In Datong Mansion, Yelu Chongyuan was alone in drinking to relieve his sorrow. As Yelu Hongji approached Tiancheng County, the situation became clearer and clearer, and more and more people betrayed themselves and defected to Yelu Hongji. If this continues, Datong Mansion will not be preserved for long.

Xiao Ge came in and performed the manners and said, "Your Majesty, Hong Ji's army is not far from Datong Prefecture, and his subordinates are in panic. The day before yesterday, Yelu Huya, the garrison general of Shunsheng County, surrendered to Hong Ji, and the road from where to Yunzhou has been opened. The situation is like this, I wonder what your Majesty has?"

Yelu Chongyuan said: "I was unable to attack Youzhou and was beaten by my nephews. The situation has been ruined. What are the tricks? If you drink and eat meat, you will live a day. Why bother to think about it so much!"

Xiao Ge said: "Why should your majesty be so negative? Even if there are only a few states left in Xijing Road, it will not be overwhelming."

Yelu Chongyuan held the wine glass and looked at Xiao Ge squintly, saying, "It's this time, what other tricks do you have? Hong Ji's army has arrived at the gate of Datong Mansion. Even if the entire army takes its life, how long can it be defended?"

Xiao Ge said: "Your Majesty, if you are forced by Hong Ji, why not go to the south?"

Yelu Chongyuan was stunned for a moment, and after a while, he said, "Do you go to the south to be a prisoner? Even if you want to surrender, I will surrender Hong Ji. He is my nephew. If he surrenders, he will not lose his wealth for the rest of his life."

Xiao Ge shook his head: "Your Majesty, if this battle was only one or two months, I think Hong Ji would not pursue it. But now after more than four years of fighting, the whole country is involved. Even if Hong Ji is not investigated in a large number of cases, how can his generals let it go? At this point, investing in Hong Ji is a dead end. On the other hand, as long as Your Majesty surrenders and takes several border states to the side, he will definitely be a guest of honor."

Yelu Chongyuan sneered: "The Song people are not vegetarians, what do you think if you surrender to the king!"

Xiao Ge said: "To be honest, the Song people treated surrendered generals well. Recently, after the destruction of Dangxiang, Liangzuo was taken to Kaifeng Prefecture. He was treated as a guest of honor and was granted a house. In the distance, Yelu Yi was captured in Tanglong Town and had been in Kaifeng Prefecture for many years. If we take the land, we will inevitably be rich."

Yelu Chongyuan shook his head: "Just order your generals to guard the front line, be careful that Hong Ji will lead his troops to attack. If you don't have any, think less about these things in the future! I am the Khitan emperor, how can I go to the Southern Dynasty! I will be ridiculed for no reason!"

Seeing that Yelu Chongyuan was determined, Xiao Ge bowed and said yes and would not mention this matter again. Seeing that Yelu Chongyuan was drinking again, he wanted to discuss the frontline war, but he was too lazy to speak. Chongyuan was Hong Ji's uncle. Even if the fight for the emperor failed, he might not be very good. But like Xiao Ge and others, it would definitely not be so easy. Years of wealth may be ruined.

After leaving the official hall, Xiao Ge returned to his residence and sat in the living room to think about his worries. Now it can be seen that Yelu Chongyuan will be defeated, just how long he can hold on. Although in the spring, Yelu Hongji's large army will also be rotated, and some of them will go back to farm and grazing, and a new group of people will be replaced. It is not something that Chongyuan can resist. He must think about a way out, otherwise when Hongji enters Datong Mansion, he will have no way out.

After thinking about it, I ordered someone to call him Xiao Dui over.

Xiao Dui bowed and said, "I wonder what my father called my child? I heard that Hong Ji's troops had arrived in Tiancheng County, and the people in the city were in panic, and many people sold their wealth. I was hesitating whether to take advantage of the opportunity to buy it or sell it out."

Xiao Ge said: "At this time, everyone wants gold, silver, real estate, etc. Which one is willing to ask for? If I don't say this, I want to send you to do something, and I don't know if you can do it well."

Xiao Dui said: "I am a fool. If it is a big deal, I am afraid it will be difficult for my father to do it."

Xiao Ge shook his head: "Forget it, you have been a lazy person since you were a child and can't do big things. But this matter must be done by the closest relatives to be at ease, and it still has to be settled on you. A few days ago, the Song army broke Dangxiang and the army returned to Hequ Road. In my opinion, the Song army hurried back to Hequ Road, but was afraid that they were on Xijing Road. I wrote a letter here, you took it with you, and went to Shengzhou to meet the governor Han Xianggong. When you get there, you don't have to say much, just hand over my letter to him. If he has a letter, you will bring it back."

Xiao Dui was a little scared when he heard this: "Dad, Song is the enemy country. Can it be safe to go there at this time?"

Suge said: "What enemy country! Song and Khitan are brotherly countries. Not long ago, there were envoys to He Zhengdan. You pretend to be a businessman and don't be known by others. Go to Shengzhou to meet Xianggong Han along the commercial road in the mountains. The commercial roads between Datong Prefecture and Shengzhou have never stopped. There are always caravans in daily life. I just need someone to cover it up. Remember to be careful on the road and don't go out of business."

Xiao Dui said: "If my father is afraid that the child will not do it well, why not find another person?"

Xiao Ge heard this and scolded: "This is a matter that concerns my family and life. How can you rest assured to others! Even such a small thing cannot be done well. What's the use of my son? Remember, this matter is related to my family's glory and wealth. If you do things with your heart, you must not have any accidents!"

Seeing that Xiao Dui could not refuse, he had to agree. As a rich child, Xiao Dui had always lived a stable life. Even if he had an official title, he would not go out to work. He felt really wronged when he asked him to be a letter delivery man.

After arranging his son, Xiao Ge felt more and more worried about it. He found a housekeeper and asked him to dress up as a businessman and took Xiao Dui to Shengzhou to meet Han Qi. Han Qi had just destroyed Dangxiang and had an army of 200,000 under his command, and was a real power figure in the Song army.

It was cold in the north, and although it was late in the first lunar month, it was still cold. A team of Khitan merchants walked on mountain roads and headed towards Shengzhou. Shengzhou was the place where the Song Dynasty traded in this area, and the railways connected to Kaifeng Prefecture and the Western Regions, which had become a commercial center.

Li Ning rode on the horse, and saw Xiao Dui beside him holding his hands together, his neck was shrinking, and a fur hat completely covered his face. He couldn't help but sigh. The eldest son in the mansion grew up by himself, and he was afraid of suffering since he was a child, so he was really uncomfortable to go on this trip.

Li Ning was a Han Chinese. When he was young, he was captured and plundered to the Khitan and was a slave to the Xiao family. Seeing that he was smart, Monk Xiao asked him to study with Xiao Ge, and when he grew up, he became the housekeeper of the Xiao family. Xiao Ge was very capable and treated Li Ning like a brother. The relationship between the two was extraordinary. Now the war was unbearable, Xiao Ge was considering his family and contacting Han Qi, and he was the one who was most at ease.

The guide leading the team looked ahead and said, "After passing the intersection ahead, it is the Hebin County of Song. Be careful, those who carry banned goods on them should be dealt with as soon as possible, and don't be caught by the Song people. Although the Song people allowed us to trade, they investigated the banned goods extremely strictly."

Several merchants said, "Wine is also a forbidden item in Song State, so we are not allowed to bring it?"

Everyone laughed together after hearing this. In such cold weather, who can bring less wine?

The guide said: "It's natural that wine is okay. What you drink is not the goods sold by yourself. Wouldn't you die if you come from Datong Mansion? But you must not be careless. Recently, there are many Song troops in the mountains and they are checking more strictly than before."
Chapter completed!