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

Chapter 291 A Turning Point in Territorial Expansion!

April 3rd, Weizhou.

Chinese army camp.

A small wooden table, about ten feet long, held a military map.

Marquis Yongning, Wang Shao, and Duke of Ying, Zhang Ding, sat facing each other.

Both of them had a torn document in their hands.

However, his subordinates happened to present two documents, and the two men each picked one up and began to examine it intently.

About twenty or thirty breaths.

The document was set aside lightly. Wang Shao stretched out his hand and looked over: "Boqi, is it good news or bad news?"

Boqi was the courtesy name of Zhang Ding.

“Good news,” Zhang Ding said.

"What a coincidence."

Wang Shao slapped his knee: "I have good news too."

“In that case, it’s double happiness.” Zhang Ding nodded and smiled, reaching out to exchange documents.

"Not urgent."

Wang Shao quickly waved his hand: "Since it's good news, it's not urgent. Let me guess."

Judging from his expression, he seemed to have developed a bit of interest in "guessing riddles".

Since it was all good news, Zhang Ding wasn't in a hurry and nodded.

"But is it related to Yan Yun?" Wang Shao pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively.

The army that marched north was either fighting against the Xia or the Liao; there were only two groups of people.

"Indeed," Zhang Ding nodded.

"Yan Yun achieved a great victory?" Wang Shao asked knowingly.

"No," Zhang Ding shook his head.

"Ok?"

Wang Shao was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Yanyun wins a great victory!

This is a top-tier, wide-ranging topic.

According to conventional wisdom, shouldn't we continue to probe and gradually narrow down the scope?
After a few moments of contemplation, Wang Shao realized what was happening and continued to guess, "Could it be related to Yelü Hongji?"

The confrontation between Yan and Yun was simply a matter of enemy and ourselves.

Therefore, there are only two possible sources for the good news:
It is either related to "me", that is, the great victory of Yan and Yun.

It could be related to an "enemy," meaning the Liao people were unlucky and suffered misfortune.

"Indeed," Zhang Ding nodded.

"Has the Liao Kingdom suffered a disaster?" Wang Shao guessed.

"No," Zhang Ding shook his head.

"Is there a rebellion in the Liao Kingdom, causing internal strife?" Wang Shao pressed.

“Indeed.” Zhang Ding raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Could it be related to the Jurchens?" Wang Shao had a premonition.

"Of course."

Zhang Ding nodded, clicked his tongue, and handed over the document. He couldn't help but admire, "My lord, you can see ten steps ahead with one step in mind. You are truly a genius."

Wang Shao picked up the document, glanced at it for a moment, and nodded repeatedly.

The eldest son always plans for the long term.

Whether there's something to do or not, I'll play a few rounds.

If a piece is not used, it is a useless piece, and even a waste of resources.

However, once idle moves are valued, they can play an unimaginable role.

This style was subtly evident from the moment the Grand Chancellor entered officialdom.

Whether it's Champa rice or Iwami silver mines, it takes at least one or two thousand days from the moment the move is made to its effect.

In particular, the existence of the Iwami Silver Mine was actually obtained by the Grand Master from ancient texts.

From the moment a move is made to its effect, it takes at least ten years!
Even the government might be a pawn in a game.

The young prince Zhao Shen may also be a pawn in a game of strategy.

Throughout history, no one has ever planned ahead with such a vision.

Of course, with such a boss, subordinates feel quite at ease.

"The Jurchens rebelled, and the Liao people faced internal and external troubles."

Wang Shao picked up the document and pondered, "Taking advantage of this opportunity, we might be able to take control of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

The document mainly records two major items:

First, the Jurchens, having unified the country, marched south and invaded the Liao territory with unstoppable momentum.

Second, Yelü Hongji had no choice but to move 20,000 troops from Yanyun to quell the rebellion.

There were quite a few Jurchens.

If the raw Jurchens and the mature Jurchens were to merge into one, their population would reach around one million.

Given the nature of the tribal system, a population of a few hundred thousand could even field an army of 100,000.

Even if the raw Jurchen and the mature Jurchen have not yet united, the raw Jurchen population alone could easily form an army of fifty to sixty thousand.

Fifty to sixty thousand people rebelled!

In terms of scale, it's not just a little bit big.

Even in the history of the Liao Dynasty, there had never been a large-scale rebellion involving 50,000 to 60,000 people.

Judging from its scale, it might even have the opportunity to overthrow the rule of the Khitans.

The potential danger was so great that even Yelü Hongji dared not underestimate it in the slightest and could only proceed with caution in suppressing the rebellion.

But the problem is that, apart from the southern expedition against Yan and Yun and the tens of thousands of troops guarding Shangjing, Yelü Hongji had no soldiers left!
Since the loss of nearly 60,000 troops in the Battle of Yanmen Valley, Yelü Hongji's imperial authority has greatly diminished, and he has lost the support of the people.

Moreover, those 60,000 men were all his direct troops, including about 10,000 heavy cavalry.

Under such circumstances, Yelü Hongji's second southern expedition still managed to have a full 100,000 troops, which was already extremely difficult and the people were filled with resentment.

Therefore, it is simply unrealistic to transfer troops from other places.

It's possible that as soon as troops are deployed from the local areas, it will provoke rebellions from other ethnic groups, making the situation more chaotic the more the fighting goes on.

Therefore, Yelü Hongji had no choice but to move 20,000 troops from Yanyun.

After all, the Jurchen rebellion involved as many as fifty or sixty thousand people, which was quite a large scale. Even considering that the Jurchens did not have iron spears or armor, it would take at least twenty or thirty thousand armored troops to suppress them steadily.

After fifty or sixty days of losses, the 100,000-strong army that marched south had been reduced to only about 80,000.

The relocation of 20,000 troops means that Yelü Hongji only had 60,000 troops left.

The gap between the two sides is widening.

It is not difficult to foresee that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun may be regained.

"What good news does Zichun have?"

Zhang Ding asked curiously, "Is it related to the Western Xia?"

Both were for transmitting military reports, and both were delivered to the central command camp at the same time.

If the news was all about the Liao Dynasty, it would definitely be recorded in a document.

Since the documents in his hands were about the Liao Dynasty, then the documents in Wang Shao's hands must be about the Western Xia Dynasty.

"Indeed," Wang Shao nodded.

"However, it's not easy to guess."

With a reach, the documents on the wooden table were laid out.

Zhang Ding picked it up and read it carefully.

The good news that Wang Shao had was indeed hard to guess.

Even if given a hint, it's unlikely that Zhang Ding would guess the result.

This is a "letter of cooperation".

The signatory was named Li Qing, who was also the lackey of Prime Minister Liang Yili and the deputy commander of the Western Xia army.

However, somewhat surprisingly, Li Qing, who appeared to be a loyal supporter of the Empress Dowager and a lackey of Liang Yili, secretly harbored a desire to support the emperor, making him a true "emperor's party member."

From the time the young Emperor Li Bingchang was eight years old, Li Qing would instill in him ideas about "resistance" and "seizing power" from time to time, making him a veteran member of the imperial party.

Today, the young Emperor Li Bingchang is already twelve years old and has not yet escaped the influence of his maternal relatives in politics, which makes Li Qing somewhat anxious.

Therefore, he intended to cooperate with the Great Zhou, hoping to use the strength of the Great Zhou army to kill Liang Yili.

Once Liang Yili dies, the Deputy Commander will be the real power holder, and the Military Supervisor Weiming Awu is a member of the imperial clan.

If the two join forces, they can serve the emperor, quell the rebellion, destroy the Liang clan, and support the emperor to the throne, thus becoming his loyal subjects.
"this--"

The ease on his face gradually turned into seriousness.

Zhang Ding held the document and stared at it for a long time.

The document mainly records one thing—Liang Yili's whereabouts.

Liang Yibu, the commander of Liangzhou, is dead!
It must be said that Zhong Shidao truly has a talent for planning, and he has indeed learned real skills from the eldest son.

Through his scheme, he successfully lured and killed the arrogant Liang Yibu, and captured Liangzhou.

Liang Yibu was Liang Yili's only son! Therefore, Liang Yili was enraged.

The only son was killed, and the family line was broken.

Liang Yili was deeply saddened, but he sent the famous general Renduo Suoding to the border to serve as a temporary commander-in-chief and temporarily take charge of border affairs.

As for him, he moved 15,000 troops into Xiliang Prefecture to avenge the killing of his son.

Li Qing's "Letter of Cooperation" mainly records the marching route that Liang Yili had planned in advance.

"This person actually sent several letters to others in private."

Wang Shao explained, "Wang also replied to each of them."

"However, this time, Li Qing signed his name and affixed his seal."

In order to help the young emperor seize power, they colluded with enemy forces, even disregarding the signs of national subjugation.

On the surface, it seems a bit far-fetched.

But the fact is, Li Qingzhen did convey his intention to cooperate.

"Hi~!"

Zhang Ding was somewhat puzzled: "Can someone really ignore even the signs of a country's impending doom?"

"Zichun, do you think this could be a trap?"

Before Wang Shao could even respond, Zhang Ding frowned as soon as he finished speaking.

Signature and seal!
With these two factors, the possibility of it being fake is extremely small.

Wang Shao shook his head and said calmly, "Not to mention that the world is vast and there are many short-sighted people, so it is not surprising that they would do such things."

"Even from a perspective of interests, it is not incomprehensible."

"Firstly, the Western Xia dynasty followed the path of power held by maternal relatives."

"Once Prime Minister Liang Yili gains control of the border military and his prestige soars, the mere twelve-year-old king will have no chance of turning the tide."

"And from then on, Li Bingchang grew up and became more and more powerful, and the fear he faced became more and more intense."

"It is not impossible that I will be murdered someday."

Wang Shao looked over, his gaze intense: "Given the personalities of Liang Yili and Empress Dowager Liang, they would certainly not allow Li Bingchang to live to adulthood."

Zhang Ding felt a chill run down his spine, then nodded in agreement.

The political structures of Western Xia and Zhou were not the same.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was a system in which the emperor and scholar-officials jointly governed the country.

This makes the scholar-official class almost naturally support the monarch's rule.

Especially when it comes to ruling from behind the curtain, there are always chief ministers who actively force the empress dowager to withdraw from the curtain and return power.

The Western Xia was different.

The Western Xia dynasty employed a system of officials from both the nomadic and Han Chinese backgrounds, and its political landscape was vaguely similar to that of the Western Han dynasty.

The emperor's brother-in-law can actually be the prime minister!

The fact that relatives of the empress dowager could interfere in politics without even needing a pretext, and could directly seize power, demonstrates the absurdity of the political structure.

But this led to a major problem – the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister were united, and no one could control them.

As a result, some ambitious people like Li Qing inevitably became more discreet and kept to themselves.

There wasn't a single voice from top to bottom demanding that the Empress Dowager "relinquish power and return control to the emperor."

However, the absence of unusual voices on the surface does not mean that there are none behind the scenes.

The legitimacy of the monarchy and the merit of following the emperor have always been tempting to some.

Both the Emperor's faction and the Empress Dowager's faction were well aware of one fact: the Emperor's faction, in its hidden form, always dreamed of a military coup, rather than verbally pleading for the removal of the regency and the return of power.

Unlike the political structure of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it made it quite easy for relatives of the empress to interfere in politics.

But in doing so, the path of "peaceful withdrawal" has also been eliminated.

Either the Empress Dowager dies and the ruler takes power.

Either the ruler dies and his relatives seize power.

There is no other way!

The late Emperor Li Liangzuo is a typical example.

A child seizes power, kills his uncle, and kills his own mother!

At present, King Lee Byung-sang is already twelve years old, which is considered a rather crucial point.

If he were a little older, Li Bingchang would have the ability to "breed" and give birth to a new crown prince.

When the child is born, where will he be placed before the king?
In other words, taking advantage of the army's southward expedition was the only chance to turn the tide against all odds through external forces.

It's not surprising that Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Qing would choose to "cooperate."

"Secondly, whether or not the Western Xia dynasty was destroyed was not something the Western Xia could decide."

Wang Shao continued, "If the Liao Dynasty is destroyed, then the Western Xia Dynasty will also be destroyed. If the Liao Dynasty is not destroyed, then the Western Xia Dynasty will not be destroyed either."

Whether or not the Western Xia dynasty was destroyed has never been related to the Western Xia itself.

Zhang Ding was taken aback.

The Liao, Zhou, and Xia dynasties were characterized by a pattern of "two weaker powers attacking one stronger one."

If Western Xia were to face a major crisis, the Liao Dynasty would certainly try to preserve its regime.

Either Liao and Xia will be destroyed together, or neither Liao nor Xia will be destroyed.

On the surface, the Liao Kingdom has suffered a complete defeat and may even lose the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

But, as a former "number one", it still has some foundation.

Even if they suffer temporary setbacks and repeated defeats, it is not enough to destroy the country in one fell swoop.

With the protection of the Liao Kingdom, Li Qing had the confidence to disregard the signs of national subjugation.

"In addition, the Gaochang Uyghurs are also a way out," Wang Shao reminded.

Zhang Ding understood and nodded.

Given these three considerations, it is not surprising that Li Qing allied with foreign enemies.

"After the deed was done, the Western Xia submitted and sued for peace, withdrawing their troops from three prefectures." Zhang Ding looked at the last sentence of the document and couldn't help but click his tongue: "Sun Quan doesn't seem to care about selling off his grandfather's land; he's really willing to do it!"

Since the Self-Propelled Army marched north, the Shaanxi and Xihe routes have expanded their territory to include the three prefectures of Yan, Liang, and Yan.

If three more states are ceded this time, it will be six states.

If we include the four prefectures of Lan, Le, Hui, and Sui that were seized during the two border expansions of Xihe and Xifeng, then it would be a total of ten prefectures.

The key point is that the Western Xia only had twenty-two prefectures.

In just a few years, through division or loss, half of its territory was lost!

"For Li Qing, what he wanted was the merit of following the emperor."

"No matter how little land it has, it is still a dragon."

"For Li Bingchang, what he wanted was a chance to survive."

"No matter how much land you have, if you can't survive, it's the same as having nothing." Wang Shao seemed unsurprised.

"Who would be the most suitable to go?" Zhang Ding narrowed his eyes.

If this is done well, it could even become a key breakthrough in the Northern Expedition.

With the Western Xia army withdrawing, the Liao Dynasty was left isolated and helpless, with only the option of negotiating peace remaining.

As the weaker party, shouldn't the initiative to negotiate a settlement demonstrate some sincerity?
This could potentially influence the overall situation of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

"Let Zhong E go."

Wang Shao remained calm and did not elaborate on the reasons.

However, Zhang Ding knew what was going on.

Firstly, Zhong E was capable.

Liang Yili's army numbered 15,000 men; to be able to feed them, the army would need to number at least 15,000 men.

In Shaanxi and Xihe, there were very few people with this skill, and Zhong E was one of them.

Secondly, Zhong E was just one step away from success, making him a good candidate for favors.

With both merit and hard work, Zhong E was just one major achievement that could significantly impact the overall situation, which would have secured him a noble title and reward.

Giving him command of troops would undoubtedly be a way to curry favor.

Moreover, it's a top-notch favor.

Thirdly, Wang Shao was granted a title as a "wild general," so the title naturally leans more towards wild generals.

"Alright."

Zhang Ding nodded.

"Humph!"

Wang Shao smiled faintly, his eyes revealing delight:

"The time is in our favor. This time, Zhong Huai may have to take second place in the credit!"

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

A decree was issued from the Secretariat.

In the case of Ayun, following the "New Compilation of the Jiayou Era," a lenient sentence was imposed.

In the debate over imperial edicts and laws, the imperial edicts take precedence!
This was an outcome that was predetermined from the moment the lineage of the Duke Yansheng sided with the new policies.

Immediately, the topic became a hot topic of discussion throughout society!

(End of this chapter)