The Western Xia had, of course, known of Wang Yan for a long time and were very familiar with his deeds. Some of their high-ranking nobles were admirers of Wang Yan's calligraphy and loyal customers of the incense shops as well.
They had long known that Wang Yan was different from the other officials of the Song court. After all, too many people handled the Song Dynasty's financial figures for them to be considered much of a secret. They were even announced during grand court assemblies, and everyone knew that the court had grown immensely wealthy over the past two years. They were even clearer about the political turmoil caused by Wang Yan. They even knew in great detail exactly how Wang Yan had gone about it.
But it was not until Wang Yan became prefect of Yan Prefecture that Western Xia understood just how much force the name Wang Yan carried. They had watched the enormous changes unfold in Yan Prefecture, and they had gritted their teeth as they watched the tally of elite soldiers lost in the one-on-one challenges Wang Yan had stirred up.
They had reached a conclusion: Wang Yan was a thoroughgoing hawk, a war-crazed madman bent on provoking a conflict between the two nations.
Thus, they first sent envoys to Cheng Kan, but after receiving no meaningful response, they dispatched people directly to Jingcheng. They vehemently condemned the Song Dynasty for disregarding the peace treaty between the two nations and threatened that, if this continued, war would break out.
They also bribed people to spread rumors. On one hand, they claimed that Wang Yan had private dealings with frontier commanders and monopolized power over the borderlands. On the other, they said Wang Yan was arrogant and overbearing, disrespectful toward his superiors. They further claimed that