Chapter 21 So, he's been completely exposed, right...?
Fusu smiled sweetly, her lips upturned high and her snow-white cheeks slightly puffed out, like a milk bun mixed with sugar syrup.
But now nobody cares about his smile, or whether it's too illogical for a three-year-old to understand the entire negotiation process.
Because everyone is laughing.
The expressions of the Song emperor and his ministers were now in complete agreement.
What prerequisites were needed for the tripartite division of the world in the Western Xia's dream? It required three equally powerful forces, intertwined like a pretzel, where none could defeat the others.
If any upstart tries to stand on equal footing with the two established leaders, it will undoubtedly face the combined attacks of the two forces that were originally locked in fierce competition.
Just look at the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. For decades, during their global dominance, no country could stand on equal footing with them. Now, the delicate balance of power between the Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties is merely another re-enactment of the Cold War… a thousand years earlier than expected.
Moreover, and more subtly, the Western Xia had been a vassal state of the Liao Dynasty for a long period, and Li Yuanhao's ancestor, Li Jiqian, had been defeated by Emperor Taizu of Song. This destined its rise to power to be more difficult and longer.
However, Western Xia is now far from rising again; it's likely struggling even to maintain its existing strength. If today's events were to spread, even if Emperor Renzong didn't send the witnesses and spies to the Liao Kingdom, if the Liao Kingdom were shameless enough to claim they were attacking from their "brotherly nation," would Western Xia dare refuse?
A war between Liao and Xia was inevitable. From the moment the spy confessed to being a Western Xia person, the outcome was already decided. Liao would not give up the excuse that was being offered to them, nor would they swallow the insult of their former servant being treated as an equal.
Emperor Renzong stood quietly with his hands behind his back, without uttering a word. He gave the Western Xia envoys ample time to clarify the current rapidly changing situation.
So, what is the key issue now?
—This is the attitude of the Song Dynasty.
Having just endured three years of bitter fighting with the Western Xia, would the Song Dynasty stand idly by, or would it join forces with the Liao Dynasty to attack the Western Xia and then share the spoils of victory with the two countries?
It all depends on whether Western Xia can offer a price that satisfies the Song Dynasty.
This is why the Western Xia envoy turned pale.
Whether they admit to being spies or not is irrelevant; Yang Shousu's sophistry is nothing more than a futile, death throes.
What was originally like a fantasy of "not giving an inch of land, not increasing a penny" now seems quite plausible, even a good option for Western Xia. The Song Dynasty could have easily asked for much more.
"Not an inch of land can be given, nor can a single coin of silver be increased."
At this very moment, Emperor Renzong was also pondering these words in his heart. If there was an element of bargaining in his words at the beginning, after witnessing that Fusu was only a hand's breadth away from the spy, his mind became firm, and he was determined to achieve this.
The situation subsequently shifted in favor of the Song Dynasty.
Emperor Renzong glanced at the sky and knew that no results could be achieved today. The Western Xia envoys, while rationally aware that the balance of power had shifted between the Song and Xia, and that now was not the time for them to make exorbitant demands, were not so easily swayed by emotional or practical considerations.
Perfect timing! The Song Dynasty hasn't decided how to make such an outrageous demand yet. Emperor Renzong thought to himself, "I'll go back and discuss it with my ministers, and then ask Su'er for her opinion."
Three things that immediately came to mind that he absolutely had to fight for:
Iron, cattle and sheep, and... horses.
The Tangut horses of Western Xia were extremely famous, not only for their resistance to cold, drought, and roughage, but also for their outstanding endurance and strong charging power. Even the Liao Dynasty coveted them, demanding that Western Xia pay tribute to them annually as a strategic resource.
The Song Dynasty was naturally envious. However, the other two countries tacitly excluded the Song from the trade, maintaining a strategic blockade against it.
If this matter could be used as an opportunity to open a breach through the Western Xia... Emperor Renzong's breathing became heavy for a moment, and he dared not think any further. Was he about to enjoy the good life that even Emperor Taizu had never experienced?
Emperor Renzong dared not think of it, but Fusu did!
Seeing that "not an inch of land will be given, and not a penny more will be given" was no longer just a dream, he naturally began to covet more. What kind of resources were available in the area where Western Xia was located, which is now Qinghai, Gansu, northern Shaanxi, and Ningxia?
Iron? Coal? Oil?
No, no, those are just embellishments of the industrial age.
Fusu, born into an agricultural country, was naturally more concerned with whether or not he had enough to eat. Therefore, in his mind, the most important resource for Western Xia was…
It's salt!
The Western Xia dynasty occupied territories in several of the driest provinces of later China, which naturally contained countless salt lakes. The Qarhan Salt Lake in Qinghai Province alone contains enough salt to feed the entire world's population for 1,000 years.
That is... enough for 7 billion people to eat every day from the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty until the year of his second incarnation.
It must be said that newborn minds are indeed daring. Emperor Renzong of Song even thought asking for a few horses was like a dream, while Fusu was no longer satisfied with just taking resources, but was planning how to incorporate the Qarhan Salt Lake into the territory of their Great Song Dynasty.
He was astute enough not to make a fuss. If word got out, it wouldn't just mean he wouldn't become the crown prince; it would lead to suspicions that he was mentally ill.
—No, do you think this is the Tang Dynasty?
However, as the imperial entourage prepared to return to the palace, Fusu overheard several officials whispering amongst themselves, their conversation implying that they were eyeing the salt and iron resources of Western Xia. "I knew it," he thought, "people who rise through the ranks via the imperial examinations are truly brilliant. In a winning situation, they don't even need a historical cheat code; they're already a cheat code themselves."
This trip to Daxiangguo Temple started off brilliantly and ended in triumph. Apart from a minor unexpected incident in the middle, everything was perfect. However, it was precisely this minor incident that was the key to turning the tide.
Thank you, Xixia, for the all-natural organic spy.
...Wait a minute, he was the first to discover that the Western Xia had planted spies in Xiangguo Temple.
The "weapon of war against Western Xia" persona that the Emperor had been intentionally cultivating had already been circulating among several senior officials. Would they, combining it with everything that happened today, spread it even more exaggeratedly and enthusiastically among the officials?
Fusu imagined the scene and swallowed hard.
Fortunately, everyone was in a good mood on the way back, so they didn't adhere to the same formalities as on the way there. The ministers didn't stand according to their official ranks, but instead walked together in twos and threes who knew each other well, taking the opportunity to express their excited feelings.
Seeing this, Fusu also slipped out of his sedan chair, deliberately slowed his pace, and eavesdropped from a distance at the edge of the ministers' line.
After listening for a while, Fusu breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
Those who didn't mention his name were all condemning the Western Xia people for their utter shamelessness in daring to plant spies in the Song Dynasty's royal temple. Others were speculating about the future war between Liao and Xia, discussing how the Song Dynasty should respond.
"Your Highness, what are you doing here?"
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind. It was none other than Prime Minister Fu Bi. After his initial surprise, he laughed, looking quite pleased with himself: "Could it be that you, like this old minister, are too excited to sit in your sedan chair and have to get out for a walk to clear your head?"
Fu Bi held the official position of Deputy Privy Councilor, a first-class status even among today's many ceremonial processions, and naturally had his own sedan chair.
However, he chose to walk, just like Fusu, following at a similarly close distance. Neither of them were of suitable status to go inside; going in would only mean listening to the sounds of bowing.
Fusu nodded reservedly: "Mm."
He couldn't very well say that he was doing it to eavesdrop.
Fu Bi was not at all surprised that a three-year-old child could understand matters of state. He didn't even mention it, and Fusu didn't seem to think anything was amiss.
One of them had heard the Emperor's hints and witnessed Fusu's extraordinary abilities firsthand, so he naturally knew what was going on. The other, however, fell into his old habit and completely forgot that he was only three years old. They actually managed to fool each other into letting the matter slide.
...No, it wasn't a complete bluff.
Fu Bi seemed to be thinking about something, his face filled with emotion: "I remember yesterday evening, the meeting in the Chuigong Hall had already ended, but the Emperor hurriedly summoned us back and asked us if the peace talks could still proceed if we didn't give them money or land."
Um?
So there was a second meeting. I was sound asleep in the back hall at the time and had no idea.
The saying "Not an inch of land can be given, and not a penny of silver can be increased" was originally proposed at that time.
"At that time, we all felt that Your Majesty had lost sight of the bigger picture and was indulging in wishful thinking. Then Your Majesty said, 'What about the Liao Kingdom? If Liao attacks Western Xia, what are the chances that we can force Western Xia to back down through peace talks?'"
Fusu suddenly realized: "So that's why we're where we are today?"
“That’s exactly right,” Fu Bi said.
So that's how it is. Many of Fusu's doubts were resolved by this sentence.
No wonder Emperor Renzong's attitude shifted from passive to tough; it turns out he was reassured after holding two meetings. And after learning of the Western Xia spies, he so quickly steered the conversation towards the Liao Dynasty—it seems he was prepared all along.
The Western Xia spy he captured was actually a pillow handed to Emperor Renzong when he was dozing off.
...and also sent one to the Liao Kingdom.
But why is Mr. Fu telling me all this?
Fusu was on guard against statements that reinforced his persona, such as "As expected, as long as Your Highness is around, strange things happen in Western Xia." But he was surprised to hear something even more shocking.
Fu Bi said, "His Majesty told us that these two ideas were not his own, but rather inspired by His Highness Prince Cheng. Upon hearing this, I was truly filled with admiration. Today's negotiations with Western Xia have been a great success, and I personally believe that His Highness deserves the greatest credit, second only to His Majesty."
Um?
What do you mean by getting inspiration from me? I was sleeping at the time, wasn't I? How can I inspire someone?
……etc!
The flickering silhouette of Emperor Renzong sitting before the candlelight, the faint scent of styrax emanating from the bedding, flashed into Fusu's mind like lightning. Could it be something from that time? In a place he knew nothing about…
"..."
Fusu gasped. What exactly did he say back then?
But no matter how much I tapped my brain, I couldn't recall anything; it was probably formatted along with my deep sleep.
So, did Emperor Renzong fully understand? Was he completely exposed? Is it too late for him to claim he's a born politician? Would anyone believe him?
Ahhhhh! So what exactly did he say? What did Emperor Renzong hear and what did he imagine? What exactly happened?
Unknown bugs are always the most terrifying, because you don't even know where to begin fixing them.
"..."
At midnight, Fusu lay in his bedroom in the rear hall of Kunning Palace, his eyes wide open, unable to sleep.
No one could keep Fusu awake all night.
Unless you are Fu Bi.
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Author's Note: The smile won't disappear, it's just moved from Fusu to my face. [droopy-eared rabbit head][upright-eared rabbit head]
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