Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Your Majesty, I was just thinking of making peace with the Liao Kingdom for the time being."

Zhao Yuan sneered, "What if the Jin Dynasty destroys the Liao Dynasty and then deploys its troops on the border?"

"Will we negotiate peace in gold and silver then?"

"Besides, once an alliance is signed, it cannot be reversed. How can there be any talk of 'temporary'?"

Huang Qianshan's life was at stake.

They couldn't care less about being afraid anymore.

"Your Majesty, a man is capable of bending and stretching,"

"Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, also signed a treaty with the Turks under duress."

"Emptying the national treasury to repel the enemy, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens,"

"Once we have a well-trained and well-supplied army, we will send troops to destroy the Turks and wipe away our shame."

Zhao Yuan said, "During Li Shimin's reign, the Tang army defeated the various warlords at the end of the Sui Dynasty."

"A battle-hardened army that unified the country."

"Although Emperor Yang of Sui imposed tyrannical rule on the people,"

"But in external campaigns against the Turks, Tuyuhun, and Goguryeo,"

"Barbarians from all directions must come to pay homage."

"At that time, the people of the Central Plains were proud,"

"Because the Central Plains was the true Celestial Empire."

"Li Shimin signed a treaty under duress,"

"The whole nation was naturally filled with grief and indignation."

"If Li Shimin had been determined to fight to the death at that time,"

"I'm afraid the entire nation would fight to the death to defend the dignity of the Celestial Empire."

"It's a pity that Li Shimin killed his brothers at Xuanwu Gate."

"The Central Plains are also seething with undercurrents,"

"He dared not fight a deadly battle with the Turks,"

"He was afraid of losing the throne, so he signed the treaty of surrender."

"Of course, Li Shimin was also an emperor of great talent and ambition,"

"He took his revenge within a few years."

As he spoke, Zhao Yuan walked up to Huang Qianshan.

"Let me ask you, was the Song Dynasty richer or the Tang Dynasty richer?"

Huang Qianshan also did not know what Zhao Yuan meant.

He had no choice but to tell the truth: "The Song Dynasty was rich."

"Let me ask you again, was the Song Dynasty more populous or the Tang Dynasty?"

"The Song Dynasty had a large population."

"The Song Dynasty was rich and had a large population,"

"Why was the Tang Dynasty considered a celestial empire?"

"The Song Dynasty had to pay money to buy peace?"

Huang Qianshan thought for a moment,

"The Tang Dynasty had horses, but the Song Dynasty had few."

This view was also shared by all civil and military officials in the Song Dynasty.

Many people heard Huang Qianshan say this,

They all nodded secretly.

Zhao Yuan kicked Huang Qianshan over.

Turning to the civil and military officials, he said,

"What the Song Dynasty lacked was not horses, but backbone."

"The Treaty of Shanyuan was held more than a hundred years ago."

"You've all become accustomed to buying peace of mind with money,"

"That's right, the Song Dynasty's annual tax revenue was tens of millions of strings of cash,"

"The amount given to the Liao and Western Xia was only a few hundred thousand strings of cash, a drop in the ocean."

"It's good for the economy,"

"But what you are destroying is the backbone and pride of the Han people."

"Even the iron will of soldiers has been worn away by you."

"The Liao dogs can come to my Central Plains to raid my territory,"

"However, the Song Dynasty's border troops could not cross the border to pursue and kill them."

"Why? Are they afraid of being killed by the Liao dogs?"

"No, what they're afraid of is being held accountable by you high-ranking officials in the court."

"And what are you high-ranking officials in the court afraid of?"

"What you fear is that the Liao Kingdom will send troops to punish you."

"If soldiers are like this, what about ordinary people?"

"When the Liao people killed civilians, did the officials below dare to hold them accountable?"

"I wouldn't dare. But if my people kill the Liao people,"

"I'm afraid you'll act without asking any questions,"

"Should we kill the common people first?"

Chapter 1762 Family Precepts

"Where did the backbone of the Han people begin to crumble?"

"It all started from right here in the imperial court,"

“From you ministers who are terrified of tigers.”

"The Liao Kingdom suffered repeated defeats in the north,"

"The day of national annihilation is not far off,"

"Do they dare to wage war against my Great Liang again?"

"The troop buildup is mostly a bluff,"

"You were so frightened that you wanted to use the people's hard-earned money to send people away."

"The Liao Kingdom knows that there are people like you in its court who are terrified of even the mention of a tiger,"

"That's why they dare to extort us."

"The Liao Dynasty's elite forces had already been largely annihilated by the Jin Dynasty."

"The remaining troops were mostly stationed in the north to resist the Jin dynasty."

"How many tens of thousands of troops can the Southern Academy muster?"

Zhao Yuan gave a stern rebuke,

None of the officials dared to look at him.

Then he turned around and said,

"Our Great Liang has 50,000 troops in Hebei, which is enough to hold Hebei."

"If I lead my troops north, and the Liao dare to invade,"

"We will definitely give him a good beating."

Lin Chong, enraged by Zhao Yuan's tirade, clasped his hands in a fist salute and said...

"This humble general is willing to follow Your Majesty in resisting the Liao."

Wu Song and Xie Zhen also forgot their previous agreement with Lin Chong and said in unison,

"We are willing to follow Your Majesty in resisting the Liao."

Even Xu Ning, the commander of the Imperial Guards, couldn't help but step forward and echo his sentiments.

Zhao Yuan looked at everyone and admonished them,

"Although the strength of my Great Liang is not as great as that of the Song Dynasty now,"

"But our Great Liang will never sign a treaty of surrender,"

"We will certainly not use the people's taxes to humiliate ourselves into making peace."

All the officials saw that Zhao Yuan was saying this.

They hurriedly said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."

Huang Qianshan, who was limp on the ground, was terrified and sweating profusely.

I knew he had one foot in the grave.

Zhao Yuan sat down again, and without further discussion, asked directly,

"Tell me, how many troops should we take north to deal with the Liao Kingdom?"

Xu Guanzhong pondered for a moment and said, "The Liao Kingdom certainly cannot muster many troops."

"Fifty thousand troops, including Lu Junyi, will be enough."

"Besides, the Liao Kingdom wouldn't dare to fight for long,"

"As long as we inflict a heavy blow on the Liao Kingdom in one battle,"

"They will probably be the ones to sue for peace then."

Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "Although the Liao Kingdom has declined, its power remains even after the tiger is dead. We must not underestimate it."

"There are still 30,000 troops in Tokyo, why not take another 20,000 with us?"

Xu Guanzhong thought for a moment,

"Fifty thousand troops are sufficient. I believe it would be better to transfer General Lin's troops to Xijing to defend against attacks from Wang Qing and Tian Hu,"

"Wu Song and Xie Zhen stayed in Tokyo to ensure the safety of the city."

"Wang Qing and Tian Hu are also busy conquering cities and seizing territories everywhere,"

"Even if they were to send troops to attack Xijing, their forces would be limited."

"Send 20,000 troops, plus the Imperial Guards of Xijing,"

"That's enough to ensure that Xijing will not fall."

Lin Chong nodded and said, "What Your Majesty says is true."

"Wang Qing and Tian Hu's troops are nothing but a rabble,"

"If they attack any ordinary prefecture or county under the jurisdiction of my Great Liang,"

"It is still a threat."

"To attack Xijing would be to overestimate one's own strength."

"The Western Capital city has high walls and thick defenses, and ten thousand elite soldiers,"

"That's enough to ensure the city doesn't fall."

Zhao Yuan, with a confident expression, also said,