Chapter 289 This is the Khitan sunset! "Mars!""God of War, God of War!" "King Xiao, King Xiao!" As Xiao Feng led the charge and once again repelled the Jurchen cavalry, the Khitan soldiers cheered loudly. Xiao Feng, the King of the Southern Courtyard, has become the god of war in the eyes of the Khitan people and the Baturu of the Khitan. And this is not just any ordinary Baturu, he is the Baturu. Together with Yan Longyuan, the number one Baturu of the Jurchens, they complemented each other and were known among the people as the "Two Heroes of Liaobei". This messed up battle has been going on for nearly a year. The war lasted from the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty to the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. As for the Liao Kingdom, it lost Liaodong and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in succession, and its national strength was greatly damaged. Although Xiao Feng inspired them to have courage and they gradually adapted to fighting the Jurchens, their national strength could not keep up. As a result, the impoverished Yelu Hongji, despite the great disapproval of the world, confiscated the assets of the temple and was cursed by the monks in the country to go to the Avici Hell, but he still did it anyway.
Relying on the temples, which were the piggy banks that the Liao Dynasty had maintained for hundreds of years, the Liao Dynasty's finances could still be barely supported, but it was really barely possible. On the Jurchen side, Yan Longyuan did not often take action, but the Jurchens were now under the control of Murong Fu, Wanyan Aguda became Wang Jingzhong, and also received various grants from the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the Jurchens were still in an advantageous position, but it was not easy to win quickly. The war continued to intensify, with both sides pulling back and forth against each other, but there was no sign of this war ending. There was already a bloody feud between the Khitans and the Jurchens. Especially with the joining of Xiao Feng, a large number of Jurchens also died at the hands of the Khitans. The blood feud between the two tribes had become so deep that it could not be resolved. The rulers of the two countries are not stupid. They know that Murong Fu is behind this, but given the current situation between the two countries, no one dares to offend the Ming Dynasty. Because the current world situation is that whoever the Ming Dynasty helps will win, and whoever the Ming Dynasty wants to destroy can be destroyed. The Liao Kingdom also sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty, and Yelu Hongji also risked his reputation, hoping to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty in exchange for the Ming Dynasty's mediation in the war between the Khitan and the Jurchens, giving the Liao Kingdom a chance to breathe. Unfortunately, Murong Fu left the envoy there and ignored it completely. After a year of war, Xiao Feng was exhausted both physically and mentally. Mars? He just felt like a joke. "If it was Murong Fu, he could have turned the tide by himself, but I, Xiao, can't do that!" Xiao Feng smiled bitterly in his heart. A moment later, Xiao Feng walked into the devastated Shangjing. Looking at the Khitan wounded soldiers wailing all over the ground, he felt very heavy-hearted. The Jurchens were too fierce and the Khitans suffered heavy losses, with countless casualties. Every household in the capital was in mourning. Xiao Feng had a blank expression on his face. He had just returned to the Southern Courtyard Palace and had his armor removed by his wife Yelu Te Li when he heard a palace attendant come to inform him:
"The Emperor urgently summons you, Princess, please come to the palace with me!" Xiao Feng and his wife looked at each other, knowing that something big was about to happen. They did not dare to delay and hurried into the palace. When we arrived at the palace, we saw palace maids and eunuchs running around, and the imperial doctors busy at work. Prime Minister Yelü Yixin, Prince of Jin Yelü Renxian, Empress Xiao Guanyin, and Crown Prince Yelü Jun were all present. Khitan officials and Han officials from the northern and southern courts were also waiting for news on the periphery. Yelu Hongji was lying on the bed. The once strong and majestic horse-latching man had now become pale and skinny, and it seemed that he did not have much time left. "The news from the south is that Emperor Ming Murong Fu has pacified Dali and destroyed Jiaozhi. In just one year, he destroyed Song, Xia, Tubo, Dali, and Jiaozhi. It will soon be our Liao Dynasty's turn." Yelu Hongji said with a cough, "He has already reached out his hand, and I refuse to admit defeat, so I am still holding on. However, our Liao Dynasty is really in turmoil and has run out of luck." Although Xiao Guanyin was already forty years old, she had taken good care of herself and looked like a woman in her thirties. She was very beautiful, even more beautiful than her daughter Yelu Teli. Her title of the most beautiful woman in the Liao Dynasty was well-deserved. Hearing Yelu Hongji's words, Xiao Guanyin burst into tears and said, "Your Majesty, why should you be so discouraged? This is just a temporary difficulty." "I know, I know it better than anyone else. The reason why the Liao Dynasty fell to this day is not anyone else's fault, but mine. If I hadn't been obsessed with hunting, neglected government affairs, and messed up the country, how could the Liao Dynasty be almost destroyed by a small Jurchen? All parties are guilty, but the fault lies with me." Yelu Hongji said, "As the saying goes, a dying man speaks well. I don't have much time left." "emperor!" Everyone was sad, or at least appeared very sad. "Prince, please come forward." Yelu Hongji said. Yelu Jun hurried forward. "Crown Prince Yelu Jun is a man of noble character and very much like me. He will surely be able to inherit the throne. I will immediately pass the throne to the crown prince. You all come to pay homage to the new emperor!" Yelu Hongji actually passed the throne on the spot. The prince naturally declined the offer, but only after Yelu Hongji sternly demanded that he succeed to the throne did he reluctantly accept. The ministers looked at each other, then stepped forward to pay homage to the new king and established the status of king and ministers. Seeing the bewildered look of the new emperor, Yelu Jun, Yelu Hongji knew that Yelu Jun could be a king who maintained the status quo, but at a time when the country was in danger, he was unable to cope with such a complicated situation. He could not help but feel sad and said, "Back then, Murong Fu's father, Murong Bo, failed in his rebellion and died of depression, but he gave birth to a son, Murong Fu. The word 'Fu' is a good name! The Hongwu Emperor Murong Fu has successfully restored the country. I believe Murong Bo would be relieved if he knew about it. It is true that a son should be like Nan Murong!" As he spoke, Yelu Hongji looked at the crown prince and sighed, "The crown prince is weak and incapable of stabilizing the government. I will select a few people to assist the crown prince in handling government affairs." As he spoke, Yelu Hongji glanced around and looked at Xiao Guanyin, thinking: She is the mother of the prince and she only has this one son, she will never harm the prince. So Yelu Hongji said: "Empress, the prince has succeeded to the throne, you must help him more. I hope you can help the Khitan country and protect the Liao Dynasty like Empress Chunqin (Shulü Ping) and Empress Xuanxian (Xiao Chuo). Although Xiao Guanyin also had the surname Xiao, she was only a talented woman. She was good at writing poetry, but her political skills were far inferior to Xiao Chuo's. However, she could only bite the bullet and said, "I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust." Yelu Hongji looked at Xiao Feng again and said, "Southern Court King Xiao Feng, you have made the greatest contribution to the stability of Khitan today. I hope you can also support the country and protect the new monarch." "I will do my best until my death." In this situation, Xiao Feng could only make a promise. Yelu Hongji then appointed Yelu Yixin and Yelu Renxian as ministers of state, forming a four-member regent team consisting of Xiao Guanyin, Xiao Feng, Yelu Yixin, and Yelu Renxian. With four people serving Yelu Jun, it must be said that Yelu Jun was very lucky! "The country is in danger now. If we can't do anything, we should move westward. If we can't move westward, we should surrender to the Ming Dynasty!" Yelu Hongji saw clearly when he was about to die, "The only one who can protect the Khitan is the Ming Dynasty. As long as the Jurchens are not destroyed, the Khitan will not die. This is Murong Fu's imperial mentality. Alas, I saw the Great Saint, the Great Ming, the Divine Lietian Emperor." After saying this, Yelu Hongji closed his eyes, kicked his legs, and passed away. "His Majesty!" "Your Majesty!" Everyone started crying.
It is not so much that it was Yelu Hongji who was crying, but rather it was the fate of the Liao Dynasty that was crying. The death of Yelu Hongji marked the complete end of the Liao Dynasty's stable period. From then on, the Liao Dynasty entered the countdown to its demise. Even if it was not destroyed by the Jurchens, it would surely be destroyed by the Ming Dynasty. This is the rising sun of the Ming Dynasty. This is the sunset of Khitan. How can one not be sad? (End of this chapter)