Surrender can be easy in some ways, and simple in others.
If something can be resolved with words, then there's no need to resort to force. That's how Liu Fu thought. Aren't we all in our own fiefdoms now? Then we can talk together. And as one of the most powerful people among them, the Liao Emperor should naturally be the one to break through.
After all, if even the Liao emperor has surrendered voluntarily, why would we care about anyone else if we take him down? Others will simply follow the Liao emperor's lead, and we might be able to pacify the entire country without even lifting a finger.
At night, Liu Fu and the Liao Emperor sat on the ground with wine and dishes laid out in front of them, which were just some cucumber salad and peanuts, not particularly lavish.
It's often said that inviting someone to dinner is just a formality, while inviting someone for drinks is a heart-to-heart talk.
So Liu Fu didn't prepare any food today, only two or three snacks and some wine. He came to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Liao Emperor.
"Your Majesty."
The Liao emperor is now extremely respectful to Liu Fu. Although Liu Fu is not the nominal emperor of the Later Han, he is a pillar of the Later Han. Although the Liao emperor is still the emperor and is a vassal state of the Later Han, his status and position are not much different from Liu Fu's.
However, after the two exchanged greetings, the Liao emperor became even more respectful. This was completely different from his previous domineering imperial air; now, the Liao emperor seemed to be keeping a low profile.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember when I first arrived in Liao? It was through drinking with you that I met you. It was during that drinking contest with the generals in your army that my reputation spread and became known throughout the land."
Upon hearing this, the Liao emperor burst into laughter and joined in with a forced smile:
"Your Majesty's memory is indeed excellent. To be honest, when Your Majesty was drinking under my command, I was quite shocked to see so many generals get drunk. I didn't think of you for anything else, but I never imagined that you would be blessed by the gods. In that case, I am truly convinced of my defeat."
Liu Fu nodded. "Come on, let's drink to this one that we're truly convinced of."
They chatted casually, and eventually the conversation turned to the fundamental issues between the Later Han and the Liao Dynasty at that time.
"I have a question, Your Majesty the Liao Emperor, please enlighten me."
"No, no, let's just treat this as a conversation between friends or brothers, there was no question of asking for advice."
"good!"
Liu Fu filled the Liao Emperor's cup with wine and then got straight to the point.
"My meaning is very simple. I would like to ask Your Majesty what your thoughts are on the future of the entire Liao Kingdom and even the entire Yelü royal family? Have you made any decisions regarding their future?"
When masters clash, they immediately point out the key points.
When Liu Fu asked this question, the Liao emperor was not surprised at all, because he had been pondering and thinking about these things repeatedly recently.
During this period of time, the Liao emperor's thoughts changed again and again.
At the beginning, the Later Han was not even as good as the Later Jin, and had no advantage compared to the Linren Kingdom, let alone the entire Liao Dynasty.
The Liao Kingdom and its emperor never regarded them as rivals vying for supremacy, nor did they even give them a second glance; they were nothing more than ants in their eyes.
However, Liu Fu made rapid progress and rose to prominence, attracting the attention of the Liao Emperor. At that time, the Liao Emperor still felt that Liu Fu could be controlled. As long as this rising star was nipped in the bud, he would not pose any threat to the Liao Dynasty.
Then came a period of great frustration for the Liao emperor, when he realized he had no way to deal with Liu Fu and could only send him out of Liao.
During this period, the Liao emperor began to feel a great threat from the Later Han, but he was helpless to do anything about it.
In fact, from that time onwards, the Liao emperor had already vaguely sensed that if the Liao state were to decline later, the cause would definitely be Liu Fu, and the trigger would definitely be the Later Han!
The Liao Dynasty would only be defeated by the Later Han Dynasty, not by any other state.
Later, his fears came true step by step. Under immense pressure, the Liao emperor lost his mind and chose to believe the words of those sorcerers and magicians. They believed that Liu Fu would have to pay a price for summoning the giant beast, and that once that price was paid, Liu Fu would die.
At that time, the Liao Kingdom would still have a glimmer of hope. Although he was relying on these ideas, the Liao Emperor had also been somewhat doubtful. He knew that this was only one possibility, but there was another possibility: Liu Fu would be fine and could use the giant beast to rule the world and become an invincible being.
But the Liao emperor at that time was unwilling to believe or acknowledge the latter. All of this was just self-deception. He couldn't let go of his tiny, extremely pathetic and pitiful pride. Now that Liu Fu was rising step by step, he was powerless to stop it and could only submit to the Later Han and become a vassal state of the Later Han.
But this was merely a compromise—a situation of submitting to the emperor without destroying the country. In reality, the Liao emperor was only preserving a pitiful amount of face.
He knew all along that one day he wouldn't even be able to submit to the emperor, and his country would be destroyed.
This day was bound to come sooner or later. Recently, the Liao emperor had been thinking a lot. He knew that the only way for the Yelü family to survive in the future was for the Liao state to be destroyed.
Liu Fu enjoys talking to intelligent people because they can understand your meaning with just a hint and will tell you their thoughts directly. The exchanges between the two are straightforward.
It is also the most direct, authentic, and efficient.
The Liao emperor clearly possessed all these qualities, so when Liu Fu asked this classic question, the Liao emperor answered without even thinking:
"The Liao Dynasty will eventually fall. I can agree to your conditions, but you must guarantee one thing."
Before the Liao emperor could even state his request, Liu Fu, being a clever man himself, had already thought of it for him and then inquired about it.
"You want me to publicly announce to the world that your Liao Kingdom will submit to the Later Han, and then the Later Han will forgive and forget your past transgressions, right? Including the guarantee that your Yelü royal family descendants can continue to exist?"
When the Liao emperor saw that Liu Fu did not beat around the bush or pretend not to hear, he was very pleased.
“You’re right. My demands are right. This is my final demand: guarantee that the Yelü family will continue to exist. And I want you to publicly promise this to the world. Only if you truly fulfill this promise will I surrender the entire Liao Dynasty to you and become your subject. From then on, the name Liao will no longer exist in history. I will personally erase it, even if it means becoming a sinner of Liao for all time and having no face to face my ancestors. I can bear all of this alone, as long as you agree to all of this.”
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