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

Chapter 2200 What to do next?
Zeng Yong was in excellent condition, as evidenced by his barely suppressed smile. He looked refreshed and his eyes were bright!

"Jiuxiao, what are your plans next?"

Feng Jiuxiao thought for a moment, his gaze becoming profound, "I want to go to Jinyang."

Zeng Yong's eyes flickered. "You want to go see Liu destroy Zhou?"

Feng Jiuxiao's expression was solemn: "Indeed! It's been a long time since we last met, and I've missed you quite a bit!"

Zeng Yong nodded: "It has indeed been a long time! I wonder how the emperor of Northern Han is doing these days."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I haven't heard any news about him since we entered the Tibetan territory."

Infiltration of Tibet by the Song Dynasty's Imperial City Guard was extremely difficult, which is why an intelligence agency has yet to be established. Here, it was all serf owners, lamas, and serfs; posing as a serf owner or lama was impossible, because every nobleman or lama had "identity documents"! Leaving aside physical characteristics, the issue of mutual verification of family lineage was insurmountable! It was like a young man from Li Village trying to sneak into Wang Village; no matter how well he concealed himself, the elders of Wang Village would see right through him! Unless he was a child raised in that village, wouldn't they be instantly recognized?
This intelligence network could not be truly established until one or more Tibetan nobles submitted to the Song Dynasty!
Pang Shiwu said, "Before we entered Tibetan territory, Zhao Guangyi was attacking Liu Miezhou. I don't know how the battle is going now."

Zeng Yong said, "I've heard that the fighting strength of the Northern Han soldiers is far inferior to that of the Song soldiers, and the city has most likely already fallen!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "That's not necessarily true. Northern Han certainly can't do it on its own! But don't forget, the Khitans stand behind Northern Han!"

Zeng Yong's eyes flashed, and a scene of armored cavalry covering the mountains and plains appeared in his mind. "The Khitan cavalry is unparalleled in the world! The Song army is mainly composed of infantry. Although the Tigers of Luoyang are formidable in combat, cavalry has an innate overwhelming advantage over infantry. Zhao Guangyi is probably in grave danger!"

Pang Shiwu frowned and said, "Doesn't the Song army also have cavalry? I remember that the commander of the cavalry is the brother-in-law of Emperor Shizong of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "The Song Dynasty's cavalry is weak, and the supply of warhorses is also tight. The real main force still has to rely on the infantry. So Yongge is right, Zhao Guangyi may not necessarily gain the upper hand!"

Zeng Yong suddenly asked, "Do you support Liu's overthrow of Zhou or Zhao Guangyi?" Someone had actually asked Feng Jiuxiao this question before, but today he suddenly wanted to verify it again!
Feng Jiuxiao looked at Zeng Yong with a solemn expression: "If we're talking about personal feelings, I would naturally support Liu in destroying Zhou! After all, he's my brother! But if we're talking about the greater good, I can only support Zhao Guangyi!"

Zeng Yong thought for a moment, "Why? Is it because the Northern Han, controlled by Liu Miezhou, has always been subservient to the Khitan, while Zhao Guangyi's Song Dynasty is raising the banner of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?" One is subservient to a foreign tribe, while the other is reviving the Central Plains. Naturally, the difference in their status is obvious!

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Not entirely! Liu Miezhou is also a Han Chinese, and a descendant of the royal family of the Later Han Dynasty. With his inherent arrogance, even if he pretends to be friendly with the Khitans now, he will turn against them sooner or later! So I don't support him, not because he kowtows to the Khitans! But for other reasons! First of all, the strength of the Northern Han is not enough to unify the Central Plains! Their size is too small!"

Zeng Yong nodded in deep agreement. Northern Han had little territory, a small population, and a relatively weak economy; it simply couldn't sustain a protracted war of attrition!
Feng Jiuxiao added, "As far as I know, the Great Song has already controlled about three hundred cities. According to the hierarchy of prefectures, states, military districts, and supervisory districts, there are currently about thirty prefectures, two hundred and fifty states, fifty-five supervisory districts, and one thousand two hundred counties! The Northern Han only governs a dozen or so states in central Shanxi, which is more than twenty times smaller than the Great Song. In terms of population, the Northern Han has no more than one hundred thousand households! Compared with the forty million households of the Great Song, it is simply a firefly competing with the bright moon!"

"100,000 against 40 million? It's like rubbing your feet into the ground! A complete rout!"

"Secondly, Liu Jiyuan had no intention of unifying the Central Plains, and no intrinsic motivation! He became emperor purely to settle personal scores!"

Zeng Yong hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Killing one's father and stealing one's wife—these are two irreconcilable feuds! Others might forsake their kingdom for a beautiful woman! Liu Miezhou, however, seized the throne to avenge his beloved! Once his revenge was complete, what would become of Liu Miezhou? A man who would risk everything for a woman—would he still be diligent in governing and caring for his people? Zeng Yong thought, no! Would someone whose mind is consumed by thoughts of avenging his wife calmly and rationally handle matters of national importance? He said he would, but did you believe him?

"To put it another way, if I support the Northern Han, I will be branded a traitor! The title of the Northern Han emperor was bestowed by the Khitan emperor, just like Shi Jingtang's puppet emperor. Supporting Liu's overthrow of Zhou is tantamount to acknowledging the Khitan's legitimacy and indirectly admitting that I have submitted to the Khitan! This means that I have broken with the entire Central Plains and become the enemy of all Han people! To put it bluntly, they will definitely call me a traitor and a running dog!"

Zeng Yong chuckled dryly, "How could that be? Even if you support Liu's overthrow of Zhou, it's for the sake of unifying the world, eliminating internal strife, and ensuring long-term peace and stability..."

Feng Jiuxiao shook his head. "I'm happy that you understand me, but the common people don't understand! They won't accept things outside their understanding! They live very simply and straightforwardly. Enemies are enemies, and friends are friends, clearly distinguished! If the Northern Han didn't have the Khitan behind it, and was just like the Southern Tang or Southern Han, where Han people were in power, then the war between the two sides would be an internal war between Han people, and the common people's resistance wouldn't be so strong."

Yuan Zishan said, "Especially now that the Song army has taken over the entire south, the situation is already set. Supporting the Northern Han now would be meaningless! Fighting again would only increase the suffering of the people."

Zeng Yong frowned. "Yes, now that the Song Dynasty has just annexed Western Shu, the unification of the world is a foregone conclusion. It's only a matter of time before Northern Han is incorporated into the Song Dynasty!" Feng Jiuxiao, however, said with a worried look, "This... it's really hard to say!"

Zeng Yong was taken aback, but then he realized the crux of the matter. "You mean that as long as the Khitan are not destroyed, the Northern Han will not be able to perish?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Yes, the Khitan cavalry stands behind the Northern Han. We must act unless the Khitan gives up."

Zeng Yong also sighed, "But how could the Khitans easily give up the fat meat in their mouths?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Especially since it's not just a piece of fat, but also a solid barrier!"

The Song Dynasty was wary of the Khitan, but the Khitan were equally wary of the Song. The Northern Han was a barometer! If the Song attacked the Northern Han, it meant the Song hadn't given up on the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun! These prefectures were now the Khitan's granary and a springboard for their invasion of the Central Plains; they certainly couldn't fall into the Song's hands! To ensure absolute security, they had to plan ahead! The flames of war had to be extinguished in their infancy! Therefore, the Northern Han could not be lost! If the Northern Han was lost, the Song army would press their advantage and invade the Youyun region!
Therefore, the Khitans will definitely come to the aid of the Northern Han!

The Northern Han was a gambling den, while the Song and Liao were two major gamblers.

Both sides are betting on the fate of their nations!
At this moment, Daoist Yichen came over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Young master, I have other matters to attend to, so I will not disturb you any longer. May we meet again someday!"

Feng Jiuxiao clasped his hands and said, "I've seen you off for a thousand miles, but we must part ways eventually! Until we meet again!"

Master Yichen led his disciples to take their leave first!

Upon seeing this, Linghu Jing also led his Huashan disciples over to bid farewell.

"Young Master Feng, we are deeply grateful! Please feel free to ask us for help in the future, and our Huashan Sect will do anything to help you!"

"Brother Linghu, you're too kind! The journey is long and arduous, have a safe trip! Until we meet again!"

Yan Qi and Lao Mo also bid farewell.

Bai Lian then came over and asked, "Young Master, are you planning to go to Northern Han?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Yes."

Bai Lian said, "Then the remaining dragon eggs..." He pointed to the remaining egg liquid at the bottom of the dragon eggshell.

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "You can take it with you."

Bai Lian clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you!" His purpose for this trip was to find the Heavenly Roc Egg and give it to his master, the Bright Dharma King. He was overjoyed to have achieved his goal.

Feng Jiuxiao frowned as he looked at the three colorful eggs in the egg pit and said, "That White Emperor will come back sooner or later. It's not safe to leave these three colorful eggs here!"

Yuan Zishan said, "Should we bury it?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Burying them is not good. First, it won't fool the White Emperor at all. With his six times the strength of the Glazed Battle Force, he will definitely be able to sense the aura of the young dragons inside the dragon eggs! Second, if they are buried in the ground, it's questionable whether these young dragons will even be able to hatch! They might suffocate!"

Yuan Zishan asked, "Then what should we do?"