Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 291 Respecting the King and Expelling the Barbarians, Punishing the Disobedient

"how is this possible?"

Tan Zhen couldn't believe it; he simply couldn't believe it. No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible for the Jurchens to suddenly attack the Song Dynasty at this time.

This is truly illogical.

Tan Zhen was also reading the military report, looking at it again and again, and asked the exhausted knight, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

The knight replied, "I saw it with my own eyes! The Jurchen cavalry came all over the mountains and plains, and there was no end in sight..."

"Then how do you know it was 50,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry?" Tan Zhen asked again.

"The scouts reported that they had come to the city..." the knight replied weakly.

Tan Zhen wanted to ask something more, but he didn't continue. It was clearly true. Tan Zhen simply said, "Why have the Jurchens gone so mad?"

As they spoke, Tan Zhen also looked at Wang Anzhong.

The two couldn't understand it, and there was only one reason: they were used to comfort and didn't know that there was another type of person in the world who was born to take risks and lived their whole lives in danger. They had long been accustomed to risking their lives.

That group of people lived in the frigid mountains and forests, spending their days with bears and tigers. Every bite of food they ate was hard-won, obtained by risking their lives.

Now, they are hungry again, and they are short of food again, so they have to risk their lives to earn it.

Wang Anzhong had never witnessed war in his life, and he was filled with panic. However, he also knew that Minister Tan beside him was a seasoned veteran, so he quickly asked, "Minister Tan, what should we do?"

Tan Xiangong, being a seasoned veteran, remained composed and replied, "Since the war has begun, we should meet force with force and water with earth. There is no need to panic. We should deploy our troops and, moreover, quickly inform the capital, Tokyo."

Wang Anzhong nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, then we should mobilize troops and generals. Please, Lord Tan, mobilize troops and generals as soon as possible!"

Wang Anzhong knew nothing about this matter, so Tan Zhen, a veteran of many battles, became his pillar of support.

Tan Zhen sensed Wang Anzhong's unwavering reliance on him, and for a moment he even enjoyed it; this feeling was actually quite good.

Then Tan Zhen came and said, "The Jurchens attacked Hongzhou from Datong, and next they will be Weizhou. The Jurchens have many cavalry, so they can run faster than us. The defense line should be along the line of Yizhou, Zhuozhou, and Liangxiang, and then Yanjing City. Quickly transfer troops from all over to set up defenses. Guo Yaoshi will be stationed in Yanjing. The main focus should be on defense. We will wait for the imperial decree to come and for the Privy Council to discuss and decide. Then reinforcements will come!"

Tan Zhen's arrangements were fairly standard and proper.

Wang Anzhong felt much calmer, and the shock from before had subsided considerably. After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Why did the Jurchens suddenly attack? Could it really be because of Zhang Jue's matter? Are they demanding an explanation?"

"What are you afraid of? Zhang Jue's matter was authorized by the imperial court, not something you or I did on our own. Even if it is true that we are guilty of this, the blame does not lie with us!"

Tan Zhen naturally understood the meaning behind Wang Anzhong's words.

"Absolutely, absolutely. This matter is not between you and me. Now that war has broken out, with Prime Minister Tan overseeing Yanjing, there should be no worries!"

Wang Anzhong comforted himself, saying that the Prime Minister Tan in front of him was knowledgeable in military affairs and deeply trusted by the emperor and the court officials. In the past, when there were a million bandits in Jiangnan, this Prime Minister Tan was the deputy envoy and achieved great victories and merits.

Later, in the campaign against Liao, this Minister Tan also contributed greatly and made significant contributions.

These numerous achievements prove that this Lord Tan must be well-versed in military affairs.

With him around, I can feel more at ease.

Xu, the Jurchens don't really intend to wage a full-scale war; it all depends on how Minister Tan responds. If he handles it well, Xu will have achieved another great feat...

Peace of mind and peace of mind...

Tan Zhen, the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei and Hedong, naturally carried out military orders at this time. Within the Yan and Yun regions, troops from the east and west were transferred in large numbers to garrison the three cities of Yizhou, Zhuozhou, and Liangxiang.

Within Yanjing City, there are Guo Yaoshi's resentful troops and many former Liao soldiers. If we add them all together and draw troops from various tribes south of Yanshan, we should have around 40,000 men. If we also mobilize able-bodied men within the city to defend it, we can easily gather 100,000 men. The Liao people hate the Jurchens intensely, so mobilizing them shouldn't be too difficult.

Even the military orders to be sent to Hedong, and the report to the King of Taiyuan, were to be prepared for defense in case of a sudden attack by the Jurchens.

After much thought, I thought of Hebei, the former border between the Song and Liao dynasties. Each side should prepare for war, including cities like Xiongzhou, to guard against a sudden southward invasion by the Jurchens…

Logically speaking, the Jurchens should not have moved south. However, Minister Tan was quite meticulous and issued military orders to instruct them on how to prepare to march north into Yan and Yun to provide assistance.

With such preparations, it seems that the response is flawless. Let's keep this in mind for now and see what the imperial decree is.

But in the west, in the land of Hongzhou, there was already a scene of desolation. When the Jurchens came, all they did was rob. They robbed money, grain, and people. They just kidnapped people, men, women, and children. The young and strong were used to clear wasteland and work in the fields, the old men were used to raise livestock and serve people, and the children were raised to continue working.

If the Jurchens truly want to develop and remain powerful, population is of paramount importance. However, with a population of less than one million and only a few hundred thousand soldiers and men, the Jurchens are certainly not sustainable.

If we can capture two or three hundred people, then everything can get back on track. Of course, we can never have too many people; three or four million would be fine too.

Historically, when the Jurchens conquered Yan and Yun from the Liao Dynasty, this was the first thing they did: they almost completely relocated the population of Yan and Yun. Later, they returned Yan and Yun to the Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty naturally received the Yan and Yun they had.

Why don't the Jurchens massacre people anymore?
The logic is actually quite simple: people, like livestock, are property, slaves, and the underlying structure of this "pyramid scheme" organization.

In fact, the Jurchens valued their population very much...

One might think that these people who were taken away would suffer a terrible fate.
Actually, that's not necessarily true. These abducted slaves also had a future to strive for. They also had the opportunity to become slaves at a lower level, and they also had the chance to rise higher and higher, to obtain an official position, to improve their social standing, and even, as they rose, to become officials, or even generals and ministers.

Of course, this only applies to a minority; the vast majority of people are also miserable and wretched...

While Hongzhou was being plundered, the main army turned east and marched towards Weizhou...

Fifty thousand cavalrymen—what a formidable force! Horses covering the mountains and plains, large and small, old and mares, the entire herd marched together, feeding and grazing wherever they went…

The Jurchen soldiers even brought their lieutenants, slaves, and women with them. The military camp was a tribe, a place for both fighting and living.

Combat and daily life were not so separate. When they came in droves, it wasn't just 50,000 or 80,000 soldiers; it was like a huge tribe migrating, with even children among them.

Of course, this was the early period of the Jurchen people. Once they truly established their state, everyone would have a home, a house, and real estate, and things would become more stable. Once war broke out again, things would be different.

Even in cases of abduction, the entire family pitches in, managing the abducted people as if they were animals; the old and the young all work hard.

Looking at the city of Weizhou, it was completely surrounded, with all kinds of tents densely packed together. This army probably numbered seventy or eighty thousand soldiers, but those who came with them totaled at least two or three hundred thousand.

Even just looking down from the city wall is enough to make one's scalp tingle.

This was probably the last time the Jurchens would fight like this, because they were really about to start owning real estate and settle down.

Of course, the people these Jurchen soldiers and officers kept with them were not necessarily their Jurchen relatives.

In fact, they were all accompanied by slaves, and the female slaves had begun to give birth, and the children born were naturally Jurchen.

Many of the male slaves also took charge of the fighting, and many of them began to become beneficiaries, sharing in the spoils of war obtained by their masters. For many of them, life was not necessarily worse than before they were captured, and might even be better. As the spoils increased, their status and position naturally rose, and they even began to actively maintain their current way of life.

This is what makes these "pyramid schemes" so terrifying: they grow and expand extremely quickly, and can win people's hearts and minds in a very short time.

This model persisted even centuries later when the Manchus rose to power, and those so-called bondservants were able to thrive.

The events in Yanyun are brewing, but not very quickly. This is partly due to the Jurchens' raids, which are slowing down the process, and partly because the Jurchens are truly too poor.

Secondly, the Jurchens were still somewhat restrained at this time, and did not have the ambition to launch a rapid advance. They also maintained basic respect for the Song Dynasty and the Song army in Yanjing.

One doesn't know how bad the other is, and the other doesn't know how bad they are.

At this time, Su Wu and Zhong Shidao had already set up camp under the walls of Lingzhou City and began digging trenches to surround the city.

In fact, the number of Tangut soldiers inside the city was greater than that of the Song army outside the city.

However, the people inside the city did not come out to fight. For a time, Richard was unaware of the Song army's specific movements, since the Song army's overall strength far exceeded that of the Western Xia army.

In Richard's mind, Su Wu was indeed a formidable opponent.

Richard is neither Xiang Yu reincarnated nor invincible; he is simply a steady and experienced commander.

He knew that the Song army could not last long, and that holding the city was the best strategy to win. As long as the Song people could not take the city, they would retreat. Once the Song people retreated, the battle would be won, and the country and the nation could be saved.

If we can further expand our gains and pursue and kill the enemy, we might even achieve a great victory!

If we win this great victory, the Song people will not be able to launch such a large-scale offensive for at least twenty or thirty years, or even forty or fifty years.

Inside the main tent, Su Wu and Zhong Shidao sat facing each other, surrounded by numerous generals and soldiers. Xu Guanzhong, Wu Yong, Zhu Wu, and others had also arrived...

However, there was a small incident this time, namely the matter of Su Wu and Zhong Shidao offering each other seats. In the end, it was Su Wu who insisted that Zhong Shidao sit in the middle, with Su Wu to his side.

Among the assembled crowd, Su Wu spoke first: "This time, we are not in a hurry to fight. We should dig as many trenches as possible, keep digging, and wait for General Xin and Lord Zhong's army to arrive in Shunzhou and Huaizhou. Let them fight first, and then we will act according to the enemy's situation!"

Zhong Shidao nodded: "This strategy is brilliant. The main force of the Dangxiang army is only around 60,000 to 70,000, and most of them are currently stationed in Lingzhou and Baojing. As for the conscripted laborers, they cannot leave the cities. Therefore, the Dangxiang army that can leave the cities is only around 60,000 to 70,000. This is all because of the great victory that Commander Su achieved against 30,000 Dangxiang infantry and cavalry in the southern desert. Right now, there are still more than 20,000 Dangxiang cavalry, which is of utmost importance. However, we do not know where they are hiding. The scouts of various tribes should search more!"

As he spoke, Zhong Shidao frowned. In the past few days, countless scouts had been sent out, but they could not find the Tangut cavalry anywhere.

Logically, the Tangut cavalry should be hiding somewhere, waiting for the situation to become clearer before appearing behind the main army. Whether it's to launch an attack or cut off their supplies, this is a tactic that the Tanguts rely on, and they couldn't possibly ignore it.

Su Wu frowned and said, "Brother Richard is getting more and more cautious..."

Zhong Shidao replied, “For us, this battle has already resulted in the capture of all the border cities of the Dangxiang and the four counties of Hexi, a truly great victory. Even if the war ends here, you will all have merits and return in triumph. The Dangxiang people do not know that we came with the sole purpose of destroying the country and will not give up until we achieve our goal. Therefore, it is understandable that Brother Richard is cautious and conservative. They cannot afford to lose. If they lose, there will be no more Dangxiang!”

Su Wu thought for a moment and said, "We should still send more scouts, but perhaps the main force of the Dangxiang cavalry is really hiding in Baojing City, north of Lingzhou. Why? It is a cautious and conservative move, to ensure that we do not lose the city before planning for victory. This will keep us in the dark and prevent us from finding them. They will only appear when we need them. Therefore, we should send more scouts to garrison Baojing City in the north!"

Zhong Shidao thought about it seriously and said, "That makes some sense. Perhaps it really is so. It seems that the cavalry really have to take the risk and head further north!"

"We still need to force them out!" Su Wu said, then added, "Therefore, we should transport more siege equipment recently!"

“Excellent! This place is extremely difficult to besiege. Why? Because timber is hard to find and siege equipment is hard to manufacture. As long as a large number of siege weapons appear here and on the road, Richard will inevitably become more and more anxious, and the cavalry may then appear.” Zhong Shidao slapped his thigh.

This young man is truly resourceful and clever; whenever trouble arises, he comes up with a quick and effective solution.

Young man, you're really quick-witted!
Zhong Shidao then asked, "Commander Su, do you already have a way to defeat the enemy cavalry?" Su Wu nodded slightly, "I have some plans, but they still need to be perfected!"

Throughout history, the difficulty of defeating cavalry has been well-documented, and there is essentially only one way to achieve this: to have a cavalry force that is stronger than the enemy's. This has been the case in the Han Dynasty's campaigns against the Xiongnu and the Tang Dynasty's campaigns against the Turks. To defeat enemy cavalry, one's own cavalry must be even more skilled in combat.

Otherwise, there would be no way to achieve a great victory over the enemy cavalry; at most, they could only repel them.

Zhong Shidao had no idea what method Su Wu could use to achieve a great victory against a strong cavalry with a weak cavalry.

But for some reason, he believed that Su Wu must have a truly ingenious plan, and simply said, "Then let's wait for Commander Su to make his decision!"

Everyone looked at Su Wu, their faces filled with eager anticipation. They believed that Su Wu was indeed cunning and that a great victory was within reach.

Su Wu gestured for him to speak: "Victory or defeat, it will be decided in just two battles. The first will be against the enemy cavalry, and the second will be the siege of the city. Both will depend on your bravery. But first, we must do what is right in front of us and guard against enemy attacks from within the city. The trenches must be dug more and more. No soldier in any unit can afford to be complacent!"

Everyone stood up: "Yes, sir!"

Su Wu waved his hand and left, and everyone else got up and left as well. Suddenly, Su Wu realized what he had done and gave Zhong Shidao an apologetic smile. He shouldn't have overstepped his bounds and acted like the commander-in-chief, since Zhong Shidao was the commander-in-chief.

But Zhong Shidao smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright. The strategy for this battle is all yours, and the credit for this battle is all yours. Every general, big or small, in the army respects you. You don't need to be like this. As long as you don't make any mistakes and as long as we win the battle, why should I listen to you? You know I'm not that petty, greedy, or self-serving..."

Su Wu rose to offer a bow...

Zhong Shidao quickly pulled him over, saying, "Sit down... Tell me about your plan to break through the land, and I will be truly delighted!"

Su Wu nodded: "Then let's talk about it... First, if the enemy cavalry comes out, they will definitely head straight for our rear to plunder our grain and supplies... Since we know they will do this, we can't find them to fight... So let's wait for them to come."

"Will you set up ambushes with supplies in the future?" Zhong Shidao asked.

"Setting up an ambush like this is difficult. First, we don't know exactly when they will appear, and second, their scouts are not to be underestimated..." Su Wu replied.

“That…” Zhong Shidao understood; it wasn’t that simple.
"Therefore, we need to solve two things: first, we need to be certain that they will appear, and second, we need to deceive their scouts."

“You said…” Zhong Shidao was getting a little impatient, feeling that Su Wu was keeping him in suspense.

"Haha... Old Master, sometimes, the more you lie in ambush, the less likely they are to come. It's better to be open and aboveboard, which is simpler. Organize a massive logistical transport operation, including equipment, provisions, and even money. Just pack it up and stretch it for miles. Send out all our cavalry, and we'll also need to temporarily transfer another 10,000 to 20,000 men from Huanqing and Fuyan to escort it. Make a big show of it, and even have Chief Steward Liu personally escort it all the way from Fuyan!"

"To do the opposite of what is expected?" Zhong Shidao pondered slowly.

"Indeed, let's do the opposite and make a big show of it. Richard, do you think we can't last long? Let's show them how long we can last!"

"Commander Su's intention is to let Brother Richard know that as long as such logistical supplies arrive, the army will not lack food, supplies, or equipment for a short period of time, and can sustain a long siege. Therefore, no matter how cautious Brother Richard is, he has no choice but to take action?"

Zhong Shidao clearly understood.

“Yes…” Su Wu nodded.

"It would be difficult to organize such a large-scale shipment, and we don't have that much stuff to transport..."

Others may not know, but Zhong Shidao certainly does. The army's logistics are already difficult, and they are becoming even more difficult now. If it weren't for the merchants from Hebei and Jingdong helping with the transport, the army would soon be short of food if it relied solely on the imperial court. Where would they find so much grain, fodder, and money to carry?

Su Wu suddenly smiled mysteriously: "It doesn't matter if we don't have anything to put, we can put people in. We also have barricades. Since it's not the kind of ambush we used to set up, then we'll have the Tangut cavalry charge in. We'll load up cartloads of barricades and wait for them to come! I'll personally escort them..."

“Oh… excellent plan! The carriage is filled with barricades and soldiers, drawing the Tanguts to attack the camp. The barricades are spread everywhere to block the cavalry raid. Isn’t this similar to the plan of General Guo Zi during the reign of Emperor Renzong?” Zhong Shidao nodded and asked.

Su Wu nodded in agreement: "Indeed, as long as we can slow down the enemy cavalry, the infantry can surround and attack, and there are more than 10,000 cavalrymen to strangle them from the side. The enemy cavalry will surely be defeated. However, if this plan is to succeed, we should send troops again, from Huanqing and Fuyan... Hiding them in the carriages will be difficult, and they will not be able to come out for at least six or seven days."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shidao said, "If we transfer any more, then Huanqing and Fuyan will be completely empty..."

"In a life-or-death battle, there's no time to think too much. If we're out of options, so be it. We've already fought this far. When it comes to a decisive victory, all the troops in Guanzhong that can be mobilized will be deployed and hidden inside the carriages!"

Su Wu was truly going all out, because if he were to fail in this endeavor, the Tanguts would launch a full-scale attack and could march all the way to Chang'an, the capital of the Tanguts. Chang'an would be left with few soldiers to defend it, and then Guanzhong would truly fall, and Tongguan would be in grave danger. If Tongguan also fell, and the Tanguts became truly ruthless, they could advance straight into the area south of Hedong and west of Hebei...

Where can we find an army to stop us? Can we rely on the imperial guards of the capital?
Even if they were defeated in the past, no matter how much the Tanguts pursued and killed them, they could not get past these cities and fortresses in the northwest. If they did that this time, it would be abandoning the defenses of these cities and fortresses. If they were to be defeated again, how could they stabilize the situation?
The consequences could be disastrous!

Zhong Shidao frowned deeply. This was a huge gamble, risking his life!
To gamble or not to gamble?

Zhong Shidao looked at Su Wu's resolute face... He was still somewhat hesitant...

Su Wu succinctly remarked, "The court is urging us on, and the current situation is excellent, but our logistics are inadequate. This cannot last long. If we were to simply give up now, when we return to face the Emperor and the other officials, we would be nothing more than cowards who have wasted so much money and supplies. The Emperor has raised hundreds of thousands of troops, and we are nothing more than traitors who have been negligent in our war efforts..."

Master Zhong sighed deeply...

Su Wu continued, “Furthermore, if we cannot completely annihilate the Dangxiang this time, as you know, the war between our Great Song and the Jurchens is inevitable. In the future, the Dangxiang will certainly be allies of the Jurchens, fighting on two fronts. With the current strength of our Great Song army, how can we possibly withstand it? Apart from the eastern and northwestern regions, where else in the world can we find a capable army? It will inevitably be a situation where I fight a bitter battle in the eastern and northern regions, while you, my esteemed ...

As he spoke, Su Wu couldn't help but sigh, wanting Zhong Shidao to know that there was really no other way now.

The Tangut state was incredibly difficult to conquer. Even the Mongol Empire, which later rose to become the world's strongest power, fought against the Tangut five times.

At this point, the Tangut people had already weakened to this extent. If they did not seize this opportunity, Su Wu would have no strength left after the war with the Jurchens began.

Where would the Song Dynasty find the strength to spare?
Does Zhong Shidao, who is seventy years old, still have the energy to spare?
How could Master Zhong not understand? How could he not comprehend?

The officials in the court and the emperor thought the Han and Tang dynasties were just around the corner, but Zhong Shidao also knew that the Han and Tang dynasties were still a long way off...

All the soldiers in the world are before us, but if we count them all, the truly elite troops number only about 100,000.

Right now, it's all in one go, to take over all the prefectures and cities in the Northwest, and the Guanzhong Plain, all in one go...

But Su Wu retorted, "If it succeeds, it succeeds; if it fails, my old lord, and I will both perish first!"

"Sigh..." Zhong Shidao sighed again...

The old man, nearly seventy years old, was inevitably old and his ambition had waned. Taking too much risk made him really hesitant.

"Let's do it this way!" Su Wu stood up. After discussing it for so long, he was ready to make up his mind.

Zhong Shidao only asked, "Are you sure you can win?"

"If I personally enter the fray and cannot win, I will die in the battle. You, my husband, will clean up this mess!"

Su Wu spoke with absolute certainty, and his steps were already leading him out of the tent. He stepped outside, looked up at the sky, and saw it was a hazy yellow...

There wasn't a single cloud in sight; spring hadn't arrived in the Helan Mountains yet!

But then a soldier rushed toward the main tent, shouting, "Military intelligence! Military intelligence! Urgent military intelligence!"

Zhong Shidao had already come out, waiting for the messenger to approach and deliver the military intelligence. Zhong Shidao opened the package, read it, and said only one word: "Attack!"

Su Wu didn't look, but said only, "The Jurchens have entered Yan and Yun, haven't they?"

Zhong Shidao was taken aback upon hearing this: "How does Commander Su know this?"

“Only this matter could force the old master to be so determined to fight!” Su Wu said.

Zhong Shidao nodded slightly, but then pondered and asked, "The Jurchen invasion, could it be a major war?"

Su Wu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly shook his head slightly: "It's unlikely! Perhaps they'll just plunder a little..."

"That's good, then let's fight quickly! We can't afford to delay!" Zhong Shidao was well aware of the strategic changes involved.

"Then please give the order, General!" Su Wu said, which was the proper procedure.

"I'll go draft it right away!" Zhong Shidao turned and left immediately; there was no time to delay any longer!
The news also reached the capital.

The emperor and his entourage sat in the Dragon Pavilion once more.

The emperor was furious: "Barbarians! Truly barbarians! They know nothing of gratitude, only resentment! Even Zhang Jue, who volunteered, failed to win their loyalty. They start a war over trivial matters, like children on the street, resorting to fists and kicks at the slightest disagreement. Truly barbarians!"

Cai Jing echoed, "As the old saying goes, barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue. Is this really true? Perhaps it is because our Song Dynasty has not dealt with barbarians for many years that we have suddenly begun to treat these barbarians as gentlemen!"

"If he wants war, then let him fight. Let's see how many tens of thousands of Jurchen soldiers he has?" The emperor was now truly very confident.

Historically, at this juncture, emperors have had their share of confidence.

But the confidence I felt at that moment vanished very quickly.

Tong Guan actually replied: "The Jurchens have an army of 80,000, including 50,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry."

"A mere 80,000 soldiers? Have you not heard that my Great Song Dynasty is a nation with a million armored soldiers?" With the emperor's power at his feet, it has been said since ancient times that when the emperor is angry, a million will die. At this moment, Zhao Ji really had that kind of spirit.

Then he said, "Then let's fight! My Yan and Yun regions have 100,000 troops, Hebei has 200,000 troops, and Hedong has 100,000 troops. With these 400,000 troops, let's see how those little Jurchens, lacking food and soldiers, will cope! If we don't fight, it won't be enough to demonstrate the might of Heaven. Very well, if we fight this time, we can teach them what the etiquette of a subject is in the future! This is what the ancient sages said: 'Respect the king, expel the barbarians, and punish the disobedient!'"

Tong Guan frowned slightly but remained silent. This was no longer just the Song Dynasty about to fight; it was the Jurchens invading, so a fight was inevitable.

Worrying is useless... We can only hope that Tan Zhen can handle the situation well, hold off the Jurchens for now, and wait for them to retreat.

Only Wang Fu looked at the emperor as if he were about to cry. Another beating? And another four hundred thousand?

The first 300,000 yuan wasn't even settled, and now another 400,000 yuan is needed...

But the emperor's body was trembling; what could be done?

"Issue the imperial decree, instructing Tan Zhen to coordinate the troops in Hebei, Hedong, and Yanyun, and to deliver a crushing blow to the Jurchens!" The emperor waved his hand.

There are only two things at hand: first, to destroy the Tanguts; and second, to subdue the Jurchens.

In this way, the world will be at peace, all nations will pay tribute, the four seas will be at peace, and the Han and Tang dynasties will be in our grasp!

(Brothers, it's all starting...)
(End of this chapter)