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

Or perhaps, the north is cold, and southerners find it difficult to adapt to the northern environment.

Even so, it is still quite far-fetched.

Warhorses are certainly important, but it is absolutely impossible to say that a country would perish because of warhorses.

The idea that the weather could bring down a country is utter nonsense.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, didn't they just dominate the Xiongnu?

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet exchanged glances.

Having already reached the pinnacle of power, these individuals possessed a natural air of "confidence."

No one really believes that a regime located in the south is necessarily unable to defeat the north; geographical location determines everything.

However, the fact that a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet has this awareness does not mean that others have the same awareness. If the situation is not handled properly and the story spreads, it may breed a large number of passive surrenderists.

Grand Master Han Zhang frowned and looked at his prized disciple.

If all else fails, sophistry is the only option.

More than ten people watched, and the historian picked up his pen.

Jiang Zhao remained expressionless and rebuked, "That's a fallacy."

"I'd like to hear the details." Wei Mingman smiled faintly, quite pleased with himself.

"Judging from the envoy's words and actions, he must be familiar with the history books of the Central Plains?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Wei Mingman nodded, not denying it.

The Central Plains, with its long history, has nurtured a unique and captivating culture.

Compared to the Liao Dynasty, which implemented a system of officials serving in both the north and south, the Xia Dynasty entered a state of "semi-agricultural and semi-nomadic" life much earlier.

"Then, could the envoy tell me some examples of the failures of the Northern Expedition?" Jiang Zhao looked over and said slowly.

"The most famous examples are Zhuge Liang's failed Northern Expeditions, Huan Wen's failed Northern Expeditions during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Chen Qingzhi's failed Northern Expeditions during the Southern Dynasties, and—"

Wei Mingman deliberately dragged out his words, a smile on his face: "Emperor Taizong of Zhou, Zhao Guangyi, failed in his northern expedition."

Jiang Zhao nodded and then asked, "Does the envoy know what kind of enemy we faced during the several failed Northern Expeditions?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet knew what Jiang Zhao was going to say, and their spirits lifted. Wei Mingmanyu, however, frowned slightly.

"Shu Han was confined to Yizhou, with a small territory, insufficient population and military strength, and its important ministers and famous generals died one after another. Its enemy was the increasingly powerful Cao Wei."

"Huan Wen's enemies were Fu Jian of the Former Qin and Murong Chui of the Former Yan. At that time, the Eastern Jin was corrupt and the Former Qin was newly established and thriving. The Former Yan was at the peak of its national power and had no shortage of famous generals and capable ministers. Huan Wen's failure was not surprising."

Jiang Zhao shook his head and explained one by one: "Chen Qingzhi was actually attacking a large enemy force with a small one. He was deep in enemy territory without any reinforcements, so it was only natural that he suffered such a defeat. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the Great Zhou Dynasty had only recently been established and its foundation was unstable, so it was not surprising that it was defeated."

"All four of these are instances of the weak attacking the strong. Victory is certainly desirable, but defeat is also quite common."

As he spoke, Jiang Zhao raised his eyebrows and looked over calmly.

The implication is obvious.

The idea that the South cannot prevail over the North is utter nonsense.

There is no law that the south cannot defeat the north; there is only the weak being unable to overcome the strong!

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying breathed a silent sigh of relief.

With Jiang Qing's strength, if he performs normally, he can indeed overpower anyone.

Compared to the vague notion that the South is never able to defeat the North, the idea that the weak cannot overcome the strong is almost a "truth," which is on a completely different level.

At the bottom of the list, Wei Mingmanyu frowned deeply.

The North-South divide was a "historical law" he had pondered for a long time.

Jiang Zhao easily refuted this, catching him completely off guard.

After a full ten breaths of silence, Wei Mingmanyu's gaze flickered slightly as he asked, "Could the Junior Tutor tell me about the precedent of the South defeating the North?"

The implication is that he cannot prove that it is true that an invasion from the south to the north will inevitably fail, but Jiang Zhao also cannot prove that it is not true that an invasion from the south to the north will inevitably fail!

Unless, of course, a precedent can be cited!

"How foolish the envoy was!"

Jiang Zhao couldn't help but shake his head. What kind of twisted logic was this?

"According to the envoy's meaning, if I, Jiang, were to say that Western Xia is doomed to perish, would the envoy also be able to prove it himself?" Jiang Zhao questioned.

Wei Mingman was taken aback and quickly said, "Your humble servant misspoke."

After a few breaths, Jiang Zhao glanced at it and slowly said, "There are precedents for defeating the North with the South."

Wei Mingman looked over.

His statement about "defeating the North from the South" was not about a single victory, but rather a victory in terms of the overall strategic vision between the regimes.

Only when the southern regime destroys the northern regime can it be considered a victory for the south over the north!

"That depends on how the envoy views the victory of the South over the North," Jiang Zhao said slowly. "Does the Chu-Han Contention count?"

“That doesn’t count,” Wei Mingmanyu denied.

In the Chu-Han Contention, the Chu state's influence was concentrated in the east and north, while the Han state's influence was concentrated in the west.

If we were to pinpoint the exact meaning, there would certainly be an element of conquering the north from the south, but the mainstream view is definitely that it's conquering the east from the west.

"What about Xiang Yu's campaign against Qin?" Jiang Zhao asked again.

"Of course not,"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, his expression hardening slightly.

Xiang Yu of Jiangdong launched a campaign against the tyrannical Qin dynasty.

Among them, Xiang Yu's core power was undoubtedly in the south.

The key battle, the Battle of Julu, was also a case of attacking from the south to the north.

“No,” Wei Mingmanyu shook his head.

Xiang Yu's conquest of Qin was indeed a case of a southern regime destroying a northern regime.

In essence, Xiang Yu's forces were a rebellion from within the Qin state, which can be considered a type of uprising rather than a true power struggle.

"Can Liu Yu's campaigns against the Northern Wei and Later Qin be considered a Northern Expedition?" Jiang Zhaosan asked.

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Liu Song Dynasty was confined to the south of the Yangtze River, while the Northern Wei and Later Qin regimes in the north were constantly fighting amongst themselves. Liu Yu seized the opportunity to launch two northern expeditions, defeating the Northern Wei and destroying the Later Qin, and recapturing Luoyang. This was a clear case of conquering the north from the south and destroying the northern regimes.

Of course, the problem lies in the lack of a unified system!

(As shown in the picture: Liu Yu was a formidable man, a true champion of conquering the north from the south)

Wei Mingman frowned and fell silent.

After a dozen or so breaths, he simply stopped arguing and turned to give Zhao Ceying a deep bow.

"Your humble servant is filled with trepidation."

“However, with a new emperor ascending the throne, his foundation is bound to be unstable.” Wei Mingman said calmly, “I humbly request Your Majesty to rule from behind the curtain, both for the sake of the people of both countries and for the sake of the throne.”

Zhao Ceying's expression darkened slightly. He glanced at the Junior Tutor and waved his hand, saying, "Someone, escort the envoy to rest."

Jiang Zhao's words were exactly what he wanted to hear.

Where does the saying that the south is bound to lose come from?

Yes, it's simply a matter of the strong defeating the weak!

The Tubo Yulongke tribe had 100,000 able-bodied men, and the frontier had 200,000 soldiers.

Given the strength of the Western Xia, they could only field an army of one or two hundred thousand at most.

Even if a war really breaks out, the Great Zhou is not afraid at all.

The Duke of Ying, the Marquis of Zhongjing, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Zhong E, and others were all destined to be great generals.

If these people aren't good enough, then there's always Jiang Zhao!

He might even be able to lead the army in person!

In any case, he could not possibly agree to the humiliating peace agreement that had already been dissolved.

The shameful peace treaty of the late emperor and the opening of the border along the Xihe River for two thousand miles have been completely washed away.

He's only just ascended the throne!

What did he become by agreeing to a treaty that had already been dissolved as soon as he ascended the throne?

Chapter 181 I Want to Implement Reforms!

As soon as Wei Mingman left, Zhao Ceying's face fell completely.

The dream of becoming an emperor for all ages!

Emperor Sejong's dream!

After a few moments of silence, Zhao Ceying looked down and asked, "What do you think, gentlemen?"

He didn't want to agree to the annual gifts or the return of the territory.

However, as a new emperor, he really had no real foundation.

To put it bluntly, he doesn't always keep his word!

If the cabinet members feel it's inappropriate given the conflict between the two countries, then there's really nothing that can be done.

Therefore, he did not reprimand the messenger harshly, but instead ordered the messenger to be taken away.

The purpose was to make time to ask the opinions of the senior ministers.

If the cabinet ministers truly disagree with the confrontation between the two countries and their opinions contradict his, then he has no choice but to let them be.

However, whoever agrees to the annual gifts and cedes territory will have to take the blame and bear the infamy for all time!

Upon hearing this, the scholars exchanged bewildered glances.

Who dares to take the blame for this?

Advise the emperor to return the lost territories and send money to the defeated?

More than ten people, yet not a single one spoke up.

After a moment, Jiang Zhao broke the silence and analyzed: "The Liao, Xia, and Zhou kingdoms. The Liao has been established for more than 160 years, combining nomadic and agricultural practices. If we were to talk about the peak of its national power, it should be during the reign of Emperor Shengzong Yelü Longxu. Domestically, he implemented the system of officials serving in the north and south to ease ethnic conflicts, and externally, he signed the Treaty of Chanyuan and conquered Goryeo."

"Now, the system of officials in the north and south has been in place for nearly sixty years. The hereditary system is prevalent, and internal corruption has become entrenched. Conflicts between the Khitan, Han and Bohai peoples are gradually intensifying. Because of the cavalry, in terms of military strength, it may be slightly stronger than the Great Zhou. However, in terms of wealth, it is far inferior to the Great Zhou."

Compared to the Zhou Dynasty, which had a thriving system of imperial examinations, the Liao Dynasty implemented a "dual-track system," with hereditary selection and the imperial examination system running in parallel.

The so-called hereditary system was similar to the Nine-Rank System, where bloodline was everything.

Furthermore, the two talent selection systems were centered on the hereditary selection system, with the imperial examination system playing only a supplementary role.

Having been established for over 160 years, the country still insists on hereditary elections, demonstrating the rigidity of social classes.

With class solidification comes the contradictions of corruption and uneven distribution of wealth.

Compared to the previous emperor, Emperor Shengzong of Liao, this emperor, Yelü Hongji, was of average ability and clearly could not control his subordinates.

"The Western Xia dynasty was established only thirty years ago, but Li Yuanhao died young and a young emperor ascended the throne. It had no national strength or foundation."

Li Yuanhao had accumulated considerable national strength, but the ascension of the two-year-old emperor, the dominance of the empress's relatives, and the severe internal strife were enough to deplete all that strength.

Jiang Zhao continued, "In terms of territory, the Great Zhou is 60% the size of the Liao Kingdom, and the Western Xia is 30% the size of the Great Zhou. In terms of population, the Great Zhou has more than 12 million households, the Liao Kingdom has 2 million households, and the Western Xia has 1.5 million households."

In terms of territory, the Zhou and Liao dynasties were roughly equal, while the Western Xia's territory was far too small. In terms of population, the combined population of the Western Xia and Liao dynasties was less than 30% of that of the Great Zhou.

"Among them, the Western Xia had the smallest territory, the smallest population, and the weakest national strength. After the Battle of Xihe, the Western Xia lost contact with Tibet, and was bordered by the Liao Kingdom to the east and the Great Zhou Kingdom to the south, so it was even less of a threat."

The implication was clear: they had no fear of the Western Xia.

The Zhou Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty were locked in a stalemate for many years, mainly because the Zhou Dynasty was worried that the Liao Dynasty in the north would take advantage of the situation, rather than because the Western Xia Dynasty itself was actually capable of defeating the Zhou Dynasty.

While the warhorses of the North were indeed formidable, the South was not without its own wealth.

With ample logistical supplies, and considering its overall national strength, the Great Zhou could even wear down the Western Xia.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying nodded repeatedly.

This is professionalism!