You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 61 Northwest General
Upon hearing Tong Guan's shrill voice, Zhong Shidao, who was sitting opposite him, widened his eyes slightly.

He wasn't gloating; the Western Xia were launching a massive attack, and they were attacking their own northwestern lands.

He is a veteran nearing seventy, who has survived countless battles in his life and seen all sorts of situations.

When an elderly person holds a certain power for a long time, they will naturally develop the feeling that this power should belong to them.

Being able to let go in time requires great composure and magnanimity.

For example, in the eyes of the old Prime Minister Zhong, the Western Army belonged to him.

The Zhong family has served the Song Dynasty for generations. To be honest, they have never been disloyal to the Song Dynasty.

Old Master Zhong naturally had no intention of establishing himself independently based on his own strength.

But ever since the court sent Tong Guan to the Northwest, he has been doing his best to divide, weaken, win over and suppress, tearing the once-powerful Western Army to pieces. Countless young men from Shaanxi and other regions have been left dead under the walls of Tong'an City, unable to return home. This is what he resents the most!

The prejudices of the Northwest are deeply rooted, as exemplified by figures like Zhong Shidao, a military family head who has served for three generations.

He was influenced by what he saw from birth; he witnessed his father, brothers, and ancestors working tirelessly for the family.

It's almost impossible for these veteran Western Army generals to prioritize national interests above all else and sacrifice their family interests.

Thinking of this, Zhong Shidao couldn't help but glance coldly at Liu Yanqing beside him.

Outside, Liu Yanqing is known as Old Master Liu, but to Zhong Shidao, he is simply a veteran who has followed him for a long time.

It's unclear what benefits Tong Guan promised him that blinded him to follow Tong Guan so wholeheartedly, leaving his old brothers feeling cold.

But little do you know that your troops, who are notorious for not fighting tough battles, will amount to nothing without the Western Army.
Perhaps we should promote Liu Yanqing's valiant son to take his place. Liu Yanqing is beyond saving, but we cannot abandon his troops, as they are the foundation of the Western Army.

Old Master Zhong had long had his own plans for this war. From the time Tong Guan launched the Battle of Hengshan, the war had been going on for five years.

This is a rare opportunity; we must eliminate the Xia traitors.

Although Richard was brave and the Xia emperor was not a fool, the Western Xia dynasty was, in truth, already on its last legs.

As long as the Western Army fights seriously and proceeds step by step, it will surely be able to force the Western Xia into internal strife, thus taking it down in one fell swoop.

However, the Western Army must be used in a concentrated manner, and command must remain in the hands of Lao Zhong! After the court destroyed Xia, the Western Army was still stationed in various routes in Shaanxi and could not be divided or stripped of their military power.

Because the Western Army's roots are in the Northwest, in the various regions of Shaanxi, if you transfer any of the families—the Zhong, Yang, or Zhe families—to other places, even if you still give them the same troops, these families will decline.

In their respective territories, the tentacles of the various families have long since reached every corner, controlling the local people's livelihood, military and political affairs.

Tong Guan sighed inwardly.

Before the war even started, these people were already alienated from the imperial court for their own interests.

He was counting on them to complete his great cause of conquering Liao. Although Liao had declined, he was afraid that the young Shengjie Army and Liu Yanqing's troops alone could not shake up Liao's forces in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

I had intended to appease them and persuade them to start preparing to head north with me.

I never imagined that the Western Xia were so cunning.

"Gentlemen, the Xia bandits are fickle and have invaded Hengshan. As the generals of the various routes in Shaanxi, do you have anything to say?"

Zhong Shidao keenly sensed that this was a good opportunity. As long as Tong Guanxuan refused to back down, they would remain indifferent and watch from the sidelines.

Liu Yanqing's troops were not considered elite among the various armies of the Western Army, and the Shengjie Army was even more of a joke. You, Tong Guan, were able to force Liu Fa to his death, so do you think the others will put up with your nonsense?

The Xuan Shuai Yamen (military command headquarters) can certainly issue orders, but when these orders are dispatched to lower levels, the response can be either one of unity or one of perfunctory evasion.

After fighting for a hundred years, surely we know how to do something beyond outward compliance? Having made up his mind, Zhong Shidao glanced at the generals in the tent, and with just a look, they all understood each other tacitly.

Zhong Shidao understood that the vast majority of the generals and officers of the Western Army also supported this idea.

That would make things much easier.

The Western Xia had long since squeezed all the power out of the people. The emperor's reforms had just begun, and it was the time when the old nobles launched their fiercest counterattack.

Even if Richard were to be let in, Zhong Shidao was confident that he could completely annihilate them.

In his view, this was more like the last gasp of the Western Xia dynasty, the final struggle of a wild beast before its death.

At this time, the Western Army had not yet marched north, nor had it been demoralized by the successive defeats by the Liao and Song dynasties.

From top to bottom, they all believed themselves to be the elite of the world.

Tong Guan sat at the head of the table, carefully observing the expressions on everyone's faces. He glanced at Zhong Shidao, but the old man remained unmoved.

He had never felt so dejected before. Since arriving in the Northwest, he had come to realize just how troublesome martial artists could be.

Especially these families of military generals.

These brutes are like copper peas wrapped in brown paper—they can't be cooked or broken down.

We are not afraid of coercion;
Bribery failed;
They tried to win him over, but he wouldn't come.
Suppression is unsustainable.
Zhong Shidao slowly raised his head, and the tent immediately fell silent. He then said softly, "This matter came suddenly and is of great importance... Commander Xuan originally wanted us to advance westward, but unexpectedly, this enemy came on his own initiative. This is an extremely rare opportunity, and we should follow Commander Xuan's previous orders and immediately head north to Hengshan to engage in battle... However, as generals, we must always be cautious and fearful when facing military affairs. And now the situation of the Western Army is really not good. After Liu Faxin's defeat, all the troops have suffered losses and their morale is low."

"I heard that Commander Xuan's victorious army recently annihilated 10,000 enemy troops at Hengshan, and their momentum is unstoppable."

"It's perfect that they're right here in Hengshan. Let them hold off Richard first and hold their ground while we, the defeated soldiers, rest for a bit and then we'll be there soon."

Tong Guan gritted his teeth, swallowed hard, and then forced a smile. "In all matters of military affairs in the Northwest, I have always relied most on Lord Zhong. I have been leading troops for more than ten years. How could I not know that forcing the army to move rashly by pointing at a map without understanding the situation would never end well?"

"It is not impossible for your troops to rest, but you need to give me a definite answer on how many days you need to rest so that I can mobilize the troops accordingly."

"Ten days is enough," Old Zhong said calmly.

"Ten days?" Tong Guan was on the verge of exploding.

With matters of national importance at hand, is this the time to act impulsively?

These warriors deserve to die! He turned around, looked at the huge map with cold eyes, and began to think about what conditions he should offer to these Western Army soldiers.

At this time, on the Yokoyama front.

Han Wu stood on the path in the valley, watching the two riders galloping towards him, and raised his hand, waving his arm vigorously.

Chen Shao shook his head and found it somewhat amusing; this reckless soldier was indeed highly perceptive.

At this moment, he resembled his northern neighbor in later generations, as he greeted their only sun.

Chen Shao ran up to Han Shizhong and tugged on the reins.

Before he even dismounted, Han Shizhong shouted, "Commander, good news! Great news!"

"What good news?"

"The Xia thief is here! Our chance to make a name for ourselves has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)