"Tell me."
Li Yuanhao forced himself to be patient and asked, "What should we do now?"
"We must immediately initiate peace talks with the Liao and Song kingdoms, and submit to them as vassal states, as we have done in the past."
Yang Shousu said frankly: "This is the only way we can turn things around. Otherwise, continuing to fight with the Song State will be disadvantageous to us."
Yeli Wangrong was also a man of great ideas. He also advised: "Yes, Your Majesty, the current situation no longer allows us to fight with the Song State. Peace talks are the best option."
"Peace talks?"
Li Yuanhao pondered for a moment and sighed, "It's really unbearable."
Then he looked at Zhang Yuan and asked, "Lei Fu, what do you think?"
Zhang Yuan saw that Li Yuanhao was still reluctant to give up the emperor's great cause. After thinking for a moment, he said seriously: "Your Majesty, it is indeed time to negotiate peace. However, Your Majesty should not be unwilling to give up. The Liao people will definitely win us over, and then there will be a war between Liao and Song."
"oh?"
Li Yuanhao asked, "Why?"
Zhang Yuan said, "First, the Song Dynasty's crushing defeat of the Liao Dynasty has caused a significant drop in Liao's prestige. How could Yelu Zongzhen let this go?"
"Um."
Li Yuanhao pondered and nodded.
"Secondly, the Song State's firearms were powerful. Even without mentioning prestige, firearms posed a serious threat to the Liao State's position. How could the Liao State not be afraid?"
Zhang Yuan analyzed, "Based on these two factors, I can confidently say that within three to five years, there will be a major war between Liao and Song. However, Liao was defeated this time, and they also need to recuperate, so they are temporarily halting their attacks and resting up."
"The Liao people are already afraid, what if they don't dare to act?"
Li Yuanhao asked.
Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "If the Liao people dare not act, they will certainly not try to win us over. But Your Majesty, please be patient. If my predictions are correct, the Liao envoys will arrive soon."
"You mean, the Liao envoy will take the initiative to come and negotiate with us?"
Li Yuanhao was surprised.
"nature."
Zhang Yuan said in a deep voice, "Song State's firearms are powerful. Liao State will never dare to face them alone again. They will definitely seek an alliance with us. That will be our chance."
"Um"
Li Yuanhao nodded slightly.
Zhang Yuan took the opportunity to suggest, "Your Majesty, you could submit a petition to the Song Kingdom while forming an alliance with the Liao Kingdom. First, open border trading posts to nourish the country. Once the time is right, you will make the Song Kingdom pay for its blood debt with blood!"
In fact, Li Yuanhao was not unaware of the situation he was facing. After two major defeats, people's livelihood in the country was in decline, prices were soaring, and herdsmen from various tribes were complaining and suffering terribly.
In addition, the enemy attacked the heartland of his hometown, causing heavy losses and Li Yuanhao's prestige plummeting. Now it is impossible to start a war again.
The only thing to do was to immediately send envoys to Song to beg for forgiveness, and then pay tribute to Song.
But Li Yuanhao really couldn't bring himself to do that.
Just a few years ago, he established his country with great fanfare and proclaimed himself emperor, but in the blink of an eye, he was beaten and had to cry for his father. He lost all his face and was truly disgraced.
Although for a warlord, face is not important, if Xixia continues like this, it will probably become an international joke.
Where will his dignity, prestige, and popular support be then, both at home and abroad?
So Li Yuanhao was in a really difficult situation.
But there was no point in holding on. The Song Dynasty closed the border trading post, causing the situation in Western Xia to deteriorate.
Northwestern specialties could not be sold, and the tea needed by the Dangxiang people could not be imported. Many people had to buy tea from Qingtanghua at high prices. The demand exceeded the supply of goods, and the rising production costs caused inflation, which brought the Western Xia economy to the brink of collapse.
In addition, there was another reason that made Li Yuanhao unwilling to accept this. Once he officially sent an envoy to the State of Song, it would mean that he would have to abdicate his throne, accept the enthronement of the State of Song again, and become the King of Western Xia.
This was difficult for him to accept.
But the reality is not optimistic either. He can no longer accept it, and he has to consider what will happen to the country if he continues to engage in a long-term military confrontation with the Song Dynasty and does not engage in trade.
I'm afraid it won't be long before the many Dangxiang tribes will rise up in rebellion and overthrow him as the leader of the Dangxiang tribe.
Therefore, Li Yuanhao could only ask his advisers to give him a reason.
Zhang Yuan gave the reason.
That means the Liao Kingdom will definitely not accept this, and they will still have a chance at that time.
As long as Li Yuanhao could be patient and submit to the Song Dynasty, and wait for the Song Dynasty to agree to mutual trade, he could recuperate and develop domestic military, economy, people's livelihood, etc. like the Liao Dynasty.
In a few years, when both Xixia and Liao have recovered from their severe injuries, Yelu Zongzhen will form an alliance with him and will be able to fight a desperate battle with the Song Dynasty and avenge their hatred!
"well."
Li Yuanhao understood Zhang Yuan's meaning, but sighed, "I'm still unwilling to give up!"
"Your Majesty, when the Kingdom of Yue was nearly destroyed by the Kingdom of Wu, Gou Jian endured hardships and finally destroyed Wu and achieved his revenge."
Zhang Yuan advised, "If you want to achieve great things, you need to learn to be patient. The patience you have now is for future victory. Even if you suffer a temporary defeat, you cannot be considered a hero. Only the final victor can show his heroic qualities!"
"Um!"
Li Yuanhao said solemnly, "That's it! Send an envoy to the State of Song!"
The first year of Kangding was destined to be an extraordinary year for the three countries.
At the beginning of the year, Liao and Song fought a decisive battle in Baozhou, and the Liao was defeated.
The two sides engaged in a diplomatic tug-of-war that lasted for more than half a year, which ultimately ended with the Song State achieving a huge diplomatic victory.
In the second half of the year, when the Western Xia learned of the peace talks between Song and Liao, they could no longer sit still and had to send envoys to pay tribute.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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