Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 249 The Game Between the Two Sides: Gu Jin Breaks the Stalemate (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

As things unfolded, it did not exceed Gu Jin's expectations.

Wang Yingchen is indeed a capable person.

Similarly, he knew the talents of Gu Jin and Zhao Kuangyin. Even though Gu Jin had done everything he could, including the constant requests for battle from Wang Yingchen's subordinates and even the Liao generals, Wang Yingchen still stopped them all.

This is what makes Wang Yingchen so terrifying.

However, not everyone is like Wang Yingchen, Gu Jin, or Zhao Kuangyin.

As time went by, Liu Jiyuan finally couldn't hold back any longer!
In fact, he had no choice.

The Liao Kingdom's military expedition was a calculated move to constantly probe and expose everything about the Northern Han, with the entire nation bearing the burden of the Liao Kingdom's elite forces.

This is an unbearable burden for the Northern Han.

Furthermore, Liu Jiyuan was an extremely tyrannical person, so he could not possibly stand by and watch Liu Jiwen, this false emperor, live.

This represents the legitimacy of the royal family.

It was impossible for him to completely side with the Liao Dynasty.

Naturally, one should seize every opportunity to fight for one's own interests.

Under these circumstances.

Without any warning, he launched the attack on his army.

—The situation changed drastically.

Faced with the harassing Northern Han troops, Gu Jin had already prepared a response. He immediately led his elite troops to break through the Northern Han army that was fighting Liu Jiwen from the outside.

With lightning speed, they left most of Liu Jiyuan's elite troops behind.

It was even more ferocious than previous offensives.

Dealing with someone like Wang Yingchen is by no means easy.

Gu Jin had already seen this out, and everything she did naturally took this into account.

That battle ended.

He immediately took command of the Song army and stationed them in Taiyuan.

He immediately ordered the imperial guards under Zhao Kuangyin's command to slowly retreat to the rear.

He didn't know if Wang Yingchen would fall for it, but he had done everything he could.

Hanging salted fish to suppress the smell. Stabilizing morale of the army through small victories and the prestige of the Gu family.

Then, a great victory was used to intimidate the enemy.

The central army was instructed to retreat slowly.

Furthermore, Zhao Kuangyin never showed his face from beginning to end.

All of this caused even the generals who knew the details to waver, let alone others.

Is His Majesty really dead?
Gu Jin didn't know whether Wang Yingchen would fall for it or not, but in any case, this battle was already worthwhile for the Song Dynasty.

Taiyuan fell.

The northern gateway has been fully opened.

In the current global situation, whoever occupies Taiyuan can be said to have the upper hand.

Even Wang Yingchen was not fooled.

He could also take this opportunity to send Zhao Kuangyin back to Kaifeng.

There's no point in dragging this out.

The Prime Minister's Residence, Linhuang Prefecture, Shangjing.

All of Song's movements were reported to us immediately.

Wang Yingchen stared at the urgent reports, his face grave.

"The Song army... actually retreated?"

His tone was complex, as if even now he still found it hard to believe the situation before him.

However, most of his advisors showed dissatisfaction.

Ultimately, everyone is eager for credit—especially in the Liao Dynasty, a country founded on Legalist principles of agriculture and warfare, where military achievements were crucial to one's future.

Although Wang Yingchen held a high position and wielded great power in the Liao Kingdom, he has now become a huge obstacle on the path for others to achieve merit.

Even his confidants couldn't help but have their own objections, but no one dared to speak out.

"Prime Minister," a young scholar finally spoke up when he saw Wang Yingchen hesitate again, "the situation is clear now, Zhao Kuangyin is doomed."

Why not take this opportunity—

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Yingchen raised his hand to interrupt: "No!"

"You have underestimated the Gu family, and you have underestimated the Song emperor even more!"

"We must not launch an attack rashly."

"If we maintain the current situation and stabilize for a few more years, our Great Liao will surely unify the world!"

His attitude remained very firm.

Upon hearing this, the group of confidants naturally lowered their heads silently, hiding all the dissatisfaction in their eyes.

Time passes quickly.

The current situation is such that if the Liao Kingdom can spy on the movements of the Song army, then the Song army can naturally also discern the changes in the Liao court.

Gu Jin immediately sensed the undercurrents within the Liao court.

This change made him instantly realize a new opportunity—

Wang Yingchen refused to be fooled.

Then take the initiative and force him to make a move.

The imperial court has never been a game for one person. Even the most illustrious members of the Gu family in the past, except for the most dazzling few, could not have absolute authority in the court.

Even he had to admit that Wang Yingchen's idea was indeed correct.

In an era where agriculture was still the foundation, the Liao Dynasty, with its vast territory, was able to strengthen its military, enrich its country, and multiply its national power within a few years by effectively implementing the Legalist system of agriculture and warfare.

But he was ultimately too young.

This is precisely the pitfall that Legalist scholars often fall into—

They are overly reliant on the principles of "law, tactics, and power," and firmly believe in strict laws and powerful strategies to control their subordinates, while neglecting the complexities of conflicting public sentiments and intertwined interests.

Just as Shang Yang's laws strengthened Qin, they also sowed the seeds of resentment.

Han Fei discussed the power of the ruler, yet he could not escape his own predicament.

Wang Yingchen only saw the laws and imperial power, ignoring the interests of the old aristocratic families, the balance of power in the court, and even the variables hidden in the urgency of human relationships.

This is precisely where Gu Jin can leverage her strengths to break the deadlock.

In fact, Gu Jin didn't even need to figure out how to make a move. Before long, someone had already sent a secret letter, wanting to join forces with the Gu family to get rid of Wang Yingchen.

He has already affected the interests of too many people.

With his background.

That's not enough to make everyone willingly submit to his coercion.

Although Gu Jin didn't know if this secret letter was another test from Wang Yingchen, since the messenger hadn't even revealed his identity, he went along with it, though he didn't openly contribute anything.

For him.

Having this secret letter is enough.

Immediately after this incident, Gu Jin once again made use of the Gu family's spies who had been hidden among various countries to contact the students of various schools within the Northern Han territory.

—Especially Liu Jiyuan.

That's right, although Gu Jin defeated Liu Jiyuan, he did not take his life.

This kind of person is just a troublemaker.

Leaving him alive might lead to many other thoughts, so why would Gu Jin grant Liu Jiwen's wish?
Liu Jiyuan was an extremely tyrannical person.

Especially after another defeat.

Although he is called an emperor, he now has no status whatsoever.

For someone like him, this was pure torture.

Gu Jin intended to use these people to stir up trouble and fuel the undercurrents within Liao, which could be considered the best way to break the deadlock under the current circumstances.

The whole plan went quite smoothly.

Unfortunately, Zhao Kuangyin's health was indeed deteriorating under the current circumstances.

The main tent of the Song army.

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's increasingly pale complexion, and his inability to even stand, Gu Jin's expression also grew increasingly complex. "Huaiyu."

"May I die on the battlefield?"

Despite the physical pain, Zhao Kuangyin stared intently at Gu Jin and asked, "In this life, will I be able to unify the Central Plains?"

Actually, if it weren't for Gu Jin...

Given Zhao Kuangyin's personality, he would definitely choose to launch a large-scale attack directly.

Just like in the original history.

Of course, this does not mean that Zhao Kuangyin made no progress compared to the original history. After all, in the original history, Zhao Kuangyin's several northern expeditions all ended in narrow defeat, and he eventually died on the way.

But given the current situation...

Even with a strong offensive, the Song Dynasty's national strength was not incapable of conquering the entire Northern Han.

But the main problem is that national strength cannot be depleted in this way.

The territory of the Liao Dynasty was far greater than that of the Song Dynasty.

Even if this battle were to capture the entire Northern Han, the price the Song army would pay would be considerable, and the resulting reaction would be singular.

That means the Song Dynasty might not be able to unify the entire country within a century.

Gu Jin never chose to launch a direct attack because of this.

This became Zhao Kuangyin's regret.

He wanted to unify the Central Plains.

I want my life to end on the battlefield, or at least not die meaninglessly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin couldn't help but sigh softly, but he simply bowed to Zhao Kuangyin and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, rest assured."

It's not that he lacks confidence or is unable to make a commitment.

On the contrary, he is now far more confident than ever before.

But Gu Jin couldn't be sure how long this would take.

Zhao Kuangyin's health was very poor.

It can be said that he is now like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of death, with only one obsession holding him back.

What kind of answer could Gu Jin possibly give?
That one sentence is enough!
The overall situation in the world is quietly changing amidst the constant power struggle between the two sides.

Wang Yingchen was targeting the Song army;

Gu Jin is addressing the internal conflicts within the Liao Dynasty.

Both sides employed various tactics: one side sought to distinguish truth from falsehood, while the other aimed to provoke potential conflict.

The people of all schools of thought today have indeed undergone tremendous changes.

Especially when dealing with someone as emotional as Liu Jiyuan.

Every word they said hit Liu Jiyuan's sore spot, making him increasingly irrational. He thought about how to take revenge and how to reclaim his territory almost every day.

And as his emotions became increasingly uncontrollable.

People like Liu Jiyuan tend to have a lot of different ideas.

"A bad person's elaborate schemes are no match for a fool's quick thinking."

This statement is particularly relevant in the current situation.

Liu Jiyuan began by sending gifts to Wang Yingchen.

They wanted Wang Yingchen to give the order directly.

But when he saw that Wang Yingchen refused, he changed his approach and sent gifts to Emperor Yelü Xian, earnestly asking him to save the Northern Han, and even directly proposed to become a vassal state of the Liao Dynasty.

If it were during the reign of Yelü Jing...

Yelü Jing will definitely agree to this.

But Yelü Xian was different.

This emperor, who in the original history was the restorer of the Liao Dynasty, was completely unconcerned about all of this, and even took the initiative to help Wang Yingchen stabilize the domestic conflicts.

This finally made Liu Jiyuan feel desperate.

Under these circumstances, he turned his attention to the extremely greedy members of the Liao royal family and generals.

Perhaps no emperor would have done such a thing.

Even if Liu Jiyuan himself were not out of his mind, he would never dare to do such a thing.

He secretly contacted members of the royal family and generals of other countries.

No matter how you look at it, this was an act that would lead to the downfall of his country.

Even though they repelled the Song army.

Yelü Xian and Wang Yingchen would absolutely not tolerate him any longer.

But Liu Jiyuan has done it now.

For him, as long as he could kill Liu Jiwen, he didn't even care about his own life or death.

And this behavior is also very effective.

Don't forget, these generals of the Liao Kingdom, including many members of the royal family, had been enduring this for quite some time.

Even though Wang Yingchen formulated very comprehensive laws and regulations.

And eventually, there will be people who, under such circumstances, will choose to take risks because of their status!
Liu Jiyuan was a successful catalyst, stirring up various conflicts within the Liao Kingdom.

Wang Yingchen is not from the Gu family.

Even for the Gu family, Gu Jin needed to stabilize his position through repeated external battles and internal reorganizations.

Not to mention Wang Yingchen.

He has done enough internally.

But he lacked military achievements!
Whether it was the Liao Dynasty in the past or the Liao Dynasty now, military achievements were a crucial factor!

And this was exactly the opportunity that Gu Jin had been waiting for!
"Issue the order immediately."

"Do not engage the Liao army; the main force must immediately retreat to Taiyuan!"

Upon receiving the news in Taiyuan, Gu Jin immediately stood up, her expression changing at that moment.

"Here!"

The armored soldiers rushed out instantly.

Before long, a group of generals arrived, all having received news that the Liao army had taken action.

As soon as they entered the hall, they immediately volunteered to fight.

"Grand Tutor! These barbarians from Liao have finally come out! This humble general is willing to be the vanguard and surely defeat the enemy!"

"The last general is willing to be a pioneer!"

"."

Shouts of battle rang out continuously.

These generals had been holding their breath for a long time, and now that they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, how could they not be excited?
"No!"

Gu Jin waved his hand, silencing the voices of the soldiers on his shoulder blades: "In this battle, no one is allowed to fight. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!"

His expression was very serious.

Upon hearing this, all the generals showed expressions of confusion.

Weren't we just waiting for the Liao Kingdom to make a move?
Now that we've finally gotten this opportunity, why aren't we making any moves?

"Grand Tutor!"

Even the usually composed Yang Ye couldn't contain himself.

Northern Han was his homeland; how could he stand by and watch his homeland be ravaged by war for so long?

He immediately stepped forward and exclaimed, "Such a golden opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

"If our army can swallow up the Liao army in one fell swoop, we can break through the defense line and go straight into the heart of the territory—Grand Tutor, if you do not act now, when will you?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers nodded in agreement.

Their faces were filled with resentment.

But Gu Jin's expression remained perfectly calm. Meeting everyone's gaze, he said indifferently, "Fishing—"

"If you're going to fish, you have to fish for big fish."

He didn't just want to conquer the entire territory of Northern Han.

We must also get rid of Wang Yingchen!
This is absolutely the best opportunity right now!
(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes! I'd be incredibly grateful for your support, brothers.)
(End of this chapter)