Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 169: Cutting the Territory
The Northwestern Army gathered in the direction of Chang'an, preparing their horses and fighting skills, ready to march south to attack Chang'an at any time. The few remaining defenders were all filled with fear.

Although most of them had never fought against this army known as the strongest in the world, they had heard of its great reputation! The veterans who had the honor of experiencing it even spoke highly of it.

As a result, morale collapsed before the battle even started. I'm afraid my legs will tremble when I really go to the battlefield!

After all, there were only 70,000 or 80,000 defenders on his side, and the overall number was comparable to that of the Northwest Army. But how many were there last time? Hundreds of thousands, so many troops were only barely on par with the Northwest Army.

It would be strange if you were not afraid!

Although the imperial court was quite dissatisfied, there was nothing it could do. After all, soldiers were independent individuals. How could they influence their thoughts?

In fact, people in Chang'an were also in a panic. The ministers had already learned the news of the alliance between the Han Dynasty and the Red Eyebrow Army. Many people even planned to write a letter of surrender. He who knows the times is a hero.

Although the battle had not yet begun, they knew the outcome with their eyes closed. How could the Xin Dynasty, which was now greatly weakened and full of smoke, compare with the Han Dynasty, which had been recuperating for many years and was at its peak? No need to guess.

This emerging dynasty may not even survive twenty years before it is destroyed!

Except for ministers like Zhen Feng and Zhen Han who were deeply bound to the Xin Dynasty, no one was willing to be buried with them. There was no loyalty to speak of.

It is common knowledge that Wang Mang betrayed Liu Han. It might have been a small thing, but now people all over the world miss Han!
bump!
"This Xu Hua is a traitor! Zheng An's so-called Red Eyebrow Army is also a group of traitors. I have tried my best to seek welfare for them, hoping that everyone who tills the land will have it."

"But how did they treat me? So ungrateful!"

Wang Mang was so angry that he kept smashing things in the bedroom. He was shaking with anger. He didn't expect that a group of bandits could cause such a big trouble.
At this time, the Red Eyebrow Army had "persuaded" Liu Xu to remove his imperial title and formally submit to the Han Dynasty. Liu Xiang also named him king. The two sides reconciled, and the final conflict of interest was gone.

The rebel army in Bashu was also growing rapidly. At this time, there were tens of thousands of them and they controlled half of Hanzhong.

The imperial court still needs to send troops there. If Yizhou, the granary, is lost, there will be no need to think about competing for the Central Plains.

If you commit suicide and surrender quickly, you can still retain some dignity.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down."

Wang Shun, Zhen Feng, Zhen Han and other important ministers came here to discuss how to suppress the rebellion and stop the Han army.

The four of them were all major ministers of the Xinmang Dynasty. They were deeply bound to this dynasty and could never extricate themselves from it, so they had no choice but to go down this path to the end. There was no other option!

Therefore, Wang Mang trusted them. In the huge city of Chang'an, they were one of the few ministers he could trust 100% and would not surrender to the Han Dynasty.

Others no longer regard him as an emperor and they all want to get away from him as soon as possible!
The four important officials looked at each other, their faces full of distress.

They really wanted to shout out, Your Majesty, this is all your own fault! Originally, the New Han Dynasty was similar in terms of national strength and population.

In fact, because of the accumulation of Chang'an treasury over the years, the Xin Dynasty will be even richer!

But what about now? Since the reform, the Xin Dynasty has been deserted by its people. First, the landlords and tyrants rebelled, and then the people began to doubt whether the Xin Dynasty was recognized by God because of the natural disasters over the years.

Even the ministers are no longer on the same page! How can this continue?
It would be better to surrender quickly... This is what the four people think in their hearts. They don’t want to die, they don’t want to be buried with the dead, and they want to live if they can.

"Oh, I lost my composure. Please forgive me." After being persuaded by his four confidants, Wang Mang temporarily regained his composure.

He asked, "Now the Han army is approaching, and the Red Eyebrows rebels have joined forces with them and are pressing on our border."

"General Wang Yi has been held firmly by the enemy. The situation in the whole world is not good. I am not even sure that I can repel the enemy. Our military strength is not superior."

"There are enemy troops in three directions. The Northwest Army is eyeing the south. We only have 80,000 people left there, and even fewer soldiers can fight. I believe everyone knows Xiao Yong of the Yongliang Army. Even without Xu Yuan's leadership, it is still very difficult."

"Of course, we can also send troops from Chang'an to support us. This will certainly stop the Xiliang army, but another problem arises. Our enemies are not just coming from one direction."

The Xinmang Emperor was worried. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't create troops out of thin air!

"As you know, the Red Eyebrows have joined forces with the Han Dynasty in the Yanzhou area. They have a total of more than 200,000 troops. General Wang Yi only has 50,000 Japanese soldiers."

"We are still being held back by the Red Eyebrow Army in Sili and cannot get away. There is no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation. The best option now is to give up Henan, withdraw our troops, and defend Guanzhong."

"But if we stop the enemy troops in the direction of Luoyang, the 100,000 strong army in the northwest will be unstoppable. It will be like entering an empty land. At that time, we still have no chance of winning if we attack from both sides."

"At the same time, the bandits in Hanzhong have also quietly grown and controlled most of Hanzhong. We still have time to deal with them."

"Once the connection between Guanzhong and Bashu is cut off, this land of abundance will have nothing to do with us. If we control Guanzhong, even a million-strong army will not be able to break in!"

Wang Mang expressed his worries. He was in a dilemma. He could not defeat the enemy if he advanced, and it would be difficult to resist the might of the Han Dynasty if he retreated.

If the three-pronged attack is successful, Guanzhong will be trapped like a turtle in a jar. There will be no way out and no way to save the country. Unless the gods come down to earth and meteorites drop from the sky, the country will be destroyed in no time.

"I think we can hold on with all our strength. Since the enemy is so powerful, we should just stay put! We should defend with the troops we have!"

Zhen Feng pondered for a moment and came up with an idea that was conservative after all.

"No." Wang Shun refuted him, "Even if the governor of Hanzhong suppressed the rebels, we still have to face the pressure of 300,000 Han troops from two directions!"

"In my opinion, it is better to take the initiative."

He felt that defending was a dead end! He was not even close to the enemy, the ministers inside were ready to make a move, and the troops were seriously insufficient.

If they just defend, they will definitely be able to hold off at the beginning. The court now conservatively estimates that it has nearly 300,000 combat-capable soldiers. But if they drag on, the Han court will definitely continue to send in troops. As the situation deteriorates, it will still be a dead end!
Not to mention that there are a large number of traitors among the generals and ministers. It would be even more difficult if they used the troops and cities in their hands as a token of their surrender!

So, defense is not working, at least blindly defending is not going to work.

Wang Mang obviously preferred Wang Shun, so he did not consider Zhen Feng's opinion and looked at the former and said, "Do you have any ideas? You can tell me everything. I will consider it carefully."

Wang Shun bowed and said, "I think we can first send a defensive army to the northwest to stop the Liangzhou army, and then concentrate our efforts to repel the 200,000 Han troops attacking from Luoyang."

"As long as this large group of Han troops retreats, the Northwest Army will certainly not ask for trouble again. I think it is crucial to eliminate the main force led by Xu Min and Xu Yuan!"

"Once the Han army leaves, the Red Eyebrow bandits in Hanzhong and Luoyang will be easy to take advantage of." This idea is a good one, but it is too risky. It would be easy if all the troops were concentrated to repel the main force of the Han army.

But what if they are defeated by the enemy? The morale of the army is low now, and there are few soldiers who can fight. The generals have their own plans and are ready to defect to the Han Dynasty at any time. On the other hand, the morale of the enemy is high. The commander Xu Yuan is a famous general who always wins. The tens of thousands of Northwest Army soldiers under his command are invincible!
The Military Academy has also been quite effective, and there is no shortage of grassroots generals.

"That makes sense." Wang Mang nodded and planned to listen more.

He is a radical yet conservative person. This idea suits his mind very well, but he feels it is not quite right, so he wants to think about it again.

"Your Majesty, I feel that Wang Shun's suggestion is not safe enough. War is not a joke. If we make a mistake, we will lose everything!"

"We have to come up with a compromise strategy."

Ping Yan held an opposing attitude. He was the Grand Tutor of the Xin Dynasty and a typical politician. He was a bit conservative in his attitude, but he also had the courage to take risks!
"I think we can show weakness first, cede land to the Han Dynasty, and give them Luoyang. If we get enough benefits, Xu Hua will withdraw his troops."

This is consistent with what politicians would suggest: ceding territory and paying compensation, showing weakness first, and exchanging interests for peace. This is not impossible and is currently the only strategy with the highest success rate.

But ceding land is a humiliation after all. As a hero who gradually climbed from a marginal figure in the family to the emperor, Wang Mang still has his own pride.

But in the current situation, it seems that there is no point in being proud. After all, we can’t create soldiers, population, or food.

"Your Majesty, I agree with Situ Ping's suggestion. For the sake of peace and stability in the world and for a future comeback, we have no choice but to cede the land."

Zhen Han, who had been silent, spoke up. Whether letting go or attacking, the risks were too great. Once they failed, the Xin Dynasty would lose more than just Luoyang.

Because of the Hanzhong rebels, they probably didn't even have a way out! They could only hang themselves in Chang'an!

Xu Hua agreed to join forces with the Chimei Army, all he wanted was that little bit of land and a reputation for righteousness. If Luoyang could be returned, the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.

Combined with the Xin Mang's request for peace, there was no need for bloodshed. The Xin Dynasty, which had lost most of Sili, could no longer compete with the Han Dynasty.

It can be said that one is a sudden death and the other is a chronic death.

If Zhen Han were allowed to choose, he would want to die later. Since His Majesty's reforms failed, the Xin Dynasty has no hope of salvation.

What did Wang Mang rely on to replace the Han Dynasty? His reputation as a wise man, as well as the frequent occurrence of incompetent rulers and natural disasters in the Han Dynasty, the people were always superstitious, and with his frequent exaggerations, they began to believe that the Han Dynasty was doomed.

He threw himself before Wang Mang, whom he considered a sage king, believing that this man could save the Han Dynasty and that a change of dynasty would put an end to the years of natural disasters!

But the reality was just the opposite. They found that Wang Mang, the "saint", was actually a hypocrite!

He simply wanted to realize his own ideas. The reform was seriously incompatible with the national conditions of the Han Dynasty, and at the same time he earned the disgust of the powerful class. This was the fundamental reason why he was hopeless.

The support of the people is certainly important, but it is not difficult to manipulate the people's hearts in this era. Ordinary people are very superstitious and can gain their support by simply faking some auspicious signs.

But it is different with the powerful landlords. They are smart people and don't believe much, so once you lose their support, it is difficult to regain it.

Unless you promise them huge profits, such as giving them permanent tax exemption, which is of course totally impossible. The local gentry are already hiding their population secretly, and if they are exempted from tax again... can the court really continue to function?

"Brother, why do you support such an extreme suggestion? No, absolutely not. If Luoyang is really ceded, our dynasty will be on the verge of destruction!" Zhen Feng disagreed. He believed that this was a way to death.

Instead of lingering on, it is better to fight hard! At least there is no regret if you lose.

"Yes, ceding territory and paying compensation is extremely humiliating! Since the establishment of our dynasty, when has our dynasty ever suffered such humiliation? No, absolutely not." Wang Shun simply thought it was too humiliating.

In response, Ping Yan did not say much, but just looked at the new ancestor quietly, "Your Majesty, please."

As a veteran minister who has been in power in the court for many years, he is quite accomplished in observing the emperor's words and expressions and guessing his heart, and he can see that His Majesty is moved.

Wang Mang was also struggling in his heart. He actually wanted to obey because he really had no chance of winning, but it was indeed too humiliating and equivalent to a slow death. There is no need to explain how important Luoyang and the Henan area where it is located are.

After pondering for a long time and weighing the pros and cons, he said with difficulty: "Forget it, I will put this humiliation aside for now and send envoys to Han to negotiate. Or they, I am willing to give up Henan and Luoyang... and I can also give them the imperial seal."

Zhen Feng and Wang Shun looked ashen.

It is understandable that Your Majesty does not have the courage to fight to the death. It is a rational choice, but it is not correct.

"Your Majesty is wise." Ping Yan said. As a senior politician, he would only weigh the pros and cons and choose the most stable and secure one.

Cession of territory is indeed a slow death, but it is much better than a mutiny on the front line and the destruction of the country.

.........

Half a month later, the envoys of Xin Mang arrived in Wandu. The most nervous among them were the Chimei Army. If the Han army did not send more troops, they would have to face the Xin Mang army head-on.

And the most important point is that they also have half of Henan in their hands. This is like driving a tiger to devour a wolf!

"Foreign ministers pay their respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty."

The new envoy was not a prodigal son and knelt directly on the ground. After all, the enemy was strong and we were weak. Although the two armies were fighting and the envoys were not killed, it was hard to say.

"I heard that Mang the thief wanted to negotiate peace with me? Now he has finally met his day." Liu Xiang watched coldly, not even letting the parties stand up.

"The Han army is very brave and ours is no match for it," he said respectfully.

"Forget it, your Excellency, please get up." Liu Xiang did not continue to make things difficult for him.

"Tell me your origins. If you want to negotiate, then show some sincerity."

The new envoy said: "We can give up Henan and Luoyang to His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and the imperial seal can also be returned to its original owner."

Although a small part of Henan Province belongs to the Red Eyebrow Army, those places are not the core. The most critical Luoyang has not been lost. It is not easy to capture the Hulao Pass, the most important pass in the world, as it is not easy to capture it.

(End of this chapter)