Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 683 Responding to the Imperial Court's Report on Ban Chao's Dingyuan Skill

Wise people often think three steps ahead before acting, not only good at calculating their own gains but also those of their enemies and allies.

For example, right now, Yila Dao is settling accounts with Rela Gongji and Li Renxiao behind him.

He even laid bare Ren Dejing's score in front of the Western Xia emperor's faction.

For Li Renxiao, if he wanted to gain military power, he naturally had to personally lead the army into battle and win the war before he could use rewards to win over the soldiers and officers.

For Ren Dejing, if he wanted to advance further, he also needed to make meritorious contributions on the battlefield and then promote his trusted confidants.

Military strongmen are often political leaders, and the reverse is also true.

The fastest shortcut to becoming a political leader is to first become a military strongman.

Even now, the score for Yiladao is not yet settled.

He also had to settle accounts with Guanxi Wu Lin and Tudan Hexi.

Yila Dao was unaware that Wanyan Liang had already arrived in Guanzhong. However, even if he had known, the outcome would not have changed, because the two forces would have been at war in Guanzhong and would have contacted Xixia.

Wu Lin was from the Western Army, which had a long-standing feud with the Western Xia, making it absolutely impossible for the two sides to reach a unification agreement.

Wu Lin didn't need to contact Li Renxiao; he could simply negotiate with Ren Dejing, who held military power.

If, at that time, Ren Dejing could attack the Jin state from both sides and split the Western Xia, that would be even better.

In actual history, it was Yu Yunwen who colluded with Ren Dejing and carried out this plan.

However, the Jin state had already quelled the internal strife and repelled the Longxing Northern Expedition, so Ren Dejing's attempt to divide the country was easily quelled by Li Renxiao with the assistance of the Jin state.

As for Tu Dan He Xi...

Based on Yila Dao's understanding of this fellow, Tudan Hexi must be too lazy to care about the overall situation of the world, and the political situation is stable.

Whoever in Western Xia had military power, Tudan Hexi would approach them. At most, he would promise them wealth, women, and land, and then cede Yan'an and other places to Ren Dejing. He was not afraid that Ren Dejing would not send troops.

Therefore, the conclusion is that if Wu Lin and Tudan Hexi weren't completely stupid, they would have already sent messengers to secretly discuss the matter of sending troops with Ren Dejing.

What remains to be seen is which side Ren Dejing will ultimately side with.

However, no matter which side Ren Dejing sides with, it is bad news for Li Renxiao.

If Ren Dejing were to send troops and achieve a certain victory, Li Renxiao's throne as the ruler of Western Xia would likely become unstable.

"What...what should I do?"

In the Western Xia imperial palace, facing the fiery Gongji, forty-year-old Li Renxiao was speechless.

The Western Xia emperor was thin, with narrow eyes and deeply sunken cheeks. Perhaps due to being suppressed by powerful ministers for a long time, Li Renxiao always had a lingering worry between his brows.

At this moment, upon hearing the words relayed by the fiery Gongji, Li Renxiao felt utterly confused and couldn't even sort out his thoughts.

"That's all the words of Yila Dao." Seeing Li Renxiao's cowardly appearance, Rela Gongji couldn't help but sigh: "Your Majesty, for the sake of the Great Bai Gao Kingdom, we still have to do something."

Li Renxiao panicked even more: "Do we really have to send troops? I...I know nothing about military affairs."

Hot-tempered Gongji sighed again and said, "Your Majesty, now is a time of life and death. Regardless of whether Your Majesty sends troops or not, the King of Chu will definitely take the opportunity to rebel. If he acts on his own initiative, leads troops to conquer new territories, and then, like the former Song Dynasty, dons the yellow robe and seizes power, what should we do?"

Li Renxiao became even more panicked.

He was the peaceful emperor of Western Xia, who had not experienced the hardships of his ancestors Li Jiqian and Li Yuanhao's pioneering work, nor had he experienced the panic of his father Li Qianshun's several times when the country was on the brink of death. As a result, when he was pressured by powerful ministers, he did not know how to deal with it for a while.

Do we really have to go into battle?
The army was full of Ren Dejing's spies; who knew if a hidden arrow might suddenly be shot from behind?
The fiery Gongji continued to persuade, “Your Majesty, if you want to seize the opportunity to regain military power, then Your Majesty must personally lead the expedition. And since you are going to personally lead the expedition, you must gather all the troops in the country, not only the various military commands and the Imperial Guards, but also the Foot Guards, the Iron Falcons, and the Collision Guards.”

These soldiers aren't all Ren Dejing's confidants. Your Majesty, by taking advantage of the fighting between the Song and Jin, can seize one or two prefectures, thus winning over the hearts of the people, and even…” As he spoke, the fiery Gongji glanced around the hall, as if worried that even within the palace walls, there were spies, and lowered his voice to a whisper, “Even to deal with Ren Dejing on the battlefield.”

Li Renxiao's lips were pale, and his hands were trembling slightly, but he was ultimately unable to utter a word.

Seeing this, the fiery Gongji shook his head and sighed for the third time: "The angel Yila said that if His Majesty still cannot make up his mind, it would be better to carefully investigate what Ren Dejing is doing and what his secrets are. If we let this fellow carry out his disrespectful act and we are completely unprepared, it will be too late to regret it."

Li Renxiao nodded hastily, but then spoke with difficulty: "Lord Rela, can't we ask the Great Jin for help? Didn't the Emperor of the Great Jin send troops to help us quell the rebellion?"

Hot-tempered Gongji shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, if the Jin Kingdom had not split and was not in civil war, I would have gone to seek help in person without Your Majesty's permission. But now that the Jin Kingdom is in such a state, how can it possibly take care of the Great White Kingdom?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Renxiao could only sigh and nod.

He already hated Ren Dejing to the extreme, and naturally he had made some preparations long ago.

Li Renxiao's younger brother, Prince Yue Li Renyou, was a backup plan left by Li Renxiao.

On the surface, Li Renyou was afraid of Ren Dejing and stayed away from politics.

But in secret, he gathered some Tangut leaders and scholar-officials, and secretly trained many soldiers and spies to fight against the increasingly arrogant Ren Dejing.

In actual history, seven years later, when Ren Dejing had become completely uncontrollable and proposed dividing the country, it was Li Renyou who stepped forward to lure and capture Ren Dejing's henchmen and successfully killed them.

Of course, Li Renyou's power was still relatively weak at this time. But as the local strongman of Xingqing Prefecture, it was relatively easy for him to gather information.

Soon after, Hot-Spicy Gongji returned to the post station with the latest intelligence.

"The angels were indeed incredibly resourceful; two groups of people did indeed secretly enter the King of Chu's residence..."

Yila Dao gestured to interrupt the enthusiastic flattery from Gongji, and asked seriously, "When did they arrive? Which side are they from? Who is leading them?"

After a moment of silence, the fiery Gongji said, "One group arrived five days ago, and the other eight or nine days ago. They haven't left since arriving at the Chu Prince's residence. The spies couldn't operate within the Chu Prince's residence, so..."

Yila Dao sighed: "So this is all you've discovered?"

The fiery Gongji bowed and replied, "I am ashamed."

Yila Dao's words remained impolite: "Of course you should be ashamed. If the Great White High Kingdom were to act like you, it would perish sooner or later."

Before the fiery Gongji could retort, Yila Dao straightened his clothes and said, "Very well, since there is an envoy from Tudan Hexi among them, and Tudan Hexi is a general of the rebel Liang, then he is an enemy of my emperor. We must not allow Ren Dejing to ally with the rebel Liang."

As he spoke, Yila Dao patted Rela Gongji on the shoulder: "From this point of view, my emperor and your emperor have a common enemy."

Feeling the force of the large hand patting his shoulder, the hot-tempered Gongji felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to pull away, but he forced himself not to move: "In the will of the angels..."

Yila Dao grinned and said, "I can do what Ban Chao did."

Hot-tempered Gongji frowned: "But... how does the angel intend to enter the Chu King's residence?"

Yila Dao laughed heartily, then strode to the table, picked up an inkstone from it, weighed it in his hand, and turned to look at Rela Gongji: "Do you dare to shed blood for the Great White Kingdom?"

Hot-tempered Gongji glanced at Yila Dao, then at the inkstone in the other's hand, and suddenly realized.

Before long, a violent argument suddenly broke out in the post station under the watchful eyes of the officials, servants, and young men, with the sounds of tables and chairs being overturned and porcelain being smashed.

After several screams, Hot-Blooded Gongji, clutching his forehead and covered in blood, ran wildly out of the inn.

Behind him, the Jin envoy named Yiladao was chasing after him with an inkstone in hand, seemingly intent on annihilating him.

Both the Jin Dynasty's envoys and the Western Xia officials were somewhat bewildered by the sight.

Has...done the negotiations fall apart?
Even if the talks broke down, why did it have to come to this?!
(End of this chapter)