The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 379 Suspicion and Decision (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The moonlight was like water, the night was deep and dark, in Xingzhou City.

Inside the mansion, Azi watched Mu Wanqing and the other two leave and quickly locked the door.

Then she blew out most of the candles, leaving only two small beaded lamps by the bedside. She sat cross-legged on the couch and took the Divine Wood King Cauldron from her waist.

Her expression held a slightly strange undertone, with a hint of excitement.

That night, she used a dagger to pry open the crack in the Divine Wood Cauldron, causing a bright crimson light to shine out, enveloping half the room, and finally slowly entering her body.

The crimson light seemed to be true qi and internal energy, possessing immense power, but it was also different. Later, she gradually understood that it was actually magic power.

After the Divine Wood King Cauldron emitted a red light, a scripture entered her mind, called the Blood-Transforming Plague Scripture. According to this scripture, one could cultivate endless Dao Qi and various spells, which were infinitely mysterious.

She has been secretly practicing these days and has already mastered the basics, and has even developed magical power, which is that red light.

Originally, she was a newcomer to this path, with a low level of cultivation and not much magical power. However, by absorbing the red light of the Divine Wood King Cauldron and combining it with her Taoist magic, she made rapid progress every day.

The light from the Divine Wood King Cauldron didn't just appear once. Ever since she absorbed it, every night when she practiced the Blood Transformation Plague Scripture, it would activate the Divine Wood King Cauldron's strange power, emitting light for her to absorb.

Azi was overjoyed. She thought to herself that once she had mastered this technique, she would no longer be afraid of Zhao Ti. She would settle scores and grievances, and she would definitely suppress him severely, bind and restrain the king, and beat him with candles. She would see if he would dare to bully her again.

She suppressed her excitement every day, pretending nothing had happened, and continued tending to the flowers and reading, only to secretly cultivate at night.

However, this was too stifling, and she feared she couldn't endure it for long. When she could no longer maintain the pretense, she would leave Xingzhou and seek revenge on Zhao Ti, to show him who the real king was.

At this moment, Ah Zi was filled with rage at the thought of revenge, but she suppressed it and began to practice her skills.

As she progressed through the sixth level of cultivation, her magical power flowed throughout her body. The Divine Wood Cauldron in front of her emitted wisps of blood-red light, which she absorbed into her mouth and refined into herself.

Just as midnight approached and she was about to finish her practice, the sound of the courtyard gate opening came from outside.

She suddenly opened her eyes and looked outside. Her eyes were bright red, and her pupils seemed to be flowing with blood.

Her lips curved slightly upward, revealing two bright, sharp little tiger teeth that had somehow transformed into fangs. She took a deep breath.

The red light in his eyes vanished in an instant, and his teeth returned to their original shape.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by A-Zhu's voice: "Is my sister asleep?"

Azi hurriedly hid the Divine Wood King Cauldron under the covers and asked, "Sister, is something wrong?"

Azhu said from outside, "I don't know why, but I can't fall asleep tonight. I was thinking that if my sister is still awake, I'll talk to her."

Azi rolled her eyes: "I haven't slept either. I'll go open the door for my sister."

As she spoke, she got up, got out of bed, and opened the door. There she saw Azhu holding a small lotus-shaped night lamp, standing in front of the door. The moonlight was like water, making her look like a fairy in white, with unparalleled beauty.

Azi immediately smiled and said, "Sister, will you stay with me tonight?"

Azhu nodded with a smile, and after entering the room, she suddenly said, "Sister, there seems to be some strange aura in this room?"

Azi blinked her eyes and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Maybe it's because I burned incense earlier. Why can't you sleep, sister?"

Azhu said, "Thinking about my sister's background, I toss and turn at night, always wanting to talk to her."

Upon hearing this, Azi couldn't help but think to herself, "This Sister Yu'er is really strange. She has shown interest in my background ever since we were at Little Mirror Lake, and it's even more so in Xingzhou. What is the reason for this?"
If you're just curious about what happened back then, you can go talk to Sister Mu and Sister Zhong. They are both Duan Zhengchun's illegitimate daughters. There's no need to keep pressing yourself. Could there be some other reason behind this?
She said, "Sister, you've come at the perfect time. I couldn't sleep either. Why don't you stay here with me tonight?"

Azhu nodded, feeling a pang of heartache as she looked at Azi. Thinking of the suffering Azi had endured since childhood in the Xingxiu Sect, she felt as if she were experiencing it herself, feeling both sad and remorseful.

She took Azi's hand: "Okay, then sister, stay at my place tonight and have a chat with me."

After tidying up, the two went to bed and started chatting.

It was hot in the summer, and everyone was dressed lightly. Azi vaguely saw that Azhu was wearing something around her neck, like a chain or something similar, just like the one she had seen before. A sense of familiarity suddenly arose inexplicably.

She racked her brains, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the chain of the longevity lock she wore?

Azi secretly glanced down at her neck. Although the other person could only make out a blurry picture, it was unmistakably the same as the rope on her longevity pendant, almost identical.

She was immediately taken aback. How could Sister Yu'er possibly have the same chain?
At Little Mirror Lake, she heard Ruan Xingzhu say that her longevity lock was custom-made, not a ready-made item bought from a shop, and that there couldn't possibly be another one exactly the same in the world...

No, no! Azi suddenly opened her mouth wide. There wasn't just one longevity lock. There was another one with the same design, but with different inscriptions, on her sister Azhu, who had also been abandoned.

Could it be...? Ah Zi's eyes widened in surprise.

Sister Yu'er always cared about my family background. She not only helped me resolve my inner conflicts but also taught me principles and worldly wisdom. She cared about me even more than Sister Mu and Sister Zhong.

My master once said that there is no such thing as kindness without a reason, and everything has a cause. There are no waves that rise from nowhere. So what is the reason why Sister Yu'er is so good to me?

Could it be that Sister Yu'er is Sister A'Zhu? Her own sister who was abandoned before her?
When Azi looked at Azhu's face, she felt that there was indeed a resemblance to her, but it was not very obvious. However, when she saw the mischievous and clever look between Azhu's eyebrows, she was suddenly surprised. Wasn't this a bit similar to Ruan Xingzhu's temperament?
The other person is kind to me, and there are some similarities between her and Ruan Xingzhu. They also have the same chain around their necks, and the longevity plaque below them must be the same as well. So it's almost certain that it's Sister A Zhu!
Why doesn't my sister tell me the truth? Does she dislike me? But it doesn't seem like it. She should stay away from me. Why be so close? But what is the reason?

"What are you thinking about, little sister?" A'Zhu asked, noticing A'Zi's eyes darting around, their light flickering. "I... I was thinking about my childhood, about living in Xingxiu Sea. Now the sect is torn apart, and I wonder what has become of Xingxiu Sea," A'Zi said.

Her voice was slightly weak, but in her heart she was wondering why the other party did not reveal their identity. Yes, yes, it must be because of the king. The king was preventing Sister A'Zhu from recognizing her.

As for why she was being obstructed, it must be because she looked down on her and was always threatening to kill her. If she were to be accepted by her older sister, she might be slapped to death later, which would be hard to explain. After all, she was her older sister's own sister, which meant she was her sister-in-law, but she was different from her older sisters, Mu and Zhong.

Hmph, you little king! You look down on me? I'll make you look at me differently! You don't know I've practiced magic, do you? Once I've mastered my magic, I'll definitely teach you a lesson.

If you ignore me today, I'll make sure you can't afford to be with me!
Her mind was racing, and her expression betrayed it. Seeing this, A'Zhu said with a puzzled look, "Sister, you should stop thinking about the Starry Sea. Start living a new life now, study hard, and forget about those things completely in the future."

Upon hearing this, Azi quickly replied, "I understand, sister. I will definitely study hard and become a good, kind, and useful person in the future, so that you won't have to worry about me."

Now that she had guessed A'Zhu's identity, her tone inevitably became more intimate. A'Zhu was different from Duan Zhengchun and Ruan Xingzhu; both of them had been abandoned by the other party, and A'Zhu had been abandoned even earlier than her. Even though A'Zhu was twisted and capricious, and had unpredictable likes and dislikes, after going through so much hardship and being forced to follow the rules and regulations set by Zhao Ti, and being biological sisters, they inevitably developed some feelings of kinship.

Seeing that her tone had become more intimate, A'Zhu couldn't help but feel pleased and said, "Sister, it's good that you understand. This way, we won't let down your sister's good intentions and the young master's painstaking efforts."

When Azi heard Azhu mention Zhao Ti, she clenched her fist secretly, feeling annoyed and letting out a soft snort. But for some reason, she also felt a little confused and said, "Sister, I...I'm a little sleepy."

Azhu smiled and said, "Then let's stop chatting and go to sleep." After saying that, she let go of Azi's hand and gently closed her eyes.

Azi looked at her and pretended to close her eyes as well, but in her heart she was wondering whether to reveal the relationship between the two sisters. However, after thinking about it, she decided to wait until she had mastered the Taoist arts before doing so. Otherwise, if Zhao Ti found out and attacked her in anger, and she was no match for him, wouldn't all her previous efforts be in vain?
Thinking of this, she reached out her arm, hesitated, and then grasped Azhu's hand tightly. A sense of peace she had never felt before welled up in her heart, and she fell asleep...

In Zhuozhou City, Zhao Ti was reviewing the battle reports sent by the Western Army.

Zhang Jie led his troops to attack the city three times, scattering the Shuozhou defenders, but still failed to capture Shuozhou. Later, it was the Shenxiao Dao people who infiltrated the army at night, climbed the city wall, and secretly broke the spell of the Shuozhou defenders, thus capturing the pass.

Zhao Ti put down the battle report and pondered deeply. Fighting on two fronts is a major taboo in military strategy. Even if two cities were captured at this time, it would not be considered a victory.

The Song army only had a total of over 400,000 troops. If the Liao army were to gather a large force regardless of the cost, it could probably reach two million.

At this point, it's no longer just about how skilled the soldiers are or how fierce the generals are; it's about how much the enemy's military strength has deteriorated due to years of neglect of military affairs, and whether they can still participate in a major war.

It also depends on how many people on the other side are skilled in magic, and how many strange and unpredictable spells they have that can affect the battle situation and the battlefield.

The eastern army of the Great Song Dynasty is different from the western army, and the seven prefectures in front of the mountains are also different from the seven prefectures behind the mountains.

The seven prefectures in front of the mountain originally included Yingzhou and Mozhou in the Song Dynasty. Now, after passing Zhuozhou, they directly faced Youzhou ahead.

Youzhou, also known as Yanjing, was the Nanjing Xijin Prefecture of the Liao Dynasty.

Youzhou was the largest of the sixteen prefectures. Not only that, it was also the largest city among the five capitals of the Liao Kingdom, and the largest, most magnificent, and most populous of all the cities and passes in the Liao Kingdom.

The Liao dynasty established five capitals: Shangjing Linhuangfu, Zhongjing Dadingfu, Dongjing Liaoyangfu, Nanjing Xijinfu, and Xijing Datongfu.

Among them, Shangjing Linhuangfu was the capital of Liao, and Youzhou was Nanjing Xijinfu. With a circumference of nearly forty li, it was the largest of the five capitals in terms of area, population, market prosperity, and palaces. The city not only had a complete palace and government offices, but also dense residential and commercial areas, making it one of the main residences of the Liao emperors.

It can be said that Youzhou was not only a vital passage from south to north, but also a major source of economic circulation for the Liao Dynasty. It was a gateway for Liao to other countries and was of paramount importance to Liao.

If Youzhou were to fall, Liao would lose its southern gateway and a vital passage to the north, resulting in immeasurable strategic losses. It would also lose its main source of external economic circulation, which would be a severe blow to its national strength. Moreover, once Youzhou is lost, Liao's prestige among the tribes of the grasslands would inevitably decline, causing unrest among the people and potentially leading to various conflicts.

It can be said that if the Song Dynasty could truly capture Youzhou, it would have the strength to continue to compete with the Khitan and determine the true ownership of the world.

At the end of the Five Dynasties period, the Jin Gou (a type of ancient Chinese state) was incomplete. Reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures was to repair the Jin Gou. If the military force were to point its spearhead directly at the tribes in the grasslands, it would be following the example of the Han and Tang dynasties.

But was Youzhou easy to conquer? Not at all. Even if they conquered Youzhou, it would be extremely difficult to take advantage of the victory and destroy the Khitan.

Zhao Ti stared blankly at the scrolls on the table in front of him, his brows gradually furrowing.

Youzhou originally had a garrison of around 100,000 troops, but now it has gathered more than 300,000 troops, several hundred generals, and countless mages who can use magic. Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty's Eastern Route Army only has a mere 200,000 troops. It is simply too difficult for them to attack a formidable city with more than 300,000 troops stationed there.

Under normal circumstances, in order to gain an advantage and achieve a decisive victory in a siege, the troop strength must be at least three times that of the defending army in the city in order to carry out a siege and strong attack.

Otherwise, a direct assault is simply not feasible, because no matter how powerful the siege equipment is, the attacking side will always suffer greater losses than the defending side, and the casualties will always be far greater than those of the defending side. Unless the attacking side has a significant advantage in troops, a direct assault will almost always end in defeat.

Throughout history, the sieges and attacks on strategic passes have mostly followed this pattern. Although there have been a few isolated cases where a city was captured with roughly the same or fewer troops, these are exceptions and cannot be considered normal situations. Strategically, they can be completely ignored.

So, with the Song army's current strength, going to Youzhou is not exactly like throwing an egg against a rock, but the chances of winning are really not high.

A siege is not an option, and a direct assault is also difficult; it will likely be necessary to engage in battle formations first.

Finding an opportunity to break through a city in battle is also a very difficult task. The root cause is insufficient troops. The enemy is backed by the Yanjing Pass, and it is impossible to surround them. It is feared that the enemy will exploit their weak points to break through the city. It is also difficult to attack. If a melee breaks out on the front line, it will be difficult to win without a clever plan.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Ti began to write a memorial to Zhao Xu. After finishing the memorial, he wrote a letter to Zhang Jie.

He had the authority to make decisions at the front lines, directly ordering Zhang Jie to train the troops in Shuozhou, and then dispatching 90% of them to Zhuozhou to merge the two armies.

In the battle of Yanyun, dividing the troops was disadvantageous; to take Youzhou, the army had to be combined.

(End of this chapter)