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

Chapter 274 Undercurrent is surging!

February 27th, the fifth year of the Xifeng reign.

Jiaozhi, Shenglong.

Dragon Throne Hall.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Li Rizun, with graying temples, wore a yellow robe with a dragon design and a golden dragon belt, holding a document in his hand, his face slightly somber.

From him downwards, civil and military officials were arranged in orderly ranks.

Unlike the Liao Dynasty's unique system of officials serving in both the north and south, and unlike the Western Xia Dynasty's unique system of officials serving both non-Han and Han officials, the Jiaozhi Kingdom had no unique characteristics of its own and implemented a purely civil and military official system.

Its political system is basically a high imitation of the political system of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The difference lies in the fact that the head of the civil officials in Jiaozhi was called Xianggong, not Daxianggong, and the head of the military generals was called Taiwei, not Shumishi or Shumifushi.

To facilitate checks and balances, the civil service system included Left and Right Vice Chancellors and Vice Directors of the Secretariat to decentralize power, while the military system included Left and Right Privy Councilors to decentralize power.

Furthermore, the status of military officers in the Kingdom of Jiaozhi was not low.

This was mainly because the social atmosphere in Jiaozhi Kingdom valued martial arts, and the etiquette system stipulated that princes must learn martial arts and participate in military and civil affairs or battles. As a result, the emperors were more or less knowledgeable about military and political affairs, and would not blindly choose to suppress military generals.

Apart from that, there is not much difference.

"Humph!"

With a slam of his hand on the document, Li Rizun slammed his fist on the wooden table, his face ashen, and roared, "Two crushing defeats in a row! You're all useless!"

angry!
Terrified!

Both were present in Li Rizun's mind; these were the only two emotions he felt.

He was furious, naturally furious because the border troops had suffered two major defeats in a row, their morale was severely damaged, their strength was greatly reduced, and their performance was simply too disgraceful.

Two major defeats, one resulting in the loss of 2,000 men and the other in the loss of 3,000 men, totaling a loss of 5,000 men.

Five thousand able-bodied men—such a loss is no small matter.

After all, the casualty rate in a typical war is only one or two out of ten.

In theory, the loss of 5,000 men is equivalent to the Jiaozhi side suffering a major defeat in a large-scale war with an army of about 30,000 to 50,000 men.

A force of 30,000 to 50,000 men was dispatched at once and suffered a crushing defeat!
Isn't this a huge loss?

In the past, if there had been a major defeat of this magnitude, the Kingdom of Jiaozhi would most likely have already sent envoys to sue for peace.

The fear was naturally due to the terrifying casualty rate recorded in the documents.

In reality, the border troops of Jiaozhi did not send 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers.

After two major defeats, the total number of troops deployed was only about six thousand.

Of the 6,000 people, 5,000 were injured, nearly nine out of ten died.

Such a casualty rate is truly terrifying; who wouldn't be afraid?

"And what exactly is a bomb?"

Li Rizun, his face grim, retorted, "How could it be possible to achieve a success rate of nine out of ten deaths?"

The king was furious, and all the officials fell silent.

Grand Commandant Li Changjie quickly stepped forward, raised his hand in salute, and said, "According to the scouts, the bomb is a new type of weapon developed by the Great Zhou Armory. It can explode violently, sending fragments flying, which can easily pierce through armor and injure people invisibly. In recent days, the Great Zhou has been relying on the bomb to advance step by step and achieve one great victory after another."

“Even the Liao Kingdom was defeated by the Great Zhou last year. The Great Zhou’s main reliance was on bombs,” Li Changjie added.

"Bombs defeated the Liao Kingdom?"

Li Rizun's anger subsided, and he narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised, with a hint of fear in his eyes: "Is that so?"

"The bomb exploded, the sound shaking the surrounding area, and it had the effect of startling horses."

"With tens of thousands of warhorses fighting together, once a horse is startled, how can human power control it?"

"The Liao Kingdom suffered a crushing defeat, which was truly not unjust."

Li Changjie shook his head and said, "If bombs can startle horses, they can startle elephants too. The border army's great defeat can be traced back to some extent."

If we were to discuss what unique things a country in the southwest corner of the world might have, elephant soldiers might be considered one of them.

However, when bombs are present, elephants naturally react just like horses, primarily with fear.

In fact, the destructive power of elephants may be even more terrifying than that of horses.

Li Rizun had never seen a bomb before, and naturally did not understand its effects. He couldn't help but scold, "Even elephants can't be controlled. The border troops have truly failed in their duties. Not finding out about the bomb beforehand is also a dereliction of duty."

"I failed in my duty," Li Changjie said, shaking his head and sighing.

To be honest, he didn't quite understand why there was a casualty rate of nine out of ten deaths.

But there's nothing we can do about it, that's just how it is!
Li Rizun stared at the past, frowning repeatedly.

In fact, it is quite reasonable that Jiaozhi did not receive any information about the bomb.

First, this is "new" news.

A year is neither long nor short.

However, in an era when travel was inconvenient, news within a year was definitely considered new.

Secondly, the Kingdom of Jiaozhi did not pay particular attention to the affairs of the Liao and Zhou dynasties.

On the one hand, Jiaozhi has been focusing its efforts on conquering Champa, so it has no time to pay attention to the struggle between the Liao and Zhou states.

On the other hand, in times of difficult travel, the transmission of messages was also difficult.

It is said that the Liao, Zhou and Xia dynasties were three major powers in a tripartite balance of power, but the question is, how many people from Jiaozhi actually went to the Liao and Xia dynasties?

Since they had never been there and were not adjacent to each other, the regime that was content with its corner of the world would naturally not pay attention to the "world order" or the conflicts between the Liao, Zhou, and Xia kingdoms.

Thirdly, and most importantly, Jiaozhi did not pay tribute to the Great Zhou!

This is no small problem.

It may seem insignificant on the surface, but it is actually of great importance.

Jiaozhi had not paid tribute to the Great Zhou for more than a decade, and its disloyalty was common knowledge.

If that's the case, the Great Zhou would naturally take the initiative to block the news.

Bombs, such highly classified items, are known to high-ranking officials on the surface, but apart from soldiers who have experienced the expansion of Yan and Yun, no one else would know of their existence.

Even newspapers reporting the border army's great victory would certainly not report the specific role of the bombs.

In other words, even within the Zhou Dynasty, only a small group of people knew about the existence of the bomb.

The Zhou dynasty actively blocked the news, and since few people knew about the bomb, it was naturally difficult for the Kingdom of Cochinchina to know about its existence.

Li Rizun remained calm, clearly understanding the reason behind it, but did not continue to reprimand him.

quite a while.

Li Rizun asked in a deep voice, "What is the explanation for this situation?"

Throughout the hall, officials looked at each other, all remaining silent.

Minister Pei Jiayou stepped forward, pondered for a moment, and said, "Right now, the Great Zhou army has 100,000 troops, intending to break through Yongji Pass. This is the route used by the Han and Sui dynasties to conquer Jiaozhi. Once the Great Zhou army truly breaks through Yongji Pass, relying on the power of bombs, Jiaozhi will likely be the only option."

Pei Jiayou did not continue speaking, but all the civil and military officials in the palace knew what he was talking about.

Once Yongji Pass is breached, it won't be enough to simply seek peace.

At best, it would lead to a change of dynasty in Jiaozhi.

In severe cases, Jiaozhi would be incorporated into the territory of the Great Zhou.

In any case, regardless of the severity, it's tantamount to a change of ruler, and the officials in the palace certainly won't have an easy time.

Pei Jiayou stroked his beard, changed the subject, and suggested, "Your Majesty, I have only a few simple measures."

"Either we send reinforcements to Yongji Pass, forcing the Great Zhou to make it difficult to conquer. Once May or June arrives, the southwest will gradually get hot and the miasma will become heavier, forcing the Great Zhou emperor to withdraw his troops."

"Or, before Yongji Pass falls, send someone to sue for peace!"

Seeking peace is tantamount to surrendering.

However, there are "techniques" to surrendering; you must surrender before the war is decided. Once Yongji Pass falls, it's as if the war is over, and the surrender is invalid!
It's either fight or surrender.

Li Rizun frowned, unsure of what to do.

“Or perhaps, we should reinforce our troops while simultaneously seeking peace,” Pei Jiayou said in a deep voice.

Of course, this method is essentially a way to seek peace. Sending reinforcements to Yongji Pass is merely to increase the bargaining chips and make the success rate of seeking peace higher.

If all else fails and the peace negotiations fail, then consider it as having served the purpose of troop reinforcements—a way to have the best of both worlds.

"it is good!"

Li Rizun's eyes lit up, and he waved his sleeve, saying, "Let's do it this way!"

……

Guangnan West Road, Yongzhou.

Central Army Imperial Tent.

All the civil and military officials stood solemnly.

In the center of the imperial tent stood a person dressed in a red robe and rhinoceros horn belt, with red shoes and a topknot. His attire was similar to that of the Great Zhou Dynasty, yet it gave people a sense of incongruity.

This was the Grand Academician of the Civilization Hall of the Kingdom of Jiaozhi, in charge of diplomacy.

"You have stationed 50,000 troops at Yongji Pass, and come here specifically to sue for peace?"

Zhao Ceying raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

All the civil and military officials turned their attention to the direction of the gaze.

"Let me consider it."

"Have someone escort the envoy away," Zhao Ceying said calmly, waving his hand.

"promise."

Two imperial guards entered and led the messenger away.

All the civil and military officials turned their attention to the past.

Whether or not peace is reached depends on the emperor's decision!
If peace is negotiated, it is estimated that we can nominally rule Jiaozhi.

If we don't negotiate peace, we'll inevitably have to continue fighting.

Both have their own advantages.

Peace talks are biased towards short-term interests, and the Kingdom of Jiaozhi will inevitably rebel sooner or later; it cannot be a permanent solution.

We should avoid discussing or favoring a one-time solution, as this could potentially cause significant damage.

After about ten breaths, Zhao Ceying's face turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "It is impossible to seek peace."

"Since ancient times, Jiaozhi has been the legitimate territory of the Central Plains. It existed during the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties, and during the Sui and Tang Dynasties."

"The Great Zhou Dynasty must also have it!"

Zhao Ceying made the decision: "I observe that Yongji Pass is situated in an east-west direction. There is only one valley about two hundred meters long running longitudinally, so it is not difficult to breach."

"While we have the bombs, we must wipe out Jiaozhi in one fell swoop!"

"Expanding territory, establishing industry, and leaving a lasting legacy—all of this happens right here!"

These few words startled all the civil and military officials.

"In my humble opinion, we might be able to defeat the enemy with two hundred brave men."

Gu Tingye stepped forward and suggested, "The two hundred daredevils can be divided into three waves. One wave can go first and take advantage of the night to carry gunpowder packs and bombard the enemy troops at the pass. Another wave can take advantage of the chaos to rush to the city wall with explosive packs and bombard the city gate with explosive packs; the third wave can carry explosive packs and short swords for a second bombardment."

"Once the city gates are breached, the army can be divided into three routes. We can have people cut down trees along the flanks and march in sync with the canyon, advancing step by step. We can defeat the enemy step by step by bombing."

The canyon at Yongji Pass is not long.

This is quite different from Yanmen Pass.

Yanmen Pass, with its Yanmen Valley leading north for dozens of miles, is an easy target for ambushes.

Yongji Pass is different.

The canyon at Yongji Pass is only a couple hundred meters long, which makes it impossible to set up an ambush on either side.

The troops of Jiaozhi held firm and did not come out, so the two flanks of Yongji Pass were naturally occupied by the Zhou forces.

"it is good."

Zhao Ceying nodded and looked down: "In the future, when the history books are compiled, I hope that all of you will be included, and even have your own biographies compiled!"

"If given the opportunity, I would like to follow the example of Emperor Taizong and establish a cabinet of twenty-four ministers."

Zhao Ceying said emphatically, "This status was earned bit by bit!"

These few simple words sent a shiver down the spines of many military officers.

We have to fight!
The Twenty-Four Ministers' Pavilion!
Xingqing Prefecture, Baigao Palace.

On the imperial steps, the eleven-year-old young emperor Li Bingchang sat on the dragon throne, his face serious, yet with an undeniable air of childishness.

Behind the dragon throne, a curtain hung down, revealing a beautiful woman sitting there, dressed in a phoenix robe, exuding an air of majesty.

This was none other than Empress Dowager Liang.

Since Li Liangzuo was unfortunately killed in battle, Western Xia has been in a situation where a young emperor ascends the throne, the empress dowager rules from behind the curtain, and the emperor's brother-in-law holds great power.

Furthermore, it is estimated that this political situation will not change much for quite some time.

After all, the young emperor Li Bingchang was only eleven years old and did not yet have the right to rebel against his elderly mother.

With both nominal and real power in the hands of the maternal relatives, Western Xia had become a veritable dictatorship of the maternal relatives.

Apart from Liang Yili, the emperor's brother-in-law and prime minister, there was no one else in the main hall.

The curtains fell, and Empress Dowager Liang, holding a document, frowned repeatedly: "Two great victories in a row. Emperor Zhao, is this to eliminate the threat in the south so that you can focus on your northern expedition?"

"Zhao Ceying possesses remarkable courage and an exceptionally strong and resolute character; otherwise, he would not have been able to delegate power and implement reforms so extensively. It is said that his goal has always been to achieve unification."

Liang Yili squinted and sighed, "Ever since the reforms of the Great Zhou Dynasty were effective, the country's strength has been steadily rising. The bombs they developed have further enhanced their military combat capabilities."

"These are turbulent times!" Liang Yili shook his head repeatedly.

Given the current situation, if the Liao and Xia kingdoms do nothing, it will be a sure sign of their impending doom.

Originally, the Liao, Zhou, and Xia dynasties were all bad, but suddenly the Zhou dynasty was no longer bad, and even gradually became "superior".

The differences between the three are becoming increasingly apparent.

Empress Dowager Liang frowned and pondered, "What did the Liao Kingdom say?"

“Yelü Hongji is quite anxious,” Liang Yili replied. “Originally, the Liao and Zhou kingdoms were on equal footing. The Liao kingdom had a strong military, and the Zhou kingdom had a prosperous economy.”

"Who would have thought that a great man would appear in the Great Zhou Dynasty, reforming and innovating, doubling the tax revenue in just a few years, and his military strength goes without saying, once annihilating more than 50,000 elite troops of the Liao Kingdom and expanding the territory to four prefectures."

"The economy is not as prosperous as that of the Great Zhou, and the military strength is not as great as that of the Great Zhou. If the Great Zhou is allowed to develop for a few more years, it will be only a matter of time before it destroys the Liao Kingdom."

"Therefore, Yelü Hongji was eager to cooperate and hoped that the two countries would unite to find a suitable opportunity to send troops to attack the Great Zhou."

"He still dares to send troops south?" Empress Dowager Liang asked in surprise. "Isn't he afraid of the bombs from the Great Zhou?"

"The Liao Kingdom has already developed a bomb!" Liang Yili said in a deep voice. "Moreover, Yelü Hongji is willing to share the bomb formula."

"That's it!"

Empress Dowager Liang looked as if she had known all along.

"Then let's train the troops."

"If we should head south, we still have to head south."

"Otherwise, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold!"

……

(End of this chapter)