

If tens of thousands of Western troops entered Kaifeng Mansion, and there were "traitors" like Zhang Dian under the command, even if the Liao State dispatched 100,000 leather room troops, it would be impossible to break Kaifeng Mansion.

And...... It is also impossible for the Liao State to draw out 100,000 leather room troops (palace tent soldiers). The so-called 400,000 palace tent soldiers are simply a scare, how many people are there in the Khitan nation? How can there be 400,000 elites? Moreover, now the Khitan people are still superstitious about Buddhism, there are no 400,000 soldiers, and 400,000 monks and nuns are almost the same.

In fact, the Khitan soldiers who are really capable of fighting are more than 100,000, and they have also scored a lot to deal with the divination blockers, and they have to keep some guards and deter Nuzhi, Bohai and the southern Han'er. There are only tens of thousands of people who can really go south...... If the Western Army of the Northern Song Dynasty is defeated under the city of Kaifeng Mansion, it will be the end of the history of the Liao Kingdom!

In general, in the current diplomatic game between the Liao and Song countries, the Song State has a slight advantage, while the Liao State is in a weak ...... Unless the Liao people can immediately pacify the northern blockade after the beginning of spring next year, or quickly break a few heavily guarded towns of the Song army on the Hedong and Hebei fronts, the Liao will not have the capital for a showdown.

And the Great Song Dynasty can fight, anyway, now the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang has been beaten and cried, and the Hengshan line has completely fallen into the hands of the Great Song Dynasty, and then only need to build additional city fortresses to defend the defense - losing Hengshan is quite fatal to Western Xia, because there are hundreds of miles of sand between Hengshan and Xingqing Mansion. If the Western Xia could not hoard grain and grass in Hengshan, they would have to carry grain from Xingqing to attack the Song fortress that occupied the mountain, and the chance of victory was almost zero.

This meant that the Song army could deploy in Shaanxi with fewer troops, so that a considerable part of the western army was transferred to Hedong, Hebei and Kaifeng.

In other words, the showdown with the Liao State now is nothing more than that Hebei is ravaged by the Liao soldiers, and there is no possibility of losing the country.

Of course, if the showdown can be held after the rectification of Hebei and Hedong is completed, then the Great Song Dynasty will win the game.

"Zhang Qing, Zeng Qing, I want to stop the annual 500,000 coins, what do you think?"

Zhao Xu seemed to be a little whimsical and put forward a rather radical plan for negotiations with Liao.

"No!"

Before Prime Minister Zhang Duan could speak, the privy envoy Zeng Bu replied: "If the coin is extinct, Song Liao will inevitably provoke, and the east and west roads of Hebei may be ravaged, and I am afraid that the gains will outweigh the losses." ”

The terrain of the Hedong Road on the Song-Liao border was dangerous and easy to defend. However, the east and west roads of Hebei are both flat and flat, and they are easy to be penetrated by the Liao cavalry.

"Your Majesty," Zhang Dian stood up and said lightly, "The old minister thinks ...... There is a better option than the Peerless Coin. ”

Better than Peerless Coins?

War?

Zhao Xu and Zeng Bu, Cai Bian, Cai Jing and Jian Xuchen who were present were all a little surprised, and their eyes all focused on Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Dian said: "The reason why the western thieves are in trouble is because the Liang clan is warlike, if you can unite the Liao people to get rid of the Liang clan, then the northwest can be safe." ”

Liang is the Empress Dowager of Xiao Liang, she is a Han Chinese, her father is the late Western Xia Minister Liang Yiburied, her aunt is the queen of Xia Yizong Liangzuo, that is, the old Empress Dowager Liang, and her husband is Xia Huizong Bingchang. After the death of the Empress Dowager Liang and Xia Huizong one after another, as the Empress Dowager, she "assisted" her son Qianshun to listen to the government.

And this daughter of the Han family of the Liang family, like her aunt the Empress Dowager Liang, is a war maniac, and after taking power, she launched a continuous war of aggression against the Song Dynasty, and the war has not been extinguished for thirteen years.

However, after the Great Song Dynasty's faint monarch Zhao Xu ** Xiang Zhangdun began to govern, the good days of the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang came to an end, from the eighth year of Yuan You (1093) to the present, except for a victory in the third year of Shaosheng (1096) to break the Jin Ming Village of the Song army, there has been no victory, has been suffering defeat. Not only was Hengshan completely lost, but even Tiandu Mountain, the stronghold of Western Xia in the west of Hengshan, and Yanzhou near Tiandu Mountain (there was a large salt pond, which was an important source of wealth for Western Xia) were almost lost.

According to the plan formulated by Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu and others, after the Song army completely controlled Hengshan and Tiandu Mountain, it would not immediately wave its army to attack Xingqing Mansion and Lingzhou, the old nest of Western Xia, but would deploy and defend Hengshan-Tiandu Mountain, and at the same time use troops against Hehuang to outflank the southern road of Western Xia.

After recovering Hehuang and consolidating the Tiandu Mountain-Hengshan defense line, it launched a continuous "shallow attack" to consume the limited national strength of Western Xia......

Zhang Dian said: "The Liang clan has always been reckless, and if they continue to be in charge of Western Xia, they will not sit idly by and watch our dynasty restore Hehuang." If it can be removed, then the Western Xia will not be able to raise any more troops within a few years, and can only sit back and watch me recover Hehuang. If the river is obtained, the Western Xia is bound to go. If the Western Xia is gone or dies, the Liao State will inevitably be lonely. When the time comes, I will be able to use iron tools to block divination, and I will not worry about the chaos of the Liao country. If there is civil strife in Liao, Yanyun will definitely recover. ”

"The Liang family is the Empress Dowager of Western Xia, how can it be easily removed?" Zhao Xu asked suspiciously.

Empress Dowager Xiaoliang is indeed a big trouble, although she always suffers defeats, but she has repeatedly fought in the north. If she is allowed to take charge of Western Xia, she will definitely be dying.

If she can be eliminated, then Xia Zhuqian is young and weak, and he has to deal with the remaining party of the Liang family in China (these guys are still the main battle faction), and he can't make a move without a few years of tossing. With these few years, the Great Song Dynasty was able to annex the Qingtang Dynasty and Tubo, and at the same time complete the preparations for launching an offensive on the southeast and southeast of Western Xia.

At that time, there is no need to fight a decisive battle of hundreds of thousands of people, only need to keep "shallow attack" and "fortress advancement", and Western Xia will be finished in a few years!

But after all, Empress Dowager Xiaoliang has mastered Western Xia for thirteen years, and it is not that she will be destroyed if she gets rid of it.

Zhang Dian said: "According to the captured Western Xia Sixth Route Commander Wei Ming A, many people in the Western Xia State Lord Qianshun and the Wei Ming clan (imperial family) are very dissatisfied with the repeated defeats of the Liang clan and want to get rid of them as soon as possible. It's just that I was afraid of Lord Liao's support for the Liang clan and the pressure of our dynasty, so I didn't dare to do it.

If our dynasty can get rid of the culprit of the Liang clan as a condition, and make peace with the Liao lord Hongji's stupidity, it will definitely help me eradicate the Liang clan. If the Liang family goes, the Western Xia will not be worried. ”

What a treacherous and untrustworthy adulterer!

actually wanted to use "fake peace" to deceive Yelu Hongji, use the influence of Liao in Western Xia to unite the anti-Liang forces in Western Xia, and force the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang to death together......

As long as Empress Dowager Xiaoliang died, Western Xia could only watch his ally Qingtang Tubo be destroyed by the Song army. As soon as the Qingtang and Tubo were destroyed, the Western Xia was in danger.

Zhao Xu still frowned deeply, "Is Yelu Hongji really stupid?" How could he not know that once the Liang clan died, Western Xia would not be allowed to use troops for at least a few years? If Western Xia is unable to use troops, how can I retire my troops and horses and return to the territory? ”

"Your Majesty, this matter still needs to be countermeasured." Zhang Dian smiled and said, "As long as the Liao Lord believes that the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang is ready to return the whole country to our court, he will get rid of this calamity." ”

Would Yelu Hongji believe such a thing?

Zhao Xu was incredulous, "How do you use the plan?" ”

Cai Jing, who was present, interjected at this time: "Your Majesty, the minister offers a plan, and you can follow Taizu's method of eliminating Lin Renzhao in the Southern Tang Dynasty." ”

Lin Renzhao was a famous general in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and was secretly photographed by a spy painter sent by Song Taizu, and hung it in the Meritorious Pavilion of Kaifeng Mansion to Li Yu's younger brother Li Congshan, saying that it was a token of surrender. As a result, Li Yu was confused and gave a cup of poisoned wine......

Zhao Xu frowned: "We have a portrait of the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang?" ”

"Nope." Cai Jing said, "However, some people here in Kaifeng are said to be painting immortals, and they shouldn't need to see the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang to take a photo for her." ”

Zhao Xu laughed and said, "Cai Qing is joking, right?" If you don't see the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang, how can you take a photo? Are you really a martial artist and an immortal? ”

Cai Jing smiled: "Your Majesty, has you forgotten that your majesty is buried in Kaifeng Mansion?" If you get the guidance of Wei Ming, Wu Dalang can always draw a seven or eight points similar, right? This is enough to take the life of the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang. As far as the minister knows, there are painters in the criminal department and in the criminal departments in various places who can draw pictures and figures according to the depictions of others. ”

"That's right." Zhao Xu nodded, and said to himself, "If it can be done, I will reward him with an official position." ”

……

"Draw the Empress Dowager Xiaoliang?"

Hearing Liang Shicheng's request in the Hanlin Painting Academy, Wu Haogu was a little stunned, "Do you want me to go to Western Xia?" ”

"If you don't go to Western Xia, you will paint in Kaifeng Mansion...... Draw now! ”

"But I haven't seen her!" Wu Hao Gu said, "How can this be drawn?" ”

Liang Shicheng frowned and said, "If there is someone who is very familiar with the Liang family as a guide, can you draw the appearance of the Liang family?" ”

"This ......" Wu Hao Gu Xin said: Isn't this a simulated portrait? What "eye 3 + nose 5 + mouth 8 or something......

"Can you draw?"

"You can try it...... Wu Haogu said with a frown, "I may not be able to draw it well, but I can try it."

By the way, what's the use of drawing this picture? ”

Liang Shicheng didn't know that someone wanted to use this portrait to make a counter-plot, but said: "It's the official family who wants it, maybe the official family wants to see what the mother-in-law who has been embarrassed with me for more than ten years looks like, right?" ”

"Okay," Wu Haogu nodded, "let me prepare for a few days." ”

"The sooner the better," Liang Shi said, "The official family is anxious to see." ”