Big Moon Ballad

Chapter 2632 Alliance
The Tang Dynasty was originally a country that relied mainly on trade. Although it had a large population, the number of practitioners and soldiers was far lower than that of the Southern Chu, Northern Wei, and Eastern Wu kingdoms.

Song Zhai looked at the irritable Song Deming, smiled, and remained silent.

"Why don't you speak?"

Song Deming glanced at him sideways, "Are you thinking about which faction you'll surrender to after the fall of the Middle Tang Dynasty?"

These words were quite harsh; the guards on the eaves nearly fell over upon hearing them.

"Why does Your Majesty speak of me like that?" Song Zhai said without any anger. "Your Majesty already knew what to do, didn't you?"

The Song family was able to survive in the chaos of war not because of force, but because of which side they chose.

“The Tang Dynasty’s military strength is insufficient, and this has been a problem for a long time,” Song Zhai said, looking at the map on the wall. “Now that the Western Rong people have crossed the Great Wall of Eternal Night, there is no time for hesitation. It is time to form an alliance.”

Small states like the Tang Dynasty could only survive by relying on powerful large states during times of chaos.

Song Zhai knew that Song Deming had already made up his mind, otherwise he wouldn't have insisted on seeing him even though he claimed to be sick.

“I know I should form an alliance,” Song Deming sighed deeply, “but I don’t know which country to ally with.”

Although the Middle Tang Dynasty was used to being a fence-sitter, given its current national strength, it could not form alliances with several countries and could only choose one ally.

The alliance should be formed with neighboring countries, but the Tang Dynasty bordered all four countries except for the Later Liao Dynasty.

The Northern Wei, already preoccupied with its own problems, couldn't consider this option. The Eastern Wu, being a coastal power, was already wealthy enough and didn't need an alliance with the Middle Tang. That left only…

“In terms of national strength, Southern Chu is the most suitable, but Ji Mo may not be willing to pay attention to us…” Song Deming’s eyes turned to Song Zhai.

Song Zhai smiled bitterly to himself, knowing what his elder brother wanted him to say.

“My father was one of the first merchants to send money and grain to Emperor Taizu,” Song Zhai said. “That’s why our Song family, despite not having any military achievements, was able to become a regional lord.”

"As the saying goes, it is better to give help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade. Southern Chu is a vast and resource-rich land and a major country for cultivation. It would be best to have Southern Chu's protection, but Southern Chu may not even look up to us as an ally."

"Your Majesty is so wise, you must have already made your choice, right?"

Song Zhai smiled and looked at Song Deming, "The best course of action now is to form an alliance with the Former Qin."

“But the Former Qin is now rebuilding from scratch. If we really form an alliance with the Former Qin, I’m afraid we’ll just throw away piles of money and grain,” Song Deming sighed.

"Yesterday, I tested the waters in the court meeting. Those old fogies all have foul and stubborn mouths. They all said that the Former Qin was so poor that it couldn't even support itself, and it was no longer like the time of Emperor Taizu when it had a million soldiers. They said that it would be safer to form an alliance with Southern Chu."

"Alliance with the Former Qin is indeed risky, but as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. If an alliance with the Former Qin can help them defeat the enemy, the subsequent gains will be a hundred times greater than those of the Southern Chu."

“That’s true, but the Former Qin has already squandered its resources. Can it really win with the small force it has just regrouped?” Song Deming looked troubled. “If it loses, the Former Qin can’t afford to pay the war money and supplies…”

Song Zhai knew that Song Deming wanted to form an alliance with the Former Qin but was unwilling to take the risks, so he wanted Song Deming to step forward and take the blame.

He sighed inwardly, but still smiled outwardly, "If Your Majesty finds it difficult to speak, I am willing to make the first suggestion at tomorrow's court meeting."

Song Deming had been waiting for these words, and his eyes lit up, but he still maintained a nonchalant expression. "Is this a good idea? Those old guys are not easy to persuade..."

“Your Majesty has your own ideas,” Song Zhai smiled. “The Former Qin is indeed poor and destitute now, but don’t forget that the current King of Former Qin is the only famous general in the world who has emerged from chaos.”

“Princess Zhaoyang has never been defeated.”

Song Deming's spirits lifted as he recalled Lin Baoyue's past achievements, but he still hesitated and asked, "But she is now a queen. Will she personally lead the army?" "She will," Song Zhai said, standing by the window and looking towards the former Qin. "Knowing her as I do, no matter how great the danger, she will definitely go."

……

……

"Your Majesty, the official letter from the Tang Dynasty has arrived."

Three days after the news was released by the Epang Palace, a state letter was delivered to Ying Baoyue's desk in the Ganlu Hall, where they were discussing matters.

"A letter from the mid-Tang Dynasty...?"

Gui Chen, standing by the sand table, was taken aback upon hearing this. "Why is the Central Tang Dynasty sending a letter of state at this time?"

Official letters are unlike other correspondence; they cannot be sent except for matters of great military or national importance.

Ying Baoyue unfolded the official letter bearing the imperial seal of Song Deming and looked at Mu You and Ji Jiashu, who had just returned from Southern Chu that morning, on the other side. "The King of Zhongtang says he wants to form an alliance with Former Qin."

"An alliance?" Ji Jiashu had just returned that morning, his mind flooded with information, and was currently in a state of confusion. "What would you do if you formed an alliance with us?"

"Zhongtang offered 100,000 shi of grain in exchange for the help of the Former Qin army to guard the border," Ying Baoyue read line by line. "They demanded that the Former Qin station at least 10,000 troops on the border and send 100 reliable immortal officials to guard Zhongtang's border and expel any cultivators who intruded into Zhongtang."

"So many?" Ji Jiashu was taken aback. Although the Gui family army and the Mu family army were both elite forces, they together numbered no more than two thousand.

Gui Chen and Mu You have been intensifying their training and incorporation of troops these days. Including the Imperial Guards left by Ying Hanri and the garrison near Guiyang, the elite troops in the entire city of Guiyang number no more than 30,000.

This was already the core force of the Former Qin army that Ying Baoyue could mobilize.

In addition, with the miscellaneous teams recruited from all over the country, they could barely muster 50,000 to 60,000.

This was the total strength of the Former Qin army.

It would obviously be very difficult for the Former Qin to spare 10,000 men from among these people.

However, the Tang Dynasty was willing to provide 100,000 dan of grain...

"Jiashu, how much grain did the Minister of Agriculture calculate in the national treasury?"

On the second day after Ying Baoyue ascended the throne, he ordered Ji Jiashu to have someone start taking stock of the Qin treasury's inventory. Upon hearing this, Ji Jiashu was somewhat embarrassed to speak, "It's only about ten thousand shi..."

Ying Baoyue took a deep breath. "Before you came back, I had Mu You, in the name of the Grand Marshal, mobilize the reserve troops of the two capitals and Hexi, the reserve troops of Shangyang County and Shangdang County, and the grain transport troops of Jiangbei and the southern counties to go north to guard the border."

"At the same time, I requisitioned five hundred large carts from all the mountain and sea residences of the Former Qin and Eastern Wu to transport grain from the south to the north, which should be able to gather another ten thousand shi within seven days."

Although Ying Han did not leave behind any provisions, he still left behind many treasures in the Epang Palace.

Ying Baoyue had already exchanged more than half of the treasures of Shanhaiju for silver. At the same time, she used this silver to encourage aristocratic families and other wealthy households across the country to voluntarily transport grain to the front lines. For every 20 shi of grain transported to Guiyang, one tael of silver would be awarded.

Even so, it still couldn't compare to the 100,000 shi of grain promised by the Tang Dynasty.

Ying Baoyue pondered for a moment, then looked at the eunuch in charge of relaying the message, "Tell the envoy from Zhongtang that Former Qin is willing to form an alliance with Zhongtang."

"But I cannot provide the 10,000 soldiers and 100 celestial officials requested in the letter from the Tang Dynasty."