The prince is more stable

Chapter 957 Strategy to Destroy Xia
The relationship between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty was very complex and could not be summarized as simple love and hate.

Before the founding of the Song Dynasty, the Khitan people in the north had already risen to power. Taking advantage of the chaos among the central dynasties, they occupied the land of China and established the Liao Dynasty with the Yan-Yun region in the north as the boundary.

Since then, there have been wars and peace between the Song and Liao dynasties. After several battles, everyone said they were "brotherly nations," but in reality, their underhanded actions never stopped.

The current situation is similar. In the previous few years, a major war broke out between the Song and Liao dynasties. Zhao Xiaoqian led his army and defeated the Liao state badly, almost destroying the Liao army. The number of Liao soldiers killed alone is roughly estimated to be as many as 160,000.

Logically speaking, since the Liao Dynasty had killed so many Khitan warriors, the two countries should have become mortal enemies, and should have been locked in a life-or-death struggle.

The result was amazing: less than two years after the Song and Liao dynasties ceased hostilities, the two countries actually formed an alliance again.

No matter how fierce the breakup is, even if they fight, as long as the love hasn't disappeared, they can still get back together.

There's a common saying about the love between the Song and Liao dynasties: "interests."

Driven by self-interest, even irreconcilable hatred can be temporarily set aside to secure the benefits first.

Between nations, the only constant is self-interest; it is the driving force behind all loyalty and betrayal.

The renewed alliance between Song and Liao was not particularly significant. Both rulers and ministers knew that it was only a temporary alliance. Once Western Xia was destroyed, the two countries would not only turn against each other again, but the tensions would be even greater than before.

After all, after the fall of Western Xia, only the Song and Liao dynasties remained in the mountains. And two tigers cannot share one mountain; an even greater war of annihilation could break out at any time.

This Song-Liao alliance can be considered the last period of peace between the two great powers in Chinese history.

"The provisions, weapons, firearms, ammunition, armor, warhorses, and the laborers for transporting supplies, as well as the canal and land transport, are all ready. Now, we will muster the troops," Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice.

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhang Dun and said, "Once the war begins in this Song-Liao alliance to destroy Xia, the Song Dynasty must be united as one. No dissenting voices are allowed, whether in the court or among the people, so as not to disrupt the morale of our army and dampen the fighting spirit of the entire nation."

"Anyone who makes inappropriate remarks shall be punished severely."

Zhang Dun stiffened and hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

"For this expedition, the Song Dynasty has mobilized a total of over 60,000 troops, including 30,000 from the border troops of Youzhou and 30,000 from the three armies of Bianjing. The 60,000 troops will depart tomorrow and assemble in Xiazhou in the northwest. All provisions, military equipment, armor, and 100,000 laborers will be transported to the northwest immediately."

Zhao Xiaoqian then looked at Zhong Jianzhong and said, "Zhong Jianzhong, I appoint you as the Military Commissioner of Qinfeng Road, commanding 60,000 troops to unite with the Liao army to destroy Western Xia. Zhang Jie, the Military Commissioner of Huanqing Road, and 200,000 troops from the northwest border can provide support and cooperate with the royal army to contain or annihilate the Western Xia army."

"Remember to keep a close watch on the Liao army's every move. If you discover any unusual activity by the Liao army that is detrimental to our royal army, do not hesitate to annihilate them immediately."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhong Jianzhong and said, "Song and Liao are said to be allies, but such an alliance is actually very fragile. General Zhong should not have any illusions about the Liao army. You can even treat the Liao army as a hypothetical enemy and be on guard at all times."

Zhong Jianzhong clasped his hands in a fist and said solemnly, "Your subject obeys the decree."

"When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders. From the moment you lead the army into battle, I will not interfere with any of your command decisions at the front. I will not even appoint a deputy envoy to you. If orders are issued from the same source and carried out by the emperor, victory will be assured."

Zhong Jianzhong said gratefully, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your trust. I will not let you down and we will surely win this battle!"

The civil officials, including Xu Jiang, hesitated to speak, but Zhao Xiaoqian had already made his position clear. They knew very well that even if they offered advice now, the emperor would not accept it.

Zhao Xiaoqian seemed to see what they wanted to say and immediately laughed, "You don't need to persuade me. I am not a suspicious and distrustful ruler. Since I have given him military power, it means that he is worthy of my complete trust."

"Therefore, I will not appoint any deputy envoys or civil officials to him to influence his command and decision-making. I have also led troops before. In military operations, the worst thing is for orders to be issued from multiple sources. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions. Those noisy and superfluous voices often sow huge hidden dangers for the outcome of the war."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhong Jianzhong and smiled, "The power is given thoroughly, but the responsibility of the commander-in-chief is also greater."

"In this battle, I and the court will not cause you any trouble, but will only provide logistical support. Old Zhong, any command or decision you make will determine the outcome of the war. If we lose, you will bear the responsibility alone, and you won't even be able to find someone to take the blame for you."

"A true man, whether he succeeds or fails, should be open and honest, taking responsibility for his own actions. What do you say?"

Zhong Jianzhong laughed twice: "Your Majesty is wise, and this is exactly right. If I am defeated, Your Majesty need not punish me. I will repay the world with my death. Even if I am torn to pieces, I will not complain a single word."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "If you win, I will promote you two ranks and grant your descendants the same honors."

Zhang Dunxu and the others standing nearby sighed helplessly.

The emperor and his minister, though full of advice, found themselves speechless. "The Song and Liao dynasties have formed an alliance," the minister said. "In Mr. Ziyou's memorial, he stated that the Liao emperor and I agreed that on the twelfth of next month, the Liao Northwest Route Expeditionary Force would mobilize 100,000 troops to advance from the north of Western Xia, swiftly capturing the Yanjun Commandery at Heishui Town. Then, the Liao army would advance westward, occupying the two cities of Shazhou and Guazhou in Western Xia..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression gradually turned cold, and he said, "Gentlemen, I'm sure you've all seen through the Liao army's intentions."

"They didn't want the relatively wealthy central and eastern cities of Western Xia, but instead occupied the barren and remote Shazhou and Guazhou. This shows that what the Liao army wanted most was not the land of Western Xia, but... they wanted to cut off the Silk Road and control the commercial trade between the Song and Liao dynasties and the Western Regions."

"If they achieve their goal, the trade routes to the west of the Great Song Dynasty will be basically ruined, which will have a huge impact on the commerce of our Great Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhong Jianzhong and said, "The Liao army's strategic intentions are obvious. Old Zhong, we can't let them have their way. The Silk Road must be controlled by our Great Song Dynasty, understand?"

Zhong Jianzhong nodded emphatically: "Your Majesty understands. After I lead my army into the territory of Western Xia, I will not rush to conquer cities and seize land. All troop movements will prioritize controlling the Silk Road. If the Liao army dares to compete with my Great Song army, I will lead my army to strike hard. At that time, I will not care about any alliance."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "That's right, the Silk Road is our bottom line. If the Liao army dares to cross this line, we will immediately turn against them."

Then Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "I will not interfere with your specific command, but will only set a few goals for you."

"First, we will completely control the Silk Road within the territory of Western Xia; second, we will capture and completely occupy Xingqing, the capital of Western Xia; third, all the wealth of Western Xia's treasury will belong to our Great Song Dynasty, and we will not allow the Liao army to touch it..."

"Fourth, the important cities of Western Xia, such as Xingqing Prefecture, Xiliang Prefecture, as well as Ganzhou and Dingzhou, must be connected with the northwestern territory of our Great Song. Fifth, after capturing the capital of Western Xia, we should try our best to capture the Western Xia ruler Li Qianshun and important officials of the court alive and escort them back to the capital."

"As for the land within the territory of the Yan Army Commandery in Heishui Town north of Xixia, let's give it to the Liao Kingdom. After all, the two countries are allies, and it would be a bit impolite not to let them even have a drop of soup."

The people present looked at each other, speechless.

The Song-Liao alliance involved contributing money, manpower, and troops, but the final spoils of the war were too embarrassing for even the Song officials present to mention.

Look at the goals you've set! You've gotten all the benefits, even offering to share some scraps with the Liao Kingdom...

The Yan Army Commandery of Heishui Town in Western Xia was a dilapidated place with barren land, where nothing grew and it was all desert and Gobi. This place was given to the Liao Kingdom, and this is what is called "Tangshui".
This is worse than swill!

It would be a miracle if the Liao Kingdom agreed.

Zhang Dun's expression turned somewhat grim as he said, "Your Majesty, isn't this division a bit too much? After all, it's an alliance between two countries. Isn't our Great Song asking for too much? I'm afraid Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Liao is unlikely to agree to it."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked completely innocent: "Is it too much? I only controlled the Silk Road and occupied a few cities in Western Xia. How is that too much? In a war of annihilation, we only asked for this little bit. Our appetite is already very small, okay?"

Zhang Dun cautiously said, "The Liao Kingdom will get even less. If the Liao army doesn't agree and wants to fight with our Great Song for it..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhong Jianzhong shouted sternly, "Then let's fight! The true test will be revealed under the sword. It's all about the victor taking all. If we defeat them, I don't believe the Liao army will dare to contend with our Great Song again. We are no longer what we used to be. Do you still think we are the Great Song of ten years ago?"

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed at Zhong Jianzhong and said with a smile, "Although it is a bit crude, the meaning behind his words is correct and quite to my liking."

"When nations compete for interests, they rely on swords and fists. For the Khitans, a nomadic people, our constant humility and courtesy only make them think that the Song Dynasty is weak and easy to bully, which makes it easier for them to take advantage of us. Therefore, I want all the benefits. If you are not convinced, then fight."

"In the war to destroy Xia, although the Song Dynasty's national strength could only barely support it, the situation in Liao was even worse than ours. Even if a war broke out in the end due to the unequal distribution of spoils, I predict that Liao would not be able to launch a large-scale war. They can no longer afford to fight."

The faces of everyone present twitched simultaneously, each wearing an expression of wanting to say something but holding back.

Zhang Dun finally couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country, and you should be careful with your words. The Song army destroyed Xia, which was a war against the disobedient and a just war in accordance with the Mandate of Heaven. Moreover, after the war, we cannot say that we were dividing up the spoils. That is too offensive. We should say that we brought Xia back to the rule of the king."

“Oh yes, yes, you’re right.” Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him.

"By the way, speaking of this matter, we should have Minister of Rites Zhang Yi write a 'Proclamation to Conquer Xia'. Since we've decided to go to war, we need to give the world a justifiable reason for starting the war. Let's occupy the moral high ground first."

"Mr. Zihou just mentioned reasons such as 'punishing the disobedient,' 'following the mandate of heaven,' and 'a just war,' all of which were used in the manifesto."

Everyone remained silent.

This official's words are truly unpleasant. Although everyone understands the true nature of the matter, the division and destruction of a country cannot be stated too bluntly. It must be presented as a just cause so that this war can be recorded in history books in a more palatable way.

(End of this chapter)