The Khitans were ready to fight to the death, but instead of waiting for the strong Song army the next day, they waited for a weak scholar.

Cao Yu was taken to the big tent of the Khitan royal court, straightened his waist and owed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant, and even saluted the Empress Dowager Xiao with a slight arrogance: "The foreign minister Cao Yu has seen the Empress Dowager Chitose. ”

Empress Dowager Xiao squinted slightly, and said in a cold voice: "When the two countries are at war, what do you want to do when Zhao Heng sent you?" ”

Cao Yu raised his fist high, pointed in the direction of Song Ying, and said: "My emperor has the virtue of a good life, and he doesn't want to see the lives of Song and Liao and his people ruined, so he sent his subordinates to come and make peace." ”

"Peace?"

Empress Dowager Xiao and everyone were stunned, who would have expected that the Song Dynasty would make peace at such a moment, isn't now the best time to eliminate the Khitan? Why did they miss the opportunity, could it be that they really had the virtue of a good life and could not bear the misery of the people's lives?

Of course it can't be, so what is the Song Dynasty going to do?

"What do you want to do?" Empress Dowager Xiao asked.

"How to make peace still needs to be discussed in detail, but in short, if you don't talk about peace with Liao, you will not lose a single soldier."

"Hehe, what a big breath, the 400,000 troops of the Liao State, it will take some effort to stand in place and let you cut it, why should Zhao Heng kill me?" Empress Dowager Xiao shouted angrily.

Cao Yu was not in a hurry, and said with his head held high: "The current situation, the Queen Mother knows better than me, the army of the Liao State has been attacked by my Great Song Dynasty, and the grain and grass have been cut off. In addition, my emperor is personally conscripted, the general is brave, and it is more difficult for the Liao State to cross the river than to ascend to the sky. ”

Empress Dowager Xiao didn't speak, just laughed, and said after a while: "Okay, you go down to rest first, let's discuss it, and send someone to talk to you." ”

Cao Yu bowed slightly (shēn) and withdrew with the guards.

"What do you think?" Empress Dowager Xiao asked.

"What kind of virtue of life, it's just nonsense, he is afraid that we will fight with him." Yeluno scolded.

"That's true, but the Song Dynasty has an absolute advantage, so it shouldn't have taken the initiative to talk about it, and I don't know what Zhao Heng thinks."

"Hehe, this is not simple, there must be some people who don't want to fight against our Princess Pingnan on the battlefield, so persuade Zhao Heng to make peace." Empress Dowager Xiao said with a smile

"Ling Kun?" Xiao Ran jumped up in surprise: "Auntie, are you telling the truth?" ”

"Of course it is, otherwise what they talk about at this time, if they want to talk, let's talk about it. Ranran, at the critical moment, you saved the life of our Great Liao Kingdom again. ”

Xiao Ran's face flushed with excitement, and he really hoped to see Ling Kun immediately and kiss him fiercely.

"What does the Queen Mother mean, are we going to talk to him?" The Privy Envoy of the Northern Court asked.

"Of course we have to talk, even if the Song Dynasty doesn't come to talk, we should talk, otherwise we all have to die by the Yellow River."

"It's just a matter of how to talk about it." Han Derang worried: "The Song Dynasty now has the advantage, and it will definitely open its mouth and make unreasonable demands." ”

The ministers nodded yes one after another, and Empress Dowager Xiao frowned in contemplation.

After a while, Empress Dowager Xiao raised her head and said: "The sixteen states of Youyun must be the most worried about the Song Dynasty, we occupy Youyun, and the monarchs of the Song Dynasty can't sleep, on the contrary, if the Song Dynasty occupies Youyun, the Khitan people don't want to sleep peacefully." So, our principle is that as long as we don't exit the clouds, the rest is easy to talk about. ”

"Queen Mother Shengming, you must not withdraw from Youyun, otherwise the Liao Kingdom has been under the nose of the Song Dynasty for generations, and they can come to fight the grass valley if they are unhappy one day." Yelunoyan chimed in.

Empress Dowager Xiao nodded and said to Han Derang: "Just talk about it, I know you are measured." ”

Han Derang nodded and said, "Don't worry, Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, we won't let an inch." ”

In the afternoon, the Song-Liao negotiations officially began, and the negotiations were held in a large carriage, with a long table in the center of the carriage, and the two sides sat facing each other.

Han Derang first said: "Lord Cao, since your country has proposed something, then you can talk about your country's conditions." ”

Cao Yu coughed lightly and said: "As the saying goes, one side of the water and soil nourishes one side of the people, since ancient times, the Khitan people rely on the northern grasslands to survive, and the Han people rely on the southern land to survive, and they should not attack each other, so what our country means is that the Liao State withdraws to the northern grasslands and returns the sixteen states of Youyun back to the Great Song Dynasty." ”

"Hahaha." Han De made Yang Tian laugh, as if he had heard a big joke.

"Why is Lord Han laughing?"

"Lord Cao is really funny, when Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty gave the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to Da Liao, there was no Song Dynasty in this world, may I ask Lord Cao, why did you return it to Da Song?"

Cao Yong's face changed, and he said in a cold voice: "Youyun has always been the land of the Han people, and the Great Wall was built by the Han people, what else is there to say." ”

"Lord Cao's words are ...... wrong"

……

……

The bottom line of the negotiation between the two is to control the sixteen states of Youyun, so the result of such a negotiation can be imagined.

The next day, the Song army, which had a truce of a day, began to attack again, Zhao Heng personally came to the front line to beat drums and cheer, Ling Kun, Li Jilong, Gao Qiong and other generals took the lead in the battle, and the Song army had high morale and was indomitable.

At the same time, the super army of Wang in the back also began to attack.

The Liao army was attacked from both sides, and the Empress Dowager Xiao originally appointed herself as the commander-in-chief, but at this moment, without the protection of the Baishan Shuangsheng, she did not dare to rush into battle, so the overall combat effectiveness of the Liao army decreased a lot.

It was also at this moment that the curtain hung low on a large carriage in the center of the Liao army, and Han Derang and Cao Yong continued to negotiate amid deafening shouts and murderous sounds.

Cao Yu closed his eyes slightly, and said slowly: "Lord Han, our carriage suddenly moved forward and retreated, which seems to indicate that your army is hesitating left and right, struggling to support, if it goes on like this, there will be a shortage of food and grass, not to mention the clouds, I am afraid that even the northern grassland will be lost." ”

Han Derang didn't seem to be in a hurry, and said in a deep voice: "The Queen Mother said, this southern expedition, the loss of troops and generals, if you return empty-handed, and lose the original Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, then what face do you have to go back to see the Khitan father, it is better to die in the territory of the Great Song Dynasty." However, my Daliao strength is not weak, if I fight to the death, it is not certain who will kill the deer. ”

"Lord Han, the Great Song Dynasty can give some treasures and items to the Liao State every year, so that it will not be impossible to step down." Cao came up with an idea that seemed like the best of both worlds.

Unexpectedly, Han Derang said: "Lord Cao's idea is good, and the Liao Kingdom can also give countless war horses and cattle and sheep to the Great Song Dynasty every year, as long as your country is not in the idea of fighting Youyun." ”

……

……

It is difficult to distinguish between victory and defeat on the battlefield, and the negotiation field is even more stalemate, who can get the clouds, who is the winner.