Moma Liangshan

Chapter 224 Infighting, the future

Yelü Xinilie had held the position of Grand Compassionate Minister for many years, and his accumulated power remained. Although the tribal kings were unwilling, they dared not ignore him. However, five or six years had passed since the Jurchen uprising, and these seasoned officials had a clear understanding of the Liao Dynasty's situation. Before heading to the Rilian tribe, most of the tribal kings secretly made deals, waiting to see Prince Zhao make a fool of himself. Yelü Ding used his fiefdom to secure the allegiance of the Tieli tribe, effectively gaining the largest force among the twenty Khitan tribes. With the support of the Tieli tribe, Yelü Ding's procession became even more extravagant, with over a thousand guards alone. Yelü Xinilie looked at Yelü Ding, who was riding a tall horse, and just smiled coldly, saying, "Fifth brother, you are quite imposing, actually making the entire Tieli tribe bow down?" Yelü Ding was full of arrogance and replied, "With just a letter from my fourth brother, even I, the envoy in charge of pacification, have no choice but to come to the meeting!" Yelü Xinilie said righteously, "It's all to share the burden of Father Emperor!" Yelü Ding dismounted, looked at the high platform not far away, and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's begin!" Yelü Xinilie smiled insincerely and said, "Fifth brother, as the envoy, please go first!" After saying that, Yelü Ding stepped towards the high platform.

On the high platform, Yelü Ding and Yelü Xinilie sat on either side of the throne, with no distinction of rank. The twenty tribal kings sat below them in order of seniority, awaiting the two princes to speak. Yelü Ding looked at Yelü Xinilie and said, "This alliance was initiated by my fourth brother, so please speak first!" Yelü Xinilie, without any hesitation, rose and said, "The enemy army is at the gates of the city, and the capital is in imminent danger. The soldiers of the twenty tribes remember Your Majesty's grace and have led their troops to defend the king, which has greatly pleased Father. However, the Jurchens are rampant, and the 200,000 tribal troops are leaderless. If they fight independently, it may give the enemy an opportunity. Therefore, I and my fifth brother have been specially ordered to come here to unify our commands and resist this powerful enemy!"

Yelü Xinilie's impassioned speech failed to garner much response; the tribal chiefs mostly gave him evasive glances. Yelü Xinilie, seemingly anticipating this, calmly stated, "However, how can we face a powerful enemy without well-equipped armor and sharp weapons?" The crowd nodded in agreement, with the chief of the Lei tribe directly complaining, "It's not that we're afraid of death, but our troops are battered and our armor is worn. If we rashly attack, the casualties will be minor, but the morale of our army will be severely damaged!" The Lei tribe chief's exaggerated words instantly won over the crowd. Yelü Xinilie smiled confidently and said, "Therefore, I have brought you good news!" The Lei tribe chief, surprised, asked, "What good news is it?" Yelü Xinilie suddenly wiped the smile from his face and said, "Exchange your warhorses for my armor and weapons!"

At this moment, everyone became serious. King Lei continued, "How should we exchange them?" Yelü Xini ordered his men to bring out a wooden clothes rack with a set of armor hanging on it. Then he took out a battle sword and placed it next to the armor, saying, "A warhorse in exchange for a set of armor and a battle sword!" King Lei looked at the armor and weapons before him, unable to hide his covetousness, and said, "My soldiers don't like battle swords; could we exchange them for spears?" Yelü Xini replied, "Yes!"

At that moment, Meng Hui whispered in Yelü Ding's ear. After a moment, Yelü Ding stood up and said, "As far as I know, this armor should be standard equipment of the Song army. It's just that it's been painted black to disguise its true nature!" Everyone immediately understood, and a clamor erupted. Yelü Xinilie, however, looked disdainful and said, "The Song army has always been well-equipped. This armor is reliable because it comes from the elite Song troops!" Yelü Xinilie's words were true, and the various tribal kings nodded repeatedly. Yelü Ding continued, "I just really want to know, when did my fourth brother align himself with the Song army?"

The Jurchen attack was more swift and fierce than anticipated. The output of the Jiaozhou Ironworks alone was insufficient to meet the Liao army's needs in a short time. Without meeting the Liao army's needs, the outcome of the Battle of Shangjing could not be changed. In desperation, Wang Hao had no choice but to change his strategy and began to directly purchase finished products from the Song army's military supplies to meet the Liao army's needs as much as possible.

Yelü Xinilie, confident of victory, showed no fear of Yelü Ding's provocation, saying, "Telling you the truth is fine; these things naturally came from the Duke of Bohai!" It was common knowledge that Wang Hao had been granted the title of Duke of Bohai by Emperor Tianzuo, and the rumors surrounding the Duke of Bohai and the princess of Shu had long circulated. Therefore, the twenty tribal kings did not wish to discuss this matter further. The Lei tribe king said, "The title of Duke of Bohai was personally bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor; it is not something we can criticize. Moreover, the Imperial Guards in the capital have long been equipped with the Duke of Bohai's weapons, so you can rest assured about the source of these weapons!" Yelü Ding was very dissatisfied with the Lei tribe king's repeated interventions, saying, "The Lei tribe king is truly well-informed, even knowing every move in Father Emperor's army?" The Lei tribe king, enraged, said, "It's no secret that the Imperial Guards are equipped with weapons sent by the Duke of Bohai. Why must Your Highness, Prince Qin, so severely injure this humble subject?"

Being openly contradicted in front of everyone, Yelü Ding was furious, but the current situation did not allow him to vent his anger, so he had to suppress it. Seeing Yelü Ding speechless with anger, Yelü Xinilie chuckled inwardly and slowly said, "Those kings who have no interest in this trade, please raise your hands!" After five breaths, still no one responded. Yelü Xinilie turned to Yelü Ding and asked, "What is your attitude, Fifth Brother?" Yelü Ding replied, "Does my attitude matter?" Yelü Xinilie smiled slightly and said, "Fifth Brother is the chief envoy for pacification; his attitude towards this trade is naturally crucial!" Yelü Ding suddenly asked, "I really want to know, is Fourth Brother promoting the arms trade out of compassion, or as a deputy envoy for pacification?" Yelü Xinilie slowly approached Yelü Ding and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Whether he uses any role depends on Fifth Brother's attitude!" Yelü Ding took a deep breath and said, "If I agree with Fourth Brother's approach, then Fourth Brother will promote the arms trade as a deputy envoy for pacification; if I oppose it, then Fourth Brother will forcefully promote it out of compassion; is that correct?" Yelü Xinilie offered no explanation and said, "Exactly!"

Yelü Ding gritted his teeth and said, "I have now experienced the methods of my fourth brother. I hope you will not regret it in the future!" Yelü Xinilie did not speak, but thought to himself, "If the Liao Dynasty can have a future, what does it matter if I regret it?"