Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 721 Details
As he spoke, Shi Qian took out ten [Spirit of the World] from his pocket and presented them with both hands.

Upon seeing this, Tong Guan laughed and said, "Do you think I don't recognize the [Spirit of the World], or that I don't have the [Decree of the World]?"

"Ah? Since the Chancellor knows the use of the [Spirit of the World], why not build a mist passage? As long as a passage is built, we can form an alliance with Liang Kingdom and trade with them."

After listening to Dai Zong's words, Tong Guan sighed and explained the situation of the world of the Liao and Song Ten Prefectures: "It's not that I don't want to, but in this world, the two sides are fighting, and neither of them has the ability to build the mist passage you mentioned."

"Tell me, what's the situation with my son-in-law and daughter?"

Dai Zong and Shi Qian exchanged glances, and Dai Zong spoke first, briefly recounting Zhao Zhen's establishment of the country and some of the public events that occurred during that period.

After hearing this, Tong Guan asked, "Is my daughter pregnant?"

Shi Qian spoke first, saying, "Prime Minister, we have not heard that Consort De is pregnant. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has not held any imperial concubine selections. It is still the same concubines as before. Only Consort Xiu is pregnant now."

Tong Guan nodded, then frowned and said, "Given the current situation, I am also unable to contact the outside world."

Shi Qian said, "Prime Minister, isn't it your turn to launch a war next month? Why not try bordering my Liang Kingdom?"

"It's freezing cold. How can we attack a city? I currently occupy six states with 100,000 soldiers, but even if we fight the Liao army, we are at a complete disadvantage. This kind of weather is not suitable for fighting. Next spring, I will launch a war with the Liang Kingdom. At that time, we can attack from both sides and do it several times to wipe out the Liao people."

"By the way, do you know anything about the situation in Bianliang?"

Dai Zong said, "When the emperor abdicated to the crown prince, he immediately designated the Liang state as an enemy. He also launched several military campaigns against the Liang state. His Majesty was magnanimous and did not want to retaliate. However, Zhao Huan made alliances with other states and continued to fight with the Liang state."

Tong Guan listened in silence.

Shi Qian said, "Prime Minister, since we have agreed to jointly destroy the Liao Kingdom, the two of us will now pass through the Cao Kingdom and return to the Liang Kingdom to inform the King and make preparations as soon as possible."

"Alright."

"It will be three days before the two worlds separate. There is chaos and war here, and we are still fighting the Liao army behind us. Since the Cao Kingdom is also an ally, I should return to the front line."

“I won’t be able to see my daughter for a while. I have some valuables here. I’ll assign a general, Duan Pengju, the former military commander of Suizhou. He is highly skilled in martial arts, was promoted by me, and is extremely loyal. Let him lead a battalion of imperial guards to escort the valuables. Once he arrives in Liang, my son-in-law can take care of him.”

Dai Zong readily agreed, "Prime Minister, rest assured, His Majesty has always been kind to those who are brave and valiant. We have all heard of the great name of Commander Duan. With the Prime Minister and Consort De looking after him, he has nothing to fear from not being valued by His Majesty."

Tong Guan had Dai Zong and Shi Qian settled in, and then had his men inventory the treasury and select hundreds of cartloads of gold, silver and jewels.

The next day, Tong Guan had everything arranged perfectly. He sent Duan Pengju with a battalion of soldiers to follow Dai Zong and Shi Qian out of the city and into the border of the Cao Kingdom.

After passing through the wall, Dai Zong gave some instructions, tied on his armor, began his magic, and sped off to the capital of Cao.

Shi Qian said to Duan Pengju, who was standing beside him, "Supervisor Duan, we'll need your help on the road ahead. This Cao Kingdom isn't exactly known for its honesty and integrity."

Duan Pengju patted his chest and said, "Judge Shi, rest assured. My five hundred soldiers are all used to fighting. They don't even care about mere bandits."

The two men escorted the carriages and proceeded slowly along the road.

Five hundred armored soldiers, yet none dared to provoke the tiger. Meanwhile, Dai Zong, without rest, returned to Liang and immediately went to the palace to pay his respects to Zhao Zhen.

"Commander Dai, how did it go? Did you get to see the Grand Chancellor?"

"Your Majesty, your humble servant and Judge Shi have met with the Chancellor, and the Chancellor is well."

"Thank God, there's still one more day to see Father," Tong Jiaoxiu, sitting next to Zhao Zhen, exclaimed shyly.

"Commander Dai, what is the situation where my father is? What kind of world is it where he is?"

Upon hearing this, Dai Zong quickly recounted the news he had first heard from Tong Guan.

Finally, he took out two letters sealed with wax from his pocket.

The two letters were addressed to Emperor Zhao Zhen and Tong Jiaoxiu.

The two took the letter from Guihua and immediately began to read it.

In the letter in Zhao Zhen's hand, Tong Guan gave some instructions on transferring the valuables. The letter introduced the Liao generals and subtly revealed that Zhao Zhen was no match for the Liao army and had to transfer the valuables in advance. He also mentioned Duan Pengju, who was escorting the valuables, as a brave and skilled warrior.

In addition, he also mentioned that after the spring of next year, they would border the Liang Kingdom and launch a pincer attack on the Liao army.

Finally, she expressed her longing for Tong Jiaoxiu and asked Zhao Zhen to be lenient with her daughter if she could not hold on until spring. She said that these valuables would be given to Zhao Zhen and Tong Jiaoxiu as their children's property.

As for the letter in Tong Jiaoxiu's hand, it mostly expressed her longing and instructed her to act with caution, be a good wife and mother, and not to be willful, capricious, or reckless.

"Your Majesty, why does Father sound like he's giving his last instructions?" Tong Jiaoxiu asked, her eyes brimming with tears, after reading the letter.

Zhao Zhen said, "Nonsense! My father-in-law and I agreed to launch a pincer attack on the Liao army next spring. I will personally lead the troops and bring you along so you can see your father-in-law as soon as possible."

Hearing Zhao Zhen's words, Tong Jiaoxiu burst into laughter through her tears, patting her lower abdomen and saying, "Father told me to be a good wife and mother, but without children, how can I raise them?"

Zhao Zhen laughed heartily: "I will stay in your palace tonight. Go back and prepare. Have the imperial kitchen prepare braised turtle and silver carp, and we can also have a couple of drinks."

Upon hearing this, Tong Jiaoxiu smiled and responded, then got up and led the female official back to Chengqian Palace.

After Tong Jiaoxiu left, Zhao Zhen asked, "Commander Dai, what is the situation with my father-in-law?"

"Your Majesty, when my brother Shi Qian and I arrived at Hejian Prefecture, it had been less than three days since the two worlds separated. The Prime Minister did not give us many instructions. After a day of preparation, he ordered the two of us to take Duan Pengju, the military commander, and lead five hundred elite iron-armored soldiers out of the city and hurriedly enter the territory of Cao Kingdom."

"Regarding the war, I only heard the Grand Chancellor say one thing: the strategy has shifted from offensive to defensive. This is largely thanks to the [Flying Divine Thunder] in the army. The Liao soldiers are even more valiant than the Dangxiang in the northwest."

"On the way to Cao, I also learned a little from Duan Pengju. Because of this incident, the Liao army was also in a state of panic and uncertainty. Although they raided from time to time, they did not gather a large army. At most, they had only three to five thousand men. However, the Grand Chancellor's forces suffered more defeats than victories."

"The former Xin'an Army, which now belongs to Qingzhou, has been defeated by the Liao army. The seven camps of Zhouhe, Diaoyu, Tianjia, Langcheng, Foshengwo, Lujiao, and Lixiang have all been breached. The Prime Minister has lost nearly five thousand soldiers, and morale has inevitably plummeted."

(End of this chapter)