We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Think it over?

What a load of rubbish!

Upon returning to the military camp, Zhou Tiancheng immediately summoned Tuoba Dao.

"There's something that might save Northern Xia, but it could also make you a sinner against Northern Xia. Will you do it?"

Tuoba Dao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded decisively.

He was a true Northern Xia person, more like a traditional Northern Xia person who came from the far north, unlike the Northern Xia nobles.

He was willing to make sacrifices for Northern Xia.

Zhou Tiancheng nodded slightly.

"I want you to slaughter the civilians of Northern Xia and frame the Northern Barbarians."

"You have to let the Northern Xia soldiers know that surrendering means death, and not surrendering also means death. Not only will they die, but their families will die too. Only then will they be forced to fight like slaves."

Tuoba Dao froze on the spot!

To send a Northern Xia man to slaughter Northern Xia civilians?

There might even be members of the Tuoba family among them!

Can he do it?

But he also knew in his heart that what Beixia lacked was courage!

His hands were trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, this..."

He hesitated.

Zhou Tiancheng nodded and looked at him seriously.

"I know it's difficult for you to do this, but there's no other way."

"The Northern Xia army has been terrified by the barbarians, and even your nobles have been frightened into losing their composure."

"Inspiring courage is the first step; the second step is to establish a completely new Northern Xia aristocratic system."

"I heard from Lin Tong that the warriors of Northern Xia value martial prowess. So you should go all the way and seize control of Northern Xia's military. Then tell the Northern Xia soldiers that surrendering will lead to their deaths and the deaths of their families, but if they win, they will gain a lot."

"Give them whatever they want: women, wealth, food."

"We need to build a new system and establish entirely new promotion channels so that the soldiers of Northern Xia can see hope."

Tuoba Dao trembled all over.

Killing civilians ignites the fighting spirit of ordinary soldiers.

Providing them with opportunities fosters the ambition of ordinary soldiers.

In this way, even if the people of Northern Xia still cannot defeat the barbarians, at least they will be stronger than they are now!

This is indeed a road!

But Tuoba Dao dared not go any further!

"Your Highness, is there really no other way?"

Zhou Tiancheng sighed.

"Any method must be based on a certain level of strength."

"Does your Northern Xia have any morale whatsoever in this battle?"

"Let alone Northern Xia, even the Great Qian Dynasty is struggling to protect itself."

"The Great Qian Border Army, which was a military force that had undergone changes to the new military system, lost 30% to 40% of its men when facing the barbarians, and the morale of the entire army was thrown into chaos."

"If half of the men are killed, the remaining half will lose their will to fight and will only run for their lives."

"What about Beixia?"

yes?

In this context, what is the situation in Northern Xia?

Tuoba Dao swallowed hard.

"The Northern Xia have no morale; they're basically ready to flee as soon as a fight breaks out."

"The elite troops of each tribe are slightly stronger, but they can only hold out until at most 30% of them are sacrificed."

Zhou Tiancheng nodded slightly.

"Actually, you and I both know that the barbarians are not very powerful. Their bodies are not stronger than ours, and their schemes are not as profound as ours. The only thing they rely on is their ferocity."

"Only by crushing the cowardice of the Northern Xia can the soldiers of the Northern Xia have the strength to fight and survive this winter."

"Once my National Protection Army enters Northern Xia, the two sides will unite to change the Northern Xia army. This is the only way out for Northern Xia."

At this point, Zhou Tiancheng patted Tuoba Dao on the shoulder.

"Also, when you return to Northern Xia, you can ask the Northern Xia soldiers you meet to try hunting more often."

"The ferocity of the barbarians is somewhat similar to that of the wolves on your grasslands. Only after you get used to that ferocity might you become less afraid."

"Once winter is over, I think I should have a way to deal with those barbarians."

Tuoba Dao gasped in shock.

time.

The crown prince needs time.

If the prince can survive the winter, he will be able to defeat the barbarians.

But where did the crown prince get his confidence?

He looked at Zhou Tiancheng with a puzzled expression.

Zhou Tiancheng then slowly opened a box, inside which was a wooden stick.

"Come with me."

Tuoba Dao took a deep breath and caught up with Zhou Tiancheng.

He had already made up his mind that as long as Zhou Tiancheng demonstrated the ability to wipe out the barbarians, he would do as Zhou Tiancheng said!

But at this moment, he still doesn't know where Zhou Tiancheng's confidence comes from!

Until he saw Zhou Tiancheng aim the stick at a scarecrow in front of him.

The scarecrow was wearing iron armor and looked very heavy.

As Zhou Tiancheng fired the shot, a large hole was instantly torn in the scarecrow's armor.

There's nothing we can do; the iron these days is just that bad.

It's not that there aren't more advanced iron-smelting technologies, but these technologies obviously wouldn't be made available to soldiers.

But when Tuoba Dao went over to take a look, he was completely stunned.

The scarecrow's belly exploded with a huge hole, and even the armor on its back was pierced.

What incredible power this is!

"Your Highness!"

Tuoba Dao didn't know what to say!

He turned his head and looked at Zhou Tiancheng in horror.

Zhou Tiancheng calmly handed the musket to Xinhua, who was standing next to him.

"This is the latest musket, with rifling inside. At about fifty paces, it can hit exactly where you point it, and there's no way to avoid it."

"The production of such muskets is slow, and we estimate that around 8,000 will be sent to the northern frontier by the spring."

"I have only one request: deal with the Northern Xia soldiers yourselves, and we will deal with the Hu people with firearms."

"I want those barbarians to die without even knowing how they died. Only then will they feel fear, and only then will they use their brains to think, instead of running rampant in the northern frontier driven by a beastly lust for slaughter!"

Eight thousand muskets are not enough.

Because this kind of musket is extremely slow to load, one person with one musket can only fire two or three bullets per minute, one of which is pre-loaded.

But its effect is deterrence.

As long as barbarians don't understand firearms, they won't dare to easily start a war.

This is Zhou Tiancheng's true purpose.

Tuoba Dao nodded deeply.

"I understand, Your Highness."

"Is this... the power of scholars?"

Tuoba Dao looked down on scholars.

But at that moment, he changed his mind.

Zhou Tiancheng smiled slightly.

"Military men have their own tasks, and scholars have their own tasks. Scholars can not only be used to govern the country, but also to change the way a war is fought."

"Tuoba Dao, you are indeed very clever in some things, but some of your views are indeed too extreme."

Tuoba Dao gave Zhou Tiancheng a deep look.

"And what about our Northern Xia?"

"Once the barbarians leave, will our Northern Xia... become a pasture for horses?"