The evil forces roaming the heavens

Chapter 1808 Zhao Ji's Quick Idea

At the foot of Liangshan Mountain, in the main tent of the Dingnan Army,

Zhang Cheng, seated upright above, was resting his chin on his hand, gazing at Song Jiang before him.
Although the other party had already surrendered, Zhang Cheng felt it was still necessary to give them a warning.
Otherwise, if Song Jiang wanted to switch between the imperial court and himself, Zhang Cheng would be extremely annoyed!

He recruited Song Jiang mainly because he thought the other man was a "talented person"!
After all, there aren't many people who are truly loyal to the "imperial court" and want to bring their brothers to be granted amnesty.

While Song Jiang's role as the leader was problematic, were the bandits without their own issues?
What kind of heroes are they? Of the 108 heroes of Liangshan, there's only one they can actually pull out!
That person is still in Gaochang Uyghur territory, fighting for Zhang Cheng!
That's right, that person is none other than Lin, bah, Lu Zhishen, who uprooted the willow tree!
Lin Daiyu: Brother, you called me. Is there something you need? Tell me to go and give him a couple of punches first.

"Song Jiang!"

Speaking softly, Zhang Cheng's eyes were half-closed, exuding a powerful aura of pressure.

"The villain is here!"

Kneeling on the ground, Song Jiang dared not raise his head, as if a thousand-pound hand was pressing on his head, ready to crush him at any moment.
"If one day I, the Pillar of State, wish to establish myself independently, what will you do?"

With a look of utter disdain, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but ask,
"Song Jiang will surely follow the Pillar of State!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Song Jiang spoke. He knew he only had one chance; if he answered incorrectly, he would most likely not be able to leave.
"I joined the army at the age of eighteen, conquered Jiaozhi, pacified Dali, subdued Tibet, and destroyed Western Xia."

As he spoke, word by word, Zhang Cheng's voice gradually turned sinister: "Do you know why the imperial court dares not touch me?"

"Song Jiang doesn't know!"

With his head bowed, Song Jiang spoke cautiously.
"That's because the imperial court knows that it's easier to annihilate me or to send over annual tribute!"

With a disdainful smile, Zhang Cheng stood up and said, "The Zhao family can no longer hold onto the Song Dynasty's territory. The Jin's destruction of the Liao is a foregone conclusion. I want to take advantage of this situation to move north and dominate the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. What do you think?"

"Song Jiang will surely follow the Pillar of State and serve you faithfully!"

Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's words, Song Jiang's mind began to stir.

If Zhang Chengzhen can really do this, then he will not only rise to prominence in the future, but he may even have a chance to become the prime minister!

However, this is contingent on Zhang Cheng defeating the Jin Kingdom and taking over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!
"If I let you attack Yingzhou, how long would it take you?"

Looking at Song Jiang before him, Zhang Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at him.
As the pressure intensified, Song Jiang immediately declared, "Give me ten days! Ten days to conquer Yingzhou!"

"Ten days?"

Looking at Song Jiang with suspicion, Zhang Cheng's eyes sharpened.

Even he needed to personally take action to quickly conquer Yingzhou from the Liao Kingdom!
But Song Jiang only needs ten days. Could it be that this old fellow really has some kind of trick up his sleeve?
“That’s right, Pillar of State, as long as you hand over the brothers of Liangshan to Song Jiang, I will conquer Yingzhou within ten days!”

Looking confidently at Zhang Cheng, Song Jiang's eyes were bloodshot.
Because he was gambling, gambling with everything he had.
Looking at Song Jiang, Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "Alright, you are the commander of the Eighth Army Corps. I will hand over all the people of Liangshan to you!"

Addressing Song Jiang, Zhang Cheng paused for a moment before saying, "I don't care what methods you use, I just want Yingzhou."

"Yes, Pillar of State!"

He bowed with his hands clasped in greeting, his heart filled with excitement.
Zhang Cheng not only did not restrict him, but even returned all the brothers and soldiers of Liangshan. How could he not be excited!
Watching Song Jiang leave, Zhang Cheng's eyes turned cunning, because this old rascal was determined to go all the way down this dark path!
As for how Song Jiang attacked Yingzhou, Zhang Cheng didn't care. Just as he said, he only cared about the result; the process was unnecessary!
Just as Song Jiang was leading the remaining 20,000 Liangshan soldiers toward Yingzhou, Lu Zhishen and Wang Yin finally brought good news: the main force of the Gaochang Uyghurs had been defeated and was fleeing westward.
Looking at the letter in his hand, Zhang Cheng's eyes sharpened. "Order them to advance eastward and take Shuozhou as soon as possible."

For Wang Yin and Lu Zhishen, who were fighting in the west, their forces were primarily large-scale cavalry, making the capture of Shuozhou a potentially major challenge.
However, Zhang Cheng was not worried. Wang Yin would definitely have a solution. If all else failed, they would just blow it up!
With a two-pronged attack, Zhang Cheng was confident he could capture half of Yan and Yun before the Jin dynasty completely conquered the Liao territory.
As for whether the other side would start a war, Zhang Cheng didn't care at all. After all, he still wanted to "lose" a few soldiers. If the Jin Kingdom attacked directly, wouldn't that be tantamount to offering their necks up? In Bianliang, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, when Emperor Huizong learned that the Liangshan bandits had been wiped out, a gloomy expression appeared on his face.

Just then, Cai Jing rushed in and said, "It's terrible, Your Majesty! Something horrific has happened!"

"What's up!"

Looking at Cai Jing, Zhao Ji inquired.
"The Dingnan Army has marched north, and the Liangshan bandits they have incorporated are launching an offensive against Yingzhou!"

When Cai Jing addressed Zhao Ji, he was sweating profusely.

Because the Dingnan Army shared the same idea as the imperial court: to take advantage of the war between Liao and Jin to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

The problem is, the imperial court has already done its work, but the problem is, they haven't won!

After all, even the remnants of the Liao army caused the Northern Song Dynasty immense suffering, which is truly outrageous!

"Damn it! Without the imperial court's orders, how dare they launch an attack on Yingzhou without authorization!"

Speaking angrily, Zhao Ji couldn't help but feel annoyed.
Just after Zhao Ji finished speaking, a look of surprise appeared on his face as he asked, "They can conquer Yingzhou?"

"This, I do not know either!"

Looking at Zhao Ji before him, Cai Jing also felt a headache coming on.
After all, it's a well-known fact that the Dingnan Army is a formidable fighting force, and they have never suffered a defeat!

The problem is, the Liao Kingdom is no pushover either. If a war breaks out, it will definitely be a fierce battle between the two sides!

"What do you think about having the Dingnan Army fight the Liao Kingdom to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun as a buffer zone?"

Looking at Cai Jing, Zhao Ji had completely given up the struggle.

It's not that they haven't fought before, but the problem is, they can't win!
Instead of doing that, it would be better to give Zhang Cheng a title and let him go to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and incidentally resist the Jin Dynasty.
After all, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that the Jin Kingdom's fighting power is far greater than that of the Liao Kingdom. If they fail to acquire the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, wouldn't they be at an even greater disadvantage when facing the Jin Kingdom in the future?

Upon hearing Zhao Ji's words, Cai Jing was dumbfounded, because this wasn't just raising a foster father, it was raising a foster grandfather!

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun held a strategic position; they were a sharp blade hanging over the Song Dynasty.

Once the Dingnan Army marches north, the Song Dynasty will be powerless to stop it.
"Your Majesty, I think..."

Looking at Zhao Ji, Cai Jing felt he should try to win him over, otherwise he would be remembered with infamy for eternity.
"I don't care what you think, I care what I think!"

At this point, Zhao Ji turned his head and said, "Let's discuss what title to give Zhang Cheng! I hope he can understand my good intentions!"

Seeing Zhao Ji say this, Cai Jing was completely speechless.
Because he felt that if he became prime minister, he would eventually die alongside Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji).

The Dingnan Army's conquest of Tibet was already terrifying enough; they could even launch a counterattack against the Song Dynasty. Now you're giving away the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Have you really wasted your brain on music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and brothels?
However, seeing Zhao Ji's resolute expression, Cai Jing fell silent, cupped his hands, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Watching Cai Jing leave dejectedly, Zhao Ji returned to his study and said, "Alas, I know it's difficult, but I'm not Emperor Taizu, what can I do?"

(End of this chapter)