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

Chapter 260 The Three Kingdoms Move Together, Storms Rise (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Gu Jin acted quickly.

From the moment he made his decision, the entire Song Dynasty quickly began to operate under his strategic planning.

—He had already made thorough preparations!

Grain supplies were successively dispatched from various regions.

Under these circumstances, the current national strength of the Song Dynasty was fully demonstrated.

Relying on the extensive canal transport system and the increasingly mature maritime transport system, rice from the south, millet and wheat from the Huai River region, and corn, a strategic new grain, began to converge on the designated granaries on the front lines of Hebei, like rivers flowing into the sea.

On the official road, grain transport convoys bearing emergency tokens from the Censorate were seen one after another.

On the sea, sturdy ships belonging to the Maritime Trade Office filled their sails and transported the grain and fodder produced by the Liaodong military settlements directly to the coastal ports of Pingzhou and Luanzhou, greatly reducing the pressure of land transportation.

The troop movements are even more covert and efficient.

The elite Imperial Guards set off from the capital's main camp, traveling day and night along the newly repaired official road.

All border troops received strict orders to enter a state of maximum combat readiness.

Yang Ye's troops inside Yanmen Pass were further reinforced with artillery and crossbows, and their attacks became increasingly fierce, firmly attracting the attention of the Liao Kingdom's Xijing Road.

Behind all this orderly progress lies the pervasive oversight system of the Censorate.

From verifying the entry of grain into the warehouse to ensuring the fairness of conscripting laborers and maintaining military discipline, the black-clad censors were present everywhere.

Ensure that every effort is made where it is most needed, and eliminate any potential corruption and inefficiency.

The censors of the Censorate frequently visited the Privy Council and the Three Departments to verify documents and monitor processes. Their power was so great that officials at all levels dared not slack off in the slightest.

At the same time, several fast horses carrying secret letters bearing the seal of the Grand Tutor galloped towards Xia Prefecture in the northwest and Lushun Port in Liaodong.

In his letter to Li Deming, the ruler of Western Xia, he was earnest and profound in his words, reiterating the friendship of "jointly attacking the northern barbarians" and implying that after the success of the mission, border trade and the ownership of the "former territory" could be discussed.

The instructions given to the Liaodong garrison commander were even more direct: strengthen vigilance, seize the opportunity to act, and make sure the Liaodong people feel the pressure from the eastern front.

Kaifeng City appears prosperous on the surface, but an invisible atmosphere of dread permeates the Grand Tutor's Mansion and the Privy Council.

Gu Jin reviewed the numerous reports that arrived daily, summoned generals and high-ranking officials to finalize details such as the marching route, troop deployment, and logistical support.

A few more strands of white hair appeared at his temples, but the sharpness and determination in his eyes were stronger than ever before.

Just as he was about to swing the blade in his hand once again.

He finally came back to life.

In fact, Gu Jin is not suited for the imperial court.

He was too strong-willed; such a person was a born leader, and even Gu Yi shared this view.

Although he was equally dignified in the imperial court.

But it was never the real him.

And now, this lion has come back to life!

—The news spread rapidly.

Such a large-scale rectification could obviously not be hidden from the eyes of various countries.

Xixia, Xingqing Mansion.

Although the palace is not as grand as Kaifeng, it still possesses a majestic air born from the intertwining of grassland and agricultural civilization.

Li Deming, now in his twilight years with graying temples, sat upright on his tiger-skin throne, his fingers lightly tapping the secret letter from Kaifeng, a meaningful smile barely concealed on his face.

"Lord Gu, it's finally time to make a move."

He handed the letter to Crown Prince Li Yuanhao, who was standing beside him. His voice was steady, but it revealed a hint of barely perceptible excitement. "The wording is quite polite."

"Jointly attacking the northern barbarians, hehe, also mentioned border trade and the return of lost territories."

As he spoke, a disdainful smile appeared on Li Deming's face.

Although he still addressed Gu Jin with the respectful title of "Master Gu," this attitude actually revealed his true feelings.

The officials in the hall were not surprised at all and did not care at all; they simply discussed the war.

"Your Majesty! This is a golden opportunity!"

"The Liao dogs have occupied our grasslands and oppressed us for many years! Now that the main force of the Song Dynasty has marched north, we should send troops to reclaim our lost lands in Hexi, and even march straight to Xijing to avenge our past humiliations!"

A tribal chief with a full beard stepped forward first, his voice booming and his face filled with murderous intent.

The relationship between Western Xia and Liao is indeed very bad now.

these years.

Even with the Song Dynasty's support, the Xia Kingdom still held a clear disadvantage on the battlefield between Xia and Liao.

And there are clearly quite a few people who have this kind of thought.

As soon as the man spoke, many people echoed his sentiments.

But the next moment, a scholar dressed in Han-style official robes shook his head solemnly: "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate."

"The State of Song is powerful, and Lord Gu is particularly adept at strategy."

"First, they seized the land of Northern Han from the Liao dogs, and then, in just over ten years, they raised the entire Song Dynasty to a new level."

“If we do our best to help the Song Dynasty, even if we can defeat the Liao Dynasty, it will only be like driving away a wolf at the front door and welcoming a tiger at the back.”

"What benefit would it bring to our Great Xia if a more powerful Song state were to occupy the east?"

"It would be better to wait and see, and then make a decision after both sides have suffered heavy losses."

This is a typical strategy of sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight, striving to preserve one's own strength.

—That's right, the Liao Kingdom is currently recruiting talents from all over the world.

The vibrant academic atmosphere of diverse schools of thought introduced the greatest variable into this chaotic era.

As soon as he spoke, voices of agreement rang out again, and the entire hall was completely divided into two camps, each arguing back and forth.

At this moment, Crown Prince Li Yuanhao, who had been silent and carefully reading the letter, raised his head.

His young face already showed the sharpness and depth of a tyrant. His gaze swept over the ministers like a hawk, and his voice, though not loud, instantly drowned out all the arguments: "Father, ministers."

"Whether we fully support Song or remain inactive, neither is the best strategy."

He walked to the huge map hanging in the hall, pointed heavily at the Yan-Yun region, and then traced the Western Capital Road of the Liao Kingdom.

"If we fully support the Song Dynasty and the Song army wins quickly, causing the Liao Dynasty to collapse, what will our Xia Dynasty gain?"

"A little profit from border trade?"

"Gu Jin is cunning; it's still uncertain whether she can actually obtain the promised territory!"

"At that time, with the momentum of a great victory, who will be the next target of the Song army?"

—Compared to Li Deming.

Li Yuanhao's attitude towards the Gu family was clearly worse.

This is no way.

After all, since he grew up, the Gu family had never provided them with any direct assistance, so why would he address Gu Jin as "Duke"?
"But if we sit idly by and let the Liao Kingdom stabilize its position, or even repel the Song army."

"Once the Liao emperor Yelü Xian and the powerful minister Wang Yingchen have recovered, how could they possibly let us go?"

"At that time, my Great Xia will face the hostility of two powerful neighbors at the same time!"

He paused, a calculating glint in his eyes, and revealed his true intention: "In my opinion, what our Great Xia should do is neither to help anyone nor to stand by and watch."

"Instead, we should make them both suffer heavy losses!"

Li Yuanhao's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his voice grew louder and louder: "We should accept Gu Jin's request and immediately deploy troops on the border, making it appear as if we are about to launch a major attack on the Western Capital Road of Liao. We can even take a few insignificant border cities first to show our sincerity to Song."

"This move will surely attract some of the Liao army's forces to move west, relieving the pressure on the Song army's front and making the battle longer and more brutal!"

"But at the same time, we will never send our main force to fight the Liao army head-on, and we must be on guard against Gu Jin's plan to use the route to attack Guo."

"What we need to do is to follow closely behind the tiger, like jackals on the grassland."

"When the tiger and the bear were exhausted and bleeding profusely from their fight—"

Li Yuanhao slammed his palm down on the Liao Kingdom's Xijing Road region on the map!
"—This is the moment for our Great Xia to truly strike and seize the greatest victory!"

"What we want is not empty promises from the Song Dynasty, but tangible territory, people, and livestock!" "We must cripple the Liao Dynasty so that it will never be able to look westward again."

"We must ensure that the Song Kingdom, though victorious, is in a state of defeat, and is unable to pose a threat to our Great Xia in the short term!"

"Only in this way can we establish the foundation for the peace and prosperity of our Great Xia Dynasty for a hundred years!"

His words, delivered with conviction, transformed a potentially passive participation into a strategic game of proactively controlling the situation.

The imperial court was completely silent.

Almost everyone wore a thoughtful expression.

Li Yuanhao's current status in Western Xia is extremely extraordinary.

It wasn't because of his so-called position as crown prince.

In fact, in dynasties that still retain some of the traditions of the grasslands, the so-called crown prince position is the least valued!
Li Yuanhao achieved his current status entirely through his own abilities.

Multiple battles were fought against the Liao.

This allowed Li Yuanhao to grow up quickly and become the most prominent among Li Deming's sons.

In conclusion—

The most prestigious position is not that of the crown prince, but that of Li Yuanhao.

A moment of silence fell over the entire hall.

Everyone was staring intently at the Xijing Road on the geomantic map.

No, you can change the name.

This refers to the Hetao and Hexi regions.

These two places alone are enough to demonstrate the importance of this area!
Li Deming had also fallen silent at this point, but after a moment, he had thought everything through and burst into laughter:

"The Crown Prince's strategy is exactly what I desire!"

"Pass down the order: proceed according to the Crown Prince's proposal!"

"Order the Left Wing Army to move towards the Liao border and adopt an offensive posture, but without my order, they must not engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the Liao army."

"Furthermore, send an envoy to reply to Lord Gu's agreement, stating that our Great Xia will certainly not break the alliance and will jointly attack the Northern Barbarians!"

With the decree issued, a calculation concerning the fate of the nation was thus settled.

The ministers had by then fully realized what was happening and, without any resistance, agreed and left one after another.

Inside the palace in Xingqing Prefecture, the Li father and son exchanged a smile, their eyes both fixed on the Xijing Road on the geomantic map.

The Liao Dynasty, Kaijing.

Prime Minister's House.

Although it was already night, the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Unlike the boisterous atmosphere in the Western Xia court, which was mixed with the wildness of the grasslands, the atmosphere here was as heavy as iron, with only the occasional sound of maps being turned and suppressed coughs.

Wang Yingchen sat upright in the main seat. He was not particularly tall or strong; in fact, he was rather thin. However, when his deep-set eyes swept over the officials below, they carried a cold, all-seeing sharpness.

On the long table in front of him were not only military reports from the Song-Xia border, but also a thick stack of secret documents concerning the mobilization of grain supplies within the Song Dynasty and the records of the Censorate's inspections.

"Gentlemen, how should we handle this situation?"

Wang Yingchen's voice was calm and even, yet it went straight to the point, making everyone present tense.

Those standing on either side were all pillars of the Liao Kingdom at that time.

There was the illustrious general Yelü Xiuge, whose eyes were still sharp as an eagle's despite his advanced age; there was the steady and reliable Southern Privy Councilor Yelü Xiezhen; and there was also Han Derang, who was highly trusted and in charge of Han military affairs.

This included many civil officials.

These people represent the combination of Khitan and Han elites in the Liao Dynasty, and are the core force supporting the Liao Dynasty's political situation.

“Prime Minister,” Yelü Xiuge spoke first, his voice booming, “the Song army is stationed on the border, their momentum is overwhelming.”

"Youzhou is the shield of Nanjing; it must not be lost!"

"Give me my elite troops, and I will make sure that Gu Jin crashes his head into the walled city and bleeds!"

As a veteran general who had fought against the Song army for many years, he knew the importance of Youzhou.

Yelü Xiezhen was more cautious, adding: "What Yu Yue said is very true, but according to reports, Li Deming and his son from Western Xia are also making moves. The military strength of Xijing Road is empty. If the Xia army really launches a large-scale attack, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with both sides."

These people were the most important figures in the Liao Kingdom, and their experience was obviously very extensive.

This is actually the main reason why Gu Yi felt that Gu Jin would have a hard time unifying the world in his lifetime.

—In every nation, there are outstanding individuals.

Moreover, Gu Jin's abilities are only on par with these people.

Under this circumstance.

The difficulty Gu Jin faces in pacifying the entire world is unimaginable.

There's no need to compare it to the chaotic period in the original history; let's just talk about the most well-known Three Kingdoms period.

In the original history.

The Three Kingdoms period was filled with countless heroes, but in the end, when they finally united, it was because of the internal decay between Shu and Wu.

Only someone of Gu Chen's caliber could disregard all obstacles and crush all the problems directly!

Unfortunately, Gu Jin clearly could not become Bu Chen.

"Prime Minister, in my opinion, this move by Song and Xia, though nominally an alliance, is in reality a calculated scheme by each side. Gu Jin intends to use Western Xia's power to contain our western front; while Li Yuanhao..."

Han Derang remained silent for a moment before speaking, letting out a cold snort, "Their nature is like that of jackals; all they seek is to take advantage of the chaos and seize the strategic advantage of my Xijing."

"His intentions are despicable, but his actions are predictable."

Wang Yingchen nodded slightly: "What Derang saw coincides with my own."

"The Western Xia want to emulate the fisherman who reaps the benefits? They're still too green!"

His expression grew increasingly serious. Seeing that all the ministers were looking at him, he no longer hesitated and immediately spoke up: "Western Xia is nothing more than a minor ailment! Does Li Yuanhao intend to stand by and wait for a better price?"

"I'll make sure he doesn't get his way!"

"Pass on the order—"

"Order Yelü Xidi to consolidate the defensive line in Xijing Road, abandon unnecessary fortresses on the outskirts, concentrate troops to defend Datong Prefecture and several key military prefectures, and force Li Deming to capture those barren areas!"

"Yelü Xiuge, heed my command!"

"I hereby grant you full authority to oversee the military and political affairs of Nanjing Circuit. Relying on the strategic passes of Yanshan and the fortified city with its deep moats, we will deplete the morale and strength of the Song army to the greatest extent possible!"

"Remember, in the early stages, don't aim for decisive victories in open battle. The goal is to wear down and weaken the Song army by building city after city and trench after trench!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Yelü Xiuge clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice resounding through the roof tiles.

Wang Yingchen didn't even glance at him, and looked directly at Han Derang: "Derang, I hereby order you to lead our elite cavalry, under my personal command."

He seemed to have already thought everything through.

They showed absolutely no fear in the face of the Song army's various movements.

How could he not know Gu Jin?
The moment the corn appeared, Wang Yingchen had already foreseen that Gu Jin would definitely launch an unprecedented war of unification in his lifetime.

Wasn't he also preparing for this?

Why did Wang Yingchen never use any assistance to deal with the Western Xia?
The reason for this was not entirely due to the Song army's restraint, but rather because he needed to preserve most of his national strength to deal with the upcoming major war with the Song Dynasty!
This also presents an opportunity for the Liao Kingdom.

As long as we can win this battle.

That would allow us to completely reclaim the land of Northern Han from the Song state and regain the initiative in terms of terrain.

Besides--

And then there's corn, a powerful tool!

In fact, Wang Yingchen had managed to get some corn during this period, but it was just a drop in the bucket.

But if we can win this battle, and those people's morale drops even a little, then things will be completely different!
(P.S.: Begging for monthly votes! I'd be incredibly grateful for your support, brothers!)

(End of this chapter)