The Prodigal Son

Faced with Xiao Yanguang's questioning, Han Cizhang's heart skipped a beat.

Yes!

Navy!

He overlooked this fatal flaw!

After a moment of contemplation, Han Cizhang smiled again. "That's why we must help the Yan Kingdom even more! We can't let the Ning people destroy the Yan Kingdom!"

Xiao Yanguang snorted coldly, "Then let me ask you, from where do you plan to attack Ning Kingdom?"

"Of course, it's Shuozhou!"

Without hesitation, Han Cizhang said, "Didn't we gather so many troops in Shuozhou precisely to attack Zhenzhou?"

Attacking Wuguan is definitely impossible.

After the Ning people recaptured Wuguan, they carried out extensive reinforcement and reconstruction of the pass.

The Ning people have now amassed an army of 80,000 at Wuguan alone.

As long as the people of Ning are prepared, it will be too difficult to attack Wuguan!

Xiao Yanguang seemed to have anticipated Han Cizhang's words and immediately said, "If I were Zhao Luan, I would abandon Zhenzhou and retreat to Tiebi City! Do you think a vast swathe of Yan's land is less valuable than Zhenzhou?"

"this……"

Han Cizhang was speechless for a moment.

Believe it or not, it's actually quite possible!

Giving up Zhenzhou in exchange for a large territory of Yan and having the navy pressed against Beiqi's head is a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it!

"Then let's unite with the Yan Kingdom, form a coalition army, and annihilate all the Ning army attacking Yan! We can also use this to deplete the military strength of both Ning and Yan!"

At this point, another high-ranking official offered his opinion.

"Yes, that definitely works!"

Xiao Yanguang nodded and said, "But do you think the Yan people wouldn't want to deplete our and Ning's military strength?"

When Xiao Yanguang asked the question, the man immediately fell silent.

The Yan people definitely want to wear down the military strength of Bei Qi and Ning!

The fiercer the battle between the two countries, the more beneficial it will be for the Yan state!

Ideally, they should fight to the death, giving the Yan state enough time to recover!

Xiao Yanguang glanced at the two of them, then addressed Empress Murong, saying, "The allied forces have always had their own agendas, especially the Yan people!"

"Once we form an alliance with the Yan people, they will surely try every means to make us fight a continuous war with the Ning people!"

"In a critical moment, the Yan people might even open their defenses and let the Ning people attack us!"

"Your Majesty should know better than anyone the fickle nature of the Yan people..."

The people of Ning disliked the people of Yan, and the people of Beiqi disliked them as well.

The people of Yan have committed far too many acts of betrayal and treachery!

On the battlefield, the Yan people are the most unreliable!

To put it simply, when Emperor Xiaowu of Ningguo conquered the seven southern prefectures of Beiqi, if the Yan people hadn't stabbed him in the back, even if Beiqi had been defeated, it wouldn't have been such a devastating defeat!

Why did the people of Yan help the State of Ning at that time?

Wasn't it because Daqi was too strong at that time and posed a great threat to Yan? Yan wanted to use Ning to weaken Daqi.

Speaking of this matter, Xiao Yanguang was furious.

Therefore, even though he knew he could form an alliance with the Yan state to deal with the Ning people, he was still unwilling!

On the battlefield, who would dare to entrust their back or vital organs to a fickle ally?

What I fear most is that Ningguo and Beiqi will fight to the death, and Yanguo will take the opportunity to counterattack, not only taking back the benefits they gave them, but also plundering even more things in order to solve its domestic problems!

The people of Yan are certainly capable of doing such a thing!

Rather than that, it would be better to destroy the Yan state first, and then fight the Ning people in a real battle!

Ideally, the Yan Kingdom should fight the Ning people to the death first. When they are both exhausted, the Northern Qi should suddenly join in, wipe out both sides, and occupy the entire Yan Kingdom in one fell swoop!

Hearing Xiao Yanguang's words, Empress Murong couldn't help but ponder them carefully.

After a moment, Empress Murong gently shook her head: "We can't take over the entire Yan Kingdom!"

"not necessarily!"

Xiao Yanguang shook his head and said, "As long as the Ning people and the Yan people fight to the death, we..."

"I can't eat anymore!"

Empress Murong interrupted him, "You think you've conquered land, but in reality, you've created tens of millions more mouths to feed!"

"Ah...this..."

Xiao Yanguang's face stiffened, and he instantly understood the problem.

Yes!

He was only thinking about occupying land, but he ignored this fatal problem.

Beiqi is not like Ningguo; it not only produces abundant grain itself, but can also purchase large quantities of grain from Chu.

Where in Beiqi would there be enough food to feed so many mouths?

Empress Murong glanced at her key ministers and continued, "The best outcome would be for us to occupy the land north of the Panjiang River and east of Qiyun Mountain in Yan, leaving Yan with six or seven prefectures, and then handing over the elderly and weak to Yan, keeping the able-bodied! Let the Yan people block the Ning army from the direction of Dingzhou!"

Hearing Empress Murong's words, everyone couldn't help but smile bitterly to themselves.

That's easier said than done!

But the people of Yan aren't fools!

If it really comes to a last resort, the Yan people would definitely rather give up all the land west of Qiyun Mountain and let Beiqi fight the Ning people to the death, so as to buy themselves a chance to breathe.

They don't want the elderly and weak, and the Yan people probably don't want them either!

At times like these, the elderly and infirm become a burden!

Han Cizhang thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I still believe that we only need the land north of the Panjiang River!"

"The Yan state is currently in a state of internal decay; occupying too much of its territory would only be a burden!"

"As for the navy, we can try to bring the Yan navy over!"

"We can simply take the benefits without sending troops, letting the Ning people fight the Yan state first!"

"This war certainly won't end anytime soon!"

"We can make further plans based on the situation on both sides..."

That's just how some things are; the more you discuss them, the more problems arise.

The more problems you have, the more constrained you become.

Rather than that, it's better to take it one step at a time.

Upon hearing Han Cizhang's words, Empress Murong was taken aback.

After a moment of contemplation, Empress Murong smiled with relief. "What Prime Minister Han said is quite right! It was my resentment at being deceived by the Ning people that led me to overthink things, which ultimately trapped me."

Yes!

They could easily adjust their strategy according to the situation!

Why should we finalize all the strategies now?

Seeing that Empress Murong was no longer insisting on this matter, the ministers breathed a sigh of relief. Only Xiao Yanguang remained frowning: "That's true, but we need to consider the timing of troop movements! If we delay in making a decision, it might be too late by the time we decide to move the troops!"

Previously, they had fallen into the Ning people's trap, and many of their troops had been transferred to Shuozhou.

It takes quite a bit of time to transfer troops from Shuozhou to Xianzhou.

Hearing Xiao Yanguang's words, Empress Murong secretly felt a headache coming on again.

Indeed, that is a problem!

After a brief moment of deliberation, Empress Murong made a decisive decision: "First, transfer 20,000 elite cavalry from Shuozhou to Mozhou to await orders!"

"yes!"

Xiao Yanguang accepted the order, secretly pleased.

The fact that troops were withdrawn from Shuozhou suggests that Empress Murong subconsciously did not want to attack Zhenzhou at this time.

"Does Your Majesty know who devised those treacherous schemes to deal with the Yan Kingdom?"

At this moment, Xiao Baoju suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

It's not clear yet.

Empress Murong shook her head slightly. "However, I suspect it was most likely the work of that despicable and shameless scoundrel, Qin Yu!"

She had no evidence, only suspicion!

Only a treacherous and cunning person could come up with such a vicious scheme!

Qin Yu, of course, is a treacherous, cunning, despicable, and shameless person!

Speaking of Qin Yu, Empress Murong felt a burning hatred.

If Qin Yu were to die at the hands of the Yan people this time, that would be wonderful!

Do not!

It would be best if Qin Yu didn't die at the hands of the Yan people!

She wanted to kill this despicable and shameless scoundrel with her own hands!

"It would be best to get to the bottom of this matter!"

Xiao Baoju's face was grim. "If this man can be used by our Northern Qi, all the better! If not, it's best to kill him beforehand to prevent future trouble!"

The person who could come up with such a vicious plan is truly terrifying!

Killing without leaving a trace!

They sold him out and then made him count the money for them!

I'm really afraid that this person might come up with an even more vicious plan to deal with Bei Qi someday.

"Um!"

Empress Murong nodded, a sharp glint in her eyes: "I will definitely order an investigation!"

Afterwards, Empress Murong chatted briefly with everyone before letting them leave.

Just as Empress Murong was about to go to the Imperial Study to handle state affairs, her attendant came to report that Fu Jiu was requesting an audience.

Soon, a flustered Fu Jiu was brought before Empress Murong.

After a simple bow to Empress Murong, Fu Jiu reported with a worried expression: "I just received news that something has happened in the northern ice plains, and it seems to be somewhat similar to the prophet's prediction..."

Empress Murong's heart skipped a beat, and her face suddenly turned ugly...