Secondly, for national strategic resources such as horses and minerals, not only was the Liao Kingdom itself prohibited from selling them abroad, but the Song Dynasty also banned the export of some strategic resources, such as copper coins, books, sulfur, saltpeter, copper and iron. In the second year of Jingde, Song Zhenzong also ordered restrictions on the sale of brocade and silk: "Order the Xiongzhou not to trade brocade, silk, etc. in the market."
This shows that both sides have implemented an embargo on strategic materials. Why can the Song Dynasty still impose a strategic blockade on us? The Liao Dynasty must now relax its control in this regard. Therefore, the Liao Dynasty naturally did not want to agree.
The two sides then engaged in a long struggle.
Fan Zhongyan and Zhang Jian even met and talked several times, but neither side could come up with conditions that satisfied the other.
The main reason is that the conditions on the Song side have been fixed and cannot be changed.
The Liao Kingdom, on the other hand, believed that it had been retreating again and again. For example, they admitted that the Song Kingdom had occupied the land on the south bank of the Laishui River and had also cancelled the currency increase.
When they initially agreed to restore the Chanyuan Alliance, they even hoped that the Song would withdraw from the south bank of the Laishui River, and the Baigou River would still be the boundary. Now the Liao Kingdom has made another concession, recognizing that all areas south of Fanyang belong to the Song Dynasty, but it must continue to pay annual tribute.
From the perspective of the Liao Kingdom, this was already a huge diplomatic defeat, but the Song Kingdom was still not satisfied. It wanted to cancel the annual tribute and restore the state-to-state relationship of equality between the two sides, leaving the Liao Kingdom with no choice.
Therefore, seeing that no agreement could be reached, Yelu Zongzhen had no choice but to observe the domestic situation before making a decision.
In this struggle, time passed quickly.
In April of the first year of Emperor Kang's reign, in Xijin Prefecture, as time went by, Yelu Zongzhen's heart sank deeper and deeper into the valley.
In the back garden, Yelu Zongzhen had just passionately expressed his determination to teach the Song Dynasty a severe lesson to the pro-war dignitaries at the court meeting, winning cheers and support from a large number of dignitaries. In the blink of an eye, he returned to the back garden with a gloomy face.
Zhang Jian sat cross-legged calmly in the garden. It was early summer in April, and the weather in the north had begun to warm up. All things were reviving and embracing the sun. The Yanshan Mountains to the north of Xijin Prefecture were already emerald green, and a gentle breeze was blowing, carrying a faint fragrance of flowers.
Yelu Zongzhen tore another letter into pieces and threw it into the brazier in the pavilion. There was wine roasting on the brazier, but he had no desire to drink at this time.
Because recently, he has always been given bad news.
"The eight enemy tribes also declined. They were only willing to contribute 8,000 men and no more than 50,000 hu of grain and fodder."
Yelu Zongzhen sat opposite Zhang Jian with a very ugly expression on his face.
During the reign of his father, Emperor Shengzong of Liao, the major tribes of all ethnic groups except the Khitan were divided into 34 tribes.
These thirty-four tribes became the cornerstone of the Liao regime. They contributed horses, soldiers, and food to the Liao. At its peak, the Liao had a population of less than nine million, but it boasted a million soldiers, most of whom came from these tribes.
Otherwise, the Khitan people, the main ethnic group of the Liao Dynasty, had a maximum population of only 1.5 million, and they definitely could not have mobilized a million soldiers.
Therefore, if Yelu Zong really wanted to mobilize troops from all over the country, he could only give orders to these tribes.
However, the outcome was very embarrassing for him.
The eight tribes of Dilie had a combined population of 300,000 to 400,000. If every member of the clan could mobilize a force of 70,000 to 80,000, there would be no problem in sending out an army of 70,000 to 80,000. However, they only sent out a few thousand people, which was almost like sending out beggars. Yelu Zongzhen was so angry that his nose almost turned crooked.
Zhang Jian sighed, "These tribes were never united with the Liao Empire. They were conquered by the late emperor through his campaigns. But since then, they have rebelled repeatedly. The Great Yellow Shiwei, the Small Yellow Shiwei, the Wugut, the Chaladi, the Chubude, the Western Xi, the Eastern Xi, and other tribes—haven't there been a few rebellions in recent years?"
"Alas, fortunately I listened to my father-in-law's words and did not order their entire clan to fight. I only asked them to send people as needed. Otherwise, if this order was given, I'm afraid that even before the Song Dynasty instigated it, the Liao Dynasty would have rebelled everywhere."
Yelu Zongzhen sighed deeply.
Recalling the time of his father, Emperor Shengzong of Liao, he subdued countless tribes in the north and organized them into 34 divisions. With a single call, he could immediately lead an army of 500,000 to attack Western Xia. How majestic he was.
As a result, in less than a few decades, the Liao Dynasty declined to this extent.
Except for the eight tribes of Dilie, the other major tribes, including the Five Kingdoms Tribe, Changbai Mountain Tribe, Wure Tribe, Limei Tribe, and Donghai Jurchen, all reduced their military and food supplies for various reasons.
Recently, Yelu Zongzhen's youthful vigor and spirit have been visibly dissipating. It seems as if a heavy burden has been weighing on him, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"The Song Kingdom is not like the Western Xia. The Western Xia were small and poor. Even if they had the power to threaten us, they couldn't possibly destroy the Liao. However, the Song Kingdom is no weaker than the Liao Kingdom, and is even slightly stronger. If we lose the ability to suppress them, our situation will only become more difficult."
Zhang Jian said seriously, "Your Majesty, please forgive my frankness. The Liao Dynasty is in dire straits. The tribes that joined the Liao Dynasty because of its prosperity will also leave it because of its decline. If the Liao Dynasty forcibly recruits the tribes, it will only give the Song Dynasty an opportunity to exploit. It is better to maintain peace, resolve the current crisis, rectify the country, and vigorously reform the system. Only then can we regain the prosperity of the previous emperor's time."
"Then, according to Shangfu, is it really true that I can only agree to the conditions proposed by Song?"
Yelu Zongzhen frowned.
This would be a serious blow to his prestige.
Zhang Jian pondered and said, "I think this is the only way. However, since it involves Your Majesty's reputation, I think there may be other ways."
"oh?"
Yelu Zongzhen hurriedly asked, "How is it?"
Zhang Jian said, "Song demands equality between our two countries, but they haven't truly done so. They demand that we lift restrictions on the production of horses and minerals, yet they still prohibit the import of ironware. This is clearly unreasonable. I believe that a full opening of both sides is the appropriate approach."
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