To be honest.
He was not afraid if the Liao people wanted to continue fighting.
The problem is that the Song Dynasty does not have overwhelming military force. Relying solely on grenades and artillery can determine the direction of a war, but it cannot determine the demise of a country.
The Liao Kingdom was very large. Although its economy was far inferior to that of the Song Kingdom, its military was even more powerful. Otherwise, it would not have suppressed the Song Dynasty for a hundred years.
Especially now, there are very few grenades left on Hebei Road. After the battle, there are only tens of thousands of grenades left in the army's inventory.
If the Liao Kingdom launched an attack immediately and fought to the death with the Song Kingdom, his only option would be to retreat back to Hebei and rely on the layers of fortresses in Hebei to resist the invasion of the enemy.
But what if the Liao Kingdom gave up the siege, abandoned its rear, and had no need for supplies and food, and just rode south, looting in Daming Prefecture in Hebei, looting in Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan, and burning, killing, and plundering everywhere it could?
Unlike agricultural peoples, who needed to grow crops to maintain their logistical supplies, nomadic peoples plundered wherever their horses could find them. The Mongol army later relied on this same strategy to march all the way to Europe.
What would happen if Fan Zhongyan took advantage of the Liao Kingdom's weakness and occupied the entire Liao Dynasty?
The heartland of the Song State was destroyed.
It is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of bandits wreaking havoc everywhere in the heartland of Song State. So what if the territory of Song State doubles?
Can it be governed by conquering it?
What should we do with so many bandits in the hinterland?
I'm afraid that when the Liao Kingdom marches south, countless people affected by the war will be starving in an instant.
Millions of people have been displaced and some have even lost their lives.
The thought of such a scene gave Fan Zhongyan a deep headache.
It has to be said that Zhang Jian is worthy of being Yelu Zongzhen's most trusted minister. Compared with Liu Liufu, he is much more shrewd and scheming.
I'm not afraid of fighting with the enemy, I'm just afraid of the enemy fighting with you.
I make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, and you make only three hundred. If I win, I make no profit, but if I lose, I lose everything.
It really made Fan Zhongyan feel embarrassed.
However, the conditions proposed by the Liao Kingdom made Fan Zhongyan a little difficult to accept.
Zhao Jun once mocked Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng, saying that although the Song Dynasty won the Battle of Chanzhou, it signed terms that were humiliating and detrimental to the country, and had to pay so much money to the Liao Dynasty every year, which was really shameful.
This time he won the Battle of Baozhou, and he also wanted to increase the annual tribute to the Liao Kingdom. Wouldn't that cause trouble?
By then, not to mention that he himself would be unhappy, even if the matter was sent back to Kaifeng and handed over to the government and Zhao Jun to deal with, they probably would not accept it.
Therefore, faced with such a humiliating thing, Fan Zhongyan would never dare to agree to it, for fear that Zhao Jun would poke him in the back.
"I can keep the annual tribute from Your Majesty."
After a long pause, Fan Zhongyan said, "But let's not talk about the currency increase anymore. Back in the Battle of Chanzhou, we defeated the Liao army and killed your Liao general, but in return we signed the Treaty of Chanyuan. This was already a national humiliation. Now that we've won again, and increased the currency by so much, how can we explain this to the government and the people?"
"The annual tribute must be increased. If it's less, my lord won't be able to appease the vassal states and tribes. Then he'll have no choice but to lead those vassal states and tribesmen who are dissatisfied with the defeat and march south to fight a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty."
Zhang Jian shook his head and said, "For the Song Dynasty, this is at most a matter of face, but for the Liao Dynasty, it is a matter of life and death! Besides, you won't lose face at all. In this battle, you recovered so much land on the south bank of the Lai River. After returning home, your prestige in the Song Dynasty will probably reach an unparalleled level. If you cancel the annual tribute, aren't you afraid that your achievements will overshadow your master?"
"hehe."
Fan Zhongyan smiled and said, "Your Excellency Zhongbao, you don't need to worry about that. Your Majesty trusts those you employ, and never employs those you doubt. I will certainly be trusted by the Emperor, and I will not fail."
joke.
No matter how great his achievements are, can he surpass Zhao Jun?
As long as Zhao Jun was around, Zhao Zhen would never be suspicious of him.
So Lao Fan knew very well that his trump card had never been to lead the Song army to victory, but to have Zhao Jun's support behind him.
"I'm not trying to stir up trouble, I'm just reminding you, Mr. Jinglüe."
Zhang Jian showed no sign of blushing after being exposed. He simply said calmly, "It's a good thing that you, the Minister of State, are loyal. However, there are some things that should and shouldn't be done. I hope you understand. I believe the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty will also understand your painstaking efforts."
"Hmm"
Fan Zhongyan pondered for a moment. He knew that Zhang Jian was giving him some advice, and there was no need to make Zhao Zhen suspicious of him.
Although he would definitely be safe with Zhao Jun protecting him, his contribution to recovering part of Yanyun's land was indeed too great. Coupled with the cancellation of the annual tribute, by then there would probably be countless people in the court and the country asking him to resign.
During the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, it was almost common practice to suppress officials who had made great contributions, regardless of whether they were civil officials or military generals. For example, didn't Zhao Jun tell him that Tong Guan recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and was crowned king, but was dismissed from office in the blink of an eye?
Thinking of this, Old Fan actually felt that the other party had a point, but he finally shook his head and said, "It's not just about face. Adding 200,000 strings of cash to the tax bill will cost the people a lot of money. I don't want to add to the burden on the people."
"You are such a stubborn person."
Zhang Jian frowned and said, "Let me ask you, in the past, during the time of Empress Dowager Xiao, how many gifts were given for her birthday each year?"
"These are all sent by the royal family. We don't know unless we ask His Majesty."
Fan Zhongyan answered honestly.
"There is no fixed amount each year, but it will generally not be less than 200,000 guan."
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