Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 182 Western Xia's Military Campaign: Undercurrents Surge!
Xingqing Prefecture, Imperial Study.

At the head of the table, Li Liangzuo rested his hands on the table, his expression slightly somber.

Below, Prime Minister Wei Mingman sat down respectfully, occasionally recounting his experiences.

After about half an incense stick's time, Li Liangzuo nodded.

"The new emperor is indeed strong-willed."

It is not surprising that the offer to return the territory granted by the emperor was met with a firm refusal.

Ultimately, things are different now.

Since losing the two major prefectures in the Hehuang region, the Western Xia has suffered a significant loss of arable land.

The new emperor, not yet thirty, still had a passionate heart and a somewhat assertive personality, which was perfectly normal.

"What is the new emperor's attitude towards the Liao Dynasty's annual tribute?" Li Liangzuo asked.

"Since the Treaty of Shanyuan, the Liao and Zhou kingdoms have maintained peace for nearly fifty years. The new emperor did not receive the envoys, but instead had several ministers negotiate with the Liao envoys. In the end, the tribute policy remained unchanged," Wei Ming Manyu responded.

Compared to the declining Xia Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty was a first-rate behemoth, and even though it was no longer at its peak, it should not be underestimated.

The so-called annual tribute was nothing more than a million strings of cash.

The new emperor wasn't stupid; he would naturally agree to buy peace with a million strings of cash and maintain the long-standing stability of his regime.

"The annual gifts change, but the annual tribute remains the same."

"The loss of the Hehuang region is a very passive situation."

"If we don't think about changing, Great Xia will probably be eliminated."

Li Liangzuo sighed, his face grave.

Not long after the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, Li Yuanhao passed away, leaving behind only the two-year-old boy.

When the young emperor ascended the throne and the empress dowager ruled as regent, it was natural that his uncle, Mecang Epang, would hold the reins of power.

When relatives of the empress hold power, political turmoil is inevitable, and a major purge is imminent.

During this period, the Great Xia even submitted to the Great Zhou.

When he grew up and got rid of his uncle, there was naturally another major purge.

He certainly wouldn't dare keep someone who was a relative of the emperor selected through a merit-based system.

After two major political purges, the Great Xia Dynasty is facing a shortage of talent, and with the loss of two major prefectures in the Hehuang region, its national strength has declined considerably.

In contrast, the old emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty discovered a wise minister in his later years who was capable of both expanding the territory and governing the country.

"Jiang Zichuan is indeed a remarkable person."

Even Li Liangzuo couldn't help but feel envious.

The emperor has no son!
This can be solved?
In the past, the Liao, Zhou, and Xia dynasties, as well as the Tubo tribes, all faced some difficulties to varying degrees.

On the Liao side, a new emperor ascended the throne, involving the empress dowager's interference in politics and the "Chongyuan Rebellion".

Yelü Chongyuan was Yelü Hongji's uncle. Years ago, Emperor Shengzong promised to pass the throne to him, but then turned around and made Yelü Hongji the crown prince.

Yelü Chongyuan was granted the title of "Imperial Uncle," and his power remained prominent.

Over time, ambition naturally grows.

In the early years of his reign, Yelü Hongji had just resolved the issue of the Empress Dowager's interference in politics when he was met with Yelü Chongyuan's rebellion.

After two consecutive upheavals, the new emperor Yelü Hongji was in no good mood at all.

In the Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Zhao Zhen, in his later years, had no sons and was indecisive in his plans, unable to make a decision even when he had one. He raised two princes, which caused his ministers to secretly fight and choose sides.

It is almost foreseeable that whoever ascends to the throne will be forced into a coup.

On the other hand, in the Great Xia Dynasty, the young emperor was growing up, and the power struggle between the maternal relatives and the young emperor was intensifying.

In addition, the Tibetan regime was in turmoil and division, and its leader was old and unable to control his subordinates, making it a mess.

It can be said that at that time, all the forces were in a state of chaos and disarray.

Among them, the struggle for the crown prince in the Great Zhou Dynasty was the most intense.

If not handled properly, a coup could occur, and the Great Zhou Dynasty could very well begin its decline.

The results of it?
The secret method of designating an heir, the "good grandson," something never heard of before, somehow solved the problem of choosing an heir.

Jiang Zichuan might even be able to free up resources to reclaim the Hehuang region.

Li Liangzuo looked on with envy.

If he had such ministers, he would surely have severely demoted and removed them.

He directly appointed him as prime minister, then turned around and marched south to the Great Zhou, expanding its territory.

Li Liangzu shook his head and sighed softly.

What a pity, no! "Let's take advantage of the fact that the new emperor of Zhou's power is unstable, reorganize our troops, and head south."

Li Liangzuo sighed.

"Since the two major prefectures of Hehuang were taken over by the Great Zhou, Jiang Zichuan also made a special agreement with the Dongzhan tribe of Tubo, allowing the Dongzhan tribe to hand over control of the Yellow River basin. Since then, it has been difficult for the Great Xia to have any contact with Tubo."

“If we don’t seize this opportunity to head south, we will be like a trapped beast struggling, and sooner or later we will be trapped and slaughtered by the Zhou and Liao kingdoms,” Li Liangzuo said in a deep voice.

The Liao, Zhou, and Xia dynasties were the three most important regimes.

The remaining Dali and Jiaozhi were vassal states of the Great Zhou, Goryeo was a vassal state of the Liao Dynasty, and the Uyghur and Tibetan tribes did not establish a real state or form a political power, and were relatively scattered.

Looking at the three major regimes in the world, the Liao and Zhou dynasties were roughly equal in strength, but the Xia dynasty was almost a level below them.

In the past, the Xia state had always been in contact with the Tubo (Tibetan) and would occasionally raid the borders of the Zhou state.

Or perhaps they joined forces with the Uyghurs to harass and invade the borders of the Liao Dynasty.

In recent years, the Xia dynasty has severed ties with Tibet, leaving them with very few options for retreat.

It is bordered by the Xia Dynasty to the southeast, the Liao Dynasty to the north, and the Uyghurs to the west, and is already sandwiched in the "center".

If we don't seize this opportunity to change our ways, we risk national ruin!
(As shown in the picture: Without the Hehuang region, the Western Xia was directly attacked from both sides)
This is one aspect of the consideration.

On the other hand, as a 21-year-old emperor, having only defeated his uncle a few years prior, and despite several major purges, it was inevitable that some of the remaining forces of the Muzang Epang within the country remained unpurged.

After all, that person had been in power for over a decade.

These people are hidden, making them destined to be difficult to completely eliminate.

To deal with the people of Meizang Epang, the only way is to go south, establish authority, and intimidate all.

"Old minister accepts the order."

Wei Mingman quickly bowed and went to make the arrangements.

A gentle breeze blew as Li Liangzuo walked to the door, put his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance.

Jiang Zichuan?

My blade, Li Liangzuo's, has never been dull!
Jiang Mansion, Pavilion.

Stone table, clear tea, fruits, chessboard,

Jiang Zhao held a chess piece in his hand and placed it on the center point.

Right opposite him, a somewhat immature scholar also placed a piece.

Besides them, there was another person standing to the side, watching the two play chess.

Cai Jing, Sheng Changfeng!

One of them was Jiang Zhao's brother-in-law, and the other was Jiang Zhao's brother-in-law; both were relatives of the examiners.

This time, we must refer to "trying something else".

"Don't try it out on your first try. There's a 30% chance of passing. Are you confident?" Jiang Zhao asked slowly.

Compared to the highly competitive exams where only 3 out of 100 students are selected, the other exams select 3 out of 10 students, making the probability almost ten times greater.

Anyone who isn't stupid can pass the test and earn the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) if they study diligently.

"Don't worry, brother-in-law." Cai Jing nodded confidently.

When it comes to knowledge, he is never ambiguous.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to pass the county-level imperial examination at the age of sixteen and become a provincial-level scholar at the age of nineteen.

The saying goes, "Within three generations, a prosperous person will surely emerge." My brother-in-law is a prosperous person for the Jiang family, and he is also a prosperous person for the Cai family.

"Where is Changfeng?" Jiang Zhao asked.

"Quite confident," Sheng Changfeng said earnestly.

In terms of knowledge, he was a step behind his second brother, Sheng Changbai.

Don't try to get three out of ten; that's way too easy.

It's not difficult to pass the test by trying other methods!

Jiang Zhao nodded, placed a piece on the board, and stood up, saying, "Today is the day the Imperial Examination will be held in the 'locked courtyard'."

"I'm going now."

The two quickly stood up and said, "Respectfully seeing off my brother-in-law."

Jiang Zhao nodded, put his hands behind his back and left, his calm voice carrying back: "Reading more of the Book of Documents won't hurt."

The two were startled and became even more respectful.

(End of this chapter)