More than 20,000 military horses, the elite cavalry of the entire imperial army, were handed over to the Jin people.
Zhao Huan felt dizzy. He had underestimated the enemy. He hadn't even considered Moutuogang. He had dreamed of leading cavalry to attack the Jin Dynasty. Now, it seemed that just being able to keep Bianjing was a blessing.
Li Gang and Cao Dongsheng supported Zhao Huan, who felt exhausted and waved his hand: "Return to the palace!"
As soon as they arrived at the palace, Li Bangyan and Bai Shizhong were already waiting anxiously.
"I have announced to the world. No land will be ceded, no compensation will be paid. What else do you two dear ministers want?" Zhao Huan was too lazy to meet these two people.
Bai Shizhong and Li Bangyan looked at each other, then knelt together. Li Bangyan said, "Your Majesty, we two are not asking for compensation or cession of territory."
"Do you two have a good plan to defend against the enemy?" asked Li Gang beside him.
Bai Shizhong said, "The Jin troops have already reached the capital, and Shanxi has suffered a series of defeats. Wanyan Zonghan's Western Army will arrive soon. When the two Jin troops from the east and west join forces, Bianjing will surely be undefendable, Your Majesty."
Zhao Huan remained silent. Perhaps Bai Shizhong was right. If the Jin thieves joined forces from the east and west, Bianjing might not be able to be defended.
Seeing Zhao Huan remain silent, Li Bangyan knew he was wavering. He then continued, "Your Majesty has already issued a decree prohibiting the payment of compensation, yet the Jin are pressing forward. The Song Dynasty is in imminent danger. I believe we can negotiate with the Jin without ceding territory or paying compensation, but there is still a glimmer of hope."
Zhao Huan frowned. "I have already said that we will not negotiate. Besides, if you don't cede territory or pay compensation, what will you use to negotiate with the Jin people? Women again?"
Li Bangyan lowered his head even more. "Your Majesty, we can open up trade with the Jin Dynasty. We can exchange the Song Dynasty's grain, fine wine, gold, silver, ironware, and silk for the Jin people's ginseng, deer antlers, cattle, sheep, and horses."
I didn't expect that Li Bangyan, in addition to surrendering and negotiating, could also come up with such a good idea.
Zhao Huan then said, "Your idea is sound. If the Jin troops hadn't arrived before, we could have negotiated with them to trade. But now that the Jin troops are at the gates of our city, they might not agree to any peace talks."
Bai Shizhong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, if we negotiate with Jin now, they will definitely not agree. But if we make concessions to Jin, they may withdraw their troops."
"How to make the profit?" Zhao Huan became interested.
Li Bangyan glanced at Bai Shizhong and said, "Your Majesty, I have discussed this with Prime Minister Bai Zuo. The Song Dynasty can offer a hundred times the market price for Jin goods. This way, the Song Dynasty won't have to pay compensation to the Jin Dynasty, while still allowing the Jin Dynasty to receive annual tribute. It's like killing two birds with one stone."
"My dear ministers, what you mean is that we will give the indemnity to the Jin people under the guise of trade. Is that what you mean?"
Bai Shizhong and Li Bangyan were delighted: "This is exactly the method."
Bai Shizhong continued, "For example, if a warhorse is worth a hundred guan, we can sell it to the Jin at a price of one guan. If we buy a horse from the Jin, we have to pay them ten thousand guan. To put it bluntly, we are paying the Jin tribute under the guise of trade. This method not only benefits the Jin but also preserves the reputation of the Song Dynasty. It's like killing two birds with one stone."
Seeing Zhao Huan's hesitation, Li Bangyan quickly struck while the iron was hot: "Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty is no match for the Jin people right now. We must conserve our strength and wait until our national strength is sufficient to confront them. Only then will we engage in a decisive battle."
Zhao Huan looked at Li Gang and asked, "What do you think, Li Aiqing?"
Li Gang sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I think this is absolutely impossible. If we do this, the strength of the Song Dynasty will only become further depleted, and the Jin people will only become stronger. Doing so is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst."
"Li Shaoqing, you are wrong. Resistance now is like hitting a rock with an egg. You are sacrificing the Song Dynasty for your own fame." Bai Shizhong rolled his eyes.
"You..." Li Gang was very angry.
"Why? If Li Shaoqing could defeat the Jin soldiers, why did tens of thousands of horses in Moutuogang fall into the hands of the Jin people?" Li Bangyan and Bai Shizhong were wearing the same pants.
Zhao Huan knew that now was not the time to punish, and that Bai Shizhong and Li Bangyan might not have malicious intentions.
"The incident at Moutuogang was not Li Shaoqing's fault. It was my fault for underestimating the enemy. Bai Shizhong, Li Bangyan, I will consider your suggestions. You two may withdraw first. I am tired and would like to rest for a while."
Li Gang and the others bowed and withdrew, leaving Zhao Huan feeling confused. Was the shame of Jingkang about to happen again?
In Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province, Guo Zixuan and Yue Fei ascended the city walls and gazed out from the distance. The Jin soldiers below cursed and hurled insults, hoping to provoke Guo Zixuan into opening the city walls and charging into battle.
"Lord Guo, don't worry. As long as we defend the city to the death, the Jin thieves will not be able to break in." Yue Fei said.
Guo Zixuan looked at the Jin camp in the distance and said, "I'm not worried about Taiyuan. I'm worried about the emperor in the capital. I don't know what the situation is like in the capital right now."
"Sir, I am willing to lead a team of troops to attack the Jin camp at night," said Yue Fei.
"What?" Guo Zixuan turned around and looked at him.
Yue Fei's mouth curled up: "The Jin people are very arrogant. If we are defeated repeatedly, they will become even more arrogant. They will never think that we will surprise them at night."
Guo Zixuan was overjoyed when he heard this: "So you are sure you can beat them back?"
Yue Fei bowed and said, "The Jin bandits are powerful and skilled in battle. Our Song generals have not been properly trained, so repelling them is unlikely. However, a surprise attack at night to disrupt them should be possible."
Lu Pingzhi, standing nearby, was shocked: "Absolutely not, Lord Guo. We've finally stopped the Jin thieves. If we attack at night and provoke them, what will happen if they attack the city during the day?"
Guo Zixuan was furious, but because he was an envoy sent by the emperor, he dared not get too angry. He said, "Lord Lu, you are wrong. If we wait here, we will die." He turned to Yue Fei and said, "How many people do you need? Feel free to choose."
Yue Fei was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!"
"No, absolutely not. You have picked up all the brave soldiers in the city. What if the surprise attack fails and we are wiped out by the Jin people? How can I defend Taiyuan City then? If I can't defend Taiyuan, and the emperor blames me, can you bear the consequences, Lord Guo?" Lu Pingzhi said angrily.
Guo Zixuan was anxious for nothing. Lu Pingzhi was sent by the Emperor. If he went back to report his failure in command, he would have no way to defend himself, whether he won or lost.
Yue Fei looked at Lu Pingzhi and felt angry. His Pingding Army was defeated because of the repeated obstruction of the warlords sent by the court.
Yue Fei said angrily, "Sir, if we don't let the Jin invaders suffer a little and let them know the might of the Song Dynasty, they will continue to attack us. I will only bring a thousand soldiers with me."
Lu Pingzhi nodded hurriedly: "One thousand is good, a thousand is still a little short. But there is one thing, you can't take the soldiers defending the city with you. You can choose from the troops that have retreated to Taiyuan from all over the country."
"You, Lord Lu..." Guo Zixuan was angry but dared not speak.
Unexpectedly, Yue Fei agreed immediately: "I obey your command."
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