At night, Zhao Huan stayed in Renming Hall and had dinner with the queen.
Zhu Lian cried tears of happiness. Yes, Zhao Huan had truly been saved. She had already prepared for Zhao Huan's death, but unexpectedly, good news struck: the bastard emperor had returned safely.
Zhao Huan hadn't felt this way for a long time, the warm feeling of family. He drank a lot of wine and, drunk, he threw the queen to the ground.
On the second day, the morning court was held in the Purple Palace.
The ministers had gathered, and the generals of the Imperial Guard had also returned to the capital. Imperial Guards Kang Huojian, Wang Zongchu, and Wu Ge, Tiger Guard Zheng Xian, Imperial Dragon Guard Pan Bufeng, and the other ministers were all in the Purple Palace.
"Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!"
The ministers shouted loudly, this was a cry from the heart. Destroying the Jin Dynasty, what a great achievement!
Some suggested offering sacrifices to ancestors in the ancestral temple, some suggested a general amnesty, and some suggested enfeoffment of meritorious officials.
Zhao Huan agreed to all of them. After all, this was what they deserved.
"Your Majesty, a Mongolian envoy came to Beijing a few days ago. He has been staying in the capital for more than half a month. The envoy said he wanted to meet Your Majesty. I dared to let him come outside the palace." Grand Secretary Yu Bu Tong stood up and said.
"Oh, Xuan!" Zhao Huan was slightly surprised. What were the Mongols coming for?
"Announce, the Mongolian envoys enter the hall!" Cao Dongsheng shouted in a hoarse voice.
Soon a burly Mongolian came in, his right hand on his chest, and said, "Khan Kublai Khan sent his envoy, Darantai, to meet His Majesty the Emperor of the Song Dynasty!"
The person who came was Darantai, a general under Kublai Khan. He and Yu Bu Tong were old acquaintances.
Yu Bu Tong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is Dalantai, the most important general under Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire. He is on a diplomatic mission to the Song Dynasty on behalf of the Mongol Empire."
Zhao Huan nodded slightly. "So you are a brave warrior from the Mongol Empire. I appreciate your hard work, envoy. I wonder what it is that Kubula Khan sent you on this occasion?"
Darantai bowed and said, "Our Great Khan said that it was the Emperor of the Song Dynasty who helped them, which enabled the Mongols to destroy the Great Jin."
"It was our Song Dynasty that destroyed the Jin Dynasty!" Zhao Huan interrupted him.
Dalantai was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty is right. It was the Mongols and the Song Dynasty who joined forces to destroy the Jin Dynasty."
Zhao Huan was slightly annoyed and said, "The envoy, please speak directly if you have anything to say."
Dalantai said, "Your Majesty, both the Mongols and the Song Dynasty contributed half the effort to the destruction of the Jin Dynasty. But now two-thirds of the territory of the Jin Dynasty has been occupied by the Song Dynasty. Isn't this unfair to the Mongols?"
Zhao Huan smiled and said, "It's not very reasonable. I just don't know when the Mongols will withdraw their troops from Western Xia, the country that is the Song Dynasty's marital alliance? The Emperor of Western Xia is my father-in-law!"
Dalantai was a little embarrassed and coughed, saying, "Since Your Majesty has said so, then whoever occupies the Great Jin or Western Xia will own it. However, my Khan said that the Great Song, Liao, and Jin all pay annual tribute. Now they should also pay tribute to our Mongol Empire every year."
Yu Bu Tong kept shaking his head at Zhao Huan behind Darantai, meaning that he could not agree.
"Hahaha..." Zhao Huan laughed out loud in anger: "I wonder how many years of tribute would be appropriate for your Great Khan Kublai Khan?"
Dalantai paused and said, "As long as the Song Dynasty pays the Mongol Empire 300,000 taels of silver every year, there will be no war between the two sides for a hundred years."
Zhao Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Three hundred thousand taels is too little. How about five hundred thousand taels?"
"Your Majesty!" The ministers were shocked and tried to dissuade him, saying that the emperor must be crazy.
Dalantai was delighted: "Your Majesty, I, Kublai Khan, will certainly thank the Song Dynasty for its generosity."
Zhao Huan waved his hand and said, "Don't be so quick to thank me. What I'm saying is that your country, the Mongol Empire, needs to give the Song Dynasty 500,000 taels of silver every year to reward the soldiers on the border!"
As soon as these words came out, Dalandai's face changed color: "You, you..."
"How dare you!" Zhao Huan pointed at Dalandai angrily. "You Mongols broke your promise and destroyed your ally, Western Xia. I didn't bother you, yet you're plotting against me. Go back and tell Hebule that I don't have a penny for you, and I have hundreds of thousands of troops stationed at the border! If you don't agree, let's fight!"
Dalantai was shocked. Before leaving, Hebule warned him that if the Emperor of the Song Dynasty was really as incompetent as the rumors said, he should be severely punished. If the other party was tough, the Mongolian Kingdom should try to avoid war with the Song Dynasty, and if that was not possible, it could make some necessary concessions.
Hebule possessed a foresight for strategic thinking. He knew the Song Dynasty would be difficult to deal with. The Mongol Empire had just been unified, and the tribes were barely cooperating. Going to war now would be disastrous. Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty was at its peak, and he would certainly not stand a chance of success.
Dalandai hesitated: "Well, Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Song. The Mongols love peace and hope to establish a friendly relationship with the Great Song. We can do without the annual tribute..."
"You don't want it, but I do," Zhao Huan interrupted him. "Go back and tell Hebule to give me 500,000 taels of silver every year. If you give me even a penny less, we'll go to war. My army is already ready for battle."
Darandai was startled. "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Song, the Mongols consider the Great Song a friend. I have no say in the matter of annual tribute. How about asking Your Majesty to show some mercy and give the Great Song a thousand cattle and ten thousand sheep each year?"
Zhao Huan sneered, "Five thousand cattle and fifty thousand sheep. These are nothing to you Mongols. I don't want to bargain any further!"
Dalantai wiped his sweat and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, we can agree. But please also promise to open a trading post on the border so that both sides can conduct trade."
In fact, opening up the market was Hebule's biggest goal. The Mongols were a nomadic people with plenty of cattle, sheep, and horses, and they lacked all kinds of daily necessities.
In fact, Zhao Huan also hoped to open the market. After all, trade was beneficial to both parties.
"This, I need to think about it again." Zhao Huan pretended to be embarrassed, and Yu Bu Tong below secretly gave him a thumbs up.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
