Past midnight, the candles in the room still burned brightly. When Ning Yi pushed the door open, Qin Si Yuan, Yao Zu Nian, Jue Ming, Ji Kun, and others were already in the study. The servant had already announced Ning Yi's return. As he opened the door, Qin Si Yuan greeted him.

"Li Heng is back," Yao Zu Nian said with a smile, also approaching.

"You've worked hard, you've worked hard."

"Another heavy snow tonight..."

The core circle of staff in the Right Prime Minister's residence were all acquaintances. Although they were busy during the Jurchen siege, things had finally calmed down in the past few days. Qin Si Yuan and the others were out and about during the day, and now they could finally rest a little. That was why, when Ning Yi entered the city, everyone was able to gather at the Prime Minister's residence to welcome him.

Several months had passed. Qin Si Yuan, who used to be in good health, had lost weight, and his hair was completely white. However, he was neatly groomed and still looked energetic. Yao Zu Nian looked slightly sickly - he was too old to stay up all day, but he definitely couldn't stay idle. As for Jue Ming, Ji Kun, and the other two staff members who had come, they all looked thin, but their condition was still good. Ning Yi greeted them one by one.

"Li Heng's victory at Xia Village was truly inspiring."

"It was all thanks to Second Young Master's good command."

"Ah, Shao Qian may have some credit for commanding, but when it comes to governing the army and scheming, he's far behind. Without Li Heng holding the line, we wouldn't have today's victory."

"Li Heng's return is sudden, and it's not a good time to drink tonight. Otherwise, we should have a big toast with Li Heng."

"If only all the Wu Dynasty soldiers could be like those at Xia Village..."

After the ceasefire, the Right Prime Minister's residence was slightly more relaxed, but the hidden troubles were numerous, and there were even more things to worry about. Even so, when they met, the first thing everyone mentioned was Ning Yi and the others' achievements at Xia Village. The other two staff members who had entered the core circle, Tong Zhi Yuan and Hou Wen Jing, had known Ning Yi in the past. They were older than Ning Yi and had previously been in charge of other branches. They were only brought into the center during the siege, and now they had come to congratulate Ning Yi. There was a hint of excitement and eagerness in their expressions.

During the ceasefire negotiations, the ice surface in Bian Liang City seemed calm, but undercurrents were already surging below. Qin Si Yuan might have discussed the overall situation privately with Yao Zu Nian and Jue Ming, but he hadn't discussed it in detail with Tong and Hou. Ning Yi's return today, with everyone gathered at night, was both a welcome celebration and an opportunity for an in-depth discussion of the situation inside and outside the city. What was decided here might determine the entire political chess game in Bian Liang.

After Ning Yi sat down and drank a few sips of tea, he briefly described the situation outside the city. This included the current confrontation with the Jurchens, the tense atmosphere on the front lines, and the fact that war could break out at any time, even during negotiations. He also mentioned some minor incidents that hadn't been reported to the city.

"...Negotiations are a battle of wits. The Jurchens' attitude is very firm. Even though they only have about half of their troops capable of fighting, they've put on a show of being ready to attack at any time. This Li Zhuo sent by the court is probably going to be intimidated. Everyone should already know about these things. Oh, I have something to tell Qin Gong. During the battle of Shou Zhang, Second Young Master was injured while leading troops to block Zong Wang. He injured his left eye. He didn't report it, and I think you probably didn't know..."

Qin Shao Qian losing an eye was just a minor personal matter at the time, and Ning Yi didn't send the news to bother Qin Si Yuan. He only felt it necessary to mention it now. Qin Si Yuan was slightly stunned, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes, but he immediately shook his head and smiled.

"He is a general leading troops, charging ahead. He was injured, but he's still alive. That's already fortunate. By the way, Li Heng, what do you think is the percentage chance that the Jurchens will restart the war if the negotiations fail?"

Ning Yi shook his head, "It's not a matter of success or failure, it's a matter of negotiation skills. The Jurchens are not irrational. They know how to get the most benefit. If our army is ready to fight, they don't want to fight, but they will never be afraid to fight. The problem on our side is that the upper echelons are afraid of war, and that Lord Li just wants to get the job done. If both sides are ready to fight, and the Jurchens also feel that we are not afraid to fight, then it will be easier to make peace. The current situation is troublesome." He looked at everyone, "What is our bottom line?"

Qin Si Yuan frowned, "At the beginning of the negotiations, His Majesty asked Lord Li to quickly reach an agreement, but not to make any concessions on the terms. He demanded that the Jurchens retreat immediately, cross Yanmen Pass, and return the Six Prefectures of Yan Yun. We will not pursue the matter further."

Ning Yi smiled, "And then?"

Yao Zu Nian also smiled bitterly, "After two days of negotiations, Li Zhuo came back and said that the Jurchens' attitude was firm. They demanded that we cede the area north of the Yellow River, recognize the Jin Dynasty as the elder brother, and our dynasty as the younger brother. They also demanded that our dynasty pay a large amount of materials and annual tribute. Otherwise, they would continue the war. His Majesty was furious, but then he relented, saying that we would not cede land or recognize the Jin Dynasty as the elder brother, but we could compensate with gold and silver. His Majesty wants to send them away as soon as possible..."

"I understand," Ning Yi nodded, "If I were them, I would have to squeeze a few layers of skin off you before leaving..."

He fell silent, and everyone else fell silent as well. Jue Ming stood up and refilled his tea, "Amitabha, the affairs of the world are far from perfect with just a few of us. As soon as the war stopped, the Right Prime Minister's residence was already in the eye of the storm. There are many people working behind the scenes and tripping us up. I've already told Qin Xiang and everyone about this. Right now, during the negotiations, His Majesty has sidelined Prime Minister Li, and Qin Xiang can't influence too much. In the past few days, I've been discussing with Lord Nian, and the most troublesome thing is not the tribute or the brotherly title. As for what it is, Li Heng, with your intelligence, should be able to see it, right?"

"Taiyuan," Ning Yi's gaze lowered slightly.

"The battle of Bian Liang may be over, but Taiyuan is not," Jue Ming nodded and continued, "During these negotiations, there's not much we can interfere with. If we have to protect something, it must be Taiyuan. However, the eldest young master is in Taiyuan, and Qin Xiang can't say much about this matter. The eldest young master, the second young master, and Qin Xiang, in this capital... it's hard to say how many people are hoping for Taiyuan's safety."

Before becoming a monk, Jue Ming was a member of the imperial family. He didn't have many taboos about what he could say that others couldn't. However, when he spoke about how many people were hoping for Taiyuan's safety, he still paused.

Ning Yi said, "When I was outside the city, I discussed this with Second Young Master and Wen Ren. Not to mention lifting the siege of Taiyuan, just how to lift it is a big problem. The ten thousand soldiers from Xia Village, after reorganization and heading north, plus the current hundred thousand or so remnants, are still difficult to be confident against Zong Wang, let alone Nian Han outside Taiyuan. Although this person is not from the Jurchen royal family, he is second only to one person and above ten thousand others. Compared to Zong Wang, he is probably even more difficult to deal with. Of course, if the court is determined, there are still ways. After all, the Jurchens have been invading south for too long. If a large army presses the border, threatening the area between Taiyuan's north and Yanmen Pass, the Jin people might retreat on their own. But right now, one, the negotiations are not firm, two, the upper echelons of the hundred thousand or so people are fighting among themselves, three, whether the higher-ups will let Second Young Master lead the ten thousand or so people from Xia Village... these are all problems..."

His words were cold and serious. The content he was saying now was completely different from what he had said to Shi Shi earlier.

Ji Kun, who had been silent all along, said in a deep voice, "Perhaps it's not entirely without a solution."

"But with each problem we solve, everyone takes a step towards the cliff," Ning Yi said. "In addition, Wen Ren and I discussed something even more troublesome outside the city..."

He paused and said, "How to respond to the second Jurchen invasion that will inevitably happen in a few years."

When he said this, Qin Si Yuan raised his eyebrows, his expression became even more serious. Yao Zu Nian, who was sitting on the side, closed his eyes. Jue Ming was playing with his teacup. Obviously, they had already considered this question as well. In this room, Ji Kun was the executor of facts and didn't need to consider this. The two people on the side, Tong Zhi Yuan and Hou Wen Jing, frowned instantly. It wasn't that they hadn't thought of it, but they hadn't started thinking about it in the past few days.

Qin Si Yuan took a breath, "Li Heng and Wen Ren, what are your thoughts?"

"Withdraw now, and perhaps we can retreat unscathed. If we go further, the consequences will truly be unpredictable," Ning Yi also stood up and refilled his cup with hot tea.

The room was quiet for a moment.

"The Jurchens are tigers and wolves. Once they've passed this time, they will definitely attack again. They destroyed the Liao Dynasty and are at their peak. This time, their southern invasion was also full of achievements. The only thing missing was breaking Bian Liang. To solve this problem, the core issue is... we need to value the soldiers," Ning Yi said slowly, and then sighed, "The best-case scenario is to preserve Xia Village, preserve the seeds of the Western Army, preserve the soldiers capable of fighting this time, and not let them be scattered. Then, reform the military system and give the military some status. Then, a few years later, when the Jin people invade south, we might have a chance to fight back. But every item is difficult, and the latter is even more difficult than the former..."

Jue Ming took a sip of tea, "The dynasty has valued scholars and suppressed the military for two hundred years."

Yao Zu Nian opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at everyone, "If we want to innovate, now is the time."

"If this were a play, there should be applause when Lord Nian says this," Ning Yi smiled, and everyone chuckled softly, but then their smiles faded, "It's not that there's anything wrong with valuing scholars and suppressing the military, but we've reached the point where we either change and live, or stay the same and die. Lord Nian is right, with the battle of Bian Liang and such tragic deaths and injuries, we can say that it's a good time to give the military some status. But even if it's convincing, everyone knows how much resistance there will be. The commanders of all the armies are civilian officials, and the people who lead the troops are civilian officials. To give the military status, we have to take benefits from their hands. If the Right Prime Minister's residence pushes this matter, with our strength, we're afraid we'll die without a burial..."

Qin Si Yuan and the others hesitated. Yao Zu Nian said, "The key to this matter..."

"The key is in His Majesty," Ning Yi looked at the old man and said in a low voice. Jue Ming and the others nodded slightly.

Speaking of the emperor, there were many things that couldn't be said right now. The emperor was the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. Any attempt to plot against the emperor was a great act of treason. The room fell silent again.

Time was stuck at an awkward juncture, not just the time in this room, but perhaps the time of this era. The soldiers of Xia Village, the soldiers of the Western Army, and the soldiers defending the city had all experienced tempering in this battle. If the results of this tempering could be preserved, perhaps they could resist the Jin Dynasty head-on in a few years. If it could be expanded, perhaps it could change the national destiny of an era.

But all kinds of difficulties were in front of them. Valuing scholars and suppressing the military was the foundation of the country. Under this policy, a large number of vested interests were stuck in their positions. The battle of Bian Liang, the pain in the flesh, might have provided conditions for different voices to be heard, but to push these conditions forward was still not something a few people, or even a group of people, could do. Changing the foundation of a country was like changing the nature of a river. It was never something that could be filled by sacrificing a few lives or a few families. And if it couldn't be done, the future would be an even more dangerous fate.

One step forward was a cliff, one step back was hell.

Ning Yi had long said about the cost of innovation, and he had long told people that he was absolutely unwilling to promote any innovation with his own life. When he set out north, he was only willing to treat the symptoms as they arose. If things couldn't be done, he would withdraw. But when things were pushed in front of him, it had finally come to this point. Going forward was eternal damnation, retreating would mean the people of the Central Plains would be plunged into misery.

He had never put himself in a position where others wouldn't do something without him. If it had been before, he would have left the matter and let Qin Si Yuan and the others die. But at this point, even the thought of withdrawing had become so difficult.

The passing of life had weight. Years ago, he told Yun Zhu, who was going to open a shop, that if you can't hold onto the sand, just scatter it. He had already experienced many major events in his life, but after experiencing the death and bloodshed of so many people, even he couldn't just scatter these things.

Compared to the troubles ahead, what were the things that Shi Shi was worried about before? What could a few clowns with tens of thousands of defeated soldiers do?