You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 51 The First Cup of Wine
The artificial hill rises majestically, and the bamboo leaves rustle softly.

The new year has just begun, and tender bamboo shoots are already emerging, as if foreshadowing a warm spring in the coming year.

Warm spring, perfect for a fierce battle!

Two young maids in green robes, with their hair in double buns, gracefully carried trays with one hand as they walked along a pebbly path overgrown with flowers and trees. After turning through a moon gate, they came to a four-cornered pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, curtains were drawn, and the fire in the stove was burning brightly.

The stone table was set with cups and plates, and two people were drinking together in the pavilion.

“Shao’er, if you stay in Fuyan Road after you come back this time, I will ask my father to recommend you for a real commander position.”

"That scoundrel Tong Guan is dishonest. He gave you a nominal commandership, but didn't send a single soldier under your command!"

Liu Guanglie was indignant and drank a cup of wine. He couldn't expect to hear a single good word from Tong Guan, especially after Liu Fa of the Xihe Army was forced to his death by him.

Chen Shao laughed and said, "The front line is good. There are battles to fight at the front line. Staying in the rear is no fun."

All five routes in Shaanxi received orders from Tong Guan to launch a joint attack to avenge Liu Fa of the Xihe Army.

Only Liu Yanqing, the Grand Chancellor of Fuyan Road, remained inactive.

The other Western Army soldiers were used to it; Lord Liu was known for his cowardice, and it was common for him to hesitate to advance.

Liu Guanglie was somewhat surprised. He and Chen Shao had grown up together since childhood. Although Chen Shao was indeed brave and fearless in a fight, he was not afraid to risk his life.

However, he never expressed any intention to go to the front lines.

Chen Shao, holding his wine glass, asked with a smile, "Moreover, as long as we can get money and supplies, there are plenty of men on the Hengshan front line, and recruiting them will be effortless."

The Fuyan soldiers were, in essence, Liu's private army. Even after Liu Yanqing's death, they chose to follow his son, Liu Guangshi.

If he wanted to start his own business, he couldn't rely on military leaders, and he didn't even want Tong Guan's Victory Army soldiers.

It is said that 100,000 men were killed at the Hengshan front, but the Xihe Army was an elite field force of the Song Dynasty. How could it have been completely annihilated? It was just that the casualties were too great and they all fled.

The Western Xia's national strength was simply insufficient to launch a large-scale pursuit. Countless defeated soldiers were running around like headless flies on both sides of Hengshan Mountain.

"After fighting for so long, we finally captured Hengshan, leaving the Xia bandits with no natural barrier to defend. I never expected that Tong Guan would send us back so easily!" Liu Guanglie cursed and loudly rebuked Tong Guan for his incompetence.

Chen Shao was somewhat speechless. Tong Guan was indeed very wrong, but it would be unfair to put all the blame on him.

The five armies of the Western Army still did not achieve any major victories against the Western Xia at this time.

Even the five years that Tong Guan spent in the Northwest, overseeing and managing the region, were the period when the Song Dynasty expanded its territory the most in the Northwest.

Ultimately, the Western Army had too many factions and too many complex interests, so its determination to expand its territory and achieve merit was not strong at all.

They lack a true leader.

Moreover, this person will never appear, because no matter who it is, no one can truly unite the Western Army.

Over a century, the complex military faction structure that gradually developed in the Northwest has become impossible to break from within.

Everyone says that General Zhong has high prestige in the Northwest, but that's only because the military leaders elected him as a figurehead of the Western Army.

When it comes to sacrificing any part to advance the overall war effort, it's likely that Grand Marshal Zhong's orders can only be carried out within the Zhong family army.

"Brother, we're counting on you this time!" Chen Shao picked up the wine pot, poured Liu Guanglie a cup of wine, and said, "No matter how much money it costs, don't worry about it."

Liu Guanglie nodded and said, "Those guys under Tong Guan weren't originally from the Northwest; he brought them from Bianliang. These kinds of people are extremely opportunistic and greedy. Don't worry, Shao-ge, I'll definitely help you bribe them." Chen Shao nodded.

Liu Guanglie was his cousin, and they grew up together. In the original owner's memories, six or seven out of ten times, he was with this cousin.

Chen Shao knew his abilities. If you let him fight on the battlefield and command battles, this descendant of a military family would probably be a real good-for-nothing.

But if you ask him to liven things up and build relationships, he's really good at it.

After all, he grew up in a family of generals, so he was generous, didn't care much about money, had a wide network of connections, and was known for his righteousness, loyalty, and strong sense of relationships.

"Cousin, how much money will it cost to get this done?"

Liu Guanglie lowered his head and silently calculated for a while, deciding that it would cost at least ten thousand strings of cash.

I'll add a little more myself and ask him for eight thousand.

Thinking of this, Liu Guanglie felt a pang of heartache. He didn't have much money, and his expenses were high.

The eldest brother, Liu Guangshi, was indeed wealthy, but Liu Guanglie was no match for him. He was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and his maternal uncle's family was also very powerful.

In his maternal uncle's family, Shao-ge'er was the only son.

"Eight thousand strings of cash, it would be difficult to get any less."

Chen Shao nodded. "I'll give you 20,000 strings of cash."

"Brother Shao, I know your money comes easily, but this kind of opportunity won't come again, so don't be extravagant."

"Don't worry, cousin, I know what I'm doing."

Liu Guanglie frowned, about to speak, when Chen Shao pressed down on the back of his hand.

“I won’t just sit around doing nothing. As long as I can maintain good relationships with them, I have other ways to make money,” Chen Shao said. “So, cousin, just increase all the expenses. This is not the time to save money.”

At the Hengshan front, guarding the area between the Song, Xia, Liao, and Mongolian grasslands, Chen Shao, after gathering and recruiting troops, did not intend to support them for nothing.

Once you've conquered a few cities and established a firm foothold, that place holds the key to wealth.

The timing is perfect. The Song Dynasty is busy conquering the Liao Dynasty and reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. In Western Xia, Emperor Chongzong Li Qianshun has just seized power, eliminated the maternal relatives, and implemented reforms, which has destabilized the dynasty. The Liao people are in a state of chaos and are on the verge of extinction. The Jin Dynasty's cavalry has not yet arrived, and they are too far away to reach them. The Mongolian steppe and Tibet are two separate entities.
At this opportune moment, the Northwest holds great promise. If we can hold the Hengshan front and continue the Song Dynasty's national policy of advancing westward, the Western Xia will be unable to cause any trouble.

The fortified village tactic itself was flawless; the problem lay with the people executing it, and the internal strife among the Dangxiang Qiang people was also intense.

If we can divide the Qiang tribes and achieve even greater victories, it's not just wishful thinking.

Liu Guanglie tilted his head back and drank a glass of wine, then said, "Brother Shao, pour me another glass."

Chen Shao smiled and stood up, respectfully filling his cup to the brim, even spilling a little over.

Do you know why I asked you to pour the wine?

Chen Shao shook his head.

Liu Guanglie wiped the wine from his mouth and said, "I think you will definitely achieve great things in the future. When that time comes, I will use this cup of wine to brag about it for the rest of my life."

"Cousin, what are you saying? No matter where we are in the future, as long as we brothers drink together, even if the emperor is here, I will toast you the first cup."

(End of this chapter)