The surrender of someone like Gao Siji largely represents the opinions and attitudes of many people in Youzhou. It's possible that before the fighting even begins, the entire Youzhou will side with Li Zhu…
"General Liu, what should we do now?"
Inside the Prince's residence, Shi Chonggui looked at Liu Zhiyuan with some bewilderment and asked, "What should I do?"
"Request reinforcements! Send a message to Crown Prince Yelü Bei of the Liao Kingdom, asking him to send troops to support us..."
Liu Zhiyuan appeared calm and collected, but inwardly he was panicking. All he could think of now was to call for help. He couldn't trust anyone in Youzhou because Gao Siji's surrender without a fight had unsettled the people of Youzhou. If he sent troops to fight indiscriminately, it was very likely that everyone would surrender...
The only country we can trust now is the Liao Dynasty, since their people don't have loyalty issues...
Yunzhou!
Yelü Bei was enjoying a song and dance performance in the main hall. He thought the women from the Central Plains were incredibly beautiful, far surpassing the women from the grasslands. They were gentle as water, light as swallows, and captivating...
Especially since he had a beautiful woman from the Central Plains by his side whom he could never have...
His gaze fell upon the beautiful Xiao beside him, filled with infatuation. This scene was witnessed by Yan Yan, who was standing nearby, which ignited a deep jealousy in her eyes…
"Your Highness, why did you allow a woman from the Central Plains to enter the council hall of my Great Liao?"
Yan Yan gritted her teeth and said, wanting to drive Xiao Meiren away...
Yelü Bei glanced at Yan Yan, thinking to himself, "Of course I want to see Consort Xiao a few more times, but as the Crown Prince, I can't say that out loud; after all, I still have to save face..."
He said in a very serious tone
"Consort Xiao is not only a princess of the previous dynasty, but also my grandmother's goddaughter. How can she be considered an outsider..."
"But she is, after all, a woman from the Central Plains. There is a saying in the Central Plains: 'Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts.' Isn't it too hasty to bring her to such an important military meeting? What if she is a spy?"
Yan Yan directly threw baseless accusations at Xiao Meiren, determined to prevent her from staying there...
"Yan Yan is right, I really don't belong here. I should go down..."
Xiao Meiren smiled slightly, not caring about Yan Yan's rejection. On the contrary, she agreed with her words and stood up to walk out...
"You're smart to know your place..."
Yan Yan pouted and said!
"Shut up! If you spout any more nonsense and hurt Lady Xiao, don't blame me for being impolite..."
Yelü Bei said angrily, his eyes filled with impatience as he looked at Yan Yan, "Perhaps this is what you're giving me that I don't want, because what I want you can't give me..."
A subtle smile played on Xiao Meiren's lips. A sophisticated green tea b*tch subtly sets a trap for you, and you don't even realize it...
"Your Highness..."
Yan Yan wanted to say something more, but before she could speak, Yelü Bei waved his hand, interrupting her, and added...
"This matter need not be discussed further. As long as I, Yelü Bei, am present, Consort Xiao can participate in the discussion..."
Yan Yan was very indignant, but forced by Yelü Bei's domineering attitude, she could only swallow her anger...
Xiao Meiren smiled calmly, as if she didn't care about this privilege at all...
"Report... An envoy from Yanjing..."
Upon hearing that someone from Yanjing had arrived, Yelü Bei said with great disdain.
"Is it Shi Chonggui, the one who recognized my father as his grandfather, who sent people?"
"yes!"
"This Shi Chonggui seems to be older than me, yet he actually acknowledges my father as his grandfather. He's truly shameless..."
Yelü Bei made no attempt to hide his contempt!
"Your Highness, no matter how incompetent Shi Chonggui is, we must still take him seriously. Whether we can seize the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun depends on this man..."
Yan Yan quickly said, fearing that Yelü Bei might act impulsively in this matter. Their Liao Kingdom had exhausted all means of attacking for so long without capturing even a single prefecture, demonstrating the strength of the defenses of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Now that someone had offered themselves up, they naturally wanted to maintain good relations…
Yelü Bei glanced coldly at Yan Yan. Although he disliked her, he did not object to her suggestion. He waved his hand, and the messenger immediately left in understanding. Soon, the envoy sent by Shi Chonggui appeared in the hall...
Upon seeing Yelü Bei seated above, the envoy immediately stepped forward, knelt humbly on the ground, and spoke in an extremely respectful voice.
"Envoy Su Fengji of Youzhou pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Liao..."
"Su Fengji, what are you doing here instead of in Yanjing?"
Yelü Bei asked, puzzled.
"Your Highness, the garrison commander of Daizhou, Gao Siji, surrendered without a fight and handed over Daizhou to the Crown Prince Li Zhu of the New Tang Dynasty. Now that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun are wide open, the King of Youzhou knows that he cannot resist the 100,000-strong army of the New Tang Dynasty. Therefore, he hopes that Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Liao Dynasty will have mercy and save the King of Youzhou from this predicament..."
Su Fengji's words pleased Yelü Bei, but upon hearing that the other party had come to ask for help, he couldn't help but coldly say...
"If your subordinates have betrayed us, you should be rectifying our internal situation instead of seeking help from the Liao Kingdom. Don't you know we're very busy?"
"Your Highness, we are worried about unrest within our ranks, which is why we hope that the Liao Kingdom can send troops to resist the New Tang. This would also give the King of Youzhou time to stabilize the people's hearts. Once Yanjing falls, all the agreements reached between the King of Youzhou and the Liao Kingdom will be in vain. We implore Your Highness to go to the rescue without fear of hardship..."
Su Fengji's words left the Liao Kingdom with no choice but to agree, because the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were already theirs. If, as he suggested, they were to be reclaimed by the New Tang, then all their previous efforts would indeed have been in vain…
Yelü Bei was somewhat stubborn, but he wasn't stupid; he could understand the stakes involved. However, he was unwilling to send troops just like that…
"Our Liao Kingdom will certainly not stand idly by and watch them die, but our warriors are currently suffering from some acclimatization issues and need some time to adjust. Why don't you hold on for now, and I will find the best doctors to alleviate the soldiers' physical problems..."
Upon hearing Yelü Bei's words, Su Fengji immediately understood that the other party wanted benefits. They were all northerners; no one would believe in any talk of acclimatization issues. It was just an excuse to delay them. The longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for Yanjing. They could afford to wait, but Yanjing couldn't…
Su Fengji understood that the other party wouldn't act until they saw the benefits, so he quickly and respectfully said...
"Your Highness, the King of Youzhou is willing to offer Huanzhou and Shuozhou as a reward, hoping that these two prefectures can help the Liao warriors recover their health..."
"Haha... As expected of the King of Youzhou, he knows how to diagnose and treat illnesses. In that case..."
"Wait..."
Just then, Yan Yan stepped forward to stop him, which greatly displeased Yelü Bei. She felt it was incredibly disrespectful to interrupt him…
"You think you can buy us off with just two states? Don't you think the price is too low?"
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