The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 1877 Change, only one opportunity is needed

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Northern Han Imperial Palace was brightly lit.

Liu Miezhou sat firmly on the throne, and more than a dozen civil and military officials stood in front of the dragon case! These were all major cabinet members.

"Your Majesty, the envoy sent by the Liao Dynasty has arrived." A young eunuch came in from outside the door and bowed.

"Call them in." Liu Miezhou said calmly. Behind him stood a eunuch in a dragon robe. His last name was Zhou.

That night, Liu Miezhou broke into the palace, and he bet on Liu Miezhou. He bet right, so today he got what he wanted, put on the coveted dragon robe, and became the chief eunuch of the Han Dynasty Palace!

"Li Deming from Xiazhou just came to ask for an audience again! Your Majesty, he has been asking for an audience for three consecutive days..." the young eunuch said again.

"Did you take his silver?" Liu Miezhou said casually, but the whole hall was instantly filled with murderous aura, and everyone felt as if they were falling into an ice cellar!

The young eunuch was so frightened that he immediately fell to his knees, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty! I didn't take their money! Even if Your Majesty had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to accept their benefits!"

Liu Miezhou narrowed his eyes into lines, his gaze was as sharp as knives!

"Since you didn't get any benefits, why did you speak for them? I deliberately left them alone for two days, and you couldn't stand it anymore?"

"I dare not! I just want to remind His Majesty that if you want to fight against the Luoyang Tiger of the Song Dynasty, the Iron Harriers of Xiazhou are just the right ones!"

"What is the Iron Harrier?" Liu Miezhou became interested!

"Your Majesty, the Iron Harriers are also known as the Iron Harrier Army. They are the cavalry of the Tanguts of Xiazhou! They are usually composed of the sons and confidants of the Tanguts and Qiang nobles! They ride good horses, wear heavy armor, and are impervious to stabs and cuts! They are tied to their horses with hooks and ropes, so they will not fall to the ground even if they die!"

"Even if I die, I won't fall to the ground?" Liu Miezhou leaned back, his face showing deep thought. After a long while, he said, "That's right!"

The eunuch immediately wiped the sweat off his forehead, heaved a long sigh of relief, and thought to himself: My life is finally saved!

Liu Miezhou tilted his head and said, "Eunuch Zhou, go and summon the Liao envoy to the palace."

Eunuch Zhou immediately bowed and replied, "Yes!" He took three steps back, turned around and left the hall.

The ministers looked at each other but said nothing.

But they each had their own thoughts.

Most people thought that Liu Mie Zhou forced Liu Jiyuan to abdicate and offended the Queen Mother of Liao, so they sent envoys to call for punishment!

A few people believed that the Queen Mother of the Liao Dynasty was only here to warn Liu Bei of his intention to destroy Zhou. She would definitely remind Liu Bei that he must pay a sufficient annual tribute and not to act rashly.

Liu Miezhou looked at the kneeling eunuch and said calmly, "Go and invite Li Deming in."

The eunuch immediately kowtowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!" Then he stood up, took three steps back, turned around and left, all in one go!

After a while, the voice of Eunuch Zhou was heard outside the palace: "The Liao envoy Abuluo is here to see the Emperor of Han!"

Four people walked in from outside the palace gate, three Khitans and one eunuch Zhou.

The man in the lead had a muscular build, a full beard, and even looked mighty!

He was wearing a crimson sable fur coat and a black brocade cross-collared robe with a pattern of snow leopards lurking in the mountains and forests embroidered with silver thread. He had a nine-ring leather belt tied around his waist, and a gold-inlaid wolf-head amulet hanging from it that rang with every step.

Half of the black iron wrist guard was revealed under the cloak, and the patterns on the armor were as fine as ice-cracked porcelain.

There is a scimitar with a scabbard hanging around his waist, and the scabbard is inlaid with various gems, which shows that this person has an extraordinary identity.

The two men beside him were obviously his followers. They also looked rough and sturdy, with full beards, and they had an innate sense of superiority when looking at the officials of the Northern Han Dynasty.

When Abuluo saw Liu Miezhou, he just clasped his fists and said, "I am here on the orders of Empress Dowager Xiao to ask the emperor a few questions."

Liu Miezhou kept his eyes on Abro. He could clearly feel that Abro was arrogant and looked down on everyone in the room, but was relatively polite to him.

But he understood that this courtesy was obviously not because he, Liu, destroyed the Zhou Dynasty, but most likely came from Empress Dowager Xiao!

Ever since Shi Jingtang proclaimed himself as a puppet emperor to the Khitan, no emperor in the Central Plains could be looked up to by the Khitan, especially the Northern Han, which was dependent on the Khitan, and was even more humble!

If any envoy from the Liao Kingdom came, the Emperor of Northern Han would have to kneel before him!

Others were not allowed to bring knives to court, but the Khitans could bring knives into the palace at will! This is privilege!

Although this Ablo looked very arrogant, he did not ask him to kneel down. Instead, he clasped his fists towards him, which was already enough to give him face.

But this face is definitely not given because of me!

Because Ablo doesn't know himself at all!

Who else could make him be polite to him except Empress Dowager Xiao? Even Xiao Shengnan's words would probably not work!

"Abro, do you know who I am?"

Abu Luo said: "I know! You are Feng Jiuxiao's friend!"

Liu Miezhou immediately smiled and tapped the table. "That's easy. Just tell me what you want to say. Eunuch Zhou, please take a seat." He glanced at the civil and military officials and said, "You also take a seat."

All the ministers found a seat in a corner and sat down, while Eunuch Zhou moved a chair to the outside of the table, facing Liu Miezhou across the dragon table.

The two Khitan followers immediately went to the corner and found a chair to sit down.

Eunuch Zhou stood behind Liu Miezhou, ready to be ordered at any time.

Liu Miezhou said: "The Queen Mother, please tell me what you want to say."

"The Queen Mother wants to confirm whether Master Feng Jiuxiao knows what His Majesty is doing now?"

"Know!"

"The second question is, after Your Majesty takes over the Han throne, do you want to attack the Song Kingdom or the Liao Kingdom?"

Some of the ministers next to him could no longer sit still!

Empress Dowager Xiao asked so directly, it seems she is angry! If the cavalry marches south, the Northern Han will be finished!

Liu Miezhou said calmly: "I...I will not attack Khitan! The entire Northern Han army has a large number of Khitan officers. If I let them attack Khitan, wouldn't that be digging our own graves?"

"Does that mean Your Majesty is going to attack the State of Song?"

"You can understand that, but my real target is Zhao Guangyi! As long as the Song Dynasty can hand over Zhao Guangyi, I will never invade the Song Dynasty!"

"So it's a personal grudge! The third question, the Queen Mother asked, since Your Majesty has taken the throne of Northern Han, do you want to change the contract between you and Khitan!"

"I've said before, I have only one purpose in occupying the throne of Northern Han! As for what contract was signed between Northern Han and Khitan, I have no idea, I will fulfill it as I should!"

"it is good!"

"By the way, can I ask you a question?"

"Excuse me!"

"Does the Queen Mother have a counterparty for every answer I give?"

"That's right! If Your Majesty intends to attack the Liao Dynasty, then I will have the army blockade Taiyuan tonight! At the same time, I will incite the soldiers in the city to besiege the palace! Your Majesty, do you not believe in our strength?"

"Of course I believe it! Didn't I just say that many of the officers in the city's army are from Liao? It only takes one word from you to make them rebel against me! Although Liu Jiyuan is the emperor, he can't command the army at all!"

"Your Majesty is wise! The Queen Mother said that if your Majesty's target is the Song Dynasty, the alliance between the two sides will still be valid!"

Liu Miezhou smiled immediately. This was clearly a great gift given to him by Empress Dowager Xiao!

He smiled and said, "Didn't the Queen Mother say she would never invade the south during her lifetime? Why did she agree to send troops to support Northern Han? Isn't this a violation of her oath?" Ablo said solemnly, "The Queen Mother did not break her oath! She did not order an invasion of the south, she just fulfilled her obligations according to our alliance and sent troops to protect Northern Han from attack! It was the Emperor of Song who violated the contract first, and it was he who wanted to launch an expedition to the north!"

Liu Miezhou said: "But the Song Emperor's northern expedition was to Taiyuan, not Liao. Strictly speaking, he did not break his oath!"

Abro suddenly laughed, "I know that your majesty wants us to have a legitimate reason to fight. Don't worry, although the Emperor of Song did not attack the Liao Dynasty, there is an alliance between the Liao Dynasty and the Northern Han Dynasty. If either side is attacked, the other side must unconditionally support it! Therefore, the Liao Dynasty was forced to fight!"

Liu Miezhou shook his head and said with emotion: "There is a saying that goes, 'If you plant flowers with care, they may not bloom, but if you plant willows by accident, they may grow into shade trees!' If I take the initiative to attack the Song Dynasty, the Han army will have no reason to fight, and will certainly not be able to exert much of its combat power. We will definitely lose the battle, and we will also be branded as being incompetent and cruel and not caring about the lives of the people! Now, the Song Dynasty is the aggressor, and we are the one resisting the aggressor. We are righteous! Haha!"

Abu Luo frowned, "The Queen Mother said that the reason she swore not to invade the south in her lifetime was because she knew that once the south invaded the Song Dynasty, the world would be a tragic scene of rivers of blood and nine out of ten houses would be empty. This is not what she wants to see. Whether it is the Song people or the Liao people, the people will die in the end!"

Liu Miezhou also frowned, "Are you accusing me of having no mercy?"

Ablo said: "I dare not!" But his disdainful look had already revealed his inner thoughts!

Liu Mie Zhou was not angry at all!

What problems can being angry solve?

Instead, he smiled and said, "I wonder how the Queen Mother can help?"

Abro said: "30,000 Khitan cavalry!"

Liu Miezhou's eyes flickered, and he stood up suddenly, "Thank Empress Dowager Xiao for me!"

Ablo also stood up, "Definitely!"

"If there is nothing else, you can leave."

"it is good!"

Abro turned and left, and his two followers followed him immediately.

When they got outside the palace, the attendant Yeluo said, "General, why are you so polite to that child emperor?"

Abu Luo raised his eyebrows and said calmly: "He is not a child emperor! Don't you recognize him?"

Yalewo shook his head, "I have no impression."

Abro shook his head and curled his lips, "Liu Miezhou, Feng Jiuxiao's brother!"

Yale uttered an "oh", "He is Mr. Feng's brother! I only remember a Pang Shiwu." He then sighed, "It's a pity that Princess Shengnan is deeply in love with Mr. Feng..."

Ablo's brows immediately tightened and he said sternly, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Yeluwo's ​​expression immediately tensed up, and his head drooped: "I'm sorry, General, I was wrong!"

Abu Luo's eyes were as sharp as knives. "Princess Shengnan is likely to become the emperor of Liao. You better keep your mouth shut!"

Yeluwo and another follower, Aqina, said solemnly at the same time: "Yes!"

Empress Dowager Xiao has hinted more than once that she intends to let Princess Shengnan succeed to the throne. Now is the critical moment to test the reactions of all parties. Both supporters and opponents are actively "preparing for war"!

The Yelu royal family and the Xiao descendants are all watching, but the various aristocratic factions under their command are sharpening their knives!

The lower-class people, on the other hand, don’t care and don’t care about anything else. As long as they can have enough food to eat, it doesn’t matter who is the emperor.

Only the officers caught in the middle suffered!

They are faced with the difficult task of choosing sides!

Once they stand on the wrong side, eternal damnation awaits them!

They don't want to take sides, but the wealth and glory they have gained make them reluctant to leave, and the oath of allegiance they once swore makes them dare not leave!

Aqina then said with a stiff face: "Brother! Do you support Princess Shengnan?"

The word "big brother" made Ablo's tense face relax a little. In front of outsiders, he was a general and they were his followers, but privately, years of life and death had made them like brothers!

"My life was saved by the Queen Mother, what do you think?"

"Understood!"

The three of them left the Northern Han Palace in the dark.

They gained a lot tonight.

At least we know the ins and outs of the Northern Han coup!

The Queen Mother's meaning was very straightforward. The Song Dynasty's northern expedition to the Han territory was a perfect opportunity to let those warmongers test the combat effectiveness of the Song army!

If they win, they can be rewarded handsomely! Anyway, according to the intelligence we have, the strength of the Song army is far superior to that of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so even if the Liao army wins, it will be a miserable victory. It is reasonable to give them more rewards to comfort their wounded hearts!

If you lose, haha, I'm sorry, the Song army dealt you the first heavy blow, and this Queen Mother will give you the second heavy blow! Accountability, accountability, and damn accountability!

The so-called warmongering faction in the court today, also known as the Southern Expedition faction, is actually the Empress Dowager’s opposition!

The Queen Mother did not oppose the southern expedition, because after all, Liaodong was a cold and bitter place, and improving the living environment of the people was the unshirkable responsibility of the king!

But if the timing is wrong, a hasty southern expedition would only result in unnecessary sacrifice of lives and increase the burden on the people of Liao. It is really a bad idea. It is best to recuperate, prepare for war, and accumulate national strength for fifteen to twenty years before it is possible to conquer the Central Plains in one fell swoop!

The current southern expedition faction is actually short-sighted. If the imperial power falls into their hands, the army will march southward, and the logistics will be tight, and the offensive will not be able to last long. In addition, the battle line is too long, and it is very easy for the retreat to be cut off, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army!

Ablo had read "The Art of War" and had fought several tough battles with Goryeo, Zhou and even Tubo, so his understanding of war was much more profound than those high-ranking nobles!

"War is a matter of great importance to a country. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. It must be carefully considered!"

The Queen Mother must have known this well, which is why she did not start a war lightly!

"The Tao makes the people agree with their superiors, so they can die with them and live with them without fear of danger."

Now the Liao Dynasty is weak and the ministers are strong. The empress dowager is concentrating on eliminating dissidents and consolidating the young emperor's throne. How can she have the energy to take care of "the people and the emperor's agreement"? How can she serve the people if the people's hearts are not stable?

"Which lord is more righteous? Which general is more capable? Who has the support of heaven and earth? Who enforces the laws? Who has a stronger army? Who has better trained soldiers? Who has clear rewards and punishments? I know victory and defeat by these. If a general listens to my advice, he will win if he uses it, so keep him. If a general does not listen to my advice, he will lose if he uses it, so get rid of him."

Ablo recalled several passages from The Art of War and said, "To fight foreign enemies, we must first stabilize the country!"

Aqina and Yaluodao were both startled and they both looked at Abro.

At this time, the three men had reached the palace gate. When the guards saw that they were envoys from the Liao Kingdom, they immediately retracted their long spears to their chests, leaned vertically on the ground, looked forward, and made way for the passage.

Abro spoke only after he was five feet away from the palace gate. The Han soldiers certainly couldn't hear him at this distance.

"As long as the Liao Dynasty does not have a unified voice, it will not be able to form a strong fighting force!"

Aqina said: "I heard that the Queen Mother has already seized the power of the government, and the only voice of opposition is the army!"

Abu Luo said: "Although the Yelu family controls a lot of troops, the Queen Mother also controls a lot. It depends on whether the Queen Mother can gain the upper hand in the next step!"

"Now that General Han Derang has supported the Queen Mother, the other generals are probably also shaken!"

"That's right! Maybe with just one opportunity, everything can change!"

"The Song Dynasty's attack on Han is an opportunity!"

Thank you Yudong for your strong support and encouragement!