txolops Chapter 52 The Tangut Nobles' Submission
Chapter 52 The Tangut Nobles' Submission
Guo Liqing led Naxita and Yelü Chucai back to the temporary residence.
At this moment, a group of people were already waiting inside his temporary residence.
Upon seeing Guo Liqing enter, the group immediately knelt down, shouting, "Greetings, Grand Marshal!"
Guo Liqing glanced at it, then walked straight to the head seat and sat down.
"Get up, everyone!" Guo Liqing said casually.
"Thank you, Grand Marshal!"
Guo Liqing remained silent for a moment, deliberately not speaking, and no one below dared to speak either.
"Speak! What brings you here?"
"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, we have come here to pledge our service to you!"
Guo Liqing heard a woman's voice, looked up, and saw a woman standing among a group of men.
Guo Liqing's gaze fell on the woman's face, and he couldn't help but be taken aback.
After transmigrating to this world, Guo Liqing met many women, such as Huang Rong's liveliness, Hua Zheng's heroic spirit, and Nashita's exotic charm.
But the woman before them possessed a unique aura.
Guo Liqing couldn't explain it for a moment.
The woman had fair skin and exquisitely beautiful features.
Her eyes held a composure that those around her lacked.
Who are you?
The woman bowed first and said, "I am Li Yanshu, daughter of the Prince of Linhe!"
"The Prince of Linhe?"
"Xiao Wang is here!"
Next to Li Yanshu was a man who looked to be in his fifties. Hearing Guo Liqing's words, he quickly responded.
"A member of the Western Xia royal family?"
Li Yanshu said, "My father is a member of the royal family, but he is from a distant branch and is only a prince."
Guo Liqing looked at Li Yanshu and found that she was even more composed than his father.
At this moment, Guo Liqing noticed Li Yanshu's attire. She was not wearing Western Xia clothing, but Han Chinese clothing.
Her attire made her look less like a Western Xia person and more like a daughter of a prominent family in Jiangnan.
Guo Liqing then realized that Li Yanshu's temperament was like that of a talented woman from Jiangnan!
Guo Liqing withdrew his gaze from Li Yanshu, then swept it across the group of people in front of him, and asked, "Who among you will speak on behalf of us?"
Li Yanshu stepped forward and said, "Grand Marshal, I will speak on your behalf!"
"You?" Guo Liqing asked, puzzled. "You bunch of Tangut nobles actually sent a woman to answer?"
The crowd below exchanged bewildered glances. The Prince of Linhe quickly stepped forward and said, "Grand Marshal, it was pre-arranged for our daughter, Yan Shu, to speak on our behalf. She... can explain things more clearly!"
Guo Liqing was taken aback. Remembering that Li Yanshu had been the first to speak, he asked, "What do you want to say?"
"I can help the Grand Marshal solve the current problem."
"Oh?" Guo Liqing asked, somewhat surprised. "You can solve the problem of the Western Xia army besieging the city?"
"yes!"
Guo Liqing paused for a moment, then said, "I am not afraid of the Western Xia army outside at all. If they dare to attack the city, they will surely die. However... I don't want to cause too many casualties. Tell me, how can we deal with the Western Xia army outside with the least possible cost!"
Li Yanshu said, "Those five military commanderies outside, though numerous, have long been neglected in training and are no match for the Mongol cavalry. If it comes to a direct battle on the battlefield, the Western Xia army will surely be defeated. However, the Marshal can use a simpler method: divide and conquer!"
Guo Liqing looked at Li Yanqiu, who spoke fluently and calmly, not at all like a prisoner.
"Now that the legitimate Western Xia dynasty has been destroyed, all that remains are members of the imperial family and princes. Among them, the three most powerful are Prince Li Renxiao of Longxi, Prince Li Chengyue of Shuoning, and Prince Li Hongyu of Ding'an."
Among the royals you released yesterday, Grand Marshal, was Prince Li Hongyu of Ding'an.
Of the five military garrisons in eastern Western Xia, two were under his command. If he died, the troops in those two garrisons wouldn't be united. But as long as he lived, he could control the troops in those two garrisons!
At this point, Li Yanshu stared at Guo Liqing, paying attention to his micro-expressions.
Li Yanshu couldn't understand why the Grand Marshal wanted to release the people.
"So, this can be considered letting the tiger return to the mountain, a terrible move!" Guo Liqing said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Guo Liqing dared to speak his mind, but the others present wouldn't dare to say the same.
Li Yanshu said, "I didn't understand the Grand Marshal's decision to release them at first. But now I do!"
"Oh?" Guo Liqing asked curiously, "What have you figured out?"
"If we only consider strength, Prince Longxi, Li Renxiao, and Prince Shuoning, Li Chengyue, are both stronger than Li Hongyu. However, Li Hongyu is a prince. According to the patriarchal clan ethics, he is the most qualified person among the surviving members of the imperial clan to inherit the throne. Neither Li Renxiao nor Li Chengyue will acknowledge this. In particular, Li Renxiao has a past grudge against Li Hongyu and is the one who least wants to see Li Hongyu inherit the throne."
Guo Liqing looked at Li Yanshu and thought, "No wonder this group of Tangut nobles wanted to push her out as their representative. This woman is not only beautiful, but also very intelligent."
"You mean to use the debate over legitimacy to divide them and incite them to fight amongst themselves?"
"Yes!" Li Yanshu added, "If they attack the city, the Grand Marshal can focus his attack on Li Renxiao's troops, and then spread the word that Li Hongyu has already defected to the Mongols! In this way, both sides will surely be severely weakened!"
Guo Liqing looked at Li Yanshu with a hint of admiration. He admired not only her strategy but also her decisiveness.
"Those people outside are all your own kind! How could you betray them for your own survival?"
Li Yanshu said without fear, "First, we all want to live. Second, with someone like the Grand Marshal around, I believe that serving him is a better choice!"
"Me?" Guo Liqing asked in surprise, "Why?"
"I know that the Mongol invasion of Western Xia was commanded by the Grand Marshal. The fact that the Mongol army did not carry out large-scale massacres after entering Western Xia was also due to the Grand Marshal's orders."
The Mongols issued three decrees: "No massacres of cities, no abolition of religion, and no closure of markets."
Although the decree was issued in Genghis Khan's name, I believe it was also the Grand Marshal's suggestion.
Therefore, I believe the Grand Marshal is someone worth serving. As long as we demonstrate our value, the Grand Marshal will certainly use us!
"Then tell me, what is your value?"
Li Yanshu said, "My elder brother, Li Yanzhao, is the deputy general of the Tiandu Military Command. If I write a letter of divorce, my elder brother can seize military power and bring his troops to serve me."
Among us, there are people in the military, more or less, who are all willing to serve the Grand Marshal.
Guo Liqing fell into deep thought. If Li Yanshu's arrangement was followed, dealing with the Western Xia army outside would be a piece of cake.
However, this deal must have cost quite a bit!
Guo Liqing remained calm and asked, "What do you need?"
"We...want to do things the way they used to!"
Li Yanshu's words were rather vague.
Guo Liqing stated directly, "You want your status and position to remain unchanged, right? To you, it's just a change of ruler!"
All the Tangut nobles, including Li Yanshu, lowered their heads.
Although Li Yanshu's proposal is valuable, she is afraid that the other party will not accept it.
If Guo Liqing doesn't comply, death awaits them as well.
Guo Liqing said coldly, "I can spare your lives, but it's impossible for you to maintain your status and position. Of course, now that I've taken over Western Xia, I need familiar people to manage my subordinates."
Upon hearing Guo Liqing's last words, the Tangut nobles all knelt down and shouted:
"We are willing to serve the Grand Marshal!"
Looking at the group of people in front of him, Guo Liqing asked another question: "But how can I gain your trust?"