The prince is more stable

Chapter 534: Recovering Lost Land
What does it mean to see a ray of hope after a dark period? What does it mean to have a sudden turn of events?
This is probably the feeling of the Liao Dynasty's rulers and ministers at that time.

For the current Song-Liao border, the Liao Dynasty's rulers and ministers may be the ones who know best what Zhao Xiaoqian's dismissal from office means, at least better than the Song Dynasty's rulers and ministers.

In the past year, the Liao Kingdom has gradually fallen into a passive position of being beaten, and all this is because of Zhao Xiaoqian.

Without him and the firearms he invented, how could the Liao Kingdom be defeated time and time again without being able to fight back and its troops retreat again and again?

If firearms had not appeared, the Liao army would still be invincible in the world, and would not be as frustrated and humiliated as it is today.

Inside the main hall of the Liao Palace, Yelu Hongji smiled heartily.

It seemed like he hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.

Zhao Xiaoqian's dismissal from office was a rare opportunity for the Liao Dynasty. It seemed as if God had His will and could not bear to see the Liao Dynasty decline and perish, so He finally showed mercy and gave the Liao Dynasty a glimmer of hope.

"Seize this opportunity, Your Majesty, we must seize this opportunity!" Yelu Otera's face flushed red, like a starving wolf that saw its prey before dying. His eyes were full of greed and almost crazy red light.

Yelu Hongji nodded: "Yes, we must seize this opportunity. Perhaps, this is the only chance for my Great Liao."

Xiao Wuna said at the right moment: "Your Majesty, I suggest that we send troops immediately. The army can gather in Nanjing and launch an offensive against the Song Kingdom."

Yelu Hongji said happily, "This time, I have decided to mobilize the elite imperial guards from the Five Capitals and Shangjing, totaling 100,000 troops and horses, and march south!"

Yelu Otera bowed and said, "I beg for battle!"

Xiao Wuna's eyes flickered, and he said, "I, too, wish to fight."

Xiao Wuna was not a civil servant, in fact, he was a famous military commander in the Liao Dynasty. In the past few years, he had been serving as the commander of the army in the northeast, specifically dealing with the Jurchen tribes in the northeast.

During his years in office, Xiao Wuna used all kinds of means to kill, plunder, and alienate the Jurchen tribes, and the effect was quite good. The Jurchen tribes were severely damaged by him, and the tribes were suspicious of each other and it was difficult to unite. This temporarily saved the Liao Kingdom from future troubles.

Seeing his two most trusted ministers asking for battle at the same time, Yelu Hongji smiled even more happily.

I am not the emperor of Song. I have never been incompetent, and I will never do such foolish things as being suspicious of my meritorious officials and destroying the Great Wall.

"Alright, both of you may lead your troops to battle. I have decided to divide the 100,000-man army into three divisions, one each led by you two and Yelu Chun, the Nanjing garrison commander."

Yelu Hongji clapped his hands and shouted, "Come here, get the map!"

The palace servants brought in a heavy and huge sheepskin map and slowly spread it out in the hall like a red carpet. The border between Song and Liao, cities and towns within and outside the country, mountains, highways, etc. were all drawn on the map.

The three of them squatted on the ground, leaned close to the map, and stared at the Feihu Bingmasi on the border between Song and Liao, which is now the base of the Song army's Longwei Camp on the south bank of the Juma River.

Yelu Hongji pointed at the map and said slowly, "I have decided that our army will march south in three parallel directions, from the south, southwest, and southeast, into the territory of Song."

Xiao Wuna was stunned and asked, "Your Majesty, why don't we recapture the lost territory and recapture the Feihu Military Command? Instead, we split into three groups and march south. Isn't this deliberately bypassing the Song Army's Dragon Guard Camp?"

Yelu Hongji smiled and said, "Yes, I did deliberately avoid them... The Dragon Guard Battalion is fully equipped with firearms and has over 30,000 men. Even if the Liao Dynasty mobilized its entire military, it would be difficult to win. Therefore, this time, we can only temporarily avoid the Dragon Guard Battalion and share our work."

Yelu Hongji pointed at the map and said, "The southwestern branch will be led by Yelu Wutera, with a total of 30,000 soldiers and horses. After crossing the Juma River, they will continue to advance and head straight for Taiyuan Prefecture in the Song Dynasty."

Yelu Otera was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

The Song Dynasty's Taiyuan Prefecture was actually very close to the Central Plains. If Taiyuan Prefecture could be captured, the south would be flat and the Song Dynasty's capital, Bianjing, would be within the Liao army's reach and could be easily taken.

Yelu Hongji looked at Xiao Wuna again and said, "I will give you 30,000 soldiers and horses. Go down from the southeast, pass through Hejian, cross the Yellow River, conquer Xingzhou, and go straight to Damingfu."

Yelu Otera asked doubtfully, "What about Zhending Prefecture? Did they really bypass it? Your Majesty, our army is marching south in two directions, and Zhending Prefecture is a thorn in our side. If we avoid it, we will be attacked from both sides..."

Yelu Hongji smiled faintly. "I have my own arrangements... You two will each lead 30,000 troops, and the remaining 40,000 will be handed over to Yelu Chun, the Nanjing garrison. I will have him temporarily station 40,000 troops in Nanjing, awaiting the response of the Song Army's Dragon Guard Battalion..."

"As far as I know, the Song Dynasty's firearms are only equipped in the Dragon Guard Battalion. The rest of the army is still vulnerable. If you two armies march south, the Dragon Guard Battalion will definitely react. The Emperor of Song will also definitely order the Dragon Guard Battalion to retreat south and pursue you two..."

"At that time, Yelu Chun's 40,000 troops could take advantage of the fact that the Juma River and Zhending Prefecture were unguarded and launch a surprise attack, capturing Zhending City in one fell swoop and recovering the over 400 miles of territory lost by the Liao Dynasty!"

Yelu Hongji grew increasingly excited as he spoke, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. He gritted his teeth and declared, "If we capture Zhending City, I will slaughter the entire city, leaving no one alive, to comfort the souls of the 80,000 soldiers who died on the battlefield!" Yelu Wutera and Xiao Wuna were awed, and they said in unison, "We approve of slaughtering the entire city to avenge our grievances!"

Yelu Hongji said coldly, "If we take Zhending City, the Song State will have lost its strategic initiative. Not only will we recover our lost territory, but we will also expand our territory. More importantly, the Song army will have no strategic defenses. Even if they counterattack, even with invincible firearms, they will not be able to recapture Zhending City for a while."

"By then, even if the Emperor of Song reinstated Zhao Xiaoqian, the situation would have been irreversible and he would have been powerless to reverse it."

Xiao Wuna stared at the map for a long moment before waking up from a dream. He uttered, "Your Majesty, you have a great plan! In reality, the forces led by Yelu Otera and I are merely feinting. What Your Majesty truly desires is Zhending City!"

Yelu Hongji smiled with satisfaction. "Xiao Wuna is truly brilliant. He saw through my plan. You are right. Your two armies have penetrated deep into Song territory. Song will surely mobilize its entire nation to resist. Your limited force is incapable of defending the captured cities. This can only serve as a feint."

"Yelü Chun's 40,000 troops are my real intention. I only want Zhending City!"

"As long as we capture Zhending City, the Song State will have lost a crucial strategic stronghold. Our army can attack or defend. Even if the Dragon Guard Battalion reacts and turns around to retake Zhending City, even with their powerful firearms, they may not be able to take it back."

Yelu Otera and Xiao Wuna bowed together, their faces filled with awe and admiration, and they said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and has foreseen every possible plan."

Yelu Hongji laughed heartily and said, "I really want to see with my own eyes what the Song Emperor and Zhao Xiaoqian's expressions would be like if they learned that Zhending City had been lost and everyone in the city, young and old, had been slaughtered. Haha!"

Yelu Otera also laughed and said, "Besides, the south of Zhending City is all plains. Our army has a flat plain and can march south to attack Bianjing at any time..."

"They lost this strategic location, just like a decent woman being stripped naked in front of strangers. No matter how hard she tried to stop herself, she could only let herself be molested."

The three of them burst into laughter again.

After the discussion, Yelu Wutera and Xiao Wuna said goodbye and left the palace.

After saying goodbye to Yelu Otera, Xiao Wuna got on his own carriage alone. Sitting in the carriage, Xiao Wuna's expression changed from gloomy to happy, and he fell into deep struggle.

Zhao Xiaoqian's dismissal from office was definitely not good news for this die-hard Liao traitor.

The direct contact person of the Xiao family father and son is Zhao Xiaoqian. Now that Zhao Xiaoqian has been dismissed from office, the Xiao family father and son have lost contact with the organization.

More importantly, while it was true that the Xiao family father and son were loyal to the Song Dynasty, they only recognized Zhao Xiaoqian. After all, the father and son were engaged in the business of exterminating nine clans. Others could still work and get paid even if they changed their leaders, but if the Xiao family father and son changed their leaders, they would be wiped out by the nine clans if they were not careful.

Xiao Wuna has now begun to hesitate, whether he should continue to be loyal to the Song Dynasty, or... simply turn against it again?
Xiao Wuna is a Liao person, so naturally he has no "loyalty" to the Song Dynasty. Since Zhao Xiaoqian has been dismissed, I won't do it anymore. I will just jump back and forth between Song and Liao, just playing with my heart.

In the bumpy carriage, Xiao Wuna struggled several times but still couldn't make a decision.

When he returned to the Xiao Mansion, Xiao Wuna finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.

After entering the door and going straight to the backyard, Xiao Wuna returned to the study and called his son Xiao Guangjing.

Xiao Guangjing was still the dissolute and prodigal son he was. It was almost afternoon now, and he came to the study still looking sleepy. It was obvious that the servants had just woken him up from bed.

Xiao Wuna was furious when he saw his prodigal son's behavior. He restrained himself silently for a long time before he finally resisted the urge to clean up the house with the Seven Wolves.

"Jing'er, there is something very important. You must disguise yourself as a Western Region merchant and go to Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty in person." Xiao Wuna said solemnly.

Xiao Guangjing was also a little nervous: "Father, I wonder what is so important?"

Xiao Wuna said coldly, "We just received military news from eight hundred miles away that Zhao Xiaoqian has been dismissed from office by the Emperor of Song. The positions of Commander of the Dragon Guard Battalion at Juma River and Chief of Zhending City are both vacant. Your Majesty intends to seize this opportunity to recapture the Feihu Military Command and capture Zhending City."

Xiao Guangjing was stunned for a moment, then utterly shocked: "Zhao Xiaoqian was dismissed from office? What...what on earth did he do wrong?"

Xiao Wuna glanced at him and said, "He must have gotten into some trouble. Anyway, the military report says that Zhao Xiaoqian has been dismissed from all his official positions. This means that the area within hundreds of miles of Zhending Prefecture in the Song State is leaderless. Your Majesty has seized this opportunity."

Xiao Wuna then continued, "You must disguise yourself and travel to Bianjing. You must meet with Zhao Xiaoqian and inquire about the next steps. If Zhao Xiaoqian says that he will hopefully be reinstated, then you must tell him that His Majesty intends to launch a three-pronged attack on Song."

"If Zhao Xiaoqian says that he has no hope of regaining his position in this lifetime and can only stay in Bianjing and die of old age, then you should not say anything and let the Liao Dynasty catch the Song Dynasty off guard."

(End of this chapter)