Physician of the Song Dynasty: Zhang Kai and Li Qingzhao have a private life-long contract

"Northern Expedition! March!"

The Song Dynasty had been preparing for three years, and all matters related to the Northern Expedition had already been prepared. Fan Zheng gave an order and officially led the troops to the Northern Expedition!

Such a large-scale action by the Song army naturally alarmed the Liao Kingdom.

Now when Fan Zheng's army arrived at the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the Liao envoys had already arrived outside the Song army camp!

"Yelü Nanyin greets Master Fan!"

The Liao envoy was an acquaintance of Fan Zheng, the veiled Liao princess Yelu Nanyin.

"It turns out to be Princess Nanyin. I hope you are well. I didn't expect to meet you again!" Fan Zheng said loudly.

Yelu Nanyin asked, "Why is this princess here? Doesn't Commander Fan know why the Song Dynasty would betray its promise, violate the Chanyuan Alliance, and attack the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?"

Fan Zheng countered: "The Song Dynasty did sign the Treaty of Chanyuan, but the Song Dynasty never recognized that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun belonged to the Liao Dynasty. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have been Chinese territory since ancient times and are an inseparable part of the Song Dynasty. They must be recovered."

"What nonsense! The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have been under the control of the Liao Kingdom since the founding of the Song Dynasty?" Yelu Nanyin asked back.

Fan Zheng said proudly: "My Song Dynasty is the orthodox dynasty in the Central Plains, and we should accept the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. This time, whether the Liao Kingdom agrees or not, the Song Dynasty must recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun!"

"You are simply taking advantage of the situation!" Yelu Nanyin said angrily.

Fan Zheng asked in return: "When the Liao Kingdom occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, wasn't it taking advantage of the situation? Since there was no war when the Liao Kingdom occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, today the Song Dynasty hopes to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun peacefully!"

"Peacefully recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun! This is impossible!" Yelu Nanyin looked at Fan Zheng as if he were a fool and flatly refused.

"Impossible? Just relying on the 10,000 elite soldiers from the Western Regions under the princess's command? I'm not being arrogant. I have an army of 200,000 soldiers under my command. They are well-armed and have sufficient gunpowder. Even if the 10,000 soldiers under the princess's command are the most elite, they are no match for the princess." Fan Zheng said proudly.

Yelu Nanyin was suddenly struck by lightning and stood there, crying.

Fan Zheng panicked immediately, and quickly offered a tissue, saying helplessly: "Don't cry anymore, if this gets out, people will think that I bullied you. You should know the current situation of Liao. Jin is already unstoppable, and Liao is not far from being destroyed. Even if Song did not send troops, Liao could not keep the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

"Is the Liao Kingdom not far from destruction?" Yelu Nanyin was suddenly shocked and stared at Fan Zheng.

If someone else had said that the Liao Dynasty was going to be destroyed, Yelu Nanyin would certainly not have believed it. However, the person who said this was the evil doctor Fan Zheng, who had never been wrong.

"The most important thing for Liao Kingdom right now is to gather its military forces and concentrate on resisting Jin Kingdom, rather than making enemies with Song Dynasty again. Only by returning the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to Song Dynasty can there be a glimmer of hope for survival." Fan Zhengdao.

Yelu Nanyin stared at Fan Zheng and said, "If the Liao Kingdom returns the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Song Dynasty, will the Song Dynasty be willing to help the Liao Kingdom? Let's destroy the Jin Kingdom together."

Fan Zheng shook his head and said, "If the Liao Kingdom was willing to exchange the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun for the aid of the Song Dynasty, I believe the court would certainly agree. However, the Song Dynasty has already sent out 200,000 troops and is bound to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Naturally, it is impossible for it to pay any more money!"

Fan Zheng’s meaning was very simple, that is, the Song Dynasty had already spent money on the army and it was impossible to give more money to the Liao Kingdom.

Yelu Nanyin continued to argue, "Nanyin believes in your Lord Fan's vision. He should be able to see the evil ambitions of the Jin Kingdom. Otherwise, he would not be so eager to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. I'm afraid that guarding against the Jin Kingdom is also one of the reasons."

"Princess, you are a smart person. Yes, the Song Dynasty has indeed considered this. But currently Song and Jin are allies. Moreover, with the century-long hatred between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty, and the current decline of the Liao Dynasty, it is impossible for all the officials of the Song Dynasty to give up such a God-given opportunity to destroy the Liao Dynasty. It is impossible for Fan alone to change the outcome of the Liao Dynasty's demise!" Fan Zheng waved his hand.

"Is the Liao Dynasty destined to perish?" Yelu Nanyin could not accept this outcome. She was a princess of the Liao Dynasty. Once the Liao Dynasty perished, her fate would probably be miserable.

"If anyone is to blame, it should be Yelu Yanxi. He had countless opportunities to destroy the Jin Dynasty, but he missed them time and again, allowing the Jin Dynasty to grow stronger step by step. Now it is time for the Liao Dynasty to reap what it has sown.

"Royal brother!" Yelu Nanyin's eyes dimmed. Ever since her royal brother ascended the throne, he seemed to have become a different person. He became stubborn, self-willed, violent and cruel. He even ignored her advice. The Liao Kingdom was now surrounded by enemies. As Fan Zheng said, it was indeed in danger of being destroyed.

"Since the Liao Dynasty is about to perish, then as a princess of the Liao Dynasty, I must live and die with the Liao Dynasty. Naturally, there is no reason for me to voluntarily give up the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun." Yelu Nanyin said with a firm look in her eyes.

Seeing that Yelu Nanyin had the determination to die, how could he not know that he had gone too far? He immediately changed the subject and asked, "Has Princess Yelu never thought about reviving the Liao Dynasty?"

"Restore the Liao Dynasty?"

Yelu Nanyin was shocked, then her eyes dimmed and she shook her head and said, "General Fan, please don't lie to me. I am not a man, how can I revive the Liao Dynasty? Besides, with the Jin Kingdom and the Song Dynasty surrounding us, how can we give the Liao Dynasty a chance to breathe?"

Although Yelu Nanyin was a woman, she had a sharp eye and knew that the Liao Dynasty was on its last legs. Neither the Jin Dynasty nor the Song Dynasty would sit idly by and watch the Liao Dynasty revive.

Fan Zheng nodded and said, "That's right! The Liao Kingdom will surely perish, but I am a doctor, so I naturally cannot bear to watch millions of Liao people and the Liao Kingdom be buried with them."

Yelu Nanyin asked anxiously, "I wonder where this is?"

Fan Zheng remained silent.

Yelu Nanyin immediately understood what Fan Zheng meant, and said with gritted teeth: "If General Fan can really find a way for the Liao Kingdom to revive, it is not impossible for the Liao people to withdraw from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun!"

Just as Fan Zheng said, the Liao Kingdom’s hope of retaining the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun was already slim. In this case, if it could find a chance for the Liao Kingdom to survive, it might not be a bad deal.

Fan Zheng then smiled and said, "Yelü Nanyin managed the Silk Road, so he naturally knows how big the world is. Liao and Song claim to be the Celestial Empire, but they are just frogs in a well. There is still a vast world in the far west. Liao is also a nomadic tribe, so that is the most suitable stage for Liao."

"You let the Liao Kingdom retreat to the Western Regions! Establish a country in the Western Regions!" Yelu Nanyin frowned.

"That's right! The Western Regions are all small countries. Although the Liao Kingdom is destined to lose the war, it is still a behemoth compared to the small countries in the Western Regions. Relying on gunpowder weapons, it is enough to crush the countries in the Western Regions. If the Liao people move westward, they may be able to reproduce the former glory of the Liao Kingdom." Fan Zheng nodded.

Yelu Nanyin couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and excited by what Fan Zheng said.

Suddenly, Yelu Nanyin smiled and said, "General Fan has a good idea. Not only does he want to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun without spending a single soldier, he also wants to persuade the Liao people to move westward. Even if the Jurchens defeat the Liao in the future, they will not be able to inherit the Liao's strength and will not be able to fight against the Song Dynasty."

Fan Zheng said without any guilt: "Prevention is better than cure, which is the duty of a doctor. The Jin Kingdom is so brave, the Song Dynasty cannot help but be on guard, but what Fan said is the last chance for the Liao Kingdom."

Yelu Nanyin remained silent. She admitted that what Fan Zheng said was true, but she shook her head silently and said, "It is impossible for my brother to agree to move west."

Yelu Yanxi was stubborn and self-willed. He used to be the high and mighty Liao emperor who suppressed the three kingdoms of Song, Xia and Jin. How could he be willing to be a stray dog ​​and flee westward in embarrassment?