Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2680 The Five Great Empires: Alliances and Strategies

Li Xiang put down his teacup, nodded, and said, "Well said! The army is the fist, opening up markets is the benefit, and reducing taxes on schools is the long-term plan! This is what governance should be!"

Li Xiang tapped the table and turned to the second question, saying, "The second thing is naturally in the northern grasslands."

At this moment, Li Xiang's gaze suddenly sharpened from its previous calmness, sweeping over every face in the pavilion before he continued to speak.

"When my Great Jin Dynasty unified the Central Plains, they never stopped their advance on the northern grasslands. Now they have become a giant wolf that has sharpened its claws and teeth, devoured its territory, and is baring its teeth at us!"

"They have almost annexed the entire steppe, taken over the Western Regions, and even invaded the wealthy lands of distant Central and South Asia!"

"The Yuan Mongols now have a million iron cavalry and countless archers! Their orders are strict and their ambitions are boundless! Scouts report that their Khan hangs a map of our Central Plains in his tent and studies it day and night!"

Li Xiang's voice was icy, "This kind of formidable enemy is no longer a minor ailment, but a sword hanging over my head! They occupy the grasslands and the western passes, their military strength is formidable, and they have unified command and can be mobilized at will."

"The shame of losing Liangzhou and Xizhou, and the countless soldiers who died on the battlefield, are still vivid in my mind. The battle against Yuanjin is unavoidable in the future, and I will never avoid it!"

"I want to hear your brilliant ideas, you future pillars of the nation. Stop with empty talk of benevolence and morality; I want concrete solutions!"

The problem was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, leaving the pavilion deathly silent.

The newly appointed scholars looked at each other, their excitement fading, replaced by solemnity and contemplation. The weight of this exam question was a hundred times greater than simply passing the imperial examination!
Compared to the problems in the North, the problems in the South are really nothing.

If you answer this second question well, its value will be far greater than the first question.

"Your Majesty, in the war against the Yuan Mongols, Liang and Xi are the most important regions!"

"Firstly, to wash away the shame of the past. Secondly, to protect the flank of our Great Jin!" Meng Yi's son, Meng Chuan, was the first to answer.

Meng Yi himself had served as both a military general and a civil official, and now his son was also pursuing the imperial examination path. Like Fang Xuanling's son, although he was qualified to become an official directly, if he had enough ability, he wouldn't mind taking the imperial examination to gain further prestige.

Meng Chuan, born into a family of military generals, may not have ranked the highest in this imperial examination, and he might not even be in the top ten. However, when it comes to being proficient in both literature and martial arts, few can compare to him.

From a young age, he had accompanied his father or uncle to military camps and to the northwest border defense many times, so he naturally had his own insights into the northern grasslands.

His eldest uncle served in various northern border states for nearly thirty years.

Meanwhile, in the war between Liangzhou and Xizhou, members of the Meng family, including Meng Ao, Meng Wu, and even Meng Tian's son Meng Zhi, died in battle across three generations, making them a family of loyal martyrs.

Under the influence of his family's education, he keenly saw the importance of Liangzhou and Xizhou. If these two places were not taken back, Yongzhou would always face the threat of the Mongol army.

It should be noted that Yongzhou is bordered by the important Sizhou to the east and Hanzhong and Yizhou to the south. Beyond the Wuguan Pass, the Mongol cavalry could directly trample the Central Plains and the southern Jingzhou.

Therefore, without taking these two territories, Yongzhou, which is constantly under threat, will drag them down and prevent them from launching a full-scale attack on the Yuan Mongols.

"Furthermore, compared to the Yuan Mongols, the might of our Jin cavalry lies entirely in their powerful crossbows and heavy armor!"

"We should recruit more craftsmen to improve our armor and crossbows, which will benefit our forces and allow us to maximize our strengths while minimizing our weaknesses!"

"When our troops are strong and well-equipped, we will launch a preemptive strike, strike directly at the heart of the enemy, and break through Yuanlong City!" Meng Chuan added.

Although the Yuan Dynasty had successively explored several iron mines, and during its conquests, it had also been involved in various technologies and cultures from the Han Dynasty, Central Asia, and South Asia.

However, compared to the Han Dynasty, it was still inferior in terms of mining efficiency and subsequent forging and processing.

Therefore, in future battles, the Great Jin must leverage its technological advantages and translate them into equipment advantages.

Every war is about leveraging strengths and compensating for weaknesses. You can't compare your weaknesses to the enemy's strengths; instead, you use your strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. "Imperial conquest hinges first and foremost on national strength!"

"In my opinion, the essence of war lies in governance!"

"Only when the Great Jin is strong and has a continuous supply of food and troops will our Great Jin be naturally invincible in this battle!"

"Furthermore, the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones is nothing more than this!"

"Your Majesty, you could send an envoy to Persia in Central Asia to lure them with benefits and sever one of the Yuan Mongols' arms!" another person spoke up.

This person's starting point was completely different from Meng Chuan's.

The clash between the two great empires will not be decided in one or two battles, but will be a protracted war.

Therefore, which country is stronger? Which country can hold out longer? This is very important.

Moreover, this one has set its sights on becoming an ally of the Yuan Dynasty.

The Great Jin and the Yuan Mongols were already destined to be mortal enemies, and their exchanges with the two Persian Empires were limited.

Although the other party was an ally of the Yuan Dynasty, even the closest allies would not risk becoming enemies with an equally powerful empire for their sake. Therefore, being an ally did not necessarily mean being their enemy.

Furthermore, even the best ally is still just an ally; once the benefits are right, they can be poached.

The importance of the Second Persian Empire, this ally, to the Mongol Empire is self-evident.

Or rather, they are both very important to each other.

There were indeed significant differences between Temujin and Kublai Khan.

During Genghis Khan's reign, his main strategy was expansion and growth; the brief period of peace was merely a prelude to dealing with another powerful enemy.

But things changed after Kublai Khan came to power. While conquering, he also valued development. This led to nearly a decade of cooperation between the Mongol Empire and the Second Persian Empire, and the subsequent alliance.

The Mongol Empire was able to survive three years of pandemic largely thanks to the help of the Second Persian Empire.

However, the Second Persian Empire was able to establish itself on the corpse of the Parthian Empire, despite facing the Kushan and Roman Empires, thanks in part to the contributions of Mongol mercenaries.

However, things are different now.

Both families have passed the most dangerous period, and their need for each other has decreased significantly.

At this point, as long as sufficient benefits are offered, it's not impossible to poach someone. Between nations, interests come first; everything else is secondary.

Furthermore, even if this step fails, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and if we continue westward, there is still the Roman Empire.

The five great empires of the time were the Jin Dynasty, the Mongol Empire, the Kushan Empire, the Second Persian Empire, and the Roman Empire.

The Kushan Empire is now in decline, and it has offended all three of its neighboring empires. It's practically a consensus among these three to eliminate it when the time is right.

The Great Jin Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, and the Second Persian Empire were all the first generation of states, and their military strength was at its peak.

However, the final Roman Empire was too far away; there were only rumors, and people didn't know much about the specifics of that country. For this reason, the Second Persian Empire was considered first, rather than the Roman Empire.