Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 849 The Art of War: The Whole Country is Paramount [Thank you! Thank you again! 8k words owed]

"Why not?"

Yelü Jun narrowed his eyes and looked down at the woman beside him.

The woman remained silent, and a deep silence fell between them.

After a moment, Yelü Jun said emotionlessly, "Not as good as what?"

The woman took a deep breath, patted her stomach, and looked up at Yelü Jun.

The woman first looked at Yelü Jun with pity in her eyes, noting that he was so young yet already had gray hair at his temples.

Then he looked into Yelü Jun's eyes and said in a low voice, "How about we contact the Great Zhou in advance? That would be a way out."

Noticing the woman's gaze shift, Yelü Jun's eyes softened considerably, and he asked in a normal tone, "Escape route?"

Yelü Jun helped the woman back to her seat: "Are you aware of what happened in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty this March?"

Woman: "Your Majesty, are you referring to the assassination attempt on the Great Zhou Emperor on the ship?"

Yelü Jun shook his head: "Not only that, there was also the assassination attempt on the Emperor of Great Zhou in the palace."

The woman said, "I have heard about all of these things."

Seeing the woman's confused look, Yelü Jun continued, "These things were all planned by the Zhuangfotai of my Northern Liao!"

"what!?"

Upon hearing this, the woman was so shocked that she covered her mouth.

"How could this be! Wasn't it the Prince of Great Zhou who caused the rebellion?" the woman asked. "Then doesn't that mean the Emperor of Great Zhou was almost..."

Yelü Jun nodded: "That's right! According to rumors circulating in Bianjing, the brave warriors of Northern Liao were only one step away from the Emperor of Great Zhou, and their blades had already severed the hair of the Empress of Great Zhou!"

"But we were just one step away from the Great Zhou falling into internal strife, which would have allowed our dynasty to march south!"

"But in the end, he was stopped by Xu Zaijing, the Prince of Wei, whom you mentioned. Years of planning were ruined in an instant, and all his efforts were in vain!"

As he spoke, Yelü Jun looked at his beloved concubine and said, "I have such a deep grudge against Xu Zaijing, and the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Emperor must hate me to the core. How can I possibly have a way out?"

The woman remained silent, lost in thought.

After helping the woman to a chair, Yelü Jun said with certainty:

"Although my Northern Liao fought a bitter war with the Jin Kingdom for many years and lost more than half of its elite soldiers, if the Great Zhou wants to take over Yanyun smoothly, these soldiers can still knock out a tooth or two of the Great Zhou's teeth."

"Once the Northern Liao withdraws from Yan and Yun, the Great Zhou will have to face the Jin Kingdom directly. Ah—I wonder how the two countries will interact then!"

Hearing Yelü Jun's words, the woman pursed her lips noncommittally.

"Your Majesty, if you withdraw from Yanyun, where can you go? Without cities and pastures, there will be no incentive to win over your soldiers. How can they remain loyal to you then!"

“You are not just an ordinary member of the Northern Liao royal family, but the emperor of my Northern Liao. How could the Mongol tribes and the Jin Kingdom let you and your child go?”

"These past few days, the Jin and Mongol kingdoms haven't launched an attack, haven't they? They're just discussing how to divide up the spoils beneath you."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Jun looked at his beloved concubine and said, "The Han and Liu families share the fate of the nation; they are all loyal to me."

When he said the last sentence, Yelü Jun seemed rather unsure of himself.

"Your Majesty!" the woman said earnestly, "The Great Zhou has swiftly and decisively recaptured Bai Gao, greatly increasing its national strength. Now we have a million armored soldiers!"

"There was the case of the Zhao family of Lulong being wiped out by the Mongol tribes before. Now that the Jin Kingdom and the Mongol tribes are attacking, if you can't protect these aristocratic families, will they still be loyal?"

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Yelü Jun's eyes.

But he didn't say much in the end.

At present, there are no more than 30,000 elite soldiers who are truly loyal to Yelü Jun, most of whom are Han Chinese military officers.

"I heard from my family that this year will be another year of great harvest for the Great Zhou! Now the Great Zhou is strong and well-equipped. We are just waiting for the Mongol tribes and the Jin Kingdom to annex our Northern Liao. In the ensuing chaos, the Great Zhou will be able to reap the benefits."

Yelü Jun shook his head: "The fisherman reaps the benefits? Do you really think the Jin's elite troops are just for show?"

"Your Majesty, if the Great Zhou emperor were incompetent and lacked both civil and military power, that would be one thing. But... a few years ago, they destroyed Bai Gao, and the court is full of famous generals and the soldiers are skilled in battle. Even if the Jin Kingdom or the Mongol tribes offer benefits, how long can you enjoy them?"

"What if things get worse in the future?"

Yelü Jun frowned as he looked at his beloved concubine and interrupted her directly, "Why are you advising me like this today?"

The woman looked into Yelü Jun's eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I fear that if I don't persuade you, you will still be on the verge of death without realizing it."

Seeing that Yelü Jun had fallen silent, the woman continued, "Your Majesty, as you just said, because of the assassination attempt on the Emperor of Great Zhou, the Great Zhou royal family hates you intensely! If the situation worsens, Great Zhou will offer a reward of titles and gold and silver, and I will stand with you."

Yelü Jun waved his hand, and the woman fell silent.

Yelü Jun understood that his beloved concubine's words made sense, as the Mongol tribes were doing very well in the horse trade with the Great Zhou in the west.

"Given the current state of the Great Zhou, the Northern Liao army's attempt to launch a surprise attack after the upheaval outside Bianjing (Kaifeng) yielded no advantage; instead, their morale was dampened by the Great Zhou's actions."

"The Yan-Yun region occupied by the Northern Liao still has tens of thousands of elite troops. Leaving aside the fact that the Great Zhou would certainly have to expend considerable resources to reclaim it, just the cost of deploying the army would be enormous."

'If we were to engage in a direct confrontation, the compensation for the casualties of the Great Zhou soldiers alone would be an enormous expense.'

'The soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty receive compensation for injuries and deaths, but the sons of Han Chinese noble families in the Northern Liao Dynasty die in vain.'

Seemingly having seen through Yelü Jun's thoughts, his beloved concubine continued, "Your Majesty, if the Mongol tribes had not colluded with the Jin Dynasty, the Han Chinese aristocratic families would naturally not have any disloyal intentions."

"But after fighting to the death against the Great Zhou, they might still face exploitation from the Mongol tribes and the Jin Dynasty. How could a Han Chinese aristocratic family do such a losing proposition!"

After the woman finished speaking, Yelü Jun took a deep breath.

Looking at the palace lanterns in the hall, Yelü Jun said in a low voice, "If you can persuade me, what benefits will the Great Zhou give to your Liu family?"

As he spoke, Yelü Jun looked at his beloved concubine.

Upon hearing this, the Liu family daughter paused for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty is wise! I have no idea what benefits the Liu family may have received!"

Yelü Jun: "Oh? Even you are keeping this from me?"

The daughter of the Liu family shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, I really don't know! My family only sent someone to explain the pros and cons to me."

Yelü Jun looked at the palace lanterns in the hall, took a deep breath, and said, "Sun Tzu said: 'The best policy in war is to conquer the country; the worst policy is to destroy it.'"

After chuckling self-deprecatingly twice, Yelü Jun said, "To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

"Your Majesty." Just as Liu's daughter was about to continue speaking, a palace servant appeared at the door.

Seeing Yelü Jun's furrowed brows, the palace attendant hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, an urgent military report has arrived from Xijing."

Two days later,
At the end of the day (after 1 p.m.), the sun was blazing, the sunlight was intense, and the air seemed to have become scorching hot.

North of Bianjing,

There were very few people on the official road, but the cicadas were chirping loudly.

If you were to lie down on the road and look up, you could see that the air above the road was distorted.

Many passersby were enjoying the cool shade under the trees along the roadside, occasionally wiping the sweat from their foreheads with handkerchiefs or sleeves.

suddenly.

"Thump-thump—thump-thump!" The thunderous sound of horses' hooves rang out.

"Ding ding ding ding!" A series of urgent bell sounds also rang out.

The commotion caused people on the roadside to raise their hands to shield their eyes from the sun and look north.

A knight was seen galloping towards them on horseback.

Looking at the knight's attire, an experienced passerby remarked, "Wow! This is a top-tier courier; some urgent military report must be arriving in the capital!"

The people on the roadside nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Amidst the sound of hooves and bells, the knight drew near swiftly. "Ha—crack!"

After being whipped, the horse galloped south at an even faster pace.

Upon arriving at the post station, the courier, having already prepared horses and water gourds upon hearing the bell, arrived.

"What's wrong, brother?"

The courier led the horse and helped the courier mount the horse, asking questions as he did so.

The knight, having changed horses and adjusted his posture, breathed a sigh of relief and said in a hoarse voice, "General Xu has broken through White Wolf Pass!" (Today, Killing Tiger's Mouth)

The courier looked puzzled: "White Wolf Pass? Where is that?"

"Just know that our dynasty has won another battle! Giddy up—"

With that, the knight spurred his horse and galloped towards Bianjing.

Guangfufang
Prince's Mansion
There was no construction work on the site, only carpenters busy with something in the shade.

In the courtyard separated by a wall, Xu Zaijing, who hadn't gone to the military camp, was fanning the sleeping Chai Zhengzheng with a fan.

Yunmu and Zifeng, who were standing to the side, couldn't help but smile and exchange a glance as they watched Xu Zaijing's quiet and stealthy movements.

Chai Zhengzheng rolled over on the couch and smacked her lips.

Seeing Chai Zhengzheng's expression, Xu Zaijing waved his fan even more vigorously.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the screen.

A moment later, feeling the cool breeze had lessened considerably, Chai Zhengzheng groggily opened her eyes.

"Where is my husband?"

"Your Majesty, the palace urgently summoned him, so the Lord went to the palace."

Hearing Yunmu's reply, Chai Zhengzheng nodded and closed her eyes again: "It's a bit windy."

"Yes."

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

"The Prince of Wei has arrived."

As announced by the palace eunuch, Xu Zaijing stepped into the hall, still steaming.

The hall was quite cool, which made Xu Zaijing breathe a sigh of relief.

After walking a few steps, Xu Zaijing arrived at the depths of the main hall and looked at Changbai, who was sitting behind a small table in the hall, holding a brush and preparing to record and copy. He smiled and nodded.

Changbai responded with a smile.

Xu Zaijing then walked to the vicinity of the huge map, bowed to the emperor and the crown prince, and then greeted several important officials of the court with a cupped-hand salute.

"Ren Zhi has arrived, please have a seat," the emperor said with a smile.

Looking at the several embroidered stools placed in front of the map, Xu Zaijing chose the last seat and sat down.

At the signal from Crown Prince Zhao Fang, Qingyun, who was standing to the side, handed a piece of paper covered with writing to Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing looked at it carefully, and when he saw the words 'Xu Zaiduan, the heir of the Duke of Dai, led his troops to conquer Bailang Pass in Northern Liao,' he looked up at Zhao Fang with surprise.

Zhao Fang smiled and nodded in affirmation.

Upon seeing this, Xu Zaijing smiled and then turned his gaze to the huge map.

Bailang Pass is located southeast of Fengzhou and is a vital passage from Datong Prefecture, the western capital of Northern Liao, to the grasslands.

By occupying this place, we have effectively closed the western gate of Northern Liao from the outside!

If anything happens in the grasslands, such as the North Liao Southwest Pacification Commandery, the North Liao can no longer go north through Datong Prefecture to provide any support or punishment!
Moreover, in the future, the Great Zhou could cooperate with the Great Zhou army near Yanmen Pass to launch a pincer attack on Datong Prefecture.

It should be noted that Datong Prefecture, as the western capital of Northern Liao, was Yunzhou, one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!
Datong Prefecture was a crucial southwestern hub for the Northern Liao Dynasty. It connected to Nanjing Xijin Prefecture in the east, could attack Yanmen Pass of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the south, connected to the Hetao region in the west, and could control the Mongol tribes in the north.

As a transportation hub, it saw a large number of caravans traveling between the east and west, making it a region with high tax revenue.

Not only is its location extremely important, but Datong Prefecture is also a basin with abundant water resources, fertile soil, and highly developed agriculture.

The area was naturally densely populated and was an important source of grain, cloth, and infantry for the Northern Liao.

As Xu Zaijing pondered these things, the Grand Chancellor would occasionally arrive in the hall.

After learning what had happened, several white-haired gentlemen couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Amid the laughter, a senior official asked, "Your Majesty, I heard that attacking Bailang Pass was an uphill assault, and the pass is extremely dangerous. How did General Xu manage to take it down?"

Xu Zaijing also had some questions.

Standing before the enormous map, the emperor was in high spirits. He smiled and waved to Gu Tingyu, who was standing to the side, saying, "Eldest son, tell your husband what you have to say."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Holding a long, thin bamboo pole, Gu Tingyu pointed to the northwest of Datong Prefecture and said, "According to the military report, before the attack on Bailang Pass, some of our elite troops disguised themselves as Mongolian merchants and entered the city."

"After dark, General Lu, under General Xu's command, led his elite troops and hid under the pass."

"In the early hours of the morning, under attack from both inside and outside, we finally captured this perilous pass."

Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall all nodded in agreement.

It can be summed up in just a few words, but the twists and turns involved in achieving it are beyond words.

The emperor turned and glanced at Xu Zaijing, saying, "This valiant general Lu Junyi was recommended by Ren Zhi, wasn't he?"

Everyone turned to look at Xu Zaijing.

After rising, Xu Zaijing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it is all thanks to the great fortune of our dynasty that we were able to recommend General Lu. It was also a fortunate coincidence."

The emperor smiled and waved his hand: "Hmm, Renzhi, you sit down first."

After speaking, the emperor nodded to Gu Tingyu again: "Eldest son, continue."

Gu Tingyu bowed and replied, "Conquering White Wolf Pass is only the first step; there are still several more passes to come! The first one is..."

While talking,
An official brought up an exquisitely detailed sand table depicting the terrain.

In the four years since the recapture of Baigao, the Great Zhou has sent countless spies to the Northern Liao, and naturally has a clear understanding of the terrain.

Listening to Gu Tingyu's explanation and looking at the sand table placed nearby, one of the elders sighed, "Hiss, none of these passes will be easy to conquer!"

At this time,

A voice announced from the direction of the palace gate: "Second Young Master Gu has arrived!"

Xu Zaijing turned around and saw Gu Tingye striding into the hall with great interest.

Upon approaching, Gu Tingye gracefully bowed and clasped his hands in a salute: "Your subject, Gu Tingye, greets Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Prince, and all the Grand Chancellors."

The emperor smiled and nodded: "Second Prince, you've submitted a whole stack of invitations to me. Do you really want to go to the north?"

Gu Tingye glanced at Xu Zaijing, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I very much wish to go!"

Looking at his half-brother, Gu Tingyu's eyes were filled with worry.

"Very well, I grant your request! Your father is currently lacking a cavalry general, and the situation in the north is becoming increasingly tense. Pack your things and head there tomorrow or the day after."

"Your Majesty, I, Gu Tingye, thank you for your grace!"

Changbai, sitting behind the small table, looked at the smiling Gu Tingye and stood up, saying, "Your Majesty, I am also willing to go to the north to serve the country!"

The emperor smiled and said, "You silly child, let's talk about it after your wedding!"

(End of this chapter)