Ever since Li Sisi married into the Song Dynasty, Xixia King Li Ganshun has been obsessed with his daughter. He wondered if she would suffer in the Song Dynasty, having been blessed with every blessing since childhood. As the youngest daughter, she was also his most beloved.

When Li Ganshun heard that the Song Dynasty envoy was coming, he was overjoyed and said, "Please come and invite them."

Yu Bu Tong arrived at the main hall and saw that Li Ganshun was handsome and had a look that vaguely resembled Li Sisi. He immediately bowed and said, "I, the envoy of the Great Song Dynasty, Yu Bu Tong, pay my respects to His Majesty the King of Western Xia."

Li Ganshun was delighted: "Your Excellency has come a long way and must take a seat!"

The Western Xia were a rough and untamed people, and their rules and etiquette were not as numerous as those of the Song Dynasty. During court sessions, they had two rows of tables, with officials sitting on either side.

Yu Bu Tong bowed and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty." Then he sat down on the lower right side of Li Ganshun.

"Envoy Yu, how is my daughter?" The father and daughter really have a deep affection for each other. Li Ganshun came up and asked about his daughter's situation first.

Yu Bu Tong clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, when I arrived, Empress Li asked me to give you her regards. She is a very kind person in the Song Dynasty, and my Lord has shown her great favor. Contrary to the palace rumors, she sent men armed with knives to stand outside the palace gates during the wedding, and my Lord has been completely subservient to this Empress Li."

Li Ganshun smiled, knowing that his daughter was naughty and playful. He also heard that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty was very fond of her, and he was immediately overjoyed.

"Empress Li said she is doing well in the Song Dynasty and cannot serve Your Majesty by your side. Please take care of your health."

Li Ganshun's eyes welled up, knowing that his daughter was always filial. But now, thousands of miles apart, it was difficult for them to meet, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Having finished his flattery, Yu Bu Tong returned to the point: "Your Majesty, the Great Song Dynasty has recently obtained intelligence concerning the fate of the Western Xia. My Lord has specially sent me to inform you so that you can make plans early."

Li Ganshun heard that what he said was serious and asked for clues.

So Yu Bu Tong told Li Ganshun about the Jin people's conspiracy to ally with Mongolia to attack Xia.

Li Ganshun was shocked when he heard this: "The Jin-Mongol alliance, what should we do? Will the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty send troops to help Xixia?"

Yu Bu Tong clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. Xixia and the Great Song are one family. How can the Great Song sit idly by when Xixia is in danger? However, if the Mongols and Jin form an alliance, it will surely be a bloody battle. Your Majesty of the Great Song knows that the King dislikes war, but the Jin thieves are too bullying. We must fight!"

Li Ganshun nodded and said, "I will immediately gather our heavy troops and join forces with the Song Dynasty to resist!"

Yu Bu Tong shook his head and said, "Our Great Song Emperor has another brilliant plan for the King that will help resolve the crisis in Western Xia."

Li Ganshun was delighted when he heard this: "Oh, please tell me quickly."

Yu Bu Tong said, "The Great Song has received secret reports that the Jin are attempting a marriage alliance with the Mongols. The Jin Emperor, Wanyan Sheng, has taken a daughter of his own and married her off to the Mongol leader, Kublai Khan, in an effort to unite the two kingdoms. If the king were to take the initiative before the Mongol-Jin alliance, sending Western Xia to communicate with Mongolia, then the three kingdoms, Song, Xia, and Mongolia, could join forces to defeat the Great Jin. This would be the best strategy."

Li Ganshun praised the plan, saying, "The Mongols are formidable, and Kublai Khan is no fool. He knows that a Mongols-Jin alliance might not guarantee victory, but if the Song, Xia, and Mongols join forces, conquering Jin would be as easy as taking candy from a sack. I'll discuss this matter at court tomorrow morning."

On the morning of the second day, Li Ganshun discussed Yu Bu Tong's idea with his ministers. Everyone agreed that Yu Bu Tong's plan was great, so they also prepared to send an envoy to Mongolia.

…

After years of war between the various Mongol tribes, Kubula became the most powerful. Finally, Kubula conquered all the other tribes, and they elected him as the Great Khan, thus establishing the Mongol Empire.

Kublai Khan was the great-grandfather of Temujin in later generations. He was a brave and warlike man who often harassed the borders of Jin. Even the Jin people, who were known for their unparalleled cavalry, were defeated by him several times.

Wanyan Sheng had no choice but to deploy 100,000 troops on the border between Mongolia and Jin, and sent Wanyan Quanshi to guard the border to prevent Mongolian harassment.

At this time, Hebule was drinking kumis and gnawing on a leg of lamb in his yurt, while two strong women were pouring wine and cutting meat for him.

"Khan, the Jin people outside want to see you." A tribal follower rushed in, put his right hand on his chest and bowed, which is the etiquette of their Mongolians.

Hebule threw away the lamb leg in his hand and said, "What are the Jin thieves doing here? I won't see them!"

Since the founding of the Jin Dynasty by Aguda, the Jin Dynasty implemented a policy of suppression against the Mongols. They instigated conflicts between tribes and massacred tribal soldiers. This was done to prevent the Mongols from becoming too powerful. As a result, the Mongols had no good feelings towards the Jin people.

The attendant said, "Great Khan, the envoy said he came to negotiate peace and brought a large amount of ginseng and deerskin as a gift to the Khan."

"You sit here and eat this leg of lamb to avoid wasting it. I'll go out and take a look." Hebule wiped the grease off his hands and stood up.

The Mongols were simple, and there wasn't much etiquette between the emperor and his subjects. Aside from battles, the soldiers and their commanders were generally more relaxed. Without a word, the attendant sat down and began to nibble on the leg of lamb.

The Jin envoy was none other than Guli Jiachong, the Minister of Rites of the Great Jin. Upon seeing Hebule, Guli Jiachong hurriedly saluted and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, I have come here on the orders of the Emperor of the Jin Empire to propose marriage to the Great Khan. My Lord is willing to marry his beloved daughter to the Great Khan, thus establishing peace between our two families."

Hebule was taken aback. Why had the Jin people been so polite to him? The Mongols were hospitable, and visitors were welcome. Hebule couldn't refuse, so he immediately brought the Guli beetle into his tent.

Guli Beetle entered the tent and found a servant sitting in the main seat, gnawing on a leg of lamb. He couldn't help but secretly despise him: Mongolian barbarians, ignorant of civilization. But he didn't mention that the etiquette of the Jin Dynasty was learned from the Song Dynasty.

Hebule was unconcerned and invited Guli Jiadou to sit down in the tent. A Mongolian woman brought kumis and a plate of mutton and placed them in front of Guli Jiadou.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!