Song Qingshu looked at him with amusement. "Uncle Li, you must already have a plan to deal with this, right?"
Li Kexiu's face flushed, and he laughed awkwardly. "Nephew, your insight truly is sharp. I was thinking that since Han Tuozhou and his party have fallen into the Mongols' hands, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we can rescue him, we will earn his immense gratitude. Then we can take the chance to sign a mutual non-aggression pact with him. Once he returns to Southern Song, he naturally will be too embarrassed to attack us."
"Is that so?" Song Qingshu lightly tapped his fingers on the table. Mongol Empire had always been the greatest enemy in his heart, and at this stage, going to war with Southern Song was indeed unwise. Not only would it needlessly drain their strength, it could also easily cost them the support of Han Chinese across the realm.
"Fine. We'll sell Han Tuozhou this favor!" After pondering for a moment, Song Qingshu reached a decision. Even if Li Kexiu had not mentioned it, he had intended to save Han Tuozhou anyway.
On the surface, Han Tuozhou was Southern Song's most steadfast advocate of war. After being rescued and returning to Southern Song, there was a strong chance that he would launch a northern expedition against Jin Dynasty. Since Jin Dynasty was now under Song Qingshu's control, no matter how one looked at it, this seemed like an unwise choice.
Unfortunately, things were not that simple. Within Southern Song, the three great powerful ministers were locked in constant conflict. Han Tuozhou held the greatest power, with Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan next. Only by joining forces could the latter two contend with Han Tuozhou.
The current political situation in Southern Song had actually reached a delicate