txolops Chapter 53 Li Yanshu
Chapter 53 Li Yanshu
Guo Liqing's words plunged the room into silence once again.
In situations like this, what foreign conquerors fear most is the rebellion of the indigenous people.
This is also the crux of the Mongols' penchant for massacring entire cities.
Since I can't control you all, it's the easiest way for me to just kill you all.
Guo Liqing looked at the group of Tangut nobles in front of him, and finally Li Yanshu stood up and said: "First, after the war ends, all the soldiers, warhorses, food and supplies controlled by those of us who have pledged allegiance will be handed over to the Grand Marshal for overall command and allocation."
Secondly, all of our family members will be incorporated into the Grand Marshal's army as hostages.
Third, I, Li Yanshu, am willing to serve you without seeking any title or honor, in exchange for the Marshal's trust in my Tangut people and his protection of my people!
Guo Liqing was taken aback and looked at the group of Tangut nobles, who all had their heads down.
It seems that Li Yanshu's act of serving him was something they had planned in advance.
In ancient politics, "offering women" was a common political bargaining chip, and the benefits that could be obtained varied depending on the circumstances.
At present, these Tangut nobles are merely prisoners, their lives and deaths entirely at Guo Liqing's discretion. They have no grounds to negotiate with Guo Liqing.
Guo Liqing looked at Li Yanshu. This woman was indeed beautiful, and she also had a calm temperament that ordinary people did not have.
Did she think that she could win the heart of a high-ranking Mongol general with her beauty?
Given Guo Liqing's current status, it wouldn't be difficult for him to get his hands on some beautiful women. He was more interested in seeing what Li Yanshu had that could make him fall for her.
Guo Liqing turned to Yelü Chucai beside him and said, "Lord Yelü, take these people down, register them, and then assist them in sending out the letter."
Yelü Chucai bowed and said, "Yes."
Guo Liqing stared at Li Yanshu and said, "You stay!"
Immediately afterwards, Yelü Chucai led a group of Dangxiang nobles away, leaving only Guo Liqing, Li Yanshu, and Naxita in the hall.
However, Guo Liqing's attention was entirely on Li Yanshu, and he seemed to have forgotten about Nashita's existence.
"Come, let me see your worth, and whether you can earn my trust in the Tangut people!"
Li Yanshu stood still, bowing her head.
She had been calm and composed in front of everyone, but now that they had left, she seemed a little flustered.
"Is it right here?"
"certainly."
Li Yanshu knew that in the current situation, there weren't many conditions that could be negotiated.
Right now, the life and death of our clansmen is of paramount importance.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly took off her coat.
Nashita rolled her eyes at Guo Liqing from the side.
Although she didn't mind Guo Liqing taking in more women, doing so in the hall made Guo Liqing act like a lustful glutton.
Nahita walked to the front and closed the hall door.
Guo Liqing snapped out of her daze and asked, "Why are you taking off your clothes?"
Li Yanshu was slightly taken aback, then a blush appeared on her face, and she whispered, "Didn't the Marshal ask me to prove my worth?"
"That's right, but what I hope to see is value beyond beauty."
Li Yanshu slowly put on her coat and said with her head down, "Now, we, the Tangut nobles, have reached a consensus that I will take the lead in allocating resources within the tribe."
And I am willing to pledge my loyalty to the Marshal.
I can help the Marshal control the Tangut nobles and make them work for him!
"You're helping me control the Tangut nobles? Isn't that tantamount to betraying your own country?"
"Now that the Western Xia has been destroyed by the Mongols, I don't think it's because the Mongols were too strong, but because the Western Xia was too weak."
In recent years, the Western Xia royal family has become increasingly extravagant, the military has fallen into disarray, court officials have become corrupt, soldiers have become weak, and border defenses have become vulnerable. Factional struggles have been rampant in the court.
Even when the capital was besieged, those officials in the court were not thinking about how to unite to fight the enemy, but about how to vie for the throne.
Although Weiming Lingfu ultimately won, the city's foundations were already broken, and he could only flee in the end.
With such a Western Xia dynasty, its demise was only a matter of time.
I am fortunate that the Western Xia is now in the hands of the Marshal.
When I saw those three decrees, I knew the marshal was no ordinary man.
Perhaps Western Xia would be better off in the Marshal's hands.
Are you flattering me?
"This is not flattery, but Yan Shu's heartfelt words."
Guo Liqing looked at the woman in front of him, never expecting her to have such insight.
It's important to understand that Guo Liqing was able to see things clearly because of his identity as a time traveler, which allowed him to view the whole situation from a higher-dimensional perspective.
It's truly remarkable that Li Yanshu, who isn't a time traveler, possesses such insight.
"Then let me ask you, is all you want just to survive?"
Li Yanshu suddenly looked up at Guo Liqing, and she sensed a hidden meaning in his words.
Guo Liqing stood up, walked to Li Yanshu, and said with a smile, "It's a pity. If you were a man, I would definitely have one more formidable enemy when I conquer Xixia this time."
"Marshal, you flatter me!"
"From today onwards, you'll stay by my side!"
"Yes."
Guo Liqing looked at Li Yanshu dressed in Han Chinese clothing and asked suspiciously, "Did you wear this to please me?"
Li Yanshu was taken aback and said, "Because my mother is Han Chinese, I often wear Han Chinese clothing and learn Han Chinese culture."
"Oh, I thought you knew I was Han Chinese and that you wore Hanfu to please me."
"Is the marshal Han Chinese?"
"you do not know?"
"I don't know."
Guo Liqing smiled. The fact that he was Han Chinese was actually only known to a few high-ranking Mongolians; many lower-ranking Mongolian soldiers were unaware of this.
In the eyes of many Mongolians, Guo Jing was a Mongolian.
Guo Liqing stared at Li Yanshu up close and found that the woman had extremely beautiful bone structure, with sharp eyebrows, clear eyes, a delicate nose, slightly pursed lips, and a subtle fragrance surrounding her body.
Guo Liqing couldn't help but feel lustful again, but with a large army pressing in, he had to resolve the current situation before he could relax.
"Let's go! Come with me to the city wall first!"
"Yes."
Guo Liqing then returned to the city wall to observe the movements of the Western Xia army in the distance.
After nightfall, the Western Xia army launched a small-scale raid.
This harassment was like a probe; it didn't last long and was quickly repelled.
As the Tangut nobles in the city sent out letters one by one, the situation on the Western Xia army's side was also changing in secret.
The next day, the letters that were sent out began to receive responses.
Today, although the Five Garrisons of Western Xia have tens of thousands of troops, they are not united.
Among them, the three royal princes were the most rebellious, because they could reap the greatest benefits if they won.
However, those minor branches of the family did not have such a strong desire to resist.
Even though they defeated the Mongols, it was a Pyrrhic victory.
Is it worth all this effort to support one of the three princes to inherit the throne?
These minor branches of the family are all pondering this question.
The relatives in the city sent letters to the generals who were away, saying that General Guo was willing to guarantee that their original treatment would remain unchanged.
Many people were tempted.
Their only worry is that the Mongolian side will break its promise.
Fighting is a gamble. Not fighting is also a gamble!
In the end, most people chose to serve Guo Liqing.
On the evening of the second day, the Western Xia army launched an attack on the city.
The Western Xia army was divided into three routes, led by Prince Li Renxiao of Longxi, Prince Li Chengyue of Shuoning, and Prince Li Hongyu of Ding'an respectively.
Upon learning the news, Guo Liqing personally commanded his troops to attack the forces led by Li Renxiao, the King of Longxi.
As a result, the troops led by the King of Longxi suffered the heaviest blow among the three forces.